Carnival and Princess removed pre testing for vaccinated

[firefly333]

13 minutes ago, BND said:

Are you kidding?  I don't think that really needs to be said, but in case someone is that obtuse.   People who are out and about are exposed all the time to all kinds of illnesses/virus/bacteria.    People who go grocery shopping, to church, to Dr's appointments, open doors that others have opened, breathe, etc.  

This is completely different than what you said. Calm down. If this is what you meant than sure.

 

You said everyone is exposed to covid daily. .. now you said...if you are out and about. .. ok. 

[foxgoodrich]

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

[BND]

46 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

This is completely different than what you said. Calm down. If this is what you meant than sure.

 

You said everyone is exposed to covid daily. .. now you said...if you are out and about. .. ok. 

I never said "Covid".  Please re read my posts.  You saw what you wanted to see.

[smokeybandit]

42 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

 

Sure, but also add tests for all other common diseases that are spread among large groups. Otherwise why single out covid?

[ATG]

41 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

The problem is that many of us travel several days in advance so that luggage can catch up if necessary.  Trying to get a test in from a hotel room with possible internet issues or find a testing site can be a big hassle.  There is also the stress of a false positive (although uncommon).  It all adds up to additional stress - not my definition of vacation.

[twangster]

38 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

Until Royal or any cruise line publishes the number of positives that are being caught pre-cruise none of us really know or have a basis of hard data to make claims either way.  

 

I do see a double standard compared to similar environments that are or were also a higher potential spread environment.  There are many places that testing could have reduced spread and prevented infections yet only cruise lines required a test.  If tests are so effective in stopping spread why wasn't testing implemented elsewhere?  

 

Here in the US the CDC has removed all testing requirements everywhere including cruise ships.  If any cruise line feels they are still needed to reduce risk to their business they should provide them at no cost.  No more blaming the gov't.  If Royal wants tests, Royal should pay for them.  

 

I've sailed five lines during the restart. It's time to look at booking more cruises with cruise lines that align with my thoughts and don't force me to pay more money out of pocket.  At the end of the day when you put it all on a spreadsheet Royal is putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage.    As an investor in the company I don't see why.  

[loman]

5 hours ago, flamingos said:

 

 

I just saw that!  Are you sure it said 26 weeks? Mine was 23 weeks.

Mine says 23 weeks  also . Probably just a typo on the 26 

[orville99]

19 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

it wasn't all that mild in June for us. Vaxxed and boosted.

For us as well in June. We felt like we got run over by a truck. Double vaxxed and double boosted.

[DirtyDawg]

This is a complete 100% non issue. If you like how Royal is handling it, sail with Royal. If you like how Carnival and Princess are handling it sail with them. OK, sail with Princess - Carnival might be too "belly flop" for most Royal cruisers. 😁

[mpdog42]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

 

Until Royal or any cruise line publishes the number of positives that are being caught pre-cruise none of us really know or have a basis of hard data to make claims either way.  

 

I do see a double standard compared to similar environments that are or were also a higher potential spread environment.  There are many places that testing could have reduced spread and prevented infections yet only cruise lines required a test.  If tests are so effective in stopping spread why wasn't testing implemented elsewhere?  

 

Here in the US the CDC has removed all testing requirements everywhere including cruise ships.  If any cruise line feels they are still needed to reduce risk to their business they should provide them at no cost.  No more blaming the gov't.  If Royal wants tests, Royal should pay for them.  

 

I've sailed five lines during the restart. It's time to look at booking more cruises with cruise lines that align with my thoughts and don't force me to pay more money out of pocket.  At the end of the day when you put it all on a spreadsheet Royal is putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage.    As an investor in the company I don't see why.  

Mic Drop.....

[foxgoodrich]

The CDC treats cruise ships sailing in US waters differently than other potential infectious indoor environments in the country.  That's always been the case - think about norovirus.  Even though schools, daycares, and nursing homes have historically had higher incidences of noro, their info was not collected by the CDC but rather by local and state health agencies.  Cruise ships are required to report noro cases to the CDC rather than those local/state agencies for US ports.

 

The numbers of Covid cases identified on cruise ships have been available to the public on a color coded easy-to-read  CDC chart/spreadsheet online throughout the restart.   I've looked at it several times, but not since May.   I'm not sure if the chart is still accessible now, though, since all the cruise ship Covid reporting requirements were dropped by the CDC on July 18.  The requirements are now recommendations.

Edited August 13, 2022 by foxgoodrich

[Moz]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

Sure, but also add tests for all other common diseases that are spread among large groups. Otherwise why single out covid?

 

3 hours ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

 

[justKirbo]

4 hours ago, ckrobyn said:

I don't weigh in on here very often anymore.... but I am going to add my 2 cents.

At this point in time, I believe it is up to the individual to protect themselves and not rely on the "perceived" health status of others. By perceived I mean that although everyone is tested before boarding, we all know that people are catching covid after they test and then boarding with it, or they have covid but haven't yet tested positive (this happened to my daughter and she finally tested positive on day 5).  So what I mean is,  it is up to the individual to protect themselves, and wear a mask. I have zero issues wearing a mask in an indoor crowded space and will do that on my b2b in November. I am relying on myself to stay safe onboard.

