Royal Caribbean reverses, won’t require passengers on U.S. cruises to be vaccinated

[slease]

Legitimate news?

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251909713.html

Edited June 4, 2021 by slease

[ricksurf]

I read the same report on another news service.  If this is true then I'll pass on RCCL start up cruises, even though I have status with them, until they prove some level of safety with mixing the vaccinated with the unvaccinated passengers.

I'll stay with a 100% vaccinated cruise initially until I have some level of comfort.  There were too many sad cruising stories from the past with Covid infected passengers too fresh in my mind.

[harkinmr]

9 minutes ago, slease said:

Legitimate news?

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251909713.html

Reverses?  I think Richard Fain came out a week or so ago and said Royal would not require vaccines, only Celebrity Cruises would.  This link is blocked if you don't have a subscription.

[PROCRUISE]

8 minutes ago, slease said:

Legitimate news?

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251909713.html

Interesting. However, glad we're cruising to Alaska in August with one of the cruise lines that IS requiring full vaccination as well as all crew and staff.

[kdnurs]

Will wait for 100% vaccinated cruises!!!

[3kidsncats]

If true, and I would imagine the Herald has some confirmation or they wouldn’t go to print — we won’t be sailing Royal.  I didn’t see how this would impact the sailings out of the Bahamas, so will wait to see if we need to cancel or not.  Although confident in the vaccine, I think it’s a recipe for disruption to go this route.

[PTAngel]

I am sorry to see RCI cave to the governor.  I would have felt safer with more people willing to say they were vaccinated.  That would also have included no masks in some venues.  But how will they know who to test without asking if you have been vaccinated?  Is that because we (voluntarily) tell them we don't need the test?  Just get me on a ship!!

[harkinmr]

2 minutes ago, PTAngel said:

I am sorry to see RCI cave to the governor.  I would have felt safer with more people willing to say they were vaccinated.  That would also have included no masks in some venues.  But how will they know who to test without asking if you have been vaccinated?  Is that because we (voluntarily) tell them we don't need the test?  Just get me on a ship!!

What it means is that protocols will apply to everyone on the cruise ship, vaccinated and unvaccinated.  There is really no easy or manageable way to differentiate between passengers.  In other words, vaccinated people going on "mixed" cruises will be sacrificing the benefits of vaccination for those that aren't.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, but RCI appreciates family cruising and doesn't want to exclude anyone.  

[coldflame]

1 minute ago, harkinmr said:

What it means is that protocols will apply to everyone on the cruise ship, vaccinated and unvaccinated.  There is really no easy or manageable way to differentiate between passengers.  In other words, vaccinated people going on "mixed" cruises will be sacrificing the benefits of vaccination for those that aren't.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, but RCI appreciates family cruising and doesn't want to exclude anyone.  

That's a tough one. A large majority of their PAX are families. Cancelling families might leave the cruise 3/4 empty, though. But not requiring vaccines they might lose a fairly large amount of PAX who aren't comfortable travelling with unknown amounts of unvaxxed PAX ... what a predicament.

[afurman]

U.S. Health and Safety Measures
Travelers can plan their cruise adventure with peace of mind knowing that all crew members will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date. Other measures in place for travelers to cruise with Royal Caribbean include:

• Vacationers sailing to Alaska who are 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and those 12 or older as of Aug. 1.
• If departing from an international port, guests must meet the travel requirements of their home country and the country of departure. The most up-to-date policies can be found online on each country’s tourism site.

 

That is right from the Press Release on Royal Caribbean website right now.  

CALLING ALL VACATIONERS: ROYAL CARIBBEAN ANNOUNCES U.S. COMEBACK FOR SUMMER | Royal Caribbean Press Center

[harkinmr]

Just now, coldflame said:

That's a tough one. A large majority of their PAX are families. Cancelling families might leave the cruise 3/4 empty, though. But not requiring vaccines they might lose a fairly large amount of PAX who aren't comfortable travelling with unknown amounts of unvaxxed PAX ... what a predicament.

I hear you.  I think Summer cruises are going to attract a lot of families, but once school starts the whole atmosphere changes.  I guess if folks are willing to sacrifice for families then more power to them.  Maybe they should adjust when the passenger mix changes?

[shutterbug63]

 I am not sure we'll sail if they don't require vaccines. I understand from the press release that passengers who aren't vaccinated will probably be required to test and there will be other as yet unspecified "protocols".  The thought of being on a ship in the middle of the ocean with a Covid outbreak definitely gives me pause and makes me want to consider something else for our vacation. 

