Masks required on Eclipse

[lara h]

Have been notified by a pax currently on Eclipse that due to an increase in cases of COVID onboard that the Captain has mandated that masks are required (not just requested) in the theatre and casino.

 

Possibly heard about the % of pax on Majestic Princess debarking with positive COVID tests.

[C4HCG]

Seen the news clip and hope this doesn’t cause an over reaction but guess it will.

Edited November 12, 2022 by C4HCG

[Kitekat]

We received an email from Celebrity this morning which included information about masks:

 

"All guests should wear a mask while travelling through the terminal and in public indoor spaces or crowded outdoor spaces onboard. Guests under 2 years of age will not need to wear a mask.

Celebrity Cruises follows the requirements in all jurisdictions we sail, and please note that mask requirements may vary by the destinations visited on your sailing and/or disembarkation port. This policy is continually updated, and any changes will be shared with guests.

Please note: These protocols are subject to change."

 

Nothing about masks being mandated. 

[upwarduk]

These requirements have always been suggested, but no one enforced them on Silhouette in the summer.

[morfred]

13 hours ago, lara h said:

Have been notified by a pax currently on Eclipse that due to an increase in cases of COVID onboard that the Captain has mandated that masks are required (not just requested) in the theatre and casino.

 

Possibly heard about the % of pax on Majestic Princess debarking with positive COVID tests.

Has there been any more information given about this situation on the Equinox?

[Smmessineo]

21 minutes ago, morfred said:

Has there been any more information given about this situation on the Equinox?

The ship in question is the Eclipse, sailing around NZ and Australia. The Equinox is in the Caribbean.

I think covid is being "noticed" more in the AU/NZ  region because there are still stricter rules in effect,. Like with the Princess ship,  if some people report symptoms, they are testing everyone on the ship.

I hope the US sailings to the Caribbean don't go back to this. Covid is here to stay. It needs to be dealt with  like any other illness onboard. Treat those who need medical care and leave everyone else alone.

[BigAl94]

28 minutes ago, Smmessineo said:

 It needs to be dealt with  like any other illness onboard. Treat those who need medical care and leave everyone else alone.

Trouble is it's not like any other illness. so many strains and affects with varying severity. We're recovering after 3 week illness.

[the penguins]

9 hours ago, Kitekat said:

We received an email from Celebrity this morning which included information about masks:

 

"All guests should wear a mask while travelling through the terminal and in public indoor spaces or crowded outdoor spaces onboard. Guests under 2 years of age will not need to wear a mask.

Celebrity Cruises follows the requirements in all jurisdictions we sail, and please note that mask requirements may vary by the destinations visited on your sailing and/or disembarkation port. This policy is continually updated, and any changes will be shared with guests.

Please note: These protocols are subject to change."

 

Nothing about masks being mandated. 

There is no hard and fast rule. Ships will introduce or cancel requirements at any time to meet changing circumstances. We did B2B on Silhouette in May and compolsary masks were introduced in some venues  towards the end of the second cruise when cases reached the 3% tipping point. The only way to guarantee you won't be required to wear a mask is not to cruise. 

[Kitekat]

2 minutes ago, the penguins said:

There is no hard and fast rule. Ships will introduce or cancel requirements at any time to meet changing circumstances. We did B2B on Silhouette in May and compolsary masks were introduced in some venues  towards the end of the second cruise when cases reached the 3% tipping point. The only way to guarantee you won't be required to wear a mask is not to cruise. 

It was interesting to note that we received the email this morning, soon after a posting that Eclipse now required masks. 

 

We sailed Azamara in October last year and Viking this February, where masks were mandated and in some ports we were unable to leave the ship unless on an escorted tour. Just  disappointed that the communications are not actually being consistent between the parent company and the ship with a couple of weeks to go. 

[gold1953]

2 minutes ago, Kitekat said:

It was interesting to note that we received the email this morning, soon after a posting that Eclipse now required masks. 

