Canadians! NCL does not accept mixed doses of vaccines

[ace2542]

6 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

Also a problem for a lot of people that they also will not accept AstraZeneca for passengers embarking or disembarking at US ports as AstraZeneca is not FDA approved.

 

The mixed doses issue you highlight also only applies to passengers embarking or disembarking at US ports. 

Are you sure about that? Do you have a link you can post?

 

This could cause a lot of bother in the world it is no different than removing UK from the visa waiver program or other countries but we are uk both so we will talk about ourselves. I can see this really causing trouble as I personally suspect the AZ will never be approved.

[ace2542]

54 minutes ago, XLVIII said:

Found this in Princess FAQ:

 

If I've received mixed vaccinations, will that satisfy your vaccination requirements?

Guests who have received one single dose of a vector vaccine (e.g. AstraZeneca) and one single dose of a mRNA vaccine (e.g. Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna) will not be considered fully vaccinated. Guests who have received two single doses of mixed vaccines that are the same type (e.g., mRNA) will be considered fully vaccinated and will be permitted to sail, so long as the final dose is received at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise.

What if a third booster dose where to be needed? There is talk of these starting in September in UK at least but might take a while to get done.

[Trimone]

The only AstraZeneca vaccinations that are not approved by the European Union are :

batch codes 4120Z001

                       4120Z002

                       4120Z003

This batch was manufactured in India

[armwinder]

30 minutes ago, Hadacareer said:

Yes but I have a transatlantic out of Rome to Miami in December..luckily I have both Pfizer but a bit of a shock

We were on that cruise but looks like we need to cancel. I had one Pfizer and one Moderna.  We booked our dining just the other day.  Should get our money back for the shore excursions we hope. 

[Trimone]

3 minutes ago, armwinder said:

We were on that cruise but looks like we need to cancel. I had one Pfizer and one Moderna.  We booked our dining just the other day.  Should get our money back for the shore excursions we hope. 

It makes no difference in Europe 

[Hadacareer]

10 minutes ago, armwinder said:

We were on that cruise but looks like we need to cancel. I had one Pfizer and one Moderna.  We booked our dining just the other day.  Should get our money back for the shore excursions we hope. 

On the getaway?

[ALD18]

I'm glad we moved our trip out to 2023 more and more each day.  Apparently most of the world followed ALL the rules in regards to dosage rules and regulations set forth by the WHO, CDC, and manufacturers.  If the federal government had followed those rules to the tee we would not be having this discussion.  I'm worried in regards to possible booster shots, if needed, when we can expect to see them.  Maybe this time next year?  Or do we need to scramble to get a 2nd dose of whatever to meet those rules, and will they give them to you because in their world you have had the second dose and won't give you another to meet those rules.  Just another GLARING example of the federal governments arrogance, stupidity, and incompetence of the whole vaccine rollout. 

[Hadacareer]

4 minutes ago, ALD18 said:

I'm glad we moved our trip out to 2023 more and more each day.  Apparently most of the world followed ALL the rules in regards to dosage rules and regulations set forth by the WHO, CDC, and manufacturers.  If the federal government had followed those rules to the tee we would not be having this discussion.  I'm worried in regards to possible booster shots, if needed, when we can expect to see them.  Maybe this time next year?  Or do we need to scramble to get a 2nd dose of whatever to meet those rules, and will they give them to you because in their world you have had the second dose and won't give you another to meet those rules.  Just another GLARING example of the federal governments arrogance, stupidity, and incompetence of the whole vaccine rollout. 

Couldn’t agree more!

[Seanair]

I just got off the phone with the CDC and you are considered fully vaccinated if you have had either the emergency use FDA approved vaccinations or the emergency use WHO approved vaccines (includes Astra Zeneca).  I pointed out the wording on NCL's site which would indicate that basically noone could travel on NCL as none of the vaccines are approved by the FDA.  They are only approved for emergency use.  Princess has the wording correct on their site.  I am going to follow up with the CDC and send NCL's wording, but they did tell me that they cannot get involved with the policies of private companies. But hopefully we can get the right wording in place here.  My daughter is a US citizen studying abroad who got the Astra Zeneca vaccine in Austria.  NCL told me on the phone today that she would be denied boarding on the ship (that was after I escalated up to Resolutions),

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

[ALD18]

6 minutes ago, Seanair said:

I just got off the phone with the CDC and you are considered fully vaccinated if you have had either the emergency use FDA approved vaccinations or the emergency use WHO approved vaccines (includes Astra Zeneca).  I pointed out the wording on NCL's site which would indicate that basically noone could travel on NCL as none of the vaccines are approved by the FDA.  They are only approved for emergency use.  Princess has the wording correct on their site.  I am going to follow up with the CDC and send NCL's wording, but they did tell me that they cannot get involved with the policies of private companies. But hopefully we can get the right wording in place here.  My daughter is a US citizen studying abroad who got the Astra Zeneca vaccine in Austria.  NCL told me on the phone today that she would be denied boarding on the ship (that was after I escalated up to Resolutions),

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Good luck and thank you for your effort:)

[adhncruisers]

1 hour ago, NateUpNorth said:

We're booked on RCL for November.
We've got one adult mixed vaxx. One adult not yet vaxx'd. Two kids under any vaxx approved age. 
It's become more work than it's worth to even attempt to figure out what the rules/protocols will be.
And even if we get them semi-figured out they'll change by then anyway.
That final payment date looms very large for us.