 

I don't mind wearing a mask, but why should I have to when I've done my part to make everyone safe just because someone else didn't?  For right now, I'm going to wait and see as we don't sail for a while.  And if there's outbreaks on cruises, it may all be a moot point, so sitting tight for now.

 

I'm sorry to see them cave to DeSantis.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by shutterbug63

[SherriZ366]

I think RCI wants adults and kids 16 and up vaccinated.  

[harkinmr]

3 minutes ago, afurman said:

U.S. Health and Safety Measures
Travelers can plan their cruise adventure with peace of mind knowing that all crew members will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date. Other measures in place for travelers to cruise with Royal Caribbean include:

• Vacationers sailing to Alaska who are 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and those 12 or older as of Aug. 1.
• If departing from an international port, guests must meet the travel requirements of their home country and the country of departure. The most up-to-date policies can be found online on each country’s tourism site.

 

That is right from the Press Release on Royal Caribbean website right now.  

CALLING ALL VACATIONERS: ROYAL CARIBBEAN ANNOUNCES U.S. COMEBACK FOR SUMMER | Royal Caribbean Press Center

"Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible."  Yup.  No vaccinations required.  This was communicated a week or so back.

[zekekelso]

If this holds, best of luck to all of you wanting unvaccinated cruising. I’m not going, but I’ll be cheering for you to prove it safe. 

[Iamcruzin]

20 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Reverses?  I think Richard Fain came out a week or so ago and said Royal would not require vaccines, only Celebrity Cruises would.  This link is blocked if you don't have a subscription.

Not to mention they just canceled a bunch of cruises today for July and August.

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, SherriZ366 said:

I think RCI wants adults and kids 16 and up vaccinated.  

"Wanting" is not "requiring".  This is why they are doing test cruises.  They assume that they will not be able to certify a vaccinated passenger cohort.

[firefly333]

I still dont know how posters can act surprised. There have been many posts about doing test cruises. I said several times why would they be doing test cruises if they were going the vaccinated route. They dont want to cut the kids, 5% isnt enough for this line. 

 

It was obvious to me. 

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

Not to mention they just canceled a bunch of cruises today for July and August.

Yes.  This article (haven't read it because I cannot access it) seems to be rather behind.

[newcruzer2]

Does this mean I will have to be masked all the time even though I'm vaccinated

[3kidsncats]

Sorry to have been wrong on this topic— I think it’s a mistake, and at home we are already in discussions about cancelling our cruise, which was sold to us as a vaccinated cruise.  
 

The risk of an outbreak delaying our return home is now potentially higher than we are comfortable with 

 

[crazyfrazee]

To me this is great news! I guess I'm the odd ball. I brought home Covid as a souvenir January 2020 and it was rough. I have antibodies and have received both injections. When the pandemic began it freaked everyone one out because we were told how deadly it was. After a year and a half they have learned how to tackle the symptoms, we're close to reaching heard immunity and more people are using common sense. The death and positive rates have plummeted. I would get on a ship today not knowing who was vaccinated. 

[Tolkmit]

18 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

What it means is that protocols will apply to everyone on the cruise ship, vaccinated and unvaccinated.  There is really no easy or manageable way to differentiate between passengers.  In other words, vaccinated people going on "mixed" cruises will be sacrificing the benefits of vaccination for those that aren't.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, but RCI appreciates family cruising and doesn't want to exclude anyone.  

 

It easily could mean protocols for everyone; but it certainly wouldn't be that difficult to differentiate between passengers if they wanted. They can just give people who are vaccinated a wristband they have to have visible if they want to follow the rules for vaccinated people, have certain venues only open to people with the wristband, etc.

[cruiserking]

This is an idiotic move by Royal Caribbean. How can you enjoy your cruise knowing there's a good chance there will be a Covid outbreak. Vaccinations for children 12 and under are supposed to be available by late fall. You can't please everyone but, only recommending vaccinations at a time when variant strains are multiplying is a recipe for disaster. We will also sit tight and hope that they reverse this bone-headed plan. 

 

Jonathan

[harkinmr]

2 minutes ago, Tolkmit said:

 

It easily could mean protocols for everyone; but it certainly wouldn't be that difficult to differentiate between passengers if they wanted. They can just give people who are vaccinated a wristband they have to have visible if they want to follow the rules for vaccinated people, have certain venues only open to people with the wristband, etc.

And how many staff do they hire to check everybody's wristband in every venue at all times of the day? Not really practical.  The separate venues is an idea that has been suggested, but can you imagine the on board reaction from those who have been "segregated"?