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Talking of UK terminology around "jabs" my wife is a NHS phlebotomist and the standard line to a patient when inserting the needle used to be along the lines of "You might feel a little prick..." however that is no longer considered PC and she instead has to say "You might feel a sharp scratch". ?

I got my first vaccine about 10 days ago. Not one reaction, didn't really even feel the injection itself. 2nd one next week.

Got the Pfizer vaccine today. So far so good.

Yes but with no one driving anywhere lives have been saved from car accidents :)

Barb got her Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot yesterday...She's a RN at our local hospital. She was not scheduled to receive it yet but she was assisting in giving it to other Doctors and Nurses. A couple of people scheduled failed to show up. After the Moderna is removed from the cold storage, it must be used in a few hours or it goes to waste...So she got it a little early. No side effects so far.

AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use in the UK . That will expedite the UK vaccination program and might indicate that the FDA will also approve it. AstraZeneca vaccine not require deep freezing for shipment which is a big advantage and will help ship the vaccine to remote places. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-approved-for-use-in-uk-12155958

This is the one for me ! I will refuse vaccine if its any other brand and wait for this, no one should be making billions from this pandemic

You can always start a debate with these ones !!!! A pack of two, one is labeled Captain and the other First Mate. You tell me who is going to get the Captains Lanyard or should you ask your wife first ? ? https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Retractable-Organizer-Essential-Accessories/dp/B07S851HTB/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=2-Pack%2BCruise%2BLanyard%2B%26%2BWaterproof%2BID%2BKey%2BCard%2BHolder%2BClip.%2BMatching%2BRetractable%2BBadge%2BReel.%2BTravel%2BOrganizer%2BBag.%2BEssential%2BCruise%2BShip%2BAccessories.%2BCaptain%2BFirst%2BMate%2B1%2BBlue%2B%26%2B1%2BLite%2BBlue&qid=1609338173&sr=8-2&th=1 2-Pack Cruise Lanyard & Waterproof ID Key Card Holder Clip. Matching Retractable Badge Reel. Travel Organizer Bag. Essential Cruise Ship Accessories.

@Lovetocruise2002 @USCG Teacher @karl_nj Thanks for the added input. Hyatt House seems to be a good option! I will definitely be contacting them soon to see if they indeed do a cruise package where parking at the hotel would be complimentary or discounted. Also will check out the W. If these hotels do a package, I will post my findings on this thread. In the meantime, I can gather the information of the hotels in the nearby area that I know for sure offer a package and post it here. Like I previously mentioned, we have stayed at two hotels that offer such perks. Keep the awesome input coming!!! Drew

Well, they should not be saying you can still spread it because that hasn't been established yet. Normally, longer vaccine trials would have reported this information but the emergency approval process meant that so far the vaccines have only been shown to be safe enough and effective enough for the recipient. Until there is evidence one way or the other, we have to assume we can still spread the virus and behave accordingly. That's what should be reported right now.

I was waiting to cancel my transatlantic this April, 2021, until it was cancelled to Lift and Shift to next April, 2022. Ended up the cabin was less expensive than what I already paid to just book 2022 now. So, I booked 2022 already. Will use FCC at 125% to cover next cruise. We booked Jr Suite on both cruises. So, you might want to check the 2022 price now to see if it is less money than you 2021 cruise. I currently have 8 cruises booked, will see what happens

Sister-in-law (who's a PA in Naples) got it this week also - no ill effects

I'm going to preface this by saying this is a very naive comment and I definitely know the answer is $$$$. But I can't help by think that considering this is a world wide pandemic and people are dying everywhere...shouldn't Pfizer etc give labs around the world the formula and pump it out like crazy. If it was a cure for something small I can understand wanting to make it a monopoly. But considering it could get the world back on track to normalcy im sad it doesn't work like that...

Keep the faith!

I agree regarding the second shot and only time will tell (I understand that currently under 1m people have received the first dose and I have no idea how many of them have subsequently become infected). Given the sharp increase in cases and associated hospital admissions here there is a real concern that the health service could soon become overwhelmed and I believe the idea is to give as many vulnerable people as possible the chance to build up some protection, thereby allowing health professionals to focus their attention on those who unfortunately have not had that chance.

It is actually 2.1 million doses delivered. These people will require a 2nd dose. There are 331 million Americans. 0.6% of the population is not good enough to relax. According to experts it will take 10 years to vaccinate the public at the current pace. Just saying

Huge one! This is a huge thing. This is 3 bucks a dose, and stored at normal refrigeration temps. This can be distributed and afforded by poor counties. This can't be underestimated how huge this news is!

I understand your point, but... What would the death toll have been without any mitigation? I don't know. I'm not sure anyone does. NZ could say the same thing. Any entire country locked down, implemented restrictions, banned INTL travel, etc. Was that all a waste? A big scam? Not trying to argue, just curious if you think all the countries that have managed better are just faking their low numbers or if countries that have or claim to have elevated number are faking it?

@twangster I will agree with you, with a build (or few): 1). The mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) were the quickest to "build" and test. There are many more vaccine candidates in the pipeline. The next ones are the ones that are of a more traditional nature. They should be fairly efficacious as well. 2). @SteelersNationVA has a good point. Vaccines in a vial do no good without needles, health care professionals, and a plan to get them where they are needed. Getting the right vials, needles and "medical warriors" in the right places at the right time is a challenge. Still, plus or minus 2 months, there could be wide adoption (vaccine "reluctance" will still be the biggest issue). 3). I am very reassured that both the USA and Canada have military professionals leading the logistics. I have already seen both admit mistakes and commit to doing better. Very, very refreshing. 4). I am still planning on packing for my November 2021 cruise in September 2021. ? Curt from Canada

I've been doing some reading on the 1918 Pandemic. Four waves and close to three years with around a third of the world's population infected. The Spanish Flu pandemic came to an end though, and so will the Covid-19 pandemic. When you feel things are hopeless, remember this...it will end. To plagiarize Winston Churchill.....perhaps the vaccine is the end of the beginning. We all will cruise again.

I'll get mine whenever our state gets to Phase 1B. I have zero trepidation with getting it. As much as I really, really, really want to cruise again, I want even more to start putting this pandemic behind us.

I get my Covid 19 Vaccine on Wednesday. I feel cautiously optimistic about cruising starting up in the 2nd quarter of next year. At least a few ships at least. It looks like by April anybody in the general public should be able to receive the vaccine. Lets just keep our fingers crossed!

@WannaCruise ... Do not give up hope. You should be good for Christmas 2021 (You are correct about August being an issue). Here is the good news: 1). 3 of the first 3 Vaccines are good, so far. It is not too much to hope for 2 (or more) of the remaining 4 high potentials to be good as well. Canada is well covered ... it is more a question of how "fast can we jab". 2). The US will be ahead of Canada (this is actually critical for cruising starting up again). They did not pay for all of the world wide vaccine development, but they paid for tons of it and they are at the front of the line. They will get enough vaccinated to make a difference by the Fall. 3). Hopefully, the cruise industry will recommend that only vaccinated people be allowed on board (the heads of some major cruise lines are already hinting at this ... to get us ready).. That will make a return to cruising much more palatable for Cruise Lines, Governments, Medical Advisory Bodies and (maybe most important) Travel Insurance Companies. A "vaccination only" policy might be the biggest development that "guarantees" your Christmas 2021. (People who do not get the vaccine may have to wait until 2023ish). Most importantly, remember Commander Taggart's famous line ... "Never Give Up, Never Surrender". (Either you are a fan or you will need to look it up). ? Curt from Canada

Well said!! I would add a number 3 and state that we Americans have let the younger generation been trained to stop thinking for themselves, and common sense is extremely un-common. I do not know how other countries are but I really think this is true here in the States.

The 1st step was approval of the vaccine. Now we need as a country and world to distribute it and get it into our arms. The federal government's goal was 20M doses administered by year end. As of today 2.1M have been administered or 0.6% of the population. At this rate it will take years. As a country we are at 10% of the YE goal. A score of 10% on any exam in school is an F. A CEO of a public company would be fired for achieving 10% of the key financial goals. The new administration is taking a different approach. Instead of leaving the logistics to the states, they will use the powers of the federal government to make it happen. It has to work. It will be a huge effort that. It will take everybody's effort. Why can't cruise lines have their medical staff help administer the vaccines? It has to work. But the vaccine also has to be rolled out in Canada, the UK, Germany, China, India, Egypt and Morocco for it to be safe to travel globally. On a cruise ship, a plane, train or theatre or neighborhood restaurant there are people from all over the world. If they were not vaccinated, you are not safe. It will take leadership. The US has traditionally provided that leadership. The buck stops on the President's desk. My guess is that it is way to early to say when it will be safe to travel. In the meantime, wear a mask, social distance, stay home, be smart and watch videos of past vacations.

I will bet anything the CDC requires it for cruises. The CDC will play the bad guy, and the cruise lines will be off the hook and just has to enforce the rules. Very smart and I think it's almost a definite.

Actually I'm watching the BBC here from the US, gotta love the internet. I see what they are saying here. One dose or jab as the UK calls it (love the UK) protects enough that no one was hopitalized so getting that first dose to as many as possible is the goal here. Interesting strategy and I understand it now. Hopefully everything falls into place and we can all get this done.

Same....We have an August cruise which I am pretty certain it won't go. Our next is xmas cruise and that to me is iffy (but haven't given up hope). We're also Canadian, DH and I are at the bottom of the list for the vaccine so sometime in the fall?, plus we have kids so the vaccine needs to be approved. And for us Canadians, when will the border open? Plus the ports need to be open for visitors. Covid has shut down the world so think it'll be awhile before things start up again. And sadly, cruise ships will be at the bottom of the list to return as they have a bad wrap and are complicated with stops at various places. But I do have hope things will return. It just may not be as quick as some think.

That happened to me as well when my January cruise was still sailing. Keep an eye on it, and check back later to see if that functionality opens up.

100 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine ordered by the UK Government; of which "several million" are reported to already be available with vaccination due to start on Jan 4th. There has been a change to the protocol here though... it seems latest analysis shows that whilst two doses remains the gold standard, enough protection is still seen in people who have so far only had the first dose (which is currently most of them - the first person to receive her second dose did so yesterday) that none who have gone on to become infected have required hospital treatment. This is encouraging news given they are considered the most vulnerable members of our society. Therefore whilst everyone will still ultimately receive two doses the plan now is to administer the first dose to as many as possible within the most at risk groups rather than prioritise the second doses, which will instead be administered within 12 weeks. This morning the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "What I can tell you is whereas previously I've said that I hope we can be out of this by Spring, I've now got a very high degree of confidence that we can be out of this by Spring"... I really hope he's right! ? Arguably of more importance however - and to your earlier point @RCIfan1912 - this vaccine should be more widely available to developing countries, in terms of both cost and logistics (as it can be stored in a normal fridge) and AstraZeneca are reported as hoping to produce and distribute 3 billion doses at zero profit in 2021, which should deliver a real kick in the teeth to the virus; however it is a race against time as the thinking is the longer the virus is able to circulate, the more opportunities there are for variants to emerge.

Its 2 shots. I believe Johnson and Johnson/Janssen is the only 1 shot vaccine at that I know about.

Bingo, scientists need hard information before declaring something. They are pretty sure you can't spread it but they need more info, more studies for that which they didn't have enough time to do. They will get this info when enough people have had the vaccine. I suspect that once they get definitive proof the masks will them go away for those that have had the vaccine at the very least. Let me just say, these vaccines are pretty incredible on a number of levels.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55280671 Oxford-AstraZeneca approval given in the UK, roll-out starts next Monday, targeting 2 million a week (which I think is somewhat optimistic)

The Gem has been at a shipyard here in Charleston for a couple months...I would climb on in a second if I could.

That is one potential outcome but new vaccines if approved can influence the timeline. Time will tell.

