Royal Caribbean finalized a port agreement with Port Canaveral so it can start test cruises

[LovetoCruise87]

This is a good sign

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/05/19/royal-caribbean-finalized-port-agreement-port-canaveral-so-it-can-start-test-cruises

[twangster]

Indeed.  

A great sign would be the CDC removing test cruises entirely.

 

[0_0]

33 minutes ago, twangster said:

Indeed.  

A great sign would be the CDC removing test cruises entirely.

 

I agree with removing them entirely. What does the CDC have to gain from test cruises other than putting another gate/roadblock in the process? If the cruise lines have to "test" their protocols to make sure they're effective then it seems to point out the person writing the protocols has no idea if they're going to work. 

Simple steps:
1. Write the rules.
2. Clarify rules with cruise line operators over short period (This really should only take a maximum of 1-2 weeks).
3. Enforce rules by punishing non-compliance.

I honestly believe the CDC has done a reprehensible job of Step 1. If they established requirements even close to what we have on land we'd have been at step 3 ages ago.

[LovetoCruise87]

32 minutes ago, 0_0 said:

I agree with removing them entirely. What does the CDC have to gain from test cruises other than putting another gate/roadblock in the process? If the cruise lines have to "test" their protocols to make sure they're effective then it seems to point out the person writing the protocols has no idea if they're going to work. 

Simple steps:
1. Write the rules.
2. Clarify rules with cruise line operators over short period (This really should only take a maximum of 1-2 weeks).
3. Enforce rules by punishing non-compliance.

I honestly believe the CDC has done a reprehensible job of Step 1. If they established requirements even close to what we have on land we'd have been at step 3 ages ago.

Test cruises are a waste of time. 

[smokeybandit]

Test cruises made sense at the time the CSO came out.  Not now.

[Matt]

I've been told Royal Caribbean and Port Everglades executed an port agreement and sent it to the Florida Department of Health, Broward on May 10.

[twangster]

36 minutes ago, Matt said:

I've been told Royal Caribbean and Port Everglades executed an port agreement and sent it to the Florida Department of Health, Broward on May 10.

More good news.

[smokeybandit]

I wonder how long it'll take Florida to turn it around to the CDC. Then of course how long it'll take the CDC to bless it.

 

But just in this you can see how complicated these shore agreements are since it's one single agreement per port.  

[twangster]

I understand cruise lines have to try since the CSO is the ONLY path to cruising that is available to them right now.  They can't assume Florida's lawsuit will bear any fruit.

They are in the early parts of step or phase 2 with 3 1/2 phases to go.  

It's equally likely the public health emergency will declared over before any cruise line makes it to phase 4 but they have to try.  

[Landry_TX]

Adventure of the Seas is on her way to Port Canaveral right now. Could these topics at all be related? 
 

I assume she’s fully staffed up with Nassau cruises set to begin in just over 3 weeks 

[twangster]

12 minutes ago, Landry_TX said:

Adventure of the Seas is on her way to Port Canaveral right now. Could these topics at all be related? 
 

I assume she’s fully staffed up with Nassau cruises set to begin in just over 3 weeks 

Nassau cruises don't require any CDC approvals or test cruises.

Adventure is heading to Port Canaveral to vaccinate the crew.  

[LovetoCruise87]

4 hours ago, Matt said:

I've been told Royal Caribbean and Port Everglades executed an port agreement and sent it to the Florida Department of Health, Broward on May 10.

I think we are getting there

[Matt]

Working on confirmation of 2 other ports.

[dandi799]

37 minutes ago, Matt said:

Working on confirmation of 2 other ports.

for Miami for selfish reasons!! 

[VACruiser]

I was at Cocoa Beach this week and saw the Explorer of the Seas at Port Canaveral on Wednesday followed by the Disney Fantasy the next day. The Fantasy stayed just off shore for three days and was being whipped by the wind and rough seas. Local news says they were there for vaccines. 
 
There was a drowning on Cocoa Beach on Wednesday due to strong rip currents. A Coast Guard Sea Hawk was flying patterns up and down the beach for hours. They had not found the man as of last check. A terrible tragedy. 

[FlaBoy]

In politics money is the driving force. It is necessary to justify  policy, policy equals taxes. Keep things simple, big government means intrusion into our day to day lives. Be proactive, vote bs politicians out of office! Nothing else will work, ever!

[smokeybandit]

3 hours ago, dandi799 said:

for Miami for selfish reasons!! 

Gotta think Miami is a shoo-in.  A toss up between Everglades and Tampa for the other

[Heymarco]

Good sign. Although every day that goes by, the CDC’s CSO feels more and more outdated. I live in the Northeast and my state has dropped all covid restriction including masks, capacity limits, and social distancing. It’s just a matter of time for cruise ship guidance to catch up. At this point we’re talking about a ship with 5,000 vs arena with 10,000. 

[LovetoCruise87]

11 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Gotta think Miami is a shoo-in.  A toss up between Everglades and Tampa for the other

Miami is a shoo-in, considering Miami and Port Canaveral are the #1 and #2 cruise ports in the world.

[twangster]

The CDC's instructions for cruise lines under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) are to submit the port agreements to the state Department of Health, but Florida has responded by saying they do not need to give cruise lines permission to operate, and directed cruise lines to go right to the CDC for test cruise permission.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/05/21/florida-tells-royal-caribbean-it-does-not-need-its-permission-cruise-ships-sail

 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

Which is probably why the CDC snuck this into the CSO earlier in the week

 

What if a cruise ship operator is unable to document the approval of all local health authorities for a Phase 2A port agreement?

In lieu of documenting the approval of all local health authorities of jurisdiction, the cruise ship operator may instead submit to CDC a signed statement from a local health authority, on the health authority’s official letterhead, indicating that the health authority has declined to participate in deliberations and/or sign the Phase 2A port agreement, i.e., a “Statement of Non-Participation.”

[JeffB]

Does this CDC rejoinder mean that once the "statement of non partipation" signed by Rivkes is obtained by RCG and sent to the CDC that RCG no longer has to obtain contracts from port service providers such as hotels, hospitals, etc. that might have to deal with COVID crew or passengers being debarked in a FL port? I don't think that's accurate but what do I know?

Another question, is RCLs port agent - the one always named in your cruise contract - a single POC for all port services? If so, is the Rivkes letter applicable to him/it as a means of  relieving RCL from all the port services contracts 2A calls for?

[CGTLH]

42 minutes ago, JeffB said:

Does this CDC rejoinder mean that once the "statement of non partipation" signed by Rivkes is obtained by RCG and sent to the CDC that RCG no longer has to obtain contracts from port service providers such as hotels, hospitals, etc. that might have to deal with COVID crew or passengers being debarked in a FL port? I don't think that's accurate but what do I know?

No, I get the impression what non-participation means is the health authority gives no further input for planning. Rather anything that happens will be reactive.

From reading over phase 2A the agreements are made by the cruise ship operator. Heck everything seems to start off with "The cruise ship operator must".

 

42 minutes ago, JeffB said:

Another question, is RCLs port agent - the one always named in your cruise contract - a single POC for all port services? If so, is the Rivkes letter applicable to him/it as a means of  relieving RCL from all the port services contracts 2A calls for?

Doubtful, the Port Authority is still a required party in the agreement. Now the port agent might work as a middle man in making the arrangements. 

 

If you want to try and come up with your own conclusions: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/instructions-local-agreements.html