Any idea when Royal will scrap mandates etc?

[avalon007]

I haven't posted on here now literally for years! Our last cruise was on Ovation Feb 29, 2020 - was the last Royal ship that made it to NZ & finished the cruise before they shut their borders & the toilet paper rush back home was a rumour being discussed in the Diamond Lounge. Those were the days!! 😄  

 

Has anyone heard from Royal when they intend to remove all mandates for jabs/masks etc etc? 

Is it dependent on the ports of call policies as well as Australian state/federal gov policy?

 

I don't want to cruise again until it's back to 'normal' more or less, enhanced cleaning, hand washing etc is fine, but I am talking no masks on staff etc. It just won't be my relaxing 'escape' if every day there are still constant reminders of the last few years.  

[ELep]

I think it will be some time yet. Several more cruises ships are yet to start up from AU ports. I would think that the joint cruise deal with the Australian Eastern states will want to see out the summer season before they bring in significant changes. Need a crystal ball though really. Mandatory masks have just been reinstated on some overseas cruises as case numbers are going up in those areas. I also feel that the cruise companies themselves are keen to keep the case numbers down; if they have a solid outbreak onboard they will struggle to care for the cases on board. They also need their staff to stay well in order to continue to offer their services safely and to the standard expected by cruisers. I imagine that staff will be staying masked beyond passengers. We just had 10 days on Coral Princess. About 90% mask compliance I would say in early Sept. It really did not overly bother us. I was so grateful to be back onboard, it was wonderful. Masks in crowded areas and indoors. We spend a fair bit of time on deck or our balcony/room, so plenty of time to have a break from the mask. 

[Auscruisefam]

No one knows the answer to that. Staff have a right to wear masks regardless of mandates and so do cruise passengers so you will see some of that for years to come. Not just because of Covid but flu etc. I have to admit that masks in the buffet are a good idea, so much more hygienic. I was on a cruise recently and the mask thing is not as bad as it seems but it’s not great either especially when on a tender boat in 30 Degree heat. 

As for vaccines I think they will drop them next season. We would love to take our kids but they are not vaxxed so we are just waiting for that to be dropped. 
But really who knows it’s just a waiting game. We had a family cruise booked for Jan but have had to cancel because of mandates. 

 

 

[ELep]

10 minutes ago, Auscruisefam said:

No one knows the answer to that. Staff have a right to wear masks regardless of mandates and so do cruise passengers so you will see some of that for years to come. Not just because of Covid but flu etc. I have to admit that masks in the buffet are a good idea, so much more hygienic. I was on a cruise recently and the mask thing is not as bad as it seems but it’s not great either especially when on a tender boat in 30 Degree heat. 

As for vaccines I think they will drop them next season. We would love to take our kids but they are not vaxxed so we are just waiting for that to be dropped. 
But really who knows it’s just a waiting game. We had a family cruise booked for Jan but have had to cancel because of mandates. 

 

 

Good point regarding staff and passengers choosing to use masks for quite some time. TBH, whilst I don't love them, having now found out that it doesn't kill me to wear one, I will likely use masks in certain settings, particularly during winter with flu etc around. I work in a school, plenty of bugs floating around in schools at times. Some cultures have been using face masks for years to reduce their risk of catching or sharing illness. 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, avalon007 said:

I haven't posted on here now literally for years! Our last cruise was on Ovation Feb 29, 2020 - was the last Royal ship that made it to NZ & finished the cruise before they shut their borders & the toilet paper rush back home was a rumour being discussed in the Diamond Lounge. Those were the days!! 😄  

 

Has anyone heard from Royal when they intend to remove all mandates for jabs/masks etc etc? 

Is it dependent on the ports of call policies as well as Australian state/federal gov policy?

 

I don't want to cruise again until it's back to 'normal' more or less, enhanced cleaning, hand washing etc is fine, but I am talking no masks on staff etc. It just won't be my relaxing 'escape' if every day there are still constant reminders of the last few years.  

They should have shut the borders sooner. Your previous cruise was 2nd only to Ruby.

 

You will be waiting till at least into next year for vaxx requirements and pre-cruise covid testing to be lifted, but on the current rate of improvement, mask mandates may be lifted before Christmas. You can currently cruise as one of 5% of the passenger/crew count if you have a medical exemption that prevents you getting a covid vaccination. That 5% also includes kids under 12, so it is really hard to get in on any upcoming cruises with that medical exemption.

 

The states hold sway with an agreed set of protocols currently linking NSW, QLD, VIC, SA. When they do back off on their requirements, I think all of the cruise lines will follow suit soon after. This is the current NSW information page - https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules

 

Things are moving slowly, but in the right direction.

- The federal ban was lifted on 17th March

- P&O resumed Aussie cruising on 31st May

- Over the following months, it is now up to 3 ships operating, but our ports will be filling up over the following 4 to 6 weeks.

- Covid numbers were elevating through code yellow and orange statuses, and the cruise lines responded by chopping up itineraries into shorter bits (less days = less infections on the government criteria). Cruises to the islands and PNG were modified into short domestic itineraries, at times a bit of a mess.

- New Zealand has opened and had one ship visit, as well as Fiji that saw their second ship arrival over the past 2 days.

- The first PNG departure leaves Sydney tomorrow, which is only the 2nd international departure since cruising resumed.

- The first cruise into New Caledonia is imminent, but Vanuatu isn't officially open till 1st December

- Mask mandates on public transport and inside cruise terminals were lifted during this past week.

- Covid status on each of the cruise ships has remained in green status for the past month or so, but there will be a cautious approach until ships start to call in Hobart and Fremantle.

