RCL Announces no vaccines required

[Living.the.life]

I was so happy when I learned cruise lines would be requiring passengers and crew needed to be vaccinated.  Yesterday RCL has bent to the will of FLA. Governor deSantis and reversed that policy no longer required vaccines.  Personally, I’m very unhappy about that decision and very concerned other cruise lines will follow suit.  I won’t sail on a ship that doesn’t have a vaccine mandate.  What are your thoughts?

[uktog]

Azamara is no longer connected to RCL so luckily can set their own standards.  Its going to be hard enough getting back into the UK having been on a cruise ship, I took comfort that being on a vaccinated ship would help.  As I said elsewhere I would not be happy if Azamara changed their rules, it is a time to my next cruise but for this year if I was cruising, I would only go with a line that has a vaccination mandate.

[ECCruise]

27 minutes ago, uktog said:

Azamara is no longer connected to RCL so luckily can set their own standards.  Its going to be hard enough getting back into the UK having been on a cruise ship, I took comfort that being on a vaccinated ship would help.  As I said elsewhere I would not be happy if Azamara changed their rules, it is a time to my next cruise but for this year if I was cruising, I would only go with a line that has a vaccination mandate.

Same here.

Our first cruise back will be Quest Spain intensive in November (vax required).  Then NCL Dawn in December from Italy (vax required).  Then RCCL Brilliance OTC in Florida in December (no vax required). 

 

Guess which one will be cancelled first thing tomorrow morning. 

[excitedofharpenden]

Bottom line. If there is no requirement for a vaccination against Covid-19 on Azamara I will not be sailing them. The politics of it (of which I have no idea and no horse in the race) doesn't interest me. Azamara don't go to the US on many cruises anyway. 

 

Phil 

[mwf7501]

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.”

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251909713.html

 

Perhaps "other protocols" will include that these folks are not permitted to leave their staterooms.
 

[Leo_On_Geo]

I will only travel if everyone (passenger and crew) is vaccinated. Non vaccinated passengers might not be allowed in many international ports, as well.

[jelayne]

The vaccinated option requires 95% vaccinated passengers.  Royal is targeted to families and with many children not yet eligible for vaccination they chose to go the test cruise route and then have be able to sail without the 95% requirement.

 

Azamara has a different target market so I would not expect anything Royal does to influence them. 

[Living.the.life]

2 hours ago, mwf7501 said:

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.”

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251909713.html

 

Perhaps "other protocols" will include that these folks are not permitted to leave their staterooms.
 

 

[Living.the.life]

I sincerely hope Azamara doesn’t follow suit. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Living.the.life

[AJCM]

Our booked Azamara cruises for 2022 explicitly specify that vaccination is required. We won’t worry about this matter unless they do change their policy. 

[AJCM]

Apparently the Governor of Florida, along with any cruise line which allows unvaccinated guests, fails to consider the consequence of another Dawn or Ruby Princess wanting to dock there.

[Dr H]

Tempest in a tea pot! Getting into countries unvaccinated will be problematic, and I suspect spot covid testing will be required. (Not that a negative rapid test for covid actually means anything...) That said, we are sailing in 5 months, a relative lifetime when it comes to this political and public health football. And DW and I are both vaccinated, with papers that I will happily produce, and so far the microchips they put into our bodies don't seem to be causing any problems. Bottom line is, if YOU have been vaccinated, it will be an absolute fluke if you get sick on board, and if you do, it will be pretty mild, non life threatening, and you aren't going to make me sick with your coughing. I'm going!

[Skicruiser55]

59 minutes ago, AJCM said:

Apparently the Governor of Florida, along with any cruise line which allows unvaccinated guests, fails to consider the consequence of another Dawn or Ruby Princess wanting to dock there.

And sadly if there is an outbreak on a ship sailing from FL watch how quickly the Governor WON’T allow the ship back into a FL port!!  

[donaldsc]

6 hours ago, Living.the.life said:

I was so happy when I learned cruise lines would be requiring passengers and crew needed to be vaccinated.  Yesterday RCL has bent to the will of FLA. Governor deSantis and reversed that policy no longer required vaccines.  Personally, I’m very unhappy about that decision and very concerned other cruise lines will follow suit.  I won’t sail on a ship that doesn’t have a vaccine mandate.  What are your thoughts?

 

Hopefully this will have a major impact on the number of people who cruise with them.  I personally will not cruise on any line that does not require vaccinations.

 

DON

[Grandma Cruising]

I totally agree with everyone here, I’ll only sail on a ship that requires vaccinations.

Doesn’t Celebrity have some cruises from Florida? I heard there might be some sort of arrangement where people will not be asked to show the vaccination proof in the terminal in Miami or other Florida port, but only once onboard in order to get around the Florida governor’s ruling.

[royallondon]

Whilst we’re feeling more confident with regard to a return to cruising,  we would only consider those lines that require full vacation.

