CDC ends all restrictions as of July 18th (TODAY!!)

[geneticsguy]

I bet once one cruise line makes an announcement, all of the others follow suit. Why? Because, there is likely a MASSIVE amount of potential customers waiting on the sidelines for all of this to end and they are going to want to compete for their wallets too. It's like when NCL announced the end of mask mandates, everyone else followed suit within the week, for the most part.

We'll see who makes the first move. I REALLY hope they end the pre-Covid testing. My insurance doesn't cover it, and they are now charging at places like Walgreens $130 per person for the test. I got a cruise in October for a family of 5. I'd rather not have to pay outrageous Covid testing costs.

[SeattleAl]

"Even so, the agency stressed that cruisers should be “up to date” on their vaccinations, meaning not only two vaccinations but booster shots for those who were eligible. The CDC recommended that people who had not received a booster shot should avoid cruising."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2022/07/18/cdc-ditched-covid-19-program-cruise-ships/?sh=a1b1625372ba 

[SeattleAl]

Also, from a Carnival story:

The line says, “Please note that cruises that begin, end or visit Canada will require sailing guests ages 12 and above who are not Canadian citizens be fully vaccinated, unless they are granted a medical exemption.”

It’s important to note that guests still need to apply for an exemption. This allotment is up to 10 percent of the voyage, and the line could put occupancy caps on unvaccinated guests allowed to sail to remain in compliance with CDC guidelines.

[sgmn]

8 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

It may not come soon enough for us.  We cruise July 31 from Stockholm.  It would be such a bummer to get all the way there and then test positive.  Just getting there this summer is a challenge. 

 

We have been wearing a mask everywhere for the last 2 weeks.  That is not our norm. . . but, we have been stressed over the testing requirement.

Surely CDC requirements will not have any impact on ships whoes embarkation ports are outside the USA?

 

[blueslily]

I've never had an issue with pre-cruise testing and still don't. Interesting thread.

[Ashland]

7 minutes ago, blueslily said:

I've never had an issue with pre-cruise testing and still don't. Interesting thread.

At times it's been the timeframe required to test...sometimes hard with pre-cruise stays.

[steamboats]

9 hours ago, Ashland said:

We cruise out of Amsterdam next Tuesday the 26th....hoping pre-cruise test will stop but doubtful RCI will make the change that fast.

 

Amsterdam has nothing to do with the CDC ;-). If RCI is dropping the tests it will be August 1st (as NCL, Regent, Oceania). So no chance that you won´t need a test for next Tuesday out of Amsterdam

 

steamboats

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, alwaysflyin said:

One of the most important changes that needs to happen is dropping the vaccination requirements for the 12-18 kids.  There is no justification for requiring vaccines at this point.  You can make a case for 80 year-olds but not 12 year-olds.

To protect others, reduce the spread and to reduce the risk of serious illness to themselves. Exactly as for everyone else.

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Easy solution there, remove Bermuda as a cruise stop until they play ball. The cruise lines aren't powerless anymore. They want the dollars, they fall in line like everyone else. They can probably get that BS "travel authorization" reduced to $4-$5 PP rolled into port fees and get testing requirements removed as well. Two birds, one stone. Some of these locations have tried to take advantage while the chips were down. Turnabout is fair play.   

The USA has been charging us to visit for years. Or as we would say in the UK "you want to have your cake and eat it". Please note we visit the US  regularly and we have family that are US citizens.

[BND]

8 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

Our (private, not socialized) hospitals and ICUs have been at or above capacity for years - years before COVID.  My MIL died in early 2019.  The last two years of her life, she was in the hospital every few months with respiratory problems due to COPD.  Every time we'd take her to the ER.  They would get her an ER bed fairly quickly, and then would tell us they were admitting her.  Each time, she'd be in an ER bed at leas 24 hours because the hospital was full.  When she'd finally gen a hospital bed, about half the time the doc would say she was being moved to ICU.  She never say the inside of the ICU - it was always full.  So when I saw the "sky is falling" news stories about hospitals and ERs being full, I knew the real story - we have about 90% as many hospital beds as we need because the companies that own them all have seats on the state hospital board and want it that way.  Hospitals are like airplanes: They only make a profile when every seat (or bed) has a butt in it.  

That must be where you live.  Our ICU's (several hospitals) have never been full, even during the worst of Covid.  As for general hospital beds, that is more common, and we saw some of that  with both my MIL and FIL over the last 5+ years.  But, only one time (out of at least 10 hospitalizations combined) did either of them have to wait more than a few hours to get a room.   The fact is, the majority of people who come in or are brought into the ER never need a hospital bed as they are released to go home directly from the ER.  I think the delay has more to do with bureaucracy and paperwork than lack of space.

[BND]

8 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Sounds like a potential Powder-Keg. Much different then it has been onboard lately where things have settled down. Pretty sure this will just assure more positive passengers walking around the ship.

 

One thing to start feeling bad when on land where you can go home to your own house and ride it out. When being on a ship you are locked on there for 7 days or longer.

 

Best bet right now once  the cruise lines choose how they handle this is to do is take shorter cruises 5 days or less.

