"Exciting news coming very soon"

[chengkp75]

On 3/27/2021 at 4:50 AM, farmersfight said:

 

That would've been the Suez Canal pilot. But, pilots are only "advisors" (except in the Panama Canal where the Panama Canal assumes full responsibility). So, in this case, the master is "on the hook".

True, but the Captain was not "on the helm".

[DaCruiseBug]

1 hour ago, tumblew467 said:

 

Well you are incorrect. In parts of  Appalachia the area is so rural and remote in some areas that nurses go by horseback to render care.

Most that I speak of are west of the Mississippi and to the Rockies.

A recent analysis that was done found that 111 rural counties, mostly located between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, have no pharmacy that can give the vaccines. That could leave thousands of vulnerable Americans struggling to find vaccines, which in turn threatens to prolong the pandemic in many hard-hit rural regions.

And in those areas without local pharmacies, rural residents may have to drive long distances to get shots, and do so twice for two-dose vaccines. An analysis by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and the West Health Policy Center found that 89% of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy. But more than 1.6 million people must travel more than 20 miles to the nearest pharmacy, which can mean facing difficult weather and road conditions in remote areas.

An example: San Juan County health department in southwestern Colorado. Doesn't even have a MD. With the closest pharmacy located in a neighboring county an hour away in Durango, and  Custer County hasn't had a pharmacy for years.

 In the Western states in particular, you have a vast geography and very few people.

Dulac LA nearest pharmacy is 23 miles away.

And there may be a mom and pop pharmacy chain , but they have to be approved to administer the vaccine. And they don't have the capability to store the vaccine the way it needs to be.

Now with J&J out  things will improve. 

In the Western states in particular, you have a vast geography and very few people.

 

https://rupri.org/wp-content/uploads/COVID-Pharmacy-Brief.pdf

 

 

Having to drive "more than 20 miles" and "travel for hours" are 2 completely different things. I lived in Wyoming for years, I know what it's like...and no you don't have to travel for hours to get to a pharmacy.

 

Even in the example you cited, in San Juan County (population of 690 btw) the main town in the middle of the county is 48 miles away from Durango (town of 18,000 people). That's not "travel for hours". That's a 1 hour drive.

 

Also, the J&J vaccine has been approved for over a month now and only needs to be stored in a regular fridge. Literally any medical office can administer the vaccine.

[tumblew467]

21 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Having to drive "more than 20 miles" and "travel for hours" are 2 completely different things. I lived in Wyoming for years, I know what it's like...and no you don't have to travel for hours to get to a pharmacy.

 

Even in the example you cited, in San Juan County (population of 690 btw) the main town in the middle of the county is 48 miles away from Durango (town of 18,000 people). That's not "travel for hours". That's a 1 hour drive.

 

Also, the J&J vaccine has been approved for over a month now and only needs to be stored in a regular fridge. Literally any medical office can administer the vaccine.

 

I mentioned J&J being a game changer now. However, if it has to be transported and administered you are limited to the time frame and  in the way it is transported. And After it has been reconstituted

there is a time frame in which it can be at room temp and frig. Unpunctured vials of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine may be stored between (47°F to 77°F) for up to 12 hours. After the first dose has been withdrawn, it can be stored (36° to 46°F) for up to 6 hours or at room temperature (maximally 25°C/77°F) for up to 2 hours. Then it must be Discarded  if vaccine is not used within these time frames.

It also depends on the amount of personnel available to administer it. And it would be more than an hour in crappy weather. Or if they had to take a bus. But I am not going to argue with you.  This is a extraordinary event to plan for. There are areas with limited resources out there. Some areas do not have the convenience as other areas do. That was the point.

[DaCruiseBug]

46 minutes ago, tumblew467 said:

 

I mentioned J&J being a game changer now. However, if it has to be transported and administered you are limited to the time frame and  in the way it is transported. And After it has been reconstituted

there is a time frame in which it can be at room temp and frig. Unpunctured vials of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine may be stored between (47°F to 77°F) for up to 12 hours. After the first dose has been withdrawn, it can be stored (36° to 46°F) for up to 6 hours or at room temperature (maximally 25°C/77°F) for up to 2 hours. Then it must be Discarded  if vaccine is not used within these time frames.

