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CDC extends Conditional Sailing Order for cruises into January


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https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-cruiseships.html

 

October 25, 2021 Update

CDC extended the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) with minor modifications. The CDC Director signed the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO on October 25, 2021; it is effective upon expiration of the current CSO on November 1, 2021.

The Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO shall remain in effect until the earliest of

  • The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency;
  • The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations; or
  • January 15, 2022 at 12:01 am EDT.

After the expiration of the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO, CDC intends to transition to a voluntary program, in coordination with cruise ship operators and other stakeholders, to assist the cruise ship industry to detect, mitigate, and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships.

As of July 23, 2021, the CSO and accompanying measures, such as technical instructions, are nonbinding recommendations for cruise ships arriving in, located within, or departing from a port in Florida. CDC is continuing to operate the CSO as a voluntary program for such ships that choose to follow the CSO measures voluntarily.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/pdf/CDC-CSO-Extension-10-25-21-p.pdf

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"The pandemic isn't over. We've seen what the delta variant can do," Treffiletti said. "Despite, you know, really what have been the best efforts of the cruise industry to provide a safer and healthier environment for crew, passengers and communities, COVID-19 has still been a challenge, particularly with the delta variant."

What a load of crap. There have been less cases per person on ships than in some (most) states.

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2 minutes ago, cruisellama said:

Guessing -> 2. It will  may expire in January

Actually, CDC said it WILL expire in January

From CDC website:

Quote

After the expiration of the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO, CDC intends to transition to a voluntary program, in coordination with cruise ship operators and other stakeholders, to assist the cruise ship industry to detect, mitigate, and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships.

 

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It does say:

"As of July 23, 2021, the CSO and accompanying measures, such as technical instructions, are nonbinding recommendations for cruise ships arriving in, located within, or departing from a port in Florida. CDC is continuing to operate the CSO as a voluntary program for such ships that choose to follow the CSO measures voluntarily."

So the cruise lines out of Florida could ignore though going against CDC unfortunately may not be the best business move since at least they are sailing again

 

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Hi all- I’m booked on Harmony for the November 14th sailing, RIGHT after Harmony arrives stateside. Since they shortened the transatlantic by one day (arriving the 13th) in order for extra cleaning/inspection of the ship, is it safe to assume that RC is working with the CDC to circumvent a test sailing?? I’m losing my mind hoping my cruise will be good to go!

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Additionally, as of November 1, 2021, the CSO will apply to only foreign-flagged cruise ships operating in U.S. waters, or outside of U.S. waters if the cruise ship operator intends for the ship to return to operating in international, interstate, or intrastate waterways, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. U.S-flagged cruise ship operators previously covered by the CSO may continue to participate on a voluntary basis.

@Matt

So for Jewel, which is now in Greece and not on the color-coded list yet, but is supposed to be coming back to Miami in November...(and has had some recent Covid cases)....Do I need to worry this ship could be flagged and restricted before my 11/15 cruise? 

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14 minutes ago, D Alt said:

So for Jewel, which is now in Greece and not on the color-coded list yet, but is supposed to be coming back to Miami in November...(and has had some recent Covid cases)....Do I need to worry this ship could be flagged and restricted before my 11/15 cruise? 

I'm not certain yet what to expect.

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In reading the order, it sounds like the CDC is actually trying to work with the cruise lines.  They also sound committed to moving to a totally voluntary system in January.  I am sure there will be many skeptics, but I don't think there was any need to say it if that wasn't their intent.  And I think that 3 months is a reasonable amount of time to work towards such a system.  It also keeps the current protocols in force over the holiday cruises.  However I will admit that I have been a supporter of the CDC, so I am probably trying to put a positive spin on it.  I have no doubt that others may not see it this way. But this seems more of a compromise than I expected.

