Interested in cruising from a Florida port?

[coffeebean]

Good news! Read about it here..........
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Is Crafting A Cruise Line Exemption For His Vaccine Passport Ban (https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2021/05/30/florida-governor-ron-desantis-cruise-line-exemption-vaccine-passport-ban/?sh=75b9c6425ed5)

[Bill14564]

Being wishy-washy and reinterpreting what it means to be in International waters is a terrible solution; DeSantis should stick to his guns.

[Stu from NYC]

Hope that all passengers and crew have to be vaccinated so we can cruise without a mask while on the ship.

If we need mask do not think we will cruise.

[kcrazorbackfan]

There are too many things to do on land; no cruises for us. Will not chance getting stuck on a boat if a bunch come down sick.

[oldtimes]

Being wishy-washy and reinterpreting what it means to be in International waters is a terrible solution; DeSantis should stick to his guns.

He is trying to do what is best for the economy of Florida. There are a lot of people that depend on the cruise ports for their livelyhood and some of the countries/islands that the cruise ships dock at may not allow un-vaccinated entry.

[duffysmom]

:a040::a040::a040::coolsmiley:

[Garywt]

This might be good for other businesses but it might keep the cruise industry out of Florida. Since cruising is different than most anything else it should be no shot, no cruising.

[rjm1cc]

I think an exception makes sence. Espically since you are going to different ports that may require documentations. Going on a cruise is different than going to the food store or hardware so I can see different options for each.

[Mortal1]

Oh joy. Another person who thinks everyone wants to know they got their shot....yawn....

[billethkid]

Vaccination requirements have been around for years and has not been a big deal like it is being made to be today.

If one does not meet the vaccination requirements they do not get in or get to go.

Not a big deal (until being politicized).

[Aloha1]

As with the border crisis and the inability to find anyone to work the over 8 million available jobs, the Florida vaccine law invoked the Law Of Unintended Consequences.

The Governor had the good sense to realize this and is crafting a favorable resolution for the cruise lines and all the on shore jobs they provide.

[justjim]

Vaccination requirements have been around for years and has not been a big deal like it is being made to be today.

If one does not meet the vaccination requirements they do not get in or get to go.

Not a big deal (until being politicized).

You are spot on. :popcorn:

[Skunky1]

It is totally up to the captain who he lets on the ship. I truly think the federal government should weigh in on this just like they have mandated mask for the airports and airplanes.

[Annie66]

Being wishy-washy and reinterpreting what it means to be in International waters is a terrible solution; DeSantis should stick to his guns.

And ultimately, the cruise lines have the right to pull out of Florida ports. I would not put this past them if things really get dicey.

[Nannyof3]

this IS important. many jobs rely on the cruise industry.

[allsport]

He needs to follow the science, no vaccine mandate, never cruise again.

[Leadbone1]

Good news! Read about it here..........
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Is Crafting A Cruise Line Exemption For His Vaccine Passport Ban (https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2021/05/30/florida-governor-ron-desantis-cruise-line-exemption-vaccine-passport-ban/?sh=75b9c6425ed5)

Just heard the governor this morning and I think some of you folks have it backwards. He is telling the cruise lines that they cannot require proof of vaccination for those leaving on cruises from Florida ports. It violates Florida law and there will be a fine of $5000 per day per person for whom they try to require this. I’m vaccinated and already booked for a cruise. It makes no difference to me if the others on the boat are vaccinated or not. I took care of me, which is the only thing I have a right to do!
If I truly were worried about all that then I wouldn’t even be doing cruising!

[Leadbone1]

This might be good for other businesses but it might keep the cruise industry out of Florida. Since cruising is different than most anything else it should be no shot, no cruising.

Wrong. Sounds like you have drank the Kool-Aid. We are still Americans and have personal choice. I’m vaccinated, but people that choose not to take it for whatever reasons should not be punished or kept from being able to do the same things I can do.

[Girlcopper]

He is trying to do what is best for the economy of Florida. There are a lot of people that depend on the cruise ports for their livelyhood and some of the countries/islands that the cruise ships dock at may not allow un-vaccinated entry.
Very true and some of the islands arent as strict with distancing and safety protocols. Or even cleanliness. So, yes, get vaccinated or stay off the ship and let the rest of us finally get back to cruising.

[heenables]

Very true and some of the islands arent as strict with distancing and safety protocols. Or even cleanliness. So, yes, get vaccinated or stay off the ship and let the rest of us finally get back to cruising.
What happens when you need your booster mid cruise? :-) "Get vaccinated or stay off the ship". Who do you think you are? Think about what you are saying before you type. NO ONE needs to get "Vaccinated". It's not mandatory and you sign any implications of the multitude of health and death risks away when you get it by your own choice. You people are straight sheep regurgitating things you hear with zero understanding of what you are talking about. I hope you have a great day by the way.

[kenoc7]

Just heard the governor this morning and I think some of you folks have it backwards. He is telling the cruise lines that they cannot require proof of vaccination for those leaving on cruises from Florida ports. It violates Florida law and there will be a fine of $5000 per day per person for whom they try to require this. I’m vaccinated and already booked for a cruise. It makes no difference to me if the others on the boat are vaccinated or not. I took care of me, which is the only thing I have a right to do!
If I truly were worried about all that then I wouldn’t even be doing cruising!
You also have a responsibility for the common good.

[Andyb]

Violates Hippa laws, unconstitutional. Lawsuits coming. Some people (sheeple) need to quit letting the media and government drive your fears.

[mikemalloy]

Just heard the governor this morning and I think some of you folks have it backwards. He is telling the cruise lines that they cannot require proof of vaccination for those leaving on cruises from Florida ports. It violates Florida law and there will be a fine of $5000 per day per person for whom they try to require this. I’m vaccinated and already booked for a cruise. It makes no difference to me if the others on the boat are vaccinated or not. I took care of me, which is the only thing I have a right to do!
If I truly were worried about all that then I wouldn’t even be doing cruising!
I'm vaccinated but every time I fly I have to wear a mask because others are not vaccinated. If I'm on a cruise ship and an outbreak occurs among the unvaccinated we will not be allowed to embark at some ports. When we return there will undoubtedly be some type of quarantine. The CDC is now requiring that cruises sail from US ports do so with crew and almost all passengers be vaccinated. Sometime between now and sailing there will have to be some resolution of the conflict between the CDC and Fla. law.

[Kmorrell]

Like what?

[La lamy]

Cruising is a situation where people getting deathly sick affects everyone on board. I'm not a fan of vaccine passports, but for this scene where a cruise has to be derailed to get sick passengers off, it may warrant vaccination proof.

[Linnberg]

Violates Hippa laws, unconstitutional. Lawsuits coming. Some people (sheeple) need to quit letting the media and government drive your fears.

Will your lawsuit include seat belts, drivers license,
Passports, vaccinations required to enter certain countries (ie: Yellow Fever), school required vaccinations. And all other government laws for good of all over
Individual rights?

[Pat2015]

CDC has already come out and said that masks aren’t required on cruises in their most recent ever changing guidelines, so that was good news.

[Pat2015]

I think an exception makes sence. Espically since you are going to different ports that may require documentations. Going on a cruise is different than going to the food store or hardware so I can see different options for each.
Agree! This is no different than people going to MCO that are traveling to a place that requires proof of vaccinations where you have to show that you have been vaccinated, just like showing a passport to fly out of the country. No airlines have refused to fly out of Orlando that require vaccinations based on passenger destinations, and cruising is no different as there are definitely going to be places that the ships are going to that require vaccinations. Looking forward to cruising and going to Europe again! 😊

[talonip]

Good morning. Gotta post this. According to the CDC and the VAIRS reporting system there have been over 12000 FULLY vaccinated individuals that have contracted covid and some have died. Many of you think this so called vaccine is bulletproof. What is the covid survival rate?
There will be covid cases on these ships. All you need is one and the whole cruise industry will shut down. Why? Fear and misinformation.

[Joe C.]

I never needed to be vaccinated to go on a cruise before, so why start now?
I’m ready to cruise today. No worries whatsoever.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

It should be up to the cruise line to determine what they do and don't allow on their own ship, as long as they comply with federal law. If there is a federal mandate for masks, then passengers on ships that are in US waters or at the docks should be masked. If there's a state mandate for masks, the same, with regards to docking at that state's ports.

But if the state doesn't FORBID its own citizens to vaccinate or wear masks, then they can't expect any commercial entity to forbid it - including cruise ships. They also can't expect cruise ships to require it, unless the state has an actual mandate for all commercial enterprises where the public gather.

I'm looking forward to cruising again. But we stopped cruising because we couldn't afford the luxury. Next time we can afford it, I'm thinking we'll go full throttle - elegance, intimate environment, first-class cuisine, higher staff:passenger ratio, on a river cruise.

[toeser]

I have supported 90% of what DeSantis has done. Here we part company. He has to cave on this or cost Florida a fortune. I have two cruises booked and no way do I want to be trapped on a ship with people who have not been vaccinated.

[Villages Kahuna]

So who’s science do you believe? Ron Desantis, who has been “open everything up” going back to the beginning of the pandemic?

Or the scientists, epidemiologists and doctors in the CDC, who continue to recommend no foreign travel and no cruising, even from U.S. ports?

I know what my choice is.

[Fieldsaj]

What happens when you need your booster mid cruise? :-) "Get vaccinated or stay off the ship". Who do you think you are? Think about what you are saying before you type. NO ONE needs to get "Vaccinated". It's not mandatory and you sign any implications of the multitude of health and death risks away when you get it by your own choice. You people are straight sheep regurgitating things you hear with zero understanding of what you are talking about. I hope you have a great day by the way.

So with or without a vaccine, one is still responsible for hospital expenses. I heard that hospitals are getting aggressive on collecting fees that insurance companies are not accepting.
Figures show that not getting the vaccine has a 55 times greater risk of dying over dying from getting the vaccine. As Dirty Harry said, “How lucky do you feel, punk?”

[mark100]

Absolutely not.

[mikemalloy]

Violates Hippa laws, unconstitutional. Lawsuits coming. Some people (sheeple) need to quit letting the media and government drive your fears.
How does requiring passengers to disclose their vaccination history a violation of HIPPA? If you choose you can not cruise. There's no RIGHT to cruise. Oh and just what Article or Amendment of the Constitution is violated?

[Spalumbos62]

Wrong. Sounds like you have drank the Kool-Aid. We are still Americans and have personal choice. I’m vaccinated, but people that choose not to take it for whatever reasons should not be punished or kept from being able to do the same things I can do.


Nope, nada...wrong.
No shot...you don't get on

[Stu from NYC]

I never needed to be vaccinated to go on a cruise before, so why start now?
I’m ready to cruise today. No worries whatsoever.

The reason to start now is the virus Covid 19.

[Spalumbos62]

What happens when you need your booster mid cruise? :-) "Get vaccinated or stay off the ship". Who do you think you are? Think about what you are saying before you type. NO ONE needs to get "Vaccinated". It's not mandatory and you sign any implications of the multitude of health and death risks away when you get it by your own choice. You people are straight sheep regurgitating things you hear with zero understanding of what you are talking about. I hope you have a great day by the way.


0% that's how much I agree with you. These are not Fl's ships. If they say no shot, no entry... that's how it goes.. thank God.
After all we have been through, who in God's name would enter onto a vessel without this rule.
We did the right thing...we quarantined, we got vaccinated, we waited.....now we live. And it's very well deserved. All the complainers that say we are just sheep...well we will wave from the port.

[Bill14564]

0% that's how much I agree with you. These are not Fl's ships. If they say no shot, no entry... that's how it goes.. thank God.
After all we have been through, who in God's name would enter onto a vessel without this rule.
We did the right thing...we quarantined, we got vaccinated, we waited.....now we live. And it's very well deserved. All the complainers that say we are just sheep...well we will wave from the port.

