Check in for Feb 21 Liberty says proof of prior test required.

[travelhound]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Testing until Nov 1 is a CDC requirement. 
 

 

I think the CDC may have to update some of these restrictions, especially if we reach herd immunity before November 1st.  Do you know anything about possibly of the CDC requiring two tests, with one 3-4 days in advance?

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, travelhound said:

I think the CDC may have to update some of these restrictions, especially if we reach herd immunity before November 1st.  Do you know anything about possibly of the CDC requiring two tests, with one 3-4 days in advance?

I for one do not see the CDC loosening any of the restrictions. 
 

Having to provide 2 tests is just a good practice. It acts as a double check against false negatives and increases the overall accuracy rate more than just relying on one test. 
 

I don’t know about the CDC requiring it but the cruise lines are certainly within their right to go above and beyond the requirements and it is what they have been doing in Europe. 

[travelhound]

1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I for one do not see the CDC loosening any of the restrictions. 
 

Having to provide 2 tests is just a good practice. It acts as a double check against false negatives and increases the overall accuracy rate more than just relying on one test. 
 

I don’t know about the CDC requiring it but the cruise lines are certainly within their right to go above and beyond the requirements and it is what they have been doing in Europe. 

It will be interesting to see what the cruise lines in the US actually do for testing.  Some of these procedures do not seem practical and very difficult to implement.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, travelhound said:

It will be interesting to see what the cruise lines in the US actually do for testing.  Some of these procedures do not seem practical and very difficult to implement.

They will have to follow the CDC directives...that’s not negotiable. 

[travelhound]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

They will have to follow the CDC directives...that’s not negotiable. 

I agree, it just all seems very fluid right now.  I suspect the cruise lines are still working with the CDC to find procedures that are realistic, but achieve the safety objectives that they are looking for.  Let's hope for the best 🙂

[The Fun Researcher]

What are they going to do about those who already had Covid but are far past the infectious stage but can still test positive for Covid up to three months after already having it?

 

Dan

[not-enough-cruising]

12 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

What are they going to do about those who already had Covid but are far past the infectious stage but can still test positive for Covid up to three months after already having it?

 

Dan

They will not be cruising at that time, very simple

[The Fun Researcher]

30 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

They will not be cruising at that time, very simple

So those that are less risk of getting or giving COVID to others are not allowed to sail?  
 

I’m not up to speed on the latest rules from Royal Caribbean, but if someone gets Covid after final payment (and may very well test positive all the way up to the sail date ) will royal give them a full refund including deposit?.

 

It’s completely not fair to those who get Covid and have recovered to not allow them to sail.
 

Dan

Edited November 25, 2020 by The Fun Researcher

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

So those that are less risk of getting or giving COVID to others are not allowed to sail?  
 

I’m not up to speed on the latest rules from Royal Caribbean, but if someone gets Covid after final payment (and may very well test positive all the way up to the sail date ) will royal give them a full refund including deposit?.

 

It’s completely not fair to those who get Covid and have recovered to not allow them to sail.
 

Dan

Nothing has been offered. You do have cwc where you can cancel within 48 hours of your cruise, though I wouldnt cut it that close ... and receive a fcc. Nothing about a refund. Maybe more information after cruise resumption. 

[travelhound]

11 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Nothing has been offered. You do have cwc where you can cancel within 48 hours of your cruise, though I wouldnt cut it that close ... and receive a fcc. Nothing about a refund. Maybe more information after cruise resumption. 

Yup, I think all the cruise lines are still working on these details, along with the CDC.  Hopefully we should know more in the next month 🙂

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

So those that are less risk of getting or giving COVID to others are not allowed to sail?  
 

I’m not up to speed on the latest rules from Royal Caribbean, but if someone gets Covid after final payment (and may very well test positive all the way up to the sail date ) will royal give them a full refund including deposit?.

 

It’s completely not fair to those who get Covid and have recovered to not allow them to sail.
 

Dan

The issue is there is no way to validate a previous infection or the viral load of the person. A positive test is a positive test, that is the way it is. 
Fair has nothing to do with it. I have a nurse practitioner in my office. She has worked for me for 11 years, she tested positive in June, after a couple weeks she was 100% asymptomatic, and ready to return to work. It took 11 weeks for her to be able to produce 2 consecutive negative tests. The Texas Medical Board would not allow her to return to my office until this requirement had been met. It is what it is. 
A positive test will not be boarding a cruise ship, period. 

