TriumphGuy

Bottom line, we're not cruising on any line that requires masks. With everyone, pax and crew, being vaccinated why the need for masks? Enough is enough, either the vaccines work, or they don't. We did our part. We wear our masks when required. We got vaccinated. Those that don't want to get vaccinated, stay home. It's time to move on with our lives.

1 minute ago, rucrazy said:

There will always be the jacka** that needs to feel superior (in their own little world)and refuse to do what is in the best interest of all...

Yep, just "living their life" with no regard or consideration for others. Sounds like my brother-in-law. He refuses to get vaccinated and his job is driving seniors and disabled people to their doctor's appointments. SMH

50 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

It amazes me that people get so upset if they don’t get to participate in a random survey!😁

Why does it need to be random? Send it to every HAL account holder. It's a marketing decision, not a controlled medical trial.

Not sure how per-person port charges work but I would think the loss of that revenue would be substantial. And could be possibly be more detrimental to the local economy in the long term than loss of revenue to restaurants, gift shops, etc?

Personally, I think HAL should send the survey to every person with a HAL account, whether they have a cruise booked or not. We HAD a cruise booked last year, cancelled because of Covid. That 2020 cruise was to be our first HAL cruise. We will not book another until HAL requires vaccination for all crew and passengers.
They need to know this. I'm sure we're not alone.

All CCL has to do is mandate vaccinated passengers and crew and the pressure on the CDC would increase to the point to where it can no longer be ignored. Bookings would skyrocket.

I don't get it, it's like the CDC and the cruise lines have some sort of hate-on going with each other. And I really don't understand CCL's refusal to mandate vaccinations for passage; it makes no sense!

2 hours ago, jeynon said:

Totally agree with this position not requiring an experimental vaccine in order to travel. The CDC will not confirm that it will keep anyone from becoming infected, or becoming a "spreader". Masks and social distancing are still prescribed for those who have been vaccinated.  If masks are in fact effective in preventing transmission, or becoming infected by the virus, and the PCR test is in fact accurate...why the concern and demand for everyone to be vaccinated? It is a false sense of security to believe over 3000 passengers on a cruise ship who have been fully vaccinated are no longer potential spreaders.  Already mRNA gene therapy providers are admitting "booster" shots will be needed, and the vaccines may not protect anyone from variants and mutations of the Corona Virus.  Health questionnaires have been deemed satisfactory, taking passengers word that they do not knowingly have contagious diseases that are far more contagious, and have significantly higher mortality rates!  Travel involves risk. Every individual needs to decide for themselves whether the benefits out weigh the risks.  I willing take my chances with the belief that I have a 99.7 percent chance of surviving Covid 19 without taking an experimental gene therapy drug. Just say NO to vaccine passports...hey, my body my choice, Right?

Are you ok with being quarantined on a ship for a month, ie., Diamond Princess, because someone refused to get vaccinated and caught the virus? Or refused entry into a foreign port?
No one wants to see that happen.

23 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Every poll and survey I have seen on the topic of vaccinations has been overwhelmingly in favor of cruise lines requiring them.

 

And many have been quite clear that they will NOT sail, at least for the immediate future, without such precautions.  

 

I think CCL will shoot itself in the foot if they do not go the vaccination route. There may be a loss of some families with children but I suspect many more would cancel should vaccinations NOT be required than the opposite.

 

True, and who wants to be quarantined on a ship a la Diamond Princess for weeks because some passenger or crew tested for or came down with Covid. That is my fear of everyone not being vaccinated.

Let's hope things are starting to improve!

https://www.marketwatch.com/articles/citi-starts-carnival-at-buy-ahead-of-cruise-restart-consider-the-london-shares-51617287750?mod=mw_latestnews

45 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

The cruise lines starting up with sailings out of the Caribbean have made vaccination mandatory.  Many lines have already announced vaccination is a required net like Viking and Crystal, etc.

We may be looking at a jump to Celebrity or other "vaccination required" line until CCL gets its act together. I do worry about the airlines though.
As a CCL stockholder I'm a bit disappointed CCL hasn't addressed this yet. I think it would go a long way to getting CDC approval if they and other US departure lines would adopt a "No Vacc, No Sail" policy.
Maybe I'm oversimplifying the issue but it doesn't seem like rocket surgery to me. 🙂

If the cruise lines and travel industry in general simply required everyone be vaccinated before traveling, this would less of an issue. I would feel quite comfortable on a cruise knowing all (staff and pax) were vaccinated.

Unfortunately it's beginning to look like the travel industry doesn't want to go this route. Expect more delays and financial pain...

5 hours ago, KirkNC said:

IMO masks will be required for a while, perhaps 1-2 years.  I anticipate that some will continue to wear masks well beyond that time frame when traveling.  I know I will never board a plane without one again.

I only fly when there is no alternative (like to/from a cruiseport I can't drive to), but yes, I will wear a mask when flying. I ALWAYS catch something after flying, usually a nasty cold.
It won't be easy on a long flight, but it is what it is.

If masks are required even if vaccinated, we will give up cruising. Sorry, but we won't do it. We're fine with mask wearing as a temporary, necessary requirement but if it becomes "the new normal", count us out. The same goes if it applies to shopping, concerts, etc. I'm ok with a mask for an hour or so while shopping, after that I start having breathing issues.
No way we can see doing this on a cruise ship for 2-3 weeks.
 

