An Issue with Celebrity’s Plan?

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, Laurab23 said:

I would book it.

 

Me, too!

[D C]

12 hours ago, ATLfuzzy said:

Is Desantis, the Florida governor going to block this Edge sailing,  or is this just a scandalous headline?  I would cancel my Symphony sailing tomorrow to book and sail on Edge if I knew it was going to sail. 
 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251706998.html

Even if the law is valid, he can't stop a JUNE sailing based on a law that takes effect in JULY 🙂

[C-Dragons]

11 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Yep...those Caribbean cruises from Massachusetts will go over big with the public.

 

2 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

I would book it.

 

Works for me too, we could drive to the port. 😁

[C-Dragons]

7 hours ago, gotrichard said:

Even if they do sail...their terms are insane. This is taken from the ACTUAL booking page for the 1st sailing. You must agree to this and it is legally binding, no matter what their PR says. 

 

COVID-19 Policies and Procedures. Passenger understands that Carrier’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures may or will include (but are not be limited to): (1) providing an accurate, truthful and complete health questionnaire in a form and containing any and all health or travel-related questions as required by Carrier in its sole discretion, for each Passenger prior to boarding; (2) pre-embarkation and/or periodic testing and temperature checks of each Passenger; (3) modified capacity rules for activities (including but not limited to restaurants, gyms, and entertainment events onboard and for shore excursions) which may limit or eliminate the ability of Passenger to participate in particular activities; (4) mandatory use by each Passenger (except where medically contraindicated) of face coverings in most locations outside of the Passenger’s cabin while onboard, during embarkation, disembarkation and shore excursions; (5) mandatory social distancing of Passengers at any/all times while on board and during embarkation, disembarkation, and shore excursions; (6) additional restrictions during shore excursions depending on local conditions, including but not limited to denial of disembarkation at destinations unless participating in only Carrier-approved shore excursions; (7) mandatory hand-sanitizing by Passenger upon entry or exit of any public areas; (8) confinement of Passengers to cabins, quarantine or emergency disembarkation of Passenger if, in Carrier’s sole discretion, such steps are necessary to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19; (9) the required completion by Passenger in a timely manner of any written authorizations or consent forms required for Carrier to carry out its COVID-19 Policies and Procedures (including but not limited to medical information, medical privacy, or personal data privacy consent forms), and; (10) other policies and procedures deemed by Carrier in its sole discretion to be necessary to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19. Passenger acknowledges that: (i) Carrier’s Privacy Policy for Health Protection Measures (“Health Privacy Policy”) is an integral part of Carrier’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures; (ii) the Health Privacy Policy has been made available to Passenger; and (iii) Passenger agrees to the terms of the Health Privacy Policy.

 

 

 

 

We had to agree to similar terms for our cruise in July.

No problem.

[sanger727]

35 minutes ago, D C said:

Even if the law is valid, he can't stop a JUNE sailing based on a law that takes effect in JULY 🙂

 

Yep, the first cruise will go in June. Then the next cruise that starts in July will board with vaccine requirement. And that leaves DeSantos between a rock and a hard place. Either take legal action based on the "illegal" vaccine requirement of the July cruise AND either watch the cruise lines flount his policies while legal action takes it's course or be the one who "shuts down" cruising again. Either he becomes the bad guy in the place of the CDC who he's been against for months now or he shows the businesses that they can do what they want and willfully disregard his orders while the courts rule on whether or not it's illegal.  

 

Or he does the smart thing and let's the cruise ships have an exemption. Then he can still believe his law applies to the rest of the the businesses in Florida and allow cruising to continue. win win. I believe he will choose this before July. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by sanger727

[Blauelini]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Agreed.  And, I just heard they are dropping the mask mandates for those who are fully vaccinated.  Plus, they’re dropping the age to 12 years old as a requirement for the COVID vaccine.

Mask mandate only goes away if cruiseline agrees to sail with 95% of passengers vaccinated. Royal CEO already stated they will not do this so parents can bring kids under 12 on board.  Thus all RCCL cruises will be mandatory masks and social distancing. That's why they are doing test cruises and Celebrity and NCL don't have to.

[dkjretired]

2 hours ago, baggal said:

Pre-COVID, cruise ships left from NYC and NJ for the Caribbean every week during the winter for 10 day Caribbean cruises.  Even though you spent a total of 3-4 days in less than tropical weather you were still on a CRUISE SHIP.  There's a huge market here in the Northeast for these cruises, especially for people who don't want to fly.  As an example, a family of 4 can drive down from Massachusetts to NYC in under 5 hours.  So yes, cruises from the Northeast are very popular with the public.

Good luck getting the governors of NY or NJ to approve.   Notice all those Bermuda cruises this year!!!!  I took two of those cruises in the winter and they were quite nice.   Also, take in the cost of fuel now would not make them real economical.