I would.

My decision now is whether or not to patronize cruise lines or any other establishment that attempt to coerce me to get vaccinated.

[emb2458]

No one should be aboard a cruise ship without proving they have been vaccinated. Only takes one person to make everyone else sick. Are we forgetting the people who were stuck on ships because of the virus?

[Bill14564]

No one should be aboard a cruise ship without proving they have been vaccinated. Only takes one person to make everyone else sick. Are we forgetting the people who were stuck on ships because of the virus?

*Everyone* will get sick? Are we forgetting that not everyone on the ships got sick back in 2020? Are we forgetting that many people have been vaccinated or do the vaccines lose their effectiveness when you board a ship?

[jimjamuser]

Good news! Read about it here..........
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Is Crafting A Cruise Line Exemption For His Vaccine Passport Ban (https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2021/05/30/florida-governor-ron-desantis-cruise-line-exemption-vaccine-passport-ban/?sh=75b9c6425ed5)
The cruise lines called his bluff and he has to back off with his tail between his legs - because he wanted to look good and tough and he did not think it through. He does NOT want to lose the cruise lines money dropped in Florida. He just fell into a "Cluster ******" of HIS own making!

[jimjamuser]

Just heard the governor this morning and I think some of you folks have it backwards. He is telling the cruise lines that they cannot require proof of vaccination for those leaving on cruises from Florida ports. It violates Florida law and there will be a fine of $5000 per day per person for whom they try to require this. I’m vaccinated and already booked for a cruise. It makes no difference to me if the others on the boat are vaccinated or not. I took care of me, which is the only thing I have a right to do!
If I truly were worried about all that then I wouldn’t even be doing cruising!
If an outbreak occurred among the unvaccinated then the boat might not be allowed to dock by some country or even the US. So, then how wonderful would that cruise be??????? The unvaccinated are ALWAYS causing problems for the vaccinated!

[Ben Franklin]

Lots of self-absorbed people don't believe they should get vaccinated. I wonder if they would also not reveal they had HIV or other STD (if they were infected) to a sex partner, because it's against their freedom? Two types of freedom - constructive and destructive. I'll always choose constructive freedom.

Unvaccinated people are opening up to the virus, which could mutate, and make the vaccine less than protective for the rest of us, and possibly cause another pandemic. If you refuse to get vaccinated do you still support our military protection? And if so, why?

Most cruise ships fly a foreign flag, so I guess the "America First" crowd won't be cruising. And, if the ship should become infected, should it not dock in the country whose flag it flies?

No petri dish cruising for me.

[jimjamuser]

I never needed to be vaccinated to go on a cruise before, so why start now?
I’m ready to cruise today. No worries whatsoever.
And you haven't died before. But, in the future, being unvaccinated you MAY die of CV or you may spread it to unvaccinated adults or more terribly ........spread it to children.

[Bonnevie]

Good morning. Gotta post this. According to the CDC and the VAIRS reporting system there have been over 12000 FULLY vaccinated individuals that have contracted covid and some have died. Many of you think this so called vaccine is bulletproof. What is the covid survival rate?
There will be covid cases on these ships. All you need is one and the whole cruise industry will shut down. Why? Fear and misinformation.

but at least 130 million have been vaccinated. so 12000 isn't really that significant. and, most cases are mild or asymptomatic. about 150 people have died but some from other causes than covid.

so count me as person who thinks the vaccine is virtually bullet proof. it's a no brainer to require it for cruising. if a significant number of people are not vaccinated and covid breaks out on the ship you may run into the same problems previous ships with covid outbreaks had...the inability to dock somewhere.

and again, the covid survival rate may be high, but there's no predicting who will get a serious infection. the more unvaccinated people, i.e. possible hosts for the virus, the more chance of variants forming that are more resistant.

I still have my son's school forms required listing his vaccinations so he can attend school. Desantis is just trying to appeal to a certain sector of the population. A great many of us want businesses to require vaccinations.

[Pat2015]

The cruise lines called his bluff and he has to back off with his tail between his legs - because he wanted to look good and tough and he did not think it through. He does NOT want to lose the cruise lines money dropped in Florida. He just fell into a "Cluster ******" of HIS own making!
FL isn’t losing any cruise line business and our Governor doesn’t have his tail between his legs. This is no different than going to MCO to board a flight to somewhere that requires a vaccine where it’s checked before you board, just like a passport is required for overseas travel. None of the airlines have pulled out of FL have they? Most cruise destinations seem to require a vaccine, and when he signed the law in FL about the vaccine passports, cruising wasn’t even allowed by the CDC. All is good and the cruises are heading out of FL next month.

[Joe C.]

I was on a 2 week S.America/Antarctica cruise when COVID hit. No vaccine, and extremely few on the ship got sick. Two weeks later was on a western Caribbean cruise .... nobody got sick, and we were the last cruise in when they shut the port down. No more ships in or out, but nobody was sick on the ship. It is just an over reaction by the CDC to adhere to the CYA policy.

[Aloha1]

Good morning. Gotta post this. According to the CDC and the VAIRS reporting system there have been over 12000 FULLY vaccinated individuals that have contracted covid and some have died. Many of you think this so called vaccine is bulletproof. What is the covid survival rate?
There will be covid cases on these ships. All you need is one and the whole cruise industry will shut down. Why? Fear and misinformation.

What part of 95% efficacy do you need explained to you?

[Aloha1]

I would.

My decision now is whether or not to patronize cruise lines or any other establishment that attempt to coerce me to get vaccinated.

Your money, your choice. No one's forcing you to cruise.

[Guitarman1951]

This is an important issue to the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs the cruise lines provide for Florida and beyond.

[coffeebean]

Oh joy. Another person who thinks everyone wants to know they got their shot....yawn....

Heck yeah. I only want to cruise on a 100% vaccinated crew and passenger ship. A poll was conducted with 3000 Cruise Critic members and 89% polled said they will only sail on a cruise that has 100% vaccinated crew and passengers. I'm not alone and we all are very willing to provide proof of our vaccination status.

[coffeebean]

As with the border crisis and the inability to find anyone to work the over 8 million available jobs, the Florida vaccine law invoked the Law Of Unintended Consequences.

The Governor had the good sense to realize this and is crafting a favorable resolution for the cruise lines and all the on shore jobs they provide.

DeSantis needs to save face, that is for sure.

[coffeebean]

Just heard the governor this morning and I think some of you folks have it backwards. He is telling the cruise lines that they cannot require proof of vaccination for those leaving on cruises from Florida ports. It violates Florida law and there will be a fine of $5000 per day per person for whom they try to require this. I’m vaccinated and already booked for a cruise. It makes no difference to me if the others on the boat are vaccinated or not. I took care of me, which is the only thing I have a right to do!
If I truly were worried about all that then I wouldn’t even be doing cruising!
I'm vaccinated and I feel very assured that I have complete protection from Covid and I do not worry at all about being among un-vaccinated people. Chances of me contracting the virus are so small I do not worry at all about it.

What I do worry about, however, is that if vaccine proof is prohibited, there may be a Covid outbreak among un-vaccinated people on my cruise and my cruise vacation is interrupted, ports missed, unable to disembark depending on the percentage of positive cases on board and so forth. There are so many ways a cruise can be negatively impacted.. Another way of negative impact is if un-vaccinated people are on board, safety precautions must be implemented such as masking, distancing and so forth. The only way to have a much better chance of no interruption to the cruise and to experience a cruise like pre-Covid, is to have all persons on board fully vaccinated.

[valuemkt]

[QUOTE=coffeebean;1953583]Heck yeah. I only want to cruise on a 100% vaccinated crew and passenger ship. A poll was conducted with 3000 Cruise Critic members and 89% polled said they will only sail on a cruise that has 100% vaccinated crew and passengers. I'm not alone and we all are very willing to provide proof of our vaccination status.[/QUOT
Please don;t cruise until you are positive its 100% safe. Half empty ships are so much more enjoyable

[coffeebean]

Wrong. Sounds like you have drank the Kool-Aid. We are still Americans and have personal choice. I’m vaccinated, but people that choose not to take it for whatever reasons should not be punished or kept from being able to do the same things I can do.

Do NOT agree with you on this, at all. Cruise ships are not quite the same as land based businesses. Passengers and crew are "held captive" when out to sea. People can not just up and leave if they feel their health and safety is compromised. Cruise ships, essentially, fall into the same category as prisons, if you will. According to DeSantis' Law, there are certain businesses that can request proof of vaccination in order to enter and prisons are one. Nursing Homes are another just for point of reference. There are others.

There is also the problem that if there are more than 5% un-vaccinated passengers on board then safety protocols must be mandated. This includes masking and distancing. I will not cruise on a ship that mandates masking, distancing and reduced capacity in venues. I'm not alone in this thinking.

DeSantis can ban proof of vaccine in any venue he wishes, just not cruise ships.

All my opinion, of course.

[Joe V.]

Do NOT agree with you on this, at all. Cruise ships are not quite the same as land based businesses. Passengers and crew are "held captive" when out to sea. People can not just up and leave if they feel their health and safety is compromised. Cruise ships, essentially, fall into the same category as prisons, if you will. According to DeSantis' Law, there are certain businesses that can request proof of vaccination in order to enter and prisons are one. Nursing Homes are another just for point of reference. There are others.

There is also the problem that if there are more than 5% un-vaccinated passengers on board then safety protocols must be mandated. This includes masking and distancing. I will not cruise on a ship that mandates masking, distancing and reduced capacity in venues. I'm not alone in this thinking.

DeSantis can ban proof of vaccine in any venue he wishes, just not cruise ships.

All my opinion, of course.

Held captive? At an average of 2500 bucks per person. No one is impressed into the cruising navy.

[coffeebean]

Violates Hippa laws, unconstitutional. Lawsuits coming. Some people (sheeple) need to quit letting the media and government drive your fears.
If a person is willing to offer their vaccine information, there is no violation of HIPAA laws.

There is no HIPAA Law violation to ask anyone if they are vaccinated.

Read about it .........Is It a HIPAA Violation to Ask About a COVID Vaccine? | Health.com (https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/is-it-a-hipaa-violation-to-ask-about-covid-vaccine)

[coffeebean]

Like what?

DeSantis is going to have to make an exception to his proof of vaccination ban for Cruise Lines. That is the only way to settle this insanity.

[coffeebean]

CDC has already come out and said that masks aren’t required on cruises in their most recent ever changing guidelines, so that was good news.

The CDC guidance to go without masks is for VACCINATED passengers. This does not include those who are not vaccinated. Read about it here............

CDC Lifts COVID-19 Testing Requirement for Vaccinated Cruise Passengers | Travel + Leisure (https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/cdc-lifts-covid-testing-requirement-vaccinated-passengers)

[coffeebean]

Good morning. Gotta post this. According to the CDC and the VAIRS reporting system there have been over 12000 FULLY vaccinated individuals that have contracted covid and some have died. Many of you think this so called vaccine is bulletproof. What is the covid survival rate?
There will be covid cases on these ships. All you need is one and the whole cruise industry will shut down. Why? Fear and misinformation.

The Covid breakthrough infection rate of fully vaccinated people is 0.009%. Do you realize how truly minimal risk there is? I'm not worried. I feel extremely protected with the Moderna vaccine.

I've been out and about without a mask and loving the freedom I feel. I still mask up if there is a sign on the door if an establishment requires masks. Those are so few and far between now locally, it is nearly like pre-Covid times.

[coffeebean]

I never needed to be vaccinated to go on a cruise before, so why start now?
I’m ready to cruise today. No worries whatsoever.

Have fun on those "mixed" cruises which mandate ALL passengers to be masked indoors, distance from others and have limited capacity in their venues. Testing needs to be done also. That is not the cruise experience I'm looking forward to. I will only cruise on ships that offer 100% vaccinated crew and passengers. No masking, no distancing and no limits on venue capacities. No testing needed either unless someone is symptomatic. THAT is the cruise experience I will pay for.

