New Vaccination policy on RCL

[jrapps]

9 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Kind of an important change to the vaccine requirement on website. Only applies to Seattle and Bahamas sailings. They changed the language on the page last night apparently. Sounds like other US sailings will not have a vaccine requirement.  That explains why test cruises will be done.  Pretty lousy decision from my perspective.  
 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

That is really lousy. I was hoping we had finally gotten to a point where there was a unified strategy for all US sailings.

 

I STILL think they will require 12+ to have vaccines from other ports, even if they do test cruises, but now we have to wait and see. 

 

I wonder if this change has anything to do with the CDC and FL conversations. Ugh, I wish they would all come to some agreement already.

[harkinmr]

4 minutes ago, BSocial said:

True, but those are presently the only confirmed sailings, right?

I’d expect the website to be further updated as more ships are confirmed  to sail from US Ports. 
 

 

I would agree, but it said “all US cruises” yesterday.  And now it’s very specific.  I think that implies that vaccine requirements will not be across the board.  Poor choice for a lot of reasons. Going to be a vastly different experience with all the restrictions and I can’t see them trying to police different rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated folks. 

Edited May 25, 2021 by harkinmr

[jrapps]

So they updated the FAQ page as well but this change makes me more hopeful.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/do-i-need-a-covid-vaccine-to-cruise-what-counts-as-proof

 

So yes they specifically mention Seattle and Bahamas, but that is only to differentiate it from "international" which has different rules (18+ vaccines)

 

So there is not yet any confirmed US sailings other than Seattle. 

[harkinmr]

2 minutes ago, jrapps said:

So they updated the FAQ page as well but this change makes me more hopeful.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/do-i-need-a-covid-vaccine-to-cruise-what-counts-as-proof

 

So yes they specifically mention Seattle and Bahamas, but that is only to differentiate it from "international" which has different rules (18+ vaccines)

 

So there is not yet any confirmed US sailings other than Seattle. 

But Alaska is not international. Bahamas is. And the vaccine age requirements have been updated to 16/12 depending on date of sailing. 

[TiiiSailor]

48 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Very good question.  I will be interested in the answer as well since we are not getting vaxxed.

 

May I suggest that the members of your party that do not want to get the vaccine perhaps discuss this matter with their physicians and see if the docs would be willing to document a medical exemption/contradiction.  I was delighted to find that our physician did this for both my husband and myself so if Royal is going to allow for medical exemptions, we will be in good shape.  That is far from clear at this time.

 

Are these friends on any kind of COVID prophylaxis ?  Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), Ivermectin and others that I cannot recall.  Personally, I would not recommend that unvaxxed pax go on a cruise unless they are otherwise protected (and to protect others) by an acknowledged prophylaxis.  I am not a physician or clinician.  This is just my personal opinion (as well as that of my physician) after much research on the subject.  We are both on a physician-monitored regimen of HCQ.  

 

If all of this fails (and it may well), then I would certainly hope that Royal will offer a full refund since we are medically documented to be unable to be vaccinated.  I have anecdotal (strictly hearsay from someone on the blog) information that refunds have been provided recently based age restrictions (children) who could not be vaccinated.  Whether that was a one-off, I have no way of knowing.  Time will tell, I suppose.

 

Best of luck to your party.  I share their concerns.

I didn't see any mention of any exemptions to the vaccine requirement, medical or otherwise.  Did I miss something?  But then the sailings are still months away and we see changes weekly, if not almost daily.

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, jrapps said:

 

So there is not yet any confirmed US sailings other than Seattle. 

Not sure Seattle is any more confirmed than any other sailing. 

[ChutChut]

28 minutes ago, jrapps said:

That is really lousy. I was hoping we had finally gotten to a point where there was a unified strategy for all US sailings.

 

I STILL think they will require 12+ to have vaccines from other ports, even if they do test cruises, but now we have to wait and see. 

 

I wonder if this change has anything to do with the CDC and FL conversations. Ugh, I wish they would all come to some agreement already.

I think so. Hedging its bets in case FL law goes forward thru court challenges. If it does, no cruise line can mandate vaccine verification out of FL.

[ChutChut]

40 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Kind of an important change to the vaccine requirement on website. Only applies to Seattle and Bahamas sailings. They changed the language on the page last night apparently. Sounds like other US sailings will not have a vaccine requirement.  That explains why test cruises will be done.  Pretty poor decision from my perspective.  
 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

It may be necessity though if FL law remains intact.

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, ChutChut said:

It may be necessity though if FL law remains intact.

There are more US ports than just Florida. 

[ChutChut]

4 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

There are more US ports than just Florida. 

True but the world's three biggest ports are located in FL.

