CDC says Cruises can start in July

[Weedy]

98% crew fully vaccinated
95% of passengers fully vaccinated

https://www.wesh.com/article/cruises-could-possibly-resume-in-mid-july-cdc-says/36286727

https://www.wftv.com/

 

[FightingIrishman]

Woohoo!

 

[jrapps]

I welcome this development, and I REALLY WANT to sail on a fully (or mostly) vaccinated cruise, but we have to acknowledge that this doesn't help DCL much. The target market here is families, and nobody under 16 can get a vaccine yet. Unless Disney thinks they are going to do cruises with 16+ (they won't) then a fully vaccinated cruise won't happen here.

What WILL happen, and is progress, is Disney might move ahead with test cruises (non-paying passengers) on the Dream & Fantasy over the summer. The CDC said those would get approval in 5-days of submitting a proposal, so DCL COULD move ahead here, it just won't be a fully vax cruise.

 

[John VN]

DW began to "pack cruise specific items" for our OCTOBER CRUISE following 2nd Moderna injection back in February We felt confident back then that the cruise out of PC would set sail.

 

[ArielRae]

Saw about it here too!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2021/04/28/cdc-cruises-could-restart-july/4883450001/

 

[kathi]

DCL could fill the ship to allowed capacity with 16 and older and start making money. I have not seen it clarified yet if that is 95% vaccination for eligible passengers or total passengers.

 

[kathi]

whoops - double post

 

[randumb0]

I wonder how long the vaccine requirement will be in effect

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Wow. I wasn't expecting this news today, but it's very welcome. We have a cruise booked for September, and I'd gotten so pessimistic about it happening that I spent the last hour looking at booking a WDW trip instead. DD and I are both vaccinated and ready to go.

 

[jrapps]

DCL could fill the ship to allowed capacity with 16 and older and start making money. I have not seen it clarified yet if that is 95% vaccination for eligible passengers or total passengers.

If it's 95% of eligible, then that would be awesome! I doubt that is the case.

I really do wonder if they decided to go the 95% vax route (meaning no kids), would DCL really be willing to try that out of Canaveral? I guess, they are doing it in the UK right?

Why is it that i know they are doing it in the UK, and yet I still feel like they would never require that here in the US...I can't wrap my head around it.

 

[justafigment27]

By July it could be 12+ that are eligible to be fully vaccinated.

Don’t some cruises already have very small numbers of kids? Like Hawaii, Panama Canal, etc.? Even Alaska skewed much older if I recall.

If CDC requires 95% vaccination for passengers, DCL could open up 50 spots for kids under 12 for every 1,000 passengers who are 12+ and vaccinated.

I definitely see potential for DCL to resume sailing.

 

[Birdie dog]

I'm hopeful that by fall cruises will be moving again. I don't have anything booked until 2022 Greek Isles. However, if DCL does any trial runs (PICK ME PICK ME) to CC, I'd love to go.

 

[brentm77]

Just to be clear, the Conditional Sail Order still applies, but the CDC is trying to make it easier to comply with. Bypassing the simulated sailings is a huge win. I think this may finally make sailing happen. It means the lines don't need the yet-to-be-released 2b guidance if they sail with vaccinated ships. If Disney can't meet the 95% threshold, there is a much quicker path for simulated sailings too. In addition, the housing requirements were slightly eased.

"CDC looks forward to continued engagement with the industry and urges cruise lines to submit Phase 2A port agreements as soon as possible to maintain the timeline of passenger voyages by mid-July," Shockey said.

A source close to the situation but not authorized to speak on the record told USA TODAY that the industry is cautiously optimistic about moving ahead after receiving the CDC's letter, after more than a year without sailing in U.S. waters due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter came on the heels of a month of twice-weekly meetings with cruise industry representatives. During those meetings, the industry and the health agency discussed the Conditional Sailing Order.

While the CDC outlined a potential restart date for cruises departing from U.S. ports this summer, that doesn't mean that the restrictions on cruises are lifted. The CDC offered clarifications to its guidance based on industry feedback and still expects cruise lines to meet its requirements before sailing can resume.

Based on industry feedback, the CDC landed on five clarifications to its additional guidance issued April 2 to allow a resumption of sailing:

• Ships can bypass the required simulated test voyages carrying volunteers and jump to sailings with paying passengers if 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are fully vaccinated.
• CDC will review and respond to applications from cruise lines for simulated voyages within 5 days, a review previously expected to take 60 days.
• CDC will update its testing and quarantine requirements for passengers and crew on sailings with paying passengers to align with the CDC's guidance for fully vaccinated people. So, for example, instead of taking a PCR lab test ahead of boarding vaccinated passengers can take a rapid antigen test upon embarkation.
• CDC has clarified that cruise ship operators may enter into a "multi-port agreement" rather than a single port agreement as long as all port and local authorities sign the agreement.
• The CDC has clarified guidance on quarantine guidelines for passengers who may be exposed to or contract COVID-19. For example, local passengers may be able to drive home and passengers who have traveled by air to cruise may quarantine in a hotel.

Source: https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/4883450001?__twitter_impression=true

 

[skoi]

DW began to "pack cruise specific items" for our OCTOBER CRUISE following 2nd Moderna injection back in February We felt confident back then that the cruise out of PC would set sail.

We're in the middle of our series (Philadelphia had a very slow roll out), and with this news, we're actually starting to think we might be going. (Wow, that was a convoluted mouthful).

 

[sabrecmc]

We have a July 2 cruise booked...I doubt we will actually make it, but this is a step in the right direction. Hoping that the FDA approves the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 soon and I can get my daughter vaccinated. If she is vaccinated, we would definitely do something like this.

 

[SailorsWhyf]

We have a July 2 cruise booked...I doubt we will actually make it, but this is a step in the right direction. Hoping that the FDA approves the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 soon and I can get my daughter vaccinated. If she is vaccinated, we would definitely do something like this.

We are booked for Aug. 16th. My DD(18) and I are both vaccinated. I'd be willing to go, even if it is used as a test sailing

 

[DCLDVC1]

Good luck finding enough crew members to staff the ships.

"Royal Caribbean Cruises is temporarily suspending all assignments for its staff from India and will halt hiring in the country, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases there, according to a report by Crew Center."

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/04/26...ring-in-india-as-covid-cases-surge-there.html

 

[DCLMP]

I don't think this means anything really. There is still the lawsuit coming up and of course the law that was passed yesterday in Florida. I wouldn't be packing my bags yet.

 

[kathi]

Well there are plenty of other port cities in the US where the ships could move to if FL doesn’t work out. I’d love to see Disney sail from Port Liberty or Baltimore! Much easier to drive than fly for folks in the mid-Atlantic states.

 

[jrapps]

I don't think this means anything really. There is still the lawsuit coming up and of course the law that was passed yesterday in Florida. I wouldn't be packing my bags yet.

There are still going to be many more lawsuits to come before this is all over.