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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Where is Chris - Sunscreen Protection Day

Here's a little known "holiday" -- Sunscreen Protection Day. Sun Screen Day educates and brings awareness to the importance of using sunscreen to protect yourself and your children from harmful UV rays from the sun. This day is held on May 27th, just in advance of the summer and vacation season.  In today's destination, you definitely want to be wearing sunscreen.  We were on a cruise and the captain kept announcing warnings about staying protected from the sun.   For those that didn't listen, they were sporting a bright shade of red later that day.

Today would be a good day to education your children on the dangers of being in the sun too long without sunscreen.  #KeepTheKidsEngaged

We hope you are enjoying this series of  "Where is Chris" posts.  We'd love your feedback on our social media.

Where is Chris? 

Where is Chris    Learn More

Here is today's post: See if you can guess where I am. 

As promised, we've updated yesterday's post, Where is Chris - Spacey, with the answer to the puzzle.  Revisit that post and just scroll over the image to reveal the answer.  You can also click on the link below the picture to read more.  

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Oh Happy Days

Pleasant Surprise

Prior to the mandatory drill, we had met our cabin steward, Jonathan.  He asked us if we needed anything.  We explained that one of our bags of luggage was missing when we arrived at the airport and that LATAM Airlines was attempting to locate it and deliver it to the ship.  We might not get it until the first port of call at Puerto Montt.

We told him we'd already reported it to Guest Services.  He said he'd be on the lookout for the bag.  He also said he'd bring us our robes and slippers.  A few minutes later he knocked on the door with those items for us.

After dinner we went back to our cabin and once again ran into Jonathan.  He said our bags were inside the cabin.  At first we didn't understand him and we said we didn't know since we hadn't looked yet.  He said "no, they are all inside, I put them there".  We were relieved to hear that because had they not gotten from the airport to the ship via truck, we would have had no change of clothes at all despite the fact that we had packed clothes in our carry-on bags.

We opened the door an they were ALL there indeed - even the one that had been lost. 

Travel Insurance

click image to learn more about travel protection benefits

Perhaps this is a good time to remind our readers that we highly suggest travel insurance when you cruise or take any vacation for that matter.  We do so as well of course.  We potentially had one or more claims possible here depending on the outcome.  Had our bag not been there after dinner, we could have gone on a shopping spree onboard to get essential items that we were missing to tide us over until our bag would show up (baggage delay claim).   If the bag never showed up, we'd have a claim for the bag and contents (lost luggage).

Both the cruise line and the airline were also accommodating - the airline would allow us to spend $50 a day and be reimbursed.  We hadn't contacted the travel insurance company yet since we were hoping the bag would show up before we sailed.

When writing this post the seas were pretty choppy - an accident waiting for a place to happen as well.  There are so many unforeseen possibilities when you travel - don't gamble with your vacation - please travel insured.





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Insurance Awareness Day 2015

Insurance Awareness Day exists to remind you that things go wrong, and that generally, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan.  If you are like most people, you have health insurance, life insurance, and house or apartment insurance.  We'll talk about Travel Insurance in this post and suggest why it is a good idea to consider it before traveling.

Expect the Unexpected

I'd like to make a few suggestions to anyone planning a cruise vacation.   Similar considerations go for other (land) vacations as well.   As the title suggests, one should plan for the unexpected in advance so that the situations I describe, should they occur to you, would not ruin your vacation or at the very least you would have assistance before, during, and after the vacation.

Situation 1 - Weather Impacting Departure for Cruise

If you've been watching the news lately, I'm sure you've watched in horror as flood waters washed homes away, houses were destroyed in minutes by tornados, and various other disasters that are going on across the world. We always like to think that this can't happen to us and hopefully that is the case. Unfortunately situations like these do occur and no one is exempt from the possibility.

What does this have to do with cruising you might ask? Well, if that were your home, or if you lived in that neighborhood, odds are that you wouldn't be able to depart on schedule for your cruise. Several possibile situations come to mind from roads being blocked, airports being closed, flights delayed, family members injured during the storms. All of these would most likely prevent you from arriving in the cruise departure city prior to the ship sailing.

Suggestion 1 - Leave Early

I've said this many times before, but it bears repeating: Plan to arrive in the embarkation port the day before your cruise (domestic cruises) and at least the day before your cruise (overseas cruises).

Assuming that you are flying to the embarkation city, you can either book airfare with the cruise line or on your own. In most cases, I suggest that my clients book on their own since they have full flexibility and can often save money (perhaps using frequent flier miles, or finding special pricing). I'm more than happy to assist them either way.