Even the 95/98% cruises may not achieve the percentage required to cruise without the safety protocols. If that percentage is not achieved, guess what? That cruise sails with all those nasty safety protocols in place. Not for me. 100% is the only way for me to go.

The reason for my insistance of 100% vaccinated crew and passengers is not because I do not trust the vaccines. Far, far from that. I do not want my cruise vacation interrupted because of a Covid outbreak of un-vaccinated passengers or crew. Who know what those protocols may be by the time these ships get to sail. I'm not going to find out.

[coffeebean]

So who’s science do you believe? Ron Desantis, who has been “open everything up” going back to the beginning of the pandemic?

Or the scientists, epidemiologists and doctors in the CDC, who continue to recommend no foreign travel and no cruising, even from U.S. ports?

I know what my choice is.

Celebrity Cruise Line has the first cruise scheduled from Ft. Lauderdale with 100% vaccinated crew and passengers and is approved by the CDC. So, there you go.

[coffeebean]

The reason to start now is the virus Covid 19.

I was going to say that but I figured Joe must already know that. Right? If not, where has he been since March 2020? I'm sure he is aware we have been dealing with a 100 year Global pandemic. Right? LOL.

[coffeebean]

I would.

My decision now is whether or not to patronize cruise lines or any other establishment that attempt to coerce me to get vaccinated.

No coercion at all. Just enjoy your life living with limitations. There will be more.

[coffeebean]

FL isn’t losing any cruise line business and our Governor doesn’t have his tail between his legs. This is no different than going to MCO to board a flight to somewhere that requires a vaccine where it’s checked before you board, just like a passport is required for overseas travel. None of the airlines have pulled out of FL have they? Most cruise destinations seem to require a vaccine, and when he signed the law in FL about the vaccine passports, cruising wasn’t even allowed by the CDC. All is good and the cruises are heading out of FL next month.

Well, someone needs to get that memo to DeSantis. Just a few days ago, he was still spouting off that "cruise lines are NOT exempt" from his vaccine passport ban. DeSantis has also claimed he is going to fine the cruise lines $5000 per person if they are requested to show proof of vaccine. Get a clue.

[coffeebean]

I was on a 2 week S.America/Antarctica cruise when COVID hit. No vaccine, and extremely few on the ship got sick. Two weeks later was on a western Caribbean cruise .... nobody got sick, and we were the last cruise in when they shut the port down. No more ships in or out, but nobody was sick on the ship. It is just an over reaction by the CDC to adhere to the CYA policy.

You were very lucky but I'm sure you already know that.

[Boilerman]

FL isn’t losing any cruise line business and our Governor doesn’t have his tail between his legs. This is no different than going to MCO to board a flight to somewhere that requires a vaccine where it’s checked before you board, just like a passport is required for overseas travel. None of the airlines have pulled out of FL have they? Most cruise destinations seem to require a vaccine, and when he signed the law in FL about the vaccine passports, cruising wasn’t even allowed by the CDC. All is good and the cruises are heading out of FL next month.

You obviously don’t understand the issue.

The Governor has pushed a new law through that would not allow cruises to leave Florida ports that are following the CDC guidelines. The exception to the law being worked by the Governor would allow cruise lines to require passenger vaccinations.

He has to do this to save face and permit the cruises to start up again. Otherwise, the cruises would NOT be heading out of Florida next month.

Alternatively, the Federal Govt could tell the Governor to keep his nose out of the cruise business as it falls under Federal jurisdiction.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I would.

My decision now is whether or not to patronize cruise lines or any other establishment that attempt to coerce me to get vaccinated.

You don't have to decide whether or not to patronize them. If you don't vaccinate, they won't let you in anyway, so problem solved. Live is grand when you don't have to make decisions.

[Bill14564]

You don't have to decide whether or not to patronize them. If you don't vaccinate, they won't let you in anyway, so problem solved. Live is grand when you don't have to make decisions.

Seems like you're making some assumptions.

They will let me in. The ball/choice is in my court. Will the loss of my business hurt them? Possibly not but you never know.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Seems like you're making some assumptions.

They will let me in. The ball/choice is in my court. Will the loss of my business hurt them? Possibly not but you never know.

If you refuse to show proof of vaccination at a place that requires it, the decision to patronize it will be removed from you. It is THEIR decision. You can comply, or you can not get what you were hoping to get. It's your loss, not theirs. There are plenty of people who are fully vaccinated who will be grateful to enjoy a cruise where they don't have to worry that the guy coughing next to them at the bar is going to cause the ship to have to turn around to unload a corpse.

[Gulfcoast]

I was on a 2 week S.America/Antarctica cruise when COVID hit. No vaccine, and extremely few on the ship got sick. Two weeks later was on a western Caribbean cruise .... nobody got sick, and we were the last cruise in when they shut the port down. No more ships in or out, but nobody was sick on the ship. It is just an over reaction by the CDC to adhere to the CYA policy.

We were also on a cruise to the Western Caribbean and had a wonderful time. People were happy, carefree and having fun. We were eating in the dining rooms and attending the shows. The ports were beautiful and we saw lots of passengers from other ships in the ports, as well. No one was worried about COVID, not even a little bit. No one was getting sick that we saw, either. Not long after we returned home they shut down the port. Crazy.

I am NOT going to cruise if there are mask or vaccine mandates. Forget that. It is a total overreaction by the CDC.

[Pat2015]

The CDC guidance to go without masks is for VACCINATED passengers. This does not include those who are not vaccinated. Read about it here............

CDC Lifts COVID-19 Testing Requirement for Vaccinated Cruise Passengers | Travel + Leisure (https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/cdc-lifts-covid-testing-requirement-vaccinated-passengers)
I am aware of the article. So are unvaccinated people going to be wearing tattoos on their foreheads or be distinguished somehow on the ships? I don’t think so, and don’t expect to see masks on cruises. For those who are concerned, they shouldn’t cruise.

[Pat2015]

You obviously don’t understand the issue.

The Governor has pushed a new law through that would not allow cruises to leave Florida ports that are following the CDC guidelines. The exception to the law being worked by the Governor would allow cruise lines to require passenger vaccinations.

He has to do this to save face and permit the cruises to start up again. Otherwise, the cruises would NOT be heading out of Florida next month.

Alternatively, the Federal Govt could tell the Governor to keep his nose out of the cruise business as it falls under Federal jurisdiction.
Is he letting airlines fly people to places that require vaccines where that needs to be provided before boarding here in FL? This is no different, and at the time the law was signed there was no cruising, thus there was no specific mention of them. Their are exceptions such as air travel and it will be the same for cruise ships. All will be fine, and the first ship leaves out of FL this month.

[coffeebean]

We were also on a cruise to the Western Caribbean and had a wonderful time. People were happy, carefree and having fun. We were eating in the dining rooms and attending the shows. The ports were beautiful and we saw lots of passengers from other ships in the ports, as well. No one was worried about COVID, not even a little bit. No one was getting sick that we saw, either. Not long after we returned home they shut down the port. Crazy.

I am NOT going to cruise if there are mask or vaccine mandates. Forget that. It is a total overreaction by the CDC.
You never know what the future may bring so there may be an opportunity for you to cruise with no vaccine and no masks in the distant future. Enjoy land vacations in the meantime.

[coffeebean]

I am aware of the article. So are unvaccinated people going to be wearing tattoos on their foreheads or be distinguished somehow on the ships? I don’t think so, and don’t expect to see masks on cruises. For those who are concerned, they shouldn’t cruise.

The tattoo remark is not appreciated.

At this point in time, it looks as though the CDC will require masking and distancing on cruises that have greater than 5% un-vaccinated passengers and greater than 2% un-vaccinated crew. On these cruises, ALL passengers, vaccinated or not, will have to wear masks so no need for a way to identify the un-vaccinated. All passengers will have to adhere to the restrictive protocols.

[coffeebean]

Is he letting airlines fly people to places that require vaccines where that needs to be provided before boarding here in FL? This is no different, and at the time the law was signed there was no cruising, thus there was no specific mention of them. Their are exceptions such as air travel and it will be the same for cruise ships. All will be fine, and the first ship leaves out of FL this month.

DeSantis has made public statements that he will not make an exception for cruise lines to request proof of vaccination. He has backed himself into a corner and will have to save face somehow to allow these cruise lines to operate according to CDC guidelines.

[oldtimes]

The tattoo remark is not appreciated.

At this point in time, it looks as though the CDC will require masking and distancing on cruises that have greater than 5% un-vaccinated passengers and greater than 2% un-vaccinated crew. On these cruises, ALL passengers, vaccinated or not, will have to wear masks so no need for a way to identify the un-vaccinated. All passengers will have to adhere to the restrictive protocols.

That doesn’t sound like much fun. Many won’t cruise until that changes so it looks like the cruise industry is still in trouble.

[Gulfcoast]

You never know what the future may bring so there may be an opportunity for you to cruise with no vaccine and no masks in the distant future. Enjoy land vacations in the meantime.

We will cruise to/from destinations that have no mask/vaccine requirement. If that limits the places that we can travel to, then so be it. I do not want to go to places that would require such restrictions. Vacations are supposed to be carefree, enjoyable and fun. But feel free to work on that mask tan line if that's your idea of a good time.

[Bonnevie]

I am aware of the article. So are unvaccinated people going to be wearing tattoos on their foreheads or be distinguished somehow on the ships? I don’t think so, and don’t expect to see masks on cruises. For those who are concerned, they shouldn’t cruise.

so the unvaccinated people's rights are important, but the vaccinted ones aren't. the other side of the coin is, if you don't want to get vaccinated, then don't cruise. I suspect cruise lines will book more people if they can have the vaccinated requirement.

[Boilerman]

Is he letting airlines fly people to places that require vaccines where that needs to be provided before boarding here in FL? This is no different, and at the time the law was signed there was no cruising, thus there was no specific mention of them. Their are exceptions such as air travel and it will be the same for cruise ships. All will be fine, and the first ship leaves out of FL this month.

You’re right, all will be fine and the first cruise ships will leave Florida when DeSantis backs down, creates an exception to the new Florida law that allows cruises to require passengers to be vaccinated. He hasn’t done that yet, but will have to save face and not shut down the Florida cruise industry.

[RedChariot]

The anti-vaxxers are getting tiresome. Do you not care about the greater good?

[Bill14564]

The anti-vaxxers are getting tiresome. Do you not care about the greater good?

You will need to distinguish between the anti-vaxxers who encourage others to not get the vaccine and the pro-privacy folks who may or may not get the vaccine but strongly feel that businesses and the government have no right to inquire.

I don't want to know about your Covid vaccine status any more than I want to know about your measles status, HIV status, or the results of your most recent colonoscopy. There are precautions and if I am taking the precautions that I need to take then your status does not affect me. I encourage you to take the precautions you need to take and respect my privacy.

[RedChariot]

You will need to distinguish between the anti-vaxxers who encourage others to not get the vaccine and the pro-privacy folks who may or may not get the vaccine but strongly feel that businesses and the government have no right to inquire.

I don't want to know about your Covid vaccine status any more than I want to know about your measles status, HIV status, or the results of your most recent colonoscopy. There are precautions and if I am taking the precautions that I need to take then your status does not affect me. I encourage you to take the precautions you need to take and respect my privacy.

Yawn:blahblahblah:

[bilcon]

Ready to go. Booked a cruise for September, but not from Florida. Getting back some of my money they have held for over a year. Got the J&J vaccine and did not feel a thing. No big deal. Hope our governor can get the local ports open soon. I wonder how much the politicians have invested in the mask business. Had Covid in January and ever with some prior health problems, it was no where near the s--- I went through when I had the Hong Kong flu. Let's take back our freedoms. Sorry for ranting.

