Vaccination for 4 years old children now required ??

[matdark]

Hi, I've just been called by the Rotterdam offices: they told me that we would not be able to embark in Athens on August 15th for our 4 years old son is not vaccinated. It is illegal for kids this young to be vaccinated in all European countries !! I can't believe this is happening 20 days from departure. Furthermore, the Ambassy of Greece in France just told me that vaccines are absolutely not required for children under 12. They're not even required to undergo a PCR test!! How is something like this even possible?

[matdark]

Have any of you been confonted to something similar ?

[KirkNC]

I think the bottom line really is no kids right now.

[matdark]

You just don't notify it 20 days from departure, when everything has been paid and booked months ago, and after a first cancellation. That's just plain disrepectful. My son's disappointment will be overwhelming. He talks every single day of celebrating his 5th birthday on board.  I'm more than disappointed, I'm outraged and also extremely sad.

[wdw1972]

47 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

I think the bottom line really is no kids right now.

That's what it sounds like to me too.  It would be nice if HAL would just come out and say so, in plain language.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

[kazu]

OP, I am surprised you just got this notice.  Our roll call member with children was notified a few weeks ago that their cruise had been moved to 2022 as everyone must be vaccinated and, of course, children under 12 cannot be.  

 

Right now, the ships are sailing with 100% vaccinated and, as a result, it does not allow children under 12 to sail, sadly.

[ontheweb]

7 minutes ago, kazu said:

OP, I am surprised you just got this notice.  Our roll call member with children was notified a few weeks ago that their cruise had been moved to 2022 as everyone must be vaccinated and, of course, children under 12 cannot be.  

 

Right now, the ships are sailing with 100% vaccinated and, as a result, it does not allow children under 12 to sail, sadly.

Right, the wording should be no one unvaccinated will be allowed to board. Therefore no child under 12 will be eligible to sail since they are not eligible at this time to be vaccinated. The wording should not be a 4 year old must be vaccinated in order to sail. I wonder if it was written poorly or the OP just read it wrong.

[puppycanducruise]

I feel sorry for your little boy.  

[matdark]

I was never notified before this phone call, and that’s exactly what they said. They just make up stories, it is not a Greek demand. They shouldn’t have transferred us to this cruise after the first one was cancelled, knowing perfectly there was a little boy in the party. For God’s sake I even discussed this with Seth Wayne weeks ago! 

[matdark]

For what it’s worth, they haven’t even been able to change  the travel agency for France’s phone number, which went bankrupt a year and a half ago. Which I told them quite a few times..

[VMax1700]

14 minutes ago, matdark said:

For what it’s worth, they haven’t even been able to change  the travel agency for France’s phone number, which went bankrupt a year and a half ago. Which I told them quite a few times..

Who did you book the cruise with?  I don't believe your cruise was available to book a year and a half ago.

 

It is clearly stated that these initial cruises in Europe are Fully Vaccinated, so they are not making up stories.  It is nothing to do with Greece or EU, it is HAL's requirement.

 

 

@ontheweb if you re-read the first post, it was a telephone call, so nothing was badly written.

[Riversedge]

When we booked a few weeks ago it was very plain on their website that everyone was required to be vaccinated and therefore children were not going to be allowed,  nor was anyone who would refuse vaccination for medical or religious reasons.  We sail from Venice.  This has to be disappointing for you.  

[dfish]

In an interview with representatives from Princess, Carnival and Holland, Holland made it clear that children would not be able to sail this year.   I have understood that all along.

[madera1]

Sorry that Holland America had not caught that you were sailing with a child earlier. Wish you had known  that there were no exceptions for any passengers who are not yet vaccinated to board at this time. Hope your son has a happy birthday 🎈 

Edited July 21, 2021 by madera1

[T8NCruise]

1 hour ago, matdark said:

I was never notified before this phone call, and that’s exactly what they said. They just make up stories, it is not a Greek demand. They shouldn’t have transferred us to this cruise after the first one was cancelled, knowing perfectly there was a little boy in the party. For God’s sake I even discussed this with Seth Wayne weeks ago! 