 

We sailed Azamara in October last year and Viking this February, where masks were mandated and in some ports we were unable to leave the ship unless on an escorted tour. Just  disappointed that the communications are not actually being consistent between the parent company and the ship with a couple of weeks to go. 

A lot can change in 2 weeks and each ship will be a different situation

[Boatharbour]

The rules in Australia have eased considerably. Although there are guidelines in place, I’m not sure it’s that much different from many other parts of the world now. 

Given that  800 positive passengers on the Majestic Princess disembarked in Sydney yesterday, I can understand why Celebrity is requesting passengers to wear masks.
 

The mask guidelines change in response to the covid situation at the time, so what was relevant a week ago,  may not be the case today. 
 

Australia is at the beginning of a fourth wave with cases expected to peak before Christmas. 

[Kitekat]

8 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

A lot can change in 2 weeks and each ship will be a different situation

Oh, I agree. But I would like them to be consistent and accurate. It's good to be properly prepared.

[gold1953]

56 minutes ago, Kitekat said:

Oh, I agree. But I would like them to be consistent and accurate. It's good to be properly prepared.

with covid we prepare for the worst. You can board a healthy ship and 4 days later it can go to hell in a hand basket! Accuracy is impossible as too many people will hide symptoms and spread it

[Kitekat]

6 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

with covid we prepare for the worst. You can board a healthy ship and 4 days later it can go to hell in a hand basket! Accuracy is impossible as too many people will hide symptoms and spread it

Again, I agree people will hid their symptoms - although many may not even know they have caught covid now. 

 

But we do expect the head office communications department and the ship to be issuing the same instructions. It may well change tomorrow but today, please be consistent...

[gold1953]

1 minute ago, Kitekat said:

Again, I agree people will hid their symptoms - although many may not even know they have caught covid now. 

 

But we do expect the head office communications department and the ship to be issuing the same instructions. It may well change tomorrow but today, please be consistent...

The captain makes final decisions. Rules vary depending on the ports as well. 

[Baynanno1]

Some information from the New South Wales Government :

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules?fbclid=IwAR2eeLOiU-Foe51LlU4k7OlliNbw5xCuC6rIYXvtz0X2J7Qs71OKIqsyKDo

Edited November 12, 2022 by Baynanno1

[the penguins]

45 minutes ago, Kitekat said:

Again, I agree people will hid their symptoms - although many may not even know they have caught covid now. 

 

But we do expect the head office communications department and the ship to be issuing the same instructions. It may well change tomorrow but today, please be consistent...

You are expecting the impossible. Every ship is in a unique situation that changes hour by hour. In addition ships are spread over numerous time zones so even if they report at say 6.0pm local time this will still be a difference of many hours when the figures are received at head office. Each country and port a ship visits can change its rules at anytime. Just be prepared, accept chsnges and enjoy your cruise.

[D. B.]

I will be boarding Eclipse November 27th. for a B2B and I was planning on wearing my mask as I have on every cruise, I have been on in the last 14 months.

 I was on a Princess cruise in September with none of the guests (except Me) were masked and by the e10th day of the 14 day cruise the Captain announced "Due to an alarming escalation of Covid cases onboard all guests are here by required to wear a mask in all Inside area of the ship unless actively eating or drinking" I'm thinking if you said this sooner maybe the Alarming Escalation may have been avoided?

[NMTraveller]

On 11/12/2022 at 10:07 AM, Smmessineo said:

The ship in question is the Eclipse, sailing around NZ and Australia. The Equinox is in the Caribbean.

I think covid is being "noticed" more in the AU/NZ  region because there are still stricter rules in effect,. Like with the Princess ship,  if some people report symptoms, they are testing everyone on the ship.

I hope the US sailings to the Caribbean don't go back to this. Covid is here to stay. It needs to be dealt with  like any other illness onboard. Treat those who need medical care and leave everyone else alone.

