Would You Like to Let the CDC Know Your Thoughts on The Resumption of Cruising?

[mnocket]

The CDC has issued an RFI (Request For Information) on the resumption of passenger cruising.  All comments are welcome (i.e. organization, individual, anonymous).  The link below takes you to the comment page.  You should first download the RFI itself as it asks for comments on specific questions.  There are a lot of questions.  If you've got the time and want to be heard, this is a good opportunity to tell them what you think.

 

Here's the link to download the RFI text and read the specific questions being asked 

https://beta.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2020-0087-0001

 

Here's the link to the comments page....

https://beta.regulations.gov/search?filter="CDC–2020–0087"

Even if you don't want to take the time to comment, reading the RFI text will give you insight into the kind of things the CDC is considering.

 

 

[JAMESCC]

The CDC has issued an RFI (Request For Information) on the resumption of passenger cruising.  All comments are welcome (i.e. organization, individual, anonymous).  The link below takes you to the comment page.  You should first download the RFI itself as it asks for comments on specific questions.  There are a lot of questions.  If you've got the time and want to be heard, this is a good opportunity to tell them what you think.
 
Here's the link to download the RFI text and read the specific questions being asked 
https://beta.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2020-0087-0001
 
Here's the link to the comments page....
https://beta.regulations.gov/search?filter="CDC–2020–0087"

Even if you don't want to take the time to comment, reading the RFI text will give you insight into the kind of things the CDC is considering.
 
 

Oh wow, very cool. I will give them some insight or my thoughts.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[clo]

Thanks for sharing this. From what I've read the cruise lines have failed miserably at proposing sensible things to the CDC. I'll certainly weigh in.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, mnocket said:

The CDC has issued an RFI (Request For Information) on the resumption of passenger cruising.  All comments are welcome (i.e. organization, individual, anonymous).  The link below takes you to the comment page.  You should first download the RFI itself as it asks for comments on specific questions.  There are a lot of questions.  If you've got the time and want to be heard, this is a good opportunity to tell them what you think.

 

Here's the link to download the RFI text and read the specific questions being asked 

https://beta.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2020-0087-0001

 

Here's the link to the comments page....

https://beta.regulations.gov/search?filter="CDC–2020–0087"

Even if you don't want to take the time to comment, reading the RFI text will give you insight into the kind of things the CDC is considering.

 

 

The question is :What will they do with the opinions ? Will they be relugated to the infamous round file ?

[mnocket]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

The question is :What will they do with the opinions ? Will they be relugated to the infamous round file ?

I have no idea.  One would like to think that they will be interested in what individuals have to say as well as the industry responses, but who knows?  My guess is that one or two sentence comments will fall by the wayside, but thoughtful comments that address the specific questions they pose will be valued.  Or, it might just be a numbers game.... "the majority of comments from individuals supported xyz and opposed qrs".

[Flatbush Flyer]

52 minutes ago, mnocket said:

The CDC has issued an RFI (Request For Information) on the resumption of passenger cruising.  All comments are welcome (i.e. organization, individual, anonymous).  The link below takes you to the comment page.  You should first download the RFI itself as it asks for comments on specific questions.  There are a lot of questions.  If you've got the time and want to be heard, this is a good opportunity to tell them what you think.

 

Here's the link to download the RFI text and read the specific questions being asked 

https://beta.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2020-0087-0001

 

Here's the link to the comments page....

https://beta.regulations.gov/search?filter="CDC–2020–0087"

Even if you don't want to take the time to comment, reading the RFI text will give you insight into the kind of things the CDC is considering.

 

 

Sharing these types of links creates a bit of good news/bad news. 

 

That cruising regulars should see a comprehensive list of the very specific CDC questions (that truly do need to be addressed by cruise lines) is a good thing. And, hopefully, everyone involved understands that, as is the case with the timely question of distance vs in-person learning, the most ideal/safe situation is virtually impossible to achieve. 

 

The bad news is that, while asking CCers to "tell them what you think" will elicit some well thought out/data informed comments, they may be buried among a ton of fairly useless comments from individuals with little (if any) experience or expertise in responding to RFIs, RFPs et al. inquiries of governmental agencies. 

