Existing protocols extended indefinitely

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

Unless you adopt measures like Taiwan or other places, while some mitigation, not going to stop it.   

 

When I return to Taiwan I need to be PCR negative when I get on the plane,  tested again on arrival.  Go into 7 day quarantine with test mid and end of quarantine, all negative, followed by another 7 days of home self managed quarantine.    It is only if you do that can you prevent bleed in, an even than they have two incidents of escapes, very difficult.    

 

 

You can slow down the spread so as not to saturate health care facilities, and allow time to develop better vaccines and treatments.

[Hockeydad1972]

On 1/21/2022 at 1:23 PM, famof4togo said:

I have no qualms about keeping vaccine and testing in place, but I would love sip/cover to die down before my cruise in March...

Just off the Magic today and I did not hear one announcement or one comment to anyone to keep their masks up.. I was on it in August as well and TBH I thought the August cruise seemed more controlled than this one… They do have people standing at entrances to restaurants asking for mask but if I had a drink in my hand they never said a word whether I had my mask on or not.. 

[Hockeydad1972]

On 1/21/2022 at 2:29 PM, keels81 said:

So, yes - Sip & Cover is annoying, but you get pretty used to it … or, don’t sit at the bar and take your drink somewhere less crowded (for me, a couch along the windows outside the casino/Red Frog currently where I don’t have to be so fastidious about the masking up between drinks.

 

But, as Lionel told me last night, he prefers people sitting at the bar wear masks for his safety. That’s good enough for me to do it if I want to sit at the bar.

When sitting at a bar on the Magic which I just got off of a few hours ago 99% of people seated at a bar were not masked at all.. Maybe other ships are different but this was not the case as of 12 hours ago.. Sip and cover was happening in theaters but never at the bars…

[jsglow]

3 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

You can slow down the spread so as not to saturate health care facilities, and allow time to develop better vaccines and treatments.

Not really with Omicron Blerk.  It's too contagious.  It's following the predicted disease pathway pretty much exactly as modeled 60 days ago. Whatever 'flatten the curve' one can get is merely tweaking it a handful of days. 

 

And just to be clear, I'm not advocating for eliminating the protocols right now.  But this is clearly endemic at this stage.  All 6 billion humans are getting (or already have been) exposed.

[Hockeydad1972]

On 1/21/2022 at 4:19 PM, Tropicale said:

That is OK. I probably won't be cruising for a while anyway.

Please stay away as long as you can… 1/2 full ship was amazing and besides wearing masks at times it was very normal… I’m gonna not be happy with full ships again… Feel bad for staff as they always wear masks but besides that great times on emptier ships what a luxury…

[BlerkOne]

6 minutes ago, jsglow said:

Not really with Omicron Blerk.  It's too contagious.  It's following the predicted disease pathway pretty much exactly as modeled 60 days ago. Whatever 'flatten the curve' one can get is merely tweaking it a handful of days. 

 

And just to be clear, I'm not advocating for eliminating the protocols right now.  But this is clearly endemic at this stage.  All 6 billion humans are getting (or already have been) exposed.

Omicron may have peaked in some areas, but cases and deaths continue to rise and I doubt is the last variant.

[sdrawkcab]

I am sailing as a show of support for the cruise lines.  I have already sailed on Celebrity and with a half full ship it was easy to stay six feet away if that is what you wanted.  Masking was encouraged but no one was challenged (at least not in my hearing).  The Carnival ship is almost full as far as I can tell, and venues are crowded, trying to find six feet of separation will be difficult to impossible.  I do not like the current policy in the email, but I accept that Carnival is trying to find a balance between PHE and profits.  

My question is to the people who are on a cruise or have just departed.  If I follow the policy it seems like all the fun of cruising is missing.  What is the atmosphere on board the cruise under the current policy?

[keels81]

3 hours ago, Hockeydad1972 said:

When sitting at a bar on the Magic which I just got off of a few hours ago 99% of people seated at a bar were not masked at all.. Maybe other ships are different but this was not the case as of 12 hours ago.. Sip and cover was happening in theaters but never at the bars…

I guess it really does depend on the bar, but the SkyBox bartenders are pretty strongly enforcing sip & cover (along with the CD mentioning sip & cover in all of his announcements).