What did Seth Wayne say when you discussed it with him?  I'm confused because the fact that anyone of any age who is unvaccinated cannot cruise has been known for awhile now.  I get the disappointment but I'm sure you can distract your 5 year old with something else to look forward to.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

 

@ontheweb if you re-read the first post, it was a telephone call, so nothing was badly written.

OK, then it was either poorly STATED in the phone call, or misunderstood by the OP.

[matdark]

They specifically said that Greek only authorised vaccinated persons to board cruise ships. Which is simply not true. It must be Hal policy only, but it's not what they say. Furthermore, I got this phone call right after I purchased a happy birthday package the night before. That must have rung a bell, and I believe they simply forgot about us. Had I not made this purchase, they probably wouldn't have notified us at all, and we would have been left in port. I'm sorry but that's just wrong. Quite frankly, I have many other things to do other than check every day if someone does his or her job correctly. Both my wife and I are fully vaccinated, which is totally normal, no question about that. And it was not particularly easy to have it done on time.

When our Oosterdam cruise was cancelled and we were transferred onto the Eurodam, everything was rechecked, dates of birth, party, and son on. Nobody said anything. And this cruise was the first to restart, so the "no children" rule already existed, obiously.. They shouldn't have allowed the transfer, and yet God knows how many discussions I've had with them to secure this transfer.  The thing is, less than three weeks before departure, our vacation is ruined, plain and simple. There is nothing left.

[matdark]

2 hours ago, T8NCruise said:

What did Seth Wayne say when you discussed it with him?  I'm confused because the fact that anyone of any age who is unvaccinated cannot cruise has been known for awhile now.  I get the disappointment but I'm sure you can distract your 5 year old with something else to look forward to.

Well we didn't speak about that specifically, but I told him about our son, even sent a picture on the Koningsdam 2 years ago, spoke about how excited he was, and that raised no particular question.

[KirkNC]

Clearly it could have been handled better on HAL’s end.  It would be frustrating to have all this happen so close to your cruise date.  Unfortunately things often fall through the cracks.  Rules are changing constantly so it hard for both passengers and cruise lines to stay ahead of the curve.  

[matdark]

3 hours ago, T8NCruise said:

  I get the disappointment but I'm sure you can distract your 5 year old with something else to look forward to.

Sure… these are his toys. It won’t be just a disappointment 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, matdark said:

Sure… these are his toys. It won’t be just a disappointment 

And someday when he grows up to become a Captain of a cruise ship, you will be very proud of him.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Given all that is going on with the Delta variant, I think the bottom line is how comfortable you are with your 4 year old being hospitalized with COVID in a foreign country.

[Storylady]

8 hours ago, matdark said:

I was never notified before this phone call, and that’s exactly what they said. They just make up stories, it is not a Greek demand. They shouldn’t have transferred us to this cruise after the first one was cancelled, knowing perfectly there was a little boy in the party. For God’s sake I even discussed this with Seth Wayne weeks ago! 

i am sorry for your son. It is probably due to the Delta variant. It is better to not cruise with children until Covid is almost eliminated. Viking had an all vaccinated cruise and still they had one vaccinated couple get Covid. The ship wasn’t allowed to let the passengers to go on shore excursions. You don’t want that to happen to you.

Edited July 21, 2021 by Storylady

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Given all that is going on with the Delta variant, I think the bottom line is how comfortable you are with your 4 year old being hospitalized with COVID in a foreign country.

I second this. Earlier today I heard on the news of a 5 year old in Georgia dying from Covid. So sad.

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I second this. Earlier today I heard on the news of a 5 year old in Georgia dying from Covid. So sad.

I saw that story as well, heartbreaking as young ones don’t even have the option of getting vaccinated.