Carnival CEO Says No Vaccination Requirement

[cruzingnut]

I just found this.  Our wonderful governor....ugh....  While he's done some good things, there are other things...not so good.

==============================

"DeSantis’ press office on Monday (4/12) asserted that his recent executive order barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccinated customers extends to cruise lines operating in Florida.

“The Governor’s Executive Order provides that businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business,” press secretary Cody McCloud said by email. “Therefore, the Executive Order prohibits cruise lines from requiring vaccine passports for their Florida operations.”

==============================

So, we basically have to hope that the CDC requires them.  That will nip all this foolishness in the bud.  But, they have to get off their butts and finally come up with those guidelines the cruise lines have been waiting for since last year!

Linda R.

[mcrcruiser]

44 minutes ago, mightycruisequeen said:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/carnival-cruise-ccl-ceo-arnold-donald-on-covid-travel-restrictions

When  we tried to open the link ,a pop up covers it & wants us to sign up for Business week  .Is there another way to post the information ?

[mightycruisequeen]

Can you use a  pop up blocker? 

 

[mcrcruiser]

43 minutes ago, S&B said:

I do not understand his thinking.  What is going to happen when a ship goes in to port and the Port Authority says......   Is everyone on your ship vaccinated including passengers and crew?  If not your ship cannot dock here.

  We are on 2 cruises in 2022 and I can very easily see that happening.  I believe Iceland has already said that everyone has to be vaccinated.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

 It is so   nuts  that Arnold Donald is taking a 360 degree opposite stand vs the CEOs of the   other major cruise lines   .not only foreign port requirements ;but ,the CDC will not back down  for American ports   ,I guess Arnold Donald has to learn the hard way  instead of  cooperating  , Additionally ,no one in government id going to bend very much because taxes are not collected from foreign flagged vessels

[mcrcruiser]

2 minutes ago, mightycruisequeen said:

Can you use a  pop up blocker? 

 

where do we get or fins a pop up blocker ?

[mcrcruiser]

18 minutes ago, cruzingnut said:

I just found this.  Our wonderful governor....ugh....  While he's done some good things, there are other things...not so good.

==============================

"DeSantis’ press office on Monday (4/12) asserted that his recent executive order barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccinated customers extends to cruise lines operating in Florida.

“The Governor’s Executive Order provides that businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business,” press secretary Cody McCloud said by email. “Therefore, the Executive Order prohibits cruise lines from requiring vaccine passports for their Florida operations.”

==============================

So, we basically have to hope that the CDC requires them.  That will nip all this foolishness in the bud.  But, they have to get off their butts and finally come up with those guidelines the cruise lines have been waiting for since last year!

Linda R.

The problem that cruise ships present that no other venue that we know of ,not even commercial aircraft , is the closed in  areas with very close proximity to others for extended periods of time    .A cruise is usually a week or longer ,a commercial flight is generally hours ,with everyone wearing masks all the time &with 50% of the air coming from outside to mix with the inside air  .A very different environment  for passengers 

 

 We don;t or will not want to have to wear masks on any cruise vessel in public spaces  including dining rooms ,gyms ,swimming pools ie 

[iceman93]

I understand some posters' disappointment at this announcement, as it does not match what they were hoping to hear.  And I absolutely support their right to "vote with their wallets" if this is a deal-breaker for their personal plans.

 

But if they think this is a catastrophic move that is misreading the market, I would suggest a little more humility.  No company the size of CCL is going to make a public statement like this without well-understanding the implications.  It may hit right in the ego, but for every poster here who shakes their head and says they're going to cancel their cruise, I suspect there's someone else out there ready to swoop in and take that booking.

 

Others have posted the very real concern that a ship that has active COVID-19 cases or even worse, an outbreak, may not be allowed to dock to disembark those passengers.  Obviously CCL knows this too, and has taken it into account in their decision-making.  They must know that it can be addressed, and without me getting too far into personal opinion, their reading of the tea leaves must tell them that the "irrational fear phase" of the pandemic is over.