 

At the end of the day, it’s the bartender’s livelihood on the line — this has been the most packed bar on the ship all weekend because of football. If they get Covid and have to quarantine, they’re missing out on all that extra tip cash.

 

They’re humans too, with families and loved ones to support back home — it’s a shame people forget that in their disdain for wearing a mask for a slight inconvenience on a vacation.

[Doggielover68]

6 hours ago, Hockeydad1972 said:

When sitting at a bar on the Magic which I just got off of a few hours ago 99% of people seated at a bar were not masked at all.. Maybe other ships are different but this was not the case as of 12 hours ago.. Sip and cover was happening in theaters but never at the bars…

Just got off Carnival Pride this morning. I rarely even saw people sitting at the bar,  but those who did show up were keeping their masks on. The cruise felt very empty and I rarely encountered a line. 

[Hockeydad1972]

58 minutes ago, Doggielover68 said:

Just got off Carnival Pride this morning. I rarely even saw people sitting at the bar,  but those who did show up were keeping their masks on. The cruise felt very empty and I rarely encountered a line. 

Well that stinks for everyone on the Pride... The 2000+ people on our Magic cruise certainly weren't laying low and enjoyed the cruise...

[Hockeydad1972]

3 hours ago, keels81 said:

I guess it really does depend on the bar, but the SkyBox bartenders are pretty strongly enforcing sip & cover (along with the CD mentioning sip & cover in all of his announcements).

 

At the end of the day, it’s the bartender’s livelihood on the line — this has been the most packed bar on the ship all weekend because of football. If they get Covid and have to quarantine, they’re missing out on all that extra tip cash.

 

They’re humans too, with families and loved ones to support back home — it’s a shame people forget that in their disdain for wearing a mask for a slight inconvenience on a vacation.

Why is it any different then sitting 4 ft away from a fellow diner at another table in the MDR. No-one wore masks once they were seated so why are bars different? 

 

I was at every bar on our cruise and it never happened nor did our CD Andy.. Not sure why different ships would have their bartenders enforcing differently or CD's.. Alchemy packed every night and not one mention of sip and cover as was the Atrium,Tides, or Hat Trick.. Or the Tides Bar.12 total cases on our cruise was the rumor so definitely no outbreaks...

[BlerkOne]

In what universe is hundreds of thousands of cases a day or thousands of deaths a day not alarming?

 

I'm not debating, either. The cruising protocols are extended indefinitely. Fact..

[Guest BasicSailor]

13 minutes ago, Hockeydad1972 said:

No....You can't agree to disagree on facts...

 

January 16th-7 day avg was 806,851

January 22nd - 7 day avg is 713,007

 

Cases are down 11.6%.. 

 

Deaths are the same as they were on 9/25/21which were the highest in 6 months. 

 

9/25/21-7 day avg cases were 120,722 and 2000 deaths 7 day avg. 

1/22/22- 7 day avg case 713,007 and 2000 deaths for 7 day avg

 

This isn't as alarming as some people want to make it out to be...

 

I'm not debating Covid. I'm simply giving facts which is what we all should be using..

 

 

One DEATH is alarming to me ☹️. I'm debating life. Living is a bliss.

[Hockeydad1972]

2 minutes ago, BasicSailor said:

One DEATH is alarming to me ☹️. I'm debating life. Living is a bliss.

Agree 100% BasicSailor.

 

I was in no way minimizing the deaths. Only making the point that cases and deaths are not rising and we don't need to be hysterical as the person I was responded too was trying to taste.. Masking is definitely happening but not being overly monitored as most people when walking around the ship were wearing masks inside.

[icft]

Getting back to the letter from Carnival... I think the only thing this letter does is announce the end of relaxed cancellation policies for sailings after April 1 (unless you cancel before February 15). They are putting an end to any expectation that customers won't face cancellation charges. They are just burying that in fluff.

 

The part about extending existing protocols is meaningless. Notice they say it could change at any time. So they are saying the protocols are extended forever while saying they will eliminate them when they feel the time is right. That all says nothing. They could decide the time is right next week and still adhere to this letter. (Not saying they will be quick about it, just pointing out those two "policies" totally cancel each other.)

 

So all this talk about the wisdom or desirability of extending the protocols is wasted discussion about something they really haven't said.

