NCL Has Dropped Their Mask Mandate Beginning 3/1. Will Royal follow?

[binro01]

Who wants to see some pure speculation? I'm gonna put on my swami hat now. Here I go!

/speculation on

Mask Protocols will begin to Lax starting on Feb 26th cruises forward and go back to pre-Omicron level.

Come mid April we will see the ending of masking, mainly because Royal will require everyone who is eligible for a vaccination to be vaccinated, and boosted based on CDC guidelines for when to get a booster. Once those vaccination protocols are in place, all who are vaccinated and boosted will be able to go maskless on the ship, Ports of calls, will manage their own masking protocols.

 

Pre-test cruising, will be very tied to port of call requirements. We might see some laxing of this by end of April. (Once spring break passes), to something like this: If a port on an itinerary requires a covid test for people to enter the country, those cruises will require a test if you plan to leave the ship at that port. If you don't test you will not be allowed to disembark at that port. If a port on the itinerary is very stringent, where everyone on the vessel must be tested in order to be granted entry, then well, that cruise will be a testing required cruise.

This will give Royal some time to see how the new protocols work before the summer time rush, and adjust accordingly.

 

/speculation off

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, BSocial said:

Wait -are you saying  NCL requires vaccine for 5 and up beginning next month ?

Haven't they been requiring anyone sailing with them to be 100% fully vaccinated since their return to cruising?    If children were not vaccinated they were not allowed onboard.   Is my understanding of their policy but starting March 1st they will allow unvaccinated children under 5 to board.      

[Sunshine3601]

10 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Who wants to see some pure speculation? I'm gonna put on my swami hat now. Here I go!

/speculation on

Mask Protocols will begin to Lax starting on Feb 26th cruises forward and go back to pre-Omicron level.

Come mid April we will see the ending of masking, mainly because Royal will require everyone who is eligible for a vaccination to be vaccinated, and boosted based on CDC guidelines for when to get a booster. Once those vaccination protocols are in place, all who are vaccinated and boosted will be able to go maskless on the ship, Ports of calls, will manage their own masking protocols.

 

Pre-test cruising, will be very tied to port of call requirements. We might see some laxing of this by end of April. (Once spring break passes), to something like this: If a port on an itinerary requires a covid test for people to enter the country, those cruises will require a test if you plan to leave the ship at that port. If you don't test you will not be allowed to disembark at that port. If a port on the itinerary is very stringent, where everyone on the vessel must be tested in order to be granted entry, then well, that cruise will be a testing required cruise.

This will give Royal some time to see how the new protocols work before the summer time rush, and adjust accordingly.

 

/speculation off

I personally don't see Royal saying that children under 12 must be vaccinated.     They haven't done so yet and since they want to cater to families for summer and other holiday breaks I don't think they will change this policy.     Unless some new strain comes along that is a game changer.

 

I would love for masking policy to go back to pre-omicron days for our March sailings, but not sure they want to do that during their spring break cruises.     They would probably prefer to have more than 50% capacity for those sailings and have people masked.     I would love to know what the sailing capacity booked for our March sailing is at, they have been pretty much sold out for a couple of months (even my May cruise has maybe 5 cabins available).

 

[Booking It]

16 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Who wants to see some pure speculation? I'm gonna put on my swami hat now. Here I go!

/speculation on

Mask Protocols will begin to Lax starting on Feb 26th cruises forward and go back to pre-Omicron level.

Come mid April we will see the ending of masking, mainly because Royal will require everyone who is eligible for a vaccination to be vaccinated, and boosted based on CDC guidelines for when to get a booster. Once those vaccination protocols are in place, all who are vaccinated and boosted will be able to go maskless on the ship, Ports of calls, will manage their own masking protocols.

 

Pre-test cruising, will be very tied to port of call requirements. We might see some laxing of this by end of April. (Once spring break passes), to something like this: If a port on an itinerary requires a covid test for people to enter the country, those cruises will require a test if you plan to leave the ship at that port. If you don't test you will not be allowed to disembark at that port. If a port on the itinerary is very stringent, where everyone on the vessel must be tested in order to be granted entry, then well, that cruise will be a testing required cruise.

