Posted on 02/02/2021 10:49:02 AM PST by Capt. Tom
Sister companies American Queen Steamboat Co. (AQSC) and Victory Cruise Lines (VCL) became the first U.S. cruise lines to announce they will require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations from all passengers and crew members given at least 14 days before boarding the ships.
The measure, which goes into effect July 1, 2021, expands upon the enhanced health and safety measures announced in 2020, which include pre-cruise COVID-19 testing of all guests and crew and mask-wearing in public areas where social distancing is not possible.
The first to announce a passenger vaccine requirement was a U.K. line, Saga, which requires proof of the two-dose vaccine at least 14 days before boarding the ship, effective May 4.
Also, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is considering a vaccine mandate for guests but would require it for crew members.
“We are exploring all options regarding vaccinations for guests and crew, and it is our intention that all crew members be vaccinated before boarding our vessels to begin their duties, subject to availability of the vaccine,” according to a NCLH company spokesperson. “We will share additional updates as they are available.”
John Waggoner, CEO and founder of American Queen Steamboat Company, said, “Our new vaccination requirement, coupled with comprehensive health and safety protocols and risk-free booking policy, will give our loyal guests another added level of assurance to join us as we return to sailing.”
While some states are struggling with the vaccine rollout, Phase 1c includes transportation workers and that “vaccinations should be readily available and able to be administered to crew members before the July 1 target date,” AQSC/VCL said in a press release.
The company also said it expects that most of its guests would have access to vaccines before July 1. “The majority of our guests represent the 65-plus population, who are eligible now or will soon be eligible to receive the vaccination. If a guest is not able to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine prior to their scheduled trip, we will rebook them for a future sailing at no charge,” the press release stated.
Guests who can’t get both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before their trip – or who have no intention of receiving the vaccine – should contact the reservations department.
All guests will be required to present verified documentation of vaccination upon boarding.
The company noted that it plans to resume cruising in April. “To date, we have received strong interest for our April-through-June itineraries from guests who are confident in our current measures,” the company said. “Additionally, a good number of these guests will have had access to the vaccine prior. This, combined with our belief that crew will be vaccinated per the CDC recommended Phase 1c vaccination rollout, which includes maritime transportation workers, further ensures our confidence to cruise safely.”
I don’t disagree. I think in the first few weeks, there was an excuse because we watched in horror as people in Italy were dying in the hallways of the hospitals as patients overflowed into the parking lots and we didn’t want that to happen here. Fair enough, but when it became clear how it spreads, who is most impacted, and what the extent of the impact was, we should have made purposeful adjustments to the response to protect the vulnerable without destroying the economy.
There was no excuse for shuttering the economy for months on end, nor for closing the beaches and parks, nor for forcing nursing homes to accept known-infected patients. If the response had been based on evidence and science, I think most (not all) would be on board with doing their part to help control transmission. President Trump did all he could to support the states and give them all the resources and tools necessary. Yet the states (primarily the governors) completely botched the response and continue to do so to this day. They should be removed from office and many of them should be under indictment for criminally negligent homicide.
I had the flu once, it was in 94 I believe.
“I love going on cruises, and no, I WON’T sign up. They can take their boats out & sink them for reefs for all I care.”
Ditto to all!
Frankly, I’m skeptical that cruising will continue at all. The green-loving freaks in power now will make it impossible for cruise lines to be profitable in the future.
Last week I took my “cruise wear” to the local thrift shop, as I don’t see how they’ll allow passengers without proof of vaccine. It was taking up space in my closet.
There’s no flu because testing for it is way down.
That is not correct.
There have been 524,037 flu tests since September 27th. 1,276 have been positive.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
We’re testing for Influenza. It simply isn’t there. It’s having a very hard time spreading this year.
Not true. We won’t be cruising under those rules.
I don’t blame you.
Hopefully, the cruise lines will wake up to this fact.
I hope so.
Have a ship with vaccine sheep only, and another that didn’t vaccinate.
Have a ship with vaccine sheep only, and another that didn’t vaccinate.
I wonder how many of those 473,000 deaths include suicides due to loss of income, heart attacks at home due to lack of activity (gyms are severely restricted) and over-eating at home, drug abuse, criminals running wild with police subdued in democrat cities, afraid to seek regular checkups at doctors office or clinic due to scare mongering by gov’t.
And finally, if any one dies with 60 days after testing positive, that death is recorded as from covid regardless of how actual death occurred.
Now look at Florida...it is wide open. Restaurants are open, gyms are open, hair salons and beauty shops are open, churches are open, all stores are open. While death rate in Florida is way below some other states which are partially to severely closed.
You need to look up contract of carriage. It’s a voluntary contract that you and the transport services provider are entering into. They have every legal right to put any conditions they wish into that contract as you have every legal right to refuse to enter into that contract being a mutually voluntary contract. Every conservative should be behind the absolute sovereignty of contract law with a private business. Don’t like the terms don’t use their services it’s that simple. Getting the government to force terms on a business you don’t like when you have no capital interest in that company neither stock nor bond holdings is fascism by definition and every conservative should oppose that. If a company chooses to put unpopular terms in their contracts of carriage then the market will decide how inpactful that is to their profitability not the government.
By May of last year I heard that 270 people were put on the "no-fly list" for refusing to wear masks while flying. There are probably even more anti-mask "terrorists" on that list by now.
How is their bottom line going? Can you imagine how many people would be flying today if they lowered the price of tickets by one-third and made masks optional? The airlines are the main detriments to their own actions.
Instead, they are using their flying clients as pawns to get bailed out by the Federal government.
So, I have the freedom to fly or not. I could have taken at least 3 airline trips this last year. The airlines lost close to $2,000 because I opted to drive myself. Double that for my better half.
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