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New Regent Protocols as of 1 June 2020


mrlevin
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5 minutes ago, SedonaJoel said:

Disinfecting the busses is not an issue.  The busses generally stay empty overnight and that is generally enough time for the Covid to die.  The issue is your fellow passengers and the driver and guide.

 

One contagious passenger may infect the entire bus.  There will be no way to know who might be contagious.

 

Sorry Joel, overnight is not sufficient time to kill the virus.  Generally we have read reports paper and cardboard 24 hours, some metals 24 to 72 hours, plastics 72 hours, etc.

 

And, the busses don't necessarily go to the barn and back out only for Regent  Then there are the drivers who could be contageous and possibly clan up people after or before the next day tours.  To be close to sure the busses need to be isinfected once they reach the ship for the days tour, nothing short of that should be acceptable.

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Excellent point about the local driver & guides who might be infected.  Will they be tested prior to each tour departing?  

 

Based on personal experience, Regent bus tours are quite often filled.  Not 100% always but 75%+ is the norm we have seen.  In an enclosed space - often an hour or so in to/from the port - you sit. 

 

That is an enclosed environment conducive to transmission, like a full elevator, even if you wear a mask and swap seats.

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In the "old days" of Radisson, buses tended to be about half full.  That of course was before included excursions.  Since then I've certainly been on buses that were mostly filled (>75%), and on the odd bus that was entirely filled, in fact jammed tight!  And these are all local buses in various stages of decrepitude--many brand spanking new, but others that are tired and worn out--tougher to sanitize, and all locally operated and maintained.  Not a good recipe for safety.

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On 6/5/2020 at 7:11 AM, crusin7 said:

We will be with you SusieQft!  Regent just applied our FCC from our canceled Alaska cruise to this sailing.  This will be a perfect cruise to test the waters.  We can easily drive to the Port avoiding air travel.  I can taste the Margaritas already. 

We will be joining you and also no flying

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My observation is that Regent bus or occasionally van tours are mostly filled with few empty seats though I was on one Regent choice excursion last fall that used a bus that was probably 50-60% full.  In general I think the Regent bus tours have become more crowded over the years.  

Sometimes Regent tours have buses that have seats packed together, other times more room depending on what kind of buses are available in an area.  In any event it would be nearly impossible to maintain distancing getting on and off a bus or while sitting unless lots of seats are blocked off--which at some level would seem to become an economic problem .

The CDC has "considerations" for travelers using transportation:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/using-transportation.html

 

Tours do not all start in the morning so overnight sanitization would only be a possibility for the first tours.  Otherwise buses will have to be sanitized between tours.

 

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While we have never seen a Regent bus being sanitized, that obviously does not mean that it doesn't happen.  I would think that the buses could be sprayed before each use.  

 

I just came across this CC article about the future of technology on cruise ships that will keep us healthier and safer.  https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=5379&et_cid=3336614&et_rid=124463740&et_referrer=Baccardi_Contest

 

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I really think some of you are delusional if you think that social distancing can be maintained throughout  a cruise and on tenders and excursion vehicles, and that every person you will come near will have been recently tested, and that excursion buses will be sanitized continuously, and that everybody near you throughout the cruise and excursions will be wearing a mask at all times.  It may happen, but I wouldn't bet my life on it!

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16 minutes ago, fluckey said:

I really think some of you are delusional if you think that social distancing can be maintained throughout  a cruise and on tenders and excursion vehicles, and that every person you will come near will have been recently tested, and that excursion buses will be sanitized continuously, and that everybody near you throughout the cruise and excursions will be wearing a mask at all times.  It may happen, but I wouldn't bet my life on it!

 

If someone is THAT afraid, just stay home until you feel convinced that there's ZERO chance of getting any germ/bug/disease.  That way, he or she can "feel safe" and those that want to get out and enjoy their lives can do so without guilt.

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28 minutes ago, fluckey said:

I really think some of you are delusional if you think that social distancing can be maintained throughout  a cruise and on tenders and excursion vehicles, and that every person you will come near will have been recently tested, and that excursion buses will be sanitized continuously, and that everybody near you throughout the cruise and excursions will be wearing a mask at all times.  It may happen, but I wouldn't bet my life on it!

 

Those of us that believe that social distancing can be maintained and that passengers will remain safe is simply what we believe. I would not try to convince you to sail this year and hope that you understand that negative thoughts/bets about it being the wrong decision is not delusional.  I would not state that you are delusional for not believing what we believe.  We need to respect each other's decisions without calling people with opposing views names.

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Kwaj, I think you missed my point.  I was trying to express skepticism that Regent can provide you with a virus free experience on a cruise.  Some are worried about the virus, some are not.  And some seemed to think that Regent could provide miracles to keep excursions absolutely safe.  I'm quite doubtful of that.

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5 minutes ago, fluckey said:

Kwaj, I think you missed my point.  I was trying to express skepticism that Regent can provide you with a virus free experience on a cruise.  Some are worried about the virus, some are not.  And some seemed to think that Regent could provide miracles to keep excursions absolutely safe.  I'm quite doubtful of that.

