How cruise lines are coping with Vaccination Ban

[BirdTravels]

5 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

 

Plus now on Adventure unvaccinated guests must take ship excursions instead of on your own tours, including parents traveling with unvaccinated children:

 

This was in response to the 2 unvaccinated kids on the Adventure testing positive yesterday. 

 

And in response to the two COVID cases on Celebrity, Royal changed their protocols to require a pre-embarkation test of 100% of the passengers (prior it was just unvaccinated passengers). (NCL continues to require pre-embarkation tests of 100% of the passengers on fully vaccinated cruises). 

[SeaHunt]

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

This was in response to the 2 unvaccinated kids on the Adventure testing positive yesterday. 

 

And in response to the two COVID cases on Celebrity, Royal changed their protocols to require a pre-embarkation test of 100% of the passengers (prior it was just unvaccinated passengers). (NCL continues to require pre-embarkation tests of 100% of the passengers on fully vaccinated cruises). 

 

I also see now that Celebrity is requiring ship excursions for Mexico for everyone on their Edge sailing tomorrow (6/26). I guess the bottom line is to be prepared right now for anything to pop up to avoid disappointment 😉

 

In an abundance of caution to keep our guests and crew healthy at sea, we will require curated tours in Mexico for our June 26 sailing on Celebrity Edge. Based on the most recent travel advisory and vaccination rates in Mexico, we have reevaluated On Your Own Tours and instead will require Celebrity curated tours. Curated tours can be booked through Cruise Planner or the Celebrity Cruises app.  We will continuously evaluate these requirements and provide updates as they evolve. We look forward to welcoming you on board soon.  

Celebrity curated tours are required in Costa Maya*, Cozumel* and Roatan

*Celebrity Edge 6/26 only.  We will continue to monitor and evaluate. 

[kitty-sail]

2 hours ago, RumRunner2021 said:

I was of the impression that with NCL's 100% vaccination requirement, there are no "rules" once on board.  Was I mistaken?

To my knowledge NCL hasn't set any procedures down yet regarding non-vaccinated passengers. How will they guarantee 100% if they can't demand proof of vaccination - discrimination. Deny a non-vaccinated person to board. What about families with un-vaccinated kids. NCL will need to find a way to make sure everyone who signed up for the cruise is vaccinated beforehand. Ships can't have more than 5% non-vaccinated otherwise they lose their CDC certification for sailing.

It was 2 teenage girls on Royal that tested positive on day 5 who were left in Nassau with their parents.

Royal is the 1st to leave a US port with guidelines for non-vaccinated persons. They are sailing with 95% vaccination and already running into covid issues with non-vaccinated passengers. 

There is still a lot to be worked out yet.

[RumRunner2021]

2 hours ago, kitty-sail said:

To my knowledge NCL hasn't set any procedures down yet regarding non-vaccinated passengers.

Actually, NCL has set down a procedure.  Prove vaccination or stay on shore!  100% baby!!

[deliver42]

Yes, they've set the procedures at 100%, but I haven't seen any cruises from Florida yet. That will be a big problem for them at $5000.00 per passenger fine. That's the reason the other lines have changed course on vaccines.

[Karaboudjan]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

Yes, they've set the procedures at 100%, but I haven't seen any cruises from Florida yet. That will be a big problem for them at $5000.00 per passenger fine. That's the reason the other lines have changed course on vaccines.

The specific text is 'may impose a fine not to exceed $5,000' so there are different ways that could play out.  Maybe NCL will see if they have to turn anyone away and if they actually get fined.  If the fine is more symbolic they could just pay it, and if it's not they could take FL to court.

[JamieLogical]

9 hours ago, kitty-sail said:

Royal is the 1st to leave a US port with guidelines for non-vaccinated persons. They are sailing with 95% vaccination and already running into covid issues with non-vaccinated passengers. 

There is still a lot to be worked out yet.

