Cabinet gives initial nod to letting passengers off cruise ships

By The Nation

 

 

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved in principle guidelines for foreigners to disembark cruise liners under the Special Tourist Visa programme, deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said.

 

The guidelines cover captains, crew and passengers from countries where the Covid-19 outbreak is low or medium based on the Public Health Ministry’s list.

 

The visitors will also have to agree to go into quarantine for at least 14 days, as well as have health coverage of US$100,000 for Covid-19 as well as local health and accident insurance. Proof of advance payment for the anchoring of the liner will also have to be provided.

 

Eligible tourists will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 90 days, after which they will be allowed to extend their stay twice, by 90 days each time.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30396933

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-10-28

 

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https://www.traveloffpath.com/cruise-lines-reopening-dates-of-sailings-and-what-you-need-to-know/

 

Looks like some Cruise ships might start operating in December but those sound like European cruises.

 

Here is a website which shows where there are cruise ships operating as of now.

https://www.cruisewatch.com/location-cruise-ships/

 

Appears that the majority are in port and docked.  Have not located one actually in transit from the list yet, but there are many cruise lines.

 

I must say that for those from this government who believe a cruise ship will dock and then have it's passengers quarantined for 14 days as well as having to have a health coverage of US$100,000 for Covid-19 as well as local health and accident insurance. Then add in proof of advance payment for the anchoring of the liner also having to be provided. Just is not going to happen in my view.  Then the cabinet will allow each Eligible tourists to stay in Thailand for 90 days, after which they will be allowed to extend their stay twice, by 90 days each time.  Does not sound like anybody who goes on a cruise would sign up for this nonsense, they normally stay in port one day for local excursions before they move on to the next port of call.

29 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The visitors will also have to agree to go into quarantine for at least 14 days, as well as have health coverage of US$100,000 for Covid-19 as well as local health and accident insurance. Proof of advance payment for the anchoring of the liner will also have to be provided.

????  Who needs Thailand that bad especially now?   

 

If the junta is serious about saving the Thai tourist industry, allow 90 visa like Malaysia and Vietnam, once normalcy comes along.  US$100,000 flu insurance?  Why not just beef up travel insurance?   The junta is better at creating problems than solving them. 

33 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The guidelines cover captains, crew and passengers from countries where the Covid-19 outbreak is low or medium based on the Public Health Ministry’s list.

Where they are from shouldn't matter a damn. If they have been at seas for 14 days and there have been no cases on board, they have effectively quarantined already.

I had thought they had realised from the serious lack of interest globally on this STV visa, that the hoops they expect folks to jump through were not acceptable, so mystified why they are bringing them forward again.

At some point a recognition needs to be made that having large numbers of tourists without seeing any Covid is like wanting to have your cake and eat it. It simply isn't possible.

45 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The visitors will also have to agree to go into quarantine for at least 14 days,

I thought the object of being on a cruise ship was to cruise around the ocean blue, spend a day in harbour and if possible overnight sail to the next port of call and repeat ad nauseum. 

 

I do not remember seeing any adverts for "Staycruises" where you have one night at sea, 14 days in a hotel!!!, 1 day sightseeing and off to the next quarantine cycle!!

Show me a brochure for this never in a lifetime opportunity and I will sign up immediately!! (like hell I will)

 

PS;  "ad nauseum"; I believe it is either Latin for seasickness or for the outpourings of the TAT.  I think both explanations equally apply!

 

More confusing nonsense!!  There are NO cruises.operating at the moment & they are unlikely to start before well into next year!!

This is just another case of talking without ANY meaning 

32 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

????  Who needs Thailand that bad especially now?   

 

If the junta is serious about saving the Thai tourist industry, allow 90 visa like Malaysia and Vietnam, once normalcy comes along.  US$100,000 flu insurance?  Why not just beef up travel insurance?   The junta is better at creating problems than solving them. 

Neither of those moves would directly benefit those "with influence", who are busy making sure that they are in on the ground floor (all floors actually) of the reborn tourist industry. That ïnfluence" has been invested in providing insurance cover and quarantine facilities. They will be expecting a return on that ïnfluence""; it may be that they are getting a little bit nervous?

 

They have of course, in traditional Thai business manner, failed to understand that their venal greed will ensure that the reborn tourist industry will be stillborn!

 

14 days quarantine and US$ 100,000 for a ""run ashore"? 

IMHO this really sounds like a test run of a new type of Visa application for a Visa upon arrival with everything paid for upfront and meeting all standards in $$$$$$$$$.

 

Ah yes, cruise ships. The great floating Covid petri dishes of the sea.

I thought stupidity from the unelected running the show here had reached the highest level possible ages ago, they just keep pushing it higher and higher

Zero, there will be zero people coming to the country this way.

