RCCL requires Drs, note

[wdrl]

What bothers me more is that RCCL and Celebrity policy was denying boarding for any person with any chronic illness, e.g. heart, lung, liver or kidney disease or immunodeficiency status due to HIV/AIDS or diabetes or cancer.  Do they even care if it is controlled by medication?  Or in remission?  

[truffles2]

Just for the record:

 

Definition of Chronic disease - MedicineNet
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33490
Chronic disease: A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronicdiseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. Eighty-eight percent of Americans over 65 years of age have at least one chronichealth condition (as of 1998).

[Blizzard54]

2 hours ago, TYinPalmSprings said:

So, for those who have medical conditions  that are now deemed unacceptable, or if you are 70+ and unable to get a doctor to sign the cruise lines document that  the doctors and their insurers view as a liability statement, then you just have to HOPE they change the policy of you sacrifice your money now in the cruise lines pockets?  A worthless FCC you cannot use expires and they keep the money. They push it down the road til whoosh your money disappears. Then their marketing guys go to work with disaster control.

This is really starting to look like a good thing to refer to the Florida State Consumer Protection people. 

[SherriZ366]

9 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

This is really starting to look like a good thing to refer to the Florida State Consumer Protection people. 

 

9 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

This is really starting to look like a good thing to refer to the Florida State Consumer Protection people. 

Didn't mean to quote twice but I think this is a good idea. 

[wdrl]

I decided I am going to be optimistic that after this pandemic has ended cruise lines will change their minds and allow people with chronic conditions to cruise.  Otherwise they will be losing not only customers but all the money that goes with those customers.   Cruise lines are businesses where income matters.

[gatour]

On 3/22/2020 at 1:41 PM, Blizzard54 said:

This is really starting to look like a good thing to refer to the Florida State Consumer Protection people. 

While I don't disagree with your sentiment.  Let's just say they probably won't do anything.

[coordinator23]

So I'm turning 70 soon and have type 2 diabetes (which is very much under control with meds).  I guess I'm through cruising.  I'm no longer "fit" to cruise.  Pity for the cruise line(s).  I have the time to cruise and vacation since I'm retired.  I guess my cash will go elsewhere.  Although it is smart on their part in away.  They've just eliminated a lot of their D+ and Pinacle members saving $$ on perks!

Edited March 24, 2020 by coordinator23
spelling

[Ocean Boy]

4 minutes ago, coordinator23 said:

So I'm turning 70 soon and have type 2 diabetes (which is very much under control with meds).  I guess I'm through cruising.  I'm no longer "fit" to cruise.  Pity for the cruise line(s).  I have the time to cruise and vacation since I'm retired.  I guess my cash will go elsewhere.  Although it is smart on their part in away.  They've just eliminated a lot of their D+ and Pinacle members saving $$ on perks!

I suspect right now RCI views giving us a drink that cost them probably less than $0.25 to be a pretty damn good investment for what we fork over in return for getting on the ship.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I suspect right now RCI views giving us a drink that cost them probably less than $0.25 to be a pretty damn good investment for what we fork over in return for getting on the ship.

Plus, we will be the ones who are first to get back on their ships!  You can bet that the untapped population that seems to have been RCI's focus in the last few years are not going to consider cruising as a vacation option for quite some time due to all of the negative publicity surrounding the two Princess ships that were quarantined.  Many people now consider cruise ships as floating petri dishes.  My DH is 70 and healthy (no medications), but I am concerned that we will be unable to find a doctor willing to sign that waiver.

[UnorigionalName]

Lol, this whole thread feels so divorced from reality.  I don't think the possibility of having to have a waiver should really matter to anyone much at this juncture.

 

Italy is stopping ventilating people >65 years old because they don't have enough ventilators and letting them die.

 

And people here are complaining that waivers are age-discrimination?

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, UnorigionalName said:

Lol, this whole thread feels so divorced from reality.  I don't think the possibility of having to have a waiver should really matter to anyone much at this juncture.

 

Italy is stopping ventilating people >65 years old because they don't have enough ventilators and letting them die.

 

And people here are complaining that waivers are age-discrimination?

There are other threads that you can hand out on if you don't like this one.

[Coralc]

10 minutes ago, UnorigionalName said:

Lol, this whole thread feels so divorced from reality.  I don't think the possibility of having to have a waiver should really matter to anyone much at this juncture.