[travelhound]

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

So those that are less risk of getting or giving COVID to others are not allowed to sail?  
 

I’m not up to speed on the latest rules from Royal Caribbean, but if someone gets Covid after final payment (and may very well test positive all the way up to the sail date ) will royal give them a full refund including deposit?.

 

It’s completely not fair to those who get Covid and have recovered to not allow them to sail.
 

Dan

You have some good points.  These are the type of details that I don't think the CDC has considered.  I believe they are still working with the cruise lines to resolve some of these issues.

[Ourusualbeach]

45 minutes ago, travelhound said:

You have some good points.  These are the type of details that I don't think the CDC has considered.  I believe they are still working with the cruise lines to resolve some of these issues.

Why do you think that they haven't considered them.  See the post right above yours.  A positive test is a positive test.  they would not be allowed to sail.

[The Fun Researcher]

42 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The issue is there is no way to validate a previous infection or the viral load of the person. A positive test is a positive test, that is the way it is. 
Fair has nothing to do with it. I have a nurse practitioner in my office. She has worked for me for 11 years, she tested positive in June, after a couple weeks she was 100% asymptomatic, and ready to return to work. It took 11 weeks for her to be able to produce 2 consecutive negative tests. The Texas Medical Board would not allow her to return to my office until this requirement had been met. It is what it is. 
A positive test will not be boarding a cruise ship, period. 

I would not talk in such absolutes.

 

It is easy to show previous infection by providing the documentation of positive COVID test results.  So now we will except negative tests as proof but not a positive test?

 

I highly doubt that the Texas medical board currently does not allow doctors or nurses to return to work until after two consecutive negative results. That was back in June. Much has been learned since.  We have many doctor and nurse friends and they are allowed to go back to practice, after infection, as soon as they meet the CDC guidelines.(copied below)  One of our doctor friends, who was COVID positive, was back to work at the hospital 10 days after initial symptoms.

 

I agree that a positive test from those infected 1-3 months prior poses extra challenges.  A double negative test result within five days of sailing is also wrought with risk.   Folks could easily  pick up the virus within that timeframe and not have enough viral load to show a positive result.

 

As more and more of our country contracts Covid during these uncontrolled outbreaks, I think this issue will become more and more significant to those wanting to cruise and to the cruise line itself.

 

I will wait and see what the cruise industry determines in this regard.

 

Dan

 

[bouhunter]

1 hour ago, travelhound said:

  Hopefully we should know more in the next month 🙂

Or 3-4......

[NancyIL]

21 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I for one do not see the CDC loosening any of the restrictions. 
 

Having to provide 2 tests is just a good practice. It acts as a double check against false negatives and increases the overall accuracy rate more than just relying on one test. 
 

I don’t know about the CDC requiring it but the cruise lines are certainly within their right to go above and beyond the requirements and it is what they have been doing in Europe. 

 

So do you think fall Transatlantic cruises before Nov. 1 are pretty unlikely to sail? I know some are hoping their cruise date gets pushed back, or the ending port is in the Bahamas.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2020 by NancyIL

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I would not talk in such absolutes.

 

It is easy to show previous infection by providing the documentation of positive COVID test results.  So now we will except negative tests as proof but not a positive test?

 

I highly doubt that the Texas medical board currently does not allow doctors or nurses to return to work until after two consecutive negative results. That was back in June. Much has been learned since.  We have many doctor and nurse friends and they are allowed to go back to practice, after infection, as soon as they meet the CDC guidelines.(copied below)  One of our doctor friends, who was COVID positive, was back to work at the hospital 10 days after initial symptoms.

 

I agree that a positive test from those infected 1-3 months prior poses extra challenges.  A double negative test result within five days of sailing is also wrought with risk.   Folks could easily  pick up the virus within that timeframe and not have enough viral load to show a positive result.

 

As more and more of our country contracts Covid during these uncontrolled outbreaks, I think this issue will become more and more significant to those wanting to cruise and to the cruise line itself.