Princess removing the one upholstered chair from their standard balcony cabins and below proved to be a deal-breaker for us and is the main reason we booked with HAL (although our first HAL cruise was cancelled due to the Scourge). While neither of us is disabled, we do like to spend time in our room and eating breakfast in bed or watching TV from a desk chair is not what we considered comfortable. I also don't believe we should have to "request" a chair from our steward.
Apart from that, Princess was fine although really heavy on jewelry and shop promotions.

On 12/1/2020 at 1:29 PM, Sir PMP said:

So, what changes can we expect?

Probably removing chairs from standard balcony cabins (not balcony furniture) and below, which is what Princess has done under her watch.
It's why we refuse to sail Princess any longer. Not sure I see this as a good thing.

CCL stock up $5.21 at 8:47 CST. Wow.

8 hours ago, daisybertie said:

We were meant to be on a June 2020 Alaska cruise. When it was cancelled we opted for a FCC. We received the taxes back in September. Three weeks ago we decided that we would not be able to even consider a cruise until 2022, as it doesn’t look as though we will even be allowed to travel abroad in 2021. I rang Holland America in Sydney and the lady was extremely helpful, said she would change our FCC to a refund, but it might take up to 90 days. Today, three weeks later our travel agent rang to say the money had been returned and she was transferring it to our account immediately. Thank you Holland America for such a quick response. We will certainly be booking again when it is possible. Unfortunately the Maasdam has been sold, she was our favourite ship, but I’m sure we can find another lovely Holland America ship. In the meantime, the refund will be used to fund a new fence at the bottom of our garden! 
Stay safe everyone.

Yes, we had a bucket list cruise planned for last April, a transatlantic to Amsterdam. We were planning on spending an additional week in Normandy and Paris. I had it all planned, everything was paid, hotels, cruise, airfare, airBNB, Thalys train, car rental, it all had to be cancelled.
As it turned out, the only money we were out was the Thalys train, they refused to refund fully, they kept 50% of our fares, about $90. Not much I can do about it as it's a European concern.
We even got a full refund on our travel insurance premium.
So we spent our cruise money on some much needed landscaping here at home. We're hopeful that we will be able to cruise again in 2022.

Thank you, Holland America!
Today I logged in to our credit card account and discovered a credit for $3141.00 from HAL. This represents the FCC portion for which we had requested a refund on our cancelled April transatlantic. We had cancelled back in March, accepting a 50% cash refund and a 50% FCC.
In August, it became apparent we were not going to be cruising anytime soon, so we contacted HAL and requested a refund of the FCC. It took a few months but they refunded the entire credit. 
It makes me feel much better about HAL as a company. They did not have to refund the FCC per the agreement, but they honored our request.
When things return to some degree of "normal" we will book with HAL again to cruise.

Some more information:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/largest-cruise-line-operator-carnival-confirms-ransomware-data-theft/

We cancelled our April transatlantic on March 7, accepting a 50% refund and 50% FCC. About two months ago it became apparent that sailing a normal cruise before the end of 2021 is not likely to happen in a manner that is acceptable to us. Wearing masks and social distancing on a cruise ship is not what we signed up for when we booked and paid for this cruise in 2019. I don't see the situation normalizing until 2022 at the earliest. Therefore we have requested a full refund of the remaining 50% FCC. We were told the request has been forwarded but it could be another 60-90 days before we see it. No way to check on the status, no commitment that we will receive it, no written confirmation, just an oral statement that they have been notified of the request.

Not holding my breath...

We're doing some 5 day weekday RV trips this summer and hope to do a couple of long trips this fall if the virus doesn't cause everything to shut down again. Couple camping is the ultimate in social distancing! Just me and my wife.

We would love to cruise again. But face masks? Really? I'm fine with wearing them to shop at the grocery or any store, but it's not fun. When shopping we go in, get what we need off our list and we're out. No way would we spend our hard earned money on a cruise if we have to wear a mask. Just not worth it. And we won't chance it until there is a vaccine or the virus goes away. 
One change I'd love to see across the cruising spectrum is HAL's model of serving at the buffet. Why this hasn't been implemented on other lines I'll never know. I think that change is a no-brainer.

Our experience was identical to Kazu's. Same dates, but different ships/itineraries. We received the credit card portion refund (50%) to our cards exactly 90 days after we cancelled. Still waiting for the FCC. I was told by our TA it would be a long wait before the FCC shows up. We're not booking another cruise until we see it. In all likelihood nobody's going anywhere this year anyway. I think it's doubtful even next Spring. We'll see...

"Never let a good crisis go to waste". Cruise lines might be looking at this as an opportunity to divest themselves of older, less efficient assets, rather than out of desperation. I'm not an accountant but there may be financial incentives to do this now rather than later?
 

39 minutes ago, Cruise NH said:

 

We are also not that concerned for ourselves but WE always wear masks.  You don't wear masks to protect yourself, you wear them to protect others.  

 

Anyone, even without symptoms, can be spreading it.  I would not want to be the one that gives it to someone else.

Rather than cruising this year we have been using our RV more. We live in the suburban Chicago area and everyone is wearing masks at the stores. However, a recent 5 day camping trip to Southern Illinois illustrated a distinct cultural disparity between urban and rural areas. At the Walmart in Benton, Illinois, while there were signs requiring masks for both customers and employees, very few were actually using them. Walmart was not enforcing the directive. While most employees were wearing masks, about half were not using them correctly (covering only the mouth) and only about 40% of the customers were wearing masks at all. Those that did were mostly elderly or disabled, although we saw plenty without.
So the message that wearing masks helps protect others is not getting out to rural America. And Illinois is one of the states that has been most proactive in fighting the virus.
I don't see us cruising before the latter part of 2021 at the earliest.