Returning to Cruise First-Hand Account

In the 61st edition of Coffee Talk with Vicki Freed this morning, Royal Caribbean shared first-hand experiences from a travel agent guest, Beci Mahnken, who sailed on the first sailing of Adventure of the Seas from Nassau Bahamas.   

Recovery - Just Around Corner

As Beci, and the group of associates traveling with her, began their trip they were filled with weird emotions.  For months, just like us, they were engaged in "removal of dreams" as they processed cancellations.  They were very excited to get back to cruising as it signaled to them that recovery was just around the corner.  Journey with them as they embark on this 7 day voyage from Nassau. 

Bahamas Check-in

The cruise out of the Bahamas was with fully vaccinated crew and guests.  The test before traveling went away, so the only requirement was to complete the Bahamian Health Visa.  Completing this was easier than they had expected.  You fill the visa out on your phone by entering your information and uploading a copy of your vaccination card.  

There's about a 3-4 hour approval process.  

At your designated check-in time you show your vaccination card and passport.  An antigen test (nose swab) is done and you are taken to another room where your passport and documentation is checked.  The waiting time is about 20 minutes in this room.  You watch for your email to be posted which indicates a negative test.  Once this is completed you board a shuttle to the ship.

The main takeaway was that the entire process was seamless / easy with no stress.

Crew Happy to See Them

While the crew were all wearing masks, you could see the smiles through them as they greeted the guests onboard.  With  the limited capacity on the ship, the crew outnumbered passengers.  Walking around the ship they were greeted with "Welcome Home" and "Welcome Onboard".   They too are travel professionals in their own right who's main job is to help make dreams come true.  They missed doing that just like we missed putting our guests on cruises and land vacations.

Staterooms were cleaned twice a day, just as usual.  There was lots of emphasis on cleaning throughout the voyage.  Ships have always put emphasis on keep the ship clean and sanitary even before the pandemic.

Muster 2.0

One of the most noticeable changes in the embarkation process was the new and improved muster drill (safety briefing).   No longer to do you need to put your vacation on pause to gather for the safety briefing.  You simply watch the video on your phone's app or in your stateroom then at your leisure check-in at your assigned muster station.  

There you are given a 1-1 briefing of how to put on your life jackets and you have the ability to have any questions answered.  This is very helpful, especially for first time cruisers.

Once you've checked in, you'll have sticker placed on your card indicating completion of the briefing. We've been told that this modification to the briefing is here to stay even if some of the other protocols go away,

Onboard Experience

Since the ship sailed at 30% capacity it was like having the entire ship to yourself.  There were signs posted around the ship reminding guests about social distancing.  One change were elevators were limited to one group (maximum 4 guests) at a time, so you might have to wait awhile for an elevator.   It did beat being crammed into the elevators though.

Dining

There were a few changes with dining.  You could dine with anyone linked to your reservation.  Paper menus were on the table but if you weren't comfortable with that, there was  a QR code that you could scan to view an online version of the menu.

You are probably wondering about Windjammer (buffet).   The same great selections were available. The only difference was that the crew served you. This was also true at drink stations.  They saw this as  an improvement over having everyone's hands on the serving utensils as was the case in the past.  

Entertainment

The same wonderful shows as expected from Royal Caribbean's production company.  Some rows / seats were blocked off to allow for social distancing.   The same was true in the Casino where some machines were closed and tables had limited seating capacity.

Perfect Day at Coco Cay

All the thrills and chills of Royal Caribbean's private island awaited them as they arrived at Perfect Day at Coco Cay.  They decided to splurge and purchased on of the over water cabanas for the day.

The food was amazing including Filet Mignon, Lobster Tail, Chicken and Grouper.  They ate to their heart's content and enjoyed the cabanas immensely.   They highly recommend Coco Beach Club - it was worth the money to them.

Overall Experience

Experiencing the ship at 30% capacity was amazing! The crew was very friendly and attentive. Everything you expect in a cruise experience was there. They won't hesitate to book their guests on Royal Caribbean ships out of the Bahamas and elsewhere. 

Thank you Vicki and Royal Caribbean for arranging this opportunity to learn about the experience onboard Adventure of the Seas as you return to cruising. It is comforting to see all the attention to detail that has been put into taking care of our guests onboard your ships as you resume operations.

So What are YOU Waiting For?