This will give Royal some time to see how the new protocols work before the summer time rush, and adjust accordingly.

 

/speculation off

I love all of your speculation! I can't wait for the testing requirement to be over. On our cruise this past August and our upcoming cruises, the testing gave/gives me an unreal amount of anxiety. Not a fun way to have to start and end a cruise! If they said we can't get off at certain ports if we haven't been tested, I am more than happy to spend the day in the hot tub onboard. 🙂

[binro01]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I personally don't see Royal saying that children under 12 must be vaccinated.     They haven't done so yet and since they want to cater to families for summer and other holiday breaks I don't think they will change this policy.     Unless some new strain comes along that is a game changer.

 

I would love for masking policy to go back to pre-omicron days for our March sailings, but not sure they want to do that during their spring break cruises.     They would probably prefer to have more than 50% capacity for those sailings and have people masked.     I would love to know what the sailing capacity booked for our March sailing is at, they have been pretty much sold out for a couple of months (even my May cruise has maybe 5 cabins available).

 

I think there are more people miffed and put off cruising over testing vs vaccination. Royal will cater to the larger demographic to fill those boats sooner vs later, and if that requires vaccination for all who are eligible, then Royal will go where the most money is. They will conduct market research to see what will bring in the most money. And that will guide their choice. We also have to remember, the initial no vaccination requirement for those under 12, pre-dates vaccination availability to that age demographic. Things have changed.

[joeyancho]

1 hour ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Once the mask mandates are lifted could be only a matter of time before the vaccination mandate follows suit. 

I'm not sure what you base that statement on.  I'm pretty sure the vaccination requirement will be around for a while.   It only makes sense.   I'm okay with all the vaccination and testing requirements.   I just HATE the mask.  

[binro01]

2 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

I'm not sure what you base that statement on.  I'm pretty sure the vaccination requirement will be around for a while.   It only makes sense.   I'm okay with all the vaccination and testing requirements.   I just HATE the mask.  

Im almost in the same boat as you. I'm ok with vaccination and masking where appropriate, I just hate the testing.

[rj59]

They should start by going back to their vaccinated-only unmasked venues, so people at least have some reasonable freedoms in places like theaters and casinos. Then as the rest of the country drops mask mandates, they can do the same. Blue states are starting to get ready to drop masking, and national leaders are also transitioning to an endemic situation, since they know the majority of the country is now done with the pandemic. If the rest of the country is going to go without masking, and a main competitor is dropping masking, then their business interests would seem to align with opening things up again. I would imagine Carnival won't be far behind NCL, since I found on my last Carnival cruise that a lot of their passengers really don't like masking, particularly sip and cover silliness. If you're at risk or worried, then feel free to wear a mask--I chatted with people outside in a strong breeze on a Princess ship last week who were wearing N95 masks indoors and outdoors. What would also help their business would be to extend the testing requirement back to the original 3 days, since it gives people more flexibility and comfort that they can get rest results before leaving for a cruise--that's actually a more desirable outcome, to prevent infected people from traveling. Then Royal can even update their protocols to reflect 2022 science, and not what they thought in 2020, so you can put actual books in their libraries, and if you're going to go over 50% capacity, you can't still block 50% of your tables in the buffet and theaters. As with masking, let people make their own decisions about social distancing. And we know now that tongs don't spread Covid, but that crew standing in the buffet chatting and serving food in cloth masks can and do spread contaminated air. And having crew members singing 'washy washy' songs is more dangerous than treating people like adults and letting them wash their hands on their own.

Edited February 8, 2022 by rj59
added comment

[alfaeric]

1 hour ago, sergel02 said:

It'll be interesting seeing what happens. My family wants to cruise but don't want to go if masks aren't required really, so that'll determine some things.

One thing to point out- you can still wear a mask.   We may do that when we get on the ship.  

 

 

[alfaeric]

1 hour ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Once the mask mandates are lifted could be only a matter of time before the vaccination mandate follows suit. 

IMHO, it's more likely that the test requirement will be loosened far earlier.  