[mightycruisequeen]

10 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

where do we get or fins a pop up blocker ?

I'm sorry, maybe someone more savvy than I can advise you?

[mcrcruiser]

24 minutes ago, cruzingnut said:

I just found this.  Our wonderful governor....ugh....  While he's done some good things, there are other things...not so good.

==============================

"DeSantis’ press office on Monday (4/12) asserted that his recent executive order barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccinated customers extends to cruise lines operating in Florida.

“The Governor’s Executive Order provides that businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business,” press secretary Cody McCloud said by email. “Therefore, the Executive Order prohibits cruise lines from requiring vaccine passports for their Florida operations.”

==============================

So, we basically have to hope that the CDC requires them.  That will nip all this foolishness in the bud.  But, they have to get off their butts and finally come up with those guidelines the cruise lines have been waiting for since last year!

Linda R.

 If the past is any indicator  the CDC will  stipulate that all cruise ship passengers  & crew must be c=vaccinated  for any cruise vessel to sail from any american port .  Yet there is still the  possibility of variants that escape the vaccines of today & require yearly boosters as does the flu At least if a person gets ill from a variant they should not re quire hospitalization or die

[mcrcruiser]

4 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

I understand some posters' disappointment at this announcement, as it does not match what they were hoping to hear.  And I absolutely support their right to "vote with their wallets" if this is a deal-breaker for their personal plans.

 

But if they think this is a catastrophic move that is misreading the market, I would suggest a little more humility.  No company the size of CCL is going to make a public statement like this without well-understanding the implications.  It may hit right in the ego, but for every poster here who shakes their head and says they're going to cancel their cruise, I suspect there's someone else out there ready to swoop in and take that booking.

 

Others have posted the very real concern that a ship that has active COVID-19 cases or even worse, an outbreak, may not be allowed to dock to disembark those passengers.  Obviously CCL knows this too, and has taken it into account in their decision-making.  They must know that it can be addressed, and without me getting too far into personal opinion, their reading of the tea leaves must tell them that the "irrational fear phase" of the pandemic is over.

Then why does  RCL & NCL state they will mandate that all crew & passengers will be vaccinated  plus many other  cruise lines   .  Thus  is CCL thinking that they will get all the people who do bot want to be vaccinated  .  Thus a petrie dish waiting to explode 

[Hygge!]

Terrible decision on CCL's part.  Hope that something will change and vaccinations will be required.  Or the long time cruisers need to put pressure on the cruise line.  Wait and see game.  

[Hlitner]

Seabourn is starting cruises on July 2 from Athens, Greece on the Ovation.  Those cruises require that all passengers (and crew) must be vaccinated.  So I guess we could conclude that Mr. Donald is not consistent.   But I do understand he has a big problem with his Carnival brand since their ships always have a lot of children and young teens among their passengers.  Since there is currently no approved vaccine for the kids, I guess Donald must defend a no mandated vaccination policy.

 

Hank

[fatcat04]

We don't sail (in Europe) until October. We will wait and see. Other countries may have other ideas. I am not going to act like my hair is on fire 6 mos before a cruise. 

[HappyInVan]

I knew it. CCL is using FL as an excuse.

 

No surprise that negotiations have never started with the CDC. There's a fundamental difference between the industry and CCL (industry #1). 🙄

 

This is bad. Hope that HAL is allowed to have a vax mandate. I have an Alaska 2022 booking, in jeopardy.

 

The worst possible outcome is if a CCL ship has a mass outbreak. Then, the CDC will have the upper hand! ACHTUNG! 👍

 

[nocl]

1 hour ago, cruzingnut said:

I just found this.  Our wonderful governor....ugh....  While he's done some good things, there are other things...not so good.

==============================

"DeSantis’ press office on Monday (4/12) asserted that his recent executive order barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccinated customers extends to cruise lines operating in Florida.

“The Governor’s Executive Order provides that businesses in Florida are prohibited from requiring patrons or customers to provide any documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccination or post-transmission recovery to gain access to, entry upon, or service from the business,” press secretary Cody McCloud said by email. “Therefore, the Executive Order prohibits cruise lines from requiring vaccine passports for their Florida operations.”