Contact Me to Get Back to Cruising

Adventure of the Seas - Nassau Voyages

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Vaccination Role in Cruise Restart

 Crew & Passenger Vaccinations

In CDC's recent letter to the cruise lines, they outlined necessary procedures to resume sailing from U.S. ports of call.  One of the options has cruise lines and passengers scrambling, if they want to move up the timeline for the resumption of operations.

One of the conditions is for the cruise ship to sail with 98% of the crew vaccinated and 95% of the passengers also vaccinated.  What that would mean is all adults 18+ would be vaccinated and the 5% would consist of children who have yet to be allowed access to vaccines in most states.

Without meeting these conditions, the cruise line would need to perform test cruises and petition the CDC to grant them permission to sail after successfully completing those cruises.   The CDC would have 5 days to respond (down from 30 to 60 in original plans).

Vaccinating Crew

As you can imagine that it is no small task, to get tens of thousands of crew, who live all over the world, vaccinated to meet this requirement.   

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley said "It is going to be extremely important that our crew are vaccinated," in an April 30 Facebook post. 

 He went on to say "We are working to help make this possible and have been assured vaccine availability will significantly improve in the coming weeks and months globally," Bayley wrote. "I encourage all crew to get vaccinated at home if possible and to be guided by their national health authority."

Ports Helping

PortMiami is among U.S. ports that have stepped up to help provide vaccinations to crew coming from ships docked in their port.   Navigator Captain Angel Oviol (pictured above) was among crew vaccinated this week in the PortMiami. 

Port Canaveral is another Florida port that is making arrangements, via cooperation among a local healthcare center, the fire department and cruise ship medical personnel, to provide up to 1,000 vaccines a day to crew members and shoreside and waterside support workers.

Florida Governor Sending Mixed Signals 

Governor Ron DeSantis appears to want cruising to resume out of Florida ports of call.  He sued the CDC and the Biden administration to get cruising started immediately. The suit asks the court to “set aside the CDC’s unlawful actions and hold that cruises should be allowed to operate with reasonable safety protocols.” 

“We don’t believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year based on very little evidence and very little data,” DeSantis said in a news conference at Miami’s seaport. He went on to say, “I think we have a good chance for success.” 

One of the safety protocols, at least for initial sailings, is to have fully vaccinated crew and passengers. Governor Ron DeSantis Signed Landmark Legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 2006, to ban vaccine passports and stem government overreach. The legislation codifies the prohibition of COVID-19 vaccine passports. Governor DeSantis enacted this prohibition through an executive order last month, blocking any business or government entity from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

On one hand he wants to get cruising started immediately, but it appears this legislation would block the cruise line for requiring proof of vaccination.  Without that proof they will be unable to satisfy the CDC requirement for speeding up the resumption of sailing.

There is more positive news regarding vaccines coming out of Florida legislations:

A Florida Public Health Advisory approved by Governor Ron DeSantis and the state's surgeon general and issued on April 29 that expands vaccine eligibility to include "individuals who are in the state for purpose of providing goods or services for the benefit of residents and visitors of the state of Florida."

PortMiami and Port Canaveral were therefore able to provide the vaccinations to the crew under this health advisory, which the governor approved.

All eyes are on the Florida State Capital to see how these actions play out and help or hinder the resumption of cruising out of Florida.  The lines have stated that they will move more ships if this isn't sorted out soon.  Florida stands to lose more jobs and millions of dollars in revenue if the cruising pause continues.  Hopefully this won't require the courts to get further involved; doing so would only further delay things.

We continue to monitor all our travel providers current plans and requirements for travel which they plan to implement.  Follow us on any of our social media platforms to stay informed.

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CDC Releases Next Phase to Resume Cruising

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the next phase of technical guidance under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) requiring cruise lines to establish agreements at ports where they intend to operate, implement routine testing of crew, and develop plans incorporating vaccination strategies to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of COVID-19 by crew and passengers.  

This phase, the second of the CSO issued in October 2020, provides technical instructions on: 

• Increasing from weekly to daily the reporting frequency of COVID-19 cases and illnesses.
• Implementing routine testing of all crew based on each ship’s color status. 
• Updating the color-coding system used to classify ships’ status with respect to COVID-19.
• Decreasing the time needed for a “red” ship to become “green” from 28 to 14 days based on the availability of onboard testing, routine screening testing protocols, and daily reporting. 
• Creating planning materials for agreements that port authorities and local health authorities must approve to ensure cruise lines have the necessary infrastructure in place to manage an outbreak of COVID-19 on their ships to include healthcare capacity and housing to isolate infected people and quarantine those who are exposed. 
• Establishing a plan and timeline for vaccination of crew and port personnel. 

