smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, Jkaczano said: My question is how are they defining “fully vaccinated”. Somehow I think going maskless is going to be tied to boosters. The new CSO allows mask optional as long as you've gotten your initial vaccination series. Boosters are encouraged, but not tied to mask wearing. Zurc, Kata, BrianB and 3 others 2 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 February 25 no masks! Vancity Cruiser, ChrisK2793, MTNeedsAVacay and 4 others 4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKMCruising Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 9 minutes ago, Matt said: February 25 no masks! Just in time for our party on the inaugural for Wonder! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 12 minutes ago, GKMCruising said: Just in time for our party on the inaugural for Wonder! I thought the same thing! bluer101 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluer101 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 And the second sailing on Wonder for me! TeresaMc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, bluer101 said: And the second sailing on Wonder for me! And the third sailing for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kata Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 41 minutes ago, Jkaczano said: My question is how are they defining “fully vaccinated”. Somehow I think going maskless is going to be tied to boosters. I hope not Pattycruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I heard the CDC was hoping cruise lines would wait until Feb 29 to ditch masks Pattycruise, WAAAYTOOO, AshleyDillo and 2 others 1 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancity Cruiser Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 So looking forward to a maskless cruise! Unfortunately, being from Canada I wasn’t able to cruise at the beginning of the restart when they were maskless. So my 3 cruises so far all included wearing masks which wasn’t the end of the world for me but I am excited to go maskless! 63 days to go Rene Desmarais, Lovetocruise2002, Kata and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I am so torn. Like @Vancity Cruiser I am so excited for a mask free cruise but that darn need for a negative return test to Canada is hanging over my head. Kata, JennP, Rene Desmarais and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewPunch Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 any guesses on what this does to the capacity numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Did you see Matt’s blog? what will this mean? I get the no masks starting Feb 25….but what about what’s considered “fully vaxxed”….will that change to include boosters? how will they know if 95% of passengers are vaxxed when selling a cabin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy79 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I’m confused. If you’re exposed to Covid during the cruise, you’ll have to quarantine for 10 days, even if you’re fully vaccinated? Pattycruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Burke Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 3 hours ago, Matt said: Two important takeaways from Royal's decision to opt in: 1. They were already pretty much at 95% on every sailing ever since kids started getting vaccinated. 2. This change means face masks will become optional indoors. That's a big change. Correct me if I am wrong, it says that all kids have to wear masks while in the child program. So they are doing what the entire school system and government is doing? Making the least vulnerable mask up? If I read that right, that is awful Ron Rico, ChrisK2793, BowTieBrigade and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 18 minutes ago, sammy79 said: I’m confused. If you’re exposed to Covid during the cruise, you’ll have to quarantine for 10 days, even if you’re fully vaccinated? If you're "up to date" it's "only" 5 days sammy79 and Pattycruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recogneyes Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I am so torn. Like @Vancity Cruiser I am so excited for a mask free cruise but that darn need for a negative return test to Canada is hanging over my head. Exactly how I feel! JennP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWDW1204 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 So with this 95% threshold. When is this number decided? Day of sailing? If so, may your cruise have to go to wearing masks when you thought you didn't have to? And if it's some predetermined pre-cruise date, for every unvaccinated guest sailing do they need more vaccinated ones and sell/open more cabins? Am I overthinking this? I'm so confused. And it's late and I've been drinking. Cruiser4Life and Kata 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJS2766 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Does this mean that you "must" get the booster to cruise now? Kinda confused myself??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 The language seems to refer to being "fully vaccinated" versus "up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines". Royal Caribbean is choosing to go with "Highly Vaccinated" and not the top tier. Quote Not Highly Vaccinated: ships with less than 95% passengers and 95% crew who are fully vaccinated. Highly Vaccinated: ships with at least 95% passengers and 95% crew who are fully vaccinated but less than 95% of passengers and 95% of crew are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination Standard of Excellence: ships with at least 95% passengers and 95% crew who are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. The way I interpret it is "up to date" means whatever the latest level of "boosted" means, while "fully vaccinated" means (currently) just the initial 1- or 2-dose regimen. WAAAYTOOO and ChessE4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 6 hours ago, RWDW1204 said: So with this 95% threshold. When is this number decided? Day of sailing? If so, may your cruise have to go to wearing masks when you thought you didn't have to? And if it's some predetermined pre-cruise date, for every unvaccinated guest sailing do they need more vaccinated ones and sell/open more cabins? Am I overthinking this? I'm so confused. And it's late and I've been drinking. I have a feeling there's some back door understanding that it's possible a given cruise may be at say 93% but there will be no expectation that the cruise line would suddenly have to undo all protocols and go back to masking. Vancity Cruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 7 hours ago, RWDW1204 said: So with this 95% threshold. When is this number decided? Day of sailing? If so, may your cruise have to go to wearing masks when you thought you didn't have to? And if it's some predetermined pre-cruise date, for every unvaccinated guest sailing do they need more vaccinated ones and sell/open more cabins? Am I overthinking this? I'm so confused. And it's late and I've been drinking. According to Royal ever since 6-12 year olds could get vaccinated their vaccination rate among passengers has been hovering between 95% - 98% per sailing and the order excludes children who are not yet eligible for a vaccine. Now that is good news because it means children who are not yet eligible do not count against your 95% as they can't get vaccinated. According to the article on the main page of this site this is one of the reasons why Royal opted into the CDC program because they already are exceeding the requirement the CDC has in place for cruise lines that opt into the program. The biggest benefit I can see as a result of opting in is masks become optional while indoors for all vaccinated guest, make are expected (not sure if that means mandated) for unvaccinated guest and it would appear as though children would only have to wear a mask while attending Adventure Ocean youth programs. Vancity Cruiser 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RorySC Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 2 hours ago, CJS2766 said: Does this mean that you "must" get the booster to cruise now? Kinda confused myself??? If they