Can't see many people wanting to go on a cruise after what happened on Diamond Princess cruise ship earlier this year. 567 out of 2,666 passengers were infected with CV19.... 

9 hours ago, Katipo said:

Ah yes, cruise ships. The great floating Covid petri dishes of the sea.

Ah yes floating petri dishes. Anyone  remember the Ruby Princess dropping a few folk off in Sydney at the beginning of the year? Spread cases across the world.

2 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

Ah yes floating petri dishes. Anyone  remember the Ruby Princess dropping a few folk off in Sydney at the beginning of the year? Spread cases across the world.

Yup ! And the cruise ships and cargo ships in WA. 

Making rules for non- existent entities.

As far as I know most cruise ships are at anchor off Florida, Caribbean Islands or the Med. Some are being parked on beaches in India to be scrapped.

Nobody in their right mind is lining up to board one right now.

 

 

Another day another stupid idea cruise ships have had higher rates of infection than cities with high levels of infection!

If they allowed Australians in on an economically viable 14 day quarantine/90 day visa, I would leave tomorrow. We have so few cases here even the quarantine should be waved but that's not going to happen in a hurry. Instead of taking reasonably safe steps to reintroduce tourism they come up with these grandiose schemes involving ridiculous tourist sources and expensive resorts, even proposing taking highly risky Scandinavians in November. I am sure there are much simpler and safer ways for Thailand to resurrect their tourist industry. The last thing cruise people will want to do is spend 90 days in Thailand.

Do they have any idea what a cruise-ship is?

"This is your captain speaking.

 

Would those passengers signed up for Bangkok please prepare to disembark.

 

Remember to take all your belongings with you.

 

Please also note we won't be returning in 90 days to pick you up.

 

Bon Voyage suckers!"

 

 

 

 

 

This is surely nothing more than a statement to falsely show that they are considering ways of encouraging tourism. They know that this will not attract one single visitor to Thailand and they're fooling no one.

 

 

Astronauts on the International Space station have been sent invitations for a STV. Government officials identified a clear gap in the market.

They did say it was with a 14 day quarantine.  Same if you came in via a plane.  Makes sense, but any cruise ship will do this.

It's just another part of the game they're playing. They have no intention of allowing mass foreign tourism to resume until a vaccine is widely available, but they're under huge pressure to help the tourism industry. So they keep on coming up with all these harebrained ideas like the STV and allowing passengers off cruise ships, but they're so impractical and useless to most travellers that they may as well not have bothered. And that, surely, is the whole point. Now the tourism industry boosters can't say that the government isn't doing anything to help them, while the vast majority of the population, who have no interest in foreign tourists but are scared silly by the virus, can be reassured that they're safe in the government's hands. Expect more of the same in the coming months. 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The visitors will also have to agree to go into quarantine for at least 14 days, as well as have health coverage of US$100,000 for Covid-19 as well as local health and accident insurance.

 

Does this government really live in cloud cuckoo land?

 

I hope they get the cruise port ready by that time, as there will be a queue to anchor.

 

Just read an article in the BP, where the government will now be also allowing foreigners to obtain an STV who have arrived with private yachts, as well as allowing their crews to come ashore, but they must also have the money, pay the fees and have the insurance as well after 14 days of quarantine.  Again a non-starter.

Who would go on a cruise ship now?

 

I wouldn't, even if they let me drive it.

 

 

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just read an article in the BP, where the government will now be also allowing foreigners to obtain an STV who have arrived with private yachts, as well as allowing their crews to come ashore, but they must also have the money, pay the fees and have the insurance as well after 14 days of quarantine.  Again a non-starter.

For some, this would work out great.  Lots of yachties visit Thailand.  For extended periods of time.

15 hours ago, fangless said:

I thought the object of being on a cruise ship was to cruise around the ocean blue, spend a day in harbour and if possible overnight sail to the next port of call and repeat ad nauseum. 

 

I do not remember seeing any adverts for "Staycruises" where you have one night at sea, 14 days in a hotel!!!, 1 day sightseeing and off to the next quarantine cycle!!

Show me a brochure for this never in a lifetime opportunity and I will sign up immediately!! (like hell I will)

 

PS;  "ad nauseum"; I believe it is either Latin for seasickness or for the outpourings of the TAT.  I think both explanations equally apply!

 

And captain and crew I don’t understand that at all, I’ve worked on ships they only go ashore for a few hours and only if their off shift

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The visitors will also have to agree to go into quarantine for at least 14 days, as well as have health coverage of US$100,000 for Covid-19 as well as local health and accident insurance. Proof of advance payment for the anchoring of the liner will also have to be provided.

 

Eligible tourists will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 90 days, after which they will be allowed to extend their stay twice, by 90 days each time.

How long does a cruise ship normally dock for?

I thought a cruise meant sailing to various destinations not holed up in one port.

Cruise ship full of Chinese there's an idea