[BND]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:02 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

There are many medical sites that say vaccinated people can still get covid.  Most of the cases do not get severely sick and most dont require hospitalization.  So all the more reason to be vaccinated.   It has been said on many news tv channels too.  I cannot believe you havent heard that.   You can google it.

Just an FYI, while yes, vaccinated people "can" get it, the data according to the CDC today shows the rate is 1 out of 10,000  fully vaccinated people, so a very, very low chance.  And, as you said, most do not get severely sick or require hospitalization.  I saw a post on a thread a couple of days ago by someone who  probably wasn't honest stating they knew 4 people who had caught it after being vaccinated.  Statistically they'd need to know a lot of people, more than anyone actually personally knows.   People do exxaggerate to make a point sometimes, but it doesn't make it true.  I don't know anyone who has caught it since being fully vaccinated.   

Edited May 25, 2021 by BND

[ArthurUSCG]

I need to look more at the FL executive order, but usually for state laws to apply, it has to happen inside the border of the state. RCL might be able to completely side step by requiring proof of vaccination to be uploaded as part of the online check in. There for the transaction would be happening where ever the AWS server is housing the RCL website and not inside the boundaries of Florida.

[ArthurUSCG]

4 minutes ago, BND said:

Just an FYI, while yes, vaccinated people "can" get it, the data according to the CDC today shows the rate is 1 out of 10,000  fully vaccinated people, so a very, very low chance.  And, as you said, most do not get severely sick or require hospitalization.  I saw a post on a thread a couple of days ago by someone who  probably wasn't honest stating they knew 4 people who had caught it after being vaccinated.  Statistically they'd need to know a lot of people, more than anyone actually personally knows.   People do exxaggerate to make a point sometimes, but it doesn't make it true.  I don't know anyone who has caught it since being fully vaccinated.   

Agreed but I'll give benifit of the doubt since the break thru cases appear to be clustered together and often related to J&J, like the Yankies cases.

[BND]

6 minutes ago, ArthurUSCG said:

Agreed but I'll give benifit of the doubt since the break thru cases appear to be clustered together and often related to J&J, like the Yankies cases.

My BIL caught Covid a couple of months ago.  He got sick a couple of days after his first shot so he had no real protection yet.  He got pretty sick, required hospitalization and oxygen. He's doing great now and back to exercising and working.  Anyway, his wife got J&J a few weeks before he got sick.  She didn't catch it.  I'm curious how the J&J population numbers would come out if everyone was tested.  The only reason we know about the Yankees is because of testing as only one player apparently had any symptoms at all.

[RFerrington]

49 minutes ago, TiiiSailor said:

I didn't see any mention of any exemptions to the vaccine requirement, medical or otherwise.  Did I miss something?  But then the sailings are still months away and we see changes weekly, if not almost daily.

Mr. Fain mentioned medical exemptions in his last video.  I haven't seen anything in writing about medical exemptions.  We have them but who knows if they will even come into play.  Better safe than sorry.

[jrapps]

I don't think my sanity (or blood pressure) can take too much more speculation. One day the website says All US sailing need vaccines, the next day it changes. The day to day changes are too stressful to follow.

 

At this point,  I'm just going to wait until they make official announcements about FL cruises, and THEN I can complain. LOL. 

[RFerrington]

5 minutes ago, jrapps said:

I'm just going to wait until they make official announcements about FL cruises, and THEN I can complain. LOL. 

Me too

[bucfan2]

4 minutes ago, jrapps said:

I don't think my sanity (or blood pressure) can take too much more speculation. One day the website says All US sailing need vaccines, the next day it changes. The day to day changes are too stressful to follow.

 

At this point,  I'm just going to wait until they make official announcements about FL cruises, and THEN I can complain. LOL. 

Concur.  Yesterday I thought we were getting close to cruising.  Today I’m looking at the odds of bankruptcy for the various lines. 

[lobster1313]

2 hours ago, RFerrington said:

Mr. Fain mentioned medical exemptions in his last video.  I haven't seen anything in writing about medical exemptions.  We have them but who knows if they will even come into play.  Better safe than sorry.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/who-should-i-contact-if-a-vaccine-is-contraindicated

[MamatoJack]

This throws a wrench in my December cruise, my son turns 12 four days before we are due to board. I am hoping to get him vaccinated before we go but it seems to vary locally whether is is actually 12 or born in 2009. Even if I got him the shot on his birthday, that doesn't leave enough time to get the second dose and then have 2 weeks. Ugh. I have no issue with the requirement to be vaccinated in general terms, just this specific type of case. I will have to hope he can get his done before we travel I guess. I thought I was done worrying about whether this vacation would happen.