are going with "Highly", that means that they are taking the middle of the road approach. So the same as it is now. For the moment, new name or term, but no changes.....FOR THE MOMENT! Check BACK IN 10 MINUTES Kata and Pattycruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Updated protocols for sailings departing the U.S. and Puerto Rico on or after February 25, 2022 Royal Caribbean International will participate in the U.S. CDC's voluntary COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships Operating in U.S. waters, beginning with sailings departing on or after February 25th, 2022 from the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). We will be operating under the Highly Vaccinated category defined by the CDC. To be considered Highly Vaccinated, requirements include sailing with 95% of crew members fully vaccinated, which we already meet with 100% of our crew. And, 95% of guests eligible for the vaccine must be fully vaccinated as well. The updated protocols will include face masks being optional for all fully vaccinated guests and expected for unvaccinated children. All kids will be required to wear face masks during Adventure Ocean youth program activities. We are thoughtfully working through the details and other changes to our health and safety measures to share with our guests and travel advisors before February 25, 2022. As a reminder, our health and safety protocols are subject to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I sure hope they change that Adventure Ocean policy. BowTieBrigade, WAAAYTOOO and jticarruthers 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 1 hour ago, smokeybandit said: I have a feeling there's some back door understanding that it's possible a given cruise may be at say 93% but there will be no expectation that the cruise line would suddenly have to undo all protocols and go back to masking. Or the "We regret to inform you that due to CDC guidelines you are not eligible to cruise with us tomorrow" email. Zurc and Kata 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danv3 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 So when are they getting rid of the pre-cruise testing? That's a much bigger issue to me than masking, tbh. Not knowing if you're actually going on the cruise until two days before you leave greatly increases anxiety and doesn't let you enjoy the countdown the way you could before. jticarruthers, JennP, CJS2766 and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 11 minutes ago, danv3 said: So when are they getting rid of the pre-cruise testing? That's a much bigger issue to me than masking, tbh. Not knowing if you're actually going on the cruise until two days before you leave greatly increases anxiety and doesn't let you enjoy the countdown the way you could before. I don't think the pre-cruise test will go away before summer and if I'm really to be honest I don't see it going away before 2023. The CDC isn't ready to give up control and believe it or not cruise lines in the US are still walking a very tight rope with the CDC hovering over their shoulder, so it might take a few more months before that test goes away. I think there is a far better chance of the CDC and Biden Administration dropping the pre-arrival test for vaccinated international arriving passengers coming to the US first before they even consider dropping the pre-departure test for cruises. RorySC, TXCoastPatriot and jticarruthers 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Templecruiser Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I hope they change the negative result test 2 days before cruise. jticarruthers, Kayleigh, stevendom57 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 10 minutes ago, Templecruiser said: I hope they change the negative result test 2 days before cruise. They technically did. It's now 3 if you're up to date on vaccines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danv3 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 10 minutes ago, JasonOasis said: I don't think the pre-cruise test will go away before summer and if I'm really to be honest I don't see it going away before 2023. The CDC isn't ready to give up control and believe it or not cruise lines in the US are still walking a very tight rope with the CDC hovering over their shoulder, so it might take a few more months before that test goes away. I think there is a far better chance of the CDC and Biden Administration dropping the pre-arrival test for vaccinated international arriving passengers coming to the US first before they even consider dropping the pre-departure test for cruises. Does the CDC actually require pre-cruise testing of all passengers? Admittedly, their program is about as clear as you'd expect from a government agency, but as far as I can tell, the new CDC voluntary program only requires embarkation tests for crew, with pax only required to test in the case of close contact or when experiencing symptoms. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/management/technical-instructions-for-cruise-ships.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, danv3 said: Does the CDC actually require pre-cruise testing of all passengers? Admittedly, their program is about as clear as you'd expect from a government agency, but as far as I can tell, the new CDC voluntary program only requires embarkation tests for crew, with pax only required to test in the case of close contact or when experiencing symptoms. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/management/technical-instructions-for-cruise-ships.html Outlined in the Operations Manual for passengers: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Censored Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 2 doses. thats it. NO boosters ...yet TXCoastPatriot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevendom57 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Masks are optional for fully vaxxed cruisers at all times onboard? None at shows, in promenade, activities, in hallways? That's great? Marc and jticarruthers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danv3 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 9 minutes ago, CGTLH said: Outlined in the Operations Manual for passengers: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html Leave it to the government to need two separate sets of rules! (And even the second one is unclear...first it says cruise lines must screen pax (not test), then it goes on to describe testing requirements.) Oh well. BowTieBrigade 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchy Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I’m thinking they must feel highly confident in the COVID risk waning to make masks optional for fully vaccinated because they rightfully focus hard on keeping the crew healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptyNestTravels Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 (edited) Moved post to "Royal Caribbean opts into CDC highly vax program" discussion Edited February 19, 2022 by EmptyNestTravels Moved post to "Royal Caribbean opts into CDC highly vax program" discussion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptyNestTravels Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 I received an email from Royal this morning with "An Update to Your Healthy Sailing Protocols" as posted below. I don't see the update posted on their website yet. Marials 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevendom57 Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 33 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: They technically did. It's now 3 if you're up to date on vaccines. Where did you see this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 5 minutes ago, stevendom57 said: Where did you see this? https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html Pattycruise and EmptyNestTravels 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Also of note which I skimmed over, it looked like you can now use "documented recovery within 90 days" in lieu of a pre-cruise test WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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