DeSantis nearing compromise on cruise vaccination requirements

[ouse456]

Back to the topic of this blog: Is there any current information supporting the statement that Florida's governor is nearing a compromise on cruise vaccination? 

[basil's mom]

4 hours ago, LeeRB said:

The CDC has been getting a lot of backlash lately over the rule changes they made in May; which makes me wonder how much that or the science played into the CDC putting out new, less restrictive rules, for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated cruisers as quickly as they have. I imagine like many government organizations, some there are checking which way the wind is currently blowing.

 

The CDC is not a government organization.  The CDC is quasi-government under the Department of Health and Human Services which has sources of funding that are predicated on the fact that it also has a private 501(c)3 public charity. The CDC Foundation receives charitable contributions and philanthropic grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, universities, NGOs and other organizations to advance the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  This is not a government funded organization.

 

[gsilva]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Would you be willing to pay for a test, say 24 to 48 hours before boarding?  Your just saying you still have antibodies might not convince the line. 

Sure I would. Get tested every time I give blood so I would be confident booking a cruise if it were an option. If I ever test negative at one of those appointments would just not book a cruise.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, ouse456 said:

Back to the topic of this blog: Is there any current information supporting the statement that Florida's governor is nearing a compromise on cruise vaccination? 

 

Thanks for the reminder - so easy to fall off the path.

 

Tom

[Lee Cruiser]

1 hour ago, ouse456 said:

Back to the topic of this blog: Is there any current information supporting the statement that Florida's governor is nearing a compromise on cruise vaccination? 

No, not really. 

[MrMarc]

2 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

No, not really. 

Simple, and right to the point.   I love it!

[BlerkOne]

50 minutes ago, basil's mom said:

The CDC is not a government organization.  The CDC is quasi-government under the Department of Health and Human Services which has sources of funding that are predicated on the fact that it also has a private 501(c)3 public charity. The CDC Foundation receives charitable contributions and philanthropic grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, universities, NGOs and other organizations to advance the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  This is not a government funded organization.

 

The CDC IS the implementation arm of Congress for public health laws. The foundation is separate.

 

Of course Congress supplies money to the CDC - especially during a pandemic

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5510675/

 

 

[Lee Cruiser]

Just read an interesting article about the way Celebrity cruises is handling Florida.  I'm not going to post the link because it  comes from another cruise blog and would get flagged for moderator approval, so I am posting quotes from it instead.  I wonder if Carnival will  try something like this.

 

Celebrity requires its passengers from the United States who are age 16 and above to be fully vaccinated.  As of August 1, 2021, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated.

"Florida is a little bit different," Ms. Ritzenthaler explained. "We will still go out with 100 percent of our crew and 95 percent of our guest vaccinated."

"In Florida, we will not require you to have to show proof of vaccination, because we are doing this exactly the right way, but we will go out with 95% of our guests still vaccinated."

 

If you choose not to show proof of vaccination, then there are additional steps required to fulfill in order to sail.   According to Celebrity, guests who do not show proof of vaccination will be considered unvaccinated and will require a SARS-COV-2 test at the terminal at their own expense.

Guests that do not meet the requirements will be denied boarding. Unvaccinated passengers may be also be restricted in certain ports, depending on the local laws.  "Guests who do not provide documentation of full vaccination will be considered unvaccinated and will require a Covid test at the terminal at their own expense. Guests that do not meet the requirements will be denied boarding."

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Lee Cruiser
Added quote

[cruisingguy007]

That's interesting and probably a good idea that the test is done "at the terminal" to combat any covid test forgeries (upload, change date, print easy-peasy). This should, in theory, prevent any large unvaccinated case loads. It'll be interesting to see how this works out over several sailings and what happens as passenger counts begin to return to normal.   

