SS Future Re-Open Plan: Timing, Testing Needs??!!

[QueSeraSera]

8 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

flying to Nice (directly from JFK) and boarding a small Ponant ship for a 7-day circumnavigation of Corsica.

Sounds great, have a good time!  Let us know about the Corsican wines if you have the opportunity 🙂 

[jpalbny]

11 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

Sounds great, have a good time!  Let us know about the Corsican wines if you have the opportunity 🙂 

 

We will probably bring our wine checks and try to bring a case home. I can't find them around here and they are supposed to be really good, so I figured we'd go to the source!

[TLCOhio]

13 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Terry, we are flying to Nice (directly from JFK) and boarding a small Ponant ship for a 7-day circumnavigation of Corsica. We figured that it would be quieter there and hopefully less crowded. Plus it is supposed to be beautiful there and we have oy been there for a few hours.

 

Great update and info from J.P. about your upcoming cruise in and around Corsica.  Never been there, but it sounds very special and super wonderful.  Hope you will share more details, photos, etc.  Is this your first cruise with Ponant?  Have heard a wide range of excellent to mixed comments as to how their on-ship service works for those from the U.S.  Best wishes for a wonderful trip and experience.    

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 91,711 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[jpalbny]

Oy!

 

Nice typo in my post - should have been "only" but my phone has decided to hit backspace when I want to type 'L" instead. Bugger. Yes we have done one stop in Corsica, at Ajaccio, back probably 15 years ago on an Oceania cruise.

 

This cruise will be a bit more in-depth, and offers a nice mix of three cities (Saint-Florent, Calvi, and Bonifacio) as well as some natural regions (Santa-Manza, Roccapina, and the Sanguinaires Islands) which should present a much different picture of solitude with scenery and wildlife. I will certainly post along the way, assuming that we can actually go. Hoping so!

 

Just seeing today that the EU is going to remove us from the "safe" list so that could potentially throw a monkey wrench into things.

 

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/eu-to-reimpose-entry-ban-on-travellers-from-us-5-other-third-countries-on-monday-sources-say/

 

So France could perhaps ban us from entering for tourist reasons if they choose to. We'll see what happens and maybe scramble for a Plan B.

 

We are going on Ponant and yes I've heard the mixed reviews. Looking forward to seeing firsthand what it's like.

Edited August 29, 2021 by jpalbny

[TLCOhio]

6 hours ago, jpalbny said:

This cruise will be a bit more in-depth, and offers a nice mix of three cities (Saint-Florent, Calvi, and Bonifacio) as well as some natural regions (Santa-Manza, Roccapina, and the Sanguinaires Islands) which should present a much different picture of solitude with scenery and wildlife. I will certainly post along the way, assuming that we can actually go. Hoping so!    Just seeing today that the EU is going to remove us from the "safe" list so that could potentially throw a monkey wrench into things.

We are going on Ponant and yes I've heard the mixed reviews. Looking forward to seeing firsthand what it's like.

 

Great added details from J.P., including the added questions/info about the changing and evolving rules/regulations for Europe, etc.  Good luck getting there and back.  Hope all works well for Chris and you.

 

From the Yahoo Finance website on Friday, one of their writers had this headline: “Carnival Stock Continues to Carry Weight of the ‘Unwanted’ Passengers” with these highlights/poimts: “Covid-19 is still very much still an 'unwanted passenger' on its cruise ships. As a result, a resumption to pre-pandemic cruising seem like they’re far in the distance.  A recent story detailing the death of a 77-year-old woman who took a Carnival cruise with her family, leaving Galveston, had her became ill while on a port visit in Belize. The ship doctor gave the retired Sunday school teacher a Covid-19 test. It was positive. She was transferred to a Belize hospital. Eventually, she was sent by air ambulance to Oklahoma, where she died while on a ventilator on Aug. 14.  She was fully vaccinated.   And, yet, she still got Covid and died. It shows what risks are involved in taking a cruise at this point, vaccinated or not.   According to Cruise Law News, a Carnival chief engineer died of Covid-19 after working for the company for more than 34 years with nary a mention from the company.   As my InvestorPlace colleague, Larry Ramer, recently wrote, cruise lines may again face no-sail bans due to the surge in cases from the Delta variant.”

