Celebrity Vaccine Policy- Do vaccines expire?

[VitaminSea53]

If I had my 2nd dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine in Mar 2021, is that still good for a cruise in June 2022?  (15 months after last dose) I can’t find any reference to an expiration time frame for vaccines.

[cruisestitch]

Celebrity has not established any expiration date, that’s why you can’t find reference to one

[VitaminSea53]

My concern is my cruise this summer out of Rome.  I read this in regard to the EU

”“The EU Digital Covid Cert that we received in 2021 has nine months’ validity from the date of the second vaccination. This has been widely flagged; this is across the EU – all EU states are applying this nine-month validity rule.”

[cruisestitch]

Countries may establish their own rules but Celebrity has not made an expiration date in regards to vaccine

[sunlover33]

23 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

My concern is my cruise this summer out of Rome.  I read this in regard to the EU

”“The EU Digital Covid Cert that we received in 2021 has nine months’ validity from the date of the second vaccination. This has been widely flagged; this is across the EU – all EU states are applying this nine-month validity rule.”

I think a number of us are watching this closely . Italy has reduced validity of vaccination certificates to 6 months, but it’s very unclear if this relates to the second vaccination  or the booster. We are cruising from Rome in the summer too, we had boosters back in November 2021. If they are including booster jabs then our certificates won’t be valid to enter Italy, as there are no further boosters on the horizon until later this year. Italy are due to review this policy due to the effect on tourism, but no changes have been made yet. 

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If I had my 2nd dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine in Mar 2021, is that still good for a cruise in June 2022?  (15 months after last dose) I can’t find any reference to an expiration time frame for vaccines.

Consult a medical professional

[upwarduk]

11 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Consult a medical professional

I don’t think they will have knowledge of various countries rules.

 

I am concerned as well, as we had our Booster on 6 th October 2021 and are due to arrive in Italy on Silhouette at the beginning of August.

I think CelebrityCruises need to address this before final payment is due.

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If I had my 2nd dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine in Mar 2021, is that still good for a cruise in June 2022?  (15 months after last dose) I can’t find any reference to an expiration time frame for vaccines.

You mean expiration of valid vaccine documentation I think.  There has been no policy on this in the USA by the CDC.  There has been no mention of expiration by Celebrity- although they would need to abide by the countries' rules that they are sailing from and the ports they are going to.   But right now Celebrity is not (yet) requiring a booster dose of any vaccine.  It is trying to get crew members that had the 1 shot J&J vaccine boosted.  As a passenger, if you were considered fully vaccinated after your 2nd Pfizer dose in 2021, that has not changed yet.  But why not just get a booster now and don't worry about what rules might change by June 2022?  That would be the easiest thing right?  And probably the best thing to do anyway for protection from serious illness.

Edited February 4, 2022 by TeeRick

[LGW59]

23 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

I don’t think they will have knowledge of various countries rules.

 

I am concerned as well, as we had our Booster on 6 th October 2021 and are due to arrive in Italy on Silhouette at the beginning of August.

I think CelebrityCruises need to address this before final payment is due.

OP did not ask about a specific country, asked how long the vaccine lasts/expiration

[cruisestitch]

I am quite sure that Celebrity’s policy will be that each passenger is responsible for meeting the entry requirements for each and every country visited. 

[Guppy99]

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I don’t think they will have knowledge of various countries rules.

 

I am concerned as well, as we had our Booster on 6 th October 2021 and are due to arrive in Italy on Silhouette at the beginning of August.

I think CelebrityCruises need to address this before final payment is due.

Why should Celebrity address this ?  Countries make their own rules. YOU are responsible for knowing what is required by the countries you are planning to visit and by the modes of travel you are planning to take.  

[Denny01]

I agree Celebrity hasn’t set any ‘expiration’ on vaccine cards, as this has not been done by CDC which is the org to be concerned about. The reference to the EU has to do with their digital COVID Certification Card, not the actual vaccine, and not US issued cards.  The apparent reason behind this is some countries put a 6 month expiation, and some added testing prior to entry and the EU is trying to make EU entry standardized, and to limit fake cards. The expiration is for the card which is then must be renewed. 

 

I understand the approach is kind of like a passport; your citizenship doesn’t expire with your passport, you apply for a new one.  This is an attempt to reduce fake cards and so on, and to make all EU entry requirements the same. 
 

Guppy99 is right. It’s up to each of us to know what our requirements are for our own trips.  Celebrity would be spending huge amount of time, money sending constantly updated emails to all of us and if we missed one, we’d blame Celebrity. 
 

den

[kwokpot]

27 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

 The apparent reason behind this is some countries put a 6 month expiation, and some added testing prior to entry and the EU is trying to make EU entry standardized, and to limit fake cards. The expiration is for the card which is then must be renewed. 

 

I'm sure the EU will revise those rules since it has not been established that a fourth vaccine shot boosts immune response, unlike the data that is overwhelmingly supportive for a 3rd shot booster. The only country I'm aware of that's actively giving a 2nd booster shot (4th shot) is Israel. Seems like the UK is looking into it.  Currently in the US it's ONLY recommended for the severely immunocompromised.  What I'm trying to get at is the six month max time requirement from last booster shot will HAVE TO BE updated and either dropped or reestablished only if the country deems a fourth shot necessary. But judging from what's happening currently with some Countries relaxing their Covid Protocols my personal sense is a fourth shot will not be in the cards. As one drug company official has said the World isn't in the position to give booster shots every six months. It's not sustainable. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

Here's a good article on booster shots for various countries. As you read this You will see that there's no way any country is going to CURRENTLY require a fourth shot or prevent people from entering if their booster shot is more than six months old. I have a b2b2b European cruises starting in mid May to late June without any repeating ports so while I have a stake in this conversation I'm confident it's going to all work out.  

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/countries-weigh-need-covid-19-booster-shots-2022-01-18/

Edited February 4, 2022 by kwokpot

[Turtles06]

14 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

What I'm trying to get at is the six month max time requirement from last booster shot will HAVE TO BE updated and either dropped or reestablished only if the country deems a fourth shot necessary. But judging from what's happening currently with some Countries relaxing their Covid Protocols my personal sense is a fourth shot will not be in the cards.

 

Interestingly, France (one of the countries we are monitoring for a planned trip), has just adopted a new set of stricter rules, replacing the former "health pass" with a "vaccine pass" needed to enter museums, restaurants, and pretty much anything else visitors -- and residents -- would want to enter.  As of Feb. 15, not only will a booster be required, but according to this alert from the U.S. Embassy in Paris (which I received today, thanks to my STEP registration), the booster will have to have been given within four months of the second shot:

 

"As a reminder, the vaccine pass requires a booster shot for people age 18 and older within seven months (until February 15, when this become four months) after their second shot."  

 

The official French vaccine pass web page specifically says (according to Google translate): 

 

“To obtain the new vaccine pass, a complete schedule (two doses or one, depending on the vaccine) will be required. Starting February 15, a booster dose will be required four months – and not the existing seven months – after the previous dose for the pass to remain valid.”

 

https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/pass-vaccinal

 

I just received the STEP alert today, and so there's more to be researched, but we got our Pfizer boosters as soon as they were available, in September, which was 6 months after our second shots.  If the language above really means what it seems to say, then we and many others, including I suspect residents of France, would not be eligible for the vaccine pass.  It's hard to believe that's the desired outcome or what's really meant here.

 

In any event, it's up to all of us who may be traveling internationally to do our best to stay on top of what documents/passes/etc. we would have to be able to obtain in order not only to enter a specific country, but also to enter the various "attractions," etc. that we'd want to visit.  (For U.S. citizens, I highly recommend enrolling in STEP whenever you have a trip planned for abroad, especially now, with so many changes happening because of covid.)