[Lee Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

That's interesting and probably a good idea that the test is done "at the terminal" to combat any covid test forgeries (upload, change date, print easy-peasy). This should, in theory, prevent any large unvaccinated case loads. It'll be interesting to see how this works out over several sailings and what happens as passenger counts begin to return to normal.   

Certainly sounds like a good workaround.  I do like the fact that the test is at the port as well.  I'm guessing it won't be cheap.  They are probably betting on the fact that people have to pay for it themselves will encourage people to show proof "on their own."

[audcc77]

6 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Certainly sounds like a good workaround.  I do like the fact that the test is at the port as well.  I'm guessing it won't be cheap.  They are probably betting on the fact that people have to pay for it themselves will encourage people to show proof "on their own."

Agreed.  However, just because a person tests negative at the port doesn’t mean they will continue to BE negative.  I hope they continue to test these individuals a few more times while on the ship.  

[Lee Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Agreed.  However, just because a person tests negative at the port doesn’t mean they will continue to BE negative.  I hope they continue to test these individuals a few more times while on the ship.  

Sounds like the protocols will be strenuous to strongly encourage folks to  show vaccine proof without directly asking for it.  They still plan to sail with 95% passenger vaccination, so it will be interesting to  watch.

[Saint Greg]

35 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Just read an interesting article about the way Celebrity cruises is handling Florida.  I'm not going to post the link because it  comes from another cruise blog and would get flagged for moderator approval, so I am posting quotes from it instead.  I wonder if Carnival will  try something like this.

 

Celebrity requires its passengers from the United States who are age 16 and above to be fully vaccinated.  As of August 1, 2021, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated.

"Florida is a little bit different," Ms. Ritzenthaler explained. "We will still go out with 100 percent of our crew and 95 percent of our guest vaccinated."

"In Florida, we will not require you to have to show proof of vaccination, because we are doing this exactly the right way, but we will go out with 95% of our guests still vaccinated."

 

If you choose not to show proof of vaccination, then there are additional steps required to fulfill in order to sail.   According to Celebrity, guests who do not show proof of vaccination will be considered unvaccinated and will require a SARS-COV-2 test at the terminal at their own expense.

Guests that do not meet the requirements will be denied boarding. Unvaccinated passengers may be also be restricted in certain ports, depending on the local laws.  "Guests who do not provide documentation of full vaccination will be considered unvaccinated and will require a Covid test at the terminal at their own expense. Guests that do not meet the requirements will be denied boarding."

 

I don’t understand how they can say they’re going to be 95% vaccinated when they don’t know how many of their guests are going to show up without a vaccination card. What if it’s 20%? Then you’re only 80% vaccinated.

[cruisingguy007]

14 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Agreed.  However, just because a person tests negative at the port doesn’t mean they will continue to BE negative.  I hope they continue to test these individuals a few more times while on the ship.  

 

Yeah, two or three covid tests to pay for and potentially staying on the ship at ports definitely wouldn't be fun lol. They could tack on an administrative fee as well for the manpower and hassle. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by cruisingguy007

[Lee Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

I don’t understand how they can say they’re going to be 95% vaccinated when they don’t know how many of their guests are going to show up without a vaccination card. What if it’s 20%? Then you’re only 80% vaccinated.

Yes, it's hard to really get a grip on.  By the way, you can look up the article by doing a search for "Celebrity Florida Cruises."

 

Here is part of what it said;

 

"Our President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, right before this call said, Dondra, you reassure every travel adviser on this call that we will sail with 95 percent of our guests vaccinated. Guys, the way we're going to do that is we're going to manage the sailing, right?

"We're going to make sure that we open some cabin categories. We closed some cabin categories. We are going to make sure that 95 percent of our guests are vaccinated. That is on us, not you. But you know, you can trust me. You can trust this brand. We will go out at ninety five percent vaccinated on our ships."

[Saint Greg]

4 minutes ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Yes, it's hard to really get a grip on.  By the way, you can look up the article by doing a search for "Celebrity Florida Cruises."

