UNCFanatik

I know Royal is hoping for the best with this hearing but tomorrow is 5/15 and still silence from Royal on July sailings from the US. I understand there is a lot of moving pieces and Royal desperately wants to restart in mid-July but they need to provide some sort of solid update to customers with July sailings from the US. 

13 minutes ago, Gears said:

Looks like the CDC is contradicting themselves again...

People vaccinated against Covid-19 can go without masks indoors and outdoors, CDC says:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/13/health/cdc-mask-guidance-vaccinated/index.html

Not contradicting. The political winds have changed this week. Bad job numbers, inflation, gas shortage, Middle East crisis. The terrible showing of CDC and Walensky in the Congressional Hearings this week. The administration ordered the CDC to do this today. Its all political and has nothing to do with science

11 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

They equate cruise ships to prisons and other institutions.

Yes, which is strange because people staying at casinos for a weeks vacation experience very similar conditions to cruise ships. Eat at hotel buffets, gamble on crowded casino floor, see shows all without leaving hotel. And they arent outside as much as people on a cruise typically

7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

There still are scenarios where vaccinated people have to wear masks indoors. I'm sure cruise ship will be one.

i am fine with that as long as I can remove mask during dining completely. 

16 minutes ago, Jill said:

Just heard on the news that CDC now says if you’re vaccinated no more masks indoors. 
 

Good grief. Good news but just enforces how they change stuff like people change their underwear 

i wonder what tomorrow will bring? Heck, something else may change next hour! 

Doesnt surprise me after the week the CDC has had and losing advocates on both sides of the political aisle. They have been taking a beating and people are starting to wake up to the fact that the CDC is adding to vaccine hesitancy. 

I just dont know when CDC guidance somehow turned out to be law in some peoples minds? I mean to these same people never eat their red meat at medium temp, eat raw cookie dough, etc?

Do they follow all CDC guidance with their diet? Smoking? 

Amazing how some people ignore all CDC guidance in their lives except when it comes to Covid. then the CDC guidance becomes Gospel which must strictly be adhered to

People are funny animals

8 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

They'll have stopwatches timing how long it takes to take the bite off your fork to when you put your mask back on.

I see. Better yet..they need to have someone on PA system coordinating when all the diners can take a bite. 

"Prepare for bite one

Remove masks

4 chews and thats it

Countdown for placing masks back on...5..4..3..2..1"

I will say that the hearing came at a favorable time when the CDC has shown their true incompetent nature in all things Covid not just cruises. Public support and opinion is turning against the CDC as well as the political winds. Politicians are finding it harder to support the CDC every day now. I wouldnt be surprised if we see a clearing of the house at the CDC and they should start with Walensky

19 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I truly think the rule regarding indoor dining is totally insane...might end up having to dine on my balcony if rules are not relaxed by November!   Or perhaps chow down my dinner in one bite????   

 

          

and how is that even enforceable? is there going to be an attendant standing at each table to be the mask police while people eat? There is ZERO science to support this kind of nonsense and it does not match what is happening at indoor dining now in the US. 

7 minutes ago, Tarheel0907 said:

whats the point of vaccines if nothing changes for receiving it....

Exactly!!! And if nothing changes then it creates vaccine hesitancy!!!

9 minutes ago, Jill said:

 But gloves won’t stop people from licking the spoon

How else am I supposed to get the banana pudding off the serving spoon after I put some in my bowl?

17 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

St Lucia we did the boat tour (JJ SPeedboat Tours I think) instead of the land tours. Saw all the same things, just most of the travel was by boat. 

 

One of the few excursions I've ever done that I would without hesitation do again.  Even if only for the rum punch (or, when the rum punch runs out, just rum)

The Rum Punch I had on St Lucia was 95% rum and 5% punch it seemed. But it was mighty tasty!

7 minutes ago, Jill said:

At this point the CDC has so much egg on its face. They are even receiving criticism from main stream media- who have been towing their ridiculous agenda for a year. The latest was letting the teacher’s unions tell the CDC not to open schools. Their messaging is all over the place. Congress is grilling them as we speak. 

Yes, they are losing the public with slow, outdated guidelines. The guidelines for children summer camps are also a tipping point of public opinion. Walensky didnt fare well yesterday in Congressional hearing. 

And for all the talk of vaccine hesitancy, the CDC is contributing to it by their outdated guidelines for vaccinated people. 

7 minutes ago, twangster said:

That doesn't give the federal government authority to implement policy while a person is on the sovereign soil of another country.  

On the vessel or aircraft yes, not in debate.  Off the vessel or aircraft, while in another country, nope.

I dont know enough about it to make a reasoned discussion on it. I am with you though on sovereignty of other nations but wonder why the CDC put requirements in there in first place for port excursions if they felt they didnt have jurisdiction. 

Either way, I am glad the new guidelines erase the need for that masked madness.  

13 minutes ago, twangster said:

I'd love to see the Bahamian government march into the UN and absolutely trash the US government for interfering with it's sovereignty.  

 

Found it:

controlled free pratique

9 minutes ago, danv3 said:

That's interesting, because it's pretty clear that (realistically) no one is getting COVID from salad tongs.  

(I know many people would rather see self-serve buffets go away, and that's fine, but I don't think it can be justified from a COVID prevention perspective.)