 

With the Princess ship they also tested in the middle of the cruise.  I suspect if they were to test everyone getting off of a cruise ship they would find many asymptomatic people just as on Princess.

 

If they were to test at the grocery stores they would find the same.

Edited November 15, 2022 by NMTraveller

[Jim_Iain]

On 11/12/2022 at 1:10 PM, Kitekat said:

Oh, I agree. But I would like them to be consistent and accurate. It's good to be properly prepared.

Even if not prepared they masks will be provided.  While on Summit in August when they required masks in Theater and Casino they had staff at the entrances and walking around giving out blue surgical mask to those without a mask.

 

They also required masks on the Tenders and handed out on line and at the desk checking cards to board tenders.

 

[Kitekat]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Even if not prepared they masks will be provided.  While on Summit in August when they required masks in Theater and Casino they had staff at the entrances and walking around giving out blue surgical mask to those without a mask.

 

They also required masks on the Tenders and handed out on line and at the desk checking cards to board tenders.

 

I would expect Celebrity to supply some masks and it's good to know that they are. During our cruises with Azamara in October last year and with Viking in February we were supplied with excellent quality masks as we needed to wear them when not eating or drinking, except when we were on the outside decks in the fresh air. 

[itzfitz]

While on board my very recent Celebrity cruise, I inquired about the severity of the cases of those who tested positive.on any of the cruises she was on in the past year.   There was never an emergency evacuation or something that required extraordinary measures by the medical staff on board. due to Covid. As with all viruses, there are varying degrees of severity (think flu, shingles, colds, pneumonia etc.)  All the hysterics over Covid, in my opinion, are not warranted.

[RenoNanaOz]

On 11/12/2022 at 10:07 AM, Smmessineo said:

The ship in question is the Eclipse, sailing around NZ and Australia. The Equinox is in the Caribbean.

I think covid is being "noticed" more in the AU/NZ  region because there are still stricter rules in effect,. Like with the Princess ship,  if some people report symptoms, they are testing everyone on the ship.

I hope the US sailings to the Caribbean don't go back to this. Covid is here to stay. It needs to be dealt with  like any other illness onboard. Treat those who need medical care and leave everyone else alone.

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by RenoNanaOz

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, itzfitz said:

While on board my very recent Celebrity cruise, I inquired about the severity of the cases of those who tested positive.on any of the cruises she was on in the past year.   There was never an emergency evacuation or something that required extraordinary measures by the medical staff on board. due to Covid. As with all viruses, there are varying degrees of severity (think flu, shingles, colds, pneumonia etc.)  All the hysterics over Covid, in my opinion, are not warranted.

Last year 100% vaccinated so you wouldn't expect serious illness. As vaccination restrictions are lifted the risks, although still very low, will increase. Just accept the risks and accept that countries throughout the world have taken different paths to combating Covid and that cruise ships have to meet the requirements of each country they visit. Not right or wrong just different. 

[MamaFej]

30 minutes ago, D C said:

We'll probably see a surge in cruise ship cases in the US when that variant hits, unless past omicron infection is effective against it. We're nowhere near where we should be on boosters, and allowing unvaccinated onboard isn't going to help. 

This is in no way a scientific poll, just an anecdote: The "Vaccinations no longer required unless ports require them" announcement happened when we were cruising. 3 different crew members told us that this would be their last contract. They (and/or their families at home) did not want to be away for months at a time with unvaccinated folks onboard, potentially having much more severe illnesses onboard, and all that that would entail. The general consensus among this very small sample was: This is not what I signed up for. 

 

The cruise lines are clearly having no trouble filling ships with vaccinated folks, but they are having trouble staffing them. If what we were told is any indication, the staffing issues will get worse, not better. 

 

Of course, I did not talk to any non-vaccinated potential crew. Maybe there are many thousands of unvaccinated folks clammoring to become crew.