That's not to say that you can't use frequent flier miles or get good prices through the cruise line, but you will have to make arrangements through the cruise line's "custom air" department. In some cases, there may be extra fees to tailor your flights to your schedule. The "non-custom" air arrangements typically arrive the day of the cruise which doesn't provide any room for delays.

We've personally had many occasions where we arrived the day before the cruise, so we didn't have any issues. However, our return trip was delayed as many as 4 hours due to weather. Had that been the day of the cruise, we could have missed the ship (assuming it was on the same day as ship departure).

Suggestion 2 - Purchase Trip Insurance

In the above example, depending on the length of the delay and other factors, had you missed the ship your insurance may have provided assistance in rejoining the cruise or reimbursement for unused portion of the trip.

If your house had been damaged or if a family member had ended up in the hospital, due to the storm as described above, the trip cancellation clause of the insurance policy may have come into play providing some financial relief.

Insurance policies vary, so you need to read the policy and compare them to your needs.

Situation 2 - Injury During Cruise

The following situation DID occur to one of the passengers on one of our cruises and we have been on many other cruises where similar situations occured.

The ship sailed on time, we had dinner and had gone to the welcome aboard show. The captain came on the loud speaker system and made an announcement. The ship was turning around and returning to New York because there was a medical emergency onboard. It was necessary to get closer to New York so that the passenger could be transferred to a hospital onshore.

From what we can gather, the injury wasn't life threatening but it required medical attention that could best be provided in a hospital. The passenger was transferred from the ship to a hospital by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A medical evacuation is a very expensive procedure - often costing tens of thousands of dollars. These costs are typically not covered by your personal health insurance policies and could have a very negative impact if you had to bear the cost yourself.

I'm not trying to scare you out of booking a cruise. In fact, these situations I describe could happen any day and on any vacation. I hope that the cruise specialist, or other travel consultant that you work with, recommends insurance to you and that you seriously consider purchasing a policy. Besides the financial protection, there is the intangible benefit of having someone to turn to in the time of crisis. The majority of the policies available offer a 24 hour assistance line.

Top Ten Reasons to travel with the LeisureCare Travel Protection Plan

1. You have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected event such as bad weather, an illness in the family or the financial default of your airline, cruise line or tour operator.
2. You have to return home early due to an unexpected emergency such as an illness or death in the family.
3. Your luggage is lost or delayed, forcing you to purchase necessary essentials, or prescription medications.
4. Your luggage or personal effects are damaged or stolen.
5. You become ill or injured and learn that your health care plan doesn't cover you outside the U.S.
6. You need an emergency medical evacuation due to an accident or sudden illness.
7. You run into flight delays and miss a portion of your trip or cruise.
8. Your trip is interrupted due to an unexpected hurricane or storm.
9. You lose your passport, leaving you stranded abroad.
10. You need assistance with replacing a prescription or an emergency cash transfer.

Plan for Unexpected - Leave Early, Purchase Travel Insurance, Enjoy Your Cruise

Winter Weather Hampering Travel

Anyone Else Thinking About Escaping to the Warmth of Alaska?

Wave Season is in full swing now and thoughts turn to warmer climates and those where it isn't snowing.   Usually one would exclude Alaska from the list of candidates, but ironically when we checked the weather tonight, we found that Ketchikan was in the mid-40s at 9:30 PM while our temperatures had fallen below zero.

Accidents, Flight Delays, Cancellations, Stranded Travelers

Tonight's newscast featured arctic temperatures in our region, up to 2 feet of snow for those unlucky enough to be near the lake front, more cold, and more snow still on the way.   This weather isn't limited to the Chicago / Indiana area, but also extending to the East Coast where a new snow storm cancelled flights and caused nightmares for those trying to travel across the country.

The following headlines tell the story - no need to repeat them here (you can click on the links to read details on the various news sources):

Nearly 3000 US Flights Cancelled As Snow Hits Northeast
Thousands of flights canceled (again) by snowstorm
Thousands Of US Flights Cancelled - Business Insider 
Flights cancelled as Northeast braces for polar vortex 2 | New York ...
LIVE: Snowstorm Dumping Heavy Snow on I-95 Corridor

Live Airline Flight Cancellations Info & Statistics FlightAware
 


Protect Your Vacation

When our guests book their trip with us, we highly recommend they purchase travel protection insurance in the full amount of their trip.  We've heard all the reasons why that doesn't seem to be necessary - "there's no way we aren't going on this trip - we've planned for it so long" is a pretty common one.


