Brava Grandiosa!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Aside from all the frustrations regarding refunds, I'm very excited and proud of MSC and the crew of MSC Grandiosa for their successful return to cruising! More like a regular cruise than not, I think, in most respects. I would certainly sail on this kind of cruise.

 

My big hope at this point is that MSC will be able to use this successful trial as evidence to support a similar return to cruising out of Miami before my cruise booked for Thanksgiving week. I am ready to set sail. Clearly rapid testing for COVID-19 is going to be an essential component of cruising for the foreseeable future. I hope that the tests improve rapidly!

 

Brava MSC!

[rkacruiser]

Grandiosa's success is a very promising and hopeful sign, indeed!

[cellfree]

Yes, Bravo! Does anyone know if it Captain Marco Massa was commanding the Grandiosa? We were to cruise on the Grandiosa in October but cancelled. Captain Massa kept us safe during Hurricane Irma on the Divina a few years ago, great Captain, gave us daily briefings, got to know him. Was looking forward to greeting him again in October as we knew he was Captain on the Grandiosa, hopefully another time for us.

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

......My big hope at this point is that MSC will be able to use this successful trial as evidence to support a similar return to cruising out of Miami before my cruise booked for Thanksgiving week. I am ready to set sail....

You may be 'ready to set sail', unfortunately CDC are not ready to let anyone set sail from the USofA anytime soon. Thanksgiving week 2021 may be a go, time will tell.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

12 minutes ago, hamrag said:

You may be 'ready to set sail', unfortunately CDC are not ready to let anyone set sail from the USofA anytime soon.

What's your basis for this statement? CDC has implemented the color-coded "ready" system that at present only means the cruise industry has met certain CDC-established criteria relating to crew. MSC is "green" on all US-based ships. Now CDC is seeking comment from the public on a return to cruising. If MSC demonstrates that it can sail consistently with ~3,000 passengers per week with no COVID-19 outbreaks, there is no obvious reason to prohibit MSC from attempting to sail. I have no idea where CDC is with its process; suspicions are that CDC has an anti-cruise industry bias. That said, signs indicate that CDC is moving toward a return to cruising at some future date. Speedy advances in rapid testing, and MSC's success with its first cruise, suggest that a return to sailing may occur sooner than might have been considered possible before last Sunday.

[hamrag]

2 minutes ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

....Speedy advances in rapid testing, and MSC's success with its first cruise, suggest that a return to sailing may occur sooner than might have been considered possible before last Sunday.

 

You do know that only citizens' from the Schengen zone are allowed to sail, and that will not change until November at the earliest? Given the behaviour of many US citizens, in relation to COVID-19, and their skewed obsession with constitutional rights rather than using common sense. I reiterate my belief that you will not be sailing from any USofA port during Thanksgiving week this year, and probably not before the spring of 2021. 😉

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

Aside from all the frustrations regarding refunds, I'm very excited and proud of MSC and the crew of MSC Grandiosa for their successful return to cruising! More like a regular cruise than not, I think, in most respects. I would certainly sail on this kind of cruise.

 

My big hope at this point is that MSC will be able to use this successful trial as evidence to support a similar return to cruising out of Miami before my cruise booked for Thanksgiving week. I am ready to set sail. Clearly rapid testing for COVID-19 is going to be an essential component of cruising for the foreseeable future. I hope that the tests improve rapidly!

 

Brava MSC!

It would be awesome if the US had some of the same tests that other countries are using.     We need the antibody test that is 97% accurate instead of the one at labcorp that is only 50% accurate per their technicians and We need the rapid salvia test that is being used by MSC now.       

I am booked for a 12 night December cruise out of NJ to southern caribbean and hopeful it will sail.

Watching how MSC is handling everything gives me hope that CDC will allow us to begin cruises out of US ports in the near future.

[MarkusToe]

to be very honest - I don't believe so...

looking to the Covid numbers in the US - no way....much to high risk for the cruiseline...

[Sunshine3601]

7 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

to be very honest - I don't believe so...

looking to the Covid numbers in the US - no way....much to high risk for the cruiseline...

Yes there are some states in the us still out of control.  I.e. states in the northeast corridor of the US have very low cases for past couple of months.  So we could cruise out of NY NJ or Md and have same restrictions that msc is doing that passengers must come from a state with low or no cases.

Where I live in Pa we haven't had any new cases for several weeks and no covid patients in any of my local hospitals.

As a whole US looks messed up but if you look at individual states many of us are doing great!

[MarkusToe]

But how to control the movement of the guest upfront the cruise.

You are free to travel around....m

[GonzoWCS]

Bravo MSC!

[sfaaa]

Yeah.  MSC leads the way.

[shipgeeks]

5 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yes there are some states in the us still out of control.  I.e. states in the northeast corridor of the US have very low cases for past couple of months.  So we could cruise out of NY NJ or Md and have same restrictions that msc is doing that passengers must come from a state with low or no cases.

Where I live in Pa we haven't had any new cases for several weeks and no covid patients in any of my local hospitals.

As a whole US looks messed up but if you look at individual states many of us are doing great!

I have fantasies of being able to sail on an MSC ship out of the Port of Baltimore.  Armonia, perhaps?

[rkacruiser]

25 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I have fantasies of being able to sail on an MSC ship out of the Port of Baltimore.  Armonia, perhaps?

 

Given where I live, that would be as "Tony the Tiger" would say:  G-R-E-A-T!