 

Actually, the Celebrity Edge will be the first to leave a US port today.  Royal's sailing out of FL was a test sailing with 100% vaccinated staff and their families as volunteers onboard. Today the Edge sails with paying customers, at least 95% of whom will be vaccinated.

[JamieLogical]

According to Celebrity, the Edge will be sailing today with the following numbers:

 

Onboard

• 1,195 guests for an occupancy ate of 41.2 percent. The 2018-built ship can take 2,900 guests at 100 percent occupancy.
• Two unvaccinated adults.
• 24 unvaccinated children.
• 100 percent of crew have been vaccinated. 

26 unvaccinated is only 2% of the passengers. I guess that means they have 3% of wiggle room in case anyone shows up at the pier without their proof of vaccination or refuses to show it. I assume these numbers come from the calls/emails they have been doing all week to confirm that passengers are vaccination and willing to show proof on embarkation.

[MorganClark]

14 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

According to Celebrity, the Edge will be sailing today with the following numbers:

 

Onboard

• 1,195 guests for an occupancy ate of 41.2 percent. The 2018-built ship can take 2,900 guests at 100 percent occupancy.
• Two unvaccinated adults.
• 24 unvaccinated children.
• 100 percent of crew have been vaccinated. 

26 unvaccinated is only 2% of the passengers. I guess that means they have 3% of wiggle room in case anyone shows up at the pier without their proof of vaccination or refuses to show it. I assume these numbers come from the calls/emails they have been doing all week to confirm that passengers are vaccination and willing to show proof on embarkation.

 

I'm confusion. Don't the calls/e-mails violate Florida's new law prohibiting companies from asking vaccination status? I believe Celebrity Edge is sailing out of Port Everglades, Fla today.

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, MorganClark said:

 

I'm confusion. Don't the calls/e-mails violate Florida's new law prohibiting companies from asking vaccination status? I believe Celebrity Edge is sailing out of Port Everglades, Fla today.

 

The calls emails are asking if people are vaccinated and if they will be willing to volunteer proof of vaccination at the pier. Those who are unwilling to volunteer proof will still be allowed to board. The Florida law says that companies cannot *require* proof of vaccination and cannot deny services to people who do not provide proof. In the case of Celebrity, those who do not volunteer their vaccination status will be assumed to be unvaccinated and will be required to undergo frequent COVID testing at their own expense, will be required to wear masks at all times onboard when not in their stateroom or eating/drinking, and will have to stay in designated sections of public spaces (theater, MDR, etc.), but will not be denied service.

[MorganClark]

6 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The calls emails are asking if people are vaccinated and if they will be willing to volunteer proof of vaccination at the pier. Those who are unwilling to volunteer proof will still be allowed to board. The Florida law says that companies cannot *require* proof of vaccination and cannot deny services to people who do not provide proof. In the case of Celebrity, those who do not volunteer their vaccination status will be assumed to be unvaccinated and will be required to undergo frequent COVID testing at their own expense, will be required to wear masks at all times onboard when not in their stateroom or eating/drinking, and will have to stay in designated sections of public spaces (theater, MDR, etc.), but will not be denied service.

 

Thanks! I'm not so confusion anymore. That makes perfect sense. I guess that's why they call you JaimeLogical.

[harkinmr]

36 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The calls emails are asking if people are vaccinated and if they will be willing to volunteer proof of vaccination at the pier. Those who are unwilling to volunteer proof will still be allowed to board. The Florida law says that companies cannot *require* proof of vaccination and cannot deny services to people who do not provide proof. In the case of Celebrity, those who do not volunteer their vaccination status will be assumed to be unvaccinated and will be required to undergo frequent COVID testing at their own expense, will be required to wear masks at all times onboard when not in their stateroom or eating/drinking, and will have to stay in designated sections of public spaces (theater, MDR, etc.), but will not be denied service.

