COVID-19

For many years Sir Winston Luxury Yacht Charters has offered you the opportunity to make unforgettable memories aboard their yachts.  We look forward to continuing this tradition with the Grand Princess, formerly known as The Grand Floridian.  We are thrilled to charter again and look forward to welcoming our guests back on board. 

The Grand Princess is committed to your safety.  The safety you, your guests and staff will always be our primary concern.  Now, more than ever, to managing the BEST safety practices.  We will continue to monitor and update our safety measures to act in accordance with guidelines as outlined by the CDC, Federal, State and local health authorities.   We’ve implemented the following procedures and protocols:

Boat Capacity
Until further updates, the yacht will operate at 50% of the Coast Guard Certified Capacity.

Temperature Check
We have Implemented employee health screenings prior to starting their shift including temperature checks.  

 All employees will receive comprehensive training on COVID-19 Safety & Sanitation protocols and compliance procedures regulated by management.

Signage is prominently displayed throughout establishment to promote proper Hand Washing, Social Distancing, Wearing Masks as well as educate all on the serious threat, symptoms and necessary precaution measures required to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Hand Sanitizer
All guests will be required to use hand sanitizer at boarding. Additional Sanitizing stations will be available on all floors. 

Face Masks
All crew are required to wear face masks throughout the entire cruise. Masks must be worn during the boarding process. All guests will be required to wear facemasks when not eating or drinking. 

We thank you for your cooperation as we are all in this together

Gloves
All Crew are required to wear gloves throughout charter

Dining rooms will be arranged with additional spacing and fewer guests at each table. All serving pieces, glassware, flatware and china to be cleaned and sanitized according to Florida Dept. of Health guidelines. 

All food will be served by crew/servers. 
Guests will not be allowed to handle serving utensils. 
Our bread and salads will be served tableside.
All yachts will be sanitized/cleaned before, during and after each cruise with an emphasis on cleaning high touch points during the Cruise.

Reduced seating in the dining rooms and outdoor decks to encourage physical distancing.

Thank you for supporting us during these uncertain times.  We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding. 

We  look forward to setting sail with you soon!
Management Sir Winston ~ Grand Princess

CDC issues mask mandate for passenger vessels

As of Feb. 2, passenger vessel operators must require that its passengers and crew wear face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus and must exert best efforts to obtain compliance.

The mandate was contained in a Jan. 29 order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) entitled “Requirements for Persons to Wear Masks While on Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs.”

The CDC order applies to all types of transportation conveyances, including commercial air carriers, trains, buses, mass transit, and vessels. The definition of the term “vessel” includes “any passenger-carrying … vessel …” Therefore, the CDC order applies to Subchapter H, K, and T vessels, regardless of their type of service (ferry, sightseeing, dinner cruise, overnight cruise, etc.), that operate on international, interstate, and intrastate waterways subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, the Passenger Vessel Association said in a Member Alert released today.

The order’s requirements include:

  • Persons must wear masks over the mouth and nose when traveling on conveyances, including passenger vessels. Persons must also wear masks at transportation hubs (for example, vessel terminals, PVA said).
  • A conveyance operator, including a passenger vessel operator, transporting persons into and within the U.S must require all persons onboard to wear masks for the duration of travel.
  • Conveyance operators, including a passenger vessel operator, must use best efforts to ensure that any person onboard wears a mask when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel. The order gives examples of what “best efforts” entail, including:
  • Boarding only those passengers wearing face masks.
  • Instructing passengers that federal law requires the wearing of face masks while on the vessel and that refusing to do so constitutes a violation of federal law.
  • Monitoring face mask usage of passengers on board and seeking compliance from those not wearing a mask.
  • At the earliest opportunity, disembarking a person who fails to comply.
  • Providing prominent and adequate notice of the face mask requirement; this may include advance notice by means of apps, websites, and email; posted signs; and notice on printed tickets.

Under certain circumstances, the order excuses a person for complying with the mask-wearing requirements. These include:

  • While eating, drinking, or taking medication, for brief periods;
  • While communicating with a person who is hearing-impaired, when the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.

The order also specifies certain categories of persons are exempt from the mask-wearing requirement, including:

  • A child under the age of two, and
  • A person with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safety wear a mask, because of the disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The CDC said in the order that “masks help prevent persons who have Covid-19, including those that are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, from spreading the virus to others. Masks are primarily intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets, i.e., they act as source control blocking exhaled virus. This is especially relevant for asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic wearers who feel well and may be unaware of their infectiousness to others and who are estimated to account for over 50% of transmissions. Masks also provide personal protection for the wearer by reducing inhalation of these droplets, i.e., they reduce wearers’ exposure through filtration.

The CDC reserves the right to enforce the policy by means of criminal penalties, but states that it hopes that voluntary compliance will be sufficiently widespread to make such enforcement unnecessary.

In addition, the Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 02-21 “COVID-19 Safety Requirements in the Maritime Transportation System” on Feb. 1 related to the requirement of all persons traveling on all commercial vessels to wear a mask.

The PVA submitted to the Coast Guard observations about the challenges involved with a mask mandate, including those that will be faced by operators of dinner cruises.