 

I have sailed from Baltimore on Carnival Pride and it was the easiest into and out of Port that I have experienced.  (One just has to watch for the speed trap when exiting I-95 Northbound onto the surface street leading to the Port.  An Officer was waiting to "greet" arriving guests.  (I saw him before he saw me.)  The speed zone decreases very rapidly at that point.  

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

Now CDC is seeking comment from the public on a return to cruising. 

 

Not sure when the public comment period ends.  Do you know?

 

 

22 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

22 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

I have no idea where CDC is with its process; suspicions are that CDC has an anti-cruise industry bias. That said, signs indicate that CDC is moving toward a return to cruising at some future date.

 

The question is the definition of "some future date".  The CDC is a Federal entity within a Federal agency, i.e. a bureaucracy.  Such "wheels" of government have been known to turn very slowly.  

 

I share your optimism because of what the Grandiosa has achieved.  I fear that the reactions of some of the leaders of these two agencies will say something like:  "so what"?     

[Cruiser Bruiser]

4 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Not sure when the public comment period ends.  Do you know?

 

The question is the definition of "some future date".  The CDC is a Federal entity within a Federal agency, i.e. a bureaucracy.  Such "wheels" of government have been known to turn very slowly.  

 

I share your optimism because of what the Grandiosa has achieved.  I fear that the reactions of some of the leaders of these two agencies will say something like:  "so what"?     

The comment period closes on September 21. From a quick internet search, it seems that anyone can post comments here.

 

I'm a government employee, so I get that bureaucracy can sometimes be an obstacle, but the cruise industry is a massive employer, and I would imagine that CDC must be aware that there is an economic motivation to return to sailing. The key is doing so safely, and MSC seems to have implemented the best methodology thus far.

 

Yes, COVID-19 cases exploded in the US because we reopened far too soon. And when we did, much of the country refused to wear masks. Now that most states have meaningful policies requiring masks and social distancing and reopening retreated to a viable level, all of the trends are very favorable. Surprise! In a month, the COVID-19 infection and death rates may seem relatively manageable.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

The link, above, does work. I already submitted my comments essentially stating that I would be comfortable sailing on MSC from Miami provided that MSC was operating with protocols in place that are identical to those aboard MSC Grandiosa. I also expressed the hope that I can do so on November 21.

[Fogfog]

Agreed. We are very encouraged.

When we did B2B in Feb 2020-- we found the ship immaculate..so clean and the crew was on top of things

We are so excited to be going back (fingers crossed) in early 2021

 

as far as "cases' etc--no other nation tests as many as the US..None--by far per capita

 

and if anyone has read recent studies out of Sweden, Switzerland etc---you need to question all of the pearl clutching/hand wringing controls

 

not to mention CDC regs which have DROPPED the required 14 day quarantine aftertravel and changes to non sympotomatic testing...

 

happy to sail tom. YMMV Bon Voyage

 

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Fogfog

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

But how to control the movement of the guest upfront the cruise.

You are free to travel around....m

Yes we are allowed to travel amongst our states but most states have quarantine orders.  Here in PA per my governor if I travel to one of the high case states I must quarantine at home for 14 days and get tested.  Last i looked there was 14 or 15 states on our quarantine list.  I am allowed to travel to NJ to go to beach since very low cases there.  Same goes for NYC and MD where some very nice and easy cruise ports are located.   So not much different than how europe is handling travel from country to country.  If MSC continues being successful and other cruise lines do the same I am hopeful that ports can reopen for the states with low or no cases.

 

Edited August 27, 2020 by Sunshine3601

[Até]

US interstate tourist restrictions are weak in regards to any future cruises.  For example, New York places a 14 day isolation requirement on many states, but that only applies to people staying in New York for more than 24 hours.  People could easily come from a "high risk" state and get on a ship as long as they spend less than 24 hours in New York.  MSC and the CDC will most likely be looking at the US as a whole regarding cruising policy.

[MarkusToe]

key question: how to control the passengers travel upfront the cruise - not possible to track down.

Therefore not possible to say: yes no or low risk to cruise.....

 

within Europe starting Sept it looks like : all guest need to have a negative corona test, they all will fly together in a chartered plane, not contact to externals. No individual tours.....

[sidari]

3 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

key question: how to control the passengers travel upfront the cruise - not possible to track down.

Therefore not possible to say: yes no or low risk to cruise.....

 

within Europe starting Sept it looks like : all guest need to have a negative corona test, they all will fly together in a chartered plane, not contact to externals. No individual tours.....

MT ... What about those who will travel by train, bus or car, not everyone will fly to Genoa.

[Sunshine3601]

5 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

key question: how to control the passengers travel upfront the cruise - not possible to track down.

Therefore not possible to say: yes no or low risk to cruise.....

 

within Europe starting Sept it looks like : all guest need to have a negative corona test, they all will fly together in a chartered plane, not contact to externals. No individual tours.....

That's interesting as I hadn't heard MSC arranging that for their last 2 weeks of sailing on the Grandiosa.   Some of those passengers took mass transportation..buses and trains.   Did msc change their procedure?  Is it Costa And Aida that are arranging chartered flights for their passengers?

Edited August 27, 2020 by Sunshine3601

[cruiser man 60]

5 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

That's interesting as I hadn't heard MSC arranging that for their last 2 weeks of sailing on the Grandiosa.   Is it Costa And Aida that are arranging chartered flights for their passengers?

MSC have not arranged any flights and I understood policy was to try and discourage flying hence keeping cruises to European only.

i doubt any European country will allow any Americans south or north into Europe this year nor allow their citizens to fly to those countries.

[MarkusToe]

Sorry, i've Mixed up with TUI Cruises...

They do so on there Greece cruise