Masks Not Required in Most Areas Beginning March 1

[AandBmom]

2 hours ago, J41DP said:

So what's the pre cruise testing updates?

IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective March 1, guests who are up to date with their vaccines, i.e., received a booster if eligible, may take their test within three days prior to sailing.

[famof4togo]

4 minutes ago, AandBmom said:

Well that seems way easier than going somewhere to do it.   Is this a Carnival rep that I do it through?  How do I set that up?  I can't seem to get the info on their website. 

 

Sorry for all the questions..... I'm super overwhelmed with testing for cruise, getting back in to Canada, etc.  

It is not through Carnival.  You can purchase online.  We purchased through the Optum store online and it was $69.99 for two tests Abbott BinaxNOW.  You then download app and can take test 24/7.  I hear it is easy peasy but not a bad idea to have a back up test scheduled incase of a faulty test etc.

[TNcruising02]

7 minutes ago, AandBmom said:

Well that seems way easier than going somewhere to do it.   Is this a Carnival rep that I do it through?  How do I set that up?  I can't seem to get the info on their website. 

 

Sorry for all the questions..... I'm super overwhelmed with testing for cruise, getting back in to Canada, etc.  

https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/return-to-service-faqs

 

Fully vaccinated guests may consider using one of the following self-administered telehealth viral antigen tests:

Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test	Test kits ship to all 50 states and arrive at your door in three business days or less. Order now.
Radeas Inspire Diagnostics At-Home Health Test	Test kits ship to all 50 states and free 5-7 business day shipping is available (expedited shipping can be purchased at checkout). Order now.

 

[famof4togo]

Has it been stated specifically where masks will still be required?  Theater? Buffet? Etc  TIA

[AandBmom]

I think I figured out a solution.....

 

We have loads of tests as we get them free.'

 

I found a lab that supervises tests online.  Anyone used https://www.azova.com/rapidresponsevideo/?primary_resource_url_id=49510?

 

Carnival policy..

Is a self-test acceptable?

Fully vaccinated guests may consider using self-administered telehealth COVID-19 tests, which have been approved by the CDC to satisfy the pre-cruise testing requirement. The test must be a COVID-19 viral test (NAAT or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The self-test process must happen under live supervision on a video call with a telehealth representative who must confirm the person’s identity, observe the specimen collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of acceptable proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The telehealth provider must issue a result document that includes all the necessary information which must be presented at the time of check-in.

 

 

[Dancindukes2]

14 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

No, this is for cruises that depart on March 1 or later. If you are already on the cruise as of March 1 then it is not in effect for your sailing. That's the letter of the law. Spirit of the law depends on the individual ship I would presume.

They need to make that VERY clear in their correspondence to people sailing during that week. The old protocols should stay in place. 

 

 

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, RichYak said:

Correction: If you are vaccinated AND boosted.

 

Husband and I are both vaccinated and boosted.  We are doing a short cruise in the summer with 2 teens who are currently both vaxxed but neither is boosted yet. One is ours and the other is our kid's buddy. We will get ours boosted soon, before the end of winter, and if we ask the other kid will get boosted as well.  Of course by then tests rules may change again.

[mz-s]

21 minutes ago, Dancindukes2 said:

They need to make that VERY clear in their correspondence to people sailing during that week. The old protocols should stay in place. 

 

 

 

That's more of an uphill battle than getting people to wear long pants in the dining room on elegant night I feel. I know in my community, when the mask mandates were announced to be ending in a week - everyone immediately stopped wearing masks everywhere.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, AandBmom said:

I think I figured out a solution.....

This thread is about the change in mask policy. There's an entire stickied thread with tons of information that probably answers all your questions.

 

 

[crazy4themouse]

36 minutes ago, Dancindukes2 said:

They need to make that VERY clear in their correspondence to people sailing during that week. The old protocols should stay in place. 

 

 

 

But what sort of logic does that follow? None of that "spirit of the law" garbage -- actual logic. Are you saying that masks are somehow critically necessary on Monday, February 28th, but magically no need for them the very next day? If they're not necessary (in most locations onboard) a week and a half from now, they're not necessary now. Or tomorrow. Or the next 10 days.

 

 

[mz-s]

21 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

But what sort of logic does that follow? None of that "spirit of the law" garbage -- actual logic. Are you saying that masks are somehow critically necessary on Monday, February 28th, but magically no need for them the very next day? If they're not necessary (in most locations onboard) a week and a half from now, they're not necessary now. Or tomorrow. Or the next 10 days.

 

 

 

Exactly, enforcement from yesterday on will be very lax if it exists at all.

[chefchick]

14 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Exactly, enforcement from yesterday on will be very lax if it exists at all.

Well, I’m boarding the Panorama today, so we shall see.  

[SOCACRUISEGUY]

15 hours ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

You cannot with a straight face tell me that masks aren't necessary on that Tuesday, but somehow are critically necessary on that Monday. 

What I can tell you with a straight face is that this is no different than when Carnival mandated masks mid cruise during the onset of the Omicron variant. The first part of the cruise, masks were not required, the remainder after the requirement, they were. Deal with the rules, or don’t go. It’s not a big deal. I’ve been on 7 cruises since the restart. 

[2wheelin]

8 minutes ago, SOCACRUISEGUY said:

What I can tell you with a straight face is that this is no different than when Carnival mandated masks mid cruise during the onset of the Omicron variant. The first part of the cruise, masks were not required, the remainder after the requirement, they were. Deal with the rules, or don’t go. It’s not a big deal. I’ve been on 7 cruises since the restart. 

That is totally different. Immediate change based on emerging data. This is a future change based on yesterdays data. No one needs to remove their mask on March1 or any other day if they do not want to. Masks are now for your own protection more than that of others. Might encourage some to wear better masks if they worry rather than the flimsy ones that didn’t protect anyone.

