What's the latest on "mock/ testing" cruises?

[quattrohead]

5 minutes ago, BoozinCroozin said:

BoozinCroozin

Nailed it.

 

[asalligo]

2 hours ago, quattrohead said:

My argument with the CDC is allowing air travel to continue with relative freedom.

I was on a Jetblue flight a couple weeks ago and they are now using all the seats again. 1 flight was about half full, the other about 90%. You can take your mask off to eat/drink but no alcohol (***** difference is that lol). The USA is allowing flights in from all over the world and apparently hardly anyone is being checked in any way. Canadians can drive here but not back !!!! Mexico border is open.

 

So how about running a few test cruises for locals to each port, your address determines eligibility. Tampa and Port Canaveral you can park close enough to walk to the terminal, not sure about others. Covid test a week before and on the day at the terminal, ship half full with reasonable restrictions. Covid test end of cruise, off you go.

Exactly. I flew on a completely full flight last month from Boston to Orlando. I had to wear my mask every step of the way and social distance and then spent 3 hours sandwiched between two other people with another six people within six feet front and back. Since we go our separate ways though after the three hours the CDC is not involved.  

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Only?   You cannot be serious.  Must of that goes to only a few communities some of which are now in big trouble (according to some members of the Alaskan Legislature.  

 

Hank

My point is that cruises are not the sole transportation to Alaska destinations, and many support the local economy without setting foot on a cruise.  And many that would have gone to Alaska by cruise can choose to travel by other means.

[JRG]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Cruise ships account for only about 40% of Alaska tourism.

 

So 40% of Alaskan tourism is adversely affected by Canada's ban,  and we are all waiting for the specs for the test cruises. 

 

 If only the CDC could designate Alaska as having the right requirements for a test cruise?

 

and if we could find a PVSA workaround somehow....

 

then 40% of Alaskan tourism would be back in swing.

Edited February 17, 2021 by JRG

[JRG]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Only?   You cannot be serious.  Must of that goes to only a few communities some of which are now in big trouble (according to some members of the Alaskan Legislature. 

 

Hank,

 

The US needs to get Chip Schooley to oversee the Test Cruise specs.

 

There is a good article in the SD Union Tribune last week about what he is doing at UCSD  to mitigate Covid-19 impact.

 

Did you ever get to work with him in your career and if so would you agree he has "The Right Stuff"?

Edited February 17, 2021 by JRG

[Hlitner]

43 minutes ago, JRG said:

 

Hank,

 

The US needs to get Chip Schooley to oversee the Test Cruise specs.

 

There is a good article in the SD Union Tribune last week about what he is doing at UCSD  to mitigate Covid-19 impact.

 

Did you ever get to work with him in your career and if so would you agree he has "The Right Stuff"?

No.  In fact, the name meant nothing to me until I pulled up his resume.  Sounds impressive.  When I was involved in AIDS programs it was back in the 80s and, from his resume, he did not seem to do much with NIH until the 90s which is past my time with those AIDS programs (at the State level).   For those that wonder about Tony Fauci, he built is excellent reputation during the early days of the AIDS epidemic when he earned the trust of many stake holder groups.  It is amazing that Dr. Fauci is still working for the government at 80....long after most sane folks have retired :).

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

My point is that cruises are not the sole transportation to Alaska destinations, and many support the local economy without setting foot on a cruise.  And many that would have gone to Alaska by cruise can choose to travel by other means.

Well, I am not sure many cruisers would fly to AK and go off on their own (that is my style).  And driving from the USA to AK means having to deal with the Canadian authorities which might discourage many Americans.   The recent change in rules (for Canadians who happened to be spending their winter in Mexico) caught lots of Canadians by surprise (we know a few that were our neighbors) who found themselves scrambling to get back home.  I am not sure I would want to try driving through Canada (assuming they would let us through their country) because there would be no guarantee that "Junior" might not change the rules and leave us stuck in AK with our car :).

 

And lets be honest with each other :).  Cruisers like to cruise and even if the CDC were to open up ports by summer, it is the Canadians that would be the road block to Alaska.  As we have discussed previously, it would  take President Biden's intervention to make Alaskan cruises possible and there is no indication that is going to happen.  