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23 minutes ago, D Alt said:

nervous nail biting GIF by Rooster Teeth

I’m in the same boat (ha ha)...booked on Harmony on the 14th after it gets back from the Med...I saw this on page 42 of the updated CSO and it seems promising:

“Modified Simulated Voyage Requirements in Lieu of a Full Simulated Voyage for Cruise Ship Operators Repositioning to U.S. Waters and Intending to Operate with Less than 95% of Passengers Fully Vaccinated

Cruise ship operators that have been conducting passenger operations outside of U.S. waters and intend to operate cruise ships with less than 95% of passengers fully vaccinated after repositioning to U.S. waters may, at their discretion, follow the procedures in this paragraph for conducting a modified simulated voyage instead of conducting a full simulated voyage if the following are met:

The ship must maintain a percentage of fully vaccinated crew that is 95% or greater.
The ship must have operated with passengers outside of U.S. waters for at least 60 days before entering U.S. waters.
The cruise ship operator must conduct at least one simulation of embarkation screening and testing at the port terminal it intends to use in the U.S.—to include the number of passengers not fully vaccinated expected on the first voyage—unless the ship will be operating at a terminal already in use by the same cruise line/brand for passenger operations.
At least 14 days prior to entering U.S. waters, the cruise ship operator must submit the following to CDC:
Protocols for how dining and entertainment venues, and recreational activities, including buffets, seated dining, bars (including between bartenders and patrons), theaters, other performance venues, casinos, arcade room, spa services, fitness classes/gymnasiums, muster drills, and other areas where passengers congregate will incorporate mask use, physical distancing, and other public health measures as outlined in technical instructions.
Plans for training crew on procedures for mask use, physical distancing, and other public health measures as outlined in CDC technical instructions.
Protocols for increasing the number of isolation and quarantine cabins and on-board support staff (e.g., administrative personnel, testing personnel, contact tracers, medical personnel) as determined by the cruise ship operator and as needed in the event an outbreak.
Procedures for how crew will identify and distinguish between passengers who are fully vaccinated and passengers who are not fully vaccinated.
Procedures for notifying passengers who booked a 95%-passenger-vaccinated cruise that their cruise will no longer operate as a 95%-passenger-vaccinated cruise, if applicable.
An after-action report explaining lessons learned from sailing outside of U.S. waters and from the simulated embarkation screening and testing (if such a simulation was conducted).
The cruise ship operator must submit photographs or videos, no later than 7 days after commencing the first voyage with less than 95% of passengers fully vaccinated, showing compliance with indoor mask use and physical distancing, such as signage in elevators, dining table arrangements, and blocking out seats/bar stools.”

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My only issue at this point with the sail order is that by February it looks like all home tests will be fully expired and I've still not heard they are making more which means testing at 150 per person vs 150 for 6 tests. 

 

I saw where the cso says something about dropping the requirement for a monitored observation period but I don't see that as not so requiring testing. 

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11 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

November protocols dropped finally too.  Only difference I really see is that excursions are required in St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts and Antigua whether vaccinated or not.

they force you to take an excursion or tour? 

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1 hour ago, ShannonO said:

I’m in the same boat (ha ha)...booked on Harmony on the 14th after it gets back from the Med...I saw this on page 42 of the updated CSO and it seems promising:

“Modified Simulated Voyage Requirements in Lieu of a Full Simulated Voyage for Cruise Ship Operators Repositioning to U.S. Waters and Intending to Operate with Less than 95% of Passengers Fully Vaccinated

Cruise ship operators that have been conducting passenger operations outside of U.S. waters and intend to operate cruise ships with less than 95% of passengers fully vaccinated after repositioning to U.S. waters may, at their discretion, follow the procedures in this paragraph for conducting a modified simulated voyage instead of conducting a full simulated voyage if the following are met:

✅The ship must maintain a percentage of fully vaccinated crew that is 95% or greater.
✅The ship must have operated with passengers outside of U.S. waters for at least 60 days before entering U.S. waters.
✅The cruise ship operator must conduct at least one simulation of embarkation screening and testing at the port terminal it intends to use in the U.S.—to include the number of passengers not fully vaccinated expected on the first voyage—unless the ship will be operating at a terminal already in use by the same cruise line/brand for passenger operations. (Allure/Mariner use Port Canaveral)
At least 14 days prior to entering U.S. waters, the cruise ship operator must submit the following to CDC:
❓Protocols for how dining and entertainment venues, and recreational activities, including buffets, seated dining, bars (including between bartenders and patrons), theaters, other performance venues, casinos, arcade room, spa services, fitness classes/gymnasiums, muster drills, and other areas where passengers congregate will incorporate mask use, physical distancing, and other public health measures as outlined in technical instructions.
❓✅Plans for training crew on procedures for mask use, physical distancing, and other public health measures as outlined in CDC technical instructions.
❓✅Protocols for increasing the number of isolation and quarantine cabins and on-board support staff (e.g., administrative personnel, testing personnel, contact tracers, medical personnel) as determined by the cruise ship operator and as needed in the event an outbreak.
✅Procedures for how crew will identify and distinguish between passengers who are fully vaccinated and passengers who are not fully vaccinated.
✅Procedures for notifying passengers who booked a 95%-passenger-vaccinated cruise that their cruise will no longer operate as a 95%-passenger-vaccinated cruise, if applicable. (Not Applicable)
❓An after-action report explaining lessons learned from sailing outside of U.S. waters and from the simulated embarkation screening and testing (if such a simulation was conducted).
The cruise ship operator must submit photographs or videos, no later than 7 days after commencing the first voyage with less than 95% of passengers fully vaccinated, showing compliance with indoor mask use and physical distancing, such as signage in elevators, dining table arrangements, and blocking out seats/bar stools.”

For Anthem, Harmony and Jewel - This should all of been in effect. The items with question marks should have also been completed already, just I don't know if Royal has actually provided this to the CDC (I can assume this, but.. ) (I left the question mark with the venue protocols line, as Anthem/Harmony has no list of vaccinated and unvaccinated venues on the Royal Website. (Are There Any Experiences Or VenueAs That Are Closed? | Royal Caribbean Cruises_) (Jewel does have this list)

I can also read this two ways.. a) the test cruise is discretionary and not required or b) modified test cruise IN LIEU OF full test cruise. (Yes, I know it's "Voluntary" in Florida, but Royal has been saying they're following the CDC Protocols so.. if they (CDC) wants it, it'll happen)

That being said, the 64 million dollar question is.. what is a modified simulated voyage? and will Anthem/Harmony/Jewel have to do one?

 

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1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Doesn't look like the CDC changed anything. They didn't change the testing windows or criteria.

 

I want to know what difference another 75 days makes, other than to slap the face of the cruise lines one more time during the holiday season.

0 sense but at least the CDC director gave her blessing for parents to take their kids trick or treating this year.. how gracious of her. What a benevolent technocratic overlord we have! 

Florida has one of the lowest case records in the US now, I wish Florida sailings would just ignore the CDC and CSO. Just wonder how this will affect cancellations as I’m sure many thought the CSO would truly expire on Oct 31 and will now not sail 

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9 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

Just wonder how this will affect cancellations as I’m sure many thought the CSO would truly expire on Oct 31 and will now not sail.

Oh, I'll imagine there's a decent number of people in this boat, no pun intended.

I foresee some major price drops on sailings through the end of the year coming up.

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Yes, I dont blame you. We live in a weird time where we can pack stadiums full of people crammed together unmasked and uncertain of vaccination status but somehow masking on a cruise ship is a thing regardless of vaccination status BUT somehow its ok to have a dining room full of unmasked people for 2 hours while dining. But that causes less Covid risk than say if you walked unmasked in the spacious promenade????? Walked down the hallway on your floor to your room? 

I know Royal feels compelled to follow the CDC when sailing from Florida but I wish they would ignore the CDC from Florida as they are not bound to follow them. BUT Royal will ignore Florida's vaccination laws and are willing to see how the penalties play out down the line. 

Strange times indeed....

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2 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

Yes, I dont blame you. We live in a weird time where we can pack stadiums full of people crammed together unmasked and uncertain of vaccination status but somehow masking on a cruise ship is a thing regardless of vaccination status BUT somehow its ok to have a dining room full of unmasked people for 2 hours while dining. But that causes less Covid risk than say if you walked unmasked in the spacious promenade????? Walked down the hallway on your floor to your room? 

