Tracking Cruising Restart: News and Updates

[Princess Merida]

Ugh! I really wish the news would come out for cruises. We are booked on the Dream in August and I prefer to sail, but just to know whether its a yes or no would be great. I booked a backup trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas and now there's a level 4 do not travel warning for the Bahamas. I'm aware that cruising is also a level 4, but if I cruise anyway I will at least be allowed back into the US. If for some reason someone in my party catches covid in the Bahamas we are stuck. I don't think I'm willing to chance that with children so that's out now.

 

[MomOTwins]

Which cruise are you all on? When I go to Disneycruise.com the only NYC cruises I see right now are the one way to PR and the two that go to Bahamas?

I'm on one of the Oct NYC cruises. They've pulled the cruises form the website so they are no longer bookable to new customers, but we all booked before they did so. Only a matter of time before they cancel, I think.

 

[zeferjen]

I'm on one of the Oct NYC cruises. They've pulled the cruises form the website so they are no longer bookable to new customers, but we all booked before they did so. Only a matter of time before they cancel, I think.

I see. I am only asking because I am on the Oct 30th cruise to Puerto Rico from NYC and I check every day for whether mine has been pulled.

 

[MomOTwins]

I see. I am only asking because I am on the Oct 30th cruise to Puerto Rico from NYC and I check every day for whether mine has been pulled.

Yeah, I guess none of us really know for sure, but in general, can't be a good sign that they've removed the cruises from the booking page. In the past, that has been a prelude to cancellations.

If you want to get future cruise credit, make sure you pay in full early as they only offer the credits if you are paid in full. We already have plenty of credit from our 2020 cruise so are just going to leave only the deposit on our Oct one and let them refund it if they cancel.

 

[gatordoc]

Which cruise are you all on? When I go to Disneycruise.com the only NYC cruises I see right now are the one way to PR and the two that go to Bahamas?

Still on the website with a direct link, but no longer bookable:
6-Night Halloween on the High Seas Canada Cruise from New York
Oct 24-30, 2021

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I'm on one of the Oct NYC cruises. They've pulled the cruises form the website so they are no longer bookable to new customers, but we all booked before they did so. Only a matter of time before they cancel, I think.

I still see the 3 Bermuda cruises on the website.

 

[brentm77]

Alaska is joining a Florida lawsuit against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in an effort to restore cruising in U.S. waters, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced.

“Alaska has urged the CDC to withdraw or amend its Conditional Sailing Order to allow for a cruise season in Alaska,” Dunleavy said. “Alaskan families and small businesses need fast action to protect their ability to work and provide for their families. We have been told to follow the science and facts. Cruise ships have demonstrated their ability to provide for the safety of passengers and crew, and Alaska has led the nation in vaccinations and low hospitalization rates. We deserve the chance to have tourism and jobs. Alaska has already suffered an economic loss of $3 billion due to the cancellation of the 2020 cruise ship season and faces another (unnecessary) economic loss in 2021.”

The lawsuit challenges the CDC’s shutdown of the cruise industry on the grounds that it goes beyond the scope of the agency’s legal authority.

The governor also said the Conditional Sailing Order fails to recognize the cruise industry’s voluntary safety measures and the safe resumption of cruising in other countries.

Over 400,000 passengers have returned to cruising in nearly a dozen other countries, resulting in fewer than 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“Through this lawsuit, Alaska seeks to protect its citizens and its interests by forcing the CDC to act within the limited authority Congress granted it,” said Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor. “CDC simply does not have the authority to arbitrarily shut down an entire industry.”

Dunleavy said the Conditional Sailing Order doesn’t take into account the high vaccination rate of Alaskans – 40 percent of adults over 16 in Alaska are already fully vaccinated and 47 percent have had at least one vaccine shot.

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in introducing bills to revoke the no-sail order.

Alaska still faces the challenge of Canada’s ban on cruising through February 2022. Dunleavy has signed a bill urging the U.S. Congress to exempt cruise ships from the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) while Canadian ports are closed to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people.