[shutterbug63]

I certainly hope Royal doesn't follow suit anytime soon. It's too early IMO when there's still widespread transmission. I have no issues with wearing a mask. Not my preference, but if it helps keep me and others safe, I'll wear it.

[ONECRUISER]

 

1 hour ago, maggieq said:

Will the testing at the port be kept in place?

I heard no, going start be testing at home like on Royal

 

[ONECRUISER]

55 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Haven't they been requiring anyone sailing with them to be 100% fully vaccinated since their return to cruising?    If children were not vaccinated they were not allowed onboard.   Is my understanding of their policy but starting March 1st they will allow unvaccinated children under 5 to board.      

Yup, NCL will soon allow those onboard that can't Vax like those under 5yrs old. Wonder when/if exceptions with other ages like Royal has allowed also... Can't wait for Masking to end on Royal, doing 5wks this April-May

[Sunshine3601]

27 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

IMHO, it's more likely that the test requirement will be loosened far earlier.  

I doubt that, it makes no sense to test someone 3 or 4 days before they board.     If they did that - why bother testing at all IMO.    Plus there are so many available testing options that can be done within the required time such as the proctored at home test kits why would they loosen up the testing requirement.

[Sunshine3601]

44 minutes ago, rj59 said:

They should start by going back to their vaccinated-only unmasked venues, so people at least have some reasonable freedoms in places like theaters and casinos. Then as the rest of the country drops mask mandates, they can do the same. Blue states are starting to get ready to drop masking, and national leaders are also transitioning to an endemic situation, since they know the majority of the country is now done with the pandemic. If the rest of the country is going to go without masking, and a main competitor is dropping masking, then their business interests would seem to align with opening things up again. I would imagine Carnival won't be far behind NCL, since I found on my last Carnival cruise that a lot of their passengers really don't like masking, particularly sip and cover silliness. If you're at risk or worried, then feel free to wear a mask--I chatted with people outside in a strong breeze on a Princess ship last week who were wearing N95 masks indoors and outdoors. What would also help their business would be to extend the testing requirement back to the original 3 days, since it gives people more flexibility and comfort that they can get rest results before leaving for a cruise--that's actually a more desirable outcome, to prevent infected people from traveling. Then Royal can even update their protocols to reflect 2022 science, and not what they thought in 2020, so you can put actual books in their libraries, and if you're going to go over 50% capacity, you can't still block 50% of your tables in the buffet and theaters. As with masking, let people make their own decisions about social distancing. And we know now that tongs don't spread Covid, but that crew standing in the buffet chatting and serving food in cloth masks can and do spread contaminated air. And having crew members singing 'washy washy' songs is more dangerous than treating people like adults and letting them wash their hands on their own.

You say it is more dangerous to have the guy singing "washy washy" with his double mask on and passengers with their masks but it would be okay for casino to have people whooting and hollering at slots and table games without any masks.     I don't understand your logic. 

But I would love to be able to go maskless in the casino.  That is the only place on my January sailing that I found it annoying.   

 

Here in Southeastern PA we have not had to wear a mask anywhere since May or June 2020.    My school district has no mask mandate for staff or students.  Masks are optional.   Yes, you will see lots of people wearing masks especially when Delta was thriving and Omicron was exploding but Not required here in PA.

[Newcruiser215]

Just now, Sunshine3601 said:

You say it is more dangerous to have the guy singing "washy washy" with his double mask on and passengers with their masks but it would be okay for casino to have people whooting and hollering at slots and table games without any masks.     I don't understand your logic. 

But I would love to be able to go maskless in the casino.  That is the only place on my January sailing that I found it annoying.   

 

Here in Southeastern PA we have not had to wear a mask anywhere since May or June 2020.    My school district has no mask mandate for staff or students.  Masks are optional.   Yes, you will see lots of people wearing masks especially when Delta was thriving and Omicron was exploding but Not required here in PA.

We have a mask mandate here in Philly. Everywhere you go. You also have to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors.
 

