CDC Lifts Cruise Ban

[Mikew0805]

16 hours ago, boscobeans said:

I bet all those empty food and supply storage areas along I-95 will be getting filled with tables, chairs, loungers and all the things that will be un-used with the new percentage quotas dealing with passenger capacity.

 

Imagine walking around on any of the ships with such drastically reduced capacity.

 

I over 20 years I have never been on a ship that wasn't either at maximum or slightly under capacity.

 

Anyone ever sail in a ship with just 50 or 60 percent capacity ???

 

This will also lead to a decent well needed shot in the arm to hotels and restaurants in the port cities as well as airlines...

 

 

 

16 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Never -- it would be a divine experience except for the mask. 

We did... on the Mariner March 13th this year.

 

This was before masks were all over the place. We were notified just after the muster drill that this would be the last sailing due to the temporary cease of operations.

 

The cruise itself was amazing. Never once, not even on debarkation day did we have to wait for an elevator. Either the door simply opened, or it opened within 30 seconds. We never rode with anyone in the elevator, and we ALWAYS went directly to the floor we selected. This was never on purpose. (We were primarily on the forward elevators) The promenade during peak hours was a ghost town. When we would walk through it during the day it felt like walking through it at 3am. The casino was dead, no lines anywhere on the ship, seating in the Solarium was not only available, but it was extremely serene. We were one of only 3 tables in Jamie's and one of 4 tables in Chops.. service was excellent. Debarkation we walked out of the cabin, to the elevators where the door opened, straight to the floor, and walked right out the door. Cabin to car was probably 5 minutes at the most.

 

Before we knew the extent of how long this was going to go on we thought... "Glad, we came... we would never get to experience a ship this empty." Who knows.. maybe we will again.

 

 

[keyboardjunkie]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Really? Do you really trust the WHO to be responsible for anything regarding this virus?    Politics inside the WHO contributed to the virus being covered up in the early stages of this disease as well as hindering an understanding of the virus. 

 

I never said I trusted the WHO.  My point is that the CDC does not oversee health issues beyond the USA and its territories.

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

Yes, but......

 

For as long as the 'Conditional Sail Order' is in force and the ship is to return to US waters, see footnote on page 36:

 

For cruise ship operators with ships that have not been in U.S. waters during the period of the No Sail Order or voluntarily withdrew their ships, the 60-day period will begin upon: (1) CDC confirming to the cruise ship operator in writing that the operator has a complete and accurate NSO response plan, including having submitted to CDC a signed Acknowledgment of No Sail Order Response Plan Completeness and Accuracy; and (2) submission of the EDC form for the 28 days preceding the cruise ship's expected arrival in U.S. waters [my bold].

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

RCG has completed item 1 (that was part of the Healthy Sail Panel), as for point 2, I am not 100% sure what the EDC form is, but it should have no effect on the initial ships attempt to return to revenue cruises, because I feel the few ships to be used in this phase of the restart are already in US waters.

[livingonthebeach]

14 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

RCG has completed item 1 (that was part of the Healthy Sail Panel), as for point 2, I am not 100% sure what the EDC form is, but it should have no effect on the initial ships attempt to return to revenue cruises, because I feel the few ships to be used in this phase of the restart are already in US waters.

 

EDC = Enhanced Data Collection.  The form was required to report crew CV-19 cases during the NSO.  

 

It was reported by several news sources that ships left territorial US ports and waters during the NSO in order to bypass this requirement.  

[not-enough-cruising]

4 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

EDC = Enhanced Data Collection.  The form was required to report crew CV-19 cases during the NSO.  

 

It was reported by several news sources that ships left territorial US ports and waters during the NSO in order to bypass this requirement.  

Thank you 

[Jimbo]

3 day itineraires will look like this :

Fly in:

Day 1 -14 Quarantine

Day 15- Sea Day

Day 16 -CocoCay

Day 17- Sea Day

Day 18- 32 Quarantine

Day 33- Fly home, thank you for cruising with Royal Caribbean, see you back you soon okay 🙂

 

[karl_nj]

On 10/31/2020 at 9:33 AM, Beachammo said:

Strange no B2Bs....

 

You would think a passenger who tested not positive a few days before a cruise, then the day of the cruise, and then the day they leave the cruise, would be the safest passenger to put back on the ship.

 

Yes, i'm not sure we have enough information about why the CDC wants to limit cruises to 7 days or less.  B2B's may be allowed if the main reason is to make sure that the ship can get back to the embarkation port quickly in case a COVID-19 case is detected, if the CDC wants to make sure that land based COVID-19 tests are performed on passengers every 7 days, etc.

 

I recall the "Healthy Cruising Panel" also recommended 'short' cruises.  Did they say why?