 

[Turtles06]

15 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

As you read this You will see that there's no way any country is going to CURRENTLY require a fourth shot or prevent people from entering if their booster shot is more than six months old. I have a b2b2b European cruises starting in mid May to late June without any repeating ports so while I have a stake in this conversation I'm confident it's going to all work out.  

 

Thanks for the link.  Please do keep in mind that for some countries, there may be different rules for entering the country itself, and for being allowed inside museums, restaurants, etc.  See my comment above, and this from the alert I received today from the U.S. Embassy in Paris:

 

"As of February 1, France changed the rules for entry into France.  Under the new rules, to be considered fully vaccinated for entry purposes, travelers age 18 and above must now have a booster shot, which must be an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) if their second dose (only dose of Johnson & Johnson/Jansen) was more than 9 months before their entry into France.  The rules for those under 18 have not changed.

Thus, the new rules when someone age 12 and above is considered fully vaccinated are 28 days after receiving one dose of Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine, 7 days after receiving a second dose of other vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer/Comirnaty, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria/Covishield), and, for persons who have received all the required doses of a WHO-licensed vaccine not approved by the European Medicines Agency, 7 days after receiving an additional dose of an EMA-approved mRNA vaccine.  However, in order to continue to be considered as fully vaccinated, persons aged eighteen or over must have received a dose of an mRNA vaccine no later than 9 months following the injection of the last required dose. 

Please note that the above only applies to the rules to enter France.  Different rules apply to receiving the vaccine pass.  As a reminder, the vaccine pass requires a booster shot for people age 18 and older within seven months (until February 15, when this become four months) after their second shot.  Due to this difference, it is possible for a person to be considered fully vaccinated to enter France, but not fully vaccinated to receive the vaccine pass.  The vaccine pass (or a health pass for those age 12-15, and a vaccine pass without the need for a booster for those age 16-17) is necessary to enter restaurants, bars, theaters, museums, gyms, sporting events, cultural centers, and certain other locations, as well as for long distance air, train, and bus travel." 

 

[kwokpot]

9 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Interestingly, France (one of the countries we are monitoring for a planned trip), has just adopted a new set of stricter rules, replacing the former "health pass" with a "vaccine pass" needed to enter museums, restaurants, and pretty much anything else visitors -- and residents -- would want to enter.  As of Feb. 15, not only will a booster be required, but according to this alert from the U.S. Embassy in Paris (which I received today, thanks to my STEP registration), the booster will have to have been given within four months of the second shot:

 

"As a reminder, the vaccine pass requires a booster shot for people age 18 and older within seven months (until February 15, when this become four months) after their second shot."  

 

The official French vaccine pass web page specifically says (according to Google translate): 

 

“To obtain the new vaccine pass, a complete schedule (two doses or one, depending on the vaccine) will be required. Starting February 15, a booster dose will be required four months – and not the existing seven months – after the previous dose for the pass to remain valid.”

 

https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus/pass-vaccinal

 

I just received the STEP alert today, and so there's more to be researched, but we got our Pfizer boosters as soon as they were available, in September, which was 6 months after our second shots.  If the language above really means what it seems to say, then we and many others, including I suspect residents of France, would not be eligible for the vaccine pass.  It's hard to believe that's the desired outcome or what's really meant here.

 

In any event, it's up to all of us who may be traveling internationally to do our best to stay on top of what documents/passes/etc. we would have to be able to obtain in order not only to enter a specific country, but also to enter the various "attractions," etc. that we'd want to visit.  (For U.S. citizens, I highly recommend enrolling in STEP whenever you have a trip planned for abroad, especially now, with so many changes happening because of covid.)

 

MY interpretation is that the  4 month booster shot requirement is going FORWARD from February 15th. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to apply that standard retroactively, to do so means French citizens themselves would not be able to enter public buildings since that timeframe requirement is a new requirement where previously the timeframe was longer. 

