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Passengers who have used Mixed Vaccination Protocols will not be considered to be Fully Vaccinated per RCI FAQs


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4 minutes ago, MaddyandMax said:

 

If you look back on this thread, or on the Canadian Cruisers forum you'll see even before August 13 the CDC said that in extreme circumstances if you need to mix vaccines it's fine and you are considered fully vaccinated.  Unfortunately their rules don't seem to extend to Canadians who had to mix under extreme circumstances....

 

And I feel you - I'm mRNA mixed with an October cruise booked...

I copied and pasted and printed hardcopies some messages earlier that RCL was allowing mixed Vax's Pre Aug 13th, and RCL just needs to recognize the Canadian situation and the strategies that were administered to get people vaxxed. 

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15 minutes ago, Welly9 said:

I copied and pasted and printed hardcopies some messages earlier that RCL was allowing mixed Vax's Pre Aug 13th, and RCL just needs to recognize the Canadian situation and the strategies that were administered to get people vaxxed. 

 

I think we all have sympathy for your situation, as many of us are in the same quandry, and certainly we all wish you the best of luck.  But what those of us who have been following the situation for the past month or so are telling you is that the CDC position on mixed doses has not changed.  RCCL's position has changed, several times, as they interpret and re-interpret the CDC's policy.  But it's not like they don't know what the policy is, or that something about the CDC's position has changed.

 

You should follow up with Royal Caribbean.  Many of us already have.  The more, the better.  But don't assume that this will all be resolved if only someone can make RCCL see the light.

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20 minutes ago, mabt said:

 

I think we all have sympathy for your situation, as many of us are in the same quandry, and certainly we all wish you the best of luck.  But what those of us who have been following the situation for the past month or so are telling you is that the CDC position on mixed doses has not changed.  RCCL's position has changed, several times, as they interpret and re-interpret the CDC's policy.  But it's not like they don't know what the policy is, or that something about the CDC's position has changed.

 

You should follow up with Royal Caribbean.  Many of us already have.  The more, the better.  But don't assume that this will all be resolved if only someone can make RCCL see the light.


Agreed.  I wish my many communications with Royal Caribbean and the newspaper article I helped the Toronto Star write, helped them "see the light".

 

I honestly believe that if Royal was able to they would allow us to cruise as vaccinated.  But they don't want to be shut down by the CDC.  So until the CSO expires we are all stuck.  Which is unfortunately the day after I'm supposed to cruise 🙁.

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@Ourusualbeach

 

I'm wondering if you could do some Canadians a favour.  It appears that people are receiving a lot of mixed information on whether a 3rd dose of a vaccine will even be considered.  Someone was told by Celebrity that they will only look at the first and second dose.  Have you heard anything?  I reached out to Royal on facebook and twitter and was basically shrugged at and told they have no policies at this time regarding 3rd vaccines.  The problem will probably lie in the fact that our documentation indicates if its a first, second or third shot.

 

As you can imagine what we thought may be a solution for some Canadians in provinces that allow it now looks like it may be a none solution.

 

 

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12 minutes ago, MaddyandMax said:

@Ourusualbeach

 

I'm wondering if you could do some Canadians a favour.  It appears that people are receiving a lot of mixed information on whether a 3rd dose of a vaccine will even be considered.  Someone was told by Celebrity that they will only look at the first and second dose.  Have you heard anything?  I reached out to Royal on facebook and twitter and was basically shrugged at and told they have no policies at this time regarding 3rd vaccines.  The problem will probably lie in the fact that our documentation indicates if its a first, second or third shot.

 

As you can imagine what we thought may be a solution for some Canadians in provinces that allow it now looks like it may be a none solution.

 

 

Unfortunately I face the same dilemma as you in trying to get this information and what they say today may be diffetent tomorrow.  For these Lind of decisions we need to wait until FAQ's are posted. 

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1 minute ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Unfortunately I face the same dilemma as you in trying to get this information and what they say today may be diffetent tomorrow.  For these Lind of decisions we need to wait until FAQ's are posted. 

Thanks! I appreciate the response.  I did reach out to Michael Bayley on facebook on the off chance and he actually responded quite quickly.  He referred me to Royal's facebook/twitter so I responded and let him know that the responses don't seem to be consistent.

 

Not that I have ANY sway LOL, but may this will help get something clarified.  I guess, once again, this decision is in the hands of the CDC who never seem to decide in our favour LOL.