I know Royal feels compelled to follow the CDC when sailing from Florida but I wish they would ignore the CDC from Florida as they are not bound to follow them. BUT Royal will ignore Florida's vaccination laws and are willing to see how the penalties play out down the line. 

Strange times indeed....

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with your point of view, I just have a question since you suggested Royal should ignore the CDC and follow Florida's vaccination laws.  My question is are you saying Royal should also ignore international laws for arriving passengers into other countries. Take the Bahamas as an example if Royal were following Florida's vaccination laws they would not be able to port in the Bahamas even at their own private island, and that is just one country there are a whole host of Caribbean Island nations that are now instituting entry requirements requiring passengers regardless of how their arrive (air or ship) to be fully vaccinated. 

It is a conundrum and unfortunately Royal is stuck in the middle, it isn't just the CDC that Royal is following in order for their cruise ships to sail they also have to comply with the laws for the countries they intend to visit.  I'm not in favor of any mandates I think people should have a choice the unfortunate reality is this if Royal and other cruise lines wish to remain in business until this madness is over they are going to have to comply with rules put in place by the countries they intend to visit.  Complying with Florida's vaccine laws could result in a shutdown of the cruise industry or severely limit the ports Royal could visit as more and more Caribbean Island nations put vaccine requirements in place for all passengers.  At this point in the pandemic this has gone far beyond the CDC and their CSO and cruise lines are now having to operate a lot like airlines meaning if an airline wishes to fly to (for example Israel) that airline must check the vaccination status and COVID test for all passengers before they leave the US. If the airline isn't willing to comply with Israeli law requiring all passengers be fully vaccinated and also present a negative test then that airline can't operate flights into Israel. Israel isn't the only country there is a long list of countries requiring full vaccinations, and the next countries on the reopening list requiring full vaccinations for all passengers is Australia which reopens in a few days or weeks.  Starting November 1st anyone 12 and older traveling from the US to Canada will be required to show proof of vaccination (until now all you needed was a negative COVID test that all changes November 1st) and soon New Zealand when they reopen will require proof of vaccination.  It is unfortunate but this is where international travel is headed at least for most if not all of 2022 and cruises from the US are no exception because we have no domestic cruises.  

Following Florida's vaccination laws would be a death sentence for Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines operating out of Florida because they can't afford to wait this out, they can't afford to wait until things go back to many of us would consider "Normal".

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9 minutes ago, JasonOasis said:

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with your point of view, I just have a question since you suggested Royal should ignore the CDC and follow Florida's vaccination laws.  My question is are you saying Royal should also ignore international laws for arriving passengers into other countries. Take the Bahamas as an example if Royal were following Florida's vaccination laws they would not be able to port in the Bahamas even at their own private island, and that is just one country there are a whole host of Caribbean Island nations that are now instituting entry requirements requiring passengers regardless of how their arrive (air or ship) to be fully vaccinated. 

It is a conundrum and unfortunately Royal is stuck in the middle, it isn't just the CDC that Royal is following in order for their cruise ships to sail they also have to comply with the laws for the countries they intend to visit.  I'm not in favor of any mandates I think people should have a choice the unfortunate reality is this if Royal and other cruise lines wish to remain in business until this madness is over they are going to have to comply with rules put in place by the countries they intend to visit.  Complying with Florida's vaccine laws could result in a shutdown of the cruise industry or severely limit the ports Royal could visit as more and more Caribbean Island nations put vaccine requirements in place for all passengers.  At this point in the pandemic this has gone far beyond the CDC and their CSO and cruise lines are now having to operate a lot like airlines meaning if an airline wishes to fly to (for example Israel) that airline must check the vaccination status and COVID test for all passengers before they leave the US. If the airline isn't willing to comply with Israeli law requiring all passengers be fully vaccinated and also present a negative test then that airline can't operate flights into Israel. Israel isn't the only country there is a long list of countries requiring full vaccinations, and the next countries on the reopening list requiring full vaccinations for all passengers is Australia which reopens in a few days or weeks.  Starting November 1st anyone 12 and older traveling from the US to Canada will be required to show proof of vaccination (until now all you needed was a negative COVID test that all changes November 1st) and soon New Zealand when they reopen will require proof of vaccination.  It is unfortunate but this is where international travel is headed at least for most if not all of 2022 and cruises from the US are no exception because we have no domestic cruises.  

