No More Masks

[BermudaBound2014]

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Better to be safe than sorry and require 100% COVID vaccines for everyone.

 

This is absolutely true to get things started back up. We have to start somewhere and I support 100% vaccinations for sure. What we don't know is what customer demand will be once cruises get through the initial start up phase. Certainly there will be people, such as yourself, who will only sail on 100% vaccinated ships, but the big question is whether or not there is enough customer demand for 100% vaccinations to offset the customer base lost by the very same requirement.

 

The situation is very fluid and I'm sure the cruise lines are working feverishly to determine how customers are going to respond. The cruise lines have a long way to go to correct the petri-dish perception and they can't afford to have an outbreak. They also can't afford to lose 30%-40% of their customer base for an extended period of time (the amount currently predicted who will never vaccinate). 

[coffeebean]

On 5/14/2021 at 4:50 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

So, this means you will cancel all reservations on cruise ships that don’t require 💯 vaccination, correct? 

We currently have no reservations on any cruise line. We usually book cruises very last minute. We will have up to date restrictions before we book and that includes NO MASKS for fully vaccinated people anywhere on the ship. We are willing to wait until that is the protocol.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, coffeebean said:

We currently have no reservations on any cruise line. We usually book cruises very last minute. We will have up to date restrictions before we book and that includes NO MASKS for fully vaccinated people anywhere on the ship. We are willing to wait until that is the protocol.

 

It's smart to wait for protocols since things are changing so rapidly. Especially since you have stated that unless you can sail on 100% vaccinated ship which also has no mask you will refrain from sailing. I"m not sure that is going to happen in the long term, but I do think that is a possible combination as cruise ships resume sailing.

 

Cruise lines have much to navigate. There is the population, like yourself, who will absolutely not sail  unless there is 100% vaccination and no mask wearing. There are others who are want to sail with 100% vaccination but they also want mask wearing to be extra safe. Then you have those who are not vaccinated (and likely don't care about masks either way). This is going to be very interesting to watch.

[coffeebean]

On 5/14/2021 at 12:59 PM, Old & Retired said:

No confidence in your shot huh?

For me, it has nothing to do with the confidence in the vaccine. I feel very confident, actually as the mRNA vaccines are covering the variants too (so far). Great stuff!

 

My concern, however, is if there are un-vaccinated passengers on board, our experience will be restricted with masking and social distancing required. I am also concerned that if there are passengers who test positive, what protocols will be in place that just my alter the cruise.

[Fabulous97]

That is the CDC, the rest of the world also has its own rules.

[SNJCruisers]

On 5/13/2021 at 2:57 PM, jcu1210 said:

 Especially NCL where everyone will be vaccinated 

This has not yet been officially determined.  The current policy is for cruises departing outside the US and it ends on October 31.  No official policy has been announced by any of the mass market cruise lines for when cruising resumes embarking from the US. 

[graphicguy]

About Hawaii COVID vaccinations, I have a very good friend who's a nurse that's doing COVID injections.  She says the vaccination rate there is around 60%.  They expect to hit 70% by July.  That's the "herd immunity" number.

[lenquixote66]

On 5/13/2021 at 2:46 PM, KennyFla said:

People who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors or physical distance while in large and small gatherings, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced during a White House COVID-19 briefing Thursday.

Fully vaccinated individuals are still advised to wear masks while in crowded indoor settings such as while on public transportation and in hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.

 

The dam is beginning to crack.

Don’t bet the house on it.

[Joan18]

The new guidelines of no masks if vaccinated is hopeful. Nobody wants to be on the ship with a mask. Do you know if the vaccine rule is for 18 and over for NCL? Resorts have been able to get back to normal - it’s time for the cruise industry. Maybe not sale to full capacity? Expand the infirmary, and have medications on hand in the case that a vaccinated guest comes down with something. Can’t wait to get back to cruising. 

[JamieLogical]

13 minutes ago, Joan18 said:

The new guidelines of no masks if vaccinated is hopeful. Nobody wants to be on the ship with a mask. Do you know if the vaccine rule is for 18 and over for NCL? Resorts have been able to get back to normal - it’s time for the cruise industry. Maybe not sale to full capacity? Expand the infirmary, and have medications on hand in the case that a vaccinated guest comes down with something. Can’t wait to get back to cruising. 

 

Until the end of October, NCL will require 100% of passengers to be vaccinated with no exemptions for people who are unable to get the vaccines (including children under 12).

 

"The safety and security of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our number one priority. In order to provide the safest cruise experience possible, all guests and crew will need to be fully vaccinated for all sailings with embarkation dates prior to October 31, 2021. Therefore, minors who have not yet been eligible to be vaccinated will not be permitted to sail on these voyages. Minors who have been fully vaccinated are welcome to sail."

