Posted on 01/18/2021 10:11:22 AM PST by Capt. Tom
On January 12, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control issued an Order, in effect January 25, requiring all air passengers arriving in the US from a foreign country to get tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs.
All passengers will also be required to present the negative result of the test, or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight. This puts the US in line with various other countries that have introduced similar measures over the last weeks.
UK Mutation Accelerating Measures The mutation of COVID-19 recently discovered in the United Kingdom has governments scrambling to implement new procedures as soon as possible. The new travel requirements from the CDC are a prime example of that.
While testing 72 hours prior to travel was originally only for those passengers from the UK, the order has now been expanded to all passengers arriving in the US.
From January 25, 2021, anyone flying to the United States will therefore need to have official documentation of a negative COVID-19 test or certified proof of being a recovered patient.
The CDC recommends passengers get tested no more than 3 days before their flight to the US departs. They should also be tested with a viral test (NAAT or antigen test) to determine if currently infected with COVID-19. Not only that, any flight entering the US, even for a connection, will require testing before departure.
International Travel Is A Major Factor For Cruises
Cruiselines have long counted on air travel to bring their passenger to them. The question is now if cruises from the US will be seeing any international passengers on board. It seems unlikely with the list of measures implemented by the CDC.
The list is growing ever longer. A guest arriving from a country outside the US would first need to be tested in their home country. After they arrive in the US, with their negative test, they will also need to be tested after 3-5 days in the United States, again before going on their cruise, and before leaving the ship again. Not only that, guests will be asked to quarantine for seven days according to the CDC:
CDC recommends that travelers get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home or otherwise self-quarantine for 7 days after travel. Even if you test negative, stay home for the full 7 days.
While the quarantine is stated as not mandatory, it could be demanded from those traveling from overseas, as many other countries are also doing currently. Cruising is supposed to be a fun and relaxing activity, the question is now how many people will be willing to undergo the many different procedures in place just to go on a cruise for a week.
What is more likely is that cruises leaving from the US would be out of the question for anyone not in the United States. Not only would four different tests be a strain on the passengers, but it would also be a strain on the entire infrastructure.
For those vaccinated, there is no escaping the new regulation either: All air passengers traveling to the US, regardless of vaccination status, are required to present a negative test result.
entropy12 wrote: “Yes covid-19 is risky for people with health issues. But not for healthy individuals under age 60. And that is 97% of workers who go to work every day in non-managerial positions.”
As that may be, a very significant number, if not a majority, of those on cruise ships are over 65 and have numerous health issues. That was one of the major complaints back in the fall when the cruise lines proposed limiting cruises to those under 75 with no health issues. That caused a near riot on CruiseCritic.
Far more people have been killed and maimed by auto accidents (mostly young and healthy) in last decade than covid-19 will ever kill. Where is the CDC on that?
I really do not want the gov’t to play role of my mother.
We can decide ourselves if we should drive a car or go on a cruise. Only role gov’t should have is to collect and publish statistics. And let the people use their own judgement on how to live their life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInK59-MtZc&list=PL3iLGzHUpWRVaGoXz9D9qKGIO788wb8Tc&index=1
That was great, I am still laughing because I saw some of that 60 or more years ago.
In reality the cruise ships then screened the male dancers; they had to be good looking, have established bank accounts with a certain amount of money, and pass a background check and be a good dancer, and have an outgoing personality, and they got a lecture about picking off vulnerable rich widows, amongst other no nos. -Tom
Lately I am seeing more and more young people with kids on cruise ship than was the case when we started cruising in 1988. I think those young people have discovered what a great vacation on a cruise ship is for kids.
We took our 5 & 3 year old kids on their first cruise in 1996. The kids had such a good time for so little additional cruise fare, the never let us go on a cruise again without them. Both kids did 16 cruises with us. Best part for us was the ship had full time baby sitters for them so we only saw them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Scheduled for Boston to Bermuda end of May. If mask required the whole time, rescheduling to next year. Also curious to see what Bermuda will require to get on the island if they’ll even allow it
entropy12 wrote: “I really do not want the gov’t to play role of my mother. We can decide ourselves if we should drive a car or go on a cruise. Only role gov’t should have is to collect and publish statistics. And let the people use their own judgement on how to live their life.”