Yep. Will cancel before final payment due in late Sep and early Oct if policy remains the same. So unfortunate. Was really looking forward to cruising again.

[canuckgrl82]

Omg.. this affects me! I leave for a cruise to Alaska on August 1st. I have mixed Astrazeneca & Moderna, which is recognized as fully vaccinated by Canada's standards and what was recommended to me. But now I'm not able to go? They just added this rule to their website because this wasn't there a few days ago. This is super disappointing, I already have all my travel arrangements booked and my dining set. 

[ziggyuk]

45 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Are you sure about that? Do you have a link you can post?

 

This could cause a lot of bother in the world it is no different than removing UK from the visa waiver program or other countries but we are uk both so we will talk about ourselves. I can see this really causing trouble as I personally suspect the AZ will never be approved.

 

It's one of the big sticking points in opening a corrador from UK to US.

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines#eua-vaccines

 

From that link these are the only three approved vaccines for emergency use in the US and as NCL will only take FDA authorised vaccines that rules out AstraZeneca for NCL.

I'm sure the US/UK will reach an agreement for a corridor but NCL have their own rules that currently rule out AstraZeneca.

[OrcaGirl]

For my own sanity, can anyone confirm that this FAQ answer re: NCL not accepting AstraZeneca or any mixed combo vaccines when embarking at a US port is a new policy clarification?

 

I can't find any record of it, but I swear I double-checked a month ago that NCL was accepting any FDA *or* WHO-approved vaccine; it would have been around the time that the Bruce Springsteen show in NYC was making the news for (initially) only accepting FDA-approved vaccines -- my mom texted me 'concerned' that it would mean I couldn't go on a cruise (she hates that I would even considering cruising right now) and I'm sure I double-checked NCL's requirements at that point and it was fine.

 

[Seanair]

The resolution desk told me this update was published in June.  I don't think there was any push

notification for it; I did get an email on July 1 with their Sail Safe information but the details on this accepted vaccines were not in the attached document; it sent you off to the URL in question, which is where this was published.  I pushed the NCL desk on when they changed that information and all they could say was "June".

[adhncruisers]

19 minutes ago, Seanair said:

I just got off the phone with the CDC and you are considered fully vaccinated if you have had either the emergency use FDA approved vaccinations or the emergency use WHO approved vaccines (includes Astra Zeneca).  I pointed out the wording on NCL's site which would indicate that basically noone could travel on NCL as none of the vaccines are approved by the FDA.  They are only approved for emergency use.  Princess has the wording correct on their site.  I am going to follow up with the CDC and send NCL's wording, but they did tell me that they cannot get involved with the policies of private companies. But hopefully we can get the right wording in place here.  My daughter is a US citizen studying abroad who got the Astra Zeneca vaccine in Austria.  NCL told me on the phone today that she would be denied boarding on the ship (that was after I escalated up to Resolutions),

 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Thanks for the info. Please keep us posted. I find it interesting that NCL has different policies for ships sailing from the U.S. vs. those sailing from other countries.

 

[adhncruisers]

14 minutes ago, canuckgrl82 said:

Omg.. this affects me! I leave for a cruise to Alaska on August 1st. I have mixed Astrazeneca & Moderna, which is recognized as fully vaccinated by Canada's standards and what was recommended to me. But now I'm not able to go? They just added this rule to their website because this wasn't there a few days ago. This is super disappointing, I already have all my travel arrangements booked and my dining set. 

I was on the phone with them yesterday and I got two different answers from 2 different people. Then I found this on the FAQ's. This policy is in place for all sailings up to Oct 31, 2021.

[adhncruisers]

7 minutes ago, Seanair said:

The resolution desk told me this update was published in June.  I don't think there was any push

notification for it; I did get an email on July 1 with their Sail Safe information but the details on this accepted vaccines were not in the attached document; it sent you off to the URL in question, which is where this was published.  I pushed the NCL desk on when they changed that information and all they could say was "June".

It's also interesting that NCL will not accept any mixing of vaccines and Princess will not accept AZ-mRNA mixing but will accept a Pfizer/Moderna mix. Policies are all over the place.

