2 passengers on first 100% vaccinated North American cruise test positive for COVID-19

[KennyFla]

9 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

If the media is correct (and that is a stretch) this was a 💯 vaccinated sailing ….

 

Two passengers who shared a room onboard Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Millennium ship, which was carrying only fully vaccinated passengers and crew, have tested positive for COVID-19, the cruise line said in a statement.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/06/10/passengers-positive-covid-after-sailing-100-vaccinated-cruise/7645511002/

If they were not able to pass it to other passengers, I think that is good news.

For all the hand wringers, if you are vaccinated and then exposed, you probably won't know it unless you are tested.  And probably won't pass it to anyone else.

[chengkp75]

Let me amend my previous post, since the cruise does not operate in US waters, the MSC mitigation plan would not be CDC approved, but it still may require masks after positive testing.

 

And, having a lot of brain farts this morning, since this is Celebrity, not MSC.  Sorry.

Edited June 11, 2021 by chengkp75

[craig01020]

While it's possible for vaccinated people to contract the virus, but it's also possible to fake vaccination cards if you're not vaccinated.

 

Just sayin'.

[KennyFla]

51 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The fact that they test positive means that they are shedding virus which can be caught by others. 

No. It doesn’t. 

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, KennyFla said:

No. It doesn’t. 

Correct, no it doesn't. My doctor told me that at the end of my rather mild bout with Covid-19, I might test positive for the presence of Sars-CoV-2 but that the virus was no longer active and I couldn't transmit the virus to others. IOW testing positive doesn't automatically mean you're a threat.

[vpearlkc]

8 minutes ago, WarfRatWA said:

Its not a fear of of the un-vaccinated, but rather a fear of a vacation ruined due to safety protocols enacted after someone tests positive.  Case in point, this individual was quarantined overnight on the Millennium after being on the same shore excursion as those that tested positive.  To lose one night on a 7 day cruise would suck.  This occurred on a fully vaccinated ship.  Its not about eliminating the threat of COVID, its about minimizing its affect.  If you throw a bunch of un-vaccinated people on a ship, this kind of micro-outbreak will rise exponentially....getting sick isn't the point, its the vacation that is ruined and money wasted.  I'd rather hedge my bet and cruise with vaccinated people.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/celebrity-millennium-cruise-ship-covid/

Exactly. My wife and I have both had covid and both been vaccinated. We have no fear of getting sick but are concerned about testing positive on some mandatory test.

 

We have two trips booked that require testing. The first in Oct. is a two week stay in Puerto Vallarta and the second is a cruise in April. We will risk the Puerto Vallarta trip because it is easier to control where we go and what we do.

 

If all the testing and contact tracing are still in place we will probably cancel the cruise before final payment. I personally don't care if there are a few covid positive people on a cruise with me. We will never get back to normal as long as asymptomatic people are required to be tested. This disease will be around for many years. 

[BermudaBound2014]

I found this on the Celebrity board (thank you to the poster).  These are the exact boarding requirements for Celebrity Millennium sailing. I'm confident the italicized bold part below is accurate. The rumor is there were only 5 children onboard this sailing. I have not been able to verify the kid status. Regardless, these are very strict policies. Just goes to show it is going to be impossible to keep covid off ships. How its dealt with is the key. 

This is from the Celebrity TA site for the St. Maarten sailings (I can't post a link as you need to be a TA to log in):

Celebrity Boarding Requirements:

• Celebrity Cruises requires all guests age 16 and above to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to sail date. As of August 1, 2021, all guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination is required in the form of the original vaccination card. No photocopies or photos accepted.
• All guests ages 2 and up must present a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to arrival to St. Maarten. This requirement differs from St Maarten entry requirements which are 120 hours prior to departure. Name on test results must match those on government issued identification.
• Unvaccinated children between the ages of 2-15 must complete an RT-PCR test at the terminal prior to boarding. 

[The Traveling Man]

There is a thread on this subject on the Celebrity forum which already has some 300 replies.  You may want to browse that thread for more info.

[Ed342]

Here's the story:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/ab/agents/variation-a/news/6183/

[sugcarol]

Isnt it possible that they were exposed to the virus in port? Way too many false positive cases have shown up and passenger is 100% vaxed. They need to stop all this testing. Unless a passenger  becomes ill. This is no longer the big danger. we know what it is, how to treat and how to prevent. This is not march 2020. I am not afraid because I am vaccinated. I dont want a disruption of the cruise just because  some asymptomatic person was tested. How many people in the grocery store and Target I went to yesterday were asymptomatic and would have  tested positive. We will never be clear of it 100%. I personally will not take any cruise that either starts or calls on a foreign country. My first cruise in November will be in Hawaii, I will not sail on any ship that calls on a foreign port  for at least another 8 months.

[AdoraBelle]

6 hours ago, sugcarol said:

Way too many false positive cases have shown up and passenger is 100% vaxed. They need to stop all this testing. Unless a passenger  becomes ill.

They weren’t false positives. Subsequent tests were positive.

Blaming the testing is not the solution. Also, “they” was the island of Sint Maarten, requiring a negative test for disembark.

[CaptainWoody]

6 hours ago, sugcarol said:

I personally will not take any cruise that either starts or calls on a foreign country. 

My next two are Alaska (skipping CN) and Hawaii.  I won't be scheduled for a foreign port until Canada in October 2022.  I sure hope things settle down by then.

[aubreyc1988]

10 hours ago, vpearlkc said:

Exactly. My wife and I have both had covid and both been vaccinated. We have no fear of getting sick but are concerned about testing positive on some mandatory test.

