When will we sail the Hawaiian Islands Again?

[BirdTravels]

The Pride of America has been sitting quietly in port since the shutdown, waiting for the day she can resume sailing the Hawaiian islands. She has only left her berth in Honolulu harbor once since the shutdown to run from a hurricane for a few days (July 24-28). Hawaii has had a strict 14 quarantine for anyone entering the state since the COVID shutdown. Last week, some islands began allowing travelers to bypass the quarantine if they provided a negative COVID test from specific, trusted test facilities within 72 hours of arrival. Will this allow the Pride of America to start operating again in the not to distant future?

 

Monday, October 19, 2020

[Coastalbreezes]

Initial start-up, at least through first quarter 2021, will be just a few ships and they will sail only from Florida. According to the article below "no cruise visitors until the second half of 2021.

https://cruise.blog/2020/05/hawaii-estimates-no-cruise-visitors-until-late-2021

[spirit rev]

We were scheduled on the POA the end of January. Because of the Hawaiian travel restrictions and still nothing clear about cruise ships sailing from the US, we decided to cancel this trip in late September. Thank you Coastalbreezes for your post that essentially validates my decision. 

It was a hard trip to cancel and I hope to make it at some point in the future once again. 

[hallux]

5 hours ago, Coastalbreezes said:

"no cruise visitors until the second half of 2021

I have to wonder though, can't POA visitors be treated just as any other land vacationers on the islands?  Think about it - the POA is really just a mobile resort, and since it ONLY ports in Hawaii those visitors never leave the state so why should they be treated differently from others that stay in hotels on land?

Edited October 23, 2020 by hallux

[Tutone56]

We were on the last sailing (3/7-3/14) prior to covid shutdown.  I'm so glad we were able to complete this cruise.  It was a once in a lifetime trip for us.  We had a wonderful time.  Although it was more costly than our normal Caribbean cruises, it was well worth it! 

Was NCL able to do the dry dock for the POA?  I think it was scheduled for April-May 2020 time frame? 

[Laszlo]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Pride of America has been sitting quietly in port since the shutdown, waiting for the day she can resume sailing the Hawaiian islands. She has only left her berth in Honolulu harbor once since the shutdown to run from a hurricane for a few days (July 24-28). Hawaii has had a strict 14 quarantine for anyone entering the state since the COVID shutdown. Last week, some islands began allowing travelers to bypass the quarantine if they provided a negative COVID test from specific, trusted test facilities within 72 hours of arrival. Will this allow the Pride of America to start operating again in the not to distant future?

 

Monday, October 19, 2020

 

Has their been a crew onboard all summer? Can't imagine is must be fun sitting at a dock for months on end

[Silver Sweethearts]

7 hours ago, hallux said:

- the POA is really just a mobile resort, and since it ONLY ports in Hawaii those visitors never leave the state so why should they be treated differently from others that stay in hotels on land?

 

We don't follow you here.  How are they being treated differently - and by whom?

[hallux]

1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

We don't follow you here.  How are they being treated differently - and by whom?

If Hawaii is allowing visitors with negative tests from reputable labs to enter the state and engage in tourism (which I've heard is happening, or happening soon), why couldn't they allow POA, which only visits Hawaii ports, to accept guests under the same circumstances?

[Laszlo]

24 minutes ago, hallux said:

If Hawaii is allowing visitors with negative tests from reputable labs to enter the state and engage in tourism (which I've heard is happening, or happening soon), why couldn't they allow POA, which only visits Hawaii ports, to accept guests under the same circumstances?

A friends daughter moved to Honolulu three weeks ago for a job. All of her stuff was shipped and put into storage. She flew over and had to go right to her apartment and quarantine for 14 days. No leaving the apartment for anything. She was tested prior to flying and then once after she landed before she traveled to her apartment

[Silver Sweethearts]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

If Hawaii is allowing visitors with negative tests from reputable labs to enter the state and engage in tourism (which I've heard is happening, or happening soon), why couldn't they allow POA, which only visits Hawaii ports, to accept guests under the same circumstances?

 

hallux - Do remember that this is not simply a decision for the State of Hawaii to make.  The CDC, NCL and others have a rather large involvement here.

