Message From Richard Fain

[nyllrap]

(11) Royal Caribbean Group CEO updates when cruises will begin this summer - YouTube

[exm]

Great news.

[jrapps]

The really important part is around the 3:00 mark. He talks about the 2 structures (95% vs test sailings).

 

Celebrity and Silverseas will sail in the 95% and up structure, while Royal Caribbean Int. will sail with a lower threshold, HOWVER (and this is the critical part) even the RCI sailings with less that 95% vaccinated will REQUIRE vaccines.

 

"Everyone who is eligible for a vaccine will be expected to have one, however children under 12 can't yet get the shot and RCI carries a lot of families."

 

There you have it. Vaccines required, 12+, even in the sailings under 95% of the ship vaccinated.

 

[harkinmr]

1 minute ago, jrapps said:

The really important part is around the 3:00 mark. He talks about the 2 structures (95% vs test sailings).

 

Celebrity and Silverseas will sail in the 95% and up structure, while Royal Caribbean Int. will sail with a lower threshold, HOWVER (and this is the critical part) even the RCI sailings with less that 95% vaccinated will REQUIRE vaccines.

 

"Everyone who is eligible for a vaccine will be expected to have one, however children under 12 can't yet get the shot and RCI carries a lot of families."

 

There you have it. Vaccines required, 12+, even in the sailings under 95% of the ship vaccinated.

 

So how is RCI going to get around the 95/98 percentages?  The CSO gives two options: vaccinated or unvaccinated/partially vaccinated with different protocols applied to each type. I don’t think the CDC has said 95 + whatever amount of unvaccinated children. The whole point is to limit possible infections on board. 

[jrapps]

Just now, harkinmr said:

So how is RCI going to get around the 95/98 percentages?  The CSO gives two options: vaccinated or unvaccinated/partially vaccinated with different protocols applied to each type. I don’t think the CDC has said 95 + whatever amount of unvaccinated children. The whole point is to limit possible infections on board. 

They aren't getting around it. Their RCI cruises intend to sail with ALL ELIGIBLE people, mandatory vaccines. But they acknowledge that even with that requirement, they wont hit 95% because of kids, so they will have to go test cruise route for RCI cruises AND mandate vaccines onboard.

[Jeremiah1212]

17 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

So how is RCI going to get around the 95/98 percentages?  The CSO gives two options: vaccinated or unvaccinated/partially vaccinated with different protocols applied to each type. I don’t think the CDC has said 95 + whatever amount of unvaccinated children. The whole point is to limit possible infections on board. 

 

From Michael Bayley's latest post, they have applied to do test cruises. Although they still intend to try to have the majority of passengers vaccinated. So if you qualify for a vaccine, you have to have it. But if 15% of passengers on board are unvaccinated minors, they (in theory) will be okay to cruise. 

[molly361]

He said cruises would start next month.  Was the video released early or are they looking to start in June?

 

Mr. Fain started off his video update to travel agents by stating how good things are looking, "we can now state with a high level of confidence that ships from the Royal Caribbean group will be operating out of US ports as early as next month."

Edited May 24, 2021 by molly361

[irishgal432]

He also said that they will be sailing with reduced capacity initially.  

[molly361]

The local news just reported that test sailings will be going out of PC in June, who knows if that is accurate but that could be what Fain meant about starting next month

[Sunshine3601]

I'm sorry I'm still at work and didn't listen to his video yet.    Did he say how long it takes for test cruises and when they expect to have RCG ships sailing out of the US?

[RFerrington]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

So if you qualify for a vaccine, you have to have it. But if 15% of passengers on board are unvaccinated minors, they (in theory) will be okay to cruise. 

I found the distinction of medically exempt to NOT be included in the "eligible" group to be very interesting.  It sounded like, to me, that medically exempt would be included in the 5% that could be unvaxxed.  That's great news for me.

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, jrapps said:

They aren't getting around it. Their RCI cruises intend to sail with ALL ELIGIBLE people, mandatory vaccines. But they acknowledge that even with that requirement, they wont hit 95% because of kids, so they will have to go test cruise route for RCI cruises AND mandate vaccines onboard.

Something doesn't quite make sense. In order to participate in the "test cruises" , one of the previous requirements was that you had to be age 18+. To try and word this correctly....How is that a comparable test for cruises that will have unvaccinated children (and possibly others) onboard later on? 

[harkinmr]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

From Michael Bayley's latest post, they have applied to do test cruises. Although they still intend to try to have the majority of passengers vaccinated. So if you qualify for a vaccine, you have to have it. But if 15% of passengers on board are unvaccinated minors, they (in theory) will be okay to cruise. 

True, but that means the other protocols will apply. Wonder how they are going to police that. And, no, it’s not a good idea to have 500 +/- unvaccinated children on board possibly giving it to each other and/or bringing it home to spread. Oh well, their choice. I wouldn’t go near a cruise like that...

[harkinmr]

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

He said cruises would start next month.  Was the video released early or are they looking to start in June?