 

We have two trips booked that require testing. The first in Oct. is a two week stay in Puerto Vallarta and the second is a cruise in April. We will risk the Puerto Vallarta trip because it is easier to control where we go and what we do.

 

If all the testing and contact tracing are still in place we will probably cancel the cruise before final payment. I personally don't care if there are a few covid positive people on a cruise with me. We will never get back to normal as long as asymptomatic people are required to be tested. This disease will be around for many years. 

I was just telling this to my husband over dinner.  If NCL requires testing for vaccinated cruises, idk if I am going to go ahead and cruise until that is no longer a requirement. I saw this article where they interviewed two people who were in close contact with the two positive cases, they were quarantined in their room Thursday, given a test, and had to wait in their rooms until sometime Friday for the results. While they raved about how celebrity brought them dinner, treats, champagne, I do NOT want to sit around in my room quarantined on a vaccinated cruise.  I understand completely why the cruiselines did this, out of an abundance of caution, but my vacation time is limited and all this testing and contact tracing just spells out "high chance of  having your vacation cancelled/interrupted"

[Warm-Water Diver]

13 hours ago, craig01020 said:

While it's possible for vaccinated people to contract the virus, but it's also possible to fake vaccination cards if you're not vaccinated.

 

Just sayin'.

Exactly what I was thinking!

[MichiganBound]

18 minutes ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

Exactly what I was thinking!

I was thinking exactly the same thing.  Wouldn't it be ironic if it turns out the two passengers gained access to the ship using fake vax cards.  Probably not the case but time will tell.

[sugcarol]

I feel there should be a second form showing the vax was given. I have 2 besides the card and feel that is sufficient. I also think if someone who tests positive that had the vax  should have to prove it some other way. I tend to hold up my pants with a belt, suspenders and rope. People do lie and will but it should have severe consequences if they do. I still feel they are taking the testing to extremes, but that may fade away soon. I am not afraid as I am fully vaccinated but worry about what others have done and not done and it cuts short the cruise and have to quarantine. All 50 states have health depts and those vax were not only reported to the CDC but also the state health dept. it takes time to get the verification but is available. The people that gave the vaccine had to keep records and input into a data base.

Edited June 12, 2021 by sugcarol

[zdcatc12]

On 6/10/2021 at 8:45 PM, DCGuy64 said:

2 people out of 500 = .04% positive rate. Land based vacations would love to see numbers that low, just sayin. 

Actually a .4% positivity rate, but still low.

[DCGuy64]

6 minutes ago, zdcatc12 said:

Actually a .4% positivity rate, but still low.

Correct, sorry. I divided 2 by 500 and it was .004, I should have moved the 4 over. But you get my point. Still very low. 

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, sugcarol said:

Way too many false positive cases have shown up and passenger is 100% vaxed. They need to stop all this testing. Unless a passenger  becomes ill. This is no longer the big danger. we know what it is, how to treat and how to prevent. This is not march 2020. I am not afraid because I am vaccinated. I dont want a disruption of the cruise just because  some asymptomatic person was tested. How many people in the grocery store and Target I went to yesterday were asymptomatic and would have  tested positive. We will never be clear of it 100%. 

In the case of cruises home ported outside your country (I.e., Celebrity out of Sint Maarten or Royal out of Nassau, guest need to be tested onboard to disembark and return home. 
 

Royal is now requiring all passengers to have a negative PCR test before boarding. 

 

[roger001]

Still too much for me.  Until I can just show my card, go on board without further restrictions, just not going to do it.  I might not be cruising for a while it seems.  

[untailored bostonian]

On 6/10/2021 at 8:10 PM, oteixeira said:

So what you are saying is, they took the vaccine, and they tested positive but have no symptoms, aren't sick, and didn't pass it to anyone else on the ship based on all the others testing negative?  Sounds like everything (including the vaccine) is working as designed.  This is a win, people are going to test positive if you test everyone all the time.

The only point, we lack data on how infections vaccinated but asymptomaticly ill with covid are.

[WarfRatWA]

On 6/11/2021 at 2:10 AM, oteixeira said:

So what you are saying is, they took the vaccine, and they tested positive but have no symptoms, aren't sick, and didn't pass it to anyone else on the ship based on all the others testing negative?  Sounds like everything (including the vaccine) is working as designed.  This is a win, people are going to test positive if you test everyone all the time.

No one knows if they passed it to anyone else on the ship.  It can take up to 7days before testing will catch an infection.

[untailored bostonian]

11 hours ago, MichiganBound said:

I was thinking exactly the same thing.  Wouldn't it be ironic if it turns out the two passengers gained access to the ship using fake vax cards.  Probably not the case but time will tell.

Being vaccinated does not make you immune.  We recently saw that multiple, 9 I think, members of the New York Yankees tested positive although they were fully vaccinated.

 

Their work place requires nearly daily PCR testing. 99% plus of fully vaccinated individuals never get tested for covid. However, if they were we would find a significant number do catch covid and maybe multiple times.

 

Most post vaccination cases of covid are asymptomatic and those with symptoms are only mildly ill. They may be contagious but that is still unclear.

[dolphin lady]

I'm confused, I was wondering why they had to be tested in the first place if they showed proof of being vaccinated. Is it they went on a shore excursion and had to be tested when they came back? If it is, is this going to be the normal procedure everytime you get of the ship?

[Ocean Cat]

I hope all this is sorted out before Sept which is my final payment. 
VPear we just got back from Vallarta. No one was wearing masks or social distancing except service ppl. We got our test to come back home from the Hotel Mercurio in Romantica. It was $55. More expensive than the airport tests but more convienent.