New CDC rules requiring a Rapid Antigen Test before sailing.

[Avidtravler]

Just wondering how Regent will handle the new CDC rule,  that has eased its pre-sailing testing requirements,  to require a Rapid Antigen Test instead of a PCR test.

I hope they realize that the false negative rate in those that do not have symptoms can be as high as 50%. And then there is the problem of what does Regent do if you test positive after having had your vaccinations and have no symptoms. 

[Pcardad]

Regent will have to sail in US waters before this is an issue and with REQUIRED vaccinations, the amount of negatives should be extremely low.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Pcardad

[Dolebludger]

The question still remains, what if fully vaccinated me is not allowed on the ship after a long flight to the port? Fully vaccinated people can carry the virus with no ill effects. I thought that was the reason for requiring all on board to be fully vaccinated. Cruising is sounding more and more like a crap shoot.

[snorkle lover]

Yes, it does. Take what you get but for us spending $$$$$ is not worth a crap shoot. 

There are other ways to enjoy life without all this stress! 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

4 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

The question still remains, what if fully vaccinated me is not allowed on the ship after a long flight to the port? Fully vaccinated people can carry the virus with no ill effects. I thought that was the reason for requiring all on board to be fully vaccinated. Cruising is sounding more and more like a crap shoot.

Yes, and what if that rapid test is a false positive and you're left on the dock?  With no recourse to insurance, I would assume.

[mrlevin]

15 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Yes, and what if that rapid test is a false positive and you're left on the dock?  With no recourse to insurance, I would assume.

 

This is the $64,000 question.

[JABTPS]

Walgreens is offering the NAAT ID Now covid test and its free according to their website.  It meets the guidelines for proper antigen test and results same day!

[JABTPS]

[Dolebludger]

Well, if we are fully vaccinated and ALL onboard are too (and have proof of this) such tests should not be required. The risk of false results that could strand us thousands of miles from home is to great to take.

[rcandkc]

26 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Well, if we are fully vaccinated and ALL onboard are too (and have proof of this) such tests should not be required. The risk of false results that could strand us thousands of miles from home is to great to take.

I agree. We are fully vaccinated...pfizer....if they decide we need booster...we will get booster.  I don't want to worry about faulty test results or delayed results.  We have 3 international trips booked..2 roll overs from canceled trips.  If things dont get better by 2022 ...I’m getting doubtful of actually making any. Im not willing to add that stress to the existing stress of our travel to and from ship. 

[Dolebludger]

Will this additional CDC testing rule (if it stands) apply only to cruises that involve US ports, or will it apply also to cruises that involve only non-US ports. It would seem to be a jurisdictional stretch for CDC to so apply it. But the question mainly is whether Regent will chose to apply it to cruises that are totally non-US?

[Avidtravler]

Just wondering how Regent will handle someone who tests positive (which may be a false positive) as they are boarding in Miami for their cruise. Will they say you cannot board so here is your money back, and what happens to your companion who tests  negative. Just can't imagine all of the nightmare situations that might occur. What's your guess on how Regent will handle this CDC rule if it is allowed to stand?

[ronrick1943]

Agree with most, however We're are fully vaccinated and if they decide we need booster---yes we'llget booster.  Hopefully you won't need the test.  We'll be cruising in Feb for the first time and looking forward if it goes.

[ChucktownSteve]

On 4/30/2021 at 1:58 PM, Dolebludger said:

The question still remains, what if fully vaccinated me is not allowed on the ship after a long flight to the port? Fully vaccinated people can carry the virus with no ill effects. I thought that was the reason for requiring all on board to be fully vaccinated. Cruising is sounding more and more like a crap shoot.

 

Is it possible to catch the virus from an airplane toilet seat and carry it unknowingly while showing no ill effects? That would be a crappy situation.  They only tell us to wash our hands.

Edited May 3, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[Pudgesmom]

49 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

Is it possible to catch the virus from an airplane toilet seat and carry it unknowingly while showing no ill effects? That would be a crappy situation.  They only tell us to wash our hands.

It would be a crappy situation. /wink

 

I would think you’re far more likely to get cooties than covid from that encounter.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Pudgesmom

[Dolebludger]

The problem here us two fold. It is possible for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus (without harm to that person) and transmit  it to an unvaccinated person with possible harm. But if ALL onboard a ship are fully vaccinated, there is near zero possibility of  any problem like this. Second, it is possible for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus in airports and airlines on the way to a cruise, and test positive on embarkation, and not pose a danger to any other cruise guest or crew member that is fully vaccinated. 
 

What this CDC proposal does is to reduce the fully vaccinated rate for all on board to something less than 100% , while adding a requirement that could exclude fully vaccinated people from a fully paid cruise, without providing rules and requirements for the benefit if guests so excluded. 
‘
Now, the most likely place for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus on the way to a  cruise is in airports and flying on airlines, which have no distancing rules all! I don’t know how airlines and airports have become exempt from CDC distancing rules, but it is a crime that they have! I don’t know why Regent can’t sail with its uncrowded environment, while airlines are allowed to pack passengers in like sardines in a can, and airports are allowed to allow literal mobs to accumulate around fared fir multiple delayed flights. I wonder how much the airlines paid lawmakers for these exclusions.