Edited May 17, 2021 by JamieLogical

[NW Pacific]

Best wishes to anyone who does not get vaccinated, your choice of course

[bbnmom]

On 5/13/2021 at 7:49 PM, Shidah said:

Everything is falling into place perfectly.  My only prayer is that NCL keeps with their current guideline of 100% vaccinated cruises through the end of the year.  I really don’t want to be around people on a ship that are not vaccinated, and we don’t cruise until December.

I am fully vaccinated as is my husband. It wouldn't bother me if there were others on the ship that were not vaccinated. I would not plan on getting up close and personal. All that being said my husband gave blood the other week and one of the perk test they ran was an antibody test and yes he has immunity. I have not but we had the same side effects from the vaccine so I assume I also have the antibodies.

 

[KennyFla]

Further relaxation of restrictions:

 

Passengers with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 could still go on the cruise if they are fully vaccinated, but denied boarding if not fully vaccinated and without documentation of recovery.

 

Fully vaccinated passengers do not need to be tested on embarkation day, disembarkation day, or even going on a back to back sailing. While embarkation testing is not required, international travelers arriving in the U.S. are recommended to be tested 3-5 days after arrival, including those who are fully vaccinated. Cruise operators may follow this recommendation at their discretion.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by KennyFla

[RocketMan275]

On 5/14/2021 at 3:50 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

So, this means you will cancel all reservations on cruise ships that don’t require 💯 vaccination, correct? 

I will cancel all reservations on cruise ships that require masks, social distancing, etc.  If that means I will only cruise on 100% vaccinated ships, so be it.

[ChutChut]

5 hours ago, bbnmom said:

I am fully vaccinated as is my husband. It wouldn't bother me if there were others on the ship that were not vaccinated. I would not plan on getting up close and personal. All that being said my husband gave blood the other week and one of the perk test they ran was an antibody test and yes he has immunity. I have not but we had the same side effects from the vaccine so I assume I also have the antibodies.

 

There is no immunity - only much less chance you'll get it or die from it. You still can be infected with Covid and fall ill after full vaccination.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I will cancel all reservations on cruise ships that require masks, social distancing, etc.  If that means I will only cruise on 100% vaccinated ships, so be it.

 

The difficulty with any cruise line allowing unvaccinated passengers, yet not requiring social distancing or masking, is that they then have the serious potential for an outbreak on the ship. If multiple people contract COVID onboard who are unvaccinated, the chances of one or more of them getting sick enough to require hospitalization is astronomically higher than if all passengers are vaccinated. Thus the cruise lines have incentive to continue other mitigation measures, like social distancing and masking. I just don't think we are to a place yet where you can lift a vaccine mandate AND a mask/social distancing mandate. It will have to be one or the other (or both?) for now.

 

I am scheduled to sail on an NCL cruise with a 100% vaccination requirement, so I fully anticipate that masks will NOT be required on board (this is out of Jamaica, so CDC has no purview). But I could understand a cruise line like RCCL, which begins sailing out of the Bahamas next month, initially requiring masks and social distancing on board still, because they are allowing unvaccinated minors to sail.

Edited May 17, 2021 by JamieLogical

[teacherman]

We have always tried to practice "social distancing".  Even before all of the Covid rules.  Just saying.  Different strokes for different folks.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, teacherman said:

We have always tried to practice "social distancing".  Even before all of the Covid rules.  Just saying.  Different strokes for different folks.

 

On a cruise, it's just not always feasible. Tables in restaurants are close together, tickets to theater shows sell out, the atrium gets packed for a game show, deck chairs are literally touching one another, lines for check-in, embarkation, and debarkation.... If cruise lines choose to sail with unvaccinated passengers, they will need to accommodate social distancing in all of these scenarios.

[graphicguy]

I was originally going to ask for a refund of my fare when NCL offered that option several weeks ago.  I figured it was going to be a while before any of the cruise lines would sail again given the lack of guidance and the lack of any sort of visible plan to cruise again.

 

When Del Rio came out with the 100% COVID vaccination policy and the plan to embark/originate in Jamaica instead of FL (where proof of COVID vaccination wasn't allowed), I jumped on rescheduling instead of the refund.

 

For the foreseeable future, I won't cruise unless there is 100% COVID vaccination requirement.  When we get closer to herd immunity (which hopefully enough will be vaccinated by the end of 2021 for this to happen), I'll reassess.

 

Until then, NCL is the only cruise line who has offered a definitive and safe way forward.