"I have never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong."

[Aloha1]

DeSantis needs to save face, that is for sure.

I have no doubt he'll do the right thing.

[Aloha1]

I was going to say that but I figured Joe must already know that. Right? If not, where has he been since March 2020? I'm sure he is aware we have been dealing with a 100 year Global pandemic. Right? LOL.
You talkin' 'bout Joe, where am I?

[Bucco]

I have no doubt he'll do the right thing.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Is Crafting A Cruise Line Exemption For His Vaccine Passport Ban (https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2021/05/30/florida-governor-ron-desantis-cruise-line-exemption-vaccine-passport-ban/?sh=58ec80b25ed5)

"And on a recent earnings call, Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said, “It is a classic state versus federal government issue. Legally, lawyers believe that federal law applies and not state law, but I’m not a lawyer.”"

[coffeebean]

We will cruise to/from destinations that have no mask/vaccine requirement. If that limits the places that we can travel to, then so be it. I do not want to go to places that would require such restrictions. Vacations are supposed to be carefree, enjoyable and fun. But feel free to work on that mask tan line if that's your idea of a good time.

I won't be cruising on any ship that requires masking because of un-vaccinated passengers or crew on board. I opt for cruises that offer 100% vaccinated crew and passengers on board. There will be no restrictions on those cruises at this point in time so no masking or distancing required. Celebrity and NCL are offering 100% vaccinated cruises so far. They will be the lines to get our cruise vacation dollars at this point in time.

[coffeebean]

You will need to distinguish between the anti-vaxxers who encourage others to not get the vaccine and the pro-privacy folks who may or may not get the vaccine but strongly feel that businesses and the government have no right to inquire.

I don't want to know about your Covid vaccine status any more than I want to know about your measles status, HIV status, or the results of your most recent colonoscopy. There are precautions and if I am taking the precautions that I need to take then your status does not affect me. I encourage you to take the precautions you need to take and respect my privacy.

Pro-privacy? That is just plain down right silly. You will not be asked to disclose your medical records and/or medical history. Vaccine status is not anything that needs to be kept secretive, IMHO. This is a public health issue.

Cruise Lines must maintain a safe environment for their crew and passengers. Requiring proof of vaccine is what it is going to take to provide that safe environment. Anyone not willing to disclose their vaccine status probably has not received any vaccine. That is the reason there is so much balking about having to show proof of vaccination. Those balking, have no proof.

[Bill14564]

Pro-privacy? That is just plain down right silly. You will not be asked to disclose your medical records and/or medical history. Vaccine status is not anything that needs to be kept secretive, IMHO. This is a public health issue.

Cruise Lines must maintain a safe environment for their crew and passengers. Requiring proof of vaccine is what it is going to take to provide that safe environment. Anyone not willing to disclose their vaccine status probably has not received any vaccine. That is the reason there is so much balking about having to show proof of vaccination. Those balking, have no proof.

You are making assumptions and assertions that simply are not true!

Your HO is not relevant to what I feel is private. You seem to be one of those who would argue that if you have nothing to hide then there is no problem letting the police search your home. I feel the opposite; I will keep the smallest thing private because that is my right in this country!

Tell me again how my vaccination status is a "Public health issue" and is crucial to "maintain a safe environment for their crew and passengers." If the public and their crew and their passengers have taken appropriate precautions then I cannot be a risk to them regardless of my vaccination status. Vaccinated or not I cannot make them sick, their demand to know my status is only to satisfy their curiosity.

[Gulfcoast]

I won't be cruising on any ship that requires masking because of un-vaccinated passengers or crew on board. I opt for cruises that offer 100% vaccinated crew and passengers on board. There will be no restrictions on those cruises at this point in time so no masking or distancing required. Celebrity and NCL are offering 100% vaccinated cruises so far. They will be the lines to get our cruise vacation dollars at this point in time.

If the 100% vaccinated cruises make you feel comfortable then you should absolutely go on them.

There are other lines that won't require the passengers to be vaccinated. I can not imagine Disney cruises, for example, having a 100% vaccination requirement.

[Boilerman]

If the 100% vaccinated cruises make you feel comfortable then you should absolutely go on them.

There are other lines that won't require the passengers to be vaccinated. I can not imagine Disney cruises, for example, having a 100% vaccination requirement.

Disney cruises are starting back up in the UK in September and will require vaccinations for anyone over 18 years old.

[KAM+6]

And as more vaccine becomes available the age requirements will be lowered. Yey

[Gulfcoast]

Disney cruises are starting back up in the UK in September and will require vaccinations for anyone over 18 years old.

O.k. that just shows how arbitrary some of these rules can be. Those cruises will be packed full of unvaccinated kids. Will they all be required to wear masks on the ship?

How much sense does it even make that a 17 1/2 year old teenager can go on the ship unvaccinated but his 18 year friend MUST be vaccinated? If someone under 18 gets sick with the virus will the cruise ship be placed on quarantine or do those rules only apply if someone 18 and over gets sick?

I'm glad that DeSantis isn't buying into that nonsense.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

O.k. that just shows how arbitrary some of these rules can be. Those cruises will be packed full of unvaccinated kids. Will they all be required to wear masks on the ship?

How much sense does it even make that a 17 1/2 year old teenager can go on the ship unvaccinated but his 18 year friend MUST be vaccinated? If someone under 18 gets sick with the virus will the cruise ship be placed on quarantine or do those rules only apply if someone 18 and over gets sick?

I'm glad that DeSantis isn't buying into that nonsense.

He is not only buying into it, he doubled down on it. He said YOU MAY NOT do this.

Instead of saying "do what you want, it's your business, and your investment, we won't stop you from driving yourself into bankruptcy" he's chosen to pretend to embrace the nanny state mentality by cancelling the culture of corporate caution.

[Villageswimmer]

I was on a 2 week S.America/Antarctica cruise when COVID hit. No vaccine, and extremely few on the ship got sick. Two weeks later was on a western Caribbean cruise .... nobody got sick, and we were the last cruise in when they shut the port down. No more ships in or out, but nobody was sick on the ship. It is just an over reaction by the CDC to adhere to the CYA policy.

Unless you are privy to the ship’s confidential records, you would have no way to know that what you say is true.

Also, that early in the game, around January 2020, very little was known wrt COVID. We got off a ship at the end of January and a number of passengers we happened to know fell ill just before and shortly after leaving the ship, including us. Unbeknownst to them, they helped spread it.

So, need to throw the B S flag here.

[Gulfcoast]

He is not only buying into it, he doubled down on it. He said YOU MAY NOT do this.

Instead of saying "do what you want, it's your business, and your investment, we won't stop you from driving yourself into bankruptcy" he's chosen to pretend to embrace the nanny state mentality by cancelling the culture of corporate caution.

DeSantis has plainly said that no passengers are going to have to show proof of vaccination before they cruise from a Florida port. That is a 100%, across the board, fair decision that actually makes a lot of sense.

If you want to be safe from the virus either stay home or get yourself vaccinated. Otherwise you will be taking your chances which is also your choice to make.

[Gulfcoast]

Unless you are privy to the ship’s confidential records, you would have no way to know that what you say is true.

Also, that early in the game, around January 2020, very little was known wrt COVID. We got off a ship at the end of January and a number of passengers we happened to know fell ill just before and shortly after leaving the ship, including us. Unbeknownst to them, they helped spread it.

So, need to throw the B S flag here.

We were on a 5 day Western Caribbean cruise and very literally returned home the day before the ports were closed. The ships that had set sail had to turn right around and come back. I felt so bad for those passengers.

I can tell you that no one on our cruise was worried about COVID, no one in the ports that we spoke to even mentioned COVID. People were having fun, enjoying beautiful weather, entertainment on the ship....and when we got back home after a wonderful trip, suddenly the world shut down. Schools closed, businesses shut down and we had to be on stay at home orders....unless you were out trying to find toilet paper, of course. Grocery store and fast workers were "essential" and went to work. But doctor and dental offices shut down.

The whole thing was absolutely nuts.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

DeSantis has plainly said that no passengers are going to have to show proof of vaccination before they cruise from a Florida port. That is a 100%, across the board, fair decision that actually makes a lot of sense.

If you want to be safe from the virus either stay home or get yourself vaccinated. Otherwise you will be taking your chances which is also your choice to make.

The argument (and the point of the lawsuit) is that the governor doesn't have the *right* to impose this, because cruise ships rules and regs fall under FEDERAL law, not state law.

I'm already vaccinated. I don't worry about myself and Covid-19 at all. I worked at Publix the entire year of the worst of the Pandemic. If I hadn't gotten sick then, I ain't gonna get sick. I vaccinated anyway.

But that's not the point. The point is, the governor doesn't have authority over the cruise lines with regards to cruise line safety policy. The governor is not allowed to FORCE a cruise line to loosen its restrictions. Especially since some of the countries that those cruise lines sail to, DO require proof of vaccination before passengers can debark at THEIR ports.

A cruise line that sails to those ports, would not be ALLOWED to sail from Florida, if they were not ALLOWED to require proof of vaccination or immunity.

The governor of the state of Florida has NO jurisdiction over the countries that these cruise ships sail to. So basically the governor is instructing these cruise lines to either stop sailing to those countries, or stop sailing out of Florida ports.

It doesn't matter if EVERYONE is immune because they breathed Florida air for more than 5 minutes in the last 4 years. What matters is these cruise lines have the right to sail wherever the destination port says they can sail to, and if the destination port requires vaccination proof, then the cruise line has the RIGHT to require it - and the responsibility to require it.

[Gulfcoast]

The argument (and the point of the lawsuit) is that the governor doesn't have the *right* to impose this, because cruise ships rules and regs fall under FEDERAL law, not state law.

I'm already vaccinated. I don't worry about myself and Covid-19 at all. I worked at Publix the entire year of the worst of the Pandemic. If I hadn't gotten sick then, I ain't gonna get sick. I vaccinated anyway.

But that's not the point. The point is, the governor doesn't have authority over the cruise lines with regards to cruise line safety policy. The governor is not allowed to FORCE a cruise line to loosen its restrictions. Especially since some of the countries that those cruise lines sail to, DO require proof of vaccination before passengers can debark at THEIR ports.

A cruise line that sails to those ports, would not be ALLOWED to sail from Florida, if they were not ALLOWED to require proof of vaccination or immunity.

The governor of the state of Florida has NO jurisdiction over the countries that these cruise ships sail to. So basically the governor is instructing these cruise lines to either stop sailing to those countries, or stop sailing out of Florida ports.

It doesn't matter if EVERYONE is immune because they breathed Florida air for more than 5 minutes in the last 4 years. What matters is these cruise lines have the right to sail wherever the destination port says they can sail to, and if the destination port requires vaccination proof, then the cruise line has the RIGHT to require it - and the responsibility to require it.

The Florida governor most certainly has a say as to what happens in Florida and that includes Florida ports. We'll see how the lawsuit goes.

My guess is the cruise lines will figure out how to work with Florida on this. I'm not seeing Mexico, for instance, demanding vaccination passports.

[Boilerman]

The Florida governor most certainly has a say as to what happens in Florida and that includes Florida ports. We'll see how the lawsuit goes.

My guess is the cruise lines will figure out how to work with Florida on this. I'm not seeing Mexico, for instance, demanding vaccination passports.

The reason none of the cruise lines have joined in the DeSantis lawsuit is because they want all their passengers vaccinated. Why? Because 80% of cruisers have said they won’t cruise unless everyone is vaccinated. If the DeSantis lawsuit against the CDC wins and the new Florida law is enforced, the cruise lines will lose 80% of their customers.

I predict that DeSantis will proceed with an exception to the new Florida law. They are discussing the idea that once you’ve stepped on the cruise ship, you’re in international waters and therefore not subject to the new Florida law.

