Volunteer Passengers?

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, verizon said:

Medjet will transport the Covid-19 patient to the hospital of their choice in U S

 

Where did you read this?  When I investigated a couple months ago they said they would not transport anyone with an infectious disease including Covid-19.

 

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Looks to me that a doctors letter will be required, ie reverting to the situation in the spring when Celebrity required a ‘Fit to Sail’ letter from the over 70’s. 

 

The way I read the CDC framework it was not age dependent.  All volunteer passengers regardless must have doctors certification of not being high risk.   There was no mention of a requirement once revenue cruises began.

[verizon]

13 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Where did you read this?  When I investigated a couple months ago they said they would not transport anyone with an infectious disease including Covid-19.

 

 

The way I read the CDC framework it was not age dependent.  All volunteer passengers regardless must have doctors certification of not being high risk.   There was no mention of a requirement once revenue cruises began.

Received this email yesterday.

Medjet is now able to transport a member hospitalized with Covid-19, while traveling in the contiguous 48 United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, to a hospital of their choice at home. We are the only membership program to have added this benefit.

The additional benefit has been added to your current membership as of October 19, 2020, at no additional cost ~  another industry first. 

[davekathy]

10 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

We'll gladly join you! Not quite 70 yet, but no pre-existing conditions (except a love of cruising) and no medications at all.

X please sign us up ! 😊

See you on the ship. 😀

[wrk2cruise]

11 minutes ago, verizon said:

Received this email yesterday.

Medjet is now able to transport a member hospitalized with Covid-19, while traveling in the contiguous 48 United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, to a hospital of their choice at home. We are the only membership program to have added this benefit.

The additional benefit has been added to your current membership as of October 19, 2020, at no additional cost ~  another industry first. 

 

Thanks.   That is encouraging.   Being disembarked for medical treatment on a Caribbean island and having coverage for Covid has been a major concern for returning to cruising.   Do you know if this has been mentioned on the Cruise Insurance board?  If not you may want to post it there.

 

Found the details it was just announced yesterday.

 

https://medjetassist.com/medjet-blog/blog/2020/01/24/medjet-services-alert-coronavirus

Edited October 31, 2020 by wrk2cruise

[dkjretired]

17 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I wonder how you can sign up to be a volunteer passenger.  I'm ready.

if they check and see your screen name, fat chance.☺️☺️☺️☺️

[phoenix_dream]

15 hours ago, Cyn874 said:

I would absolutely love to volunteer as tribute. But I'm pretty positive the 'volunteer pool' will be limited to friends and family of crew- and possibly some news media and maybe travel agents. But I don't see it ever being open to the general public, unfortunately.

There is no way the volunteers will be friends and family of crew.  Think about where the crew is from.  The majority are overseas - there is no way they are going to fly a bunch of people in from those countries.  Friends and family of Celebrity US based staff?  That makes sense. Travel agents?  A good idea after they've worked out a few bugs.   Media?  After they've worked out all the bugs.  But crew family?  No way.

 

My guess would be Celebrity staff and family based in Florida first.  Then as bugs are worked out travel agents and  Florida residents or anyone else within a few hours drive to the port,  then media.  Once "normal" folks are allowed, I wonder how they will solicit them.  Contact those who live in Florida who have previously sailed Celebrity?  Advertise free cruises to service members like they were going to do in California earlier this year?  Contact Zenith members?  Post something on their website with required parameters and let qualified people book?  (this one I doubt as their IT department could never handle it, but who knows).  Reach out to their top TA's and ask them to contact people meeting their parameters?  I think it will be awhile before we know.

Edited October 31, 2020 by phoenix_dream

[TeeRick]

Ok maybe the early initial volunteers should be people that have previously been infected and recovered from COVID. Or from the positive but asymptomatic pool who are now negative.  Plenty of them out there.  These initial passengers would hopefully have no risk of becoming infected but could go through all of the procedures and tests for the sake of these "practice" cruises.  Why put people at risk of COVID unnecessarily just to validate your new methods? For profit?  Can anybody smell legal consequences here?  Seems kind of crazy or inhumane.  By analogy, I do not see (yet) any Vaccine trials where the subjects volunteered to be exposed to the virus before being vaccinated (they are discussing this in future trials).  After a number of practice cruises take place and ships operations are well developed and the crew is well trained, then open up the volunteer population for more real world tests.

[C-Dragons]

46 minutes ago, davekathy said:

See you on the ship. 😀

We'll share a toast! 😁

[wrk2cruise]

4 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Why put people at risk of COVID unnecessarily just to validate your new methods?

 

I understand your point completely.  But don't you need to expose the risk to prove the new methods effective?  I agree with your last sentence that there possibly be a "practice cruise" for training purposes but I believe part of the intent is to have "test cruises" which actually test the protocols.

 

It's going to be interesting on how public they are going to be with when and what they are doing with these.  If they will really have multiple or if they will try to make it one and done.

 

[wrk2cruise]

38 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

18 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I wonder how you can sign up to be a volunteer passenger.  I'm ready.

if they check and see your screen name, fat chance.☺️☺️☺️☺️

 

They want him he enforces social distancing🙂

[TeeRick]

8 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

I understand your point completely.  But don't you need to expose the risk to prove the new methods effective?  I agree with your last sentence that there possibly be a "practice cruise" for training purposes but I believe part of the intent is to have "test cruises" which actually test the protocols.

 

It's going to be interesting on how public they are going to be with when and what they are doing with these.  If they will really have multiple or if they will try to make it one and done.

