njhorseman

Please remember that FDR's announcement about the bookings was about total corporate results, not Oceania. As I often point out NCL is the 800 pound gorilla on the NCLH balance sheet and in the case of this announcement in particular common sense suggests that NCL cruisers are the NCLH customers most likely to book cruises because of the elimination of vaccination requirements, due to demographics. Oceania and Regent Seven Seas cruisers are older, wealthier and likely more attuned to medical risks due to their age, suggesting that a much higher percentage of their customer base is probably vaccinated than the population as a whole. NCL has many more families with children and the percentage of children that have been vaccinated is much, much smaller than older adults. Then add on the possibility that many of Oceania's customers are upset with the decision just as you are, which would have the potential effect of decreasing bookings. So, yes, an Oceania phone agent might not have seen an increase in bookings for reasons that seem fairly obvious to me.

Not COVID...but I came down with pneumonia on an NCL cruise a couple of years ago. Between blood tests, chest x rays and antibiotics (including IV antibiotics for the first couple of days) my bill was over $9,000 . Obviously it was charged to the credit card we were using for the onboard charges. As I'm on Medicare I always buy insurance that will cover any international medical expenses. I filed a claim with our travel insurer and was reimbursed in full.

There's ample evidence of huge numbers of people who have had asymptomatic COVID infections, so much so that the reported number of infections is not close to the actual number of infections. This isn't a new discovery. It's been known since the early stages of the pandemic, long before vaccines were available. So...no...the unvaccinated don't necessarily have symptoms if they are infected.

Not only do you need to be tested, you have to file an ArriveCAN application and receive approval of it in order to board the ship.

The fee is nonrefundable . You agree to those terms when you submit the application. It's not Bermuda's fault if your cruise line cancels. They still have to pay the people who process the applications and incur any associated data processing costs. Bermuda fulfilled its contractual obligations to you by processing your application.

So you're in the habit of quoting sources you don't trust?

I won't comment on your personal physician's advice. You're wrong about testing positive for months. That is only true for NAAT (most common type being PCR) tests. Antigen tests, which are what we have in our homes to do self-testing do not produce positive tests for an extended time. In any even none of what you said in your latest post changes the fact that a minimum of 5 days of isolation is still recommended for those testing positive, which is contrary to what you previously stated. If you don't believe me, read today's press release from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0811-covid-guidance.html Recommending that if you test positive for COVID-19, you stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days. Wear a high-quality mask when you must be around others at home and in public. If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5. Regardless of when you end isolation, avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 until at least day 11. You should wear a high-quality mask through day 10.

Well it's not there, and it's rather common that this type of information doesn't appear on the websites of small Caribbean nations. Given that it's not there...and believe me I looked for it, who would you trust more ? (1) The US Department of State, cruise lines and the personal experience of cruisers who post here. or (2) Someone of unknown experience and expertise who wrote an article appearing on a website . Tell me, don't you think you would have heard the howls of angry Cruise Critic posters who depended on the cruise line's advice and what the Department of State says only to be denied boarding because they didn't have the proper documentation?

That's not true. The CDC guidelines issued today clearly state that if you test positive you should stay at home for 5 days and isolate yourself from others in your home. The change is that if you are exposed to someone with COVID you no longer need to quarantine. You should wear a mask for 10 days and get tested at 5 days.

In addition to the NJ Transit and Amtrak service mentioned by @princeton123211, there is express bus service https://www.coachusa.com/airport-transportation/newark-airport . If you take a train, I don't recommend using Amtrak. It will be far more expensive than NJ Transit. But, I'm not sure why you would want to travel to Manhattan from EWR if you're staying in either Newark or Jersey City.

Not only does the State Department disagree, but I checked the requirements of one cruise line, NCL, that makes port calls in Barbados and they do not mention it as an exception requiring a passport. NCL isn't "official" either, but I'd sooner trust a cruise line and the State Department than someone writing for a website. Not to mention my own personal experience of being on a closed loop cruise that called on Barbados and the cruise line not requiring a passport for it. (Note: I don't travel without a passport but my point is that others on the cruise were not required to have one.)