Of course that’s never been true. International waters starts 12 miles from shore. But DeSantis will have to do something to save face and back down.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

The reason none of the cruise lines have joined in the DeSantis lawsuit is because they want all their passengers vaccinated. Why? Because 80% of cruisers have said they won’t cruise unless everyone is vaccinated. If the DeSantis lawsuit against the CDC wins and the new Florida law is enforced, the cruise lines will lose 80% of their customers.

I predict that DeSantis will proceed with an exception to the new Florida law. They are discussing the idea that once you’ve stepped on the cruise ship, you’re in international waters and therefore not subject to the new Florida law.

Of course that’s never been true. International waters starts 12 miles from shore. But DeSantis will have to do something to save face and back down.

DeSantis hasn't forbidden airlines from mandating vaccine passports. The airport itself is in Florida, not international territory. But he hasn't dictated to Qatar Airlines, or Delta, or United that it is not "allowed" to show proof of immunity for its international flights. Why has he singled out cruise ships? He needs to just change his mind and say "y'know what, after further reflection, I realize this was a bad move. I hereby rescind this previous rule."

In other words, he needs to demonstrate that he is a sentient human being.

[Gulfcoast]

DeSantis hasn't forbidden airlines from mandating vaccine passports. The airport itself is in Florida, not international territory. But he hasn't dictated to Qatar Airlines, or Delta, or United that it is not "allowed" to show proof of immunity for its international flights. Why has he singled out cruise ships? He needs to just change his mind and say "y'know what, after further reflection, I realize this was a bad move. I hereby rescind this previous rule."

In other words, he needs to demonstrate that he is a sentient human being.

Unvaccinated people fly all the time. You don't need to show the airports a vaccination passport.

[Bill14564]

DeSantis hasn't forbidden airlines from mandating vaccine passports. The airport itself is in Florida, not international territory. But he hasn't dictated to Qatar Airlines, or Delta, or United that it is not "allowed" to show proof of immunity for its international flights. Why has he singled out cruise ships? He needs to just change his mind and say "y'know what, after further reflection, I realize this was a bad move. I hereby rescind this previous rule."

In other words, he needs to demonstrate that he is a sentient human being.

Interesting advice.

Those boarding international flights must satisfy the requirements of the destination since they will be leaving the plane. I could stay on the ship and never enter another country.

(The laws on entering territorial waters may come into play and might be the loophole needed to get to a resolution.)

[Boilerman]

News reports are saying this afternoon that the Florida lawsuit against the CDC has been declared an impasse by the mediator assigned to the case. It doesn’t say what the next step would be to resolve the lawsuit.

I also saw that the state of Alaska says that if Florida wins against the CDC, then all Alaskan cruises this summer would be canceled. I can’t explain the connection, but it sounds like the mess is now growing beyond Florida.

DeSantis needs to drop the lawsuit and provide an exemption to the new Florida law for cruises.

[Gulfcoast]

The reason none of the cruise lines have joined in the DeSantis lawsuit is because they want all their passengers vaccinated. Why? Because 80% of cruisers have said they won’t cruise unless everyone is vaccinated. If the DeSantis lawsuit against the CDC wins and the new Florida law is enforced, the cruise lines will lose 80% of their customers.

I predict that DeSantis will proceed with an exception to the new Florida law. They are discussing the idea that once you’ve stepped on the cruise ship, you’re in international waters and therefore not subject to the new Florida law.

Of course that’s never been true. International waters starts 12 miles from shore. But DeSantis will have to do something to save face and back down.

I'm not sure where you get that 80% statistic from. Most of the people that I know will not cruise if there are vaccine and mask mandates or social distancing requirements on cruise ships.

[Boilerman]

I'm not sure where you get that 80% statistic from. Most of the people that I know will not cruise if there are vaccine and mask mandates or social distancing requirements on cruise ships.

I was wrong, it’s 85%.

“ A recent survey of more than 2,000 people from Cruise Critic indicated that vaccine requirements are extremely popular. In the poll, 85% of people said they would take a cruise if people were required to be inoculated against COVID-19 in advance, versus just 7% who said they would not sail if such a policy were in place.”

I think the assumption is that if vaccines are required, then masks and social distancing will not be needed. Much like the signs we are seeing today at many retail stores.

Planning to take a cruise this year? You may not be allowed on board without a COVID-19 vaccination - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/planning-to-take-a-cruise-you-wont-be-allowed-on-board-without-a-covid-19-vaccination-11616593680)

[Gulfcoast]

I was wrong, it’s 85%.

“ A recent survey of more than 2,000 people from Cruise Critic indicated that vaccine requirements are extremely popular. In the poll, 85% of people said they would take a cruise if people were required to be inoculated against COVID-19 in advance, versus just 7% who said they would not sail if such a policy were in place.”

I think the assumption is that if vaccines are required, then masks and social distancing will not be needed. Much like the signs we are seeing today at many retail stores.

Planning to take a cruise this year? You may not be allowed on board without a COVID-19 vaccination - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/planning-to-take-a-cruise-you-wont-be-allowed-on-board-without-a-covid-19-vaccination-11616593680)

I guess we would have to know if the people who took that poll even live in the United States. They could be in other countries for all we know. The regular cruisers that I have talked to do not want vaccine, mask or social distancing mandates. Just look at the number people who have stopped wearing masks at the grocery stores and other public venues and it's pretty clear that people are over and done with the restrictions. They just want to live their lives. Get a shot or don't get shot, it doesn't matter because I'll do what's right for me.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Unvaccinated people fly all the time. You don't need to show the airports a vaccination passport.

You do if you want to travel to certain countries. If you haven't been vaccinated or otherwise immunized against Yellow Fever, there are certain countries you are not allowed to fly to. You must provide - get ready for it - here it comes - a vaccine passport to prove that you have been vaccinated against it.

You still need a negative Covid-19 test in order to return to the USA, even in countries where you're not required to prove you're immune.

In some countries, you can enter without a vaccine, but you'll have to quarantine before you can actually go anywhere once your plane lands. If you show proof of vaccination, they'll waive the quarantine.

There's no reason why a ship shouldn't be allowed to mandate whatever they want for the safety and peace of mind of their passengers. They COULD say "okay - no vaccine proof. But none of you are allowed to leave the ship, and you MUST wear masks whenever you leave your staterooms."

That'd be shooting themselves in the foot though. So instead of going that route, they're saying "show me you're vaccinated, and you can be on this ship, and go wherever we take you, and while you -may- wear a mask if you'd like, we won't require it."

Demanding that ships not require proof of vaccination is no different from the sheriff of Ocala demanding that everyone take their masks OFF when they enter his building. It's stupid, it's pointless, it's counter-productive, it's potentially risky, and it's bad for business.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I was wrong, it’s 85%.

“ A recent survey of more than 2,000 people from Cruise Critic indicated that vaccine requirements are extremely popular. In the poll, 85% of people said they would take a cruise if people were required to be inoculated against COVID-19 in advance, versus just 7% who said they would not sail if such a policy were in place.”

I think the assumption is that if vaccines are required, then masks and social distancing will not be needed. Much like the signs we are seeing today at many retail stores.

Planning to take a cruise this year? You may not be allowed on board without a COVID-19 vaccination - MarketWatch (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/planning-to-take-a-cruise-you-wont-be-allowed-on-board-without-a-covid-19-vaccination-11616593680)

Pretty much this. Retail stores have the sign saying "if you are fully vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask here." (or similar wording). Of course, since they can't enforce it, most people are going maskless anyway. And if someone challenges them, they'll just say "I'm fully vaccinated" and the manager just has to take their word for it.

When going to another country, on the other hand, you can't assume that the honor system is going to go over very well. And so - you provide proof of vaccination. I mean, if you were vaccinated, you'll have no problem showing proof of it. The only people who will protest, are the people who aren't vaccinated and want to lie and pretend they are.

[Bill14564]

Pretty much this. Retail stores have the sign saying "if you are fully vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask here." (or similar wording). Of course, since they can't enforce it, most people are going maskless anyway. And if someone challenges them, they'll just say "I'm fully vaccinated" and the manager just has to take their word for it.

When going to another country, on the other hand, you can't assume that the honor system is going to go over very well. And so - you provide proof of vaccination. I mean, if you were vaccinated, you'll have no problem showing proof of it. The only people who will protest, are the people who aren't vaccinated and want to lie and pretend they are.

Absolutely wrong.

[Boilerman]

I guess we would have to know if the people who took that poll even live in the United States. They could be in other countries for all we know.

You’re missing the point, let me help.

Cruise Critic is a website very popular with the frequent cruiser. I’m sure there are non-US citizens on the site but who cares? These people represent the industry’s most dedicated customers and they are ones who are most likely to be the first revenue passengers in over a year. 85% of these loyal customers want everyone vaccinated. This is obviously the path the cruise lines are pursuing to get cruising again. Remember, the cruise lines did NOT join with DeSantis in the lawsuit challenging the CDC recommendations.


The regular cruisers that I have talked to do not want vaccine, mask or social distancing mandates.

I agree that most cruisers don’t want to wear masks or socially distance after paying thousands of dollars to go on a cruise. But the survey is clear that cruisers want the peace of mind knowing everyone has been vaccinated.

. Just look at the number people who have stopped wearing masks at the grocery stores and other public venues and it's pretty clear that people are over and done with the restrictions.

I believe the vast majority of people in The Villages have stopped wearing masks in the stores because that’s the latest recommendation from the CDC. The other news source says that over 85% of seniors in TV have been vaccinated. CDC says we shouldn’t have to wear masks if we’re vaccinated.

DeSantis is looking for a face saving way to give cruises an exemption from his new Florida law. He can’t shut down the cruise industry in Florida as that would be political suicide. I predict he will either back down or the Feds will tell him he has no jurisdiction over the cruise industry.

[coffeebean]

You are making assumptions and assertions that simply are not true!

Your HO is not relevant to what I feel is private. You seem to be one of those who would argue that if you have nothing to hide then there is no problem letting the police search your home. I feel the opposite; I will keep the smallest thing private because that is my right in this country!

Tell me again how my vaccination status is a "Public health issue" and is crucial to "maintain a safe environment for their crew and passengers." If the public and their crew and their passengers have taken appropriate precautions then I cannot be a risk to them regardless of my vaccination status. Vaccinated or not I cannot make them sick, their demand to know my status is only to satisfy their curiosity.

Requiring proof of vaccination status has absolutely nothing to do with curiosity. Where in the world did you get that notion? Vaccination status of all those on board a cruise ship is a public health and safety issue to maintain as safe an environment as possible. I don't make those rules, the CDC and the cruise lines make the rules.

Let's face it.....a vaccinated person poses much less risk to those on board a cruise ship than an un-vaccinated person. If you plan to argue that fact, then we can go no further with this discussion.

You say that those on a cruise ship should "take appropriate precautions" regardless of your vaccine status. Are you suggesting that people should have to mask up, social distance and be denied entry to venues on the ship do to capacity limits? If that is what you are suggesting, I am totally against that train of thought. I will not pay for a cruise experience that will limit me in any way and deny me of a great vacation experience. I have been masking up for the entire time we have been asked to do so and I do not plan on having to mask up on vacation now that I am fully vaccinated. If that were the case, I'll not cruise until those restrictions are completely lifted. Land vacations, here I come!

The idea of having to vacation on a cruise ship and be mandated to all the safety protocols is exactly what I want to avoid. There are cruise lines that have agreed to sail with 100% vaccinated crew and passengers, at least for the start up of the cruise industry. Those cruise lines have every right to request proof of vaccine to assure their passengers and crew they are providing a safe environment WITHOUT having to impose all those pesky safety precautions that would have to be implemented if there are un-vaccinated people on board. In fact, ALL cruise lines will be requiring proof of vaccination to all those who are eligible for the vaccine so there is that.

