CDC

[Gray Eagle02]

[Ladys Mom]

Very funny.  It has felt like that for months.  BUT,  the CDC finally came through.  Ships can sail to and from US ports starting in mid July as long as 95% of passengers are vaccinated and crew is constantly tested.  Hurray!  We are cruising.

[tipsygirl]

Ladys Mom, Just heard this announcement on the morning news. And now I am hopeful that we will be able to take our cruise from Miami on Mariner in December. Hopefully there will be some resolution to Disantis' ban on a vaccination requirement.  At least things look more promising today from the CDC perspective.

 

We are sailing on an American Cruise Line ship in July. They are able to sail because of the size of the ship and # of passengers. (Capacity is more like a river cruise ship). And they are requiring vaccinations. Happy to have some kind of cruise, but really wanting to sail with Regent in December.

[xrvlcruiser]

I saw this on line . . .Peggy

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/29/cdc-says-its-committed-to-us-cruise-industry-resuming-operations-by-mid-summer.html

[flossie009]

A promising step by CDC but still seems like a lot of hoops through which the cruise lines must jump in order to start cruising from/to U.S. ports:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6075/

[xrvlcruiser]

More details

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/environmental-health/cdc-offers-two-pathways-us-cruising-depending-vaccination-here-are-details?NL=ST-002&Issue=ST-002_20210429_ST-002_538&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_campaign=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Breaking Headlines_News_NL_04292021_1840&utm_emailname=STRADE_News_Seatrade Cruise News Breaking Headlines_News_NL_04292021_1840&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_MDMContactID=68476426-ffbe-4286-87ff-a094cf9f0149&utm_campaigntype=Newsletter&utm_sub=Seatrade Cruise News Breaking Headilnes&eM=f838ea2aa181b4b3eefb7f88d38de7f9a537c01e74813c8b039d83992528ad15&eventSeriesCode=ES_SEATRDCRSCTNT&eventEditionCode=MTM00SCC&sessionCode=S_STRDCRSNWSBRK

[Jimmcdaniel]

Does anyone know if the CDC walked back from their previous requirement for single occupancy cabins for crew? As I recall, @Pcardadsaid that was a nonstarter for Regent. 

[Dolebludger]

We have come to the conclusion that we should wait until Regent actually does a few cruises, and then learn from guest reviews here before even considering booking. As it is at this moment, the regulatory landscape seems to be constantly changing. We couldn’t know what we would get if we booked something now.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Just want to sail on a Regent ship. Don't care where... as long as it sails from Florida. 

[Snore42]

Just now, Dolebludger said:

We have come to the conclusion that we should wait until Regent actually does a few cruises, and then learn from guest reviews here before even considering booking. As it is at this moment, the regulatory landscape seems to be constantly changing. We couldn’t know what we would get if we booked something now.

 

Totally agree here.  As much as we want to get back on a cruise, we want to understand what this new version of cruising will be.   Many times issues on board have been that a crew member was new or didn't understand the Regent way yet.  There will be a lot more of this since there will be a totally new crew on board and have been away from working on board for over a year now.    Spending tens of thousands  to not get what you are used to, would be very disappointing.    We are thinking to give it two to three months of cruise sailing, before we jump back in.   Right now we'll stick to the charters we have booked with friends/family, but can't wait to get back to luxury cruising on Regent and the other lines.   

[labonnevie]

Just wondering what the science is behind the CDC requirements of having 98% of the crew  and 95% of passengers vaccinated to skip the trial cruises...are they certain it shouldn't be 97.27% and 96.36% respectively?

Why not just say 100% period or, to be safer, 105%?

Gotta love our bureaucrats!

 

[Pcardad]

Wiggle room for people who cannot get the vaccine in case the cruise line wishes to make an exception and allow them on?

[cwn]

This all sounds great, or at least progress, but is still a no go for us. The email we got from Regent says we will have to wear mask when outside of our cabin except when eating or drinking. That is absolutely not worth a $1000+ a day per person just to be in a ship. Especially when we have been mask free at home for almost 2 months.

Hopefully this nonsense will be a thing of the past before our next cruise May 2022.

[snorkle lover]

CWN,

Our thoughts exactly but hoping by February 2021 we can cruise mask free.

These requirements are too stringent for us.

[Dolebludger]

12 hours ago, Snore42 said:

 

Totally agree here.  As much as we want to get back on a cruise, we want to understand what this new version of cruising will be.   Many times issues on board have been that a crew member was new or didn't understand the Regent way yet.  There will be a lot more of this since there will be a totally new crew on board and have been away from working on board for over a year now.    Spending tens of thousands  to not get what you are used to, would be very disappointing.    We are thinking to give it two to three months of cruise sailing, before we jump back in.   Right now we'll stick to the charters we have booked with friends/family, but can't wait to get back to luxury cruising on Regent and the other lines.   
‘
I didn’t think about the “uneducated service crew” problem, but it must be a consideration. On Regent “we can’t do that for you” is not an answer unless the request is highly unreasonable or just gross. On some mass market  lines, this  is a standard answer. I would not like to be on a future Regent cruise and have the service be like we were on RCCL or Carnival!

 

[giustot]

9 hours ago, Pcardad said:

Wiggle room for people who cannot get the vaccine in case the cruise line wishes to make an exception and allow them on?

Also, it does not put the US government in the position of requiring vaccinations for cruising.

[mj_holiday]

The article above says 98% crew and 95% passengers are "fully vaccinated", which also would allow for some who had second vaccination within the prior 14 days.

 

Also, it does not put the US government in the position of requiring vaccinations for cruising

 

Not sure how this relieves the government since the ship must attest to the CDC or some other government agency the percentages of fully vaccinated people on the ship.

