John Heald is stuck in the UK :( Will not be able to cruise :(

[matymil]

John Heald is live right now and he just said that he was denied at Heathrow airport because of the new UK variant. He would have been able to fly out yesterday but they put this new rule into effect literally just hours ago so he had no idea. He has an exemption letter plus all of his proper paperwork but it still got him nowhere. He is obviously devastated so if you can show him some love today on social media 😢

[reeinaz]

I just saw his video. To be clear, it’s the US that is denying him entry. 

[Honolulu Blue]

Ah, another twist caused by the virus.  I feel sorry for him and his fans who are about to be stood up by him.  You know what they say, always arrive 3 days before your cruise. 😁

[Bostwick girl]

Poor John is heartbroken, and so are a lot of others there this morning. Hoping someone from the Mother Ship has some big connections with the embassy or the President and can get him thru. 
 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Ironic, as vaccinations should be essentially a passport!

Tom

[jimbo5544]

31 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Ironic, as vaccinations should be essentially a passport!

Tom

Irony reigns supreme these days

[ryanpatricksmom]

That's sad.  We're on first (not officially the inaugural sailing) of the Mardi Gras and he was expected to sail with us.  I'm a little confused because I thought that travel from the UK had been shut down for ages, and only expected to resume sometime around July 4th....now pushed back because of the Delta Variant.  I've read numerous stories about people flying to other countries from the UK, staying there for the required 2 weeks, and then flying to the US. I bet that he needed to apply for the exception weeks ago, and that a letter from Carnival was always insufficient.  

 

I do feel for him.  How disappointing.  I hope Carnival takes note so that they are prepared for these scenarios as they staff up across the fleet.

[balcony bound]

I wonder if it is due to the type of vaccine he received.  I read this a few days ago "Hopes for a US UK travel corridor are dwindling as concerns are rising that UK citizens with an AstraZeneca vaccine may be barred from traveling to America. "

[steamboats]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Ironic, as vaccinations should be essentially a passport!

Tom

 

He´s fully vaccinated plus a negative PCR test.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

30 minutes ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

 I'm a little confused because I thought that travel from the UK had been shut down for ages, and only expected to resume sometime around July 4th....

 

Correct, but when you are an essential worker you still can enter the US from Europe (including UK). He got all the proper documents with him.

 

steamboats

[mpdog42]

Why should he be treated any differently than anybody else coming from the UK..Does he have a Diplomatic passport? I think not...I really think a lot of people here on CC live in Fantasyland!!

[mpdog42]

2 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

Correct, but when you are an essential worker you still can enter the US from Europe (including UK). He got all the proper documents with him.

 

steamboats

He's not a Essential worker 

[ryanpatricksmom]

Just now, steamboats said:

 

Correct, but when you are an essential worker you still can enter the US from Europe (including UK). He got all the proper documents with him.

 

steamboats

Right, but I wonder if though Carnival decided that he was an essential worker,  it wasn't confirmed with authorities beforehand.  He said that he had a letter from Carnival with him, but perhaps that isn't binding. I'm just guessing.

[Cammyho]

It's pretty stupid that he can be vaccinated and have a negative test but still be denied. What a sham

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

Right, but I wonder if though Carnival decided that he was an essential worker,  it wasn't confirmed with authorities beforehand.  He said that he had a letter from Carnival with him, but perhaps that isn't binding. I'm just guessing.

I was not aware that people were being denied entry that were vaccinated

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

Correct, but when you are an essential worker you still can enter the US from Europe (including UK). He got all the proper documents with him.

 

steamboats

 

5 minutes ago, mpdog42 said:

He's not a Essential worker 

 

3 minutes ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

Right, but I wonder if though Carnival decided that he was an essential worker,  it wasn't confirmed with authorities beforehand.  He said that he had a letter from Carnival with him, but perhaps that isn't binding. I'm just guessing.

The US has declared all mariners as "essential workers" from the beginning of the pandemic.  However, as one of those essential workers, while the CD on a cruise ships meets the "letter" of the law as a "crew member" (not necessarily a mariner), I think its a stretch to consider him or most cruise ship crew as "essential".

[kleibo]

He was probably going with this one:

 

(viii)  any noncitizen traveling as a nonimmigrant pursuant to a C-1, D, or C-1/D nonimmigrant visa as a crewmember or any noncitizen otherwise traveling to the United States as air or sea crew;

 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/

 

[chengkp75]

The reason merchant mariners have been declared essential is that ships carry over 80% of the world's $93 trillion dollar economy.  By comparison, the cruise industry's impact on the world's economy is just $150 billion, or 0.15%.

[matymil]

7 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I was not aware that people were being denied entry that were vaccinated

According to John it's solely because of this new variant that is in the UK right now 

[naxer]

I don't think I've ever seen him so sad looking.  What a shame.

[matymil]

9 minutes ago, Cammyho said:

It's pretty stupid that he can be vaccinated and have a negative test but still be denied. What a sham

I agree, especially considering he would have been fine to travel yesterday. 

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, kleibo said:

He was probably going with this one:

 

(viii)  any noncitizen traveling as a nonimmigrant pursuant to a C-1, D, or C-1/D nonimmigrant visa as a crewmember or any noncitizen otherwise traveling to the United States as air or sea crew;

 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/

 

This is correct, crew members travel on C-1/D visas, and have letters attesting to their employment on ships.  Even as a US citizen, traveling domestically, to a US flag ship, I've had to have my merchant mariner's document (which John does not have) and a letter from the company.

[kleibo]

I understand he said he would have been fine if he travelled yesterday, but is there any documentation to support that.  I only see the old proclamations.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Yesterday, while discussing whether he is required to wear a face mask, he stated that he would be on the ship as a guest, not a crew member.

[ladylyn915]

Is the Horizon's 7/3 itinerary the same as 7/18?  

 

If so,  Horizon's first stop is Amber Cove, couldn't he fly to DR and get on ship there?  And, get off again in Bimini?  Not ideal, but could be a work around.  His eyes were so sad during his live.  I feel terrible for him.