 

Is this too negative?  Here is more of his perspective from this article/analysis: "Covid-19 is not going away. Cruise lines were already giant Petri dishes. This ratchets up the health risks of cruising. For this reason, it appears that the near-term health of cruise line stocks, Carnival included, is not good.  The Motley Fool’s Rich Smith recently highlighted the fact that cruising isn’t enjoyable these days. You don’t have to tell the passengers of the Carnival Vista that.  'Parents of unvaccinated children under 12 years of age say that there is ‘nothing for the kids to do at all, besides the pool’ and that kids couldn’t get off the ship when it visited ports,' Smith wrote on Aug. 19.   How will Carnival maintain a balance between safety and a quality cruising experience if Covid-19 sticks around and becomes a part of daily life?  Every little action on cruise ships will be under a microscope in the weeks and months ahead."

 

Full story/column at:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/carnival-stock-continues-carry-weight-100014200.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 68,799 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

[TLCOhio]

Is this the "bad news" that J.P. thought might be coming??

 

From the Wall Street Journal late this afternoon, they had this headline: “EU Set to Recommend Halting Nonessential Travel From the U.S." with this sub-headline: "The European Union action is in response to the increase in U.S. coronavirus cases”.

 

Here are some of the story: “The European Union is set to recommend halting nonessential travel from the U.S. because of Covid-19, diplomats said on Sunday.  European officials have been considering the move for much of the last month with the average U.S. infection rate now above that of the EU.  The Slovenian presidency of the EU last week recommended removing the U.S. and five other countries from the travel list. A final decision is due on Monday. Two diplomats said they were not aware of any objections so far.  The EU travel list, which is reviewed every two weeks, isn’t binding on member states but it has generally set the pattern over the past few months for who can visit the bloc. Pressure to remove the U.S. from the travel list has also increased because Washington has maintained a ban on European nonessential travel to the U.S.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-set-to-recommend-halting-nonessential-travel-from-the-u-s-11630270180?mod=breakingnews

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 51,694 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

[TLCOhio]

From Newsweek magazine this morning, they had this headline: “ 'Solitary Confinement': Texas Couple Recalls Being Quarantined in Greece for 19 Days Over COVID” with these highlights: “A couple from North Texas recalled being quarantined in Greece for 19 days after testing positive for COVID-19, despite being vaccinated against the virus.  Johnny and Donna Knight were planning for their 47-year wedding anniversary trip to get on board the Norwegian Cruise Lines to cruise the Greek Islands.  But Donna tested positive for COVID after arriving in Greece where she and her husband weren't allowed to get on the ship and were asked to quarantine in a hotel room in downtown Athens.   The couple were first isolated in the room for 10 days. Later, they were isolated for a second quarantine period of seven days after they both tested positive for COVID again.  Donna and Johnny received a COVID test after 17 days in which they tested negative and were allowed to go back to the U.S.   According to a recent report by the CDC, those who are fully vaccinated against COVID could still contract the virus. For instance, 25 percent of Los Angeles County residents who tested positive for COVID were fully vaccinated, the CDC said.  The agency added that around 12 percent of people who were hospitalized due COVID and 12 percent who died from the virus were also fully vaccinated.”

 

As the friend who just return from the Silver Origin in the Galapagos Island told me, there is that "WHAT IF FEAR" for arriving in Ecuador (or Greece), being vaccinated, but testing positive for Covid and being locked-down for one, two or three weeks.  Who pays?  What does insurance cover, if anything??  Any easy or good answers??

 

Full story at:

https://www.newsweek.com/solitary-confinement-texas-couple-recalls-being-quarantined-greece-19-days-over-covid-1624080

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Many visuals, details from two visits in a city with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 40,894 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

[jpalbny]

40 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Is this the "bad news" that J.P. thought might be coming??

 

The same...

 

We are thinking about possible Plan C's at this point. We won't cancel unless we are forced to do so but it always helps to have an alternative.

[kimanjo]

 Just a "minor" detail left out.... Unvaccinated citizens.

 

BRUSSELS, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The European Union on Friday moved to reinstate COVID travel restrictions like quarantine and testing requirements for unvaccinated citizens of the United States and five other countries, two diplomats told Reuters.

[QueSeraSera]

This is a bit confusing.  Suppose...

We have received 2 doses of the vaccine.  The vaccine creates some antibodies to the virus, and teaches our immune system to be on the lookout if we are ever exposed to the virus.  If we are in fact exposed, after vaccination, our immune system can create many more antibodies so we do not get sick (or am I already off track?).

On board, we are tested for the virus (by various means which I also don't understand the differences) but I have picked up that one of these tests for antibodies to the the virus.

Wouldn't a vaccinated person test positive for antibodies?  Particularly if they had been exposed to the virus recently?

