Will Celebrity follow NCL soon???

[JBare]

It maybe that proof of vaccination status will only be required when boarding (as it is now anyway) and uploading to the app is dropped as it had too many issues for many.

[GaNavy]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

The vaccinations haven't really been effective in preventing infection but have been effective in reducing the severity of the disease.   If you and I choose to get vaccinated to minimize the effects of an infection that's good but I really don't care if the guy in the next cabin contracts Covid and has a worse case of the disease.  Vaccinations don't seem to be keeping Covid off the ships.

Not quite true that vaccinations don't prevent infections. A study published last week, title: "Effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron and Delta variants in a matched test-negative case-control study among US veterans" concludes "Among an older, mostly male, population with comorbidities, we found that an mRNA vaccine booster was highly effective against infection, hospitalisation and death. Although the effectiveness of booster vaccination against infection was moderately higher against Delta than against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, effectiveness against severe disease and death was similarly high against both variants." Here's a link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35922100/ 

 

So yes, vax doesn't provide as much protection against omicron as it does against other variants, and I know this was an older population studied, but to say that vax doesn't protect against infection is a little misleading. I'm fine with vax requirements for cruises - if it's bad for the business model to exclude unvaxed passengers, it may be even worse if serious cases among unvaxed start showing up on ships, especially if some of them are kids. Yes I know that kids aren't as likely to catch covid as adults, but that won't matter if they do, especially given the public relations disaster that would present to the cruise lines.

 

[TeeRick]

My position is that it would be a mistake right now to eliminate BOTH pre-cruise testing and vaccination requirements as RCG and its cruise lines like Celebrity might announce on Aug 14th.  We shall see.   Or maybe that will happen in the future. In fact it probably will.  But if it is an either/or choice, then I would stick with some form of vaccination requirements over pre-cruise testing.  I agree with @GaNavy that vaccinations - particularly Up To Date- will reduce (but not eliminate) the number of infections.  In fact, with Omicron boosters coming, we can hope that will be a good trend to watch for.  Vaccines were never expected to eliminate all infections -with this type of mutating virus.  As I said in previous responses, if I have to take the hybrid model (like kids tested but not vaccinated), so be it.  There are not a lot of kids on Celebrity ships anyway.  And I just will not travel (cruise or fly) in peak holiday periods like after Thanksgiving through end of January.  That has been the most risky period for exposure.

[dcyonce]

I asked the Magic 8-ball. Rarely do I get an answer this definite. 

Hmm ... I guess it's official now ?

[davekathy]

14 minutes ago, dcyonce said:

I asked the Magic 8-ball. Rarely do I get an answer this definite. 

Hmm ... I guess it's official now ?

 

My Magic 8 Ball isn't that accurate. But it is 62 years old. My Magic 8 Ball still says, "cannot predict now. Ask again later". 🎱

[Ipeeinthepools]

5 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

There are "special" TA calls today and tomorrow. The topic has not be released yet. 

 

New promo with a slightly larger discount also starts on Friday the 13th. 

 

Any updates from the special TA calls today?

[mbddisney]

I just completed the health status on the app for Sept 24.  Only asked about if you had been vaccinated and boosted, and if 23 weeks pregnant at any time during sailing.

[LIMPIT]

Same, we are due to sail out of Italy on 10th September on Edge and on the check in submission, testing information is now withdrawn, only a submission asking vaccination and booster status 

[cangelmd]

43 minutes ago, LIMPIT said:

Same, we are due to sail out of Italy on 10th September on Edge and on the check in submission, testing information is now withdrawn, only a submission asking vaccination and booster status 

OK so let’s cut to the selfish Karenoid question I have. The policy on Monday only changed for US departures, is there any possibility that Europe departures, particularly TAs won’t eventually be included?

For the record, I think Celeb should adopt the 80% vaccinated policy and drop the testing piece. I also think they should move toward UptoDate, when and if CDC changes the definition to include the Omicron specific vaccine. Given that we’ve gone about 4 months with BA-5 rampaging through some of the lowest vaccinated rate states in the US, and no new more evolutionarily fit variants have arisen, I’m cautiously optimistic that we are reaching some sort of equilibrium. The way things have gone around here this summer would portend a huge spike of cases in the cold weather states later this year, but much fewer hospitalization and deaths, thank heavens. 

[lexmiller]

I wonder, when pre-cruise testing is dropped (as it has been dropped for cruises 5 nights or less), what if a guest self-reports……will X still give cash refunds to that passenger, even though testing is no longer required to board?  And what if a passenger decides to take a pre-cruise test anyway, even though not required by the line - and they are positive for covid?  Will X still be required to give a refund, I wonder, under the new rules - whatever the rules may actually be.   Will that passenger still need to quarantine, where they are not allowed to leave the room, they have no Seapass card, not allowed any movement around the ship?  I bet the legal department is working on all of this……    

I don’t know what the policy is for instance if a passenger, pre-covid, went to medical and had some virus such as noro or flu - I can’t imagine a cash refund was issued or if the person was locked down in strict quarantine vs on your honor quarantine, no Seapass card, etc, but I don’t actually know.  I think the cruise lines are working on a policy to transition covid to the category of other viruses, as far as how it’s handled regarding refunds/no refunds and quarantine……..will be interesting to see what happens.

[wrk2cruise]

12 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

I wonder, when pre-cruise testing is dropped (as it has been dropped for cruises 5 nights or less), what if a guest self-reports……will X still give cash refunds to that passenger, even though testing is no longer required to board?  And what if a passenger decides to take a pre-cruise test anyway, even though not required by the line - and they are positive for covid?  Will X still be required to give a refund,

 

I believe for sailings through November 30 the Covid Assistance Policy would provide refund as long as you provide a positive test result within 10 days of the sailing.

 

I'm pretty sure after they will treat Covid like any other illness and the response will be "That's what travel insurance is for".

 

It will be interesting to see if they drop compensation in the case where you report to medical and are required to isolate either a quarantine stateroom or even in your own stateroom.   Historically they provided compensation for things like Noro if you were required to isolate (and didn't cheat).    Might have been FCC only, but hey that's ok with me.

 

[mitz18]

On 8/8/2022 at 12:58 PM, Cruising7in2017 said:

Crossing my fingers that our 8/20 cruise out of Barcelona won't require any testing!

just curious - does anyone know if any line has dropped the testing requirement in any Europe port(s)?

[mitz18]

8 hours ago, AbbyCruiser45 said:

Something seems to be amiss. People are reporting on FB that after the last app update, there is no longer a place to upload and verify the vaccine record during checkin. I don’t have any sailings coming up, so I cannot verify myself. 

Yep strange.  I got an email today telling me to upload my VAX info on the app, but there is no place to do it.  Maybe X's IT dept is at it again......

[lexmiller]

9 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

just curious - does anyone know if any line has dropped the testing requirement in any Europe port(s)?

Offhand, I know that for a fact that Viking Ocean has dropped all testing.  My friend boarded yesterday in Stockholm and boy was she THRILLED not to have to test!

[wrk2cruise]

4 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

Yep strange.  I got an email today telling me to upload my VAX info on the app, but there is no place to do it.  Maybe X's IT dept is at it again......

 

They have replaced the Vaccine section with a new Health Status section with 3 questions.  2 regarding vaccine status and one about pregnancy.

 

[mitz18]

7 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Foolish to avoid testing.  Test for your own safety.  You don’t want to get on a ship if you have Covid. No responsible person wants to spread Covid or be sick. Also letting unvaxed  people on ships is crazy.  Testing protects everyone. Being vaccinated protects you and people you meet.  Even with that, people have gotten Covid on cruises.  With no testing, Covid cases will increase.   NCL is making a dangerous mistake.  

As Jeremiah1212 stated there are a ton of threads to debate this so no need to get in a deep discussion, but I don't need a test to fly, go to sporting events, go out to eat or shop or anything else except cruising.  I can sit in a packed movie theater or restaurant w/out a test.  I would agree with you that the majority of the ship should be vax'd, but the pre-cruise testing's time has come & gone.  Sorry, each to our own opinion. 

[mitz18]

4 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

They have replaced the Vaccine section with a new Health Status section with 3 questions.  2 regarding vaccine status and one about pregnancy.

 

I may look pregnant, but nope.......🤣

[mitz18]

7 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

Offhand, I know that for a fact that Viking Ocean has dropped all testing.  My friend boarded yesterday in Stockholm and boy was she THRILLED not to have to test!

thanks - good to know

[lexmiller]

28 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

As Jeremiah1212 stated there are a ton of threads to debate this so no need to get in a deep discussion, but I don't need a test to fly, go to sporting events, go out to eat or shop or anything else except cruising.  I can sit in a packed movie theater or restaurant w/out a test.  I would agree with you that the majority of the ship should be vax'd, but the pre-cruise testing's time has come & gone.  Sorry, each to our own opinion. 

AGREE!!  100%

[RichYak]

16 minutes ago, mitz18 said:

I would agree with you that the majority of the ship should be vax'd

I really think people worry about this too much.

 

First, the overwhelming majority of passengers on X (and NCL) will still be vaxxed when the vaccine requirement is dropped completely. That's the nature of the typical Celebrity cruiser.

 

Second, using readily available data from the cdc (unvaxxed hospitalization per 100k population) and applying that to a future typical sailing (with no mandate), I estimate the average number of unvaccinated passengers who might require medical attention on board to be less than far less than 1 person per sailing. Even that number assumes no pre-cruise testing and assumes all unvaxxed are over 18 (to match the cdc data). Factor those in and the incidents will be close to zero.

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, mitz18 said:

just curious - does anyone know if any line has dropped the testing requirement in any Europe port(s)?

Cunard is now asking passengers to confirm negative tests but not requiring documentation. (*May apply to only some cruises. Mine is SOU to NYC with a stop in France.)

Edited August 10, 2022 by hrhdhd

[Jeremiah1212]

Updated guidelines are now on the Celebrity website. 

[JBWorks]

I’m hoping that Celebrity ships leaving from Canada stop requiring a COR and just accept proof of infection over the last 180 days, in leu of testing. That would adhere to the gov guidelines and make everyone’s lives easier.

 

I may be biased though, we’re sailing out of Vancouver in a few days and had Covid in April.

[mitz18]

9 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Updated guidelines are now on the Celebrity website. 

Rather convoluted on Europe sailings. Says basically we’ll let you know before you board.  Seems early Sept is the key however

[Ipeeinthepools]

15 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Updated guidelines are now on the Celebrity website. 

 

So what's the US requirement?  Vaccines are still required 12 or over and testing must be done 3 days before departure except no testing for cruises 5 days or less.  Am I missing something?