[OrcaGirl]

9 minutes ago, Seanair said:

The resolution desk told me this update was published in June.  I don't think there was any push

notification for it; I did get an email on July 1 with their Sail Safe information but the details on this accepted vaccines were not in the attached document; it sent you off to the URL in question, which is where this was published.  I pushed the NCL desk on when they changed that information and all they could say was "June".

 

I'm in a chat with an NCL agent now and she said "The policy was not exactly changed, they just clarified it to include countries where multiple vaccine protocols are in place. This information was added yesterday."

[adhncruisers]

1 hour ago, ace2542 said:

Are you sure about that? Do you have a link you can post?

 

This could cause a lot of bother in the world it is no different than removing UK from the visa waiver program or other countries but we are uk both so we will talk about ourselves. I can see this really causing trouble as I personally suspect the AZ will never be approved.

Here's the info from the NCL website for any sailings up to Oct 31, 2021 embarking or disembarking at U.S. ports. Different policy for rest of the world. 

[Hadacareer]

Home > Cruise Faq > What Vaccines Will Be Accepted

What vaccines will be accepted?

 

Passengers on ships embarking or disembarking at US ports need to be vaccinated with FDA approved vaccines. Mixed Pfizer / Moderna double vaccine shots are not approved by the FDA.

All Other Vessels will accept any U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized single brand vaccination protocol. Or a mixed vaccination protocol of only Astraseneca-SK Bio, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna combinations.

Cruises with embarkation dates through October 31, 2021: 
All guests sailing aboard cruises with embarkation dates through October 31, 2021, are required to be fully vaccinated, at least 2 weeks prior to departure, in order to board. Vaccines combined with multi-layered and robust preventative health and safety measures, including universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation, will help us provide a uniquely safe and healthy vacation environment that we believe exceeds all other vacation choices on land and at sea. Each guest must present proof they have completed the full cycle of required doses for the vaccine administered at least 2 weeks prior to their sail date. Guests who are not old enough to be vaccinated will not be allowed on these sailings.

Cruises with embarkation dates beginning November 1, 2021: Given the ever-evolving nature of the pandemic, the accelerating rollout of the vaccine, and the speed of scientific learnings, it is premature to make decisions on our health and safety protocols for cruises with embarkation dates beginning November 1, 2021. We will continue to evaluate our health and safety protocols and rely on science and our expert council as we make decisions and evolve our policies and procedures.

[Seanair]

Here is the official wording that the CDC sent me:

 

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO.

Here is the information you requested on your call.

CDC's guidance for fully vaccinated people can be applied to COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO). This currently includes the following vaccines:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
• Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
• Johnson and Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
• AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine
• Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine
• Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine

People are considered fully vaccinated at 2 weeks after their second dose of a 2-dose series or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine. As of June 2021, the only single-dose vaccine authorized for emergency use in the United States or listed for emergency use by the WHO is Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine (labeled as Janssen-Cilag in the European Union).

In the United States, most people who are fully vaccinated can start doing many things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

Recommendations may be updated when more information becomes available or when additional vaccines are authorized by FDA or listed for emergency use by WHO.

For information on getting revaccinated in the United States if you received a COVID-19 vaccine in another country, please refer to resource provided below.

If you received all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or is listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO), then you do not need any additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine. This currently includes the following vaccines:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
• Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
• Johnson and Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
• AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
• Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine
• Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 Vaccine

If you received a COVID-19 vaccine that is not authorized by FDA or listed for emergency use by WHO, you may start over with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. If you did not receive all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine that is listed for emergency use by WHO but is not FDA-authorized, you may start over with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

Please note that no data are available on the safety or effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination after receiving a non-FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine. Wait at least 28 days after you received the last dose of the non-FDA-authorized vaccine before receiving an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

If you received the first dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine that requires two doses, you do not need to restart the vaccine series in the United States. Get your second dose of the same vaccine as close to the recommended time as possible.

Recommendations may be updated when more information becomes available or when additional vaccines are authorized by FDA or listed for emergency use by WHO.

[adhncruisers]

Wonder how they are dealing with crew members who got AZ, Sinopharm or mixed vaccines?

[reveur15]

I booked a cruise departing from Miami on july 5th. I am fully vaccinated with AZ 2 shots.

At the time of booking I carefully read and I double-checked that NCL was accepting any FDA or WHO-approved vaccine. I would not have book otherwise.

My cruise is only in 2023 so this might be solved before that. 

 

[Diver2014]

So the FDA has only approved 'emergency' use of the 'vaccines'.  None of the so called vaccines have been APPROVED by the FDA.  I have 2 cruise deposits down for 2023.  I got the first Pfizer shot but became wary of the confusion around adverse reactions so I have not gotten the 2nd shot.  With all this back and forth and unknowns with the CDC, FDA and especially government demands that everyone get the shots, I guess I'll just forego cruising for at least another year.   My sympathies with Canadians and European citizens that have to jump through fire hoops trying to meet all these crazy requirements.