Unfortunately, as the last election proved, about half the population does wish for a mother to look after them. Cruising got a lot of bad publicity last year when this started and many want the government to make sure those things don’t happen again. Then, there is the large number of people who want the government to make sure their cruise is 100% safe.
The number of kids on a cruise depends very much on the line and the itinerary. You’ll see a lot more kids on Royal or Carnival and a lot fewer on Holland and Princess. If you want to gauge the number of kids on a specific cruise, look for waterslides.
Cruiselines have long counted on air travel to bring their passenger to them.
= = =
Meanwhile, a cruise visits a bunch of different countries, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, ....
So the passengers are now subjected to Covid testing and quarantine and vaccine, etc. from each border/interaction with those countries?
That would be on the Norwegian GEM?
My Bermuda trip in October got cancelled in 2020.
Prior to that I did 5 in a row in Octobers yearly- 3 on the "Norwegian Dawn" and the last 2 on the "Serenade of the Seas". All Boston to Bermuda round trips.
Enjoyed all of them.- Tom
Is there a job opening....??
My 2 kids tell me the best cruise for them was the 14 day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Jade ship in 2008. They were ages 16 & 14 them and got to visit London, Southampton, Lisbon, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Tower of Pisa, Rome, Vigo. And they made friends from many countries in Europe, some of which they still communicate with! Overall it was way cheaper than traveling in Europe on our own.
I would love to do a cruise like that but I have difficult getting the wife to take anything that is longer than seven days.
If you do a European cruise, get the air flights through the cruise also. Don’t wanna miss the cruise due to flight delays.
This will never work. I was tested in December & it took TEN DAYS for them to notify me that I had Covid.
Here is a detailed article from the Points Guy on what can happen to Americans who test positive overseas.
Copy and paste it in. -Tom
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/positive-covid-abroad-what-to-do/?utm_source=TPG%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1915021&utm_usr=4dce219d2d312a42bb4238a91f8c6832b022489b7c037548dae7fdb7c8cf64b9&utm_msg=1b4d7a435c8f47b2878869d797c0a385&utm_date=2021-01-19
entropy12 wrote: “If you do a European cruise, get the air flights through the cruise also. Don’t wanna miss the cruise due to flight delays.”
You need to read, very carefully, the Terms and Conditions for those flights. The cruise lines do not promise that you will make the ship. They promise to make ‘every effort’ to get you there. They do promise to get you to the next available port which may or may not be the next port or even the one after that. They will be responsible for billeting and food while waiting to join the ship.
Still, flights through the cruise line can be a good deal. We saved a bunch on our last Alaska trip booking through Holland. But, I understand some lines do not let you pick and choose your flights. I’ve heard some horror stories about earliest departures, round about routings, long layovers, etc.
It’s very much buyer beware.
I still doubt we’ll be doing any European cruises. Wife was born raised in Germany and has little interest in Europe. I think we will be limited to ships leaving and returning to the USA. We’re also dog limited. She doesn’t want to kennel them for too long.
I suppose even after vaccination the CDC will require testing. Then ppl run the roulette of testing’s high failure rate. In my area testing is free and fast at Raymond James stadium in Tampa. They send test, telephone and email notification of results in the same day. I’ve had the first vaccine shot and get the 2nd on Feb 2nd. Looking forward to cruising but not the heavy hand of CDC’s requirements.
“I suppose even after vaccination the CDC will require testing.”
Tom here- We can’t have vaccinated people walking around a cruise ship without a mask and social distancing./S -Tom
By Sumathi Reddy (Wall St. Jornal)
Jan. 11, 2021 10:31 am
Do the Covid vaccines prevent you from spreading the virus, or do they just protect you from getting sick?
Scientists don’t know yet—and the uncertainty has big implications during the rollout of the vaccines.
Pfizer and Moderna, the companies that developed the vaccines authorized in the U.S. so far, say their vaccines are about 95% effective at preventing people from getting sick with Covid symptoms. But there’s not enough evidence yet on whether the vaccines also prevent asymptomatic infection and transmission. snip...
Oh, you can bet on that. We are SO screwed...
And since xiden is bringing back all the obama retreads, we can look forward to a couple of wreckovery summers also.
“Scheduled for Boston to Bermuda end of May. “
Tom here- Norwegian is getting closer with cancellations.
Just in from cruise Industry News- The suspension now includes all voyages on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises embarking through April 30, 2021.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.