 

Yes you are correct but as I stated in my post I am speaking about the early initial volunteers.  A few initial cruises (2 or 3 maybe?).  Then open it up to other volunteers after the crew is more experienced.  Cautious approach really.

[cruisemom42]

Amazing to see there are so many who would volunteer for a short, simulated voyage to test an untested safety protocol that will include (per the CDC document):

 

• A monitored observation period (for how long?) and testing prior to embarkation
• Simulation and testing of evacuation procedures (meaning some of the volunteers will end up being evacuated?)
• Testing of protocols for transfer of passengers (and crew) from cabins to isolation rooms (meaning that you could be taken from your cabin and have to remain in isolation if they decide you are a test case?)
• Simulated quarantine of all passengers and crew -- so you could be stuck in your cabin? For how long?
• Possibility of the cruise ending and returning immediately to shore should anyone ACTUALLY test positive for COVID.
• Plus, of course, all of the additional restrictions that resuming voyages will be subject to:  social distancing, masking, COVID-testing prior to disembarkation.

Ummm, no thanks.

[Fouremco]

I'm with you @cruisemom42. As much as I miss cruising, these are not the conditions under which I'd wish to sail.

[jelayne]

15 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Amazing to see there are so many who would volunteer for a short, simulated voyage to test an untested safety protocol that will include (per the CDC document):

 

• A monitored observation period (for how long?) and testing prior to embarkation
• Simulation and testing of evacuation procedures (meaning some of the volunteers will end up being evacuated?)
• Testing of protocols for transfer of passengers (and crew) from cabins to isolation rooms (meaning that you could be taken from your cabin and have to remain in isolation if they decide you are a test case?)
• Simulated quarantine of all passengers and crew -- so you could be stuck in your cabin? For how long?
• Possibility of the cruise ending and returning immediately to shore should anyone ACTUALLY test positive for COVID.
• Plus, of course, all of the additional restrictions that resuming voyages will be subject to:  social distancing, masking, COVID-testing prior to disembarkation.

Ummm, no thanks.

 
After reading the info on the simulated cruises I retract our offer to volunteer.  

[gerelmx]

to LLP if you need a volunteer  please call me

[GeorgesGal]

Ready to report for duty, Sir!  Healthy senior, no prescription meds, no illegal drugs, lives within 2 hours of port.  Just  respond with day, time and place; I'll be early to check in.

 

Donna

[MaryZ]

We are on the Apex for 2 weeks for free in February.  I imagine lots of casino guests will be making up the bulk of the "voluntary" passengers for the beginning cruises.
Our issue is, we are both in the risk factor group.  Will they allow back to back (which is what we have) and then we have a 3rd cruise, also a casino comp on a different line out of a different port the day we get off the apex. 
How will that work?  Will we be able to go after being on a cruise ship for two weeks? 
Too many unanswered questions and I doubt any ships will be sailing in February anyway.

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, GeorgesGal said:

Ready to report for duty, Sir!  Healthy senior, no prescription meds, no illegal drugs, lives within 2 hours of port.  Just  respond with day, time and place; I'll be early to check in.

 

Donna

Love your attitude, Donna.  For me though, even if it were free, I would politely decline, while thanking the folks who are willing to give it a go for the rest of us.

[nocl]

5 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Ok maybe the early initial volunteers should be people that have previously been infected and recovered from COVID. Or from the positive but asymptomatic pool who are now negative.  Plenty of them out there.  These initial passengers would hopefully have no risk of becoming infected but could go through all of the procedures and tests for the sake of these "practice" cruises.  Why put people at risk of COVID unnecessarily just to validate your new methods? For profit?  Can anybody smell legal consequences here?  Seems kind of crazy or inhumane.  By analogy, I do not see (yet) any Vaccine trials where the subjects volunteered to be exposed to the virus before being vaccinated (they are discussing this in future trials).  After a number of practice cruises take place and ships operations are well developed and the crew is well trained, then open up the volunteer population for more real world tests.

Of course they  are not volunteering to be infected.  The practice cruise do not include letting someone infected board to test how the new procedures work to test spread.  The practice cruises have to meet more requirements than the passenger cruises as far as keeping illness off of the ships.  The practice cruises are intended to work through all of the issues that will come up concerning delays, timing, service delivery, training that will invariably come up with this dramatic of process changes.

 

Do no, do not see any more risk with the practice cruises, than the later passenger cruises.  However, they will detect if testing does not work keeping cases off of the ship.

[Pinboy]

We've been on enough cruises and are not interested in a complimentary " test run " -- Too far to travel , plus having to quarantine on return to Canada.

IMO-- There will still be some form of charges ( drinks, specialty restaurants ), so, don't forget your Visa card. 

Looking forward to hearing positive feedback and perhaps booking a few cruises.

[vintagegarage]

8 hours ago, GeorgesGal said:

Ready to report for duty, Sir!  Healthy senior, no prescription meds, no illegal drugs, lives within 2 hours of port.  Just  respond with day, time and place; I'll be early to check in.

 

Donna

Same for me..  I sent an email today asking to be in the pool of volunteers.. ready to go.. bag is packed and in the car.. I'm two hours from port as well.

[NutsAboutGolf]

It won't happen, just my opinion, everyone from Captain-inside cabin passengers should test daily.

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

It won't happen, just my opinion, everyone from Captain-inside cabin passengers should test daily.

Not sure what you mean by it won't happen.  What won't happen?  And what does suggesting everyone be tested daily have to do with this topic?

[Gracie115]

I'm ready.....anything to help get the ships sailing again.....let's do it!!!

[PTC DAWG]

Sounds like typical govt overreach to me....we the sheeple will comply,..sad, really.