Edited May 27, 2021 by dkjretired

[graphicguy]

I can't see the cruise lines having to enforce the mask mandate for those who are not vaccinated.  That would be a nightmare for them, and a hassle for the passengers.  I also can't see how they can stipulate who will be among the 5% not vaccinated, and separate them from the 95% who are vaccinated.

 

The only way I see this is having the 5% be for children under 12.

[graphicguy]

11 minutes ago, Blauelini said:

Mask mandate only goes away if cruiseline agrees to sail with 95% of passengers vaccinated. Royal CEO already stated they will not do this so parents can bring kids under 12 on board.  Thus all RCCL cruises will be mandatory masks and social distancing. That's why they are doing test cruises and Celebrity and NCL don't have to.

Yeah....I'm looking strictly at Celebrity.

 

Kind of getting a little excited again looking at Celebrity after cancelling NCL.  Had to think of what I'd enjoy more.....race tracks and laser tag, or a relaxed cruise in an upscale environment.  Thinking Celebrity might have been the better choice all along.

Edited May 27, 2021 by graphicguy

[paulh84]

15 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I can't see the cruise lines having to enforce the mask mandate for those who are not vaccinated.  That would be a nightmare for them, and a hassle for the passengers.  I also can't see how they can stipulate who will be among the 5% not vaccinated, and separate them from the 95% who are vaccinated.

 

The only way I see this is having the 5% be for children under 12.

 

That was Celebrity's plan. 5% is allotted for kids who cannot be vaccinated. Everyone else is vaccinated. 

 

The stragglers that claim medical or religious exemption will have to be dealt with separately but I imagine there will be very few of them.

[graphicguy]

4 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

 

That was Celebrity's plan. 5% is allotted for kids who cannot be vaccinated. Everyone else is vaccinated. 

 

The stragglers that claim medical or religious exemption will have to be dealt with separately but I imagine there will be very few of them.

I can see that.  That brings up another question, too.  Who would really want to bring their "under 12 year old" on a Celebrity cruise, when you can do Disney, which is geared towards kids, or NCL which has pool slides, kids pools, arcades, etc?  Same goes for Carnival, who has slides, kids pools, arcades etc, too?

 

I think Celebrity will be fine on the COVID Vaccination front.

[cantstopingcruising]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I can see that.  That brings up another question, too.  Who would really want to bring their "under 12 year old" on a Celebrity cruise, when you can do Disney, which is geared towards kids, or NCL which has pool slides, kids pools, arcades, etc?  Same goes for Carnival, who has slides, kids pools, arcades etc, too?

 

I think Celebrity will be fine on the COVID Vaccination front.

Don't kid yourself. Celebrity has a very popular Kids' Club

[dkjretired]

19 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

Don't kid yourself. Celebrity has a very popular Kids' Club

Yup, we have had a number of people come on this board over the years and say their kids favored Celebrity over Disney.

[paulh84]

25 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

Don't kid yourself. Celebrity has a very popular Kids' Club

 

It may be popular among a small group, but as a whole and comparatively, Celebrity carries very few kids. That was the op's point. 

[C-Dragons]

20 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

Don't kid yourself. Celebrity has a very popular Kids' Club

But if they can't be vaccinated for the cruise due to age restrictions (under 12) the CDC says children still have to wear masks indoors. I see a potential problem if the vaccinated parents don't make sure there is compliance.

[luckyinpa]

2 hours ago, paulh84 said:

Those whole guise of privacy and fairness is absurd. I can't afford to sail in an Iconic Suite? Totally unfair, right? What if I lost my job and can't afford to vacation at all? Totally unfair? 

 

Then take a look at our 'privacy' as you leave for your cruise. 

 

They can subpeona your Uber ride to the airport, your flight information, your credit card and bank information, they know which Starbucks you got coffee at in the airport, video surveillance of you pretty much anywhere, they have your passport information, they know your allergies, they know any special needs or requests, they know your friends who linked their reservation to yours, they know who you slept with along with when you entered and left your cabin.

 

But knowing my vaccine status? That's it! That's where we cross the line! 🙄

 

 

they also know what you search for on your phone while you are using your friends wifi and then THEY get ads and blame you for them 🙂 

 

i do wonder what people on the forum are gonna complain about when all this is over. its made this place very unpleasant with all the bickering. 

[C-Dragons]

3 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

they also know what you search for on your phone while you are using your friends wifi and then THEY get ads and blame you for them 🙂 

 

i do wonder what people on the forum are gonna complain about when all this is over. its made this place very unpleasant with all the bickering. 

I think the mood will improve when people can get back on board and enjoy cruising again. Jmo.