At this point, I don’t mind the masks as much as others but I can’t say I’d wanna wear it during my cruise either. 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, binro01 said:

I think there are more people miffed and put off cruising over testing vs vaccination. Royal will cater to the larger demographic to fill those boats sooner vs later, and if that requires vaccination for all who are eligible, then Royal will go where the most money is. They will conduct market research to see what will bring in the most money. And that will guide their choice. We also have to remember, the initial no vaccination requirement for those under 12, pre-dates vaccination availability to that age demographic. Things have changed.

I think it was early November when vaccines became available for children 5 to 11 yrs old and Royal still has not enforced any vaccine requirement for this age group.     I think the US averages 38% for children being vaccinated in this 5 to 11 age group.    We shall see what they decide to do for this summer sailings when most families go on vacation. 

 

Yes, a lot of folks do not like the testing requirement especially after Omicron showing how us vaccinated folks can test positive but feel just fine.    When onboard our last sailing in January I had a nice conversation with the Loyalty Ambassador and he said each ship has anywhere from 200 to 400 passengers cancel within 48 hours of sailing due to testing positive for covid.  Of course that has all changed now.  This conversation was the 2nd week of January when omicron cases were just about peaked

[Sunshine3601]

9 minutes ago, Newcruiser215 said:

We have a mask mandate here in Philly. Everywhere you go. You also have to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors.
 

At this point, I don’t mind the masks as much as others but I can’t say I’d wanna wear it during my cruise either. 

Not here in Bucks County, PA and my Brother's family is in Exton and they don't have mask mandate there either.      We can go anywhere without a mask, Salon, Restaurant, Bar, movie theater, etc etc. 

No masks required for school children or the teachers.    

I think Philadelphia followed some of the protocols that NYC has in place.   

[Newcruiser215]

30 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Not here in Bucks County, PA and my Brother's family is in Exton and they don't have mask mandate there either.      We can go anywhere without a mask, Salon, Restaurant, Bar, movie theater, etc etc. 

No masks required for school children or the teachers.    

I think Philadelphia followed some of the protocols that NYC has in place.   

You are exactly right. My mom lives in Reading, PA and they don’t have any mandates. Same with Jersey & Delaware. Our mayor recently said we’re months away from dropping the mask mandate. 

[UNCFanatik]

2 hours ago, shutterbug63 said:

I certainly hope Royal doesn't follow suit anytime soon. It's too early IMO when there's still widespread transmission. I have no issues with wearing a mask. Not my preference, but if it helps keep me and others safe, I'll wear it.

Do you eat with hundreds of unmasked ppl on a Royal ship? 
 

 

[topnole]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I think it was early November when vaccines became available for children 5 to 11 yrs old and Royal still has not enforced any vaccine requirement for this age group.     I think the US averages 38% for children being vaccinated in this 5 to 11 age group.    We shall see what they decide to do for this summer sailings when most families go on vacation. 

 

Yes, a lot of folks do not like the testing requirement especially after Omicron showing how us vaccinated folks can test positive but feel just fine.    When onboard our last sailing in January I had a nice conversation with the Loyalty Ambassador and he said each ship has anywhere from 200 to 400 passengers cancel within 48 hours of sailing due to testing positive for covid.  Of course that has all changed now.  This conversation was the 2nd week of January when omicron cases were just about peaked

Not sure where you got 38%, but I don’t think it is anywhere close to that yet.  In mid late January it was a bit above 25% for just one poke (not full vax).  If Royal requires it, they are going to lose a lot of guests.  There is a lot of hesitation by families to vax the younger kids.  Not here to debate it now.  But it creates a big dilemma for a company that caters to a lot of families with kids in that age range.    Families that haven’t vaccinated their kids by now aren’t likely to do it just so they can take a cruise.  Can Royal really afford to eliminate 70% of families as potential guests?   

Edited February 9, 2022 by topnole

[binro01]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I think it was early November when vaccines became available for children 5 to 11 yrs old and Royal still has not enforced any vaccine requirement for this age group.     I think the US averages 38% for children being vaccinated in this 5 to 11 age group.    We shall see what they decide to do for this summer sailings when most families go on vacation. 