I live in SC and when buffets opened back up here...specifically BBQ buffets, a few had staff serve you down the line but the majority i have been to require you put on gloves to server yourself

7 minutes ago, twangster said:

I really don't think the CDC has authority to dictate what occurs in another country just because the destination is a private island.  

The ship is another matter. 

A youtuber i watched made the case that since the ship ports in the US, it has authority to set terms in exchange for letting a ship port in the US. I would have to watch again to look at law he referenced and it falls in line with the shore excursion requirements with the cruise provider only.

Still, mask use needs to be dropped while eating indoors because 

1. That is what is happening in many US states with indoor dining already and it has not shown to be a vector of transmission or super spreader.

2. It falls in line with the increasing support that is swelling to drop mask use indoors totally. 

3. Its an enforcement nightmare on the ship in MDR and Windjammer. It is not realistic for crew to do normal jobs and then have to be the mask police to determine how long your mask has been off.

4. VACCINATED

9 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Where did you see that?

Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may gather or conduct activities outdoors, including engaging in extended meal service or beverage consumption, without wearing a mask except in crowded settings.

Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that—if they are fully vaccinated—they may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors. The cruise ship operator is additionally advised that foreign jurisdictions may have their own requirements.

And it says at the cruise ship operator's discretion about mask use. 

Will Royal follow suit and adjust their policies according to the CDC changes? I would hope so

15 minutes ago, jomurr said:

Hello, I am a first time cruiser sailing on the Explorer of the Seas 7 Day Southern Caribbean cruise. The cruise stops in St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Matrteen, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Kitts. What are the best excursions to do at these locations and if anyone has any advice for a first time cruiser that would he helpful. Thank you so much.

Welcome to the boards!

This may get moved to excursion section. 

First, I will answer with the Caveat that restrictions will be lifted where you can do shore excursions on your own.

I have been to 2 of the 4 locations, St Maarteen and St Luica

St Maarten, we rented a car and did a tour on our own. It was the only island we visited on our cruise where people drove on the right hand side of street. The round abouts can be a little tricky but manageable. Went to Maho Beach to watch the planes fly over the beach. Drove up to Fort Amsterdam and explored several beaches and then enjoyed a lunch at one of the beach side BBQ places. 

St Lucia. we did a land and sea tour with Edmunds Tours. Great Tour. Waterfall...exciting boat ride and ended with snorkeling

Meanwhile in other news. MGM is planning today on opening up full capacity on their gaming floors in Vegas. 

You know, people in close proximity with one another for hours upon end sharing the same air and also staying in the Hotel where they have gambled, ate and went to shows. 

Of course, this is MUCH different than cruising. 

8 minutes ago, steverk said:

Even if the court rules in Florida's favor, it is doubtful that any cruise line will be able to start a large number of ships before July.  Therefore, even in the best case scenario, many, perhaps most, July sailings will be cancelled.

Worst case...we don't need to dwell on the worst case!

I understand Royal waiting on todays hearing but why is Royal always the last to announce cancellations? Royal needs to break their silence by the end of the week on July cruisings out of the US. I believe they announced June cancellations around April 8th. Royal needs to communicate to customers with July sailings. 

What really needs to happen is for the current CDC director be forced to resign or is fired and then the CDC can do a reset on their guidance. Walensky showed again yesterday in the hearing with Congress why she is not fit to lead the CDC. The administration could offer her up as a sacrificial lamb and move forward with more science and data based guidance from the CDC that is actually based on current, not outdated, data. This goes beyond just cruiselines. The CDC guidance on summer camps for children is harmful to children and down right child abuse to expect kids at camp to be masked outside in 90+ degree temps. Its time for a change of leadership of the CDC that will allow the admin to save some face here.

7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Didn't someone post at some point that the Carnival brass wasn't interested in a vaccination mandate?

 

They must be rolling the dice with the lawsuit or something else they have up their sleeves.

How would they have time to pull off a July sailing? Its my understanding that if they do not go with the 98% crew and 95% passenger vaccination then they need to do test sailings. They need to give 30 day notice to CDC for testing cruising. Have they already done that? if not, if they did it today, 30 days out is June 11. The CDC has 5 days to reply to test sailing request. 5 calendar days? 5 business days? June 11 is a friday. So assume its calendar days in best case. That means that Carnival would have full CDC permission to do test sailings by June 16th. So Carnival to sail on July 3rd as announced. They would have to complete test cruise(s) and get CDC approval to sail in a 2 week period. I am sorry but the logistics of this plan under my understanding of the CDC framework doesnt make sense. But maybe the July sailings with Carnival will end up being test cruises. So many questions. It will be interesting to see Carnival fill in all the details here.

And as an aside, why is Royal always the last of the major cruise lines to announce cancellations?

I just watched a you tuber who said he booked a cruise on the Carnival ship leaving out of Miami on July 4th. he is claiming that the carnival agent he booked with said being vaccinated was not a requirement to sail.

hmmm... I find this very interesting if true. Could be the Carnival agent was misinformed? It’s my understanding that if a ship doesn’t meet the 98% of crew and 95% of passengers required then test sailings have to take place first. So how could Carnival sail on July 4th without the vaccination requirements? Is their plan to have test cruises in June and somehow be fast tracked approval to sail on July 4th? 
 

Big caveat here... this is anecdotal until official word from Carnival but if correct, how would this be possible logistically with the cdc?