[CI66774]

1 hour ago, Dolebludger said:

The problem here us two fold. It is possible for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus (without harm to that person) and transmit  it to an unvaccinated person with possible harm. But if ALL onboard a ship are fully vaccinated, there is near zero possibility of  any problem like this. Second, it is possible for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus in airports and airlines on the way to a cruise, and test positive on embarkation, and not pose a danger to any other cruise guest or crew member that is fully vaccinated. 
 

What this CDC proposal does is to reduce the fully vaccinated rate for all on board to something less than 100% , while adding a requirement that could exclude fully vaccinated people from a fully paid cruise, without providing rules and requirements for the benefit if guests so excluded. 
‘
Now, the most likely place for a fully vaccinated person to pick up the virus on the way to a  cruise is in airports and flying on airlines, which have no distancing rules all! I don’t know how airlines and airports have become exempt from CDC distancing rules, but it is a crime that they have! I don’t know why Regent can’t sail with its uncrowded environment, while airlines are allowed to pack passengers in like sardines in a can, and airports are allowed to allow literal mobs to accumulate around fared fir multiple delayed flights. I wonder how much the airlines paid lawmakers for these exclusions.

Not so fast. What happens in port? You will be surrounded by unvaccinated people. You could easily acquire the virus and bring it back onboard. Being vaccinated doesn’t mean you can’t get COVID. So unless you’re on a cruise to nowhere where no one embarks or disembarks, there always will be a risk of infection.

[ChucktownSteve]

There are no answers yet to your questions.  However they may know better later in the year. There is a huge federally funded study taking place at 21 college campuses that will test how well Moderna's COVID-19 shot prevents vaccinated people from spreading the coronavirus.

 

That may help alleviate your fears. See this link for more details.

 

https://www.livescience.com/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-college-trial-transmission.html

[mj_holiday]

Thank you ChucktownSteve for the link.  We are still about 3-4months away from the sailings that have been announced.  A lot can happen during this time and hopefully it will be good.  Hopefully some studies are completed on transmission and vaccinated people.  (Just like recently CDC announced results from a study that surfaces don't transfer the virus very effectively).  The NCL Healthy Sail Panel seems to be populated with the right kinds of talent and experience.  I believe that sometime in the coming months more protocol will be discussed that will start addressing some on these concerns.

[Dolebludger]

Yes, thanks for the link. The tests will answer important questions about virus transmission. And let me illustrate my concern. As a fully vaccinated person, I might pick up a virus on the plane, in an airport, or in a port. I then might carry it on to the ship. But if I and all others on board are.vaccinated, it is my understanding that chances of transmission of serious illness on board are nil, even if I test positive as a carrier. And the CDC is recommending allowing indoor gatherings of vaccinated people on land, even without masks. I see nothing different about indoor gatherings indoors at sea.
 

i am worried about the test requirement to board (or reboard) in addition to the vaccine requirement, because it might disallow my boarding in some remote areas, forfeiture of my return plane reservations, and the need for me to pay for my trip home. Fish’s we are not willing to take.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

45 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

i am worried about the test requirement to board (or reboard) in addition to the vaccine requirement, because it might disallow my boarding in some remote areas, forfeiture of my return plane reservations, and the need for me to pay for my trip home.

 

Yes Rich, that is what concerns me too.  But then again, I'm not going to be travelling for another year+.

[ChucktownSteve]

1 hour ago, drib said:

From Office Space: 

 

"It was a 'Jump to Conclusions' mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO."

 

Good idea. However we don't need no stinkin' mats.  Enough CC posters already do it with PFA enterprising solutions. 🤭

Edited May 3, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[ChutChut]

2 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

Yes, thanks for the link. The tests will answer important questions about virus transmission. And let me illustrate my concern. As a fully vaccinated person, I might pick up a virus on the plane, in an airport, or in a port. I then might carry it on to the ship. But if I and all others on board are.vaccinated, it is my understanding that chances of transmission of serious illness on board are nil, even if I test positive as a carrier. And the CDC is recommending allowing indoor gatherings of vaccinated people on land, even without masks. I see nothing different about indoor gatherings indoors at sea.
 

i am worried about the test requirement to board (or reboard) in addition to the vaccine requirement, because it might disallow my boarding in some remote areas, forfeiture of my return plane reservations, and the need for me to pay for my trip home. Fish’s we are not willing to take.

Nil? How many studies have been conducted in a controlled setting like a cruise ship? We don't know the risk. We won't know until we have a full ship of vaccinated people get off at a port and someone encounters a sick person in the city and brings it back on. Lot's of immune-compromised people cruise and with those weakened immune systems overall, who knows what could be the result - even with the vaccination. It's all a risk. 

[mrlevin]

1 minute ago, ChutChut said:

Nil? How many studies have been conducted in a controlled setting like a cruise ship? We don't know the risk. We won't know until we have a full ship of vaccinated people get off at a port and someone encounters a sick person in the city and brings it back on. Lot's of immune-compromised people cruise and with those weakened immune systems overall, who knows what could be the result - even with the vaccination. It's all a risk. 

Sounds like you should stay off a cruise ship. 😀

[ChutChut]

1 minute ago, mrlevin said:

Sounds like you should stay off a cruise ship. 😀

You have misinterpreted my post. I am healthy and understand there is risk in everything I do in life. I've been on thirty cruises and understand the risk of being infected with just about anything. I'm just putting questions/comments out there for people who seem to believe once everyone is vaccinated, there is no/nil risk. We don't know that. 😀