It also depends on the amount of personnel available to administer it. And it would be more than an hour in crappy weather. Or if they had to take a bus. But I am not going to argue with you.  This is a extraordinary event to plan for. There are areas with limited resources out there. Some areas do not have the convenience as other areas do. That was the point.

 

Have you ever been to that part of the country? Takes longer if they take a bus??? You're kidding right? People don't take busses in that part of the country. I doubt there's even bus service there.

[tumblew467]

1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Have you ever been to that part of the country? Takes longer if they take a bus??? You're kidding right? People don't take busses in that part of the country. I doubt there's even bus service there.

I guess you never hear of the tribal transit program for the reservations then.

[MoCruiseFan]

I'm betting that the news has to do with FCC.

[JIMESOPUS]

The Exciting News has arrived, several threads have been started. Guess this thread can be closed.

 

[latebloomer56]

On 3/22/2021 at 3:55 PM, HBCcruiser said:

 

Now THAT would be an awesome win-win! We Love Bermuda! 

We love Bermuda as well but can't swing 5 round trip air tickets to sail from there :(.

[MoCruiseFan]

On 4/4/2021 at 9:16 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

I'm betting that the news has to do with FCC.

 

 

Told you so....
https://www.ncl.com/suspended-sailings

"To offer our guests even more flexibility for future vacation planning, many who hold outstanding Future Cruise Credits (FCC) may now submit a request to convert their FCC to a monetary refund. Guests who elect to request their FCC to a monetary refund will receive the original cruise fare paid, back to their original form of payment and forfeit any bonus FCCs attached to their Latitudes profile.

For example: FCCs issued in July 2020 had a book by date of July 2021. The new “book by” date is December 31, 2021.

Applicability to convert an existing FCC to a monetary refund request may be submitted for one of the following reasons:

• Guest has been affected by two or more suspensions.
• Guest elected to cancel via our Peace of Mind (POM) policy AND then was affected by at least one additional suspension.
• As of April 5, 2021, a guest has an active and existing reservation for a voyage embarking on or before October 31, 2021; and will not be vaccinated.
• An active and existing FCC is attached to a profile of a guest who has passed away.

Any guest affected by one of the above, wishing to request a monetary refund (of their original cruise fare paid and in lieu of their active FCC, including bonus amounts) must submit a refund request via the Guest Relations Case Submission page at: https://www.ncl.com/case-submission.

Special Notes

1. All guests who complete an online submission request (requesting to convert active FCCs to a monetary refund) agree that they are authorized to do so on behalf of all persons on the reservation as we are unable to issue partial refunds. In addition, they agree they are authorized to remove the value of any bonus future cruise credits offered by Norwegian Cruise Line for all guests.
2. Upon submission of the online request, an email will be sent to the email address entered on the form with a response and case number.
3. As we anticipate high volumes of inquiries, we kindly ask for your patience and allow up to 30 days for the review process to be completed. Each submission request will be individually handled and responded to.
4. xclusions may apply, but are not limited to, one of the following:
   • An FCC has been transferred.
   • The current FCC holder is not the original FCC recipient.
   • A credit card dispute was filed for the charges.
   • The FCC is applied to an active and existing reservation.
   • The FCC has been partially applied.
5. If a refund is approved, all FCCs (including Bonus FCCs) will be deactivated, and a refund will be issued back to the original form of payment, within 90 days from the request submission date.
6. Any existing 10% Future Cruise Discounts will remain active and available for use on future bookings.

"

[DCGuy64]

5 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

A credit card dispute was filed for the charges.

That's an interesting one for the exclusions.

[BermudaBound2014]

43 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That's an interesting one for the exclusions.

The way this reads to me is that you are excluded if you filed a dispute (but have not yet been reimbursed); in other words the refund is pending. That would make sense. Of course, not much makes sense to me lately.

[hallux]

36 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

(but have not yet been reimbursed);

Or if you filed a dispute and won, getting money refunded.  I imagine NCL would have pulled the FCC on the account by now, but it's possible it would still be there...

[BermudaBound2014]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

Or if you filed a dispute and won, getting money refunded.  I imagine NCL would have pulled the FCC on the account by now, but it's possible it would still be there...

 

Yes, this too. I just don't believe any cruise line will be blacklisting anyone willing to give them cash 🙂