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Whats the latest with removing the vax mandate? Thank you for the response!!!


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1 hour ago, Jason.H. said:

I said I'd never do a carnival cruise again after going on one but at this point I'd be ok with it and just not tell anyone 😆

...and here is your chance! 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28044-carnival-cruise-line-removes-pre-cruise-testing-for-vaccinated-guests-more-changes-announced.html

Too bad our next 2 cruises are with Carnival (shh...casino cruises) and they are scheduled for August 20 and 27th. 

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We just completed our health questionnaire on the app - I can confirm there were only three questions and that we were able to complete the questionnaires on the app for our 14th and 20th sailing today (13th) . The questions are (1) are you fully vaccinated for covid, (2) have you had a Covid booster, and (3) are you more than 23 weeks pregnant.

 

(headed to the airport, I apologize if this repeats any prior info). 

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On 8/11/2022 at 4:40 PM, Sushitex said:

I read that earlier, and thought, "Hey, I hope this is enough incentive for the cruise lines to discontinue the mandate of  COVID-19 testing."  I'm not against it inherently, BUT it's so darn expensive if you have to pay for it, and fewer and fewer places are offering it for free. 

What is actually required on the testing result form? My good friend is a Nurse practitioner and will “monitor” us while I do a test and will prepare a test results memo and sign.  He works in a doctors office.  is this enough “proof”? 

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1 hour ago, Ndfan89 said:

What is actually required on the testing result form? My good friend is a Nurse practitioner and will “monitor” us while I do a test and will prepare a test results memo and sign.  He works in a doctors office.  is this enough “proof”? 

No, it has to be a report from a credentialed lab, your friend typing up something on the letterhead from their office will not pass check in.

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1 hour ago, Ndfan89 said:

What is actually required on the testing result form? My good friend is a Nurse practitioner and will “monitor” us while I do a test and will prepare a test results memo and sign.  He works in a doctors office.  is this enough “proof”? 

This is from their FAQ:

The test results document from your test provider must include the name of the lab that processed the test, the lab’s CLIA Lab Number or Certification Number, the address of the lab, your name, the date the test was taken, type of test, and your positive result. This can be a printed document, email, or telehealth app notification. Fully handwritten doctor’s notes (such as those written on a prescription pad) will not be accepted. Minimal handwritten components (such as a check mark on a “positive” box) are acceptable as long as the other required information is printed on the document.

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24 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

This is from their FAQ:

The test results document from your test provider must include the name of the lab that processed the test, the lab’s CLIA Lab Number or Certification Number, the address of the lab, your name, the date the test was taken, type of test, and your positive result. This can be a printed document, email, or telehealth app notification. Fully handwritten doctor’s notes (such as those written on a prescription pad) will not be accepted. Minimal handwritten components (such as a check mark on a “positive” box) are acceptable as long as the other required information is printed on the document.

Yet the emed tests don't have the CLIA number on them.

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13 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Disney's big announcement was that 5-11 year olds were now allowed to sail unvaxxed but everyone still needs a test................

So Royal is not in last place for restriction removal (maybe second last)

And 1 of the several reasons we cancelled our 9/30 Disney Wish sailing.  Quite frankly, at some point people will vote with their feet

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53 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I wonder what Disney's booking numbers look like since the restart.  

Before Covid, Disney ships were always full and they never ran sales - you might pick up a guarantee room last minute but prices only went up after itinerary release.  Since the restart, I’ve been getting emails with sale offers (we’ve done 7 or 8 cruises pre-Covid with Disney).  Disney cruise boards have not been reporting full ships.  
 

Disney is still offering full refunds through August 29th for sailings through 12/31.  Originally this wasn’t available for concierge or guarantee rooms but email this week seemed to open this up.  Promptly cancelled Disney Wish 9/30.   I’m not playing the testing game on a 3 day sailing. 

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I wonder IF people will actually vote with their feet?????

I honestly think Royal can take as long as they want. Not that I believe they will, but they won't rush for the sake of. 

While having to test is a barrier, it is NOT the end-all-be-all barrier. People have been testing and will if they need to.  Let's be honest people cruise a particular line because they like their offering. 

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1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

I wonder IF people will actually vote with their feet?????

I honestly think Royal can take as long as they want. Not that I believe they will, but they won't rush for the sake of. 

While having to test is a barrier, it is NOT the end-all-be-all barrier. People have been testing and will if they need to.  Let's be honest people cruise a particular line because they like their offering. 

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/carnival-cruise-bookings-soar-eases-170858055.html
 

A few more articles like this we could see additional changes sooner rather than later .

 

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It's very confusing and potential concerning to me as an investor why Royal isn't also dropping requirements like the other cruise lines.

It's no surprise that Carnival's bookings have doubled since they dropped everything.

