New CDC limitations on cruise ship return to service - as of 5/5/21

[rucrazy]

1 hour ago, bouhunter said:

You mean like the CDC Director who a month ago predicted "Impending doom" for the nation?

You needed to finish her thought...."if people keep easing off"

[ICUQT]

11 hours ago, puli said:

 however .we do not cruise in a goldfish bowl... the risks I might be willing to accept in order to live as I want could very well affect someone else's ability to live . Not sure I am willing to accept that burden.

I am fully vaccinated. Either the shots work or they don't. The US now has a declining vaccination rate of around 60% towards heard immunity. That leaves about 40% of the population NOT being vaccinated for whatever reason the individual may have. But the INDIVIDUAL made a choice to get it or not. I am willing to accept that burden. They made their choice and I made mine. If they get sick it's on them. I'm booked on a cruise for next April. I have no intentions on wearing a mask or social distancing. The cruise line will serve at the buffet (I can live with that) but I am not going to be living in fear when crew and pax are vaccinated. Yes, that means I will cancel if it comes to it.

[iancal]

We live in the worst place in NA for covid at the moment.  Alberta, Canada.  Slightly worse than even Michigan.  And it is going the wrong way.

 

Two reasons

 

Our Premier placing party politics above the health and welfare of our citizens and the ignoring the strong advice of our medical professionals.

 

People who are refusing to follow the guidelines/restrictions.  They place their belief in facebook experts, self serving fringe politicians,  and like minded friends above the advice of our health care professionals and pandemic experts.

Edited May 7, 2021 by iancal

[ChutChut]

3 hours ago, iancal said:

We live in the worst place in NA for covid at the moment.  Alberta, Canada.  Slightly worse than even Michigan.  And it is going the wrong way.

 

Two reasons

 

Our Premier placing party politics above the health and welfare of our citizens and the ignoring the strong advice of our medical professionals.

 

People who are refusing to follow the guidelines/restrictions.  They place their belief in facebook experts, self serving fringe politicians,  and like minded friends above the advice of our health care professionals and pandemic experts.

How do you know those are the reasons?

[GeorgesGal]

On 5/5/2021 at 7:30 PM, Red Haired Lady said:

The US CDC does not have jurisdiction outside the US.  But I am wondering if the cruise lines would still follow the guidelines.  

Note that those guideline say SHOULD, not SHALL.  Big difference.

[iancal]

31 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

How do you know those are the reasons?

By comparing our results and actions with those of our adjoining provinces.  The difference are three and four fold.

[ChutChut]

3 minutes ago, iancal said:

By comparing our results and actions with those of our adjoining provinces.  The difference are three and four fold.

Okay. So you're speculating. That's fine but those aren't reasons....

[PROCRUISE]

4 hours ago, ICUQT said:

I am fully vaccinated. Either the shots work or they don't. The US now has a declining vaccination rate of around 60% towards heard immunity. That leaves about 40% of the population NOT being vaccinated for whatever reason the individual may have. But the INDIVIDUAL made a choice to get it or not. I am willing to accept that burden. They made their choice and I made mine. If they get sick it's on them. I'm booked on a cruise for next April. I have no intentions on wearing a mask or social distancing. The cruise line will serve at the buffet (I can live with that) but I am not going to be living in fear when crew and pax are vaccinated. Yes, that means I will cancel if it comes to it.

 

We are also both completely vaccinated but do understand its limitations.

However, if the CDC and cruise line thinks we're actually going to sit in the MDR and continually pull down and pull up a mask between every bite, we'll cancel the four booked cruises in the future. CDC says that extended removal of masks to eat/drink is not acceptable - really. Been eating in local restaurants for several months and masks are removed when seated and only replaced if one goes to use the restroom and/or upon leaving the establishment.