 

Agreed. My kids start college a week after our upcoming cruise so we've all decided we'll mask up while on the boat as we don't want them getting sick and missing first days of college. We realize it's still a risk since we'll be maskless in the dinning rooms, but we're ok with a little risk.

3 hours ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I have zero issues with testing and wish they could test for more stuff before a cruise. 

[TheHawk1]

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

It makes sense when the CDC finally admits natural immunity is a thing and says vax and unvax should be treated the same, all the while still lumping cruise lines in the same bucket with prisons and nursing homes for testing

What do those 3 places have in common? Hmmm, let me think. Could it be people living in the same space 24@7, in an enclosed area without much ventilation?

[Moz]

 

Just now, Moz said:

 

It may not be a big deal if you live near a cruise port and cruise every month but for us in the northern US it is a big deal we have to plan airline and a multiple of things so not easy for us you seem to be not worried as you don't have to worry about those things,  At my age testing is big worry if RC does not follow through with the other cruise lines hopefully I can find a replacement

 

[foxgoodrich]

The CDC treats cruise ships sailing in US waters differently than other potential infectious indoor environments in the country.  That's always been the case - think about norovirus.  Even though schools, daycares, and nursing homes have historically had higher incidences of noro, their info was not collected by the CDC but rather by local and state health agencies.  Cruise ships are required to report noro cases to the CDC.

 

The numbers of Covid cases identified on cruise ships have been available to the public on a color coded easy-to-read  CDC chart/spreadsheet online throughout the pandemic.   I'm not sure if the chart is still accessible now, though, since all the cruise ship Covid reporting requirements were dropped by the CDC on July 18.  The requirements are now recommendations.

[vjmatty]

23 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

What do those 3 places have in common? Hmmm, let me think. Could it be people living in the same space 24@7, in an enclosed area without much ventilation?

I don’t know about nursing homes but in NY, one of the strictest Covid regulation states, prison staff and inmates are no longer required to wear masks or be tested as of July 1. Even testing was only required for non-vaxed before that. So, cruise ships are now more regulated than prisons.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by vjmatty
Typos

[foxgoodrich]

Since prisons don't physically travel to different cities and countries, I would expect the regulations affecting them would be different than those pertaining to cruise ships.  I think there might be some consideration as to the speed with which infected passengers/crew on a ship, visiting multiple ports in multiple countries, can spread the disease.  And different countries (ports) have different requirements that must be observed for ships to port.  Testing has been used as a tool for prevention.  Clearly it has been  used effectively by the cruise lines since the CDC dropped all the cruise ship requirements last month.  

 

 

[foxgoodrich]

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

 

Sure, but also add tests for all other common diseases that are spread among large groups. Otherwise why single out covid?

Global pandemic?  Tremendous adverse economic impact worldwide?  Higher degree of contagiousness?  

Just  my thoughts...

[mek]

2 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

This is a complete 100% non issue. If you like how Royal is handling it, sail with Royal. If you like how Carnival and Princess are handling it sail with them. OK, sail with Princess - Carnival might be too "belly flop" for most Royal cruisers. 😁

Not really - some of us are stuck with cruises we booked pre-covid and we don't have any option but to cruise with Royal.

Trust me - if I could, I would switch my existing cruise over to Carnival or Princess in a heartbeat - and yes, it is because of this one issue.

[smokeybandit]

36 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

Global pandemic?  Tremendous adverse economic impact worldwide?  Higher degree of contagiousness?  

Just  my thoughts...

 

It's 2022. Not 2020.

[mpdog42]

1 hour ago, justKirbo said:

 

Agreed. My kids start college a week after our upcoming cruise so we've all decided we'll mask up while on the boat as we don't want them getting sick and missing first days of college. We realize it's still a risk since we'll be maskless in the dinning rooms, but we're ok with a little risk.

Honestly, I have zero issues with testing and wish they could test for more stuff before a cruise. 

Exactly....Let's go with Full medical Exam..Blood Work...MRI...Cat Scan...and most importantly Pcych Exam....Full NBC suit.and on and on....No sacrifice is too great for the Church of Covid.....

[poocher]

🙄🙄🙄

[Keksie]

6 hours ago, foxgoodrich said:

I guess I'm having a hard time figuring out why a simple test would cause outrage and stop people from cruising.  It's just not a big deal to me and certainly won't make me cancel my cruises or change to Carnival.  The whole purpose of testing is to identify people with active virus and prevent them from boarding and spreading it, and I don't see that protocol as such a terrible thing.   Of course there will be a few people so early in the process of developing active virus that they won't test positive yet and are allowed to board, but to me, testing is just a tool used to prevent or reduce the size of outbreaks on ships.  I don't mind it.

 

 

 

 

The reason the testing, vaccination requirements, and the possibility of having to mask stop us from booking a cruise is that other vacation options don't require any of that and are just as much fun! Just too many hoops to have to jump through.

[TheHawk1]

2 hours ago, mek said:

Not really - some of us are stuck with cruises we booked pre-covid and we don't have any option but to cruise with Royal.

Trust me - if I could, I would switch my existing cruise over to Carnival or Princess in a heartbeat - and yes, it is because of this one issue.

Maybe Carnival could become the official cruise line for the unvaccinated?  Works for me since I plan never to cruise with them.