Then again I dropped a Royal cruise in August 2021 to jump on Mardi Gras since they didn't have the protocols including masks which weren't required on Carnival but were on Royal when I jumped ship.  Shortly before my Carnival cruise they started experiencing outbreaks and instituted a mask policy.  My pursuit of protocol free cruising by jumping to Carnival backfired on me.  Once onboard experiencing crowded and small venues like their comedy club made me realize I wasn't ready for a free for all approach to cruising during a pandemic.  In hindsight Royal had been right.

While I am eager to get things back to normal a part of me is wondering if once again Royal is getting this right. 

Only time will tell.

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

While I am eager to get things back to normal a part of me is wondering if once again Royal is getting this right. 

 

I still think they're just waiting for the new guidance on congregate settings from the CDC to get rid of 6+ night testing.

 

As it is now with the 3 day window, someone could test negative, test positive, and be testing negative again by the time that 6 night cruise ends.

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10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I wonder IF people will actually vote with their feet?????

I honestly think Royal can take as long as they want. Not that I believe they will, but they won't rush for the sake of. 

While having to test is a barrier, it is NOT the end-all-be-all barrier. People have been testing and will if they need to.  Let's be honest people cruise a particular line because they like their offering. 

Past label for our family is "Loyal to Royal".  This holiday season school doesn't resume until Jan 9th.  We are in the process of booking an all inclusive the week of Jan 1 for 10 of us, as well as, week of Feb 18 for 4 of us.  This will be our first experience with All-Inclusive resorts.

So, yes.  They will. 

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26 minutes ago, CharmMicah68 said:

Past label for our family is "Loyal to Royal".  This holiday season school doesn't resume until Jan 9th.  We are in the process of booking an all inclusive the week of Jan 1 for 10 of us, as well as, week of Feb 18 for 4 of us.  This will be our first experience with All-Inclusive resorts.

So, yes.  They will. 

I definitely understand your frustration,  but don't get too carried away booking all inclusives. We went to 3 different all inclusives during the shut down and  for us, cruising is more enjoyable.  Also, beware of the timeshare pitches. They can get aggressive. 

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37 minutes ago, CharmMicah68 said:

Past label for our family is "Loyal to Royal".  This holiday season school doesn't resume until Jan 9th.  We are in the process of booking an all inclusive the week of Jan 1 for 10 of us, as well as, week of Feb 18 for 4 of us.  This will be our first experience with All-Inclusive resorts.

So, yes.  They will. 

Yes, for sure, we will as well. I think the only reason it hasn't happened more quickly at this point is because so many of the lines lag one another, so if you book a month out on one the other will have the same rules by the time you sail. We've loved Beaches, highly recommended!

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51 minutes ago, CharmMicah68 said:

Past label for our family is "Loyal to Royal".  This holiday season school doesn't resume until Jan 9th.  We are in the process of booking an all inclusive the week of Jan 1 for 10 of us, as well as, week of Feb 18 for 4 of us.  This will be our first experience with All-Inclusive resorts.

So, yes.  They will. 

You are one person, who may/may not have been cruising with Royal since the restart. I don't think you can make a grand statement that "yes, they will" because of what you do. I know there are some unvaxx on this board who couldn't wait to sail and maybe half will book a cruise or two on the other lines because of these changes. But a majority of people like what they like.

The question would be about people who are booked with Royal leaving/cancelling because other lines have a "better" offer on the table. The grass is not always greener. Just like people are loyal to Royal, you have unvaxxed that are loyal to CCL or NCL. I am sure that is the main reason those lines have seen a massive increase in bookings. If I recall both lines weren't doing as well as RCG with bookings.

I don't think the wait and see approach will be a detriment to Royal. We will moan and groan about the testing until they release the protocols, but I don't think it will make any difference.

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Its hard to argue "the total population" based on small samples, but I have stopped booking new cruises and wont book another one that requires testing (At least for now based on my comfort level of society today, sure my attitude might change again in the future).

Debating whether to cancel my Disney cruise next month or not since they seem to be insisting on testing.

 

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39 minutes ago, jticarruthers said:

Its hard to argue "the total population" based on small samples, but I have stopped booking new cruises and wont book another one that requires testing (At least for now based on my comfort level of society today, sure my attitude might change again in the future).

Debating whether to cancel my Disney cruise next month or not since they seem to be insisting on testing.

 

If you cancel, do it before 8/29 so you don’t get hit with cancellation fees.  

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1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

You are one person, who may/may not have been cruising with Royal since the restart. I don't think you can make a grand statement that "yes, they will" because of what you do. I know there are some unvaxx on this board who couldn't wait to sail and maybe half will book a cruise or two on the other lines because of these changes. But a majority of people like what they like.

The question would be about people who are booked with Royal leaving/cancelling because other lines have a "better" offer on the table. The grass is not always greener. Just like people are loyal to Royal, you have unvaxxed that are loyal to CCL or NCL. I am sure that is the main reason those lines have seen a massive increase in bookings. If I recall both lines weren't doing as well as RCG with bookings.

I don't think the wait and see approach will be a detriment to Royal. We will moan and groan about the testing until they release the protocols, but I don't think it will make any difference.

I have had to move a couple of cruises and cancel one this year because of the Vax crap.  Never even looked at another cruise line.  Now that the Vax requirement has been lifted for Galveston we might actually get to go on our Feb 2023 Cruise.  Really hope it happens because it will be our first Star class cruise.  Point is I've waited and rolled with the changes, whenever we return it will be on a Royal Caribbean ship.

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FYI for those who had the same question.  I just used the chat feature on the Bahamas website and asked a question about Covid-19 protocols for cruise passengers and was informed that only a test was required for those who have not had the vaccine.   I have attempted to upload the screenshot of the chat.

Bahamas.bmp

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18 minutes ago, Just Me said:

FYI for those who had the same question.  I just used the chat feature on the Bahamas website and asked a question about Covid-19 protocols for cruise passengers and was informed that only a test was required for those who have not had the vaccine.   I have attempted to upload the screenshot of the chat.

Bahamas.bmp 6.25 MB · 1 download

Though their website still says all 12+ cruise passengers entering the bahamas must be vaccinated.

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On 8/17/2022 at 9:00 AM, Ampurp85 said:

You are one person, who may/may not have been cruising with Royal since the restart. I don't think you can make a grand statement that "yes, they will" because of what you do. I know there are some unvaxx on this board who couldn't wait to sail and maybe half will book a cruise or two on the other lines because of these changes. But a majority of people like what they like.

The question would be about people who are booked with Royal leaving/cancelling because other lines have a "better" offer on the table. The grass is not always greener. Just like people are loyal to Royal, you have unvaxxed that are loyal to CCL or NCL. I am sure that is the main reason those lines have seen a massive increase in bookings. If I recall both lines weren't doing as well as RCG with bookings.

I don't think the wait and see approach will be a detriment to Royal. We will moan and groan about the testing until they release the protocols, but I don't think it will make any difference.

We just got off the Independence last week.  It was a short cruise, no test requirement.

IMO, I    do not believe we are part of the few or the some.  I think we are a voice in the "grand".  Land based vacation venues are thriving.  As far as the impact of the few.  We have observed on NUMEROUS fronts companies, policies, products altering and catering to the voice of a few....and maybe even the one.  Regardless of what the VAST majority would want or agree with.

Do I    see us going to other venues and cruise lines now coming into the mix, yes..  RCCL will be the standard. 

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5 hours ago, CharmMicah68 said:

We just got off the Independence last week.  It was a short cruise, no test requirement.

IMO, I    do not believe we are part of the few or the some.  I think we are a voice in the "grand".  Land based vacation venues are thriving.  As far as the impact of the few.  We have observed on NUMEROUS fronts companies, policies, products altering and catering to the voice of a few....and maybe even the one.  Regardless of what the VAST majority would want or agree with.

Do I    see us going to other venues and cruise lines now coming into the mix, yes..  RCCL will the standard. 

I didn't say policies can't change from small voices; you made a grand statement instead of an opinion. Land based vacation have been and will continue to thrive, has little to do with cruising imho. I did Disney and Universal last year before a cruise, that's not the point.

The original question posed was would "loyal" Royal guest vote with their feet. That means guest who are already booked, cancelling to go to other lines. I stand by my assessment that this won't happen. RCG will release their new protocols when they are ready, not because NCL and CCL did. 

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10 hours ago, Zambia-Zaire said:

Hmmm....debating whether to cancel a cruise because they insist on testing, when you book the cruise, where as testing is required.

 

Interesting....

Booked when testing was the norm, that's no longer the case and with my last couple of testing "runs" being frustrating as the pharmacies wind down, etc. trying to decide whether i want the hassle or just cancel it and do something else that doesn't require that extra step any longer.

Being the last option to require something is good if there is demand, bad if there isnt.

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10 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I didn't say policies can't change from small voices; you made a grand statement instead of an opinion. Land based vacation have been and will continue to thrive, has little to do with cruising imho. I did Disney and Universal last year before a cruise, that's not the point.

The original question posed was would "loyal" Royal guest vote with their feet. That means guest who are already booked, cancelling to go to other lines. I stand by my assessment that this won't happen. RCG will release their new protocols when they are ready, not because NCL and CCL did. 

Thanks for the clarity.  That is a valid point in context to your scope on changing, although I   wouldn't think RCCL defines "loyal" as narrowly as you.  I  lost track how many times ON the ship it was mentioned/stated/compared live and on video what RCCL brings to the table over land based vacations and other cruise lines.  Please hear a tone of dialogue in my typed words, if we are not talking about the same thing...it's a blog....and let's extend grace to each other.  I       could be misunderstanding your defintion of "loyal", in the same way you think my statement was "Grand".   It's just math, not sure why it needs to be an opinion.

Customer retention or customer migration to other brands is ON the radar of virtually every company I    deal or interact with.  That is not an absolute, but it is a prominent factor.

If I     wasn't a fan of RCCL, I      wouldn't be on the blog.  I    try to advocate what is best for RCCL shareholders and then for its customers/stakeholders......which can be an opinion.....until it's just math.

 

 

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