CDC Announcement

[toofewcruises]

Has anyone seen the new CDC announcement?  The CDC guidelines for cruise ships are no longer required...  

 

1.  I hope the vaccination requirement stays in place;

2.  Testing will no longer be required, which could be a very good thing for all of us;

3.  I wonder how long it will take for Princess to enact this?

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Assuming the testing is somewhat accurate, I think the testing would afford more protection from cases onboard than vaccination!

[toofewcruises]

And just like that: CDC's COVID-19 program for cruise ships has ended | seatrade-cruise.com

[deliver42]

I hope they end the testing, but not the vaccine requirement. I 'm double boosted, and just want to keep my chances low of anything severe. I know I can still get Covid. It's not in endemic  at all. Now Princess has said they are going 10% unvaxxed, and to me it's a money grab. Well they can grab it without me.

[jimbo1683]

2 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I hope they end the testing, but not the vaccine requirement. I 'm double boosted, and just want to keep my chances low of anything severe. I know I can still get Covid. It's not in endemic  at all. Now Princess has said they are going 10% unvaxxed, and to me it's a money grab. Well they can grab it without me.

Serious question - ignoring the nonsence above about brainwashing - if a passenger is unvaxed but you are vaccinated, does the risk to you increase? Or is the risk wholly theirs?

[Bgwest]

29 minutes ago, jimbo1683 said:

Also no other part of "the vacation industry" is out at sea without a paddle if someone needs emergency hospital treatment

I have dealt with a head cold on previous cruises. Not concerned.

[Tedferg]

7 minutes ago, jimbo1683 said:

Serious question - ignoring the nonsence above about brainwashing - if a passenger is unvaxed but you are vaccinated, does the risk to you increase? Or is the risk wholly theirs?

I would think the general risk is higher with more unvaccinated. Unvaccinated are more susceptible and so, untested, more possibility for general exposure.

[rbtan]

Had all the shots. My spouse has Been exposed to the bug numerous times in his business. Never had a positive test.. We'll get the updated shot along with the Flu shot later in the fall.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, jimbo1683 said:

Serious question - ignoring the nonsence above about brainwashing - if a passenger is unvaxed but you are vaccinated, does the risk to you increase? Or is the risk wholly theirs?

Covid is demonstrating dose-dependent responses. So you have four scenarios:

1. Unvaccinated person transmitting to an unvaccinated person-worst case. The viral load carried by the unvaccinated person can be higher than the viral load transmitted by a vaccinated person. So the exposure dose is higher and because of the absence of the vaccine, the dose needed for contraction is lower.  This was the pre-vax world and it was a you-know-what show. 
 

2.  Unvaccinated person transmitting to a vaccinated person. Viral load of delivery is high, but resistance to the virus is higher so while contraction is still possible and perhaps likely, there is a much better chance of a positive outcome. 
 

3. Vaccinated person transmitting to an unvaccinated person. Vaccinated person is still capable of transmitting but the viral load that person carries is lower so the unvaccinated person has a chance of receiving a dose that is too low for contraction. But it certainly can happen and I think we are seeing this every day now. 
 

4.  Vaccinated person transmitting to a vaccinated person. Viral load being transmitted is low and the resistance of the recipient is high. Transmission is still possible but contraction will probably result in an acceptable outcome despite a positive test. 
 

And all of this varies as the variants evolve. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[NavyVeteran]

Cruise lines still have to follow the restrictions of all of the countries visited on the specific itinerary. For example, cruises with Canadian ports (including all Alaska cruises) have to follow the vaccination and testing requirements prescribed by the government of Canada as well as any US requirements. A cruise visiting several different Caribbean countries has to follow the requirements of all of them.

 

Since my next cruise embarks in Canada, the CDC changes won't make any difference as long as the Canadian requirements are stricter.

[beaglesandducks]

NavyVeteran     We are embarking in canada in august  i understood that there was no covid test requirement to enter canada (just the vaccination requirement)    

[MrBreeze]

The way has been paved to discontinue the pre cruise testing. Oh happy day! 

[westcoaster]

29 minutes ago, beaglesandducks said:

i understood that there was no covid test requirement to enter canada (just the vaccination requirement)    

There is no covid test required to enter Canada, but Canada still requires passengers boarding cruise ships to be tested prior to boarding.  As of now, that still hasn't changed with the CDC announcement.

Edited July 19, 2022 by westcoaster

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

Cruise lines still have to follow the restrictions of all of the countries visited on the specific itinerary. For example, cruises with Canadian ports (including all Alaska cruises) have to follow the vaccination and testing requirements prescribed by the government of Canada as well as any US requirements. A cruise visiting several different Caribbean countries has to follow the requirements of all of them.

 

Since my next cruise embarks in Canada, the CDC changes won't make any difference as long as the Canadian requirements are stricter.

Currently the Canadian mandate requires a test to embark but allows you to enter the country by ship without.  It never made a whole lot of sense but there it is.  I suspect within a week or so they will change their requirements to be in lockstep with the US CDC.  

