All it will take is a large-scale breakout of COVID on an unvaccinated cruise ship to shut down all cruises from the U.S. And no one will be taking any cruises out of the U.S. in October if this happens over the summer.
I would say that's quite unlikely given that we've been in herd immunity for nearly 6 months. The only issue would be if there was a large contingent of foreigners on board, but they'll likely be screened. ---Looking good ---
Want to go on a cruise unvaccinated - Well you are going to have a completely shiatty cruise experience and basically be a social pariah. You might as well lock yourself in your cabin and don't come out. What Cruise Lines Need To Admit To Unvaccinated Passengers https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzann...ines-unvaccinated-passengers/?sh=5fc33f745d0f As the major cruise lines prepare to relaunch from U.S. ports this summer, they have not yet been as frank with unvaccinated passengers as they need to be about how their cruise experience will stack up next to that of their vaccinated cruise mates. Royal Caribbean made headlines a week ago when it announced that it would begin sailing from Florida in early July with ships where vaccinations would be recommended but not required. “Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” said Royal Caribbean’s news release. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.” Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, elaborated a bit more on Facebook post yesterday: “For Freedom, Odyssey, Allure, Symphony and Mariner sailing out of Florida ports in July and August we are strongly recommending all guests eligible for vaccines are fully vaccinated. We expect approximately 90 percent of our guests will be vaccinated. Guests who choose not to be vaccinated or not willing to verify vaccination will be subject to testing and additional health protocols which will be at their expense.” So now unvaccinated passengers know they will incur some additional expenses that vaccinated passengers won’t. It would be a good time for Royal Caribbean to just come completely clean. Tell unvaccinated passengers that they’ll have a different experience than they may be expecting. Tell them about restrictions they might encounter in some ports of call. And for everyone’s sake, tell them about the face masks. On a video call on Tuesday, Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior VP of sales, trade support and service at Celebrity Cruises, walked hundreds of travel advisors through the protocols for summer sailings. She reiterated multiple times that on all Celebrity ships, 100% of the crew and 95% of passengers would be vaccinated. She also highlighted how unvaccinated passengers’ experience would be different than that of their vaccinated cruise mates. Ritzenthaler explained that, on sailings longer than four nights returning to the U.S., unvaccinated passengers and those who decline to show proof of vaccination will be required to take a Covid test prior to disembarking at an additional cost, administered by Celebrity Cruises. This test will be given at no cost to children too young to be vaccinated and for adults unable to be vaccinated. “And we’re doing that because we don't want to say that you can't come on if you’re not vaccinated or if you don't want to show vaccination,” said Ritzenthaler. “But we want you to understand that there will be some protocols and requirements in testing that unvaccinated guests will do, that vaccinated guests will not do.” What else? During her rundown of U.S. sailing protocols, one of Ritzenthaler’s slides bore the subheading “While Onboard.” The first bullet point read: “Following CDC guidelines, masks will not be required for vaccinated guests and children under age 15.” The next one read: “Unvaccinated adult guests are required to wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking or in their stateroom.” Ritzenthaler did not address how the crew will track or identify which passengers are vaccinated and which are not. Later in the Q&A portion of the call, Ritzenthaler was asked to clarify the mask policy. “Okay, the only folks that will need to wear a mask are the people that are in that 5% that are not vaccinated, they will wear a mask but everybody else will not wear a mask,” she said. Another bullet point on the presentation read: “Unvaccinated guests may be restricted from going ashore depending on local government restrictions.” Ritzenthaler explained that some destinations — for example, Roatan — would only permit passengers to go on tours curated by the cruise line, while other destinations — including Costa Maya, Cozumel, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau — will allow passengers to explore on their own if they choose. “Now, unvaccinated guests may be restricted from going ashore depending on what the local government says, but if you’re vaccinated, you 100% can go on your own unless the government — like in this case, Roatan — says you can go but you have to be on a curated one,” said Ritzenthaler. On the same call, Ritzenthaler described a workaround that would make it possible for Celebrity Cruises to adhere to the CDC’s recommendation that 95% of passengers on a ship be vaccinated and also obey a Florida law that prohibits businesses in his state from verifying the vaccination status of individuals. Instead of verifying passengers’ vaccination status at the port on departure day, Celebrity will manage the ratio of vaccinated-to-unvaccinated guests during the booking process, Ritzenthaler suggested. “Guys, the way we’re going to do that is we’re going to manage the sailing, right?” she told the agents on the call. “We're going to make sure that we open some cabin categories. We close some cabin categories. We are going to make sure that 95% of our guests are vaccinated.” Some of the air came out of the cruise industry’s celebration balloons yesterday with the news that two passengers tested positive for Covid-19 on the CelebrityMillennium, first cruise ship to sail in North America since the pandemic began. A day earlier, two passengers had tested positive on the MSC Seasideas it plied the Mediterranean. In a news release earlier this week, Carnival Cruise Line announced that the Carnival Vista and Breeze will sail in July from Galveston with all vaccinated passengers, despite a Texas law banning vaccine verifications. The cruise line said it hoped to provide an update today about theCarnival Horizon’s scheduled restart out of Miami in July. Despite Florida’s law, Norwegian Cruise Line is also insisting it will require everyone on board its ships to be fully inoculated against Covid-19. “At least in the beginning, 100% of our guests and our crew will be vaccinated,” Norwegian CEO Frank Del Rio told CNN in late May. “I think everyone should be wanting to start cruising in the safest possible manner.” ============================ Your unvaccinated cruise experience...
So basically unvaccinated passengers on Royal Caribbean will only be able to sit in their cabins and choke their chicken. Royal Caribbean imposes restrictions on unvaccinated passengers: report Unvaccinated passengers will have additional mask and testing requirements https://www.foxnews.com/travel/royal-caribbean-restrictions-unvaccinated-passengers
What it really says is[emphasis added], "Royal Caribbean reportedly announced Thursday that passengers who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus will not be allowed to participate in ALL the onboard activities ..." And still other activities they'll be able to do, but at different times from the vaccinated. Finally, the VAX/NO-VAX identification measures the ship is using seem circumventable with a little research and preparation. Non-vaxxers shouldn't be allowed on the ship, considering what could happen to everyone onboard if an outbreak occurs (quarantined at sea, for example). Royal is probably more concerned about dollar signs right now, vs. risk.
Seeing that if you claim to be vaccinated then you have to upload a scan of your vaccination card with your signed cruise paperwork prior the cruise -- which is then cross checked in the government databases (31 in all) before departure day -- I don't see how they are circumvented from an initial identification perspective. Within the ship I hope they are giving non-vaccinated adult passengers cruise pass cards with a particular design (maybe a skull & crossbones) that clearly demonstrates at a glance these people are unvaccinated if they try to go to theater shows or anything else they are not allowed into. Basically unvaccinated passengers might as well sit in their cabins the entire cruise seeing the restrictions that are in place for them on RCL.