[ICUQT]

I found it interesting that on my local news and NBC Nightly they both ran stories about eliminating the mask mandate. Had a high ranking former top official of CDC make the recommendation.  CDC may make the change by the end of the month. Should be good for cruising if they do.

[nocl]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

In the last year I have heard "follow the science" from many experts, politicians, physicians, etc.  "Follow the Science" has been used to justify shutting down schools, lock downs, closing restaurants, gyms, etc.  So, when it comes to fully vaccinated folks posing a risk to anyone I think it might be appropriate if our own "experts" follow the science."   And where is the science that says fully vaccinated folks are a danger to anyone?   Dr. Walensky (Director of the CDC) said back in March that "fully vaccinated people do not carry the COVID virus."  But for some reason the CDC policies seem to ignore the statements of their own Director.  If one does not carry the virus then why do they need to mask or social distance?  And if vaccinated people do not carry the virus where is the risk of a cruise with 100% vaccinated folks?

Data Suggests Vaccinated Individuals Don’t Carry Virus or Get Sick: CDC – NBC Bay Area

 

Hank

 

I do believe that there were a few other comments when she talked about the vaccines. The did not make it the absolute comment that you posted. Since she was indicating at the time that the data was indicating that the vaccines prevented asymptomatic infection and spread at rates similar to what the trials indicated for symptomatic infection. Not that it eliminated all asymptomatic infection and spread. 

 

the media tends to chop it to one line and do not include all of the qualifiers.

Edited May 8, 2021 by nocl

[goalman]

I'm vaccinated.The crew is vaccinated. The ships are sterile. The CDC expects us to be the mindless lemmings they want. I won't be cruising until the masks are gone. What  is the purpose of the vaccinations. Are we supposed to believe that they serve no purpose. Let common sense and science dictate mask wearing. Fauci and the CDC certainly don't fall into those categories

[mtnflyer2]

I am willing to ‘follow the science.’ If the vaccines work, then the mask mandates and distancing requirements are meaningless. If they don’t work, or you don’t want the vaccine, then we shouldn’t be cruising at all. CDC issues “guidelines” not laws. If I can’t sit by the pool or get off the ship, maybe it’s not time for cruising. Cryideline need to fight like hell for reasonable precautions and against nonsense. 

[syesmar]

1 hour ago, mtnflyer2 said:

I am willing to ‘follow the science.’ If the vaccines work, then the mask mandates and distancing requirements are meaningless. . . .

The vaccines work, and work better than expected. I remember the days they were hoping for 70% efficacy against the original strain, but they’re far more effective than that, thankfully. Admittedly, the personal behavior of trial participants was not tracked, so there’s not a way to tell what role masking, distancing or avoiding crowds might have also played in prevention. Agree that in an environment where 100% of people are vaccinated, certain restrictions need to be lifted.

 

The vaccines have never been purported to keep a person from getting (or transmitting) the novel coronavirus (although there’s promising data), but rather to prevent most recipients from severe illness and death from the disease SARS-CoV-2 causes, COVID-19. It has outperformed even the highest of hopes in this regard. The variants and the distribution of vaccines are in a race against one another, so the sooner more are vaccinated, the sooner the variants will have less people to infect, even with the small amount of breakthroughs.

Edited May 8, 2021 by syesmar

[ski ww]

I'm hoping by the time we cruise in July 2022 that all this will be sorted out.  Pre packaged meals, masking, social distancing, no exploring on your own is not why we cruise so that would be the end of cruising for us.  

[rucrazy]

2 minutes ago, ski ww said:

I'm hoping by the time we cruise in July 2022 that all this will be sorted out.  Pre packaged meals, masking, social distancing, no exploring on your own is not why we cruise so that would be the end of cruising for us.  

I must agree @ski ww Might as well  travel like my Dad used to ... order travel guides from AAA and sit on the sofa and say "Wow that was a good trip!"