Your logic is sound. The "by the end of June" timing will be difficult, but plus or minus a month or two is very likely. Certainly Vaccine "Passports" would speed the process of restarting cruising in a significant way. A few random thoughts: 1) The US is way ahead of the rest of the world in vaccine procurement. Canada may have more doses per capita, however, we are nowhere near the front of the line. Canada's target is "everyone who wants one by the end of September" (which is a politicians way of saying we do not have 2 doses for everyone by then). Still, that is good enough for me to roll up my sleeve, get the vaccine and start packing for a November 2021 cruise. 2) Vaccines dramatically reduce the chances of falling ill to COVID 19, for those who are vaccinated. It also reduces the chance of serious illness if the desired immune response is not achieved. However, there is a "70% to 85%" estimate of vaccination level required. I am afraid there are too many skeptics or people who are too afraid to get the vaccine in US or Canada to achieve that level in 2021. 3) There is also much more study required to determine how much the vaccine reduces the chance of a vaccinated person transmitting COVID 19 (there does not seem to be any solid science on this yet). The vaccine trains our bodies to defend themselves against the "invader", but does not transfer that ability to those not vaccinated. 4) I think "100% cruising" might be the biggest issue. Due to points 2) & 3) above, the ramp up might be slower than we would like. To ramp up there will still be many protocols in place (physical distancing and masking ... reduced requirements, but something still required). These are not easy to do, and are costly. Still, I will be packing for that November 2021 cruise in September of 2021. ? Stay Safe, Stay Apart, Stay Connected, Curt from Canada

I am still holding out hope and I believe we will be back by July, Aug at the latest.

I have not heard of this. Is this just speculation? Where did you read this? If that is the case it is not a real vaccine is it?

It make no sense that they would not cruise till 2022. If the vaccine works and they claim that by June any American who wants it can have it. I do not know what any other country is saying but for now I will limit it to the US. If it does work then why would everything including the cruise lines not be 100% shortly after if not before?

because the government is not happy with them. They all register there ships outside the USA or Europe, to avoid taxes. The CDC is targeting them for this.

Well the best intention was there. I am not surprised that that didn't happen to me. I found out what extreme paranoia was, that was for certain. I was convinced a few times that she new when she made totally innocent comments. As you can see from the video, I made it all the way to the end. More surprises are already in the pipeline, all we need is the ships to start sailing.

Why is the cruise industry being vilified, while airlines do no testing and people who maybe infected go to the crowded airport without having to show any test results? Why do restaurants (even with social distancing) not even take your temperature? Why can you go to the grocery store or a big box store and there is no temperature check? Why do some demand that schools reopen without providing PPEs for teachers. But it is the cruise industry that is the villian.

The $20,000 cruise surprise (Ovation of the Seas)

Well, I am now officially re-employed ! Here's the ultimate irony. It seems I am going to have to fly back to DC to get the badges and equipment I will need to work from Florida. We threw all of the ideas around (for trying to do it from here) and it just seems that you can't get there from here....so after the first of the year, I will be going BACK up there to get everything formalized...then fly back home and actually start doing the routine stuff. Since I've essentially been off the job since Feb I am ready to go get back to work. The nice thing is, I will pretty much be able to work when I want to with a few structured requirements (meetings, etc.). I will still be doing the travel that I love so it's totally win-win. It took far longer to get the paperwork done than I had thought it would, but I've been in no hurry so it's all good. YIPPEE !!

Most people in developed nations never encounter it when international travel is mainstream or between other developed nations. When a citizen of certain countries travel internationally or you visit specific regions vaccinations are a common requirement to travel. More importantly we don't know yet if current vaccines are neutralizing. Does a vaccine "kill" the virus or does the vaccine simply turn someone into a asymptomatic carrier still capable of spreading the virus? We know vaccines stop an individual from suffering from the worst symptoms and effects of the virus but we don't know if vaccines neutralize the virus on contact. The data isn't in yet, the science hasn't been studied. We don't know yet. Airlines face the same questions. They fear that if a vaccine isn't neutralizing then a vaccine requirement to travel doesn't prevent spread or protect the destination area if that destination hasn't vaccinated their population. If that's the case then travel still needs to be restricted.

I'm not a scientist or health expert. I barely can put on my shirt on the right way every day. But I'd advise skeptics to look into the stringent protocols and methodologies any vaccine goes through before it can reach the public. Then remind yourself that more than 3,000 people die every year from taking Aspirin.

The news always takes the "doom and gloom" approach because it garners way more ratings than "things will be fine". They always latch onto the worst case scenario discussions because it gets them clicks/views.

If it does I am hoping for the super hero "flying" ability.. That would be cool!

Was told by RC that the charge to enter is a cover charge and needs to be paid by all who enter whether they eat or not. Just wanted to update you!

Elvis Pinto was (I think) Activities Director on my Vision cruise this past spring. He was a blast! Very entertaining, and I saw him everywhere on the ship. I'm not surprised he's now a Cruise Director!