vaccine required?

[delliemd]

I'm wondering if I will be able to cruise again. I had severe reaction to a vaccine before & can't get a covid vaccine. I suppose the cruise lines can do what they want, but hoping all won't have same policy.No vaccine is 100% effective. I'm sure I can't be the only person with severe allergy as some people have already died from allergic reactions.

[Astro Flyer]

At today’s Princess webinar they stated whether to require a vaccination or not hasn’t been determined yet.
 

For crew they stated such a requirement for people around the world who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated would likely prevent requiring crew vaccinations.

[CynCyn]

25 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

At today’s Princess webinar they stated whether to require a vaccination or not hasn’t been determined yet.
 

For crew they stated such a requirement for people around the world who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated would likely prevent requiring crew vaccinations.

You’d think they would work a deal to purchase vaccines to vaccinate crew.  That will certainly make me really think about cruising.......the last thing I want is to be trapped on a ship.....

[Astro Flyer]

1 minute ago, CynCyn said:

You’d think they would work a deal to purchase vaccines to vaccinate crew.  That will certainly make me really think about cruising.......the last thing I want is to be trapped on a ship.....

Based on their statements they cannot purchase vaccines for crew & the crew’s home countries determine who is eligible. Since most crew are younger people they won’t be vaccinated until their home country decides they can be vaccinated.

 

I too hoped crew vaccinations would be required but that might not be possible for all of them.

[CynCyn]

2 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Based on their statements they cannot purchase vaccines for crew & the crew’s home countries determine who is eligible. Since most crew are younger people they won’t be vaccinated until their home country decides they can be vaccinated.

 

I too hoped crew vaccinations would be required but that might not be possible for all of them.

So glad you watched! I’m afraid it will be a long time before they get started.....

[Astro Flyer]

Just now, CynCyn said:

So glad you watched! I’m afraid it will be a long time before they get started.....

Unfortunately that’s likely true.

 

They provided a slide about USA vaccinations based on the 3/10/21 CDC stats which I find encouraging for safely resuming cruising.

 

[jangor]

12 hours ago, delliemd said:

I'm wondering if I will be able to cruise again. I had severe reaction to a vaccine before & can't get a covid vaccine. I suppose the cruise lines can do what they want, but hoping all won't have same policy.No vaccine is 100% effective. I'm sure I can't be the only person with severe allergy as some people have already died from allergic reactions.

I, like many other cruisers, are sorry that you cannot get one of the COVID-19 vaccines.  But to be totally honest, until herd immunity has been firmly established, I hope that you will not be allowed on a cruise.  Please do not misunderstand.  I do want you to cruise again and enjoy everything that cruising has to offer, but not at the expense fo my own health.  Are any of the three vaccine strains less susceptible to allergic reactions?  The reality is that lots of people cannot travel for various health issues unrelated to Covid.  I sincerely hope that future research will enable you to join us,

[Potstech]

Which vaccine did you have the reaction too? Could you get on of the others or is there something in all of them you might be allergic too?  I too am allergic to several medications but there were others that accomplished the same purpose with out any side effects.

Edited March 12, 2021 by Potstech

[Tak8]

No one knows what each cruise line will do, but I figure most will want to put their best effort to make people feel safe.  I stress the word feel, no guarantee.  That probably includes vaccines being required.  

[Mud_Shark]

My wife's family has a similar concern to the OP.  My MIL is 82 and has had bad reactions to the regular flu shot in previous years, and so does not want to get the COVID vaccine.  She is not a cruiser but has friends in nursing homes and a vaccine is required to visit, so she is torn if she should try it or not, but really wants to be able to visit her friends.  She will likely try the first shot in April.

 

My wife and her sister have both also had some negative reactions to past shots, and so are also wary of the COVID shot.  It seems to run in the family.  I think she will gauge her receptivity to taking the shot based on how her mother does if she takes the vaccine.  But if my wife decides not to take it, our cruise plans could be in jeopardy.