[Gracie115]

The solution for us, if the CDC does not relent, will be to fly to Europe(or wherever) board a ship there, enjoy our cruise(s) and then fly home.  We won't spend $1000's to cruise under the current guidelines just to do it from a USA port.   

 

Whoever said somewhere on this thread that they thought the CDC wants no ships sailing from USA ports ever I suspect is right, at least with current leaders at that agency.  

 

Everyone knows several ships had terrible, horrifying outcomes in March 2020, when NO ONE in the world knew what we were dealing with.  For the CDC to treat the cruise lines as if they have learned nothing in the last 14 months while the entire rest of the world has is absurd. 

[Heartgrove]

Here is an analogy of the fluid situation of wearing/not wearing masks on the cruises that will soon resume.

 

You have new brakes installed on your car without a roadtest by the technician. Would you:

A. Drive off at highway speed without seeing if they work?

B. Drive slowly in the parking lot testing the brakes before starting out on the highway?

 

Six months or less of wearing masks on cruises where passengers and crew are vaccinated will see the requirement lifted. You need to crawl before you walk.

[KirkNC]

23 hours ago, rucrazy said:

You needed to finish her thought...."if people keep easing off"

Are you trying to ruin a good sound bite?

[rucrazy]

12 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Are you trying to ruin a good sound bite?

Ha Ha... well.............

[deckchair traveler]

I have nothing original to add. Just that for myself and my wife, who have about 350 sea days under our deckshoes, this is the end of cruising. I can't imagine anyone vacationing under such protocols that redefine the idea of travel itself. Why bother when you can stay home and watch Netflix? Personally, I suspect that is the goal, as the cruise industry doesn't fit with the climate paranoia that has gripped western Europe and the anglosphere.

[ehogan]

I feel very discouraged I have to say.  Love, love to cruise but for us in 2022 at least any cruise we go on will have to have a100% vaccination requirement for all on board and due to these CDC regulations will have to homeport outside the U.S.

 

Looking grim.

[Roz]

On 5/5/2021 at 9:30 PM, aliaschief said:

Stateside cruises on the Mississippi, Inter-coastal Waterways, Columbia River  or just an old fashioned road trip, and destination vacations may be future options.

 

I was going to "save" these cruises for when I reach the point when I no longer want to fly or travel overseas, but I may need to reevaluate that. 

 

On 5/5/2021 at 9:30 PM, aliaschief said:

We received small pox, yellow fever, polio, measles, mumps, pneumonia, flu, shingles etc. and are still alive.

 

Amen to that!  No hang wringing, no debates, you just got the shots.  I remember the announcement that Dr. Salk had developed a vaccine against polio.  A scourge upon humanity had been lifted.  We stood in line, got our shots, and swimming pools, playgrounds, etc. reopened and we went about our normal lives.

 

 

[sprinkles]

I guess I’ll finally jump in on this one.  After spending the last year traveling in our “new land yacht” (used motorhome) doing most of our own cooking, etc.  I’m ready to be back at sea.  Started cruising in my 20’s and not going to give it up 30 years later.  Plus “newer” DH had just gotten the “cruising bug” and misses it as well.  So when cruise friends booked for November we said why not.  We have a table for four (haven’t done fixed dining in ages), we’ve booked the same ship excursions, we’re all vaccinated.   Normally packing for seven days isn’t worth it to me, but honestly don’t care.  Looking forward to it, even if masks etc are in affect.

 

 

[Heartgrove]

43 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

I was going to "save" these cruises for when I reach the point when I no longer want to fly or travel overseas, but I may need to reevaluate that. 

 

All of these venues currently still require mask wearing, Covid testing, etc. Yes, even the cruises on the Mississippi and Europe.

[Roz]

3 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

 

All of these venues currently still require mask wearing, Covid testing, etc. Yes, even the cruises on the Mississippi and Europe.

 

I thought the ships under 150 passenger didn't come under CDC regs.  Maybe I'm mistaken.  Bottom line is, travel has become onerous.