[1kaper]

On 1/22/2022 at 1:06 PM, nwcruiselover said:

According to the communication that was sent out you should be able to cancel for a full refund.  The on-line cancellation link doesn’t work for most cruises though, so you’ll have to call Carnival to cancel.

I don't think so.  It was for cruises April and later.  A cruise starting in March was already under the existing protocols, so the new extension does not affect them.  Therefore they are not eligible for the refund. 
 

[1kaper]

On 1/22/2022 at 10:40 AM, abby1257 said:

did I miss something....would my March 26/22 cruise be fully refunded?

 

No, I do not believe it would be. The protocols were in place until the end of March so there is no change to your cruise. 

[TechDiva]

18 hours ago, sdrawkcab said:

My question is to the people who are on a cruise or have just departed.  If I follow the policy it seems like all the fun of cruising is missing.  What is the atmosphere on board the cruise under the current policy?

 

I cruised for Halloween 2021.  I loved the reduced capacity and the atmosphere was pretty much the same as before.  I'm not sure why anyone would think it would be any different.

 

There were still the Lido deck parties.  Most people wore masks.

The comedy club was always packed.  Everyone wore masks (or were asked to by a waiter if not wearing one).

The "dance" classes in the atrium had the normal number of participants.  Everyone had on masks.

Etc....

 

Personally, everything was the same except that we wore masks.  Are the masks annoying? Absolutely!!  Quite a few times I would forget to put mine on going from the cabin to breakfast and was stopped every time regarding my mask.  I was annoyed for a second but did as asked.  And none of this affected the fun that I had.  I would have done another since I keep getting the $25 offers but those pesky little things like school for my son and work keep getting in the way.  So, I have another one booked for June.

 

Regardless, the fun of cruising would only be missing if you allow it to be.  Enjoy!

[rmajor]

On 1/21/2022 at 5:55 PM, skywalkr2 said:

Because of this I plan to cancel my April cruise... and have now been on hold for FIVE HOURS trying to get anyone to answer.

Try on a Sunday morning, i only waited 8 mins !! was awesome

[BigAfts]

I don't have a problem with the requirements except for the testing 2-days prior portion. Not many people can currently rely on being able to get tests with verification in that time-frame. The ones that are recommended through Carnival are always sold out. The ones done locally to me (drug stores, testing sites, etc.) are either not doing them for asymptomatic/travel purposes, or can not turn around results in 48-hours due to backlogs. I think it's kinda silly to require testing within 2 days of cruise when right now people don't have easy access to tests or are waiting days to get one...

[mouche]

On 1/21/2022 at 2:55 PM, Jamman54 said:

Had 22 of these drop into my inbox. 2 for each of the 11 cruises we have on the books. 🙃

I had multiples also.😁

[kirtihk]

On 1/21/2022 at 1:09 PM, vicky3vicky said:

I'm fine with that. 

It's so dazzling how easily we can gradually give up on everything.

[kirtihk]

1 hour ago, BigAfts said:

I don't have a problem with the requirements except for the testing 2-days prior portion. Not many people can currently rely on being able to get tests with verification in that time-frame. The ones that are recommended through Carnival are always sold out. The ones done locally to me (drug stores, testing sites, etc.) are either not doing them for asymptomatic/travel purposes, or can not turn around results in 48-hours due to backlogs. I think it's kinda silly to require testing within 2 days of cruise when right now people don't have easy access to tests or are waiting days to get one...

Try 1 day - "if you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States" 

Edited January 24, 2022 by kirtihk

[kirtihk]

16 hours ago, Doggielover68 said:

Just got off Carnival Pride this morning. I rarely even saw people sitting at the bar,  but those who did show up were keeping their masks on. The cruise felt very empty and I rarely encountered a line. 

Why did they come to the bar then?

[cruisingguy007]

On 1/23/2022 at 9:08 AM, ontheweb said:

Then why are people commenting on how they love the low capacity as there are no lines or waiting?

 

Exactly! Plus look at all the "free cruise/ $10, $25 cruise" threads people are posting about. Doesn't add up. If demand is so high, you wouldn't be giving your product away. While some may love all the protocols and empty ships, they aren't a big enough group to keep the cruise lines afloat, hence the pricing and firsthand reported low capacities being reported.