==============================

So, we basically have to hope that the CDC requires them.  That will nip all this foolishness in the bud.  But, they have to get off their butts and finally come up with those guidelines the cruise lines have been waiting for since last year!

Linda R.

The requirement were listed in the CSO back last fall. The cruise lines could have moved to comply based upon their interpretation of the CSO at any time and asked the CDC to review their plan. Technical Instructions are usually only provided when it is determined that additional guidance is needed. But nothing stops the companies from taking the requirements in the CSO and responding.

 

In this kind of regulation the regulatory authority in this case the CDC lists e requirements. They do not dictate how a company has to meet them because there are different ways to do so and individual companies might prefer different methods.

[iancal]

Early days yet. Covid is far from over.  Carnival Corp ships are not sailing.

 

Business people can make changes very quickly based on public perception and BOOKINGS frontlong, bookings cancelations.

 

Could just be a trial balloon.  Hardly worth getting knickers in a twist until such time as scheduled sailings are actually a reality vs. a future FCC.   If the policy remains in place across all brands it would certainly preclude us from booking in the near term.  

Edited April 19, 2021 by iancal

[mame42]

Count me among those who will not step on a ship that does not require vaccinations for passengers and crew.  Since I reside in a high rise condo, I have witnessed first hand how covid-19 spreads among those living in congregate settings, using the same elevators, hallways, and facilities.

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

When  we tried to open the link ,a pop up covers it & wants us to sign up for Business week  .Is there another way to post the information ?

That is called a paywall.  You can try incognito mode to view the story but they really want some money

[ski ww]

I also think that it's a dumb decision and he changes his mind. Or his mind will be made up for him if countries start refusing docking if people are not vaccinated.

[rucrazy]

Cut and Pasted from the story:

Carnival Corp.’s U.S. business has been halted by a yearlong ban on cruises from U.S. ports. Chief executive officer Arnold Donald questions the fairness of restricting cruises while allowing other travel modes with less-stringent health protocols.

Donald has been CEO of Carnival, the world’s largest cruise company, with nine lines, since 2013. Carnival’s eponymous U.S.-based unit said on April 6 it may consider moving its ships from U.S. home ports. The U.S. later said it might allow restricted cruising by midsummer.

 
Was mentioning possibly leaving U.S. ports a threat to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
No, there was no threat. It’s just a practical reality that if we’re not able to sail from the U.S. in some months soon, we would have to sail from elsewhere.

 
So what’s next with U.S. officials?
We’re hopeful we’ll be able to meet with the administration and the CDC and come up with something that’s practical and will allow people to return to their choice of vacation travel—and get a lot of Americans back to work. Over a half-million people are impacted in the U.S. in jobs associated with the cruise industry, outside of the cruise lines themselves.

 
Are cruise lines being treated unfairly?
Today you can board a plane, fly to a country, get on a cruise ship and sail, fly back from that country, and come back to the U.S. You’d have to do certain testing, but you can do that. Yet, even if vaccinated, you can’t get on a cruise ship in the U.S. If you look at arenas where people are able to attend sporting events, restaurants, hotels, resorts, air travel, there’s a level of risk management and mitigation. So we would like to just be treated similarly to the rest of the travel and tourism sector.

 
Are travelers ready to resume cruising?
When we announced three brands with sailings in July in the U.K., Princess had its second-highest-ever single-day bookings. P&O had its highest in seven years, and Cunard its highest in a decade. There’s plenty of pent-up demand.

 
Will you require passengers to be vaccinated, like Norwegian Cruise Line just announced it will?
No, absolutely. We would encourage everyone to get vaccinated, but today vaccines are not accessible to everyone. In some places it is illegal to mandate. And we respect personal choice and personal liberty. So we’ll follow what the regulations are wherever it is.