[jg51]

19 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

I am not quite following your logic on this.   If the WH wanted it differently I do not seen why they would not have put pressure on sooner. If there is to be a change at the WH, nothing could happen until January.

.

Sorry, "Blizzard54," we thought that it would be clear, but we see that it is not.

We would like to explain, but we'd better not do that, because it might get too political.  (We may come back and talk to you again, a few days from now.)

[livingonthebeach]

13 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

..I recall the "Healthy Cruising Panel" also recommended 'short' cruises.  Did they say why?

 

I believe they stated that cruises of shorter duration would mitigate the risk of infection.  

 

Does anyone know how cross-country bus and train rides being regulated?   Is Amtrak still doing the Chicago to Los Angeles route? 

[leisuretraveler223]

18 hours ago, whitshel said:

So let  me get this straight, so the soonest any cruise can depart for the "test" cruises is Dec 30th ?(if they applied for the Covid Cert Yesterday)  So I am booked on Allure on Jan 3rd, 2021 are we all pretty much in agreement that this cruise will not sail?

 

You definitely will not be sailing on your scheduled itinierary

 

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, Aulanis said:

Yes but , 7 days, if you are "clear" when you board but you were infected en route to the ship or ( maybe unlikely) caught it  off someone on board you would probably be home before you felt ill.   

14 Days , confirmed ill on day 5-7 the ship  has to return back to  start port.

A shipful of unhappy cruisers who also have to self isolate.

You won't be home before you feel ill when they test you at the end of the cruise and have a positive result. You will be hauled away to quarentine.

[keyboardjunkie]

41 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

I believe they stated that cruises of shorter duration would mitigate the risk of infection.  

 

Does anyone know how cross-country bus and train rides being regulated?   Is Amtrak still doing the Chicago to Los Angeles route? 

 

I can't address the Chicago to LA route but I can tell you that two weeks ago we took the Auto Train from Lorton (D.C.) to Sanford (Orlando).  The train was half full by Amtrak design.  Meals were delivered rather than having people move about.  Masks were required.  We had a small sleeper cabin.  It had a door so when we were in the cabin masks were not required.  All Amtrak employees wore masks.  The rooms were sanitized before boarding the train (we resanitized - good old Lysol and wipes).  We felt very safe. (But we just got out of self-imposed quarantine on Thursday....)

[livingonthebeach]

18 minutes ago, keyboardjunkie said:

 

I can't address the Chicago to LA route but I can tell you that two weeks ago we took the Auto Train from Lorton (D.C.) to Sanford (Orlando).  The train was half full by Amtrak design.  Meals were delivered rather than having people move about.  Masks were required.  We had a small sleeper cabin.  It had a door so when we were in the cabin masks were not required.  All Amtrak employees wore masks.  The rooms were sanitized before boarding the train (we resanitized - good old Lysol and wipes).  We felt very safe. (But we just got out of self-imposed quarantine on Thursday....)

 

Good to know.  Stay safe and enjoy Florida!  

[twangster]

My take on the 7 day limit is to start small and see how it works.  

 

Once it's known how effective the protocols work reducing cases on board and isolating any cases that do appear to avoid it becoming a mass spreading event, then they can consider moving beyond 7 days and the CDC could modify the CSO to permit longer voyages.  There will be cases that make it on board.  The question is how effective the protocols work to detect and isolate when they do occur.   

 

BTW - does a 7 day cruise mean 6 night cruise maximum?  Technically a 7 night cruise occurs over 8 days. 

[Blizzard54]

2 hours ago, jg51 said:

.

Sorry, "Blizzard54," we thought that it would be clear, but we see that it is not.

We would like to explain, but we'd better not do that, because it might get too political.  (We may come back and talk to you again, a few days from now.)

I do understand that reasoning.  It is difficult to discuss anything the government does without getting too political. 

[Hoopster95]

4 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Before we knew the extent of how long this was going to go on we thought... "Glad, we came... we would never get to experience a ship this empty." Who knows.. maybe we will again.

 

Many comments regarding truly loving being able to sail an almost empty ship....

Keep in mind any length of time whereby RCG cannot sail at 108% capacity like last year means they are that much closer to selling/scrapping ships, limited itineraries, and ultimately bankruptcy/restructuring, etc. Be careful what you wish for.

 

1 hour ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

You definitely will not be sailing on your scheduled itinierary

 

Those finally not understanding this truly have their heads buried firmly and deeply into the sand.

Also the specific ship they are sailing... they cannot expect the exact ship they booked to be sailing in April 2020 for example.

It could happen... maybe it won't. No one can rely on a current booking to occur exactly how it is currently booked.

[Ocean Boy]

6 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Those finally not understanding this truly have their heads buried firmly and deeply into the sand.

Also the specific ship they are sailing... they cannot expect the exact ship they booked to be sailing in April 2020 for example.