 

Laszlo - Mainland-Hawaii travel (without quarantine if you have appropriate negative test results) resumed October 15th.  We believe the rules were different for Oahu when your friend's daughter arrived.  Neighbor island rules have differed at times.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Silver Sweethearts

[don't-use-real-name]

10 hours ago, hallux said:

I have to wonder though, can't POA visitors be treated just as any other land vacationers on the islands?  Think about it - the POA is really just a mobile resort, and since it ONLY ports in Hawaii those visitors never leave the state so why should they be treated differently from others that stay in hotels on land?

 

Perfectly -VALID- POINT- however as the previous post by Silver Sweethearts residing in Maui has noted -

there is more here than the simple lets go forward with this - CDC - State of Hawaii rules regulations etc.

As for NCL I am sure that NCL wants to get cruising back in business forthwith -

An airline company does not make money with planes grounded -

The same for cruise ships sitting idle at anchor at a pier !

 

Positive steps must be taken before the -Negative- guests can cruise.

At least -Negative- airline passengers can fly to Hawaii and not suffer the quarantine restriction.

Surely some bright forward thinking officials can get the cruise ship business back to cruising and

as a result get the tourist trade functioning saving jobs and residents livelihood.

 

But getting back to if a guest is -Negative- why not open the doors to flights cruising travel by ship ?

All this would affect a small quarantined area namely the Hawaiian islands of which only 4 are visited by the POA.

A trickle of qualified -Negative- tourist resort traffic would at least be better than none at all -

Masks can be worn and space distance observed - limiting the exposure -

Also with a limited capacity on board the ship and shore excursions it would very easy to pin down a breach

if one were to occur.

 

As of this post the virus is on a upswing in many places on the mainland - so there is no need to rush this forward.

Seeing that it will take 60 or more days for cruising to resume (Florida-Caribbean) should not impact the start up

of POA cruising that much - just add crew and guests and sail away - sail away - sail away - perhaps early '21 !

 

 

Side note:

My sister relocated to Honolulu shortly after the pandemic hit and had the 14 day absolute quarantine treatment -

fortunately we have extended family on the island to ease the obstacles of the restriction i.e. getting groceries

food and medicine and a place to hole up in for that 14 day period.

 

[98420934]

At the moment, it's unlikely that Kauai or the Island of Hawaii would permit any cruise ships to visit, regardless of whatever the CDC or other authorities may or may not permit, and regardless of whatever quarantine or exemption policy the state may or may not have in place from time to time. Therefore, the PoA's normal itinerary is unlikely to be possible for the foreseeable future. There is always the possibility that NCL may choose to operate the PoA with a different itinerary.

 

18 hours ago, hallux said:

I have to wonder though, can't POA visitors be treated just as any other land vacationers on the islands?  Think about it - the POA is really just a mobile resort, and since it ONLY ports in Hawaii those visitors never leave the state so why should they be treated differently from others that stay in hotels on land?

 

Yes, that would be correct if only one test were required when travelling to Hawaii in the first place. However, testing is also required for moving between islands (with the exception of travel from neighbor islands to Oahu).

 

So, all ship passengers would have to test before travelling to Hawaii, and then be re-tested after arriving in Hawaii, within the required intervals, before being permitted to go ashore at other islands. The only way for that to happen quickly enough would be for the ship to install its own testing facilities, capable of processing 3,000 results overnight. Perhaps they might try that, but it seems unlikely.

[chengkp75]

17 hours ago, Laszlo said:

 

Has their been a crew onboard all summer? Can't imagine is must be fun sitting at a dock for months on end

I'm sure that just like all the other cruise ships, they have reduced to slightly above the minimum statutory manning, meaning somewhat reduced deck and engine departments and just enough galley and laundry crew to keep them fed and clean.  The deck department can get lots of work done sitting at the dock, painting and varnishing.  The engine department is always working, regardless of where the ship is, or what its doing.

 

Also, since the crew are all US citizens, and would have quarantined on the ship when joining to meet state and local requirements, I'm sure they are free to come and go off the ship as their work schedule allows.

[THIS IS US!]

On 10/23/2020 at 8:56 AM, Tutone56 said:

Was NCL able to do the dry dock for the POA?  I think it was scheduled for April-May 2020 time frame? 
 

Any word on POA dry dock? 

 

[bluesea777]

47 minutes ago, THIS IS US! said:

Was NCL able to do the dry dock for the POA?  I think it was scheduled for April-May 2020 time frame? 
 

Any word on POA dry dock? 

 

POA's last dry dock was Feb-March 2016 in San Francisco. We were on her when she sailed back to Hawaii.