Edited May 27, 2021 by C-Dragons

[nocl]

12 hours ago, cscurlock said:

I doubt it.  Its just fines, they can just keep accruing till the lawsuit is complete.  Again the lawsuit will fail on its merits because the constitution is clear.   At a minimum they can sail out of Louisiana or Texas which don't have such restrictions if it's a cariibbean sailing. 

The law is rather unclear. 

 

It is very clear that cruise lines do need to follow state law when in port.  That is clearly demonstrated by the cruise lines following the Texas liquor laws (only alcohol purchased in the state can be served while in state waters) as well as the collection of state sails taxes.

 

It will be an interesting court case that would put states rights, against maritime law and the Federal Governments control of international travel and transportation.

 

If the Governor really wanted to push the issue the ports are owned by either local government agencies or the State of Florida.  He could probably order the port facilities being used for that cruise to be closed.

 

The fact that a spokesman from the Governors office is still pushing the no vaccine status checking certainly implies that he will continue to push the issue.

 

There are ports in Savannah, Charleston, Mobile and New Orleans that could be used if this continues.  Of course there is some local resistance to cruise ships in a couple of those cities.

 

 

 

 

[luckyinpa]

42 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

I think the mood will improve when people can get back on board and enjoy cruising again. Jmo.

 

you have a point. i was negligent not thinking about peoples mental well being and how much it's attached to cruising. except for potato chips and mt dew i'm not that addicted to anything thankfully.  i really cannot wait to get back on a cruise though because i will lose so much weight all the walking around i do vs at home being a cushion on my sofa. 

[luckyinpa]

2 minutes ago, nocl said:

The law is rather unclear. 

 

It is very clear that cruise lines do need to follow state law when in port.  That is clearly demonstrated by the cruise lines following the Texas liquor laws (only alcohol purchased in the state can be served while in state waters) as well as the collection of state sails taxes.

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

how in the world do they enforce that. mandate all booze be bought in tx vs other cheaper suppliers? that sounds like a logistical nightmare and an increase in cost for sure

 

do they switch out the booze once they get 12 miles out?

[nocl]

3 hours ago, K.T.B. said:

 

That would be like using a nuclear bomb instead of a fly swatter to get rid of the annoying gnat.  Besides, the federal government controls what goes on in the ports.  The Coast Guard or the TSA would have far more authority than the National Guard or State Police at the cruise port.

The federal government does not control the ports.  Look at each of the ports in Florida and see who owns and controls them. The only Federal Government involvement is the use of CBP for immigration clearance and the use of some Coast Guard personnel.

 

For example Port Everglades is operated by Broward County.

 

All of the following personnel responsible for operation and security are county employees

 

Operations Division
Acting Division Director: Ricardo Charlton
Assistant Division Director: Jeffrey White
Operations Supervisor: Anna Silva
Chief Harbormaster: Conrad Strong
Operations Supervisor: Anna Silva
Crane Maintenance Manger: Arnold De La Cruz

All operational functions are overseen by this division, including coordination of ship berth assignments, stevedoring and agency needs of Port users, special events logistics, maintenance of tariff rules and regulations  and responsibility over:

• Gantry Cranes - Midport and Southport
• Harbormaster
• Linehandlers
• Public Works 

 

Port Security Administration
Tel: 954-468-0140
Port Security Manager: Robert Jenkins
Security Supervisor: Terry Cuzzort 

[nocl]

2 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

how in the world do they enforce that. mandate all booze be bought in tx vs other cheaper suppliers? that sounds like a logistical nightmare and an increase in cost for sure

 

do they switch out the booze once they get 12 miles out?

Yes they do.  If you have ever sailed out of Texas (Houston or Galveston).  The choice of alcohol is severely reduced, until the ship leaves port and is out to sea.

 

 

[dallasdan]

I believe New York has the same laws as Texas.  You cannot purchase the beverage plan until day 2 of the cruise.  

[kstetser]

2 hours ago, dkjretired said:

Good luck getting the governors of NY or NJ to approve.   Notice all those Bermuda cruises this year!!!!  I took two of those cruises in the winter and they were quite nice.   Also, take in the cost of fuel now would not make them real economical.

I don't think my governor (Murphy NJ) will have any issue with cruises sailing from Port Liberty with the vaccination requirement.

[luckyinpa]

5 minutes ago, nocl said:

Yes they do.  If you have ever sailed out of Texas (Houston or Galveston).  The choice of alcohol is severely reduced, until the ship leaves port and is out to sea.

 

 

 

wow thats insane for the boozers. i feel bad for them. kinda shocked no one overturned this law to please their constituents.  

 

my 1st cruise i was in haven in NYC and one woman was complaining about the pennies tax on the drink she had. spent 10K for a cabin and worried about a few cents (insert rolleyes here)