[SireDoime]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:04 AM, Gray Eagle02 said:

 

The CDC exists to insure that best practices are put in place to further ensure that transmission of dangerous pathogens does not wipe out the population, as they have in centuries past.

 

The CDC is not the enemy.

[Pcardad]

7 minutes ago, SireDoime said:

 

The CDC exists to insure that best practices are put in place to further ensure that transmission of dangerous pathogens does not wipe out the population, as they have in centuries past.

 

The CDC is not the enemy.

 

Not whose enemy? Their standards for cruising are not consistent with their standards for other means of mass travel/gathering so while they may not be the enemy, I do suspect their motives and I do not believe everything they say. I will make up my own mind.

 

Also, keep in mind that what Regent does outside of the USA has nothing to do with the CDC and what appeared in their email the other day may or may not be in effect when they sail.

[CruisetheCs]

It is an easy task to criticize the CDC.  It is much more difficult to set up guidelines for cruising that are reasonably scientifically based rather than hunches that things should be okay.  

 

Cruise ships are unique little crowded-city islands.  They have restaurants, bars, theaters, casinos, spas, swimming pools, shops, guest rooms, etc., all bunched together in very tight quarters.  There is no realistic way to maintain appropriate social distancing on ships.  In addition some of them, at least, have many guests who might be a medically vulnerable population.  Cruise ships stop in ports that cannot guarantee that passengers will mingle with only vaccinated persons.

 

We only have a bit over 4 months of real-world experience with the efficacy of vaccination.  There are break-through cases of Covid among the vaccinated.  The virus is raging out of control in many parts of the world and new variants are likely. We don't know the extent to which new variants of the virus might become immune to the vaccine.   Theoretically, all it would take would be one new variant that is immune or mostly immune to the vaccine to recreate the havoc of the past.

 

I would be surprised if the CDC or any major medical organization would support anything other than a cautious re-opening of an industry that is potentially fertile ground for the spread of infection.  

[Pcardad]

5 minutes ago, CruisetheCs said:

It is an easy task to criticize the CDC.  It is much more difficult to set up guidelines for cruising that are reasonably scientifically based rather than hunches that things should be okay.  

 

Cruise ships are unique little crowded-city islands.  They have restaurants, bars, theaters, casinos, spas, swimming pools, shops, guest rooms, etc., all bunched together in very tight quarters.  There is no realistic way to maintain appropriate social distancing on ships.  In addition some of them, at least, have many guests who might be a medically vulnerable population.  Cruise ships stop in ports that cannot guarantee that passengers will mingle with only vaccinated persons.

 

We only have a bit over 4 months of real-world experience with the efficacy of vaccination.  There are break-through cases of Covid among the vaccinated.  The virus is raging out of control in many parts of the world and new variants are likely. We don't know the extent to which new variants of the virus might become immune to the vaccine.   Theoretically, all it would take would be one new variant that is immune or mostly immune to the vaccine to recreate the havoc of the past.

 

I would be surprised if the CDC or any major medical organization would support anything other than a cautious re-opening of an industry that is potentially fertile ground for the spread of infection.  

You are a lot closer on an airplane with little or no restrictions and they support air travel.

[CruisetheCs]

Sitting in an airplane for an hour or even a few hours with a mask on is not the same as living in close quarters 24-hour a day on a ship of several hundred passengers for multiple days if not weeks.  And yes, there has been some criticism that the airlines should have stricter distancing requirements, etc.  Public health decisions can always be second-guessed. Hindsight is one way to decide what could have been handled better.  But that applies to all businesses and to our personal lives.

 

At this point the CDC has approved cruise travel, so I'm not sure what the current criticism is about.  On which earlier day or week should they have given their okay?  What plan should they have put forth on that chosen date?

 

My preference is to wait and see how this plays out.  I have no interest in cruising with required masks and other onboard limitations or port restrictions.  If the vaccine truly works to quell the epidemic worldwide and cruising as well as other activities can get back to close to normal, then I'll be in line to cruise again. And I'm fully aware that the line may be long.

 

 

[Qld13]

Why would you get on a ship if only 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are vaccinated? Surely covid can still spread from the non vaccinated people and you as a vaccinated passenger you could still come down with covid but hopefully not badly due to vaccination. If there was an outbreak all confined to suites. No thanks, 100% should be vaccinated

[fizzy]

5 hours ago, Qld13 said:

Why would you get on a ship if only 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are vaccinated? Surely covid can still spread from the non vaccinated people and you as a vaccinated passenger you could still come down with covid but hopefully not badly due to vaccination. If there was an outbreak all confined to suites. No thanks, 100% should be vaccinated

This is what I'm sort of not understanding.  Either everyone is vaccinated or they are not. Would this wiggle room business be unfair to the people, who in good faith, are expecting a fully compliant ship? Unfortunately for those who cannot or will not comply......tough luck for now. It would also make the cruise line appear to be rather hypocritical if they started to allow "special exceptions" and who might these special people be? The company (ies) should be striving to gain back the customer trust from the start.

[mj_holiday]

98% and 95% on an Regent ship would amount to 30-40 people for a full ship.  And I do agree that we should expect 100%, but as said previously, some of those considered not fully vaccinated could easily be crew called back and only had a chance to get vaccinated while enroute and will need to get second vaccine and the 14 days to be fully vaccinated.  So yes it does give them some wiggle room.

 

But the cruise line is also taking the risk that is involved with letting a not fully vaccinated person on board.  One passenger coming down with COVID would be a huge impact to that ship and could easily impact cruising industry again.  So the Regent "IT" person who will make the decision of letting a "not fully vaccinated" person on board would probably demand reasons why to let this crew etc on board.

Edited May 1, 2021 by mj_holiday
correction