[Phantom of the Seas]

Makes no sense.......am I reading this right....”need to have covid test negative prior to boarding a Cruise Ship if have a stop in Canada & no covid test requirement to enter Canada”????help me with this one........

[NavyVeteran]

23 minutes ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

Makes no sense.......am I reading this right....”need to have covid test negative prior to boarding a Cruise Ship if have a stop in Canada & no covid test requirement to enter Canada”????help me with this one........

That is correct. I just returned from a cruise from Sitka, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Ocean Victory (American Queen Voyages). Per Canadian rules, we had to have a COVID test to board the ship in Sitka since the ship was sailing to Canada, but we did not need a test to disembark in Vancouver or to fly back to the United States from Vancouver.

 

I would not expect Canada to change their rules just because the CDC did. Their rules have been stricter in the past and they may stay that way.

[Redwing55]

24 minutes ago, Phantom of the Seas said:

Makes no sense.......am I reading this right....”need to have covid test negative prior to boarding a Cruise Ship if have a stop in Canada & no covid test requirement to enter Canada”????help me with this one........

I'm pretty sure that you have it right.  Just have to be vaxed, not tested to enter Canada.  At least that's my take.  I'm mostly sure about not having a test, but since we have to test to board in FLL, I don't think it matters for CA.  Then again, at one point, maybe one had to test during some window.

Suffice to say, it's pretty confusing, and too often irrational.

[phred119s]

56 minutes ago, MrBreeze said:

The way has been paved to discontinue the pre cruise testing. Oh happy day! 

Go Tigers. 
 

and yes, yes, yes!!! I’m crossing my fingers. 

[Tippyton]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Currently the Canadian mandate requires a test to embark but allows you to enter the country by ship without.  It never made a whole lot of sense but there it is.  I suspect within a week or so they will change their requirements to be in lockstep with the US CDC.  

Hope so....

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, westcoaster said:

There is no covid test required to enter Canada, but Canada still requires passengers boarding cruise ships to be tested prior to boarding.  As of now, that still hasn't changed with the CDC announcement.

 

This changed happened yesterday or the day before yesterday.  If entering Canada by air, you "may be" randomly selected to take a covid test within 24 hours.  Not sure what they will do with cruise passengers.  I believe (I may be incorrect) that this was always in place for those transiting by auto.  

[westcoaster]

46 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

This changed happened yesterday or the day before yesterday.  If entering Canada by air, you "may be" randomly selected to take a covid test within 24 hours.  Not sure what they will do with cruise passengers.  I believe (I may be incorrect) that this was always in place for those transiting by auto.  

The random testing is only for those entering Canada by air.  It does not apply to those arriving by land or by cruise ship.

 

The random testing is not the same as requiring a negative covid test to enter (which was discontinued in the spring).  Random testing is essentially just for surveillance, to detect and track any new variants entering the country.

Edited July 19, 2022 by westcoaster

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Currently the Canadian mandate requires a test to embark but allows you to enter the country by ship without.  It never made a whole lot of sense but there it is.  I suspect within a week or so they will change their requirements to be in lockstep with the US CDC.  

LOL.  Lots of what the Canadian feds have done with Covid makes little sense.  And don't bet on them making the change to align with CDC.  Canada is stubbornly hanging on to other restrictions, so why would they let this one go?

[DougH]

3 hours ago, beaglesandducks said:

NavyVeteran     We are embarking in canada in august  i understood that there was no covid test requirement to enter canada (just the vaccination requirement)    

No test required to enter Canada but you need a test to board a cruise ship from Canada

[JimmyVWine]

6 hours ago, jimbo1683 said:

Serious question - ignoring the nonsence above about brainwashing - if a passenger is unvaxed but you are vaccinated, does the risk to you increase? Or is the risk wholly theirs?

Hmmm. I provided a serious response to your serious question but I don’t see it anymore. Not sure how the question is in bounds but the answer is not. 

[dfields1814]

Keep the vaccines drop the testing. Apologies to The Godfather.

 

I am a big fan of the testing in conjunction with mask wearing and social distancing. However I think testing needs to be dropped in that it is not doing what it is supposed to do, as of now.  For example we test negative 3 days prior to our December cruise. Then the next day we take public transport to the airport, wait in the airport gate area with 100's of unmasked people none social distancing . Take a 5 hour flight in an airplane full with unmasked people. Get our luggage in area with lots of unmasked people. Then take a public transport to a hotel and wait in line with to register with unmasked people who are not socially distancing. Finally we eat a crowded restaurant after waiting in the waiting area. The eext day we take a tour on bus crowded with people none wearing a mask. Eat at three crowded restaurants. Hang out by the crowded pool with unmasked people who are not social distancing .  Cruise day, we take a crowded public transport to the terminal, Stand in line with people not social distancing and not wearing a mask even though they are supposed to. Then two later we have covid and wonder why.