 

Of course, public agencies are used to this. Nonetheless, I hope that those of us who do choose to respond will give careful consideration to the task, address one or more of the very SPECIFIC questions and present logical arguments for their positions. Note too that, if you are offering an expert opinion, it helps to identify that expertise.

 

 

 

[Roz]

5 hours ago, mnocket said:

My guess is that one or two sentence comments will fall by the wayside, but thoughtful comments that address the specific questions they pose will be valued.  

 

As someone who has had to wade thru public comments on gov't. plans and projects, I assure you that one or two sentence comments that get to the point will be less likely to be overlooked and more likely to be read.  When someone sends me a manifesto, my eyes usually glaze over after the 2nd paragraph.  

[VMax1700]

7 hours ago, Roz said:

 

As someone who has had to wade thru public comments on gov't. plans and projects, I assure you that one or two sentence comments that get to the point will be less likely to be overlooked and more likely to be read.  When someone sends me a manifesto, my eyes usually glaze over after the 2nd paragraph.  

Punctuation, Paragraphs and Précis.

The small elements that make reading and understanding comments less likely to be overlooked or misunderstood.

[Markanddonna]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Punctuation, Paragraphs and Précis.

The small elements that make reading and understanding comments less likely to be overlooked or misunderstood.

As a writer, I can't emphasize these points enough. If you go beyond a few sentences, put them in paragraphs. Think out what you want to say, and tighten your manuscript by eliminating unnecessary words.

[Roz]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Punctuation, Paragraphs and Précis.

The small elements that make reading and understanding comments less likely to be overlooked or misunderstood.

 

45 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

As a writer, I can't emphasize these points enough. If you go beyond a few sentences, put them in paragraphs. Think out what you want to say, and tighten your manuscript by eliminating unnecessary words.

 

Amen!  I get these walls of text that read more like stream of consciousness and I'm left trying to figure out what is the main point(s) and is the person for or against the project.  

 

We see that here on CC.  A poster has a litany of complaints or questions and confronts us with a wall of text with no paragraphs and run on sentences.  They then take great umbrage when we point out we could help them better if what they posted was more readable.  

 

I know this is thread drift. 😄

[Markanddonna]

11 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

 

Amen!  I get these walls of text that read more like stream of consciousness and I'm left trying to figure out what is the main point(s) and is the person for or against the project.  

 

We see that here on CC.  A poster has a litany of complaints or questions and confronts us with a wall of text with no paragraphs and run on sentences.  They then take great umbrage when we point out we could help them better if what they posted was more readable.  

 

I know this is thread drift. 😄

Paragraphs are our friends...

 

[Host Anne]

There's a TON of questions they are asking comments on.  It's not easy to be concise when there are so many questions...they don't make it easy for the public to respond and make it meaningful with the number of questions.

[JDincalif]

Thanks everyone for the info on the RFI and the tips regarding how to write good responses. We will take a look at the questions and try to give coherent answers.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Host Anne said:

There's a TON of questions they are asking comments on.  It's not easy to be concise when there are so many questions...they don't make it easy for the public to respond and make it meaningful with the number of questions.

There's not a "ton of questions." Rather, there are about two dozen. 

 

That said, recognize that, while the cruise lines need to address them all, it is expected that individual respondents from the cruising public may only address those questions for which they have legitimate input (as opposed to things like "I don't want to wear a mask").

 

The CDC could care less about emotional appeals. They want solutions to the problems they've identified and/or evidence that their concerns are unwarranted.

 

If you have expertise in one or more areas cited in the questions, it would be extremely important that you respond with knowledge and date driven reasoning for your recommendations regarding a return to cruising.

 

Of course, related to all this is the current reality that, at least for smaller ships with large space ratios and a history of public health compliance, the safest place one can be (rather than in the bars and/or on the streets of places like Miami) is on a proactively health conscious cruise ship that caters to a majority of like minded passengers. As we see every day now, the alternative for "getting out of the house" is heading downtown and mixing with the idiots who won't practice healthy habits.

 

BTW, I agree with those comments regarding "short and sweet" with good grammar. But, as a former university research exec (one hat I've  worn) and successful applicant/administrator for more than $100 million in public and private funding awards, The key items are answer the question(s) and provide doable solutions.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer