New masking policies on HAL ships.

[Crew News]

25 minutes ago, PSR said:

 

Hi Roger, Sorry to interrupt this thread, but I thought you had to cancel your September Alaska cruise?

I received the change in mask policy the day (Jun 12th) before I had to cancel the cruise.  I will be on same ship and itinerary May 7th next year.  Maybe all of the mask issues will be resolved by then.

 

FWIW my friend who teaches in Ontario says that masks are required on college campuses with many students preferring to stick with synchronous and asynchronous learning at home.

Edited June 19, 2022 by Crew News

[Freckles1983]

Also to vent further.. there was one woman on our trip who was clearly very ill and not wearing a mask at all coughing up a storm on the bus yesterday afternoon.  She could barely stand and was blaming it on allergies and then used COPD as a reason when talking to someone else.  Another lady on our tour was very upset and agitated about the testing and was almost in tears during the waiting up until the swabbing.  Both were gone today along with their travel companions.  
 

Do what you need to do to keep yourself healthy because you would think people who are not well would at least have the courtesy to cover up and protect their fellow travellers but they don’t.  People are selfish and as much as I dislike wearing a mask I’m glad I did now.  For all I know I still might test positive in the coming days regardless of how careful I’ve tried to be.  But to think one tour dwindled down to 3 people out of 32 .. that’s crazy to me.  I realize not necessarily all 32 ppl tested positive but 32 peoples vacations were affected by it

[seaoma]

In Post #105, @Petronillus showed information received from HAL. If you follow the link that is included, you will see a grid that might prove helpful. It is page 2. 

 

Try as I might, I can't get that grid or link to show up here. Perhaps someone that is more tech savvy can accomplish this. 

 

 

 

 

[PSR]

11 minutes ago, seaoma said:

In Post #105, @Petronillus showed information received from HAL. If you follow the link that is included, you will see a grid that might prove helpful. It is page 2. 

 

Try as I might, I can't get that grid or link to show up here. Perhaps someone that is more tech savvy can accomplish this. 

 

 

 

 

 

The only thing I see on page 2 below the masking "update" on page 1 is the cruise itinerary.

[ewildcat7]

16 minutes ago, seaoma said:

Try as I might, I can't get that grid or link to show up here. Perhaps someone that is more tech savvy can accomplish this. 

I also can't figure out how to post it here, but it was helpful to see what the current requirements are.  Understanding them is another matter.....

 

I take back what I said in previous posts - Canada is not the common denominator in where masks are required and where they are not.  Looking at that chart, every cruise/cruisetour that requires masks touches Whitter.  But every cruise/cruisetour that recommends masks does not touch Whittier.  So, what is it about Whittier that caused the change in policy?  We are going north, so we are doing Whittier and Denali at the end and then flying home from Anchorage.

Edited June 19, 2022 by ewildcat7

[seaoma]

Ok. This might work.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/inventory-assets/Health_Sanitation/2022/0614-alaska-canada-health-protocols.pdf

[RSWBADGER]

From HAL website, June 17th.

 

 

U.S. & Canada Sailings Questions & Answers

Everything you need to know about current health protocols and travel requirements on sailings from the U.S and Canada.

Updated June 17, 2022

Until further notice, these are the requirements for our cruise guests on sailings from the U.S. and Canada.

Vaccines: Guests ages 12 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated. Children under 5 years of age do not need to be vaccinated. Children between 5-11 years of age may be unvaccinated but will need to go through an exemption process.

Testing: All guests ages 2 and older are required to take a pre-travel Covid-19 test. The type and timing of the test is dependent on the embarkation country and vaccination status. View Testing Requirements

Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required except on Alaska cruises that sail to/from Whittier and Vancouver.

Download Alaska & Canada Cruise Protocols PDF

Download U.S. Cruise Protocols PDF

[ewildcat7]

1 hour ago, RSWBADGER said:

Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required except on Alaska cruises that sail to/from Whittier and Vancouver.

 

there it is - what is it about that specific itinerary that requires masks?  I am just trying to understand the logic behind the decision.  

[oakridger]

Maybe the Whittier Port authorities have required it for all ships that touch Whittier?  That's my best guess.

[RSWBADGER]

The land tours are all riding the bus and trains with no masks (see the pictures on the land tour blogs).

Eating buffet dinners sitting side by side, it's not surprising. 

We are on the July 10th Noordam, we are going to rethink our group excursions. The 8 hour Bus/Train to Denali is a concern, thankfully we are cruising first.

[Guest ldtr]

There are two things that are unique about the whittier cruises.

 

!. The interface with Land tours

2. They start and end in different countries.  This may mean that they are treated differently, than the closed loop tours that start and end in the same country.

 

I expect the requirements are due to one of those aspects. In the case of the first there is additional testing for those people go to or leaving from land tours.  That testing may be resulting in higher cases and the resulting masking rules.

[strickerj]

3 hours ago, RSWBADGER said:

...

Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required except on Alaska cruises that sail to/from Whittier and Vancouver.
...

This would suggest the roundtrips from Vancouver are included, whereas everything else I've seen just said the one-ways between Vancouver and Whittier (in either direction)?

[Gray Lady]

We arrived in Fairbanks yesterday for our cruise tour. The bus that took us to the hotel DID NOT enforce the required mask rule. Is it just a suggestion? We want to be able to enjoy our land tour, but also test negative for our actual cruise. The numbers reported here are not encouraging. 