[Treasure Hunter]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

I was originally going to ask for a refund of my fare when NCL offered that option several weeks ago.  I figured it was going to be a while before any of the cruise lines would sail again given the lack of guidance and the lack of any sort of visible plan to cruise again.

 

When Del Rio came out with the 100% COVID vaccination policy and the plan to embark/originate in Jamaica instead of FL (where proof of COVID vaccination wasn't allowed), I jumped on rescheduling instead of the refund.

 

For the foreseeable future, I won't cruise unless there is 100% COVID vaccination requirement.  When we get closer to herd immunity (which hopefully enough will be vaccinated by the end of 2021 for this to happen), I'll reassess.

 

Until then, NCL is the only cruise line who has offered a definitive and safe way forward.

My grandkids 13 and 15 just got their first Pfizer shot and will be fully vaccinated long before our cruise. We think it's crazy to let anyone on board with it.  They could test negative and then the next day be positive. 

[JamieLogical]

9 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

My grandkids 13 and 15 just got their first Pfizer shot and will be fully vaccinated long before our cruise. We think it's crazy to let anyone on board with it.  They could test negative and then the next day be positive. 

 

 

That's exactly why masking and social distancing will be needed on cruises where vaccines aren't 100% required. So glad your kids were able to get their vaccines and will be able to sail. I feel bad for families with children who are too young to get vaccinated, but I suppose they will have to find alternative ways to vacation for now. For the next several months, I think the only options are going to be A) require vaccines so cruising can be as normal as possible or B) require masks and social distancing to accommodate unvaccinated people.

[coffeebean]

3 hours ago, ChutChut said:

There is no immunity - only much less chance you'll get it or die from it. You still can be infected with Covid and fall ill after full vaccination.

The way I understand how these mRNA vaccines work, the test trials data shows that 95% of people did not contract Covid, meaning 95% of people had immunity to Covid. Then, 5% of people did not have immunity and therefore those people came down with Covid. OK....so that 5% were the unlucky ones BUT......those 5% still had protection of not getting moderate or severe symptoms and did not need hospitalization.

 

In real life efficiency, the mRNA vaccines have performed even better. Those vaccines, in real life efficiency, are showing more like 98 to 99% have immunity from Covid and the rest are the unlucky ones who contract the disease. Those unlucky ones still do have protection from moderate to severe symptoms and those people also have protection from not needing hospitalization.

 

Am I understanding the trials efficacy and real life efficiency correctly?

[WanderingBrit]

16 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

The way I understand how these mRNA vaccines work, the test trials data shows that 95% of people did not contract Covid, meaning 95% of people had immunity to Covid. Then, 5% of people did not have immunity and therefore those people came down with Covid. OK....so that 5% were the unlucky ones BUT......those 5% still had protection of not getting moderate or severe symptoms and did not need hospitalization.

 

In real life efficiency, the mRNA vaccines have performed even better. Those vaccines, in real life efficiency, are showing more like 98 to 99% have immunity from Covid and the rest are the unlucky ones who contract the disease. Those unlucky ones still do have protection from moderate to severe symptoms and those people also have protection from not needing hospitalization.

 

Am I understanding the trials efficacy and real life efficiency correctly?

Yes, that is precisely how to understand the efficacy results according to everything I have read.

 

[coffeebean]

15 minutes ago, WanderingBrit said:

Yes, that is precisely how to understand the efficacy results according to everything I have read.

 

I have also read that some people who have had Covid and are suffering with the long haul side effects have had relief from those long haul side effects AFTER they were vaccinated. One more good reason to get vaccinated, IMHO.

 

Long Haulers see relief after vaccination

[ChutChut]

46 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

The way I understand how these mRNA vaccines work, the test trials data shows that 95% of people did not contract Covid, meaning 95% of people had immunity to Covid. Then, 5% of people did not have immunity and therefore those people came down with Covid. OK....so that 5% were the unlucky ones BUT......those 5% still had protection of not getting moderate or severe symptoms and did not need hospitalization.

 

In real life efficiency, the mRNA vaccines have performed even better. Those vaccines, in real life efficiency, are showing more like 98 to 99% have immunity from Covid and the rest are the unlucky ones who contract the disease. Those unlucky ones still do have protection from moderate to severe symptoms and those people also have protection from not needing hospitalization.

 

Am I understanding the trials efficacy and real life efficiency correctly?

yes - that's my understanding. However, I am seeing new CDC stats about breakthrough illnesses and death. I think only a few hundred of fully vaxxed have contracted Covid and passed away thus far. Unsure about the number of hospitalizations. Regardless - small, small number given the millions that have been vaxxed already.