I agree with you, however if you chose to cruise I believe you have a better chance on Regent or another small high-end cruise line over the 3000plus lines.

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TC, I agree there is no right or wrong.  Some will want to cruise in the current circumstances, some will not.  Some will not mind wearing masks on an expensive cruise, some will not even consider it.  Some will believe that Regent can ensure that passengers and crew will not be exposed to the virus on ship and on shore, others will doubt that.  I'm a doubter.

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Fluckey and ronrick1943....I am not disagreeing with you at all....just saying that there are some folks who should just stay home in their comfort zone and there are others ready to go with some semblance of freedom.  We all get along on this board....no "name-calling" here at least in my observation.

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10 minutes ago, fluckey said:

TC, I agree there is no right or wrong.  Some will want to cruise in the current circumstances, some will not.  Some will not mind wearing masks on an expensive cruise, some will not even consider it.  Some will believe that Regent can ensure that passengers and crew will not be exposed to the virus on ship and on shore, others will doubt that.  I'm a doubter.

Count me as a strong doubter as well. I guess statistically the smaller the ship the less chance there is of running into someone with COVID but as we have seen, all it takes is one to start the exponential chain of events. I thank those who want to go cruising as soon as it's available because they are truly the so called guinea pigs to prove/disprove that it is safe and also try out the new health guidelines and restrictions so that we all see what the new normal is for cruising.  

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Fluckey.... Everyone has their opinions. Please feel free to express them. But, do not refer to us as “delusional”. Or any other inflammatory words. 
We plan to sail as soon as we can. We will take the best precautions to protect ourselves. 
if you choose not to, I respect you decision. But respect us too!

Sheila

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As I have said before, I also strongly believe that Regent cannot eliminate the risk of COVID-19 on their ships.  But I do think they will do their absolute best to minimize it.  I can get the disease if I stay home and go to the grocery store, but honestly I am getting pretty tired of that.  So if Regent does not cancel my October Mariner booking, I plan to be on the ship, following whatever rules Regent gives me.  So it is definitely possible to be a "doubter" and still be willing to sail.  Doubters do not need to stay home.  We can understand the risks and still want to get on with our lives.

Edited by SusieQft
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3 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

As I have said before, I also strongly believe that Regent cannot eliminate the risk of COVID-19 on their ships.  But I do think they will do their absolute best to minimize it.  I can get the disease if I stay home and go to the grocery store, but honestly I am getting pretty tired of that.  So if Regent does not cancel my October Mariner booking, I plan to be on the ship, following whatever rules Regent give me.  So it is definitely possible to be a "doubter" and still be willing to sail.  Doubters do not need to stay home.  We can understand the risks and still want to get on with our lives.

Bravo!  Best post I’ve read in long time. 

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3 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

Fluckey and ronrick1943....I am not disagreeing with you at all....just saying that there are some folks who should just stay home in their comfort zone and there are others ready to go with some semblance of freedom.  We all get along on this board....no "name-calling" here at least in my observation.

And I agree, those wanting to stay home , nothing wrong with that.  Everyone needs to do what is best for them.

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Its not only COVID that Regent cannot guarantee not to be present in their ships, its also the Flu , Norovirus, and any other disease communicable by casual contact. 

 Will people not be allowed to socialize with other passengers, unless they're part of their "family" group? So many questions in my head before I decide to book a cruise again, and they all have to do with what kind of regulations Regent imposes to make the cruise "safe". 

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53 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Its not only COVID that Regent cannot guarantee not to be present in their ships, its also the Flu , Norovirus, and any other disease communicable by casual contact. 

This is very true.  And whatever prevention measures are implemented in the name of COVID should also help protect us from the others.

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3 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

 And whatever prevention measures are implemented in the name of COVID should also help protect us from the others.

 

And prevent us from having any fun.  😒

 

If we are not allowed to mix with other guests or even sit at a table with different people every night for dinner that would certainly take away a lot of the enjoyment of cruising.

 

Marc

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21 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Fluckey.... Everyone has their opinions. Please feel free to express them. But, do not refer to us as “delusional”. Or any other inflammatory words. 
We plan to sail as soon as we can. We will take the best precautions to protect ourselves. 
if you choose not to, I respect you decision. But respect us too!

Sheila

 

Sheila - thank you for posting what I was about to post.  We (speaking for the of us that are anxious to resume cruising) do not need to hear over and over and over again how risky it is to feel the way that we do.  We get it and have weighed the positives and negatives of our decision.  

 

Speaking for myself, if I were to catch Covid-19 on a Regent ship and died, at least I died doing what I love.  PLEASE stop the negativity.  Those of us that will be cruising sooner rather than later are not making negative comments to those of you that prefer to wait for a vaccine or wait for anything else.  It is your choice and I respect that choice.

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Below is a new article from the WSJ. Not certain if all can read it. The article states that official government trials of Covid vaccines will begin in July. That is great news. The Moderna vaccine will be studied in July,  followed by the Oxford and J &J vaccine in August. I suspect that this study will provide the most comprehensive results we have to date.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-vaccine-candidates-pivotal-u-s-testing-to-start-this-summer-11591781405?mod=djemHL_t

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