Yellow Fever Vaccination

[cruiseluv]

Has anybody booked on a cruise going to St Lucia been told that they need to have the yellow fever vaccination? We have just been informed by our cruise line of this requirement, however I dont find anything about that in the CDC website

Edited August 26, 2019 by cruiseluv

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, cruiseluv said:

Has anybody booked on a cruise going to St Lucia been told that they need to have the yellow fever vaccination? We have just been informed by our cruise line of this requirement, however I dont find anything about that in the CDC website

I've been to St. Lucia and will be stopping there again in December. I've not been required to have a yellow fever vaccination and St. Lucia doesn't routinely require it. 

 

The only reason I can think of for your cruise line saying you need it (other than gross incompetence on their part, which is always a possibility) is if you'll be visiting a country where there's a risk of contracting yellow fever before your stop in St. Lucia. You need to look at your itinerary and check the CDC's advice for the other countries you're visiting.

[cruiseluv]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

I've been to St. Lucia and will be stopping there again in December. I've not been required to have a yellow fever vaccination and St. Lucia doesn't routinely require it. 

 

The only reason I can think of for your cruise line saying you need it (other than gross incompetence on their part, which is always a possibility) is if you'll be visiting a country where there's a risk of contracting yellow fever before your stop in St. Lucia. You need to look at your itinerary and check the CDC's advice for the other countries you're visiting.

Thank you, I've also visited St Lucia about a year ago and no such thing. The cruise leaves from NY and stops in Bermuda, St Kitts and Antigua prior, none of these places have any issue with yellow fever. I'm having my travel agent investigate further with the cruise line, in the meantime I'll be calling the Embassy of St Lucia and asking, this seems ridiculous.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, cruiseluv said:

Thank you, I've also visited St Lucia about a year ago and no such thing. The cruise leaves from NY and stops in Bermuda, St Kitts and Antigua prior, none of these places have any issue with yellow fever. I'm having my travel agent investigate further with the cruise line, in the meantime I'll be calling the Embassy of St Lucia and asking, this seems ridiculous.

That confirms the gross incompetence hypothesis. None of those countries...and we've been to all...are places where you run the risk of catching yellow fever, just as you've said.

Edited August 27, 2019 by njhorseman

[cruiseluv]

This is crazy, the cruise line ( Regent) keeps insisting that the Port Agent in St Lucia is requesting this. Even the Embassy of St Lucia has no knowledge of this requirement, given the ports we're visiting. Infuriating! 

[cruiseluv]

18 hours ago, njhorseman said:

That confirms the gross incompetence hypothesis. None of those countries...and we've been to all...are places where you run the risk of catching yellow fever, just as you've said.

 Now I can absolutely confirm your gross incompetence hypothesis. The cruise line finally said oops, the emails were sent to people in the wrong cruise!! 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, cruiseluv said:

This is crazy, the cruise line ( Regent) keeps insisting that the Port Agent in St Lucia is requesting this. Even the Embassy of St Lucia has no knowledge of this requirement, given the ports we're visiting. Infuriating! 

 

40 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

 Now I can absolutely confirm your gross incompetence hypothesis. The cruise line finally said oops, the emails were sent to people in the wrong cruise!! 

Glad the problem has been solved. 

 

Someone at Regent Seven Seas needs to post a sign at their desk with the immortal words spoken in a "Pogo" comic strip in the 1960's: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

[Wyoming2010]

We are sailing on Insignia in October to pretty much the same ports and got the same email.  My thought is that St. Lucia doesn't want people coming in from countries known to have yellow fever without a vaccination (I hope).  Otherwise, you could read the email various ways as it is very vague.  Our contact person at Oceania said the vaccination is a "recommendation" and not a requirement, but yet they state you need documentation verifying that you got the vaccine.  It IS infuriating! 

 

Edited to add:  Just got this from an Oceania rep:

 

Oceania Cruises does not require proof of inoculation, nor will deny guests embarkation.

Please note however, the countries the vessel calls to or the port agent(s) at the pier may require proof of vaccination(s) prior to allowing a guest to go ashore.

For guests unable to take the vaccine(s) listed as required by the CDC, please bring a letter from your physician to turn in should it be requested

Edited August 28, 2019 by Wyoming2010

[njhorseman]

32 minutes ago, Wyoming2010 said:

We are sailing on Insignia in October to pretty much the same ports and got the same email.  My thought is that St. Lucia doesn't want people coming in from countries known to have yellow fever without a vaccination (I hope).  Otherwise, you could read the email various ways as it is very vague.  Our contact person at Oceania said the vaccination is a "recommendation" and not a requirement, but yet they state you need documentation verifying that you got the vaccine.  It IS infuriating! 

 

Edited to add:  Just got this from an Oceania rep:

 

Oceania Cruises does not require proof of inoculation, nor will deny guests embarkation.