Tell that to the people spending the night at O'Hare International or one of the other major airports across the country as this bad weather grounded or delayed flights.   Hopefully those stranded will be able to get out tomorrow and still be able to continue their journeys.   If that flight was taking them to their escape from winter weather at some Caribbean resort or cruise vacation, odds are they are now in need of assistance to somehow join that trip now in progress.   Hopefully that have a passport because they may now need to fly into a foreign port and their birth certificate and driver's license will no longer suffice (for those on closed-loop cruises, technically you don't need a passport, but we always suggest you have on).


You may never need to file a claim or call for assistance, but the intangible benefit to travel insurance is that when it counts the most, when you are in need, you have someone to turn to for assistance.  You aren't alone in a "sea" of stranded travelers anymore.  You have the ability to "phone a friend" or "use your lifeline" in the words of a popular game show.

Top Ten Reasons to travel with the LeisureCare Travel Protection Plan

1. You have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected event such as bad weather, an illness in the family or the financial default of your airline, cruise line or tour operator.
2. You have to return home early due to an unexpected emergency such as an illness or death in the family.
3. Your luggage is lost or delayed, forcing you to purchase necessary essentials, or prescription medications.
4. Your luggage or personal effects are damaged or stolen.
5. You become ill or injured and learn that your health care plan doesn't cover you outside the U.S.
6. You need an emergency medical evacuation due to an accident or sudden illness.
7. You run into flight delays and miss a portion of your trip or cruise.
8. Your trip is interrupted due to an unexpected hurricane or storm.
9. You lose your passport, leaving you stranded abroad.
10. You need assistance with replacing a prescription or an emergency cash transfer. 

If the weather is bad in your area and you don't need to travel, stay home - warm and safe. For those trying to get to their vacation destination, we hope that you'll be able to do so and also that you had assistance so that your vacation isn't ruined.

Dengue Fever Prevention

Click image for interactive map

Dengue in Caribbean Regions 

Including Bahamas

We would like to advise you of widespread activity of dengue fever reported
throughout the Caribbean region, with the Bahamas reporting the greatest
activity over the past two months. Dengue is transmitted through mosquitos
which mainly bite during daytime hours and is not transmitted from person to
person. Health authorities in the Bahamas have instituted control measures
such as fogging and spraying to reduce mosquito breeding sites on the islands
including Princess Cays located on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas.

Prevention is Best Measure      

There is no vaccine available against dengue, and there are no specific medications to treat a dengue infection. This makes prevention the most important step.


Travelers can reduce their risk of infection with dengue fever by protecting themselves from mosquito bites. The mosquitoes that spread dengue usually bite at dusk and dawn but may bite at any time during the day, especially indoors, in shady areas, or when the weather is cloudy. Travelers should follow the steps below to protect themselves from mosquito bites:

• When outdoors or in a building that is not well screened, use insect repellent on uncovered skin. If sunscreen is needed, apply before applying insect repellent.
  • Look for a repellent that contains one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin (KBR 3023), Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535. Always follow the instructions on the label when you use the repellent.
  • In general, repellents protect longer against mosquito bites when they have a higher concentration (percentage) of any of these active ingredients. However, concentrations above 50% do not offer a marked increase in protection time. Products with less than 10% of an active ingredient may offer only limited protection, often no longer than 1-2 hours.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics approves the use of repellents with up to 30% DEET on children more than 2 months old.
  • Protect babies less than 2 months old by using a carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit. For more information about the use of repellent on infants and children, please see the “Insect and Other Arthropod Protection” section in Traveling Safely with Infants and Children and the “Children” section of CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions about Repellent Use.
  • For more information on the use of insect repellents, see the information on the Mosquito and Tick Protection webpage.
• Wear loose, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
  • For greater protection, clothing may also be sprayed with a repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent. (Remember: don't use permethrin on skin.)

Additional Resources

CDC Outbreak Notice

Dengue Map

Dengue in The Bahamas

Dengue Fever & Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

Symptoms and What To Do If You Think You Have Dengue

Publications & Related Links

Be Prepared for Hurricanes

Washington, DC, May 27, 2010 -- NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate address reporters at a news conference releasing NOAA's outlook for the 2010 Hurricane Season. FEMA/Bill Koplitz 

Not the storm you are looking for?  Click Image or Here

Above Normal: Atlantic      

Below Normal: Central & Eastern Pacific

An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. See Related Blog Posts section below for links to NOAA outlooks for each region as well as hurricane preparedness information.

“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”

The president recently designated May 23-29, 2010, as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. NOAA and FEMA encourage those living in hurricane-prone states to use this time to review their overall preparedness. More information on individual and family preparedness can be found at www.Ready.gov and www.hurricanes.gov/prepare.