 

Don

[caribill]

3 hours ago, Tak8 said:

No one knows what each cruise line will do, but I figure most will want to put their best effort to make people feel safe. 

 

CCL Corp. has said that cruise lines will not compete on safety, so I expect most will end up with the same requirements.

[caribill]

2 minutes ago, Mud_Shark said:

My wife's family has a similar concern to the OP.  My MIL is 82 and has had bad reactions to the regular flu shot in previous years, and so does not want to get the COVID vaccine. 

 

My wife and her sister have both also had some negative reactions to past shots, and so are also wary of the COVID shot.

 

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a different technology that all past vaccines. Their medical providers may be able to determine if these vaccines may not cause the reactions they have had in the past.

[dog]

If allowed to board ship without proof of having covid-19 vaccinations how would it be handled in ports that may require only vaccinated people can enter? 
 

I have heard in the past that people without proper paperwork- vaccines , Visas etc have not been able to embark on a cruise in such cases. 
 

if all passengers are required to be vaccinated I expect all others on board must meet those requirements. More likely to be exposed to infected crew then other passengers I have no contact with. 

[nbsjcruiser]

This is certainly a complication I hadn't thought of. OP, perhaps you may not be allergic to these new mRNA vaccines. I hope that's the case so please investigate before you give up. 

 

This issue does highlight the worry I have about cruising. Once I get vaccinated, I'm confident that I'll be safe from serious illness if somehow I manage to contact the virus but if I'm on a cruise ship and there are others on board who didnt get vaccinated, either by choice or like OP here, what happens when the inevitable happens and there's a breakout? If the cruise lines are going to allow non-vaccinated people on board, they're also going to need to have a plan that is going to allow them to dock in their home port at a moments notice and disembark the ship. Without a plan like that, I cant put myself in a position to be floating around aimlessly for weeks while people on board are seriously ill or worse while the rest of the passengers are confined to their rooms.

[Steelers36]

There are medical exemptions for other vaccines due to contraindications.  If someone has a medical condition such that a medical doctor advises no vaccine, then I am thinking such an exemption letter will suffice, similar to an exemption for Yellow Fever.  I may be wrong, but anything we write here is a conjecture at this time.

[Daniel A]

On 3/11/2021 at 6:45 AM, delliemd said:

I'm wondering if I will be able to cruise again. I had severe reaction to a vaccine before & can't get a covid vaccine. I suppose the cruise lines can do what they want, but hoping all won't have same policy.No vaccine is 100% effective. I'm sure I can't be the only person with severe allergy as some people have already died from allergic reactions.

I believe that you will be able to cruise again -- someday, just not early on after resumption of cruising.  I don't think the cruise lines will permit unvaccinated people on board until they are satisfied that it is safe for the unvaccinated.  I would think the CDC would also have something to say about that as well.

[GonzoWCS]

17 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

There are medical exemptions for other vaccines due to contraindications.  If someone has a medical condition such that a medical doctor advises no vaccine, then I am thinking such an exemption letter will suffice, similar to an exemption for Yellow Fever.  I may be wrong, but anything we write here is a conjecture at this time.

This may be one "work around" for your quandary delliemd.  Hoping this all gets sorted soon!

[franktown]

7 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

My wife's family has a similar concern to the OP.  My MIL is 82 and has had bad reactions to the regular flu shot in previous years, and so does not want to get the COVID vaccine.  She is not a cruiser but has friends in nursing homes and a vaccine is required to visit, so she is torn if she should try it or not, but really wants to be able to visit her friends.  She will likely try the first shot in April.

 

My wife and her sister have both also had some negative reactions to past shots, and so are also wary of the COVID shot.  It seems to run in the family.  I think she will gauge her receptivity to taking the shot based on how her mother does if she takes the vaccine.  But if my wife decides not to take it, our cruise plans could be in jeopardy.