[sunlover33]

“From 1 February your vaccination certificate will be valid for 180 days from the date of your final vaccination when visiting Italy.” https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/coronavirus
 

this is currently the entry requirement for Italy, so any cruises with Italy on the itinerary would need to be aware. It does not specify anywhere if having a booster shot overrides the expiry of the certificate. 

[VitaminSea53]

OP Here - So what I gather is that no one has heard that Celebrity Cruises will be applying an “expiration” date on Vaccines/ boosters.  Right?

It will be interesting how they will handle cruises in Europe given the varying requirements to be considered fully vaccinated in the countries visited.

[Turtles06]

32 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

36 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

MY interpretation is that the  4 month booster shot requirement is going FORWARD from February 15th. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to apply that standard retroactively, to do so means French citizens themselves would not be able to enter public buildings since that timeframe requirement is a new requirement where previously the timeframe was longer. 

. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to apply that standard retroactively, to do so means French citizens themselves would not be able to enter public buildings since that timeframe requirement is a new requirement where previously the timeframe was longer. 

 

Thank you.  I agree.  And if that's the case, it's too bad our own Embassy did not write the alert more clearly.  

[sunlover33]

2 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

Why should Celebrity address this ?  Countries make their own rules. YOU are responsible for knowing what is required by the countries you are planning to visit and by the modes of travel you are planning to take.  

But if the majority of passengers are not able to access the cruise port due to a particular country restrictions, there will be no cruise. Looking at the example of Italy, most USA and U.K. residents would be ineligible to enter Italy under the current rules of expiration of vaccine certification after 180 days, as both countries were much quicker off the mark with vaccinations. 

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Thank you.  I agree.  And if that's the case, it's too bad our own Embassy did not write the alert more clearly.  

It's all very confusing, I grant you. But the situation has to be fluid. For discussions sake let's say your interpretation of the France Health Pass is correct. What that means then is French citizens themselves will all have to get a fourth shot (2nd booster) prior to Feb.15th since most people previously didn't get their booster that close in from their second shot. And since France eliminated a negative covid test as one of the ways to qualify for a Health Pass French people themselves wouldn't be able to use that to extend their own pass . Yet as far as what I've read a fourth shot is not being widely given in France. 

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, sunlover33 said:

But if the majority of passengers are not able to access the cruise port due to a particular country restrictions, there will be no cruise. Looking at the example of Italy, most USA and U.K. residents would be ineligible to enter Italy under the current rules of expiration of vaccine certification after 180 days, as both countries were much quicker off the mark with vaccinations. 

Agreed, which is why IMO these rules will have to be updated. Otherwise you have a situation where everyone will have to get booster shots every six months. That's not going to happen. You get a fourth booster now it will be invalid in September, so what, you have to get a 5th shot? 

[Guppy99]

7 minutes ago, sunlover33 said:

But if the majority of passengers are not able to access the cruise port due to a particular country restrictions, there will be no cruise. Looking at the example of Italy, most USA and U.K. residents would be ineligible to enter Italy under the current rules of expiration of vaccine certification after 180 days, as both countries were much quicker off the mark with vaccinations. 

As the passenger you are responsible for knowing what you can and cannot do. If you book a cruise which requires more than is required to board or disembark, then be prepared to be denied getting off at that port.  If it is a cruise that embarks or disembarks in Italy, then they would have to make sure you comply so you can get off at the other end.

[sunlover33]

4 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

As the passenger you are responsible for knowing what you can and cannot do. If you book a cruise which requires more than is required to board or disembark, then be prepared to be denied getting off at that port.  If it is a cruise that embarks or disembarks in Italy, then they would have to make sure you comply so you can get off at the other end.

My point is there would be no European market for Celebrity as these rules would apply to the majority of passengers, and the cruises won’t sail without passengers. We are aware of the rules but unless they are clarified and amended cruising in Europe won’t be happening this summer.