Royal follow Carnival PLEASE!

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Carnival no longer requires testing for 16 day or less cruises. Some restrictions on the ports only. Hopefully Royal will follow.

[puerto penasco lady]

Time to move on.  No more pre cruise testing.

 

[smokeybandit]

I think they're waiting for cover from the CDC on updated guidelines for congregate settings (which the CDC is coming shortly) to make this change.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Accordint to the wbsite. They are getting approvals from ports.

[flamingos]

56 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Carnival no longer requires testing for 16 day or less cruises. Some restrictions on the ports only. Hopefully Royal will follow.

You left out the important part:  Carnival is pleased to announce new guidelines effective for cruises departing on Sept. 6, 2022, or later, 

[island lady]

2 minutes ago, flamingos said:

You left out the important part:  Carnival is pleased to announce new guidelines effective for cruises departing on Sept. 6, 2022, or later, 

 

I could go with that.  Next cruise Harmony Sept. 18th.  😉  

 

Totally agree...OK...RCI, what is the hold up??   Don't let Carnival lead the way...they have clowns in a Carnival don't they?  🤡

[flamingos]

4 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I could go with that.  Next cruise Harmony Sept. 18th.  😉  

 

Totally agree...OK...RCI, what is the hold up??   Don't let Carnival lead the way...they have clowns in a Carnival don't they?  🤡

 

The point is, there is no rush to make an announcement. They have several weeks.

[island lady]

Just now, flamingos said:

 

The point is, there is no rush to make an announcement. They have several weeks.

 

😞  Typical RCI.  

[prmssk]

I think there may still be some ports to deal with.  As one example, my understanding is that St. Kitts may still requires a test.  The only ships sailing to St. Kits in the next couple of months are Royal and Celebrity ships.  And even though Carnival and NCL have already announced their change, they don't go into effect until September so they may themselves still be negotiating with a few last ports to get everything in place in time.

[Concretemanstan]

I really hope they do drop the testing like Carnival.  We have a cruise booked for mid October from Miami and will be travelling to the US from the UK.  It would be great to not have the extra stress associated with testing for the vaccinated.  Do we think RCI will lose bookings to Carnival/NCL if they don't remove the testing soon?

[island lady]

7 minutes ago, Concretemanstan said:

I really hope they do drop the testing like Carnival.  We have a cruise booked for mid October from Miami and will be travelling to the US from the UK.  It would be great to not have the extra stress associated with testing for the vaccinated.  Do we think RCI will lose bookings to Carnival/NCL if they don't remove the testing soon?

 

 

IMHO...yes.  

[Margaretealexander]

I hate the anxiety of the testing. In Jan I tested two days out and was positive for coved. Vacation cancelled. I had no symptoms. How many sick people will board with no testing in place. I would have because I wouldn’t have known. Others that may have caught it from me may not be as fortunate. I’m on the fence here. 

[island lady]

Just now, Margaretealexander said:

I hate the anxiety of the testing. In Jan I tested two days out and was positive for coved. Vacation cancelled. I had no symptoms. How many sick people will board with no testing in place. I would have because I wouldn’t have known. Others that may have caught it from me may not be as fortunate. I’m on the fence here. 

 

Three days out now.   Test on Thursday...sail on Sunday.  

 

During those three days... airport, flights, hotel, shuttle, taxi, stop off for a couple of bottles of wine at wine shop, morning coffee at 7/11....etc. etc. 

 

Wait...was that taxi driver sneezing?  Did that clerk at 7/11 keep coughing?  Stranger as seat mate...did not look like he felt good?  On the shuttle..the family with little kids who had runny noses?  😮 

[Concretemanstan]

4 minutes ago, Margaretealexander said:

I hate the anxiety of the testing. In Jan I tested two days out and was positive for coved. Vacation cancelled. I had no symptoms. How many sick people will board with no testing in place. I would have because I wouldn’t have known. Others that may have caught it from me may not be as fortunate. I’m on the fence here. 