    

[jpalbny]

Que, the nasal swabs are tests that detect viral proteins (antigen test) or viral genetic material (PCR tests). Neither will pick up antibodies against the virus. You'd need a blood test for that, as the antibodies which the body produces are there, not in your nasal secretions.

 

Antigen = a foreign protein which triggers an immune response (makes the body produce antibodies, et al). Antibody = an immmunoglobulin produced by your immune system, that binds to and neutralizes a foreign substance.

 

[QueSeraSera]

Got it, thanks.  Getting vaccinated will not cause a positive result on a virus test.  

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Any easy or good answers??

Make sure you have lots of hotel reward points?

[worldtraveller99]

To my knowledge those of us from the UK have been forbidden to travel to the US or Canada since this started in March 2020. So I am still not sure if we will be able to do the (twice postponed) Alaska cruise in July 2022, and I have not booked any flights for 2022 (which is unheard of for me). Haven't even booked them for Dubai in March 2022 for the Expo, as still not sure about that happening for us.

 

Our country is now saying we may not get booster jabs as they will be giving them (probably about half a dozen!) to Africa instead. I will believe that when I see it. So if immunity goes down over time, in a way it would be good to have just a little COVID now whilst we are fully jabbed, so it boosts our immune system without (probably) killing us.

 

What do you think?

[boccenana]

15 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Que, the nasal swabs are tests that detect viral proteins (antigen test) or viral genetic material (PCR tests). Neither will pick up antibodies against the virus. You'd need a blood test for that, as the antibodies which the body produces are there, not in your nasal secretions.

 

Antigen = a foreign protein which triggers an immune response (makes the body produce antibodies, et al). Antibody = an immmunoglobulin produced by your immune system, that binds to and neutralizes a foreign substance.

 

Best explanation i have ever heard. Clear and concise. Thank you.

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, boccenana said:

Best explanation i have ever heard. Clear and concise. Thank you.

Well, he is a chef, with a wine cellar, who dabbles in pulmonary medicine on the side. 😉

[boccenana]

3 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Well, he is a chef, with a wine cellar, who dabbles in pulmonary medicine on the side. 😉

All makes sense now.🤗

[TLCOhio]

On 8/29/2021 at 7:58 PM, jpalbny said:

Que, the nasal swabs are tests that detect viral proteins (antigen test) or viral genetic material (PCR tests). Neither will pick up antibodies against the virus. You'd need a blood test for that, as the antibodies which the body produces are there, not in your nasal secretions.  Antigen = a foreign protein which triggers an immune response (makes the body produce antibodies, et al). Antibody = an immmunoglobulin produced by your immune system, that binds to and neutralizes a foreign substance.

 

Super appreciate this great follow-up and detailed background by our expert J.P.  Excellent, as always!!! 

 

From the Wall Street Journal this morning, their highly-experienced travel columnist had this headline: “Travel Agencies Are Having a Moment Amid Covid-19 Chaos” with these commentary/info highlights: “To the list of products and services that found new life because of the pandemic, you can add travel advisers.   Travel has grown difficult thanks to virus-related complexity, uncertainty, cancellations, delays, border restrictions and testing requirements. As a result, many travelers booking a beach getaway or other trips are turning to professionals to help them with plans. Travel advisers—don’t call them travel agents anymore—are cool again.  'With the pandemic, our credibility and our necessity have gone off the charts, and I think we’re now advocates,' says Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, co-president of Valerie Wilson Travel, a New York-based leisure and corporate travel agency that is a unit of Frosch International Travel. 'Travel is possible. It’s just difficult.'  Do-it-yourself booking and declining commissions paid by airlines shrank travel agencies beginning in the 1990s. Survivors mostly booked cruises and elaborate trips for clients interested in luxury accommodations, plus the big business of corporate travel managers.  The industry has proven resilient, and now it’s hot. Travelers are itching to go somewhere after many sat grounded for a year or more. And they have myriad questions about what you have to do to travel internationally and how you can protect yourself against disappointment, delay and financial loss.  Travel advisers say their job has become more complex. They must track constantly changing border restrictions. They must sort through Covid-19 restrictions on insurance policies. They must have a Plan B for elaborate events like destination weddings or family reunions if Plan A becomes impractical because of a viral outbreak somewhere. Plan C may be necessary, too.”

