Are you as encouraged as I am about this?

[RCIfan1912]

If he is coming to the US to join a ship I am very, very encouraged. Should I be? Am I making too much of this? Can't wait to find out what ship and where. 

[smokeybandit]

I'll be encouraged when the test cruises set sail

[Matt]

Ever since Royal Caribbean's quarterly earnings call the other week, I've never been more optimistic about chances ships are going to sail sooner than later.

I do agree I think we'd all feel better once test cruises start, but I feel good about our chances.  Much more than even in January.

[RCIfan1912]

They wouldn't bring Chris back to the US to join a ship, or crew members in general if they didn't know cruises would resume. Am I correct on that? They must know something?

[Leroyr55]

I just wish a decision could be made soon. We have a May 8th on SOS. I just wish if they know now it won’t go they would let us know so we can plan for something else. How far out do they usually cancel? 

[smokeybandit]

There's no way May happens if they're going to continue to require test cruises.  

[Curt From Canada]

This is the biggest reason I am encouraged, happy, exhilarated, and putting on my dancing shoes as I write this:

 

As the two most important cruising countries in the world (to me) continue to crush the virus, I get closer to the 5 cruises we have booked (all five sailing from US or UK).  Keep rolling up your sleeves so you can pack and dream (not necessarily in that order).

Curt from Canada

[MrB]

Quote

As the two most important cruising countries in the world (to me) continue to crush the virus, I get closer to the 5 cruises we have booked (all five sailing from US or UK).  Keep rolling up your sleeves so you can pack and dream (not necessarily in that order).

The US has had a precipitous drop in February from the crazy January. But.. those numbers have leveled off, and actually look like there might be one more spike before the vaccine numbers start to take over. That leveling off started about 10 to 14 days ago. I'm hoping we can avoid that spike, but it's looking like that's gonna happen. 

Yes, there is some optimism to be had here, but we need to be watchful  and accept that there will be setbacks, both major and minor.

I process the county-by-county numbers in the US everyday (I'm a data nerd) and have since  I found my good CSV source in April 2020. It looks better now than it has since the summer of 2020. My issue presently is that in the counties that I pay particular attention to, including the county in which I reside, there has not been as drastic a reduction in cases in comparison to, say, Los Angeles or even other local surrounding counties. This recovery is not as wide-spread as the cumulative numbers suggest. That leaves some room for a resurgence.

 

 

[Curt From Canada]

15 minutes ago, MrB said:

The US has had a precipitous drop in February from the crazy January. But.. those numbers have leveled off, and actually look like there might be one more spike before the vaccine numbers start to take over. That leveling off started about 10 to 14 days ago. I'm hoping we can avoid that spike, but it's looking like that's gonna happen. 

Yes, there is some optimism to be had here, but we need to be watchful  and accept that there will be setbacks, both major and minor.

I process the county-by-county numbers in the US everyday (I'm a data nerd) and have since  I found my good CSV source in April 2020. It looks better now than it has since the summer of 2020. My issue presently is that in the counties that I pay particular attention to, including the county in which I reside, there has not been as drastic a reduction in cases in comparison to, say, Los Angeles or even other local surrounding counties. This recovery is not as wide-spread as the cumulative numbers suggest. That leaves some room for a resurgence.

 

 

No doubt the vaccines need to take hold, and that does not happen the second you get your first jab ... there will be a lag.  The UK was ahead of the US by about a month, so I look to them to be the leader (of the only two countries that affect my cruising) ... it is really all about me.

Still, all I need is between 2,792 to 8,878 passengers and crew (vessel dependant) to be fully vaccinated to join my soulmate and I on a cruise ... I am still packing (and I am not packing light).

Stay Safe, Stay Apart, Stay Connected,

Curt from Canada

[smokeybandit]

USA numbers haven't leveled off.  There was a testing dip after the huge cold snap, then a recovery in testing numbers and reporting that makes it look like a level off. The seven-day positive rates are at their lowest ever. Hospitalization numbers continue to plunge.   There are 20-30x as many vaccines administered daily than new cases reported. Meanwhile the combination of high volumes of testing and the manner in which most states use the PCR test, there will continue to be positives from people exposed upwards of 3 months ago.

 

[JimnKathy]

Between the promising vaccine rollouts across the country along with developing herd immunity, I'm encouraged that cruises will resume sometime this summer. While the initial cruises will likely have some mandated social distancing, masking, vaccine requirements, etc., it certainly appears things are moving in a very positive direction. Happy Sailing to all!

[jticarruthers]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Ever since Royal Caribbean's quarterly earnings call the other week, I've never been more optimistic about chances ships are going to sail sooner than later.

I do agree I think we'd all feel better once test cruises start, but I feel good about our chances.  Much more than even in January.

I hit my optimism peak back in October timeframe when it felt like the CDC was actually being forced to engage on the issue ... since then the rest of the news doesn't inspire my optimism much since its clear it all comes down to the CDC and nothing else.

[Nospmas]

 

Two Workers Have COVID-19 Aboard Royal Caribbean's New Odyssey of the Seas

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24510-two-workers-have-covid-19-aboard-royal-caribbean-s-new-odyssey-of-the-seas.html

Just seen on web. 
Hopefully won’t delay startups, 

 

 

[twangster]

18 minutes ago, Nospmas said:

Just seen on web. 
Hopefully won’t delay startups, 

Yet to be seen.  Friday's sea trials were postponed.

The handover was scheduled for March 24 which leaves a lot of time before her debut in May so there appears to be some time for contingencies. 

[smokeybandit]

According to the google translate version of the cited article, everyone tested negative several times prior to the conveyance and no one else has tested positive since those two on Thursday.