This has nothing to do with "rights" and "freedoms". Get past that. There have always been mandated vaccines for travel and for attending school in person, so requiring proof of vaccination is nothing new in our country. In fact, there are currently colleges that are mandating vaccine proof to attend in person learning as long as alternatives are offered to un-vaccinated students. No vaccination? The students can not attend in person learning. This is just the way things will be for a while until this pandemic is behind us.

Your rights to not have to show proof of vaccine are not hampered in any way. You will have limits however. No proof of vaccine, you don't cruise and that is with all the cruise lines at this point in time unless you have documentation that you are unable to be vaccinated due to medical issues. Even cruise lines that will assure 100% vaccinated passengers will not allow those who have medical issues for vaccination or religious objectors to vaccines. That will certainly change in the future but not until this pandemic is behind us and the protocols for cruising change.

[coffeebean]

If the 100% vaccinated cruises make you feel comfortable then you should absolutely go on them.

There are other lines that won't require the passengers to be vaccinated. I can not imagine Disney cruises, for example, having a 100% vaccination requirement.
Cruise lines that allow unvaccinated people on board (kids, people unable to take the vaccine due to medical issues or religious vaccine objectors) will still require proof of vaccination to all those eligible for the vaccine. That is just way things are at this point to get the cruise industry started again.

I don't know of any cruise line that will allow an unlimited amount of of un-vaccinated people on board. If there are, which lines are they?

[coffeebean]

O.k. that just shows how arbitrary some of these rules can be. Those cruises will be packed full of unvaccinated kids. Will they all be required to wear masks on the ship?

How much sense does it even make that a 17 1/2 year old teenager can go on the ship unvaccinated but his 18 year friend MUST be vaccinated? If someone under 18 gets sick with the virus will the cruise ship be placed on quarantine or do those rules only apply if someone 18 and over gets sick?

I'm glad that DeSantis isn't buying into that nonsense.

Any cruise ship that has less than 95% passengers and 98% crew on board, must adhere to all safety protocols issued by the CDC. That means ALL passengers on the ship will have to mask up, social distance and there will be capacity limits on board that specific ship. These are the protocols at this point in time. That will change but when those protocols will change is anybody's guess. In fact, protocols have been changing so rapidly with these cruise lines, it is difficult to keep up.

As for DeSantis.....he is going to have to make an exception to his law for cruise lines. They will not be able to safely sail unless they request proof of vaccination.

[coffeebean]

DeSantis has plainly said that no passengers are going to have to show proof of vaccination before they cruise from a Florida port. That is a 100%, across the board, fair decision that actually makes a lot of sense.

If you want to be safe from the virus either stay home or get yourself vaccinated. Otherwise you will be taking your chances which is also your choice to make.

DeSantis WILL make an exception for cruise lines. I don't have a crystal ball but a little birdie told me DeSantis is "coming around" and there will be cruise ships home ported in Florida and they most certainly will be requesting proof of vaccination to board their ships.

[coffeebean]

The Florida governor most certainly has a say as to what happens in Florida and that includes Florida ports. We'll see how the lawsuit goes.

My guess is the cruise lines will figure out how to work with Florida on this. I'm not seeing Mexico, for instance, demanding vaccination passports.

Why is a conservative governor imposing extremely un-conservative restrictions on businesses? I thought conservative views were LESS government control over business. DeSantis is doing a 180 on those conservative views. He is all for the rights of individuals. I get it but at the same time he is stomping on the rights of businesses to run their businesses as they see fit.

A cruise ship has the reputation of being a "floating petri dish". How can these cruise lines NOT require proof of vaccine in order to safely operate? DeSantis is tying their hands behind their backs for the good of his political posturing and pandering to his anti-vaxxer base. That is all it is and I'm sick of him. And.......to think, I voted for this moron.

Let's see how quickly this post is deleted....... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..............

[coffeebean]

DeSantis hasn't forbidden airlines from mandating vaccine passports. The airport itself is in Florida, not international territory. But he hasn't dictated to Qatar Airlines, or Delta, or United that it is not "allowed" to show proof of immunity for its international flights. Why has he singled out cruise ships? He needs to just change his mind and say "y'know what, after further reflection, I realize this was a bad move. I hereby rescind this previous rule."

In other words, he needs to demonstrate that he is a sentient human being.

All DeSantis needs to do is make an exception to his law for cruise lines. This business about declaring once on board a cruise ship is in International waters is a crock of huey and it makes him and his administration look very foolish. We all know International waters begin 12 miles off shore. That is why we pay Florida tax on alcoholic beverages until the ship is in International waters.

Unfortunately, for DeSantis, he has already said very publicly that he will not make an exception to his law for cruise lines. Why on earth not??? What is his problem? His law already makes exceptions for nursing homes and prisons and probably other venues that I'm not mentioning. Does he not realize that once a ship is in the middle of the ocean, people are not able to decide to vacate the premises at will just because an outbreak of Covid just happens to occur? People are, if you will, trapped on board and have no option but to remain on board. Those people have every right to be in a coveted safe environment as safely as can possibly be offered up to them........ just like those in nursing homes and prisons.

[coffeebean]

Unvaccinated people fly all the time. You don't need to show the airports a vaccination passport.

Sure enough BUT......all passengers must wear masks, even in between bites of food and sips of a drink. I do not want to have to do that on a cruise ship. It is as simple as that.

[coffeebean]

Interesting advice.

Those boarding international flights must satisfy the requirements of the destination since they will be leaving the plane. I could stay on the ship and never enter another country.

(The laws on entering territorial waters may come into play and might be the loophole needed to get to a resolution.)

There should be no reason to have a loophole. There should have been an exception for cruise lines from the get go. DeSantis blew it and he is paying the price now. If he loses all this revenue from the cruise lines for Florida, he will not be very popular with many people. That is a lot of jobs and a $9 Billion of lost revenue for Florida. Not a very good look, Governor.

[Bill14564]

Requiring proof of vaccination status has absolutely nothing to do with curiosity. Where in the world did you get that notion? Vaccination status of all those on board a cruise ship is a public health and safety issue to maintain as safe an environment as possible. I don't make those rules, the CDC and the cruise lines make the rules.

Let's face it.....a vaccinated person poses much less risk to those on board a cruise ship than an un-vaccinated person. If you plan to argue that fact, then we can go no further with this discussion.

You say that those on a cruise ship should "take appropriate precautions" regardless of your vaccine status. Are you suggesting that people should have to mask up, social distance and be denied entry to venues on the ship do to capacity limits?

.... (whole lot of stuff removed to save space, especially since this turned out to be long)



Do you trust those two vaccine shots that you took (and insist on advertising) or not? If you do then what risk does an unvaccinated person pose to you?

The last numbers I saw implied that the chance of a vaccinated person contracting covid was about 0.008% (1 out of 13,000). Remember, these were early numbers collected when less than 1/3 of the country had been vaccinated and new infections among unvaccinated people were still very high.

If a cruise ship is bursting at the seams it will still have fewer than 6,000 passengers. At one infection for 13,000 vaccinated people, this means fewer than one-half of a person would be infected. But most cruise passengers would be vaccinated - even a random sample of Americans would have over 60% vaccination rate - and this would lower the chances of encountering an unvaccinated person even more. So less than one-half of one person on a cruise might be expected to contract covid.

So do you trust the vaccine that you took to protect you or don't you? If you do trust it then the unvaccinated passengers pose no risk to you. Take the precautions (your two vaccine shots) to protect yourself then stay out of everyone else's business.

Curiosity. "I'm protected from Covid due to the two vaccine shots that I took but I still want to know whether *you* have been vaccinated because ____" You don't need to know in order to be protected, you need to know because of some other personal reason. I used "curiosity" for a catch-all.

As safe an environment as possible. Be very careful what you wish for. There may be many other things that have better than a 1 in 13,000 chance of affecting you that you wouldn't want to do without. I imagine lowering the speed limit to 50mph and strictly enforcing it would save many lives if we wanted to have as safe an environment as possible. Strictly limiting alcohol on your cruise would help make a safer environment. Avoiding ports in countries with civil unrest or which are known for crime or which have less than first-rate medical facilities would lead to a safer environment.

95% for passengers and 98% for staff. Is there any science behind these numbers or were they chosen because they feel good? If 80% - 90% is a good guess to reach herd immunity then why is 95% the minimum for a safe cruise?

Heck, your grocery store and restaurant don't have a 95% vaccination requirement, do you avoid them because they are not safe enough? There is no study that shows Covid transmission only occurs on cruise ships or on the 2nd day of sailing. There are no cruises today so any new infections (20,000 per day recently?) are occurring at places that you might regularly visit. Are you masking up or requiring proof of vaccinations or are you confident that you are protected by the two vaccine shots you took?

Bottom line is this: I believe the numbers coming out of the vaccine trials and I trust the numbers coming out of the real-world observations. Those who have been vaccinated are protected from the unclean around them. Over 60% of Americans have been vaccinated with that number growing every day so the chance of a vaccinated person meeting one of the unclean is small and decreasing every day. The vaccinated should feel good about themselves and go on with life and stop trying to force their will on others.

[Swoop]

Sure enough BUT......all passengers must wear masks, even in between bites of food and sips of a drink. I do not want to have to do that on a cruise ship. It is as simple as that.

At some point, the requirement of masks for air travel will be lifted & cruise lines will be open to everyone. Most stores have already rescinded their mask requirements. The idea that people who opted not to get vaccinated will be punished, will just slowly fade away...

[CFrance]

It is totally up to the captain who he lets on the ship. I truly think the federal government should weigh in on this just like they have mandated mask for the airports and airplanes.
So is it the captain's decision or is it the federal government's decision? The two seem contradictory.

[xcaligirl]

Hope that all passengers and crew have to be vaccinated so we can cruise without a mask while on the ship.

If we need mask do not think we will cruise.
I agree and we're prety "serious cruisers"....probably 40+ times

[Bonnevie]

"The vaccinated should feel good about themselves and go on with life and stop trying to force their will on others."

conversely, the unvaccinated people should accept the consequences of their decision and do the things that don't require a vaccination.

cruise ships were petrie dishes before Covid, so everything should be done for the safety of those who cruise. every unvaccinated person is a possible host for a resistant variant.

[Bonnevie]

I was on a 2 week S.America/Antarctica cruise when COVID hit. No vaccine, and extremely few on the ship got sick. Two weeks later was on a western Caribbean cruise .... nobody got sick, and we were the last cruise in when they shut the port down. No more ships in or out, but nobody was sick on the ship. It is just an over reaction by the CDC to adhere to the CYA policy.

when covid hit, it was Asia and Europe most affected. you just happened to be in parts of the world where it hadn't hit yet.

[CFrance]

"The vaccinated should feel good about themselves and go on with life and stop trying to force their will on others."

conversely, the unvaccinated people should accept the consequences of their decision and do the things that don't require a vaccination.

cruise ships were petrie dishes before Covid, so everything should be done for the safety of those who cruise. every unvaccinated person is a possible host for a resistant variant.
You make a good point about cruise ships being prone to illnesses even before Covid-19. Legionnaire's disease was one. I can see why they would want to limit the possibility of Covid spreading to even a few passengers and then be stranded offshore.


DeSantis shot himself in the foot trying to enforce that ban on the cruise ships. They called his bluff and simply said We'll go elsewhere. That would have been a large economical blow to Florida.

[coffeebean]

Do you trust those two vaccine shots that you took (and insist on advertising) or not? If you do then what risk does an unvaccinated person pose to you?

The last numbers I saw implied that the chance of a vaccinated person contracting covid was about 0.008% (1 out of 13,000). Remember, these were early numbers collected when less than 1/3 of the country had been vaccinated and new infections among unvaccinated people were still very high.

