Unvaccinated Cruisers

[Mollypuss]

My in-laws have been wanting to take a cruise but some of the family are not vaccinated. My DD saw a TikTok video saying vaccination requirements are being dropped. Although I trust EVERYTHING I see on TikTok 🙄 I went to the website and saw protocol is changing on August 8. So I called…because I double check everything. The agent for RCCL confirmed that starting Aug 8 passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated but still have to test on cruises under 6 nights. I did see a podcast by Matt Hoshberger, who is the RCCL guru and has very accurate information that this is indeed the case. I come to the boards and see nothing, Usually there’s lots of conversation about new policies especially this. Are all of my sources incorrect? Because I convinced 13 people to drop a lot of money last night based on these changes.

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, Mollypuss said:

My in-laws have been wanting to take a cruise but some of the family are not vaccinated. My DD saw a TikTok video saying vaccination requirements are being dropped. Although I trust EVERYTHING I see on TikTok 🙄 I went to the website and saw protocol is changing on August 8. So I called…because I double check everything. The agent for RCCL confirmed that starting Aug 8 passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated but still have to test on cruises under 6 nights. I did see a podcast by Matt Hoshberger, who is the RCCL guru and has very accurate information that this is indeed the case. I come to the boards and see nothing, Usually there’s lots of conversation about new policies especially this. Are all of my sources incorrect? Because I convinced 13 people to drop a lot of money last night based on these changes.

I'm seeing one thread on the first page and if you scroll back to pages 2 and beyond there are many more.  Some have been locked and some have just died out as it is several days old news

Edited July 31, 2022 by Ourusualbeach

[not-enough-cruising]

18 minutes ago, Mollypuss said:

My in-laws have been wanting to take a cruise but some of the family are not vaccinated. My DD saw a TikTok video saying vaccination requirements are being dropped. Although I trust EVERYTHING I see on TikTok 🙄 I went to the website and saw protocol is changing on August 8. So I called…because I double check everything. The agent for RCCL confirmed that starting Aug 8 passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated but still have to test on cruises under 6 nights. I did see a podcast by Matt Hoshberger, who is the RCCL guru and has very accurate information that this is indeed the case. I come to the boards and see nothing, Usually there’s lots of conversation about new policies especially this. Are all of my sources incorrect? Because I convinced 13 people to drop a lot of money last night based on these changes.

Changes are coming, but I would have waited on dropping money until every is officially announced, and all details made official. This isn’t going to be an open door “free for all”. 

[smokeybandit]

It's not like unvaccinated are going to commandeer all the rooms.

[JP350]

6 hours ago, Mollypuss said:

My in-laws have been wanting to take a cruise but some of the family are not vaccinated. My DD saw a TikTok video saying vaccination requirements are being dropped. Although I trust EVERYTHING I see on TikTok 🙄 I went to the website and saw protocol is changing on August 8. So I called…because I double check everything. The agent for RCCL confirmed that starting Aug 8 passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated but still have to test on cruises under 6 nights. I did see a podcast by Matt Hoshberger, who is the RCCL guru and has very accurate information that this is indeed the case. I come to the boards and see nothing, Usually there’s lots of conversation about new policies especially this. Are all of my sources incorrect? Because I convinced 13 people to drop a lot of money last night based on these changes.

RCCL ceo posted on fb that the cruise line will start to allow more unvaccinated people to cruise starting aug 8, but they will still have to test on all cruises no matter the length bc they are un vaccinated. I think that you have to apply for a vaccine exemption prior to your cruise but idk about that for certain.

[cruisegirl1]

Matt has no affiliation with RCCL. If you scroll far enough down his blog you will see the disclaimer. You have to really look for it. 
 

m
 

 

[prmssk]

Royal has made clear in statements this won't be unlimited, at least in the short-term.  They still plan to have ships that are more vaccinated than the general population.  How exactly they plan to do that I believe is still yet to be seen.  There will likely be some sort of exemption process so that Royal can keep track of how many people on any given sailing are vaccinated vs. unvaccinated.  They may even still continue to prioritize children for those exemptions.  I suggest that you keep checking healthy sail portion of Royal's the website.  We should see more details this week.

Edited July 31, 2022 by prmssk

[rrraydon]

1 hour ago, JP350 said:

RCCL ceo posted on fb that the cruise line will start to allow more unvaccinated people to cruise starting aug 8, but they will still have to test on all cruises no matter the length bc they are un vaccinated. I think that you have to apply for a vaccine exemption prior to your cruise but idk about that for certain.

I have been reading on the website in-depth about this protocol change as I’m waiting to book a cruise and bring my unvaccinated granddaughters. Yes, there is a form to be filled out for the unvaxxed…unlike Carnival’s “updated” policy, you do not have to have a note from a physician giving a medical reason AND Carnival also requires all unvaxxed guests to purchase insurance, RCI does not. 
The problem is, since they are limiting the percentages of unvaxxed AND it’s first come first serve AND you don’t know if you’re excepted until very close to the cruise date, I am Leary about booking at this time.