With more cruise lines getting ready to commence their “staycation” sailings, the future of cruising is highly dependent on them maintaining the highest standard of Covid protocols.  Complacency after a few sailings could be disastrous for everyone.

 

Regards

[jelayne]

6 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

I totally agree with everyone here, I’ll only sail on a ship that requires vaccinations.

Doesn’t Celebrity have some cruises from Florida? I heard there might be some sort of arrangement where people will not be asked to show the vaccination proof in the terminal in Miami or other Florida port, but only once onboard in order to get around the Florida governor’s ruling.

The 1st.cruise from FL departs before the law takes effect so Celebrity can require proof of vaccinations.    Beyond that sailing it isn’t clear what will happen.  Arbitration failed.  The wait until aboard rumor has some problems as the  ship is still in Florida.  If they wait until the ship departs and then check, it’s kind of late as any non vaccinated  will have been on boards  socializing for a few hours, and then what, turn the ship around and disembark them?  Glad it’s not my problem to solve.

[Ithikan]

Florida's governor has blocked any business or government entity from asking any person about their vaccine status.  Fine for asking is $5,000 per incident.  And it was announced today that Florida will no longer release daily virus data, moving to weekly updates.  Good thing the state enjoys so many sandy beaches, ideal for the burying of heads...

[Aardvaark]

8 hours ago, Ithikan said:

Florida's governor has blocked any business or government entity from asking any person about their vaccine status.  Fine for asking is $5,000 per incident.  And it was announced today that Florida will no longer release daily virus data, moving to weekly updates.  Good thing the state enjoys so many sandy beaches, ideal for the burying of heads...

This thing started when some Florida stores said they would not admit un-vacinnated people.  That smacked of discrimination, and the cry went out that "you can't do that".  So now, by EO until 1 July, and by bills passed by the legislature and the senate, and signed by the governor, discrimination based on vaccination status is not allowed.

 

My next cruises don't touch the US, so I'll just wait it out.

 

Further, we've been vaccinated, so why do we care if others are not - they walk the streets among us.

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Aardvaark
Added sentence, corrected spelling.

[Rabo]

12 minutes ago, Aardvaark said:

Further, we've been vaccinated, so why do we care if others are not - they walk the streets among us.

The reason I care is that if a person who is not vaccinated comes down with COVID while on the cruise (through prior exposure or exposure during an excursion) everyone on the cruise can be affected. Remember what happened on the cruises (other than Azamara) at the beginning of the pandemic. 

[Baynanno1]

True, non vaccinated and vaccinated people are walking the streets together, but that is a far cry from sharing the enclosed spaces on board a ship. (Ruby Princess arrival in Sydney)

 

Azamara is now owned by Sycamore Partners who are based in New York.

 

Three of the Azamara fleet are registered in Valletta, Malta, but Onward may still be registered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

 

Just a thought, but Sycamore Partners could require proof of vaccination at the time of booking, long before any ship arrives to depart from a Florida port.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Baynanno1 said:

True, non vaccinated and vaccinated people are walking the streets together, but that is a far cry from sharing the enclosed spaces on board a ship. (Ruby Princess arrival in Sydney)

 

Azamara is now owned by Sycamore Partners who are based in New York.

 

Three of the Azamara fleet are registered in Valletta, Malta, but Onward may still be registered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

 

Just a thought, but Sycamore Partners could require proof of vaccination at the time of booking, long before any ship arrives to depart from a Florida port.

That's my thought for avoiding the whole Florida (and now Texas) issue:  require pre-registration including proof of vaccine; no checking of luggage if not on pre-registration manifest; doublecheck vaccine status once out of FL or TX jurisdiction – if you fail, you are disembarked at first port [on transatlantics this may require walking the plank, checking with SCOTUS on this ].  All covered in TOC, so no refund or lawsuit.

[Louhut1]

I also will not cruise unless all are vaccinated. I read that to get around Florida law, it will be voluntary to show you vaccination status. However if you don’t you will be treated as non vaccinated. You will have to wear a mask at all times and pay for any covid test they do at the end of the cruise where for vaccinated it is free.  Also you might not be able to get off the ship in places that don’t want anyone who is not vaccinated unless they go thru isolation. This might give someone pause. Not sure how they will enforce it.  This is only for those who have had access to vaccines not under 12. We will see how things pan out. 

[Grandma Cruising]

I certainly won’t go on any cruises that start in Florida!

[uktog]

I wonder if like some other lines Azamara will say no Under 12s (or 18s) in the short term. I was looking at our case data here in Scotland where on first glance numbers have shot up.  However over 50% of cases are under 18 so they are the problem group.  Virtually all are asymptomatic but have got picked up during school testing.  It’s also good to see less than 8% are over 55 aka the stage of the population now at two jags.  Further evidence vaccines work.  So a simple precaution in the short term is to say no children until vaccines catch up with them safely.