If a cruise ship is bursting at the seams it will still have fewer than 6,000 passengers. At one infection for 13,000 vaccinated people, this means fewer than one-half of a person would be infected. But most cruise passengers would be vaccinated - even a random sample of Americans would have over 60% vaccination rate - and this would lower the chances of encountering an unvaccinated person even more. So less than one-half of one person on a cruise might be expected to contract covid.

So do you trust the vaccine that you took to protect you or don't you? If you do trust it then the unvaccinated passengers pose no risk to you. Take the precautions (your two vaccine shots) to protect yourself then stay out of everyone else's business.

Curiosity. "I'm protected from Covid due to the two vaccine shots that I took but I still want to know whether *you* have been vaccinated because ____" You don't need to know in order to be protected, you need to know because of some other personal reason. I used "curiosity" for a catch-all.

As safe an environment as possible. Be very careful what you wish for. There may be many other things that have better than a 1 in 13,000 chance of affecting you that you wouldn't want to do without. I imagine lowering the speed limit to 50mph and strictly enforcing it would save many lives if we wanted to have as safe an environment as possible. Strictly limiting alcohol on your cruise would help make a safer environment. Avoiding ports in countries with civil unrest or which are known for crime or which have less than first-rate medical facilities would lead to a safer environment.

95% for passengers and 98% for staff. Is there any science behind these numbers or were they chosen because they feel good? If 80% - 90% is a good guess to reach herd immunity then why is 95% the minimum for a safe cruise?

Heck, your grocery store and restaurant don't have a 95% vaccination requirement, do you avoid them because they are not safe enough? There is no study that shows Covid transmission only occurs on cruise ships or on the 2nd day of sailing. There are no cruises today so any new infections (20,000 per day recently?) are occurring at places that you might regularly visit. Are you masking up or requiring proof of vaccinations or are you confident that you are protected by the two vaccine shots you took?

Bottom line is this: I believe the numbers coming out of the vaccine trials and I trust the numbers coming out of the real-world observations. Those who have been vaccinated are protected from the unclean around them. Over 60% of Americans have been vaccinated with that number growing every day so the chance of a vaccinated person meeting one of the unclean is small and decreasing every day. The vaccinated should feel good about themselves and go on with life and stop trying to force their will on others.
I most certainly trust the Moderna vaccine I received and, I might add, extremely proud to claim that I have been vaccinated. Wanting to cruise on a ship with 100% vccinated people on board has nothing to do with feeling unsafe. It has everything to do with what the protocols may be if there were an outbreak on a ship that has un-vaccinated people on it.

I trust there will no such problem with an outbreak large enough to negatively impact a cruise on a completely vaccinated ship. Allow un-vaccinated people on board and that is asking for trouble. Trouble I want no part of. Missing ports, having to quarantine, closing down venues on board the ship, and worst of all, turning the ship around and cutting short the cruise. These are very real possibilities and the reasons I do not want to cruise with un-vaccinated people, not that my safety is compromised.

[coffeebean]

At some point, the requirement of masks for air travel will be lifted & cruise lines will be open to everyone. Most stores have already rescinded their mask requirements. The idea that people who opted not to get vaccinated will be punished, will just slowly fade away...

I want nothing more than for this to occur, believe me. I trust that all these damn restrictions and protocols will be a thing of the past but only when we reach a herd immunity that will protect everyone.....vaccinated and those who have chosen not to be vaccinated. I do trust that day will come. When is a crap shoot. I have confidence, however, It will occur sooner if more people get themselves vaccinated.

[coffeebean]

"The vaccinated should feel good about themselves and go on with life and stop trying to force their will on others."

conversely, the unvaccinated people should accept the consequences of their decision and do the things that don't require a vaccination.

cruise ships were petrie dishes before Covid, so everything should be done for the safety of those who cruise. every unvaccinated person is a possible host for a resistant variant.

I wish I could like this post 1000 times. Thank you!

[2newyorkers]

I just read that the CDC has approved sailing from US ports beginning in June. For vaccinated travelers no masks and the freedom to choose your own shore excursions. These were 2 concerns I had before I started cruising again.

I hope to be able to cruise from a Florida port and can not understand why DeSantis can't just say that after reconsideration he realizes it would be economically advantageous to go along with the CDC and open Florida ports. There is nothing wrong with saying you were wrong. Hindsight is 20/20 vision. It makes you human and willing to compromise.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I just read that the CDC has approved sailing from US ports beginning in June. For vaccinated travelers no masks and the freedom to choose your own shore excursions. These were 2 concerns I had before I started cruising again.

I hope to be able to cruise from a Florida port and can not understand why DeSantis can't just say that after reconsideration he realizes it would be economically advantageous to go along with the CDC and open Florida ports. There is nothing wrong with saying you were wrong. Hindsight is 20/20 vision. It makes you human and willing to compromise.

That's exactly what I said a couple of pages back. What desantis did, is no different from if he told people at BlueFin that they are not ALLOWED to make their employees wash their hands, and are not ALLOWED to make sure that any pesticides or bait traps are kept away from the food.

The content is different, but the intention is the same. desantis is telling a company that they are not allowed to do whatever they think is necessary to provide a safe experience for their customers. Whether you (the generic you, not you personally) agree that it's safe or not, is not the point. The point is it's not your place to decide what someone else feels is safe for THEIR customers. Just like desantis can't tell your neighbor that he's not allowed to ask to see your vaccine card if you want to come over his house - he can't tell the cruise line that they're not allowed to see your vaccine card if you want to board their ship.

Cruise ships are not open to the public. You have to pay to board. You have to have their permission, and you have to comply with all kinds of rules and regulations in order to enjoy the privilege - not the right - to sail as a passenger on one of their ships. This is another regulation, and they have the right to make it. You have the right to not sail. The governor has the right to whine.

[Boilerman]

That's exactly what I said a couple of pages back. What desantis did, is no different from if he told people at BlueFin that they are not ALLOWED to make their employees wash their hands, and are not ALLOWED to make sure that any pesticides or bait traps are kept away from the food.

The content is different, but the intention is the same. desantis is telling a company that they are not allowed to do whatever they think is necessary to provide a safe experience for their customers. Whether you (the generic you, not you personally) agree that it's safe or not, is not the point. The point is it's not your place to decide what someone else feels is safe for THEIR customers. Just like desantis can't tell your neighbor that he's not allowed to ask to see your vaccine card if you want to come over his house - he can't tell the cruise line that they're not allowed to see your vaccine card if you want to board their ship.

Cruise ships are not open to the public. You have to pay to board. You have to have their permission, and you have to comply with all kinds of rules and regulations in order to enjoy the privilege - not the right - to sail as a passenger on one of their ships. This is another regulation, and they have the right to make it. You have the right to not sail. The governor has the right to whine.

Amen!!! :MOJE_whot:

[CFrance]

That's exactly what I said a couple of pages back. What desantis did, is no different from if he told people at BlueFin that they are not ALLOWED to make their employees wash their hands, and are not ALLOWED to make sure that any pesticides or bait traps are kept away from the food.

The content is different, but the intention is the same. desantis is telling a company that they are not allowed to do whatever they think is necessary to provide a safe experience for their customers. Whether you (the generic you, not you personally) agree that it's safe or not, is not the point. The point is it's not your place to decide what someone else feels is safe for THEIR customers. Just like desantis can't tell your neighbor that he's not allowed to ask to see your vaccine card if you want to come over his house - he can't tell the cruise line that they're not allowed to see your vaccine card if you want to board their ship.

Cruise ships are not open to the public. You have to pay to board. You have to have their permission, and you have to comply with all kinds of rules and regulations in order to enjoy the privilege - not the right - to sail as a passenger on one of their ships. This is another regulation, and they have the right to make it. You have the right to not sail. The governor has the right to whine.
And I don't think it ever would have stood up in court, but their saying Okay, we'll go elsewhere did the trick with no lawyers involved.

[billethkid]

The governor is is in a corner (of his choosing).

Now we wait for the exit strategy (or BS!).

[billethkid]

Oops....delete the dupe!

[Gulfcoast]

Sure enough BUT......all passengers must wear masks, even in between bites of food and sips of a drink. I do not want to have to do that on a cruise ship. It is as simple as that.

That mask between bites thing is rarely enforced on planes from what I've heard.

Airlines are going to wind up dropping the mask requirement altogether. And I do not see the airlines requiring passengers to be vaccinated.

People have had plenty of time to get the shot if that is what they wanted to do. Those that have gotten the shot are not at risk from Covid anymore, people who had the virus now have natural immunity so it really is time to move beyond all of the unnecessary precautions.

[Joe V.]

The governor is is in a corner (of his choosing).

Now we wait for the exit strategy (or BS!).

RCCL:

"Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to."

In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements andvaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

[ithos]

There seems to a tremendous amount of rage about our Governor's policy to prevent restricting the rights of citizens who choose not to take an experimental vaccine.

Just curious if those concerned are also infuriated that our nation was lied to by NIH about the true origin of the most deadly virus of our lifetime. And also tried to cover up that the NIH provided funds to the notorious lab and went along with the farce of a WHO investigation. And never held the Chinese Communists accountable for prohibiting domestic travel while encouraging its citizens to travel to earth's farthest reaches resulting in millions of deaths and a global economic disaster.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Evidence says coronavirus '''could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated''' in lab - ABC7 San Francisco (https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-origin-conspiracy-theory-fauci-dr-anthony/6152892/)

Dr. Fauci discuses potential origins of COVID-19 | 9news.com (https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/dr-fauci-not-convinced-coronavirus-origins/507-a2cb1347-1a88-420b-9b45-7dde970dec8f)
Dr. Fauci 'not convinced' coronavirus developed naturally

The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins | Vanity Fair (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins)

[ithos]

RCCL:

"Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to."

In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements andvaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

The testing is reasonable but the "other protocols" sounds dubious.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

There seems to a tremendous amount of rage about our Governor's policy to prevent restricting the rights of citizens who choose not to take an experimental vaccine.

Just curious if those concerned are also infuriated that our nation was lied to by NIH about the true origin of the most deadly virus of our lifetime. And also tried to cover up that the NIH provided funds to the notorious lab and went along with the farce of a WHO investigation. And never held the Chinese Communists accountable for prohibiting domestic travel while encouraging its citizens to travel to earth's farthest reaches resulting in millions of deaths and a global economic disaster.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Evidence says coronavirus '''could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated''' in lab - ABC7 San Francisco (https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-origin-conspiracy-theory-fauci-dr-anthony/6152892/)

Dr. Fauci discuses potential origins of COVID-19 | 9news.com (https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/dr-fauci-not-convinced-coronavirus-origins/507-a2cb1347-1a88-420b-9b45-7dde970dec8f)
Dr. Fauci 'not convinced' coronavirus developed naturally

The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins | Vanity Fair (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins)

No one is enraged about the governor not restricting the rights of people to choose not to vaccinate.

What people are angry about is the governor telling a private place of business that they aren't allowed to set their own safety policies for their own paying customers.

People don't have the "right" to go on a cruise ship. You don't have that right. You just don't. If a cruise line wants to ALLOW you to board its ship, it has the RIGHT to set restrictions if it wants to. As long as those restrictions don't violate your CIVIL rights, then they can make those restrictions.

They can't refuse to sell you a ticket because you're black, or white, or disabled, or a woman, or a man, or Muslim, or Jewish, or Christian, or Pagan. But they CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate. Being vaccinated is not listed as a protected class.

The governor doesn't care. That's what people are angry about.

[Joe V.]

The testing is reasonable but the "other protocols" sounds dubious.

RCCL is doing the right thing here. I am vaccinated and would declare so. Although I have some doubts on testing accuracy. What tests will they be using?

[kathyspear]

At this point in time I am not going to travel on a ship if proof of vax is not required.