Edited September 25, 2022 by arxcards

[avalon007]

Thanks for the replies. I don't think I'll be cruising for the next couple of years by the sounds of things, or at least until the general level of public information catches up to the data & they do finally follow the science. Slow process turning the ship around on this one though I think - yes, pun  intended. 🙂 

[arxcards]

35 minutes ago, avalon007 said:

Thanks for the replies. I don't think I'll be cruising for the next couple of years by the sounds of things, or at least until the general level of public information catches up to the data & they do finally follow the science. Slow process turning the ship around on this one though I think - yes, pun  intended. 🙂 

There is nothing to stop you doing a cruise out of the Caribbean, or many other destinations. Given that the US has resumed over a year ago, they only backed out of similar protocols three weeks ago. For Royal - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

 

We are heading the same way, but have a few bridges to pass under first. While frustrating that things move a bit slower than they should, I think most of the measures have made sense. No, I am not a scientist, but I do understand numbers, and that is the main driver to the speed of restrictions being eased. I have a different outlook, and have enjoyed 2 cruises since the resumption with 2 more next month.

[Kiwi_cruiser]

I for one hope the cruise lines dont drop all the mandates, and keep the need that you need a covid jab to be able to cruise and to get a covid test before you get on a ship.

 

Mind you I might change my thoughts after this cruise I am currently on, depending if we can stay covid free 🙂 .

 

 

[Balsam12]

39 minutes ago, Kiwi_cruiser said:

I for one hope the cruise lines dont drop all the mandates, and keep the need that you need a covid jab to be able to cruise and to get a covid test before you get on a ship.

 

 

The masks and the pre cruise test are for the benefit of the passengers, as they are both there to stop people from getting Covid whilst on board.

The vaccination bit has zero to do with the passengers... as we all "should" be aware by now, being vaccinated does not prevent you from getting Covid. What it does do is lessen the effects of Covid and decrease the risk the you will need to be hospitalised (or worse). The vaccination requirement is therefore for the benefit of the cruise line, as they now know that in almost all cases, the worst that will happen is that they need to isolate some passengers during a cruise.

The pre cruise testing, whilst it appears to be the right thing to do, is totally useless. Firstly, if you fly in to the departure city the day before the cruise, you may well catch Covid on the plane, and your test later that day will still show as negative. Secondly, unless you do a supervised test, there is no way to prove you ever did one, let alone what the result was. All the talk about taking a picture of the test alongside your phone showing the date and your drivers license is total BS. I have half a dozen negative tests sitting in a drawer from the last 12 months. All I do is go into my phone's settings, change the date, and take a pic of one of them. I can show you the negative result of a covid test I'm going to take on Christmas day...

[arxcards]

48 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

The masks and the pre cruise test are for the benefit of the passengers, as they are both there to stop people from getting Covid whilst on board.

Yes. More importantly to protect the crew from becoming infectious, which can circulate below deck and to passengers on following cruises. Even if mask mandates are lifted, they will always remain optional for anyone who feels they need them.

48 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

The vaccination bit has zero to do with the passengers... as we all "should" be aware by now, being vaccinated does not prevent you from getting Covid. What it does do is lessen the effects of Covid and decrease the risk the you will need to be hospitalised (or worse). The vaccination requirement is therefore for the benefit of the cruise line, as they now know that in almost all cases, the worst that will happen is that they need to isolate some passengers during a cruise.

Correct. I have as much chance of catching covid from a vaccinated person as from an unvaccinated person. As you mention it is about hospitalisation, something that ships have a restricted facility for, which increases the risk of emergency evacuation. A surge of cases over a dozen ships would also place pressure back onto the state hospital systems. Yes, it is only a potential risk, but that is what underpins those protocols. Island ports do not want emergency evacuations from ships, so also require vaccinated passengers as part of their requirements for visiting ships. As part of that loop, insurance companies would appear to also require vaccinations before they will cover for covid medical costs while cruising.

48 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

The pre cruise testing, whilst it appears to be the right thing to do, is totally useless. Firstly, if you fly in to the departure city the day before the cruise, you may well catch Covid on the plane, and your test later that day will still show as negative. Secondly, unless you do a supervised test, there is no way to prove you ever did one, let alone what the result was. All the talk about taking a picture of the test alongside your phone showing the date and your drivers license is total BS. I have half a dozen negative tests sitting in a drawer from the last 12 months. All I do is go into my phone's settings, change the date, and take a pic of one of them. I can show you the negative result of a covid test I'm going to take on Christmas day...

Yes, it is potentially useless if it is not handled honestly, and I agree that photographs offer no more proof than attesting. I am sure there are people that haven't tested or ignored a positive result to cruise, but I think these are in the minority. Yes, I could also get a healthy friend to do the brain tickle for me. Supervised tests offer little more protection when, as you say, you can catch it in transit and not be detected on the test. These supervised tests were required in the US until recently, yet nearly every ship/cruise was reporting covid numbers to the CDC.

 

The plus is that less covid on land = less covid on ships. Current infections are around 10% of what they were just a couple of months ago. During that period, the ships did struggle with elevated numbers of cases, but that would appear to be well under control now. As with our land based rules, mandates will be rolled back based on numbers.

 

Next month is key to if/what/when these protections will be eased:

- Land based infections and hospitalisations continuing to drop

- Several ships arriving into Sydney and Brisbane following long voyages across the Pacific. The longer the cruise, potentially the higher number of infections, so IF these ships arrive in a healthy state, it augers really well.

- Coral Princess arriving into Fremantle and not being labelled as Artania MkII by Mark McGowan

 

I think it likely that when the summer ships depart and we are left with 5 fulltime ships, they will drop vaxx/testing/masks for shorter cruises, similar to what the US is now doing.

[Elorac123]

Canada has just dropped the need for vaccinations.

I believe it is up to the Country and not the cruise lines 

Cheers Carole