 

Mr. Fain started off his video update to travel agents by stating how good things are looking, "we can now state with a high level of confidence that ships from the Royal Caribbean group will be operating out of US ports as early as next month."

How in the world are they going to accomplish test cruises, PLUS the Conditional Sail Permit process, PLUS repatriating, vaccinating and quarantining all crew, all in less than 30 days?  Impossible. He must have been talking about the other North America cruises. 

Edited May 24, 2021 by harkinmr

[zdad59]

This will playing on a constant loop in the elevators and wash rooms.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48etEql31D4

 

[dswallow]

22 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Something doesn't quite make sense. In order to participate in the "test cruises" , one of the previous requirements was that you had to be age 18+. To try and word this correctly....How is that a comparable test for cruises that will have unvaccinated children (and possibly others) onboard later on? 

 

The concept of a test cruise has always been something of a questionable benefit, considering it also only requires something like 10% of the number of passengers at the capacity they want to run the revenue cruises at. So, really, what exactly are they testing here? Especially considering they're managing just fine doing pretty much everything they need to do on Quantum and with crew on all the other ships (i.e., monitor, quarantine, test, social distance, etc.).

 

At best it was mostly just another arbitrary hurdle to jump over because it allowed the CDC to write up lots of requirements and procedures and look important.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by dswallow

[jrapps]

19 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Something doesn't quite make sense. In order to participate in the "test cruises" , one of the previous requirements was that you had to be age 18+. To try and word this correctly....How is that a comparable test for cruises that will have unvaccinated children (and possibly others) onboard later on? 

I agree, it's odd. I didn't make the rules I just talk about em!

 

I never understood why test cruises were 18 and up especially on ships that carry a lot of children. How do you test health protocols in a kids club if there are no kids?

 

That said, from what the video says they will have to do test cruises for all Royal Caribbean international ships that intend to sail with more than 5% children under 12 (I interpret that to be all of them from his video) even though the test cruise itself will have no children on board. Once the test cruise is completed then they will be free to sail requiring passengers 12 and up to have vaccines and no restrictions on the number of kids onboard.

[Merion_Mom]

Royal Caribbean Expects Passengers to Be Vaccinated Before Boarding, CEO Says (msn.com)

[Sunshine3601]

43 minutes ago, jrapps said:

I agree, it's odd. I didn't make the rules I just talk about em!

 

I never understood why test cruises were 18 and up especially on ships that carry a lot of children. How do you test health protocols in a kids club if there are no kids?

 

That said, from what the video says they will have to do test cruises for all Royal Caribbean international ships that intend to sail with more than 5% children under 12 (I interpret that to be all of them from his video) even though the test cruise itself will have no children on board. Once the test cruise is completed then they will be free to sail requiring passengers 12 and up to have vaccines and no restrictions on the number of kids onboard.

Makes no sense to do a test cruise because children under 12 cannot be vaccinated but dont have any children on a test cruise.

[jrapps]

6 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Makes no sense to do a test cruise because children under 12 cannot be vaccinated but dont have any children on a test cruise.

Wait this was the ”makes sense” forum? I knew I was in the wrong place....

[Jeremiah1212]

1 hour ago, Coralc said:

Something doesn't quite make sense. In order to participate in the "test cruises" , one of the previous requirements was that you had to be age 18+. To try and word this correctly....How is that a comparable test for cruises that will have unvaccinated children (and possibly others) onboard later on? 

 

The idea isn't to purposely try to play with fire and mitigate an actual COVID situation on board. In the version currently published you do have to be 18+ but you do not have to be vaccinated to participate. They have to carry out several simulations (hence the name) as though there was a COVID outbreak and test their new procedures and systems for COVID mitigation. The technical instructions have a list of 15-20 simulated activities they have to perform among many other things. 

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Jeremiah1212

[VCR]

He said there will be people unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons.  All anyone who doesn't want to get the vaccine has to say is they can't for "religious" reasons.  My parents neighbor already is planning to say this and she hasn't stepped foot in a church in the 25 years I've known her.  

[gadaboutgal]

9 minutes ago, VCR said:

He said there will be people unable to be vaccinated for medical or religious reasons.  All anyone who doesn't want to get the vaccine has to say is they can't for "religious" reasons.  My parents neighbor already is planning to say this and she hasn't stepped foot in a church in the 25 years I've known her.  

But don't they still have to be included among the 5% non-vaccinated?  So how will they determine who would be booked within the 5% which also includes children?  First Come First Served?

[Jeremiah1212]

5 minutes ago, gadaboutgal said:

But don't they still have to be included among the 5% non-vaccinated?  So how will they determine who would be booked within the 5% which also includes children?  First Come First Served?

 

If they go the test/simulated cruise path, there is no 5% to meet. In that case CDC essentially says no one has to be vaccinated. Royal is saying they want all eligible people vaccinated. They can have as many unvaccinated kids or fake religious or creatively allergic people on board as they want. 

[Sunshine3601]

As I understand it, each and every cruise ship has to do their own test cruise.  If that is the case it will take time.