 

I will wait and see what the cruise industry determines in this regard.

 

Dan

 

Talk to my colleague, an ICU hospitalist that has been not allowed into the hospital for about 8 weeks because he can not produce 2 consecutive negative tests (this is in November not June)

I am VERY comfortable talking in absolutes on this fact; if someone has a positive test at the dock, they are not getting on the ship, regardless of history.

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

 

So do you think fall Transatlantic cruises before Nov. 1 are pretty unlikely to sail? I know some are hoping their cruise date gets pushed back, or the ending port is in the Bahamas.

 

 

I don’t think that Royal will make a decision on these for  a while to see how things go.  I can’t see them ending in the Bahamas, there is not the infrastructure there to handle it. 

[The Fun Researcher]

55 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Talk to my colleague, an ICU hospitalist that has been not allowed into the hospital for about 8 weeks because he can not produce 2 consecutive negative tests (this is in November not June)

I cannot argue that and I believe you, although it is shocking in the current environment.  I honestly pray that Texas does not run out of ICU and hospital doctors and nurses due to this practice.

 

My buddy who is also an ICU doctor is having to work 13 days straight due the high demand and need.  This is the same gentleman that was asked to return to work after testing positive for COVID and quarantining for the minimum 10 days because he met the CDC criteria.

 

Dan

[MommaBear55]

2 hours ago, NancyIL said:

 

So do you think fall Transatlantic cruises before Nov. 1 are pretty unlikely to sail? I know some are hoping their cruise date gets pushed back, or the ending port is in the Bahamas.

 

 

The bigger question for me is if Europe will even want us by then

[bobmacliberty]

On 11/25/2020 at 9:40 AM, The Fun Researcher said:

It’s completely not fair to those who get Covid and have recovered to not allow them to sail.

 

Every time that my kids said that something was not fair while growing up, I had the same response...life's not fair.

[firefly333]

17 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Every time that my kids said that something was not fair while growing up, I had the same response...life's not fair.

You've met my mother it seems. Whenever I said its not fair she said, no one ever promised life would be fair.

[The Fun Researcher]

54 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Every time that my kids said that something was not fair while growing up, I had the same response...life's not fair.

 

35 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You've met my mother it seems. Whenever I said its not fair she said, no one ever promised life would be fair.

Yeah I set myself up for responses like this when I used the term “not fair”.  Trust me, I’m not one of those entitled whiners.  I should have left that sentence out.

 

It doesn’t change the reality of the situation for those who catch Covid 1-3 months before sailing.  We’ll see how this all shakes out

 

Dan

[Ocean Boy]

22 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I would not talk in such absolutes.

 

It is easy to show previous infection by providing the documentation of positive COVID test results.  So now we will except negative tests as proof but not a positive test?

 

I highly doubt that the Texas medical board currently does not allow doctors or nurses to return to work until after two consecutive negative results. That was back in June. Much has been learned since.  We have many doctor and nurse friends and they are allowed to go back to practice, after infection, as soon as they meet the CDC guidelines.(copied below)  One of our doctor friends, who was COVID positive, was back to work at the hospital 10 days after initial symptoms.

 

I agree that a positive test from those infected 1-3 months prior poses extra challenges.  A double negative test result within five days of sailing is also wrought with risk.   Folks could easily  pick up the virus within that timeframe and not have enough viral load to show a positive result.

 

As more and more of our country contracts Covid during these uncontrolled outbreaks, I think this issue will become more and more significant to those wanting to cruise and to the cruise line itself.

 

I will wait and see what the cruise industry determines in this regard.

 

Dan

 

 

19 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Talk to my colleague, an ICU hospitalist that has been not allowed into the hospital for about 8 weeks because he can not produce 2 consecutive negative tests (this is in November not June)

I am VERY comfortable talking in absolutes on this fact; if someone has a positive test at the dock, they are not getting on the ship, regardless of history.

The above, posted by Dan, are the standards presently used by the RI Dept of Health. The two negative test requirement was dropped months ago.

[Tree_skier]

My 8 night didn't on Empress Feb 20th had nothing like that on it.  But I'm pretty sure nobody thinks that that one is going to go.