 

Italy is stopping ventilating people >65 years old because they don't have enough ventilators and letting them die.

 

And people here are complaining that waivers are age-discrimination?

 

And we are just chatting about cruises, and there are no cruises right now. It is just a diversion to take our minds off of the much more serious and awful things that are going on right now. I agree, if you don't want to keep it to pleasant chat and cruise information, perhaps you should move on. 

[TYinPalmSprings]

The benefit of these sites is not just to talk about the fun and light aspects of travel, or for those in the industry on here, or who own financial interest in those industries, to promote it  for their own interests, but to also recognize issues that impact travel. For instance: An FCC may be okay for some, but for those of us over 70, under the new policies of some lines, you are not allowed to travel without a doctor's note that people are reporting they are not able to get as the doctors fear liability even if their patient is  healthy. The more concerns expressed, the greater the acknowledgment from the lines who read this. I have gained so much from others on here that some may consider "complaining". It was not my TA or the cruise line that I learned my cruise was cancelled, it was on here. I have also learned from here protocol on specific circumstances that have saved me thousands. I welcome ALL comments regardless if people desinate them as complainers or cheerleaders.

Edited March 28, 2020 by TYinPalmSprings

[Thesandman12]

Good luck getting a doctor to sign a document like the cruise wants, I have read their preferred wordage, I would not sign it.

Not only that your are healthy enough to cruise, but you cannot have, heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, etc. and the doctor has to attest you don't have whats on the list.   Such a deal You Cheatum & How are going to have a field day.

[ThirstyCruiser]

Royal knows no doctor will sign that note and that's exactly why they cooked up the concept. Plausible deniability!  "We would loooooovvvveee to have thousands of senior citizens sailing on the first cruises once we start sailing again, but its your unreasonable doctors that are standing in the way"

 

The fact is that as life starts to return to normal it not going to be a flip of the switch. One day we are all sheltering in place, the next day lets put 6500 people into close quarters? For a week? With no easy way to evacuate the sick? With no on board ICUs much less a bunch of ventilators? And to that mix you want to add a significant number of cruisers consisting of the demographic most likely to suffer the most dire consequences from COVID-19?

 

No, my silver-haired friends, Royal does not want you back as the first passengers once cruising starts back up. I know that sounds horribly politically incorrect. The public relations nightmare of deaths from COVID-19 on the first cruises once they start back up would set them back months and millions of dollars. Royal needs some wins. Some no news, boring, no one got seriously ill, no one died (from any cause!) cruises. And if that is your goal, the fewer 70+ people on your first cruises, the more likely that result.

 

Its going to be the same way in society in general. As we stumble our way back to normalcy, the most vulnerable to COVID-19 will be the last to see things resemble normal. Sad but true.

 

[Blizzard54]

3 hours ago, ThirstyCruiser said:

Royal knows no doctor will sign that note and that's exactly why they cooked up the concept. Plausible deniability!  "We would loooooovvvveee to have thousands of senior citizens sailing on the first cruises once we start sailing again, but its your unreasonable doctors that are standing in the way"

 

The fact is that as life starts to return to normal it not going to be a flip of the switch. One day we are all sheltering in place, the next day lets put 6500 people into close quarters? For a week? With no easy way to evacuate the sick? With no on board ICUs much less a bunch of ventilators? And to that mix you want to add a significant number of cruisers consisting of the demographic most likely to suffer the most dire consequences from COVID-19?

 

No, my silver-haired friends, Royal does not want you back as the first passengers once cruising starts back up. I know that sounds horribly politically incorrect. The public relations nightmare of deaths from COVID-19 on the first cruises once they start back up would set them back months and millions of dollars. Royal needs some wins. Some no news, boring, no one got seriously ill, no one died (from any cause!) cruises. And if that is your goal, the fewer 70+ people on your first cruises, the more likely that result.

 

Its going to be the same way in society in general. As we stumble our way back to normalcy, the most vulnerable to COVID-19 will be the last to see things resemble normal. Sad but true.

 

 

Your comment makes a lot of sense.  The first few cruises when they start up will be critical.  They would be wise to start out with 1/2 full ships with less chance of having problems.  When they do state there will probably be issues with air travel getting to the ships.  I could even see the possibility of not relaxing the need for a letter for at least a year.  Longer is there in a new wave of Covid-19 next winter.    