Full story here.

 

[tidefan]

Alaska is joining a Florida lawsuit against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in an effort to restore cruising in U.S. waters, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced.

“Alaska has urged the CDC to withdraw or amend its Conditional Sailing Order to allow for a cruise season in Alaska,” Dunleavy said. “Alaskan families and small businesses need fast action to protect their ability to work and provide for their families. We have been told to follow the science and facts. Cruise ships have demonstrated their ability to provide for the safety of passengers and crew, and Alaska has led the nation in vaccinations and low hospitalization rates. We deserve the chance to have tourism and jobs. Alaska has already suffered an economic loss of $3 billion due to the cancellation of the 2020 cruise ship season and faces another (unnecessary) economic loss in 2021.”

The lawsuit challenges the CDC’s shutdown of the cruise industry on the grounds that it goes beyond the scope of the agency’s legal authority.

The governor also said the Conditional Sailing Order fails to recognize the cruise industry’s voluntary safety measures and the safe resumption of cruising in other countries.

Over 400,000 passengers have returned to cruising in nearly a dozen other countries, resulting in fewer than 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“Through this lawsuit, Alaska seeks to protect its citizens and its interests by forcing the CDC to act within the limited authority Congress granted it,” said Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor. “CDC simply does not have the authority to arbitrarily shut down an entire industry.”

Dunleavy said the Conditional Sailing Order doesn’t take into account the high vaccination rate of Alaskans – 40 percent of adults over 16 in Alaska are already fully vaccinated and 47 percent have had at least one vaccine shot.

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in introducing bills to revoke the no-sail order.

Alaska still faces the challenge of Canada’s ban on cruising through February 2022. Dunleavy has signed a bill urging the U.S. Congress to exempt cruise ships from the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) while Canadian ports are closed to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people.

Full story here.

And Alabama is probably not far behind in joining this (due to the sailings out of the Port of Mobile).

https://www.al.com/news/2021/04/no-...alt-to-cruises-creates-unease-in-alabama.html

 

[tvguy]

Alaska is joining a Florida lawsuit against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) in an effort to restore cruising in U.S. waters, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced.
.

Alaska's long term problem isn't the CDC, Alaska's issue is the Canada. Canada has said no ships with more than 100 passengers can use Canadian ports until AT LEAST March 2022. Alaskan cruises are dead in the water until then no matter what the CDC says because Alaskan cruises need a Canadian port.

 

[MomOTwins]

I still see the 3 Bermuda cruises on the website.

Ooooooh!!!!! You are right they are back! I will try not to get my hopes up too much. They were definitely gone for at least a day.

 

[Sykes]

Alaska's long term problem isn't the CDC, Alaska's issue is the Canada. Canada has said no ships with more than 100 passengers can use Canadian ports until AT LEAST March 2022. Alaskan cruises are dead in the water until then no matter what the CDC says because Alaskan cruises need a Canadian port.

Cruise lines could seek a temporary exemption from the PVSA restrictions for Alaska cruises, but I'm skeptical that it would be particularly high on Congress's list of priorities.

 

[nmackovski]

The Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act is blocked from passing.

"Florida Republicans have set their sights on ensuring that the cruise line industry reopens, but it appears that plans for that will be put on hold as Democrats have torpedoed the cruise line industry blocked by blocking the CRUISE Act. The bill was introduced by Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan (R) and Florida Senators Rick Scott (R) and Marco Rubio (R). If passed, it would have ended the CDC’s No Sail Order, urging the CDC to instead provide COVID-19 mitigation guidance for cruise lines to safely resume operations domestically."


sources:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/...f-new-bill-allow-cruise-ships-restart-sailing

 

[brentm77]

It was stupid to introduce the bill without bipartisan support. This will only embolden the CDC. They shouldn't have introduced the bill at all if they couldn't get the support.