Those who are unwilling to volunteer proof at the port will only be allowed to board if there is available room in the 5% unvaccinated pool.  Otherwise, they would be denied boarding.  The calls/emails sent out by Celebrity in advance of sailing will allow them to keep their unvaccinated pool at 5% or less as required by the CDC.  Folks who say they are vaccinated and then refuse to show proof at the port may be out of luck.

[JamieLogical]

Just now, harkinmr said:

Those who are unwilling to volunteer proof at the port will only be allowed to board if there is available room in the 5% unvaccinated pool.  Otherwise, they would be denied boarding.  The calls/emails sent out by Celebrity in advance of sailing will allow them to keep their unvaccinated pool at 5% or less as required by the CDC.  Folks who say they are vaccinated and then refuse to show proof at the port may be out of luck.

 

With the numbers I quoted above, it seems that the Edge should have enough availability in the 5% bucket to accommodate any who end up not providing proof at the pier. Currently, only 2% of the scheduled passengers are known to be unvaccinated, which means there is 3% wiggle room.

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

With the numbers I quoted above, it seems that the Edge should have enough availability in the 5% bucket to accommodate any who end up not providing proof at the pier. Currently, only 2% of the scheduled passengers are known to be unvaccinated, which means there is 3% wiggle room.

Agreed.  But I'm not sure that I would take that chance and frankly, if I were the cruise line, I would be concerned about anyone who would say they were vaccinated by phone or email and then show up intent on boarding without the required proof. That says a lot about a person and I think would speak to their willingness to comply with the unvaccinated passenger protocols onboard.  JMO.

[JamieLogical]

18 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Agreed.  But I'm not sure that I would take that chance and frankly, if I were the cruise line, I would be concerned about anyone who would say they were vaccinated by phone or email and then show up intent on boarding without the required proof. That says a lot about a person and I think would speak to their willingness to comply with the unvaccinated passenger protocols onboard.  JMO.

 

Oh, I agree. It is a tight line to walk. If the injunction against the CSO holds up, it will only be a potential issue for a couple of weeks. At that point, even if Celebrity wants to keep the 95% policy in place, they will have much more flexibility. If it turns out that at the pier something like 7% of unvaccinated show up instead of 5%, not a huge deal. It's only when they are trying to balance the CDC requirements with the Florida law that it's a significant challenge. After July 18, it may no longer be quite so tricky.

[harkinmr]

18 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Oh, I agree. It is a tight line to walk. If the injunction against the CSO holds up, it will only be a potential issue for a couple of weeks. At that point, even if Celebrity wants to keep the 95% policy in place, they will have much more flexibility. If it turns out that at the pier something like 7% of unvaccinated show up instead of 5%, not a huge deal. It's only when they are trying to balance the CDC requirements with the Florida law that it's a significant challenge. After July 18, it may no longer be quite so tricky.

That's assuming they would even want to sail with a larger percentage of unvaccinated passengers.  I don't think they do.  They need to twist themselves into knots in order to comply with Florida law.  It's pretty clear that the additional protocols applied by Celebrity (and RCI for their sailings) are intended to discourage rather than encourage unvaccinated adult passengers.  Word from RCI this morning is that the casino and spa on their sailings will be vaccinated passengers only.  Now THAT sends a message.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, harkinmr said:

That's assuming they would even want to sail with a larger percentage of unvaccinated passengers.  I don't think they do.  They need to twist themselves into knots in order to comply with Florida law.  It's pretty clear that the additional protocols applied by Celebrity (and RCI for their sailings) are intended to discourage rather than encourage unvaccinated adult passengers.  Word from RCI this morning is that the casino and spa on their sailings will be vaccinated passengers only.  Now THAT sends a message.

