Dec 24, 2021 - JoCo Cruise 2022 Health and Safety Update
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2021 22:17
Subject: JoCo Cruise 2022 Health and Safety Update
From: JoCo Cruise
To: booked cruisers
Hi, friends. Yes, we know it's Christmas Eve (ho ho ho, etc.), but we thought this information was important enough to send to you now rather than wait until later.
Like you, we’ve been watching the news about the omicron COVID-19 variant, and trying to figure out where everything stands. We’d like to share what we currently know about COVID-19 as it relates to JoCo Cruise 2022, and our timeline for releasing additional information. It’s a mix of new info and things we’ve shared before.
Safety Protocols and Procedures
First, a few words about precautions and policies that are currently in place…
Onboard Testing and Vaccination Requirements
As we’ve noted previously, we’ve been happy with the health and safety precautions HAL has instituted for JoCo Cruise so far. The current state of these requirements is listed below (the most accurate and up-to-date word on HAL policies is always on their website ).
- Proof of vaccination is required. All passengers and crew must be fully vaccinated (14 days or more from final dose) and show proof before sailing. There are no exceptions to this policy: unvaccinated guests MAY NOT SAIL. If you have children in your booking who are too young to be fully vaccinated by the time of sailing, or other members who are medically unable to be vaccinated, please write to us at booking@jococruise.com .
- A negative, medically observed test is required within two days of sailing. All passengers must receive a medically observed PCR or antigen COVID test within the two days preceding embarkation (i.e., on Mar. 3rd or 4th), and present proof of their negative test results at the terminal. Guests who test positive for COVID-19 should not travel to the terminal and should Contact JoCo Cruise.
- A negative in-terminal antigen test will be required during check-in. On embarkation day, all guests will be administered an additional antigen test (at no cost to the guest) at the terminal before boarding JoCo Cruise. Guests who test positive for COVID-19 will not be allowed to embark. (Note: this additional precaution is specific to JoCo Cruise and is not listed on the Holland America website.)
New Onboard Safety Measures
Onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam, Holland America has instituted numerous precautionary measures , including the following:
- Increased cleaning frequencies
- Reduced guest contact with serving utensils and food in dining venues
- Ship’s crew are required to be vaccinated, masked in all public areas, and must test twice weekly
- Air filtration has been enhanced and upgraded
- Dedicated quarantine/isolation cabins (on separate ventilation) have been set aside in case any guests or crew need to be isolated
- Enhanced onboard COVID care has been instituted, including in-stateroom one-hour PCR testing, and test and trace protocols
Onboard Masking
The current HAL masking policy is as follows: “All guests regardless of age will be required to wear face masks at all times in elevators and in all indoor areas of the ship, except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms. This includes wearing face masks prior to being seated in all dining venues and Lido Market, while dancing in public lounges, and outdoors if in large gatherings and physical distancing cannot be maintained.”
We also strongly encourage all our passengers to maintain safe masking and social distancing protocols while in Fort Lauderdale pre-cruise, regardless of venue, local or state policies.
Boosters
While receiving a COVID-19 booster vaccination is not required by HAL to board, the current scientific consensus is that boosters are very effective against the omicron variant. The CDC , HAL and JoCo Cruise all strongly recommend that everyone receive a booster vaccination if eligible. The team at the Home Office are all fully boosted, and while we’re not supposed to discuss the new secret superpowers we’ve received, they’re pretty cool. Join us!
COVID-19 and Your Booking
We know you may have concerns about how the pandemic might affect your booking. Here are a few policies we’re able to announce to help ease some potential concerns…
Future Cruise Credit if you test positive for COVID-19 prior to JoCo Cruise 2022
If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result from either of the required COVID-19 tests (two days prior, or at the terminal), your Primary Contact will be entitled to Future Cruise Credit for JoCo Cruise 2023 (“23FCC”) for a portion or the full amount of your booking’s payment balance. See our FAQ item on this issue for complete details.
If you receive a positive, medically observed COVID-19 test result at another point in the 30 days prior to sailing, please contact us to discuss options for your booking, including 23FCC options. See our FAQ item on this issue for complete details.
Future Cruise Credit for international guests restricted from travel to or from JoCo Cruise 2022
Beginning on February 3rd (i.e., within 30 days of our sailing), if you are a non-US citizen/resident and an official, published travel restriction would prevent you from traveling to or from JoCo Cruise 2022, the Primary Contact of your booking will be entitled to receive 23FCC for a portion or the full amount of your booking’s payment balance. We will consider published policies that are either in effect or go into effect within the 30 days prior to JoCo Cruise (Feb 3 onward) and whose end dates extend indefinitely or into any part of March, 2022. Complete information can be found in our FAQ on this issue .
Pro-rata Future Cruise Credit if you test positive onboard during JoCo Cruise 2022
If you test positive onboard JoCo Cruise 2022, the ship’s medical staff will care for you, and may have you move to a more isolated stateroom, among other health and safety measures. The Primary Contact of your booking will be entitled to 23FCC for the cruise days spent in quarantine. For more info, see our FAQ item on this issue .
What We Still Don't Know Yet
All of the facts aren’t in yet about the omicron variant, and it’s impossible to know with any degree of certainty what advances or setbacks we may face in the coming weeks. There will be a lot more data soon enough about both the state of the pandemic and its impact on travel (and on cruising specifically). Obviously, the situation continues to evolve rapidly—for example, in just the past few days, new therapeutics have been authorized and show great promise as an important new treatment option in the ongoing fight.
More information coming Soon™
We’ll be emailing an update to all our guests on February 3rd (or before) with any updates to HAL or JoCo Cruise policies, along with a recap of the latest testing and vaccination requirements.
We also want to be able to address the issues our guests are facing: if you have specific questions or concerns about your booking as it relates to COVID-19, we encourage you to email us . But please understand that we may not be able to completely resolve some issues until closer to our sailing date.
Thank you, as always, for your continued awesomeness, and the happiest of Holiday Seasons to you all!
THO.
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