Agree - maybe after sailing for a while they will make some small changes, but since they are sailing with passengers who cannot be vaccinated, I feel they will continue to err on the side of caution.
Because their lawyers and PR folks are going to tell them that it's a really really really bad idea to sail in a way that is contrary to CDC guidance right now, even if it's a non-binding recommendation.
They are all government lawyers who are getting paid anyway.
Meh. They have a job to do just like everyone else. I'm not a lawyer but that seems like a bit of a cheap shot. It's easy to hate on lawyers until you yourself need one.
I think that's unlikely. Once they've put their procedures into real world practice on one ship, it seems unlikely they'd need to test those same procedures on another ship in a Covid test format. I could definitely see a practice cruise to help the crew get ready, but that's a bit different from a test cruise where they're evaluating Covid spread, etc. They'll already know what's going on, Covid-wise, using data from real cruises & real passengers on their actual sailings. Further test cruises would be superfluous.
I believe it is now "guidelines" in FL, however not a single line had yet posted that they intend to do something outside the CSO recommendations.
I doubt they'd make a big announcement about going against CDC guidelines as they know that would alienate a subset of cruisers. The ones who do some things differently will probably just quietly do those practices differently without trying to draw attention to it. As cruising gets further underway, I'm sure most lines will gradually stray further & further from the guidelines.
And you know that, how?
There is more incentive for cruise lines to keep in line with the CSO. Recently posted on the Royal blog:
The CDC's order goes way beyond mask-wearing.
Basically they're saying that if cruise lines opt not to abide by the CSO then cruise passengers must wear masks at all times while on the ship, including outdoors and in their own staterooms.
There are a lot of other parts of the order, though, including test cruises, passenger Covid testing, etc.
Yes. The point, however, is that complying with the CSO waives the other masking requirements (such as the requirement to wear a mask outdoors) and theoretically makes for a better cruising experience, which is at least one reason why Royal Caribbean is choosing to comply with the CSO even though it is not binding.
The cruise industry isn't a monolith. Different lines have different ways they want to do things. What works for NCL does not work for Disney because of Disney's clientele, for example.