 
Even when the rules about vaccinations may go harder against your industry?
We stand to do the thing that’s in the best interest of public health. However, if vaccines are not mandated for other forms of travel and tourism, then we’re not sure that it makes sense to mandate them for cruises either. We think fair and level treatment, serving the best interest of public health, is what we should be about.

 
What do you say to those who argue that other forms of travel, like flying, are safer?
Some people say, “Well, you’re only on a plane for a few hours.” But you are sitting right next to someone. Before you got on the plane, you were in an airport terminal. Before you were in the terminal, you were in some kind of transportation. Before that, you came from somewhere. When you land, you go to another airport terminal. And then you get in an automobile, or a bus, or whatever you need to get on for transport. And then you might go to a restaurant, stay in a hotel, go to a resort. A cruise is a city at sea. So to compare us just to an airplane ride is inappropriate. And to compare us just to a hotel stay is inappropriate. Look at the evidence: Over 400,000 people have sailed in Europe [since the pandemic began] with fewer than 50 cases of Covid, all handled seamlessly without disruption. And that all happened before vaccines.

 
How will the rapid expansion of vaccines change things?
Now we have the vaccines, which are another layer, and a major layer. We would encourage everyone to get vaccinated, because it is one of the best levels of protection against any serious effects from Covid that you can have. And that’s what the science says. But we will respect whatever the rules are wherever we go, as we always do. We have to be in compliance.

 
Cruise lines already have a lot of health safety measures in place. How will vaccinations change those?
With the sailings we’ve had so far [almost 60 of Carnival’s 90 ships don’t sail to U.S. ports and aren’t subject to the U.S. ban], we’ve had universal testing, physical distancing, mask-wearing, additional medical screenings, and enhanced sanitation on the ships. And it’s worked well. Going forward with vaccines, we’ll have to see whether all that layering on top of vaccines makes sense—whether it could be, for example, you may not need to wear the mask in a group if everyone’s vaccinated. That will evolve over the coming weeks. We’ll listen to the medical experts and scientists on what the best practice is in the best interest of public health. And, of course, we will follow whatever the rules are wherever we go.

~END

 

Joseph

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Not happy with that ..

[Hflors]

We have until September when our final payment is due before we need to make a decision.  I think this is a very short sighted decision.  No one that I know of will want to get on a ship with unvaccinated people who could cause an outbreak and or cause the ship to be denied docking privileges.  This has really turned into a wait and see event.

[rucrazy]

16 minutes ago, rucrazy said:

Cut and Pasted from the story:

My take away is the CEO is trying to make it appear as though we should compare apples to apples, instead of apples to pears, while it is true other forms of mass transportation may involve hours  they certainly don't involve days, weeks, or months of travel. The reason we cruise is unpack once and see many destinations not to get from Point A to Point B.

 

Joseph

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by rucrazy

[Heartgrove]

8 hours ago, S&B said:

I do not understand his thinking.  What is going to happen when a ship goes in to port and the Port Authority says......   Is everyone on your ship vaccinated including passengers and crew?  If not your ship cannot dock here.

  We are on 2 cruises in 2022 and I can very easily see that happening.  I believe Iceland has already said that everyone has to be vaccinated.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

New guidelines for Iceland are due around May 1. Iceland currently will allow non-vaccinated tourists to visit. They will be required to have been tested with negative results before boarding the plane, another test upon arrival that will need to be negative, and then quarantine at a hotel with extremely limited movement for five days and then another test with negative results. Any tourist with a  positive result will be sent back to their home country. No onward movement to another Schengen country will be allowed.

 

If you have been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior or can provide proof of a previous infection and now negative will only require the test at the airport upon arrival. A short quarantine at a hotel is required until results are known. Then free movement in the country but following government guidelines in place.

 

We are on a Viking Ocean cruise around Iceland in 90 days so i have kept current regarding Iceland`s requirements.. The cruise requires 100% vaccination of passengers and crew along with mask wearing everywhere but your cabin and while eating. Other health protocols will be in effect as well.

[Heartgrove]

9 hours ago, S&B said:

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Heartgrove
Duplicate post.