What are the chances Carnival or any cruise line eliminates Vaccine mandates?

[ledges1]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Carnival should have this info for passengers somewhere on it's website or listed in pre-cruise emails that they send out. I can't find it anywhere. It is kind of frustrating having to rely on second hand information and not knowing ahead of time for planning purposes. 

At each port Carnival does tell you the local requirements before exiting the ship.

In San Juan it was suggested that you may want to carry your CDC card (not required). In all the ports I visited, the mask requirement was enforced about as strictly as Walmart. That included the ship. Take what you need and have it on you in case you feel uncomfortable with the situation or you run into a stickler for the rules.

[TNcruising02]

6 hours ago, nol4am said:

I think the required Negative test before a cruise is the only thing needed. The vaccine is pointless really (when it comes to cruising) as far as spreading the virus. I am vaccinated to be clear and do like knowing everyone else (most) are vaccinated but in reality, it only really matters to a person is if everyone is Nagative when boarding. 

Exactly.  I am vaccinated, but still got covid last year and I was definitely contagious.  Being vaccinated means possibly getting much less severe symptoms.  It does not mean a person can't get covid and spread it.  If the goal is keeping covid off of the ships, then testing is the best way to do it.  Allowing untested vaccinated people will not stop the spread since they can get covid.  

It is surprising how many people think being vaccinated prevents a person from getting covid and being contagious.

Edited March 21, 2022 by TNcruising02

[Knights on the Beach]

4 hours ago, famof4togo said:

Agreed!  There should be a list of which ports require masks and which ports require vaccine cards to be shown....that way we don't get caught off guard and have to go back to our rooms etc....

 

All the info needed was in the Hub app.

[Lane Hog]

5 hours ago, braveslake said:

We just  cruised last week to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Belize. Masks were "required" in all of those ports by the countries. We wore them but the majority did not. They did have masks at debarkation if you needed them. Belize required a copy of the vaccine record according to our CD. We did a beach shore tour directly from the ship so did not encounter that. Maybe someone who went into the port can clarify if they actually checked them. Hope that helps. 

Huh.  We had the exact opposite experience in Cozumel, Roatan and Belize on 3/1 thru 3/4.

Belize required the mask while on the tender, and Roatan required one on the bus for our excursion, but nobody else really cared.  Nobody wore masks on our bus in Cozumel.
 

[Lane Hog]

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

It is surprising how many people think being vaccinated prevents a person from getting covid and being contagious.

Well, that's probably because all the talking heads on the major news networks and PSA's on TV & Radio told everyone that "vaccination will prevent you from catching or spreading COVID" for almost an entire year.

Once Omicron started breaking out, people quickly realized that even the vaccinated and boosted were also transmitting it to other vaccinated and boosted individuals...  

[Rudyard]

On 3/15/2022 at 7:49 AM, ledges1 said:

I am vaccinated. In my case it was no big deal. I am over 65 with some heart issues. I would like to see the requirement of the pre test go away. I hope we are moving in that direction.

 

I agree. The testing part is the most stressful IMO. Will I test positive even though I feel fine? Will it be a false positive? Will the testing center cancel at the last minute? I was actually relieved to get a positive result two weeks before my last cruise so I could get a letter of recovery and not have to deal with the stress of the 48 hour test. 

[pcvtmom]

18 hours ago, ledges1 said:

At each port Carnival does tell you the local requirements before exiting the ship.

In San Juan it was suggested that you may want to carry your CDC card (not required). In all the ports I visited, the mask requirement was enforced about as strictly as Walmart. That included the ship. Take what you need and have it on you in case you feel uncomfortable with the situation or you run into a stickler for the rules.

Our Horizon cruise stopped at Bonaire.  They had multiple people checking vaccine cards at the port, as well as reminding folks to pull up their masks.

[skridge]

On 3/21/2022 at 6:56 PM, TNcruising02 said:

Exactly.  I am vaccinated, but still got covid last year and I was definitely contagious.  Being vaccinated means possibly getting much less severe symptoms.  It does not mean a person can't get covid and spread it.  If the goal is keeping covid off of the ships, then testing is the best way to do it.  Allowing untested vaccinated people will not stop the spread since they can get covid.  

It is surprising how many people think being vaccinated prevents a person from getting covid and being contagious.