[BlerkOne]

28 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

That is totally different. Immediate change based on emerging data. This is a future change based on yesterdays data. No one needs to remove their mask on March1 or any other day if they do not want to. Masks are now for your own protection more than that of others. Might encourage some to wear better masks if they worry rather than the flimsy ones that didn’t protect anyone.

 

Baloney. Masks protect both wearer and others. More so when everyone wears them. That hasn't changed.

 

This is a future change based on a trend. If that trend reverses today and tomorrow, so can the change.

 

Other Carnival brands have also signed on to participate in the CDC program, so there could be some corporate encouragement and coordination.

 

But really, the biggest change that I see with masks, is now Carnival won't have to keep updating their covid mask policy webpage. Instead of reading a website, people will now have to actually read signs on the ships, which could vary by ship and itinerary. Signage can change at any time, with or without notice. While there is likely a change in where masks will be required on ships, there is not necessarily any change.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective with sailings departing March 1, masks are recommended on board but not required. However, masks may be required in certain venues and events. Please pay close attention to onboard signage.

[Dancindukes2]

1 hour ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

But what sort of logic does that follow? None of that "spirit of the law" garbage -- actual logic. Are you saying that masks are somehow critically necessary on Monday, February 28th, but magically no need for them the very next day? If they're not necessary (in most locations onboard) a week and a half from now, they're not necessary now. Or tomorrow. Or the next 10 days.

 

 

Carnival did the exact same thing, keep the current protocols in place, when they switched from allowing smoking in the Casino on ships that already sailed. Once that sailing was over, they became non smoking till it was changed again.  This should be no different.  It is quite clear in the wording SAILINGS After 3/1 which means when you leave your home port. 

[pc_load_letter]

Aaaaannnnnddddd...booked

[BlerkOne]

Who else has agreed to follow the CDC? Well, so far

 

Companies and Brands:

• Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line (Bahamas Paradise)
• Carnival Corporation (Carnival, Holland, Princess, Seabourn)
• Disney Cruise Line (Disney)
• Genting Hong Kong (Crystal)
• MSC (MSC)
• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (Norwegian, Oceania, Regent)
• Royal Caribbean Cruises (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea)
• SeaDream (SeaDream)
• Sycamore Partners (Azamara)
• Viking Cruises (Viking)
• Virgin Voyages (Virgin)

[TNcruising02]

1 hour ago, chefchick said:

Well, I’m boarding the Panorama today, so we shall see.  

It seems like a cruise out of California would have a larger percentage of people who are fine wearing masks on your cruise than a cruise out of Florida.  We are cruising on the 26th out of Port Canaveral and I will be pleasantly surprised if the mask mandates are a bit looser, but prepared to mask up after every sip. 

I looked into cancelling my cruise and changing it to the following week, but the price for non stop flights would cost too much money to change this close to sailing.  I think those people who are very fearful to be around anyone without a mask at this point should bring along a good N95 mask to protect themselves.  Things are changing to people protecting themselves instead of mandates that other people protect them.

Have fun on your cruise!  Our last Carnival cruise was on the Panorama in Dec 2019 and it was a lot of fun.  We really enjoyed the excursion Rhythm of the Night.

[bucfan2]

3 hours ago, SOCACRUISEGUY said:

Deal with the rules, or don’t go. It’s not a big deal. 

Exactly. Great to see cruising getting better by the day.

[BlerkOne]

24 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

Exactly. Great to see cruising getting better by the day.

It will be good to see the end of $25 cruises, end of stress free safety drills, maybe even an occasional tablecloth.

[sammee]

I get it, we all want to ditch them. It's normal for us. Some are just taking it too far. My cruise is 2/27. There's a certain cruise group that posted this news. Everybody's wondering if we're going to get to remove them on March 1 or keep them on. I get it. What I don't get is the people who knowingly booked the cruise with this mask policy and agreed to it. If this new tidbit didn't come out, they'd be carrying on the same. But now, since it came out, I see a comment like. "They better not be making us wear them". Really? It's not a complaint. I'm ready either way. But why this kind of comment when just 2 days ago, everything was honky dory.

 

[sammee]

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

It will be good to see the end of $25 cruises, end of stress free safety drills, maybe even an occasional tablecloth.

Guess I better hurry and book a couple more before the well runs dry.

[HxFx]

48 minutes ago, sammee said:

What I don't get is the people who knowingly booked the cruise with this mask policy and agreed to it.

It would be interesting to know how many booked before the masking policy changed in December. 

[TNcruising02]

51 minutes ago, sammee said:

I get it, we all want to ditch them. It's normal for us. Some are just taking it too far. My cruise is 2/27. There's a certain cruise group that posted this news. Everybody's wondering if we're going to get to remove them on March 1 or keep them on. I get it. What I don't get is the people who knowingly booked the cruise with this mask policy and agreed to it. If this new tidbit didn't come out, they'd be carrying on the same. But now, since it came out, I see a comment like. "They better not be making us wear them". Really? It's not a complaint. I'm ready either way. But why this kind of comment when just 2 days ago, everything was honky dory.

 

It is a bit disappointing for Carnival to jump on allowing people to smoke in the casino, yet put off loosening the mask mandates for vaccinated people.  I will watch comedy shows with a mask, possibly being asked to mask up between sips, while people can constantly blow smoke all over the casinos.  People who have cruises this coming week are just disappointed that the risk won't be any different in the next two weeks as it is after March 1st.

Carnival seemed to be in a bigger hurry to allow smoking than to loosen the mask mandate for people who won't be blowing smoke everywhere.

Edited February 19, 2022 by TNcruising02