 

[otten]

This was inevitable and the ext accompanying it is misleading. There is no No Sail Order anymore. There is a conditional sail order. Instead of trying to undo the CDC’s orders the industry and its supporters should be concentrating efforts on getting more collaboration on meeting the already provided guidelines.

 

[brentm77]

This was inevitable and the ext accompanying it is misleading. There is no No Sail Order anymore. There is a conditional sail order. Instead of trying to undo the CDC’s orders the industry and its supporters should be concentrating efforts on getting more collaboration on meeting the already provided guidelines.

The provided guidelines aren't even complete yet. They have the first steps (phase 2a), but they don't have everything they need to even see the full path ahead to see if it makes sense to take the first steps. They don't even have phase 2b, to see what simulated voyages would look like, let alone the phases after that. They have been asking for the complete package but haven't received it. They didn't even get 2a until a few weeks ago.

The guidelines they do have are unworkable from a financial and practical standpoint, in my opinion. The cruise lines have said as much too. There is no hospital in the US that is going to guarantee enough reserved capacity to take thousands of potential passengers and crew from an infected ship, and the guidelines require they have that arrangement with one hospital and a backup. They would also need thousands of hotel rooms booked and sitting empty for every crewmember and passenger on every ship they have sailing from a US port (minus some small percentage of crew who is fully vaccinated, and not infected, and can be provided a separate living quarters and bathroom on the ship). And the hotels rooms they book must have separate ventilation systems for each room - as far as I know, there are no hotels that even meet that last requirement. But, even if there are, the financial impact of the reserved hospital space and thousands of hotel rooms makes cruising at a profit essentially impossible for major lines. The cruise lines have billions of dollars on the line and would be complying the with the guidelines if they thought there was a practical manner for doing so. Trust me, they aren't just twiddling their thumbs or being stubborn.

I still think the bill was a terrible idea from a strategic standpoint. But, the CDC should come to the table with reasonable requirements. Fully-vaccinated ships should greatly reduce the need for the type of requirements the CDC issued. For an agency that should be in touch with the science and pro-vaccine, I sure wish it would act like it has some level of confidence in the vaccines.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

It was stupid to introduce the bill without bipartisan support. This will only embolden the CDC. They shouldn't have introduced the bill at all if they couldn't get the support.

It's almost as if this was actually a publicity/political stunt by the parties involved and not a real attempt to actually get cruises going again.

Politicians of all stripes do stuff like this regularly, so that's not a criticism. But we shouldn't treat this as anything more than a bill that was introduced to score some votes back home before being shot down.

 

[ford91exploder]

This is what happens when you have an unaccountable agency making rules, It's not going to make any decision that even has a remote possibility of making the agency look bad,

So they create rules which are impossible to comply with in the 'real world' and cover themselves by saying well you can do X if you comply with the rulemaking to the letter.

The fact that it's probably easier to build a spaceship capable of faster than light travel, than comply with the rules issued by the agency is conveniently swept under the table.

 

[Joe Brig]

There is no way a cruise bill is going to pass on Earth Day. If you don't think that some of the opposition to cruising is about climate change, then you are naive.

 

[mevelandry]

The opposite would have surprised me.

I don’t see ships being authorized to sail again unless the cruise lines commit to have only vaccinated guests on board... On top of every other health measure mentioned in that blog.

 

[Intr3pid]

The provided guidelines aren't even complete yet. They have the first steps (phase 2a), but they don't have everything they need to even see the full path ahead to see if it makes sense to take the first steps. They don't even have phase 2b, to see what simulated voyages would look like, let alone the phases after that. They have been asking for the complete package but haven't received it. They didn't even get 2a until a few weeks ago.

That's the thing. They haven't been asking for more information - they instead want the order to be shot down. I very much agree that the order is heavy handed, but it does have everything in it to get the process started. If we want CDC to meet us in the middle, we too have to make an effort to get to that middle. So far, the progress report has shown little more than lawsuits and angry letters.