[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by UseYourBrain

If you have been vaccinated, you should be safe. The bigger problem is having to wear masks all the time.

Not worried about safety on a ship just think that having to wear a mask will make it harder to do the things we love to do during a cruise.

We have one booked for this December but holding off on booking others until we have better info on what cruising will be like in the future.

[airstreamingypsy]

Warmer climates? You live in Florida.

[merrymini]

Not getting the vaccine so probably will not be ever to cruise in the near future. Cruising is okay but it does not give you enough time on shore to do things. Personally, I do not understand this fascination with being on a ship.

[alemorkam]

As soon as possible.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by FG111

Working hard for many years, saving your money and living a good life entitles one to retiring to warmer climates and beginning your cruise addiction. Until the pandemic, my wife and I usually cruised twice a year and we both really miss our cruises.

When do you guys think it will be safe to cruise again and what limitations will the cruise lines place in order to minimize the spread of COVID? I personally believe the CDC will not permit cruises to restart until August 1st and I personally don't plan on cruising until the beginning of the year 2022. Additionally I believe the cruise lines will mandate before boarding proof of vaccine, proof of a recent negative COVID test and the ships will only sail @ 50% capacity in order to minimize passenger contact. And worst of all, I believe the buffet as we have been accustomed to is a finished concept.

When —- freezes over.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy

Warmer climates? You live in Florida.

Yep, and it’s going to get hotter and muggier.

[Nana4x]

Originally Posted by kathyspear

As some of you may know, cruise lines have tired of waiting for the CDC to give them the guidance that was promised months ago to get them sailing from U.S. ports again. They are moving ships to international "home ports" and starting up round trip cruises in June. Crystal is doing 7-nights in the Bahamas R/T Nassau and Bimini, stopping at 4 or 5 islands that are normally only visited by private yachts. Royal Caribbean has a ship sailing R/T from Nassau, another sailing R/T from Bermuda, and a third home porting in Cyprus for trips to Greece and Israel. Celebrity is sailing R/T St. Martin. NCL is expected to make a similar announcement any day. Carnival is hopeful that cruising from U.S. ports will be allowed sometime this summer so they are holding off on home ports outside the U.S. for the time being.

So far, all sailings require pax to be fulling vaccinated. (Crew will also be vax'd.) Pre-trip covid tests will likely be required for most if not all cruises this summer but that is because they are required by the countries where the ships are docked or where they will visit. The mask issue is up in the air right now. Some folks are worried about not being allowed to go off and explore in ports on their own. They didn't want to be limited to ship excursions only. So far, it looks like that will not be an issue.

The cruise lines have done a lot to ensure that people don't get sick (or get others sick) on board. I'm vaccinated and I am not worried in the least about getting covid on a ship. My only concern -- the only reason I have not yet booked a cruise -- is that I ***REALLY*** don't want to do a covid test. The idea of having a 10" swab stuck up my nose does not appeal to me for some reason. But I really want to get back on a ship. I have a milestone birthday coming up in August and most years I book a 4 or 5 night "birthday cruise" to the Bahamas or Caribbean. (This is in addition to one of our bigger trips every year or 18 months to Europe or someplace.) So I keep thinking about that 10" swab ... We shall see.

kathy

That would be something I'd avoid. Are there not better tests that will be accepted that have come out since the awful first ones that looked like they went all the way to your brain (LOL)

We are booked with Oceania ... Caribbean Jan 2022, Europe August 2022 and Caribbean Jan 2023.

Have already made reservations for tours with private guides for Jan 2022. Waiting to see if Oceania (part of NCL) will require that we only tour with them.

O has stated that crew will be vaccinated. That is a huge chore as crew comes from all over the world. No word on passengers yet.

Having them serve me in the buffet is not a problem . Better than when the person in front of you takes a roll with their hands and puts is back.

[Boilerman]

We have a Jan 2022 cruise scheduled that we hope to still go on. We have our vaccinations and will go as long as vaxs are required for all and masks are not required. Wearing a mask all the time would ruin it.

[Hifred]

We were also booked on Azamara in November for Dubai to Singapore. We cancelled as we didn't think things would be cleared up in other countries so we are waiting until spring 2022 to finish our bucket list items. We had the Moderna vaccination but not sure of which variants are covered so we might need a covid booster vaccine by then.

[zendog3]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Never did any cruises. Just not a fan of food preparation for a multitude of people. Plus being out to sea, is just not a relaxing vaca for us

You should reexamine your ideas. There are good reason not to cruise, but the fook is not among them. Google Oceania cruises. Day after day of the best gourmet meals. I have never enjoyed food so much.

[kathyspear]

Originally Posted by Tmarkwald

By the way, they quit doing the swab about July or August of last year....

Can you elaborate please?

k.

[Tmarkwald]

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Can you elaborate please?

k.

We started getting tested end of summer and they no longer use the 'brain swab'. They used a nasal swab - 2 of them, one for results in 45 minutes, another to send off to the lab.

I've been about every other month since then. We all had Covid in January last year, and got tested positive for antibodies in April. But we still travel international, and get covid tests every time we go somewhere.

Now, we are vaccinated, but still get tested. LOL. even though it no longer matters.

[Tmarkwald]

I'm sure others saw this as well.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday that "our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus" or get sick.

"It's not just in the clinical trials, but it's also in real-world data," she added.

[miharris]

We are booked for June - not sure if that one will go off. Also booked a Med cruise for October, hopefully that one goes. With all of the safety protocol's, a cruise ship will likely be one of the safest places go vacation. Besides, we've had the virus so I'm not that worried.

[Tmarkwald]

Originally Posted by miharris

We are booked for June - not sure if that one will go off. Also booked a Med cruise for October, hopefully that one goes. With all of the safety protocol's, a cruise ship will likely be one of the safest places go vacation. Besides, we've had the virus so I'm not that worried.

Had the virus and been vaccinated, so we're covered. Our first one is September, with 13 more after than between October and April. As long as the ship is 100% vaccinated, we'll be good!