 

Hank

[JRG]

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

it would  take President Biden's intervention to make Alaskan cruises possible and there is no indication that is going to happen

 

Or maybe Anderson Cooper on a 60 minutes segment.    tick...tick...tick...tick

Edited February 17, 2021 by JRG

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, JRG said:

 

Or maybe Anderson Cooper on a 60 minutes segment.    tick...tick...tick...tick

He could afford his own yacht (his net worth is estimated at $200 million) so he would not care about cruise ships :).

[jtwind]

I'm not getting it.  The CDC only has influence on cruises leaving, arriving, visiting the US.  If they're so out of line, how do you explain the fact that , with a few exceptions, cruise lines aren't operating anywhere in the world?

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

People may take this the wrong way and that is their right. We all have our own opinions and that is all that it is, including ANYTHING that comes from the CDC.

 

We can conspiracy theorize this until people are blue in the face. The fact of the matter is if WalMart can be open 24/7 without any restrictions, ALL businesses can be open without restrictions. If WalMart was so critical and essential, why is the entire store open and not just the grocery side? There is no one that could ever convince me that Home Depot and Lowe's are more essential thank the Mom & Pop diner. 

 

The country and all businesses need to reopen to full capacity. Yes, there is risks for some if they get covid. That small percentage can stay home like they are now. The other 97% should not be subjected to it. If you notice, the massive spikes have been on a drastic decline. It is because people are becoming immune and an extremely small part of it is vaccines. Everyone I know close that has had covid have all had far worse sinus infections. I am not saying it is the same for everyone, but the country and citizens should not be made to suffer because of a small few.

 

Walmart does not operate 24/7 without restrictions.  Home Depot is not a restaurant.  If they were they would be under the same restriction as the Mom & Pop diners.  You fail to mention that Mom and Pop hardware stores are allowed to operate under the same restrictions as Home Depot or Lowes.  I also think the reason behind some business classifications having more or less restrictions is based on the estimated exposure.   Personally, I can kind of understand why hardware stores are allowed to be open more than dine in restaurants.  

 

Whether or not I agree, I understand wanting to make a case for opening everything or even for redefining what is essential.   I don't know at this point if inside dining should be allowed.  But I would sure  like to hear valid reasons to allow that.   

[clo]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

My point is that cruises are not the sole transportation to Alaska destinations, and many support the local economy without setting foot on a cruise.  And many that would have gone to Alaska by cruise can choose to travel by other means.

We went on a cruise that kinda disappointed but I got the idea - unfulfilled so far - of returning and taking the Alaska State Ferry.

[clo]

8 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 I don't know at this point if inside dining should be allowed.

Here in Nevada we have had indoor dining for quite a while but with limits on capacity. It was 25% and just raised to 35%. And it's enforced. I've seen staff regularly counting heads before they let in even a single person. They can't make money like that and are hopeful that if we all behave ourselves that it will be raised soon to 50%. Trader Joe's has a line to get in so you have to wait for some to leave. It's organized for distancing with red tape X's on the sidewalk and at the check stands. We've all learned a lot.

[ldubs]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

Here in Nevada we have had indoor dining for quite a while but with limits on capacity. It was 25% and just raised to 35%. And it's enforced. I've seen staff regularly counting heads before they let in even a single person. They can't make money like that and are hopeful that if we all behave ourselves that it will be raised soon to 50%. Trader Joe's has a line to get in so you have to wait for some to leave. It's organized for distancing with red tape X's on the sidewalk and at the check stands. We've all learned a lot.

 

Most all of California is still outside only for restaurants.   All businesses as far as I know still have occupancy restrictions.   Seeing lines like you mention isn't uncommon at some popular places.  

 

Years from now folks will talk about life before there were X's on the floor.   

 

 

[clo]

48 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Most all of California is still outside only for restaurants.   All businesses as far as I know still have occupancy restrictions.   Seeing lines like you mention isn't uncommon at some popular places.  

 

Years from now folks will talk about life before there were X's on the floor.   

 

 

Yeah. We went to Truckee (CA about 30 minutes from Reno) for Taco Tuesday yesterday. Outdoor but they have a big tented space with heaters. And we're "hardy stock" there.

 

Ah, yes, the future looking back. Our oldest grand-boy is 9. I wonder if he'll remember anything. And the sentence "Love your mask" is only a year old 🙂

[Shmoo here]

9 hours ago, kdr69 said:

Cruiselines: ok done phase 1 wheres the next phase?

Where have you seen that the cruise lines have presented their compliance with phase 1 requirements?