 

Very important background as to the fast-changing, challenging world of travel, especially internationally.  For me, I like to do significant research and planning on my own, BUT, I also use a travel advisor in order to better prepare for and navigate better in the more exotic parts of the world, etc.  Lots of pro/con factors to consider!!  This includes that like with doctors and lawyers, all travel advisors are not equally equally experienced and skilled.  Finding a "GOOD ONE" is not always quick, simple and easy. 

 

Full story at:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/travel-advisers-delta-covid-11630442498?mod=hp_featst_pos4

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit.  Now at 31,926 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:
www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[TLCOhio]

From the Wall Street Journal's sister publication of Barron's this morning, they had this headline: “Florida’s Covid Resurgence Threatens Tourism Industry” with these highlights: “Just as its cruise lines, theme parks, and movie theaters were staging a recovery, the Delta variant has sent Florida’s Covid-19 hospitalizations soaring again. The cruise boat industry’s convalescence may extend until next year, an analyst forecast. If tourism falters, it could prove a test of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s ban of vaccine and mask mandates. Cruise lines are already looking past the ban. They have fought 

DeSantis, by insisting their passengers prove vaccination.   Leisure analyst Brandt Montour, of J.P. Morgan Securities, says that the infectious Delta variant has impacted cruise bookings in the last month. While he’s notched back his price targets on stocks like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, he expects Delta will mainly affect this year’s second half. Bookings for 2022 are strong.  'The fundamentals of the cruise business will likely look better in 2022 and 2023 than they did before Covid,' Montour told Barron’s. 'And their stocks are still relatively beaten down.'   Florida is particularly impacted. Covid counts in the state hit a daily peak last week, then eased some in the last few days. The Miami Herald reports that Covid now accounts for 27% of the Florida hospitalizations and over 50% of ICU beds. Among new Covid patients in the state, 88% hadn’t been vaccinated.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.barrons.com/articles/florida-covid-cases-travel-industry-51630446326?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D64368917477333601990043620758670218094|MCORGID%3DCB68E4BA55144CAA0A4C98A5%40AdobeOrg|TS%3D1630507527

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 30,769 views.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

[brimary]

Thanks for the updates Terry much appreciated.The cruise industry is sadly in the worst position of the holiday industry because of the understandable reasons of covering the World which as we all know have a wide variety of Covid restrictions in place.A prime example being the four small countries that make up the UK all having differing restrictions covering the small land area they cover compared with the wide World area cruising has to cover.Despite the personal desire to recommence our annual Silversea experience the courage to make the next booking is a distant thought at the moment whilst so many on board restrictions are in place on the ships which make the old luxury of Silversea Sadly a long way off at the moment.

[crusinbanjo]

2 hours ago, brimary said:

Thanks for the updates Terry much appreciated.The cruise industry is sadly in the worst position of the holiday industry because of the understandable reasons of covering the World which as we all know have a wide variety of Covid restrictions in place.A prime example being the four small countries that make up the UK all having differing restrictions covering the small land area they cover compared with the wide World area cruising has to cover.Despite the personal desire to recommence our annual Silversea experience the courage to make the next booking is a distant thought at the moment whilst so many on board restrictions are in place on the ships which make the old luxury of Silversea Sadly a long way off at the moment.

Very well said and sadly you are correct.  Mrs Banjo and I have not made any SS bookings for the very same reasons.  We are watching, waiting and praying that the CV-19 pandemic winds down sooner rather than later and we can get back to seeing the world on SS ships.

[brimary]

Hope cruisingbanjo final sentence comes to fruition,we are praying with you!

[jpalbny]

We will still plan to do our November SS cruise, if we can. If the changes aren't too cumbersome we will book more. Here's hoping! 

[Lois R]

I plan on sailing next month (unless SS cancels it) I have no plans to pull back on my upcoming sailings.  I felt quite safe on my Moon and Muse cruises and it felt SO GOOD to sail again😃

[Randyk47]

4 hours ago, crusinbanjo said:

Very well said and sadly you are correct.  Mrs Banjo and I have not made any SS bookings for the very same reasons.  We are watching, waiting and praying that the CV-19 pandemic winds down sooner rather than later and we can get back to seeing the world on SS ships.

Us too also.  Not sure when and where but we do want to cruise again even if it is just in the Caribbean.  We’d like to return to Europe particularly the Baltic since I owe my wife her number one bucket list visit to St Petersburg but that’s not possible right now.   We were actually talking about our eight Med cruises yesterday and realized not one of our past itineraries would be possible right now.   Piece parts yes but all of the cruise visited one or more countries/ports that are closed or heavily restricted.