 

Don

I always get a bad reaction from the yearly flu shot.  Was very hesitant to get the Covid vaccine and finally decided that would rather have the reaction to the vaccine then get covid.  Much to my surprise I had very mild reaction Moderna vaccine.  Sore arm and felt kind of tired the second day.  Same reaction on the second shot.

[mtnesterz]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a different technology that all past vaccines. Their medical providers may be able to determine if these vaccines may not cause the reactions they have had in the past.

Agreed, provider should research patient history and guide. Hope things work out for you to sail dellimed!

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by mtnesterz

[sugcarol]

There is no way i will cruise unless all passengers are vaccinated. While i feel for the unvaccinated passengers, i wont risk the chance of Covid affecting my cruise ship. They need to be excluded from being allowed on a ship until they determine there is little risk at least in the short term. I love dogs but am allergic, so i cant visit some of my friends in their homes. That is my reality and i accept that. Covid is much worse than an animal allergy, unvaccinated people should not even expect to be allowed to cruise, that is the height of selfishness. 

[generichandle]

Also, while there are other possible reagent reactions, egg-based vaccines are far the most likely to have allergy problems. As far as I know, none of the current Covid vaccines are egg-based, and certainly the mRNA ones use completely different reagents. I have not heard of any sever allergy reactions to Pfizer or Moderna, though perhaps I have missed some stories. I was in medical field and follow it pretty closely. 

 

Anyway, hope you get to sail without soon. It all depends on how quickly 'herd immunity' is established, especially around the World. If we can outrace the variants with the vaccines, WE WIN! And so do you. 

[caribill]

4 hours ago, sugcarol said:

There is no way i will cruise unless all passengers are vaccinated. While i feel for the unvaccinated passengers, i wont risk the chance of Covid affecting my cruise ship. They need to be excluded from being allowed on a ship until they determine there is little risk at least in the short term.

 

And that is the reason the goal is herd immunity, so that those who cannot for medical reasons have the vaccine would have an extremely small chance of contracting the virus.

[Lucky TGO]

On 3/11/2021 at 7:08 PM, CynCyn said:

You’d think they would work a deal to purchase vaccines to vaccinate crew.  That will certainly make me really think about cruising.......the last thing I want is to be trapped on a ship.....

This is just me. If all the crew isn’t vaccinated I’m Not Going. 
Tony

[AZjohn]

1 hour ago, Lucky TGO said:

This is just me. If all the crew isn’t vaccinated I’m Not Going. 
Tony

I’m sure the cruise lines know you and I and the large percent of cruisers feel this way. Wouldn’t surprise me they somehow procured vaccines for the crew a few months from now.

[wheezedr]

I realize that the OP has real concerns regarding a “possible “ allergic reaction to a Covid vaccine but would add the following Caveats.  
1. As others have noted, the methodology involved in the development of these vaccines and how they work is totally different from previous vaccines.  Thus one cannot extrapolate that previous issues will recur.

2. Having spent my fellowship time in a lab that actively tracked and searched for allergies to Diptheria and Tetanus immunizations and subsequently practiced for another 35 years, I would happily point out that significant numbers of people who claim allergy to vaccines may in fact have some “reaction” but it is not truly allergic.  A detailed history along with careful observation always allowed us to immunize that group.  Some did in fact have subsequent reactions, not allergic, but the value of being immunized overrode that discomfort and the reactions were generally easily amenable to treatment.

3. There are individuals who are truly allergic to certain immunizations, although it is often an associated adjuvant  in the vaccine or the milieu in which the vaccine was raised that is the actual source of the allergy.  Even in those cases our group and others developed protocols which allowed us to safely immunize them.  It at time necessitated longer times in the office and sometimes graduated increase in the dose of vaccine but During my years in practice I was able to immunize dozens of “allergic” patients who would otherwise not have been able to be protected by the particular vaccine then in use.

I would truly suggest the OP or anyone else concerned about a potential allergic reaction to Covid vaccine take the time to pursue the risks/benefit with a physician trained to provide care for allergic patients.