 

Yes, a lot of folks do not like the testing requirement especially after Omicron showing how us vaccinated folks can test positive but feel just fine.    When onboard our last sailing in January I had a nice conversation with the Loyalty Ambassador and he said each ship has anywhere from 200 to 400 passengers cancel within 48 hours of sailing due to testing positive for covid.  Of course that has all changed now.  This conversation was the 2nd week of January when omicron cases were just about peaked

This cancellation rate is tough for the cruise lines.  Hopefully with the surge subsiding, it will be better for them. But it’s a big financial reason to lax the testing requirements. 

[topnole]

4 hours ago, binro01 said:

Who wants to see some pure speculation? I'm gonna put on my swami hat now. Here I go!

/speculation on

Mask Protocols will begin to Lax starting on Feb 26th cruises forward and go back to pre-Omicron level.

Come mid April we will see the ending of masking, mainly because Royal will require everyone who is eligible for a vaccination to be vaccinated, and boosted based on CDC guidelines for when to get a booster. Once those vaccination protocols are in place, all who are vaccinated and boosted will be able to go maskless on the ship, Ports of calls, will manage their own masking protocols.

 

Pre-test cruising, will be very tied to port of call requirements. We might see some laxing of this by end of April. (Once spring break passes), to something like this: If a port on an itinerary requires a covid test for people to enter the country, those cruises will require a test if you plan to leave the ship at that port. If you don't test you will not be allowed to disembark at that port. If a port on the itinerary is very stringent, where everyone on the vessel must be tested in order to be granted entry, then well, that cruise will be a testing required cruise.

This will give Royal some time to see how the new protocols work before the summer time rush, and adjust accordingly.

 

/speculation off

I doubt they vary pretesting requirements based on ports.  Some folks find everything too confusing as it is now.  Can you imagine how confusing it would be if it was dependent on particular ports at particular times.  Just way to problematic for Royal to communicate.  
 

I’m not sure about them requiring the 5-11 age groups to be vaccinated.   They will lose a ton of customers if/when they do that.  
 

The best way to stop spread is to test before boarding.  It isn’t perfect, but it reduces many cases coming on the ships.  Omicron doesn’t care if you are vaccinated.  But tests tell you if you have omicron.  Of all the measures to keep, it is testing.  And pre cruise testing doesn’t cost the cruise lines.  So why stop it so soon?   

[Virginia100]

23 minutes ago, topnole said:

I doubt they vary pretesting requirements based on ports.  Some folks find everything too confusing as it is now.  Can you imagine how confusing it would be if it was dependent on particular ports at particular times.  Just way to problematic for Royal to communicate.  
 

I’m not sure about them requiring the 5-11 age groups to be vaccinated.   They will lose a ton of customers if/when they do that.  
 

The best way to stop spread is to test before boarding.  It isn’t perfect, but it reduces many cases coming on the ships.  Omicron doesn’t care if you are vaccinated.  But tests tell you if you have omicron.  Of all the measures to keep, it is testing.  And pre cruise testing doesn’t cost the cruise lines.  So why stop it so soon?   

Since nearly all fully vaccinated with booster are not hospitalized and most health experts now say the number of cases is irrelevant it’s hospitalizations,  why not let those willing to show the three shots documents forgo any testing? St Martin, PR and the UK now do, others may also.

[OSUZorba]

49 minutes ago, topnole said:

Not sure where you got 38%, but I don’t think it is anywhere close to that yet.  In mid late January it was a bit above 25% for just one poke (not full vax).  If Royal requires it, they are going to lose a lot of guests.  There is a lot of hesitation by families to vax the younger kids.  Not here to debate it now.  But it creates a big dilemma for a company that caters to a lot of families with kids in that age range.    Families that haven’t vaccinated their kids by now aren’t likely to do it just so they can take a cruise.  Can Royal really afford to eliminate 70% of families as potential guests?   

Based on the current CDC numbers, it is about 31.5% with one shot, and 23.2% with two. The kid shot rates will likely keep slowly increasing as kids get to their annual appointments.