Get those requests in asap!

Edited July 31, 2022 by rrraydon

[dada2199cc]

Just booked a cruise for December — my partner and I are unvaccinated.

 

Had no issues.

 

Going to call my resort TA and see if we can change 3 or 4 other 2022 trips to cruises.

 

I cruise 12-14 times a year so all of 2023 will be cruise ships and I have no interest or need in the jab at this point.

 

Royal agent said as long as it’s after August 8, there’s no worry.

[dada2199cc]

10 minutes ago, 7680 said:

What we fine so perplexing is that the testing would be dropped vs the vaccine requirements. Everyone could still decide for themselves if they wish to be vaccinated and feel better about the possibility of having mild symptoms should they contract Covid.

 

Agreed with this.  Drop the vaccine mandates but require testing so folks know there’s a reduced risk of someone boarding sick.

 

I have no problem shelling out $130 each and think even vaccinated passengers should do the same.

[traveler9999]

6 minutes ago, 7680 said:

We have a similar dilemma with one person in our group of six. We wanted to cruise in Jan/Feb, but decided to book (Wonder of Seas) at end of April for our daughter’s bday, in hopes of giving more time for the no-vaccine possibility. What we fine so perplexing is that the testing would be dropped vs the vaccine requirements. Everyone could still decide for themselves if they wish to be vaccinated and feel better about the possibility of having mild symptoms should they contract Covid. The vaccine certainly doesn’t seem to be keeping anyone from getting it. Wouldn’t the much better peace of mind come from knowing that everyone boarding had tested negative? I do understand the stress of testing and why people are not wanting to do so….which we are fine with also….but between the two it seems like the test would be the safer “rule” 

I agree that dropping vaccination requirement makes more sense, as most adults are vaccinated anyway. If they really "believed" the vaccination works, they shouldn't worry about everyone around them being vaccinated as well. If I get a flu shot, I would feel protected and wouldn't want to force people around me to get a flu shot because I would believe I'm protected by the flu shot. Covid vaccination seems to be different for some reason.

 

[prmssk]

22 minutes ago, 7680 said:

What we fine so perplexing is that the testing would be dropped vs the vaccine requirements. Everyone could still decide for themselves if they wish to be vaccinated and feel better about the possibility of having mild symptoms should they contract Covid. The vaccine certainly doesn’t seem to be keeping anyone from getting it. Wouldn’t the much better peace of mind come from knowing that everyone boarding had tested negative? I do understand the stress of testing and why people are not wanting to do so….which we are fine with also….but between the two it seems like the test would be the safer “rule” 

 

Clearly the pre-cruise test isn't keeping covid off ships, probably because people test before they get exposed on airplanes, hotels, restaurants, in ports, etc.  Vaccinations on the other hand are minimizing the number of severe cases.  The last thing a cruise line wants is more severe cases than their medical center can handle.  So limiting the number of unvaccinated individuals on board limits the amount of medical care they may have to provide.

[JP350]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:28 PM, 7680 said:

We have a similar dilemma with one person in our group of six. We wanted to cruise in Jan/Feb, but decided to book (Wonder of Seas) at end of April for our daughter’s bday, in hopes of giving more time for the no-vaccine possibility. What we fine so perplexing is that the testing would be dropped vs the vaccine requirements. Everyone could still decide for themselves if they wish to be vaccinated and feel better about the possibility of having mild symptoms should they contract Covid. The vaccine certainly doesn’t seem to be keeping anyone from getting it. Wouldn’t the much better peace of mind come from knowing that everyone boarding had tested negative? I do understand the stress of testing and why people are not wanting to do so….which we are fine with also….but between the two it seems like the test would be the safer “rule” 

The vaccination rule is at the request of the cdc. And I think that although mabye not better the vaccine has proven that it keeps you from having a severe case and dying from Covid, and that’s what the cruise lines want especially in the media. I sounds a lot better now where people coming off a cruise have mild symptoms as that’s pretty normal now. The headline they don’t want is man goes on cruise and dies of Covid. That’s bad press.

[JP350]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:40 PM, dada2199cc said:

 

Agreed with this.  Drop the vaccine mandates but require testing so folks know there’s a reduced risk of someone boarding sick.

 

I have no problem shelling out $130 each and think even vaccinated passengers should do the same.

I know this might sound selfish, but I’ve heard from many people some are friends and most I’ve met on cruises they are all royal diamond plus or pinnacle club. Now keep in mind that all of these people are vaccinated and I know for a fact that if Royal made vaccinated people pay for a test to make way for the unvaccinated that wouldn’t go over well at all with their more frequent loyal customers. The general consensus that I’ve found is that the vaccine requirement is fairly popular and most think it should stay, but testing is not popular at all. 