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, ThirstyCruiser said:

Royal knows no doctor will sign that note and that's exactly why they cooked up the concept. Plausible deniability!  "We would loooooovvvveee to have thousands of senior citizens sailing on the first cruises once we start sailing again, but its your unreasonable doctors that are standing in the way"

 

The fact is that as life starts to return to normal it not going to be a flip of the switch. One day we are all sheltering in place, the next day lets put 6500 people into close quarters? For a week? With no easy way to evacuate the sick? With no on board ICUs much less a bunch of ventilators? And to that mix you want to add a significant number of cruisers consisting of the demographic most likely to suffer the most dire consequences from COVID-19?

 

No, my silver-haired friends, Royal does not want you back as the first passengers once cruising starts back up. I know that sounds horribly politically incorrect. The public relations nightmare of deaths from COVID-19 on the first cruises once they start back up would set them back months and millions of dollars. Royal needs some wins. Some no news, boring, no one got seriously ill, no one died (from any cause!) cruises. And if that is your goal, the fewer 70+ people on your first cruises, the more likely that result.

 

Its going to be the same way in society in general. As we stumble our way back to normalcy, the most vulnerable to COVID-19 will be the last to see things resemble normal. Sad but true.

 

Interesting post and, I agree with @Blizzard54, it makes a lot of sense.

[baldilocks]

Well, if RCI is going to require a doctor's note to get on the ship, I guess will be in North Myrtle Beach enjoying the sand and restaurants....or Las Vegas and the shows. We are both 70+. My wife has mild asthma and I have A-fib. Both conditions are under control and have been for several years. We have a very fine family doctor, but I doubt he is going to sign anything like what RCI put out. So much for being a D+.

[retiredgram]

8 minutes ago, baldilocks said:

Well, if RCI is going to require a doctor's note to get on the ship, I guess will be in North Myrtle Beach enjoying the sand and restaurants....or Las Vegas and the shows. We are both 70+.My wife has mild asthma and I have A-fib. Both conditions are under control and have been for several years. We have a very fine family doctor, but I doubt he is going to sign anything like what RCI put out. So much for being a D+.

We have a b2b cruise in Nov. and wondering if we should cancel now or wait and see if they rescind the doctor's note. Like you, I have mild A-fib that is controlled. I do have a yearly doctor's appointment coming up in a couple months and will ask him if he would sign note as written. Wonder how RC will handle the cases if you call and say doctor would not sign??  FCC would not work since you would never be able to cruise.  I guess you would have to turn it into insurance??

Guess we all will play the wait and see game.

[baldilocks]

I would hope that if we cannot cruise because of the required doctor's note, RCI would give a full refund. It is not our fault that they put this limitation on us...especially after we book a cruise. We have already jump ship from the Brilliance April 27th cruise to the Harmony November 29th because of the note. We are suppose to get our FCC in about 3-4 weeks....less insurance paid for and OBC allowance. That was about a $200 hit. We will pick up a $100 OBC on the Harmony cruise since we own RCI stock. 

[denamo]

Does the note have the be the exact one that Royal Caribbean has drafted or can a doctor craft their own?

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, denamo said:

Does the note have the be the exact one that Royal Caribbean has drafted or can a doctor craft their own?

I suspect that RCI wants that specific wording for a reason.

[baldilocks]

I would assume that they would require their form as it is a legal document...designed by RCI legal staff.

2 minutes ago, denamo said:

Does the note have the be the exact one that Royal Caribbean has drafted or can a doctor craft their own?

 

[deepcman]

If you read the letter, it sounds like the Dr note will be required for as long as the Corona virus is around or until a vaccine is available at which time they'll require proof that you've been vaccinated.

rccl-approved-physician-letter.pdf

[denamo]

3 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I suspect that RCI wants that specific wording for a reason.

 

3 minutes ago, baldilocks said:

I would assume that they would require their form as it is a legal document...designed by RCI legal staff.

 

Of course, that is what I would suspect as well. Haven't inquired with Royal directly if that specific note is the requirement or a doctor could craft their own. 

 

From what I've read, this note was a requirement the government wanted implemented for those cruisers 70+.  This was put into place after the Princess ships had been quarantined, but cruise lines were still cruising.

 

Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the required doctor's note.