I don't think as many people believe that as the number of people who aren't getting vaccinated because of online conspiracy theories and political figures who are espousing a bunch of misinformation.

 

[Drazil65]

Once Omicron started breaking out, people quickly realized that even the vaccinated and boosted were also transmitting it to other vaccinated and boosted individuals...  

 

That is where masks came in (transmission), less of a chance to spread virus through the air and vaccine kept the person vaccinated from possible severe "hospital sick".  It was everything working together (not one or the other) and the best we had at the time for a worldwide pandemic.  Still there are people that just dont get it or dont want to get it by now.  

Edited March 24, 2022 by Drazil65

[cruisingguy007]

26 minutes ago, Drazil65 said:

Once Omicron started breaking out, people quickly realized that even the vaccinated and boosted were also transmitting it to other vaccinated and boosted individuals...  

 

That is where masks came in (transmission), less of a chance to spread virus through the air and vaccine kept the person vaccinated from possible severe "hospital sick".  It was everything working together (not one or the other) and the best we had at the time for a worldwide pandemic.  Still there are people that just dont get it or dont want to get it by now.  

 

Feel free to wear your mask, wear multiple if you want, but don't expect everyone to want to do the same. Many of us booked sailing BECAUSE they dropped the masks. Heck, even the airlines are pleading to the Biden administration to drop masks and testing for the airlines. People don't like them, they cause issues for some people (myself included) and they are uncomfortable (especially when hot out) and cumbersome (for glasses, sunglasses and if sweating) to enjoying your vacation. Enforcement issues for employees as mask-police is another issue. No thanks! I'm all for the vaccine/boosters though, it's proven benefits (reduced viral load/shedding/hospitalizations) are a benefit. Expect another huge round of canceled cruises though, if masks are reinstated. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[Lane Hog]

Looking at the airline CEO letter from yesterday, they're not only asking to eliminate masking, but also to eliminate pre-departure testing for international departures, especially as other countries have already eliminated it. 

That's significant to the cruise lines.  If it's OK to eliminate for long distance plane travel where social distancing isn't possible, then I'd think the need to enforce it for cruising (where you can social distance) has even less of a justification.

[cruisingguy007]

6 minutes ago, Lane Hog said:

Looking at the airline CEO letter from yesterday, they're not only asking to eliminate masking, but also to eliminate pre-departure testing for international departures, especially as other countries have already eliminated it. 

That's significant to the cruise lines.  If it's OK to eliminate for long distance plane travel where social distancing isn't possible, then I'd think the need to enforce it for cruising (where you can social distance) has even less of a justification.

 

Agree! Hoping this happens and the cruise lines get a byproduct benefit. They mandate vaccines already, airlines don't, they have a strong case for dropping pre-cruise testing. The only issue could be countries that the ships call on, though I suspect those are few and far between.   

[CheckersMidwest]

My daughter & I are going on a land vacation to Europe in June. 6 countries. 16 days. We have gone from 6 required covid tests to 3. Look for one of those to go away before we travel. Italy just dropped A lOT of their requirements this week. On June 15, they drop the vaccine mandate with everyone/everywhere except health care workers. So it is happening, just not every where yet.

[Drazil65]

Feel free to wear your mask, wear multiple if you want, but don't expect everyone to want to do the same. Many of us booked sailing BECAUSE they dropped the masks. Heck, even the airlines are pleading to the Biden administration to drop masks and testing for the airlines. People don't like them, they cause issues for some people (myself included) and they are uncomfortable (especially when hot out) and cumbersome (for glasses, sunglasses and if sweating) to enjoying your vacation. Enforcement issues for employees as mask-police is another issue. No thanks! I'm all for the vaccine/boosters though, it's proven benefits (reduced viral load/shedding/hospitalizations) are a benefit. Expect another huge round of canceled cruises though, if masks are reinstated. 

 

No reason to be so mask defensive, my reply was only to let the person that mentioned transmission of covid from those vax know that the masks were helping with prevention not the vax.  The vax was was to prevent severe sickness if the vax person got covid (and it did for us).  It was not an opinion of wearing masks or not.  

 

After 2 years of doing what we can as a family to help and follow the mandates, we no longer worry about transmitting covid and no longer wear masks (unless required in a venue if going in for a long period of time).  My family is vax and boosted, each have had covid (son in college and mask less dorms) and the vax performed as expected.  Once we realized people were still complaining and whining and not complying we said we were done with the whole covid thing as masking was not worth the effort on our part.   No longer our circus or our monkey!   