I am vax'd and I am not worried about getting sick. I am worried that if a bunch of un-vax'd people are on the ship they might get sick, overwhelm the medical facilities, and cause the captain to decide to return to home port. I don't want to end up with another credit from the cruise line. I want to take a relaxing, stress-free vacation so I am currently researching options with cruise lines that require vaccination.

I am in agreement with the gov. on most things but not this.

kathy

[Pairadocs]

There are too many things to do on land; no cruises for us. Will not chance getting stuck on a boat if a bunch come down sick.

Could, that's for sure, I totally agree, but... then I also think, could happen in any hotel (Legionnaire's years ago killed many), could happen at any resort, could happen on any flight, could happen at any restaurant, could...... guess life's just a risky business hu / enjoy while we can. Love all kinds of travel but sure miss the kind of peace and relaxation of a long ocean voyage... don't crave the roller coasters and bumper cars.... LOL... but something so refreshing and relaxing about being out to sea we think... Go to school at Fayetteville campus ? Have son in law school there now ! Go Razorbacks :coolsmiley:

[Aloha1]

There seems to a tremendous amount of rage about our Governor's policy to prevent restricting the rights of citizens who choose not to take an experimental vaccine.

Just curious if those concerned are also infuriated that our nation was lied to by NIH about the true origin of the most deadly virus of our lifetime. And also tried to cover up that the NIH provided funds to the notorious lab and went along with the farce of a WHO investigation. And never held the Chinese Communists accountable for prohibiting domestic travel while encouraging its citizens to travel to earth's farthest reaches resulting in millions of deaths and a global economic disaster.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Evidence says coronavirus '''could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated''' in lab - ABC7 San Francisco (https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-origin-conspiracy-theory-fauci-dr-anthony/6152892/)

Dr. Fauci discuses potential origins of COVID-19 | 9news.com (https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/dr-fauci-not-convinced-coronavirus-origins/507-a2cb1347-1a88-420b-9b45-7dde970dec8f)
Dr. Fauci 'not convinced' coronavirus developed naturally

The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19’s Origins | Vanity Fair (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/the-lab-leak-theory-inside-the-fight-to-uncover-covid-19s-origins)

Interesting you quote Fauci when it has been revealed that he was culpable in the funding of the Wuhan Lab studies into gain of function of the bat virii. Fauci has lied to Congress and must be prosecuted for that.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Interesting you quote Fauci when it has been revealed that he was culpable in the funding of the Wuhan Lab studies into gain of function of the bat virii. Fauci has lied to Congress and must be prosecuted for that.

Here’s What We Know About the Fauci COVID Emails | Snopes.com (https://www.snopes.com/articles/346547/what-we-know-about-fauci-emails/)

and before you dismiss snopes as "fake news" remember they just debunked the rumor that a certain former president's pants were on backward during that person's recent rally in a nearby state. Snopes said that rumor was false, that the guy's pants were not on backward afterall, it was photoshopped and a doctored video.

Either they're fake news and that guy's pants WERE on backward, or they're not fake news and there was no "gain of function." (and do you even know what that means, without doing a google search first? I didn't. I had to look it up.)

[coffeebean]

RCCL:

"Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to."

In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements andvaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

Good luck to all those who choose to sail on a ship with an unlimited amount of un-vaccinated people. I won't be one of them. I'm not about to mask up and be mandated to distance from others and deal with limited capacities due to having un-vaccinated people on board a cruise ship. That is not the cruise vacation experience I'm willing to pay for.

I sincerely hope un-vaxxed ships can remain safe and healthy as I do not want to see the cruise industry suffer the repercussions if a ship comes limping in to home port with a Covid outbreak on board.

[coffeebean]

RCCL:

"Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to."

In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements andvaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.

“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

Very bad move on Royal's part, IMHO. I won't be on any of those ships having to mask up and follow the safety protocols just to have an unlimited amount of un-vaxxed people on board. I surely hope those unvaxxed ships remain safe and healthy as I do not want to see the cruise industry negatively impacted.

[coffeebean]

That mask between bites thing is rarely enforced on planes from what I've heard.

Airlines are going to wind up dropping the mask requirement altogether. And I do not see the airlines requiring passengers to be vaccinated.

People have had plenty of time to get the shot if that is what they wanted to do. Those that have gotten the shot are not at risk from Covid anymore, people who had the virus now have natural immunity so it really is time to move beyond all of the unnecessary precautions.
I will not travel for a vacation on an airplane while masking is still mandated. But, that is just me. I'll wait until that mandate is dropped.

[coffeebean]

No one is enraged about the governor not restricting the rights of people to choose not to vaccinate.

What people are angry about is the governor telling a private place of business that they aren't allowed to set their own safety policies for their own paying customers.

People don't have the "right" to go on a cruise ship. You don't have that right. You just don't. If a cruise line wants to ALLOW you to board its ship, it has the RIGHT to set restrictions if it wants to. As long as those restrictions don't violate your CIVIL rights, then they can make those restrictions.

They can't refuse to sell you a ticket because you're black, or white, or disabled, or a woman, or a man, or Muslim, or Jewish, or Christian, or Pagan. But they CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate. Being vaccinated is not listed as a protected class.

The governor doesn't care. That's what people are angry about.

This post is hereby LIKED a thousand times. Thank you, OBB.

[coffeebean]

At this point in time I am not going to travel on a ship if proof of vax is not required.

I am vax'd and I am not worried about getting sick. I am worried that if a bunch of un-vax'd people are on the ship they might get sick, overwhelm the medical facilities, and cause the captain to decide to return to home port. I don't want to end up with another credit from the cruise line. I want to take a relaxing, stress-free vacation so I am currently researching options with cruise lines that require vaccination.

I am in agreement with the gov. on most things but not this.

kathy

NCL and Celebrity are offering fully vaxxed cruises. I'm staying far far away from Royal at this time. Maybe in the future we will venture on a Royal ship but certainly not now.

[Bill14564]

No one is enraged about the governor not restricting the rights of people to choose not to vaccinate.

What people are angry about is the governor telling a private place of business that they aren't allowed to set their own safety policies for their own paying customers.

People don't have the "right" to go on a cruise ship. You don't have that right. You just don't. If a cruise line wants to ALLOW you to board its ship, it has the RIGHT to set restrictions if it wants to. As long as those restrictions don't violate your CIVIL rights, then they can make those restrictions.

They can't refuse to sell you a ticket because you're black, or white, or disabled, or a woman, or a man, or Muslim, or Jewish, or Christian, or Pagan. But they CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate. Being vaccinated is not listed as a protected class.

The governor doesn't care. That's what people are angry about.

Another way of looking at it is the governor *does* care and is attempting to prevent discrimination and segregation based on vaccination status.

They CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate because it currently is not illegal to discriminate in that way. They CAN set up vaccinated-only sections of stadiums because it is currently not illegal to segregate in that way. Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it should be done and doesn't make it right. The governor is saying that it is wrong and shouldn't be done.

[Gulfcoast]

No one is enraged about the governor not restricting the rights of people to choose not to vaccinate.

What people are angry about is the governor telling a private place of business that they aren't allowed to set their own safety policies for their own paying customers.

People don't have the "right" to go on a cruise ship. You don't have that right. You just don't. If a cruise line wants to ALLOW you to board its ship, it has the RIGHT to set restrictions if it wants to. As long as those restrictions don't violate your CIVIL rights, then they can make those restrictions.

They can't refuse to sell you a ticket because you're black, or white, or disabled, or a woman, or a man, or Muslim, or Jewish, or Christian, or Pagan. But they CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate. Being vaccinated is not listed as a protected class.

The governor doesn't care. That's what people are angry about.

You do understand that the cruise lines are only implementing the mask and vaccine mandates because they are trying to appease government officials in order to stay in business.

The cruise lines aren't happy about restricting their passengers, they are only doing it to protect themselves from unnecessary governmental overreach - long quarantines, being turned away from ports, etc.

It's like putting a gun to someone's head and then marveling how they are so willing to do everything that you say even if it is to their own detriment. DeSantis is not having it and he is standing up for the cruise industry.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Another way of looking at it is the governor *does* care and is attempting to prevent discrimination and segregation based on vaccination status.

They CAN refuse to sell you a ticket if you refuse to vaccinate because it currently is not illegal to discriminate in that way. They CAN set up vaccinated-only sections of stadiums because it is currently not illegal to segregate in that way. Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it should be done and doesn't make it right. The governor is saying that it is wrong and shouldn't be done.

The governor doesn't have the legal right or authority to mandate it. That is why he's being sued by NCL, it's why this is even an issue at all, it's why people are complaining about it. He cannot just say "this is discrimination and so it's illegal." Discrimination has an actual legal definition, it's outlined in the Civil Rights act, and "vaccinations" is not a protected class.

Now, if he wants, he can lobby Congress and/or the House and/or the President of the united states to make a change and add "vaccine status" to the list of protected classes. But he hasn't done that. And so he has no ground to stand on.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

You do understand that the cruise lines are only implementing the mask and vaccine mandates because they are trying to appease government officials in order to stay in business.

The cruise lines aren't happy about restricting their passengers, they are only doing it to protect themselves from unnecessary governmental overreach - long quarantines, being turned away from ports, etc.

It's like putting a gun to someone's head and then marveling how they are so willing to do everything that you say even if it is to their own detriment. DeSantis is not having it and he is standing up for the cruise industry.

It doesn't matter why they're doing it. What matters is they have the right to do it, and DeSantis does not have the authority to forbid it.

[Joe V.]

It doesn't matter why they're doing it. What matters is they have the right to do it, and DeSantis does not have the authority to forbid it.

Sure he does. It is well within his powers. RCCL agrees. Watch for more cruise lines following suit.

[Bill14564]

The governor doesn't have the legal right or authority to mandate it. That is why he's being sued by NCL, it's why this is even an issue at all, it's why people are complaining about it. He cannot just say "this is discrimination and so it's illegal." Discrimination has an actual legal definition, it's outlined in the Civil Rights act, and "vaccinations" is not a protected class.

Now, if he wants, he can lobby Congress and/or the House and/or the President of the united states to make a change and add "vaccine status" to the list of protected classes. But he hasn't done that. And so he has no ground to stand on.

Discrimination is discrimination, there is no "protected class" in the definition.

The Civil Rights Act created some protected classes and made discrimination against those protected classes illegal.

The State of Florida and the Governor of Florida has the right to make laws for Florida so long as they don't conflict with Federal laws (and in some cases, even if they do). If the State of Florida or the Governor wants to make a law that goes farther than the Federal Govt and says you can't discriminate against unvaccinated individuals either, they can do that. The States don't have to go to the Federal Government and say "mother may I."

Now, if the Federal Govt. or a business believes the State has overreached and created a law that is inconsistent with Federal law then the Federal Govt or the business can sue. That is why we have a Judiciary branch of Govt.

[Aloha1]

Here’s What We Know About the Fauci COVID Emails | Snopes.com (https://www.snopes.com/articles/346547/what-we-know-about-fauci-emails/)

and before you dismiss snopes as "fake news" remember they just debunked the rumor that a certain former president's pants were on backward during that person's recent rally in a nearby state. Snopes said that rumor was false, that the guy's pants were not on backward afterall, it was photoshopped and a doctored video.

Either they're fake news and that guy's pants WERE on backward, or they're not fake news and there was no "gain of function." (and do you even know what that means, without doing a google search first? I didn't. I had to look it up.)

I certainly did know what it meant and I didn't need google to help me. And pants have nothing to do with Fauci's complicity.

[kathyspear]

Christine Duffy (Pres. of Carnival Cruises) gave an interview the other day and indicated that they might be requiring vax after all. They are finding that they won't be able to offer their passengers the experience they desire if they have to follow CDC rules for ships with un-vax'd folks. Sounds good to me. They have an 8-night Southern Carib itinerary scheduled for the second half of September visiting the ABC Islands. I'd love to be on that ship!

k.