 

Just my opinion.

I really do think you need to just continue staying home.  And, what exactly do you think doing 5 day cruises will accomplish?  Sigh.

[Marla07860]

14 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I do not believe that the cruise lines will completely stop everything.  Maybe I'm wrong but that's just my opinion.

I agree I feel pre-testing will stop but vaccine mandates possibly and with Bemuda or other ports that may want someting who knows

[Marla07860]

13 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I'd rather the other way around. Vaccinated guests are low risk and even if we get it, are highly unlikely to require major (if any) medical assistance. I'm willing to risk being on a ship with fully vaccinated passengers who have not been tested, but I think having unvaccinated people onboard could cause a big scare if they got deathly ill and required an emergency port stop or medical evacuation. And those scares could put the cruise lines right back to requiring testing as a way to make everyone feel a sense of security, no matter how real or false that security may be.

 

If there's still people out there unwilling or unable to get vaccinated, let that be their own problem, not everyone else's. I paid my vaccination and masking dues, I'm ready to have unrestricted vacations. Let the unvaccinated continue their stubborn anti-science protests at home by themselves.

 

*And sorry for those who are unvaccinated because you're unable due to medical conditions, but it's probably not safe for you to be taking that risk anyway.

 

 

I agree I hope its other way around as well. Having a autoimmune disease sure being vaccinated doesn't stop from being sick, but lower risk like you say

[DragonOfTheSeas]

6 hours ago, sgmn said:

Surely CDC requirements will not have any impact on ships whoes embarkation ports are outside the USA?

 

You would think that is the case--but, cruise lines have been "voluntarily'" following the same CDC rules even for ships that are sailing outside of the US.  [they were desperate to get back to cruising]  

 

Most N European countries have dropped covid restrictions.

 

While I was looking for a location to get our pre-cruise-testing in Stockholm local cruise critic posters told me Sweden has stopped most testing for residents. 

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, BND said:

I really do think you need to just continue staying home.  And, what exactly do you think doing 5 day cruises will accomplish?  Sigh.

I haven't been staying home. Not sure what you are talking about.

 

Just think with shorter cruises people will get on and off the ship without coming up positive and feeling sick and spreading it to other passengers as easily as longer cruises.

[Another_Critic]

2 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Just think with shorter cruises people will get on and off the ship without coming up positive and feeling sick and spreading it to other passengers as easily as longer cruises.

So Covid will just be delayed until post cruise (hotel, restaurants, plane, airport, welcome home party, etc.)

[LMaxwell]

7 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

So Covid will just be delayed until post cruise (hotel, restaurants, plane, airport, welcome home party, etc.)

Yes, but he's not wrong either. Isn't this exactly what people have been asking for? 

[hazeleyes46]

14 hours ago, notscb said:

 

It means that a lot of grown adults are going to be throwing temper tantrums when some cruises still require pre-cruise testing depending on the regulations of the countries they are visiting.

Honestly I hope they drop that as it is very stressful trying to get everyone together to test and have an extra expense. 

[pcur]

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

At times it's been the timeframe required to test...sometimes hard with pre-cruise stays.

I use telehealth proctor tests with my iphone.  Usually, from my hotel room.

[smokeybandit]

The problem is testing isn't looking for sick people. It's looking for people who test positive.  It's unlike anything society has ever done before with airborne viruses.

[Rusty_lock]

6 hours ago, the penguins said:

The USA has been charging us to visit for years. Or as we would say in the UK "you want to have your cake and eat it". Please note we visit the US  regularly and we have family that are US citizens.

Yeah but your I94 is $6 LOL.  Big difference.

 

6 hours ago, the penguins said:

To protect others, reduce the spread and to reduce the risk of serious illness to themselves. Exactly as for everyone else.

Except it doesn't reduce the spread.  The vaccinated population gets it at the same rate as the un vaccinated and the risk of serious illness for young people with or without the vaccine is negligible.

 

[Rusty_lock]

duplicate

Edited July 19, 2022 by Rusty_lock

[notscb]

6 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

It's unlike anything society has ever done before with airborne viruses.

 

...because it was a brand new disease that we had very little knowledge about that easily over-ran our healthcare system? I'm confused about what you're trying to say. Should sick people (with any sickness) be allowed to occupy confined spaces (like cruise ships) and spread it to others?

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, BND said:

That must be where you live.  Our ICU's (several hospitals) have never been full, even during the worst of Covid.  As for general hospital beds, that is more common, and we saw some of that  with both my MIL and FIL over the last 5+ years.  But, only one time (out of at least 10 hospitalizations combined) did either of them have to wait more than a few hours to get a room.   The fact is, the majority of people who come in or are brought into the ER never need a hospital bed as they are released to go home directly from the ER.  I think the delay has more to do with bureaucracy and paperwork than lack of space.

 

Like I said, it's because ALL hospital and ICU beds must be approved by the state hospital board - which is run by the hospitals.  They have colluded to create their own monopoly where demand outpaces supply.  And it's been this way for a very long time.  

 

[notscb]

4 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

The vaccinated population gets it at the same rate as the un vaccinated

The data indicates you're wrong about this.