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

Looking at the airline CEO letter from yesterday, they're not only asking to eliminate masking, but also to eliminate pre-departure testing for international departures, especially as other countries have already eliminated it. 

That's significant to the cruise lines.  If it's OK to eliminate for long distance plane travel where social distancing isn't possible, then I'd think the need to enforce it for cruising (where you can social distance) has even less of a justification.

The flight attendants who actually work on planes, want the masking policy extended. Many of the attendants who don't are tired of dealing with unruly passengers.

 

But totally irrelevant to cruising. Flights are short duration compared with cruises and on a plane, your exposure is limited to a handful of people in your immediate area. Many public areas on a cruise ship are outside; not many people sit on the wings of planes.

 

Etc., etc. etc.

[Thenagers]

I personally feel better wearing a mask on a plane than a cruise ship.  On a cruise, I do not have to sit near anyone if I do not want to!  I have a choice.  On a plane, I could share barely any arm room with a stranger that is not vaccinated or tested?  Planes should be the last place to stop masks.  I am saying this sadly because I have a 7 hour flight to Europe this summer.  That will be uncomfortable.  

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Thenagers said:

Planes should be the last place to stop masks

It pretty much already is the last place besides medical facilities.

[Pellaz]

5 hours ago, Thenagers said:

I personally feel better wearing a mask on a plane than a cruise ship.  On a cruise, I do not have to sit near anyone if I do not want to!  I have a choice.  On a plane, I could share barely any arm room with a stranger that is not vaccinated or tested?  Planes should be the last place to stop masks.

 

Agreed.  

 

I actually ordered USA-made M95 masks for the flights down to Miami and back for my cruise last month since I was most concerned about getting COVID on the plane. 

I wasn't as concerned on the ship and at one point they handed me one of Carnival's masks as I entered the Lido buffet (my M95 mask was in my string backpack, but it was easier just to take theirs), and I "adopted" it for the rest of the cruise.  --But I put that M95 mask back on for the journey home.  🙂 

[cheer25mom]

20 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Feel free to wear your mask, wear multiple if you want, but don't expect everyone to want to do the same. Many of us booked sailing BECAUSE they dropped the masks. Heck, even the airlines are pleading to the Biden administration to drop masks and testing for the airlines. People don't like them, they cause issues for some people (myself included) and they are uncomfortable (especially when hot out) and cumbersome (for glasses, sunglasses and if sweating) to enjoying your vacation. Enforcement issues for employees as mask-police is another issue. No thanks! I'm all for the vaccine/boosters though, it's proven benefits (reduced viral load/shedding/hospitalizations) are a benefit. Expect another huge round of canceled cruises though, if masks are reinstated. 

I don't like a lot of things, but I do them because its the right thing to do or the best thing for my health. Masks fall into that category. Properly used masks reduce transmission by 70%. The vaccine reduces infection rate by 60-90%, depending on the strain. 

[jimbo5544]

16 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The flight attendants who actually work on planes, want the masking policy extended. Many of the attendants who don't are tired of dealing with unruly passengers.

 

But totally irrelevant to cruising. Flights are short duration compared with cruises and on a plane, your exposure is limited to a handful of people in your immediate area. Many public areas on a cruise ship are outside; not many people sit on the wings of planes.

 

Etc., etc. etc.

You are correct, totally irrelevant to cruising

[maryann2]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

You are correct, totally irrelevant to cruising

Not really.

Many of us have long flights to get to ports. Potentially testing positive before we board despite negative tests prior to flight.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, maryann2 said:

Not really.

Many of us have long flights to get to ports. Potentially testing positive before we board despite negative tests prior to flight.

Makes a good case for masks on planes.

[bucfan2]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Makes a good case for masks on planes.

If timing permits, better just to test before boarding a flight...issue solved.

[BlerkOne]

4 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

If timing permits, better just to test before boarding a flight...issue solved.

Tests are a point in time and many more false negatives than false positives.

[drew69]

6 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Makes a good case for masks on planes.

Not really.  The vast majority of folks on a plane are not flying to board a cruise.  Also, highly unlikely to test positive less than 24 hours after exposure on a plane.