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13 minutes ago, Vancouver-Cruiser said:

Our plan was to drive across the border, when possible, and get Moderna as the third, since we had Moderna as second dose. Given the above I think we should get J&J to be safe. 

 

I don't think there's any such thing as "safe", since none of the policies make any logical sense.

 

But I also think this third dose question was a non-issue, and would probably have remained that way if people hadn't asked.  Now?  Who knows.

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2 hours ago, Vancouver-Cruiser said:

Our plan was to drive across the border, when possible, and get Moderna as the third, since we had Moderna as second dose. Given the above I think we should get J&J to be safe. 

I wouldn’t get J&J , it is just bad as AZ for blood clots 

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1 minute ago, Airbalancer said:

I wouldn’t get J&J , it is just bad as AZ for blood clots 

 

Also the US is already talking about J&J recipients needing extra doses, which really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  And if they do, no doubt the requirement will be for two doses of J&J, specifically.  The Canadian federal government recently announced that we would be donating all of our contracted J&J doses, so if it came to needing a second one, it would (still) have to be in the US.

 

All of this is speculative, of course, but the point is still that there really is no sure bet right now.  The rules are arbitrary and therefore unpredictable.

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20 minutes ago, mabt said:

 

Also the US is already talking about J&J recipients needing extra doses, which really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.  And if they do, no doubt the requirement will be for two doses of J&J, specifically.  The Canadian federal government recently announced that we would be donating all of our contracted J&J doses, so if it came to needing a second one, it would (still) have to be in the US.

 

All of this is speculative, of course, but the point is still that there really is no sure bet right now.  The rules are arbitrary and therefore unpredictable.

I’m not worried about blood clots. We took the AstraZeneca after all. But your point is a more significant one. If we get J&J, then rules change to require two doses, we wouldn’t be able to get the second dose in Canada. Maybe we should just stick with Moderna and hope our first AZ dose doesn’t taint us.

 

I just wish the BC government would follow Quebec and Saskatchewan’s lead and give us a choice. Our late September Alaska cruise is unlikely. And now that the United Kingdom doesn’t accept mixed doses, our fall visit is at risk. 

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1 minute ago, Vancouver-Cruiser said:

I’m not worried about blood clots. We took the AstraZeneca after all. But your point is a more significant one. If we get J&J, then rules change to require two doses, we wouldn’t be able to get the second dose in Canada. Maybe we should just stick with Moderna and hope our first AZ dose doesn’t taint us.

 

I just wish the BC government would follow Quebec and Saskatchewan’s lead and give us a choice. Our late September Alaska cruise is unlikely. And now that the United Kingdom doesn’t accept mixed doses, our fall visit is at risk. 

 

This whole thing is just so totally ridiculous.  I genuinely hope that whatever you do works out though.

 

My guess is the whole "we're only going to look at your first two doses" nonsense will blow over fairly quickly.  The alternative is to say that someone who had two mixed doses originally, for any reason, is just considered unvaccinated for the rest of all time, or at least until they arbitrarily change their minds (again).  No recourse.  That seems a bit extreme, even considering recent questionable decisions by the CDC.

 

For what it worth, the CDC clinical considerations guidelines state that those who received a vaccine not authorized for use by the FDA, but authorized by the WHO, may be offered "a complete, FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine series".  This would seem to cover the mixed AZ / mRNA scenario, with an additional, matching mRNA dose "completing the series".  But we already know that the CDC is ignoring their own advice (in the same document) on whether those with mixed mRNA doses should be considered fully vaccinated, at least as it applies to cruise ships, so my confidence level that they will follow their own guidelines in this case is not high.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Royal Caribbean has made a further update on its vaccine protocols for cruises departing the U.S. the cruise line will now accept mixed series of mRNA vaccines after updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mix and Match is a Go for Royal Caribbean

The CDC has clarified its position regarding mixing COVID vaccines to Royal Caribbean, and as a result, the cruise line updated its FAQ page with the relevant details. It does now mean guests will be classed as fully vaccinated even if they received doses from two different approved manufacturers.

 

Royal Caribbean details, “For sailings departing from the U.S., the CDC will now recognize a mixed series of mRNA vaccines (e.g., 1 shot of Pfizer with 1 shot of Moderna, in any order) as fully vaccinated. The doses must be administered a minimum of 28 days apart. The guest will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the final dose.”