Following Florida's vaccination laws would be a death sentence for Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines operating out of Florida because they can't afford to wait this out, they can't afford to wait until things go back to many of us would consider "Normal".

I dont disagree with much that you are pointing out. My major sticking point with Vaccine requirements(I am vaccinated) is that they ignore natural immunity of those that have previously had Covid. I will not get into the argument over how long natural immunity vs vaccines and how long either is effective but there is enough research out there that would make a valid case for naturally acquired immunity should be included in any vaccine mandates. Just yesterday there was a major protest in NYC over vaccine mandates so it will be interesting to see how all this plays out with vaccine requirements for other sectors of travel industry when it comes to domestic travel. It seems the airline lobbyists would object to vaccine requirements to fly domestically but that matter is certainly up for debate and will play out in due time. And how willing passengers will submit to covid tests and have to pay for out of pocket. I have flown at least 20 times domestically since pandemic and that would be a hard sell to shell out covid testing costs each time vs a cruise. 

and you are right, Royal has to follow the protocols of the countries they visit and that creates the dilemma. It will be interesting to watch to see if FL follows through with fines for cruise lines and the certain court battles that will follow.

Strange times indeed and will be fascinating to watch to see how all this plays out 

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18 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Doesn't look like the CDC changed anything. They didn't change the testing windows or criteria.

I want to know what difference another 75 days makes, other than to slap the face of the cruise lines one more time during the holiday season.

It's all about saving face.  If they let the CSO expire on 10/31 while the pandemic/public health emergency order that inspired it is still active, it looks like they are admitting they lost the legal battle.  By extending the CSO and adding an end date, it looks like they are working with the cruise lines and adapting to changing circumstances.

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6 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

I dont disagree with much that you are pointing out. My major sticking point with Vaccine requirements(I am vaccinated) is that they ignore natural immunity of those that have previously had Covid. I will not get into the argument over how long natural immunity vs vaccines and how long either is effective but there is enough research out there that would make a valid case for naturally acquired immunity should be included in any vaccine mandates. Just yesterday there was a major protest in NYC over vaccine mandates so it will be interesting to see how all this plays out with vaccine requirements for other sectors of travel industry when it comes to domestic travel. It seems the airline lobbyists would object to vaccine requirements to fly domestically but that matter is certainly up for debate and will play out in due time. And how willing passengers will submit to covid tests and have to pay for out of pocket. I have flown at least 20 times domestically since pandemic and that would be a hard sell to shell out covid testing costs each time vs a cruise. 

and you are right, Royal has to follow the protocols of the countries they visit and that creates the dilemma. It will be interesting to watch to see if FL follows through with fines for cruise lines and the certain court battles that will follow.

Strange times indeed and will be fascinating to watch to see how all this plays out 

your natural immunity point is spot on.  it makes it hard to accept the whole premise when you ignore such a significant factor in the discussion.

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16 hours ago, Jennifer Burke said:

What regs have been rolled back?

 

The CDC removed the provision that voyages from a U.S. homeport can only be one week in length, and the requirement for ships to cancel all future sailings should an instance of COVID-19 be detected onboard.

Cruise lines are now no longer required to warn passengers about COVID-19 in their marketing materials and online websites.

In addition, the CDC amended the definition of vessels to allow for operation of Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America in Hawaii, and domestic U.S. river cruise operators.

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29 minutes ago, Matt said:

Yea, which was ridiculous.

From new CSO: "Removed previous requirement that cruise ship operator must immediately end voyage, cancel future voyages, and return to port if COVID-19 identified onboard."

They're misquoting their own CSO.  That was only a requirement if a never-actually-disclosed threshold of cases were found.

 

image.png.b04a1002b6af9458c8d6b53f802a33f7.png

 

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Just realize, it seems that most people are assuming that all of these protocols stem from the CDC order.  None of us have any idea what any cruise line would do even if there were absolutely no recommendations or requirements.  Most people are assuming that they would do what they think is correct.  Unless you are the CEO of a cruise line, that is not a logical assumption.

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