You are correct. NCL must still follow the rules of every port/country it visits . If a country requires testing or vaccination NCL has to comply with those requirements.

The Points Guy is most definitely not a source of official information and is wrong about Barbados. The State Department says no passport is required for US citizens on a closed loop cruise and you may use a WHTI compliant document: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Barbados.html "NOTE: Generally, all U.S. citizens are required to present a valid U.S. passport when traveling to Barbados, as well as proof of anticipated departure from Barbados. This includes travelers arriving by airplane and by private sea-going vessel. Those traveling to Barbados on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document. However, we strongly recommend visitors obtain a passport before travel in case of an unforeseen emergency that requires a cruise passenger to disembark and return by air."

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/los-angeles-travel-requirements

The problem is that you want a summer cruise. Cruise lines currently don't do any summer itineraries from San Juan or other Caribbean ports.

No, they don't ask about COVID vaccination status, nor any other vaccination, nor any disease or illness you may have or have had in the past. Past diseases or conditions will come into play when you file a claim as policies typically have a pre existing condition exclusion. That exclusion usually can be waived by purchasing the insurance within a specified time limit after booking the cruise or other travel. There are some policies that will waive the exclusion as long as you purchase coverage shortly after making final payment, but they're typically more expensive. You're only asked about the nonrefundable cost of the trip, the trip starting and ending dates, your age and your residence state. The insurance companies aren't concerned about what is called adverse selection for this type of policy. Adverse selection comes about when insurance is more likely to be purchased by those who have a higher probability of making a claim than the insurable population as a whole. An example of a condition that could cause adverse selection for life or health insurance is if you are a smoker.

The obstructed view oceanview cabins on deck 6 of the R ships have been converted to single occupancy .

The hotels on the Jersey City waterfront are in a nicer/safer area than the Doubletree Newark Penn Station. However the Jersey City hotels do not provide transportation from EWR so you would have to take Uber or a taxi from the airport to the hotel. In either case, Newark or Jersey City, you'll have to take Uber or taxi from the hotel to Cape Liberty. You can take New Jersey Transit directly from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. From Jersey City you'll have to take PATH and make a train change to get to 33rd St. in midtown. Even though the neighborhood in Jersey City is better if all you're doing is jumping on a train to get into the city and back and not wandering around the local area, the Doubletree Newark Penn Station has better transportation to midtown and provides a shuttle from the airport to the hotel.

I'm not personally familiar with it, but All Stars Sports Bar & Grill on West 57th St. is about a 5 or 6 minute walk from your hotel.

Hopefully the change in management will mean a greater variety of vegetables appearing on the menu. One of my biggest gripes about O's food is that the same few items, including the mashed potatoes, appear perpetually on the menu to the exclusion of other choices.

Well...perhaps not. This is my understanding based on what I've read and been told: Paxlovid is not an FDA approved drug, it is permitted to be prescribed under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Unlike FDA approved drugs, which physicians are allowed to prescribe "off label", an EUA technically only permits a drug to be prescribed in accordance with FDA permissions and instructions. Paxlovid's EUA is solely for patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by means of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test . (At home positive tests are permitted for this purpose.) This would seem to preclude prescribing Paxlovid for someone just in case they might need it later. My understanding is that some physicians are willing to turn a blind eye to that but others will not prescribe it to someone who has not been diagnosed with COVID.

I always start with the fish chowder and then usually have the chicken pot pie. Ellie usually has a salad topped with either chicken or salmon.

Your ship will be docking in Brooklyn. There are two Dream hotels in Manhattan, one on West 16th St., the other on West 55th St. I'm not personally familiar with sports bars in Manhattan, but in order for someone who is familiar it would be vey helpful to know which hotel you're staying at.

If it's wrong it wouldn't be the first time a cruise line has had an error in their published protocols.

I don't find O to be much different than most corporations I do business with in this regard.