It could happen... maybe it won't. No one can rely on a current booking to occur exactly how it is currently booked.

And those who are not willing to risk and accept that what they booked might be very different from what they get should just be very happy to get out of the reservation when they can.

[Hoopster95]

10 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

And those who are not willing to risk and accept that what they booked might be very different from what they get should just be very happy to get out of the reservation when they can.

 

Have you read the many recent posts on other threads?

I think some of the sand has turned into concrete.🙄😁

[voyager70]

1 hour ago, keyboardjunkie said:

 

I can't address the Chicago to LA route but I can tell you that two weeks ago we took the Auto Train from Lorton (D.C.) to Sanford (Orlando).  The train was half full by Amtrak design.  Meals were delivered rather than having people move about.  Masks were required.  We had a small sleeper cabin.  It had a door so when we were in the cabin masks were not required.  All Amtrak employees wore masks.  The rooms were sanitized before boarding the train (we resanitized - good old Lysol and wipes).  We felt very safe. (But we just got out of self-imposed quarantine on Thursday....)

 

LOVE the Auto Train.  If only it weren't so far for us.  Glad to hear they're observing safety protocols.

 

[ace2542]

On 10/30/2020 at 6:36 PM, danv3 said:

Somewhat surprisingly (to me at least), page 32 says that the cruise operator must conduct testing at embarkation and disembarkation.  So having a test back home 48-72 hours before you board is unlikely to suffice.  

Again with the testing. Like anyone imagines they will have the capacity to do the testing and get the results back on time on embarkation day. It is highly unlikely that they will. They are struggling to do that outside of the cruise industry. And what impact would a positive test at disembarkation have? I have not read that document btw.

 

Fwiw it is highly likely that the vast majority of persons wanting the upcoming vaccine(s) will have been able to get 1 by November 1st 2021. And I am sure once the vaccines hit the population these guidelines may be updated again.

Edited November 1, 2020 by ace2542

[Iamcruzin]

On 10/31/2020 at 10:19 AM, Ocean Boy said:

I cancelled January myself. I am not playing the game of giving them my money so that I can wait to get it back. I am no longer comfortable going in January anyway. Unlike you I have no interest in being on trial cruises.

Couldn't agree more. I'm not going to be on the trail vaccine either. It's amazing that people keep booking cruises  even knowing that it can be cut short or the itinerary can change or it may not sail at all.  All of the things that I liked about cruising has diminished beyond anything enjoyable.  My wife keeps banking vacation time. Between working from home for 6 months and not being able to visit her mother in Florida there is no point in taking time off. I guess all of the retirees in Florida are tired of staying home so even a cruise to Hell would look appealing.

[Hoopster95]

2 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

All of the things that I liked about cruising has diminished beyond anything enjoyable.  

 

I truly believe at some point things will go back to normal (somewhat? a "new" normal perhaps?).

When? April 21? Sept 21?? Who knows. It's just that it won't be very soon.

We are engulfed in a "ME ME ME", "I wan't it now" society... people just don't have the patience nor do they wish to understand the implications... and they want it right now without compromise or accountability for their actions.

[Iamcruzin]

1 minute ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I truly believe at some point things will go back to normal (somewhat? a "new" normal perhaps?).

When? April 21? Sept 21?? Who knows. It's just that it won't be very soon.

We are engulfed in a "ME ME ME", "I wan't it now" society... people just don't have the patience nor do they wish to understand the implications... and they want it right now without compromise or accountability for their actions.

I realize that and am willing to wait. I don't have the time or money to invest in a vacation that has too many unforeseen events that can change the plans. This goes beyond just itinerary and ship changes. Having to quarantine for 2 weeks upon return is a major factor along with flying to port and being turned away because someone in my group was exposed to covid or has symptoms. The retirees in Florida who can practically walk to port have less to deal with in these terms. Of course they are in the high risk bracket but if they don't seem to mind taking the chance more power to them. 

[not-enough-cruising]

27 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Again with the testing. Like anyone imagines they will have the capacity to do the testing and get the results back on time on embarkation day. It is highly unlikely that they will. They are struggling to do that outside of the cruise industry. And what impact would a positive test at disembarkation have? I have not read that document btw.

 

Fwiw it is highly likely that the vast majority of persons wanting the upcoming vaccine(s) will have been able to get 1 by November 1st 2021. And I am sure once the vaccines hit the population these guidelines may be updated again.

So you have not read the document (by your own admission), but feel OK about admonishing someone’s opinion who has read it?

[SargassoPirate]

I read the entire document and am not happy about the possibility of a shipwide lockdown if a single case of Covid pops up.  Not appealing at all.  I just emailed C&A and told them if this rule stays I will be cancelling a March cruise before the final payment is due in December.