 

I understand what you are saying here but cruises have always been a floating germ factory and always will be.  It goes with the territory and everyone who cruises knows that.  If you are especially vulnerable you have to make a reasoned decision as to whether cruising is the right thing for you BUT I am not here to protect you.  I already have enough people to protect and care about so you need to protect yourself.  If you are on a cruise, and are vulnerable or unjabbed, there is no pre testing and I am asymptomatic with COVID then it's on you

[not-enough-cruising]

5 minutes ago, Concretemanstan said:

 

I understand what you are saying here but cruises have always been a floating germ factory and always will be.  It goes with the territory and everyone who cruises knows that.  If you are especially vulnerable you have to make a reasoned decision as to whether cruising is the right thing for you BUT I am not here to protect you.  I already have enough people to protect and care about so you need to protect yourself.  If you are on a cruise, and are vulnerable or unjabbed, there is no pre testing and I am asymptomatic with COVID then it's on you

You should lose your posting privileges for using the term “floating germ factory” 

[Concretemanstan]

I don't understand

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Carnival no longer requires testing for 16 day or less cruises. Some restrictions on the ports only. Hopefully Royal will follow.

Why. It is an added level of protection for the crew and passengers. People are still cancelling due to failing tests. So long as that is happening, testing is doing its job. 

[lovesthebeach2]

6 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Why. It is an added level of protection for the crew and passengers. People are still cancelling due to failing tests. So long as that is happening, testing is doing its job. 

Do you know how many are cancelling due to failing tests? So far no one on these boards has been able to gather that information. There will always be people that would fail some health test, be it flu, headcold, strep, bronchitis, pneumonia, noro, or the other multitude of viruses out there.

That’s no longer a valid reason IMO.

 

[Husky1987]

Finally!  It's about time someone started a "Royal should stop testing" thread on here.

 

 

[Mapleleafforever]

It's coming don't you worry. And if any ports want to keep testing in place just skip them altogether and let them beg the cruise lines to return.

[drrich2]

48 minutes ago, Margaretealexander said:

I’m on the fence here. 

It is a quandary. I in my 50's, not like late 80s with multiple medical co-morbidities, so perhaps the old adage 'Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit' comes into play. I'd prefer to ditch testing.

 

To book a cruise, round trip flights, excursions and a photo package, wrestle with all those decisions and look forward to the cruise for several months, then not even know whether we're going until 2 days prior to the cruise, at which point a false positive or a legit positive with no serious illness issues in ourselves can shut it all down, in a country where vaccination is extraordinarily effective and widely available to those who want it...

 

I'd rather just declare a free-for-all and go. Personal preference, not saying my position is clearly right and those who disagree are wrong. I'm fully vaccinated and I've had 2 boosters. I figure at some point we have to accept that SARS-CoV-2 is perpetually circulating and a fact of life. People will argue when that point is.

[jimb cruisin]

7 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

Finally!  It's about time someone started a "Royal should stop testing" thread on here.

 

 

Agreed! Other two major lines, CCL and NCL have managed to do so beginning early September, about time RCL does the same. Run the risk of lost bookings, could be an incentive to joining the other two fairly soon! 

[jerseyjjs]

1 hour ago, flamingos said:

 

The point is, there is no rush to make an announcement. They have several weeks.

 

 

In the meantime, people with RCL sailings in the next 4-6 weeks (like me) still have to make provisions for a PCR/rapid antigen test not knowing if we need to throw down a few hundred for something that won't be neccessary.

[zanydoc]

3 minutes ago, drrich2 said:

It is a quandary. I in my 50's, not like late 80s with multiple medical co-morbidities, so perhaps the old adage 'Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit' comes into play. I'd prefer to ditch testing.

 

To book a cruise, round trip flights, excursions and a photo package, wrestle with all those decisions and look forward to the cruise for several months, then not even know whether we're going until 2 days prior to the cruise, at which point a false positive or a legit positive with no serious illness issues in ourselves can shut it all down, in a country where vaccination is extraordinarily effective and widely available to those who want it...

 

I'd rather just declare a free-for-all and go. Personal preference, not saying my position is clearly right and those who disagree are wrong. I'm fully vaccinated and I've had 2 boosters. I figure at some point we have to accept that SARS-CoV-2 is perpetually circulating and a fact of life. People will argue when that point is.

Well said @drrich2! I completely agree! We just need to move on and live with it as best we can. COVID is not going anywhere, but will continue to be a thorn in all our sides-just less thornier than before. There is no need to continue to test pre-cruise at this point. RCL will probably never recoup all of the financial losses they incurred during the shutdown, but they will continue to lose out if they don’t follow suit with the other cruise lines who are dropping COVID requirements. If people don’t feel safe, they don’t need to cruise. 

[mickeychicky]

No prize for third place.....we have already booked Carnival (which I dislike with a passion) and Norwegian.  Royal lost out on my $$.