 

I agree that Celebrity (and other lines) are unlikely to want to sail with a significant percentage of unvaccinated. It's clear that cruise passengers prefer full or near-full vaccination and it obviously would increase the risk of cases onboard to sail with more unvaccinated. However, the injunction against the CSO would mean that if they had to tick up to 5.1% or 5.2% unvaccinated, they would still keep the number of unvaccinated in a "safe" range without having to worry about being shut down by the CDC as they currently need to. I sincerely doubt that even with the CSO lifted, any of the cruise lines are going to sail wide open or not ask for vaccination status at all! They would risk a significant outbreak on the ship and a HUGE blow to the industry.

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I agree that Celebrity (and other lines) are unlikely to want to sail with a significant percentage of unvaccinated. It's clear that cruise passengers prefer full or near-full vaccination and it obviously would increase the risk of cases onboard to sail with more unvaccinated. However, the injunction against the CSO would mean that if they had to tick up to 5.1% or 5.2% unvaccinated, they would still keep the number of unvaccinated in a "safe" range without having to worry about being shut down by the CDC as they currently need to. I sincerely doubt that even with the CSO lifted, any of the cruise lines are going to sail wide open or not ask for vaccination status at all! They would risk a significant outbreak on the ship and a HUGE blow to the industry.

Which is ironic, because that was the whole point of the CSO.  Anyway, we will see what happens on or before July 18th.  Still could be a replacement order or appeal.  Who knows.

[RocketMan275]

17 hours ago, RumRunner2021 said:

It will likely be a big mess.  I don't think it is any coincidence that NCL has cancelled a lot of cruises out of Florida.   Remember when the biggest concern at the dock was if NCL was going to find the booze hidden in your suitcase?  Like the song goes, "those were the days....."

Now consider the chaos on board when passengers who did not provide proof of vaccination are denied access to the dining rooms or theater because there isn't sufficient space for their social distancing.  I suspect the cruise lines will have to issue some form of a badge or wrist band to those who've provided proof of vaccination.  No badge/wristband, then you're part of the 5%.

[coffeebean]

2 hours ago, MorganClark said:

 

I'm confusion. Don't the calls/e-mails violate Florida's new law prohibiting companies from asking vaccination status? I believe Celebrity Edge is sailing out of Port Everglades, Fla today.

The cruise lines can ask but they can not require. So.......the bottom line is passengers must VOLUNTEER their proof of vaccination. If they do not produce the vaccination proof, they go into the un-vaxxed group.

[coffeebean]

54 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

That's assuming they would even want to sail with a larger percentage of unvaccinated passengers.  I don't think they do.  They need to twist themselves into knots in order to comply with Florida law.  It's pretty clear that the additional protocols applied by Celebrity (and RCI for their sailings) are intended to discourage rather than encourage unvaccinated adult passengers.  Word from RCI this morning is that the casino and spa on their sailings will be vaccinated passengers only.  Now THAT sends a message.

Seriously......un-vaxxed are going to be treated like pariahs. That certainly does send a message.

[MorganClark]

1 minute ago, coffeebean said:

Seriously......un-vaxxed are going to be treated like pariahs. That certainly does send a message.

 

Not a way I want to spend my cruise, that's for sure.

[MorganClark]

42 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Now consider the chaos on board when passengers who did not provide proof of vaccination are denied access to the dining rooms or theater because there isn't sufficient space for their social distancing.  I suspect the cruise lines will have to issue some form of a badge or wrist band to those who've provided proof of vaccination.  No badge/wristband, then you're part of the 5%.

 

And in the MDR, no badge/wristband? NO SOUP FOR YOU!

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

4 hours ago, MorganClark said:

 

I'm confusion. Don't the calls/e-mails violate Florida's new law prohibiting companies from asking vaccination status? I believe Celebrity Edge is sailing out of Port Everglades, Fla today.

 

Technically the Florida law doesn't go into effect until July 1st. This sailing has a great deal of flex.

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Technically the Florida law doesn't go into effect until July 1st. This sailing has a great deal of flex.

 

But DeSantis' executive order is already in effect.