Royal Caribbean Mixed Vaccine Update Royal Caribbean Website

The change will be welcome news for those who have received mixed vaccinations. Guests will be classed fully vaccinated not just by remaining with the same vaccine but also if 1 shot is from Pfizer and 1 shot from Moderna. Both are mRNA type vaccines.

 

The doses must be administered a minimum of 28 days apart to be accepted, and guests will be fully vaccinated 14 days after the final dose. Royal Caribbean also accepts the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine, which only needs one shot and not an mRNA type.

 

Before the Vaccine Update

Previously, for guests to be fully vaccinated before a cruise vacation, they could only receive the doses from just one of the approved manufacturers such as Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen.

 

Before the cruise line updated its website on September 20, 2021, with the new guidance from the CDC, it said, “We understand some guests may have been vaccinated with doses from two different vaccine manufacturers. Whether these are accepted depends on where you are sailing from and the mix of manufacturers.”

 

It went on to say, “The U.S. CDC has clarified their position regarding mixed vaccinations and provided updated guidance to Royal Caribbean. Currently, the CDC does not recognize any mixed combination of COVID-19 vaccines as fully vaccinated. To be recognized as fully vaccinated, guests must complete a vaccine series with products from the same manufacturer with the last dose administered at least 14 days before their sail date.”

 

Royal Caribbean Now Recognizes Mixed mRNA Vaccines for U.S. Cruises (cruisehive.com)

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9 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Royal Caribbean has made a further update on its vaccine protocols for cruises departing the U.S. the cruise line will now accept mixed series of mRNA vaccines after updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

 

It's nice that Royal Caribbean has finally caught up to some of the other cruise lines that have been allowing mixed mRNA doses pretty much all along, based on the exact same CDC guidance.

 

This also bodes well for Canadians with mixed mRNA doses who want to enter the US for any reason, once the new vaccination requirements come into effect.

 

Now if they could just sort out the AstraZeneca situation...

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21 minutes ago, mabt said:

 

It's nice that Royal Caribbean has finally caught up to some of the other cruise lines that have been allowing mixed mRNA doses pretty much all along, based on the exact same CDC guidance.

 

This also bodes well for Canadians with mixed mRNA doses who want to enter the US for any reason, once the new vaccination requirements come into effect.

 

Now if they could just sort out the AstraZeneca situation...

What Astra Zeneca situation? 

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14 hours ago, mabt said:

 

It's nice that Royal Caribbean has finally caught up to some of the other cruise lines that have been allowing mixed mRNA doses pretty much all along, based on the exact same CDC guidance.

 

This also bodes well for Canadians with mixed mRNA doses who want to enter the US for any reason, once the new vaccination requirements come into effect.

 

Now if they could just sort out the AstraZeneca situation...

Does it though? Most of us Canadians who got 2 different mRNA had an interval of 2-4 months    I’m reading max interval 28 days.  New study just came out today on mRNA (peer reviewed) saying if u are 16 weeks apart better protection. Wish they would follow the updated science.  I’m az Pfizer so I’m not sure when I’ll be cruising 😢

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8 hours ago, b_cruise said:

Does it though? Most of us Canadians who got 2 different mRNA had an interval of 2-4 months    I’m reading max interval 28 days.  New study just came out today on mRNA (peer reviewed) saying if u are 16 weeks apart better protection. Wish they would follow the updated science.  I’m az Pfizer so I’m not sure when I’ll be cruising 😢

It's minimum 28 days... not maximum. 🙂

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7 minutes ago, MaddyandMax said:

This is such a relief for me!  BUT unfortunately I still have to cancel my October cruise because the border didn't open. 

 

But at least my March cruise is looking like it should be a go!

You can and always have been able to fly to the US.  Unless you were planning on driving from Toronto to Florida the border is not an issue.

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1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

You can and always have been able to fly to the US.  Unless you were planning on driving from Toronto to Florida the border is not an issue.

We are/were cruising out of New Jersey so we didn't have to fly.   Too expensive for a group of 14 of us.

 

Driving to Florida is not a fun drive with little ones. LOL Once was enough! LOL

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1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

You can and always have been able to fly to the US.  Unless you were planning on driving from Toronto to Florida the border is not an issue.


Just an FYI, the US is still shut for land crossings for Canadians, with another extension just announced. It’s flights for the short term. 

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