Please note however, the countries the vessel calls to or the port agent(s) at the pier may require proof of vaccination(s) prior to allowing a guest to go ashore.

For guests unable to take the vaccine(s) listed as required by the CDC, please bring a letter from your physician to turn in should it be requested

It's the same email because Oceania and Regent are part of the same company and it's the same people making the same mistake and sending out an incorrect email.

 

However you said "pretty much the same ports", and without knowing the exact ports we can't say for sure whether the email is correct or incorrect.

[Wyoming2010]

18 hours ago, njhorseman said:

It's the same email because Oceania and Regent are part of the same company and it's the same people making the same mistake and sending out an incorrect email.

 

However you said "pretty much the same ports", and without knowing the exact ports we can't say for sure whether the email is correct or incorrect.

 

I meant the itinerary ports pre-St. Lucia on the two cruises are the same.  In other words, not yellow fever infected.  Is that what you mean by the incorrect email -- because it was sent to people not in infected areas? 

 

The part about it being up to the port authority to allow people into St. Lucia was a little unnerving though. 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Wyoming2010 said:

 

I meant the itinerary ports pre-St. Lucia on the two cruises are the same.  In other words, not yellow fever infected.  Is that what you mean by the incorrect email -- because it was sent to people not in infected areas? 

 

The part about it being up to the port authority to allow people into St. Lucia was a little unnerving though. 

Yes, the email to Regent Seven Seas cruisers was sent to passengers on the wrong cruise, so it doesn't surprise me that the same incorrect information was sent to Oceania cruisers on a similar itinerary because both cruise lines are part of the same company. It's likely the same people are responsible for both incorrect emails.

 

[Wyoming2010]

54 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Yes, the email to Regent Seven Seas cruisers was sent to passengers on the wrong cruise, so it doesn't surprise me that the same incorrect information was sent to Oceania cruisers on a similar itinerary because both cruise lines are part of the same company. It's likely the same people are responsible for both incorrect emails.

 

 

I just wish they would confirm that to ease everyone's mind! 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Wyoming2010

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Wyoming2010 said:

 

I just wish they would confirm that to ease everyone's mind! 

Look at it this way. Oceania said that they don't check whether passengers have been vaccinated and no one would be denied embarkation for not being vaccinated (kind of obvious if they don't check ). What's the worst that could happen if it turned out that St. Lucia requires you to be vaccinated? All they can do is not let you go ashore in St. Lucia.  You wouldn't be happy about that but it's not the end of the world. I can't even count how many port calls I've missed over the years...most for weather, where the ship couldn't dock or it was unsafe to tender, but also some where I was ill and was told by the ship's doctor that it would be unwise for me to go ashore...which hardly was necessary because I didn't feel well enough to get off anyway.

[Wyoming2010]

7 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Look at it this way. Oceania said that they don't check whether passengers have been vaccinated and no one would be denied embarkation for not being vaccinated (kind of obvious if they don't check ). What's the worst that could happen if it turned out that St. Lucia requires you to be vaccinated? All they can do is not let you go ashore in St. Lucia.  You wouldn't be happy about that but it's not the end of the world. I can't even count how many port calls I've missed over the years...most for weather, where the ship couldn't dock or it was unsafe to tender, but also some where I was ill and was told by the ship's doctor that it would be unwise for me to go ashore...which hardly was necessary because I didn't feel well enough to get off anyway.

 

True, but we have a really nice tour booked with a private guide and were looking forward to it.  We shall see on 10/17! 

[RJB]

On 8/29/2019 at 11:58 AM, njhorseman said:

Yes, the email to Regent Seven Seas cruisers was sent to passengers on the wrong cruise, so it doesn't surprise me that the same incorrect information was sent to Oceania cruisers on a similar itinerary because both cruise lines are part of the same company. It's likely the same people are responsible for both incorrect emails.

 

Quite confusing for most of us. 

[aquidneck1]

Nothing has changed in the requirements for St. Lucia.  It has been the same for years.  What has changed is that for some strange reason, the cruise lines owned by Norwegian including Oceania and Regent have suddenly decided to emphasize this issue.  It makes no sense.  The only people that would be asked for a certificate would be those that have been in areas of South America or Africa recently.  If that does not apply to you, then there is no reason to produce a certificate.  

[RJB]

3 hours ago, aquidneck1 said:

Nothing has changed in the requirements for St. Lucia.  It has been the same for years.  What has changed is that for some strange reason, the cruise lines owned by Norwegian including Oceania and Regent have suddenly decided to emphasize this issue.  It makes no sense.  The only people that would be asked for a certificate would be those that have been in areas of South America or Africa recently.  If that does not apply to you, then there is no reason to produce a certificate.  

Thank you for this info.