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, BND said:

Just an FYI, while yes, vaccinated people "can" get it, the data according to the CDC today shows the rate is 1 out of 10,000  fully vaccinated people, so a very, very low chance.  And, as you said, most do not get severely sick or require hospitalization.  I saw a post on a thread a couple of days ago by someone who  probably wasn't honest stating they knew 4 people who had caught it after being vaccinated.  Statistically they'd need to know a lot of people, more than anyone actually personally knows.   People do exxaggerate to make a point sometimes, but it doesn't make it true.  I don't know anyone who has caught it since being fully vaccinated.   

The other day I asked Manager at my local Shoprite why are masks still required he said because the store owner's family member that was vaccinated just passed away from covid and he is now paranoid and does want his employees or customers without masks in his store.    The mgr. said he had no idea if the person was high risk or any other illnesses.    But like you said everything else I have heard and read show a very low chance of catching covid.    

[Sunshine3601]

2 minutes ago, MamatoJack said:

This throws a wrench in my December cruise, my son turns 12 four days before we are due to board. I am hoping to get him vaccinated before we go but it seems to vary locally whether is is actually 12 or born in 2009. Even if I got him the shot on his birthday, that doesn't leave enough time to get the second dose and then have 2 weeks. Ugh. I have no issue with the requirement to be vaccinated in general terms, just this specific type of case. I will have to hope he can get his done before we travel I guess. I thought I was done worrying about whether this vacation would happen.

I heard on the local news this morning from a Dr. at Penn Medicine saying that by end of year children younger than 12 should be able to get vaccinated.     Maybe the timing will work out for your Son.   🙂

 

[dswallow]

Just now, MamatoJack said:

This throws a wrench in my December cruise, my son turns 12 four days before we are due to board. I am hoping to get him vaccinated before we go but it seems to vary locally whether is is actually 12 or born in 2009. Even if I got him the shot on his birthday, that doesn't leave enough time to get the second dose and then have 2 weeks. Ugh. I have no issue with the requirement to be vaccinated in general terms, just this specific type of case. I will have to hope he can get his done before we travel I guess. I thought I was done worrying about whether this vacation would happen.

 

You unfortunately face an issue that Royal Caribbean seems to be unwilling to deal with. Your son cannot begin to be vaccinated until he turns 12. But immediately after he turns 12 he now falls into a category where Royal Caribbean only permits him to sail if he's fully vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean needs to account for that window between the date one becomes eligible to be vaccinated and the minimum time thereafter one could be fully vaccinated. And even that comes with the expectation that the appointment for the first dose can be obtained for the birthday date.

 

Now, that said, there seems to be some reliance by Royal Caribbean that these requirements are coming to them from others, such as governments. But at the same time, it's still an insurmountable window for that entry age group when vaccination is allowed and someone needs to accept that it needs to be directly addressed. Maybe the answer is just going to be "sorry, you're out of luck" but it's unfair not to explicitly say one way or the other, either, up front.

[ArthurUSCG]

5 minutes ago, MamatoJack said:

This throws a wrench in my December cruise, my son turns 12 four days before we are due to board. I am hoping to get him vaccinated before we go but it seems to vary locally whether is is actually 12 or born in 2009. Even if I got him the shot on his birthday, that doesn't leave enough time to get the second dose and then have 2 weeks. Ugh. I have no issue with the requirement to be vaccinated in general terms, just this specific type of case. I will have to hope he can get his done before we travel I guess. I thought I was done worrying about whether this vacation would happen.

We are in the same boat. Hopefully the trails will show that one of them is safe for 2 to 12 year olds and it will stay on track for September approval.

[BND]

9 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

The other day I asked Manager at my local Shoprite why are masks still required he said because the store owner's family member that was vaccinated just passed away from covid and he is now paranoid and does want his employees or customers without masks in his store.    The mgr. said he had no idea if the person was high risk or any other illnesses.    But like you said everything else I have heard and read show a very low chance of catching covid.    

Well, I know there's also data saying the majority of people who died from Covid had on average multiple (like 3) co-morbidities.  Just like with other illnesses, there will be people with no underlying issues (or none known), but a case like that is extremely rare, assuming the person was at least two weeks past their last shot.  We can't all go on living our lives in constant fear especially now that numbers are plummeting and the vaccine is working very, very well.  I'm waiting to see what restaurants here do when they go to full capacity in like 3 weeks.  Currently, one of our favorites has a sign up saying fully vaccinated don't need to wear masks, yet some still do.  Other restaurants we go to are still requiring them.  But, what happens once full capacity is allowed and people take them off at the table that's 2 feet from other tables?