 

Here is part of what it said;

 

"Our President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, right before this call said, Dondra, you reassure every travel adviser on this call that we will sail with 95 percent of our guests vaccinated. Guys, the way we're going to do that is we're going to manage the sailing, right?

"We're going to make sure that we open some cabin categories. We closed some cabin categories. We are going to make sure that 95 percent of our guests are vaccinated. That is on us, not you. But you know, you can trust me. You can trust this brand. We will go out at ninety five percent vaccinated on our ships."

Sounds difficult. I have 0 hope that carnival will attempt the same thing. 

[Saint Greg]

11 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Yeah, two or three covid tests to pay for and potentially staying on the ship at ports definitely wouldn't be fun lol.

make them get tested every day and pay for it. That might get you to 95% vaccinated.

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

make them get tested every day and pay for it. That might get you to 95% vaccinated.

If they fail, put them off the ship. Maybe 96%

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I just heard part of the tail end of a story regarding health insurance companies (they were referencing the FL law) where they indicated the potential of insurance companies asking for PROOF of coverage, or else you could sign some type of form where they might not cover your hospital bills if you end up with COVID. 

 

I can see plenty of issues with that - but it was interesting, nonetheless.

 

Tom

[ouse456]

I'm guessing that the clever and responsible way the Celebrity plans to deal with CoVid vaccinations and testing has the governor, his lawyers, and the Florida legislature collectively scratching their heads. By developing a process which places the onus on the unvaccinated passengers to prove they are uninfected; a process which will probably prove to be both time consuming and expensive, many passengers may either stick to their "our bodies; our selves" guns and stay home, or get vaccinated. Based on my own current yearning to hit the high seas, my bet is that if the Florida law stands,most passengers will grudgingly getting vaccinated. 

 

[Lee Cruiser]

7 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

make them get tested every day and pay for it. That might get you to 95% vaccinated.

The individual paying for it was definitely part of it.  Since it is being done at the port, they could charge $100-200.  That would certainly be a reason to show your card.

[Aplmac]

34 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Agreed.  However,

just because a person tests negative at the port

doesn’t mean they will continue to BE negative.  

 

I hope they continue to test these individuals

a few more times while on the ship.  

 

This is why I prefer (at this point) to be patient

and wait for this whole Covid-Cruise Mess to settle down to Stability

even if its just Relative Stability, compared to Now-mid-2021

By end-2021 we'll have a better idea of what's what.

 

________________________________________

Remember what Last Year 2020 was like?!
Do you even want to? - lol

[TNcruising02]

27 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

I don’t understand how they can say they’re going to be 95% vaccinated when they don’t know how many of their guests are going to show up without a vaccination card. What if it’s 20%? Then you’re only 80% vaccinated.

I don't understand either.  I don't get how they can say they are going with 95% vaccinated while still allowing unvaccinated to cruise, even though there are more hoops for the unvaccinated to jump through.  I get it that it can be their goal, but I see no way they can state it as a fact and still let unvaccinated people cruise.  Unless they reject the unvaccinated before the cruise, which they can't do in Florida, then how can they be sure less than 5% unvaccinated people will book the cruise?  It sounds more like a hopeful goal unless they will offer the unvaccinated incentives to rebook.

 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

I don’t understand how they can say they’re going to be 95% vaccinated when they don’t know how many of their guests are going to show up without a vaccination card. What if it’s 20%? Then you’re only 80% vaccinated.

Smoke and mirrors. They could get some gee whiz mathematician to figure out how many tests and bubbles it takes for an unvaccinated person to be the equivalent of a vaccinated person, and make an equivalence claim.

[cruisingguy007]

14 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Smoke and mirrors. They could get some gee whiz mathematician to figure out how many tests and bubbles it takes for an unvaccinated person to be the equivalent of a vaccinated person, and make an equivalence claim.

 Or make it such pain in the arse for unvaccinated that the problem naturally works itself out.