"Preventing the loss of life and minimizing the damage to property from hurricanes are responsibilities that are shared by all"

"FEMA is working across the administration and with our state and local partners to ensure we're prepared for hurricane season," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "But we can only be as prepared as the public, so it's important that families and businesses in coastal communities take steps now to be ready. These include developing a communications plan, putting together a kit, and staying informed of the latest forecasts and local emergency plans. You can't control when a hurricane or other emergency may happen, but you can make sure you're ready."

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate on the importance of personal preparedness and new ways to follow FEMA during the 2010 hurricane season that begins on June 1.

Disaster Prevention should include:

•  Developing a Family Plan
•  Creating a Disaster Supply Kit
•  Having a Place to Go
•  Securing your Home
•  Having a Pet Plan

"How To" guides for protecting your property from flooding & high winds. (FEMA)


Related Links

NOAA Predicts Below Normal Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season
2010 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Outlook
Colorado State University
Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
NOAA/ National Weather Service
WMO Severe Weather Info Centre
National Hurricane Center (NHC)
NWS Regional Offices and Centers
Hurricane Preparedness
Realtime monitoring of tropical East Pacific conditions

More links and information about tropical storms and other weather conditions can be found in the Weather tab above.

Related Blog Posts

Above Average 2010 Hurricane Forecast
NOAA 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook
NOAA 2010 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Outlook
NOAA 2010 Central Pacific Hurricane Prediction
Hurricane Hazards - Inland Flooding
Huricane Hazards - High Winds
Hurricane Hazards - Storm Surge
Hurricane Preparedness Week 2010
Travel With Protection Against Unexpected
Weather



Hurricane Preparedness Week  - May 23 - 29, 2010

Travel With Protection Against Unexpected

Purchase Travel Insurance 

for Peace of Mind

Since mid-April the volcanic eruption in Iceland has dominated the travel news as passengers became stranded across the globe.   For those with travel plans within or to Europe, all they could do was wait and see if they would be able to fly to their destination.  Many travelers were stranded for days. 

Unlike some other natural disasters, there was no advance warning that an ash cloud would develop and blow over the UK.   Because of that, travelers were caught off guard and unable to make alternate plans.  This is the perfect example of "the unexpected".

Along with unexpected events, come unexpected expenses.   In the case of the flight groundings due to the ash cloud, passengers were forced to stay at their current location and in many cases incur expenses for lodging, meals, local transportation, phone calls, and other unanticipated expenses.  We heard stories of passengers running out of money because they had already exhausted their vacation budgets.

For those that were just beginning their vacation, it would be cut short at the very least.  In other cases, they were able to join the vacation in progress if alternate transportation could be obtained at a premium price.   In still other cases, the vacation wouldn't occur at all.  All of these situations have a financial impact.   For the uninsured traveler, they had to bear the burden of costs completely alone.

The flight groundings had a ripple affect.  Cruise passengers were unable to get to the embarkation ports and those returning from cruises were unable to return home.   The cruise lines and airlines worked hard to try to assist travelers.    Their hands were tied by regulations that prevented flights from departing.

A logistical nightmare had unfolded on a scale not seen since the grounding of flights after the 911 attacks. The unsung heroes were customer service agents who were working with affected travelers providing assistance.  These included the agents manning the phones of the various travel insurance providers.

If you were to ask one of the stranded passengers that had travel insurance if they felt the premium was worth paying, I'd bet they would say that just the ability to get assistance during this crisis was worth the cost alone.   Of course, the real benefit is reimbursement for the unexpected expenses up to and including the trip cost.

For the uninsured traveler, they not only have a lost vacation, but they very well might not be able to reschedule the trip since they no longer have the funds that they had saved for the trip (due to the extra unplanned expenses).

Those that read my blog on a regular basis know that I always encourage the purchase of travel insurance.   I have had personal experience with needing to interrupt a cruise and fortunately had travel insurance.   We've also been on many cruises where passengers were evacuated to obtain additional medical attention.   The cost of medical transportation can be thousands of dollars. 

Read more about Travel Insurance and the coverages provided.

I'll leave you with these parting thoughts ....  Always purchase Travel Insurance and Purchase the Insurance Policy at the Same Time as Booking Your Trip.

The reason for the last statement is that effective dates of the policy determine if an event is covered.    Once an event has been declared,  policies purchased after that date are not covered until a new event were to occur.    Again, the ash cloud is the perfect example of how this clause could impact your coverage.

For peace of mind and so that you can truly relax and enjoy your vacation, budget for travel insurance when saving for your vacation.