Jverge

And "...but here are the new protocols this week"

Just saw this... CNBC: Two guests aboard Royal Caribbean cruise test positive for Covid. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/24/two-guests-aboard-royal-caribbean-cruise-test-positive-for-covid.html I wonder if Matt has some first hand insights to report from the passenger perspective.

Wow that is a surprise to me... much faster than when I ran PCR in the lab. ? Good news for anyone needing a rapid test. Just make sure the test is approved for your destination. I keep reading stories of people flying to Hawaii with an 'unapproved' test and having to fly back to the mainland to get a test (which seems stupid to me but that is a whole other topic).

PCR tests take multiple hours so you may have at least a 24 hr wait.

Friday was a federal holiday so probably not.

Yes, I forgot to include facial recognition in my post.

I saw in one interview that with all the cameras on the ship they can do contact tracing via video footage... scary and cool at the same time.

Well that question is a sure way to get this thread locked. ? I'll give my simple perspective... vaccines aren't as protective against the new variants/strains of COVID and the biggest threat is the Delta strain which is the cause of surges in the UK and is taking a foothold in the US. So even vaccinated people are still "at risk" of catching COVID, abet a milder form and hopefully not bad enough to allow that person to spread the disease (research is still out on that). On a cruise however you feel more "at risk" because if you catch COVID, you may have to cut the cruise short due to the protocols and I know I don't want that for me having waited so long to get a boat.

It didn't look like dining venues would be closed to unvaccinated individuals but I could be being optimistic in my interpretation. The real question would be if children unable to be vaccinated will be permitted in the "vaccinated only" seating with fully vaccinated parents or will the party need to sit in the "unvaccinated section"?

I think two classes of people is the only way to have a mixed vaccination status passenger manifest at least this early on in the restart. While I would rather it be all vaccinated this is an acceptable compromise. But technically there are 4 classes of people here: 1) suite Vax 2) suite non-vax 3) non-suite Vax 4) non-suite non Vax. ?

I can't believe I booked a cruise this far in advance but after seeing a video of a Christmas and New Year's cruise we booked it. It will be our first time on Explorer and really looking forward to being on a cruise during the holidays.

I think in this case, you want vaccinated people to have the wristbands so they don't want "to get out of it". If wristbands are given to vaccinated people it's like an all access pass! ?

Well if they are in international waters, the Captain is the authority so he/she may just have any individuals disrespecting the crew sent to the brig or walk the plank! ?

Not necessarily true... you can have COVID more than once (in rare cases) and with the variants of COVID that exist, including the more contagious variant "Delta" now found in 6% of new cases and causing a surge in cases in the UK, those odds increase. Depending on which vaccine you had, they are only protective 60%-88% of the time for this Delta variant. This is why there will likely need to be a booster shots similar to seasonal flu shots. Bottom line is that the protocols are working and that is the take home message for everyone to have confidence in cruising. ? I know I have confidence to cruise in August on my Allure sailing! Taken from RC website, if you test positive at least you get a refund and they arrange and pay for you to quarantine and get home: +++++++++++++++ Q What costs are covered in case I test positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the cruise? A If a guest who followed our protocols tests positive during his/her cruise and is required to quarantine onboard, is removed from the ship mid-cruise or denied reboarding as a result, the impacted guest will receive a full refund. Additionally, Royal Caribbean will cover the cost of onboard medical treatment and any required land-based quarantine for that guest, and will arrange and pay any additional costs incurred by the guests for safe travel home.

Thanks for the heads up... I'm on that sailing too but did not get an email yet. I'm not happy with that new itinerary... one of the reasons I booked on Allure was it wasn't going to Puerto Costa May, Roatan, or Cozumel since I have been to all those on a different ship and wanted something new. Plus I was looking forward to going to Labadee for the first time. Oh well... I'll just be happy that I'm on a cruise finally but I wouldn't mind some on-board cruise credits for my troubles. ?

Hopefully it means it's sold out otherwise I'm not going to be happy.

I thought you couldn't use employees for a test cruise... of course give how the rules change on a daily basis I'm probably wrong.

I think the "capacity" listed there is just the statistic for each of the ships and not what their reduced capacity sailings will be once things start up again.

$140pp is crazy! I got a black Friday deal for our Jan 2020 cruise for $25pp... even with the cold water on the slides that was much more worth it. I don't think I'd pay more than $50pp for the water park at Cococay.

Full FDA approval takes time which is why the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) was created for getting medicines a d treatments out quickly in situations where safety and efficacy have been demonstrated. You are correct having them fully FDA approved would help alot, or at least remove one talking point from those against the vaccines.

Plus evidence suggests vaccinated individuals don't shed enough virus to infect others... lots of vaccination benefits.

I believe the ADA would come into play if someone has a medical condition and couldn't get the vaccine so RCL would have to accommodate them somehow like make them wear masks. The same may be the same for religious reasons as well. However, if someone just chooses not to not get a vaccine then RCL can probably refuse service. But I'm not a lawyer so take my answers with a grain of salt.

My guess is vaccinated individuals be given colored bands to mark you are vaccinated and thus have special privileges... VIP badge or something. You don't want to "mark" unvaccinated passengers since they can easily become "vaccinated passengers" by removing their band.

Nice. I looked into switching my Aug 15 Allure cruise to Odyssey but the cost difference was insane so I'll continue on my quest to sail on all the Oasis class ships. ?

My guess is probably not unless you booked a refundable room. Otherwise you have to take the FCC option if you cancel under "Cruise with Confidence". Check with your TA if you used one to book... maybe they have a their own refund policy or can get creative and sell your cruise to another party.