[flamingos]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:51 PM, dada2199cc said:

but the industry is doing it to placate a tiny but vocal portion of their customer base.

 

The cruise industry is not going to lose massive amounts of money because of a 'tiny but vocal' group.

 

As you say, they have 10 million data points, and they seem to come to a different conclusion than you do. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by flamingos

[Moumo321]

Booked yesterday without issue directly by phone. Told that  vax no longer required for Mexico and Caribbean.   Europe, Bermuda, and Canada continue to require vax.  Unvaccinated will continue to be required to test prior to sailing.  The receipt has each passenger's vaccination status marked accordingly.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Moumo321

[dada2199cc]

11 hours ago, JP350 said:

I know this might sound selfish,  ... The general consensus that I’ve found is that the vaccine requirement is fairly popular and most think it should stay, but testing is not popular at all. 

 

It is selfish.

Vaccinated people are spreading the virus like crazy on cruise ships which are massively vaccinated.

 

Testing is the only way to aim for lower infections.  

 

They should test everyone, if testing is involved.

 

Since I have had COVID multiple times -- as has EVERYONE I know (and we all travel a lot, both vaccinated and unvaccinated) -- and in my experience, we're all ready to return to the old normal.  The REAL old normal.

[dada2199cc]

10 hours ago, Moumo321 said:

 The receipt has each passenger's vaccination status marked accordingly.

 

Can you screen shot the portion of the receipt that shows this?

[mjkacmom]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:40 PM, traveler9999 said:

I agree that dropping vaccination requirement makes more sense, as most adults are vaccinated anyway. If they really "believed" the vaccination works, they shouldn't worry about everyone around them being vaccinated as well. If I get a flu shot, I would feel protected and wouldn't want to force people around me to get a flu shot because I would believe I'm protected by the flu shot. Covid vaccination seems to be different for some reason.

 

Two of my family members had the flu this year after having the flu shot. Actually, those same two and three others had Covid for the second time after getting the booster.

Edited August 2, 2022 by mjkacmom

[smokeybandit]

11 hours ago, JP350 said:

I know this might sound selfish, but I’ve heard from many people some are friends and most I’ve met on cruises they are all royal diamond plus or pinnacle club. Now keep in mind that all of these people are vaccinated and I know for a fact that if Royal made vaccinated people pay for a test to make way for the unvaccinated that wouldn’t go over well at all with their more frequent loyal customers. The general consensus that I’ve found is that the vaccine requirement is fairly popular and most think it should stay, but testing is not popular at all. 

It may have been popular back when it was thr fastest path to cruising.  But with all that has happened since,  I doubt many care any more

[Stick93]

On 7/31/2022 at 10:17 AM, Mollypuss said:

My in-laws have been wanting to take a cruise but some of the family are not vaccinated. My DD saw a TikTok video saying vaccination requirements are being dropped. Although I trust EVERYTHING I see on TikTok 🙄 I went to the website and saw protocol is changing on August 8. So I called…because I double check everything. The agent for RCCL confirmed that starting Aug 8 passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated but still have to test on cruises under 6 nights. I did see a podcast by Matt Hoshberger, who is the RCCL guru and has very accurate information that this is indeed the case. I come to the boards and see nothing, Usually there’s lots of conversation about new policies especially this. Are all of my sources incorrect? Because I convinced 13 people to drop a lot of money last night based on these changes.

The vaccine is a very emotional topic here on the boards -

There are many who are passionate and still believe if everyone would have just vaccinated the stupid covid thing would be gone. There are some who are stuck in March 2020 and not August 2022. Science has changed and the virus has changed - some have have not changed. The cruises were the last hold outs besides very blue states with this vaccine - 

 

It sure looks like the unvaccinated are getting ready to rejoin the cruise world and I as well book a winter cruise with my unvaccinated children. There will be some people who refuse to cruise with this news - but that okay. We love them all anyways!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:40 PM, traveler9999 said:

I agree that dropping vaccination requirement makes more sense, as most adults are vaccinated anyway.

Who are these adults? Are they in Canada? In my state only about 50% of the adult population is vaxxed. In many counties this number is way less (~33%).

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:36 PM, dada2199cc said:

Just booked a cruise for December — my partner and I are unvaccinated.

 

Had no issues.

not sure why you would. I booked Oasis for next April about a month ago, and not once during the booking process the system asked me about our vaccination status.

We are vaxxed and boostered, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

[Stick93]

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

not sure why you would. I booked Oasis for next April about a month ago, and not once during the booking process the system asked me about our vaccination status.

We are vaxxed and boostered, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

you don't know there could be a new vaccine then? it could never end.

[smokeybandit]

6 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Who are these adults? Are they in Canada? In my state only about 50% of the adult population is vaxxed. In many counties this number is way less (~33%).

Every state is above 60% of its adult population vaccinated, according to the cdc