stan1162

In preparation for our safe return to cruising, Crystal’s expanded health and safety protocols – Crystal Clean+ 4.0 – now include a Covid-19 vaccine requirement for all guests across all brand experiences – Ocean, River, Yacht and Expedition. Your comfort and well-being remain our top priority and this new measure adds to the comprehensive program of precautionary steps that includes negative Covid-19 tests for both guests and crew, reduced capacity, social distancing, nimble mask requirements, health screening questionnaires and more. For your ease of reference, please see FAQs here, and visit the Health & Safety Hubon our website for details on protocols; all are updated as new science and information becomes available.

Joining SAGA, Victory and American Steamboat. Maybe because its Genting Hong Kong who owns Crystal it was "easier" than it will be for NCL or RCCL where they expect lots of exemption requests?, at least for now? Maybe they start by cruising international sailings at first, where they don't touch US ports? Where the exemption pushback is less? And this:

From Forbes magazine two days ago, they had this headline: “Here’s What May Push Cruise Lines To Mandate Passenger Vaccinations” with these highlights: “Most major cruise lines are planning to resume sailing at the end of April or soon thereafter. One of the most pressing questions is whether passengers will be required to be vaccinated. The industry’s reboot is possible under the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, which charters a pathway for cruise lines to resume sailing through adhering to a set of strict Covid-19 protocols, including a rigorous testing regimen. To date, only three small-ship cruise lines have announced that they will require passengers to be vaccinated for Covid-19 before setting sail. Many cruise enthusiasts appear to be on the same page. In a recent survey of nearly 3,000 Cruise Critic readers, a hefty majority believed vaccines will be important to the restart of cruising. More than eight in 10 (81%) respondents said they would cruise if a vaccine were mandated prior to setting sail. Only 5% said that a vaccine requirement would deter them from cruising, while the remaining 14% were unsure. So far, no major large-ship cruise line has said that it will mandate passengers to provide proof of vaccination, but that could change in the coming months.”

gretchendz

I think it is more about the smaller lines are starting it, especially in the luxury market. I suspect they will see great acceptance among their clientele. For example, I had clients booking Crystal who did not bat an eyelash at the new rule, other than to feel safer. I suspect it will be tougher for the bigger more mass market lines where the decision might reduce customer demand (looking at you Carnival!). Personally, it makes me feel safer about cruising again.

jmastron

I don't have a problem with a vaccine requirement, but they are even quieter about their refund obligations. They require a 60 day notice to change or cancel (and presumably that cancellation is to a "voucher") -- if they're really fantasizing about starting in May, you have until March, i.e. a week from now, to figure out if you *think* you might be able to get vaccinated by 14 days before departure. They carefully don't say what happens to your money if that doesn't occur due to vaccine availability.

Similarly, they're clear that people who can't get the vaccine for medical reasons, or because it's not authorized (under 18/16) won't be allowed to travel. Again, that's perfectly fine, but they owe refunds to those who will not be able to be boarded in the foreseeable future.

So yeah, definitely not the time to be giving cruise lines new money, and continues to be imperative to fight tooth and nail for real refunds for any old money stuck with them.

Often1

I doubt that this will be an issue. I fully anticipate that these requirements will spread to air carriers, many hotels & restaurants as well. Those not fully vaccinated may well find that travel in any form is quite tough.

The question really is not whether there are those who will not travel Carnival if it requires vaccination, but whether there are those who will only travel where a vaccine is required.

freecia

Or if initially a number of mainstay ports will only open to ships which have vaccine requirements who also validate paperwork/vaccine passport. Not totally unheard of for yellow fever.

stan1162

I too, think this will be much easier for the smaller lines to accomplish. Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal etc. Adding to the vax requirement, rapid testing, and and I think this will surely be a way forward. I would certainly cruise on a line with a 100% vax policy for pax and crew.

radonc1

Yet cruise lines continue to cancel and push back the date of resuming cruises.

Carnival Cruise Line Cancels All Cruises Until June 2021

hedoman

Received the Crystal email last week. Certainly would not label it a quiet announcement. What caught my eye is that they beat others to put it in writing. I doubt Crystal will survive this mess. Not a happy thought as they owe us a free week + a few hundred dollars.

And Carnival has cancelled the Alaska 2021 season, or at least their Seabourn division made the announcement this week.

stan1162

I believe ALL Alaska cruises for all lines have been canceled for 2021, because of the PVSA act? Talk is maybe Fall sometime they might revisit this to try to salvage a few sailings?

Randyk47

Kind of. What has happened is that Canada won’t allow the large cruise ships to start or stop in Canadian ports. That brings the PVSA into play as foreign flagged ships can’t cruise from a US port to another US port without stopping in this case in Canada. Supposedly the Canadian government has said they will review but it’s the when that’s the long pole in the tent. If Canada reverses itself in say April to May then I’d thing the cruise lines might get at least a few ships ready for a partial season. If Canada waits until late July to September it would made even a limited Alaskan season problematic. Not sure six to eight sailings per ship would make it worthwhile to move ships to the Pacific coast. Personally the announcements by many if not most of the cruise lines that they are going require staff and crew to be vaccinated married with the slow rollout of the vaccines in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines makes me think crews won’t be widely available until the Fall and too late for an Alaskan season.

hedoman

Seabourn had 19 cruises scheduled for the season. 19 scheduled for 2022. They put 2021 bookings into the same week as 2022. Except the season ending coastal cruise to Los Angeles in October has been moved to the season beginning cruise in May from LA. If you cancel, you receive face value towards another booking. All OBC on 2021 has been moved to 2022. All seven days except the 2022 coastal cruise to Vancouver is eight..

YVR Cockroach

A bit incorrect. To start and end a cruise between two U.S. ports, (e.g., Seattle to Seward), a distant foreign port has to be visited. In this case, it's either Russia or Mexico.
The Canada stop with Alaska cruises only applies for round trips beginning and ending at the same port. In this case, someone who misses the sailing from Seattle cannot board further on (except perhaps at Victoria or whatever the Canadian stop happens to be) w/o contravention of the PVSA.

Fall which year?

Badenoch

I fully support the Crystal policy and expect it will be introduced by other lines too. My expectation is that not only will passengers need proof of inoculation the entire crew will be vaccinated as well. The new policy makes for a safer cruise with the additional bonus of not having anti-vaxx imbeciles on the cruise. Win-win.

mahasamatman

Except those who forge their papers. That will have to be addressed at some point.

mahasamatman

Many of them haven't officially canceled because they are entertaining delusions that they could still happen. For example, "Celebrity Cruises has placed your cruise on hold. Currently, we are working to determine if it may be possible to operate your sailing without a call to a foreign port." Even if they can get Congress to waive PVSA (which won't happen), this would be impossible for our cruse since it's scheduled as a Vancouver round-trip...