 

 

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, Laszlo said:

A friends daughter moved to Honolulu three weeks ago for a job. All of her stuff was shipped and put into storage. She flew over and had to go right to her apartment and quarantine for 14 days. No leaving the apartment for anything. She was tested prior to flying and then once after she landed before she traveled to her apartment

The pre-travel test allows entry without quarantine on Oahu effective Oct 15. Many delayed travel to that day to avoid the quarantine. Arrivals on the big island still requires quarantine. 

[farmersfight]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

since the crew are all US citizens

 

Hi @chengkp75. I think I remember reading somewhere that even on U.S. flag ships operating in U.S. waters, a certain % of the unlicensed crew can be non-U.S. citizens?

[sanger727]

47 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The pre-travel test allows entry without quarantine on Oahu effective Oct 15. Many delayed travel to that day to avoid the quarantine. Arrivals on the big island still requires quarantine. 

yes, the key problem of this is the wording that ‘some islands’ are allowing it. So they certainly can’t sail to any island that doesn’t allow it. Not sure how many do but is there much point to taking a cruise with two stops? Especially if another Covid test is required between those stops?

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, farmersfight said:

 

Hi @chengkp75. I think I remember reading somewhere that even on U.S. flag ships operating in U.S. waters, a certain % of the unlicensed crew can be non-U.S. citizens?

Yes, but they must be Green Card holders, so US residents.

[seaman11]

32 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, but they must be Green Card holders, so US residents.

cheng , you said us Citizens. 

[farmersfight]

@seaman11 - actually, in my post (see below) I'm the one that said "non-U.S. citizens";

 

3 hours ago, farmersfight said:

on U.S. flag ships operating in U.S. waters, a certain % of the unlicensed crew can be non-U.S. citizens?

 

@chengkp75 said in his post (see below) "U.S. residents", which are the green card holders. A U.S. resident has not yet attained U.S. citizenship, hence they are required to have a green card.

 

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

they must be Green Card holders, so US residents.

 

[seaman11]

21 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

@seaman11 - actually, in my post (see below) I'm the one that said "non-U.S. citizens";

 

 

@chengkp75 said in his post (see below) "U.S. residents", which are the green card holders. A U.S. resident has not yet attained U.S. citizenship, hence they are required to have a green card.

 

 

and he said before that post US Citizens . then changed it to us residents .  i was not referring to your post . 

 

  13 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

"since the crew are all US citizens"

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, seaman11 said:

and he said before that post US Citizens . then changed it to us residents .  i was not referring to your post . 

 

  13 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

"since the crew are all US citizens"

Well, I don't know about you, but I consider someone who has a US Green Card as someone who is on the road to US citizenship.  Also, since they are US residents, they are entitled to the same freedoms as US citizens when it comes to things like the covid restrictions.  They live in the US, so they would be treated the same, as far as covid restrictions are concerned, as US citizens. And, I would hope that they would be treated the same as US citizens in any matters. I have sailed with quite a few Green Card mariners on US ships over the last 45 years, and don't consider them to be any different than a natural born citizen.  I won't demean this forum asking why you feel it is important that some crew are not citizens, but legal residents.

 

All licensed deck and engine officers must be US citizens, and only 25% of the unlicensed crew can be Green Card holders.

Edited October 24, 2020 by chengkp75

[seaman11]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Well, I don't know about you, but I consider someone who has a US Green Card as someone who is on the road to US citizenship.  Also, since they are US residents, they are entitled to the same freedoms as US citizens when it comes to things like the covid restrictions.  They live in the US, so they would be treated the same, as far as covid restrictions are concerned, as US citizens. And, I would hope that they would be treated the same as US citizens in any matters. I have sailed with quite a few Green Card mariners on US ships over the last 45 years, and don't consider them to be any different than a natural born citizen.  I won't demean this forum asking why you feel it is important that some crew are not citizens, but legal residents.

i have no problem with any crew green card holder citizen or otherwise . you could have said you simply misspoke ,  no a citizen is not the same as a resident card holder . 

[chengkp75]

5 minutes ago, seaman11 said:

i have no problem with any crew green card holder citizen or otherwise . you could have said you simply misspoke ,  no a citizen is not the same as a resident card holder . 

Everyone in the US can trace themselves back to someone living here who wasn't a "citizen", even me, who can trace my family back to living in the US in the 1600's.