[BoozinCroozin]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Walmart does not operate 24/7 without restrictions.  Home Depot is not a restaurant.  If they were they would be under the same restriction as the Mom & Pop diners.  You fail to mention that Mom and Pop hardware stores are allowed to operate under the same restrictions as Home Depot or Lowes.  I also think the reason behind some business classifications having more or less restrictions is based on the estimated exposure.   Personally, I can kind of understand why hardware stores are allowed to be open more than dine in restaurants.  

 

Whether or not I agree, I understand wanting to make a case for opening everything or even for redefining what is essential.   I don't know at this point if inside dining should be allowed.  But I would sure  like to hear valid reasons to allow that.   

Home Depot is non-essential. WalMart is non-essential. They are both as essential as Grandma Ida's 4-seat diner. The difference is money in someone's hands. To make things equal to the small guys, when this is over, lets say July 1, 2021, ALL businesses that were permitted to be open April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, will be completely closed from July 1, 2021 to Jan 1, 2023. That would allow all of these "non-essential" businesses time to rebuild. No WalMart, no Home Depot, no Amazon, no Tesla, no Apple, etc. 

 

The simple fact is if ONE business can be open, ANY business can be open. Too many people have lost everything they have and the worst has not come yet. Once the mortgage lien holders can foreclose, they will. All of these people not only lost their businesses, livelihood, savings, and retirement, they are soon to have their homes taken as well. And please don't get me started on the squatters that are not paying rent. I have several friends that will lose property and/or go to jail because renters don't have to pay rent. In many cases they even know they don't have to leave for another 2-4 years because of the eviction backlog.

Edited February 18, 2021 by BoozinCroozin

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Where have you seen that the cruise lines have presented their compliance with phase 1 requirements?

Any ship that shows "green status" on the "crew movement by commercial travel" page of the CDC website has met phase 1 requirements.  Phase 2, for which the CDC has not issued technical instructions for yet, concerns the service agreements with ports and local health care systems, for permission to disembark, transport, treat, and/or quarantine passengers.

[cruznjan]

The CDC is dealing with a pandemic that is evolving as we speak, and is something they haven't dealt with before. Yes, it's frustrating but it will take time to get ahead of this.

[asalligo]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Any ship that shows "green status" on the "crew movement by commercial travel" page of the CDC website has met phase 1 requirements.  Phase 2, for which the CDC has not issued technical instructions for yet, concerns the service agreements with ports and local health care systems, for permission to disembark, transport, treat, and/or quarantine passengers.

Exactly. Cruise lines immediately started on phase 1 and most have qualified. Then crickets from the CDC on how to qualify for a test cruise. 

[kdr69]

12 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Where have you seen that the cruise lines have presented their compliance with phase 1 requirements?

on the CDC website? All ships must complete and submit plan to allow for crew travel. Pretty well all cruise line ships show Green status only a couple that are red including the Carnival Mardi Gras but for the most part they have all been Green for months now.

[chengkp75]

19 minutes ago, asalligo said:

Exactly. Cruise lines immediately started on phase 1 and most have qualified. Then crickets from the CDC on how to qualify for a test cruise. 

Well, the crew change requirements and color coding have been around since July, at least, so I wouldn't say the lines "immediately" started on them. Then, the next set of technical instructions are about port and health care agreements, not even about test cruises. And I think the CDC has had a lot more to think about this winter than the cruise industry.

[JRG]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Any ship that shows "green status" on the "crew movement by commercial travel" page of the CDC website has met phase 1 requirements.  Phase 2, for which the CDC has not issued technical instructions for yet, concerns the service agreements with ports and local health care systems, for permission to disembark, transport, treat, and/or quarantine passengers.

 

Yes, thanks for reading this to us,  but remember that the most important part is the specs for the mock test cruise.

 

That is what this thread is about just to keep it in focus.

 

I think they are waiting for input from the public,   or they are using it as a red herring to keep the cruiselines off the seas until the pandemic is under better control.

[asalligo]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

And I think the CDC has had a lot more to think about this winter than the cruise industry.

And there is the root of the problem. The CDC ignoring the important stuff and focusing on crap that does not matter. My cruising is much more important that general public health. 

[kdr69]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

And I think the CDC has had a lot more to think about this winter than the cruise industry.

Well that may be true but im not aware of any other industry that falls within their jurisdiction that is waiting for guidance the way the Cruise Industry is at the moment?  Insights appreciated as always @chengkp75.