Healthy Cruise Panel Introduced

[yogimax]

16 hours ago, mugtech said:

RCI expected it to disappear, waited until July to put the panel together.

If RCCL management expected it to disappear, they all should be fired for incompetence!

[mugtech]

15 minutes ago, yogimax said:

If RCCL management expected it to disappear, they all should be fired for incompetence!

Or work for the government.

[Biker19]

 

 

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said the company’s Healthy Sail Panel, in cooperation with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, is making good progress.

 

“It would take many hours to go through all the details and we’re not ready still to talk about all of those details. Soon enough we will,” Bayley said, on a webinar for travel agents on Wednesday.

 

“Our hope is that we are going to reach a conclusion with our panel toward the end of August.

“Our intention then is to submit the complete, comprehensive plan (to the CDC),” he added.

 

Restarting, Bayley said it would be phased in, most likely starting with short Caribbean cruises to Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line's private island.

 

Returning ships to service, Bayley said it would come down to trust: doing the right thing for guests, crew, employee and communities.

 

“We would never want to resume service unless we were fairly confident we could create an environment that was healthier and safer than the environment in which people were coming from,” he noted.

Bayley said the company had been doing consumer research since March.

 

“Consumer confidence in cruising is directly related to the infection rate of COVID in the community from which people are from,” he said.

 

New-to-cruise will potential has taken a step back, Bayley said.

“I believe we will see a huge resurgence of demand when this situation starts appearing in the rear-view mirror,” Bayley continued. “I’m optimistic about the future but I recognize we ware in a difficult period with a lot of work to do to regain confidence.”

 

On crew repatriation, Bayley said the company had repatriated approximately 98 percent of crew members.

Ships are being run by skeleton operation teams, ranging from 40 to 120 crew members depending on ship class, he said.

[Biker19]

Quote

 

Royal Caribbean's new list of health recommendations for keeping guests and crew members safe onboard was expected by the end of August, but the new policies will not be released until some time after the CDC open comment period ends.

 

The Royal Caribbean Group assembled a blue ribbon panel of health experts, known as the Healthy Sail Panel, which are tasked with guiding Royal Caribbean with new recommendations on how to start cruising again safely.

 

When the Healthy Sail Panel was announced in early July, the timeline for the getting the first set of recommendations to Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings was by the end of August 2020.

"The panel hopes to provide initial recommendations to the cruise operators by the end of August."

 

RC blog reached out to Royal Caribbean for clarification on when the new policies might be released, and a statement provided by Royal Caribbean International's Public Relations department said they are now waiting for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) open comment period to conclude.

 

“The Healthy Sail Panel is working diligently on recommendations for cruise health and safety. The CDC’s open comment period ends on September 21 and the panel is taking that additional time to do its work.”

 

In late July, the CDC began taking comments from the public that it says it will be used to inform future public health guidance and preventative measures relating to travel on cruise ships.

 

The CDC has been steadily sharing comments it has received on its website that include a wide array of responses, ideas, and commentary.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Biker19

[Biker19]

^ that may mean the next round of cancellations may come after that.

[soloadventurer]

Great panel, I’m sure they’ll delivery for their employers 😉

[ipeeinthepool]

Has anyone seen a report from the Healthy Sail Panel?

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Has anyone seen a report from the Healthy Sail Panel?

See post #29 - report delayed till end of the month, at least

[molly361]

Just now, Biker19 said:

See post #29 - report delayed till end of the month, at least

You beat me to it.  Was just going to reference your post

[ipeeinthepool]

8 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

See post #29 - report delayed till end of the month, at least

 

Thanks, I'll read for comprehension next time.   I wonder if they have shared a preliminary report with the CDC. 

[Biker19]

31 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I wonder if they have shared a preliminary report with the CDC. 

Not sure it'll make much diff - the CDC will be calling the shots, mostly. The month+ info from Tui sailings may influence on what the panel recommends.

[Vera/Lee]

On 9/2/2020 at 2:16 AM, Biker19 said:

 

Thanks Biker for sharing this. It's hard to accept, but I like to be informed.