[Freckles1983]

1 hour ago, Gray Lady said:

We arrived in Fairbanks yesterday for our cruise tour. The bus that took us to the hotel DID NOT enforce the required mask rule. Is it just a suggestion? We want to be able to enjoy our land tour, but also test negative for our actual cruise. The numbers reported here are not encouraging. 

I personally would recommend masking after seeing how many people didn’t and ended up being removed from the rest of the tour.  We all spend so much money and time on these vacations that it’s better safe than sorry.  I am still shocked at the amount of people that were left behind on our tour.  Safe travels to you 

[rodndonna]

13 hours ago, Crew News said:

Your third statement is incorrect.  My roundtrip from Vancouver to Alaska in September requires masking per the email I received last week from HAL. 

 

That's odd because the current requirements on HAL site states they are not be required for roundtrip Alaska. It is still showing cruises that start or end in Whittier as the only ones with 'required' and roundtrips (Seattle or Vancouver) and 'not required'

 

Maybe you have a land component in Whittier?

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

 and then looking at table in the "Download Alaska and Canada cruise protocols"

[Petronillus]

15 hours ago, RSWBADGER said:

I would like to see the date on that letter, the letter that I posted was also June 11th. We go on to Denali from Whittier.

The follow-up (back-pedal) was dated Friday, June 17.

Our itinerary starts with the land portion out of Fairbanks and concludes with the 7-day cruise out of Whittier.

=Bob=

[Gray Lady]

9 hours ago, Freckles1983 said:

I personally would recommend masking after seeing how many people didn’t and ended up being removed from the rest of the tour.  We all spend so much money and time on these vacations that it’s better safe than sorry.  I am still shocked at the amount of people that were left behind on our tour.  Safe travels to you 

We are going to. Too much at stake. Thank you, we are going to have a good time while being safe and controlling what we can.

[DaveOKC]

4 hours ago, rodndonna said:

 

That's odd because the current requirements on HAL site states they are not be required for roundtrip Alaska. It is still showing cruises that start or end in Whittier as the only ones with 'required' and roundtrips (Seattle or Vancouver) and 'not required'

 

Maybe you have a land component in Whittier?

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well/frequently-asked-questions/faq-for-cruises-from-usa.html

 

 and then looking at table in the "Download Alaska and Canada cruise protocols"

From your attachment regarding Vancouver:

Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required except on Alaska cruises that sail to/from Whittier and Vancouver.

[Gray Lady]

Freckles, have you done your cruise part yet or have you only been on land?

[rodndonna]

19 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

From your attachment regarding Vancouver:

Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required except on Alaska cruises that sail to/from Whittier and Vancouver.

 

Agreed - I was responding to a poster stating he was informed makes were 'required' for his upcoming roundtrip Vancouver Alaskan cruise as it is not what I read the case to be.

[PACD_JG]

18 hours ago, Crew News said:

Your third statement is incorrect.  My roundtrip from Vancouver to Alaska in September requires masking per the email I received last week from HAL. 

 

 

3 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Agreed - I was responding to a poster stating he was informed makes were 'required' for his upcoming roundtrip Vancouver Alaskan cruise as it is not what I read the case to be.

 

[jeh10641]

Here are my updated thoughts:

1.   Masks - my wife and I wear masks whenever we are out in public today and for the foreseeable future. We have noticed that the number of family/friends who have started testing positive (trending upward) comes from their NOT wearing masks any more. I, too, have noticed a decline in common colds, the flu and Norovirus when masking was required. A coincidence? I think not.

2.   Testing - If more tests are administered to a larger portion of the population, I think it follows that more people will test positive. The question remains - is that a higher percent of the total population testing positive or is it the same rate, just a larger pool?

3.  Coughing/Sneezing - I have allergies that cause me to cough and sneeze all year round and have done so since my teens (I am 80 now). Masking does not help that but being away from trees, flowers, grass (the kind that grows in your yard!) eases the problem (like being at sea or in air-conditioned spaces).

4.   Buffets - Do not handle the food unless you plan to eat it. I loved the buffet on our last cruise when the food was served to us. That should be the new norm.

5.   Vaccinations - I get my flu shot every year, my pneumonia shot when required, my shingles injection and other vaccinations as needed. To those I will now add a Covid jab as often as it is recommended (currently, double boosted).

To this I will add my standard STAY WELL!

[LJProk]

14 hours ago, RSWBADGER said:

The land tours are all riding the bus and trains with no masks (see the pictures on the land tour blogs).

Eating buffet dinners sitting side by side, it's not surprising. 

We are on the July 10th Noordam, we are going to rethink our group excursions. The 8 hour Bus/Train to Denali is a concern, thankfully we are cruising first.

I will say, they did not tell us masks were required when we left Anchorage on June 2 to go to Denali by bus, or on the train to Whittier on June 5. However, 95% of people were wearing masks. I think everyone realized they really wanted to go on this trip and would protect themselves. The bus is a little more crowded in terms of seats being closer together. The train is a bit more spaced out.

[Actorjim]

Does HAL still supply masks?

[rodndonna]

4 minutes ago, Actorjim said:

Does HAL still supply masks?

 

Yes - KN95's

 

On our cruise last week where they were 'recommended' there was one in the room and then when you wanted a new one, you picked it up at guest services.