The next phase of the CSO will include simulated (trial) voyages that will allow crew and port personnel to practice new COVID-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers. 

CDC is committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising when it is safe to do so, following the phased approach outlined in the CSO. 

COVID-19 vaccination efforts will be critical in the safe resumption of passenger operations. As more people are fully vaccinated, the phased approach allows CDC to incorporate these advancements into planning for resumption of cruise ship travel when it is safe to do so. CDC recommends that all eligible port personnel and travelers (passengers and crew) get a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to them. 

Cruising safely and responsibly during a global pandemic is difficult. While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, following the phases of the CSO will ensure cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers, and port personnel, particularly with emerging COVID-19 variants of concern. 

CDC will continue to update its guidance and recommendations to specify basic safety standards and public health interventions based on the best scientific evidence available. For more information about COVID-19 and cruise ships, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-ship/what-cdc-is-doing.html and www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise.

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CDC Publishes Conditional Sailing Order

Framework for Conditional Sailing Order for Cruise Ships

On October 30, 2020, CDC issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order. This Order is effective upon signature and will soon be published in the Federal Register. 

This Order shall remain in effect until the earliest of the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency, the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations, or November 1, 2021.

Phased Approach for Sailing Resumption

Since COVID-19 is still a global threat, CDC indicated that a careful approach is needed to safely resume cruise ship passenger operations.  They are creating a phased approach to mitigate the risk to passengers and crew, prevent the further spread of COVID-19 from cruise ships into U.S. communities, and protect health and safety.  This approach will be implemented after the existing No Sail Order expires on October 31, 2020.

“During the initial phases, cruise ship operators must demonstrate adherence to testing, quarantine and isolation, and social distancing requirements to protect crew members while they build the laboratory capacity needed to test crew and future passengers," CDC explained.

Subsequent phases will include simulated voyages to test cruise ship operators' ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk, certification of ships that meet certain requirements, and a phased return to cruise ship passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates risk to passengers, crew, and U.S. communities.

COVID-19 Testing of All Crew

Within 60 days of the effective date of this Order, cruise ship operators must collect clinical specimens of all crew currently onboard ships and have those specimens tested in onshore CDC-approved laboratories.

CDC will provide guidance, including best practices for obtaining and transporting the specimens.  They may also observe the collection of specimens remotely to oversee the operations.

Cruise ship operators will report the results in aggregate to the CDC.

Diagnostic Testing Capability for Symptomatic Travelers 

(Crew & Future Passengers)

During this 60 day period, cruise ship operators, in conjunction with the CDC, must develop onboard testing capabilities for symptomatic travelers (crew and future passengers) for COVID-19 and close contacts.  After the 60 day period, laboratory testing will be required of all crew on a weekly basis (or other interval as directed by the CDC).  

All cruise ships must procure approved rapid RT-PCR point-of -care equipment to test symptomatic travelers.  This is the preferred testing method over the less-sensitive antigen testing methods.

Onboard medical clinic staff must be competent in specimen collection,  be able to use the equipment, follow manufacturer's guidelines, and have access to personal protection equipment (PPE) for specimen collection and handling.   CDC will remotely oversee operations.

Shoreside Testing of Embarking Crew

On the day of land-based crews' embarkation, specimens must be obtained and immediately transported to an approved onshore laboratory for testing using RT-PCR equipment.

All embarking land-based crew must be quarantined onboard for 14 days.  Those who test positive must be isolated until criteria are met to discontinue isolation according to current CDC guidelines. Once again, CDC may remotely oversee the operations.

Paramount Objectives of Order

• Preserving human life
• Preserving the health and safety of cruise ship crew members, port personnel and communities
• Prevent the further introduction, transmission, and spread of COVID-19 into and throughout the United States
• Preserving the public health and other critical resources of Federal, State, and Local governments
• Preserving hospital, healthcare, and emergency response resources within the United States
• Maintaining the safety of shipping and harbor conditions

 

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