Captain Billy Bob

2 minutes ago, Hutcha said:

There are, but it comes at a premium that a very large percentage of the market will not pay. Do you think people that complain about an added $2-300 for a week will pay $2-3000 more for a cruise?

 

I understand your point about the all inclusive resorts. Difference is, people actively seek out all inclusive resorts. Also, you're not held captive on a resort, and you're free to spend money on the local economy. It's in the resorts interest to shift to all inclusive. The average RCI cruiser will not pay the premium to make it all inclusive.

Where did you come up with the $2-3000 number?

Your second point makes no sense to me. People actively seek out cruising, ships stop at ports and passengers spend money on the local economy, you are not captive at a land based resort.

If it is in a land based resorts best interest to be all inclusive why wouldn't it be in the cruise lines interest to be all inclusive.

The reason resorts went to all inclusive was to provide a hassle free experience for their customers.  It's huge selling point for that industry.

8 minutes ago, Hutcha said:

 

The all inclusive resort chain we go to is expanding all of their existing properties where possible and expanding to more islands throughout the Caribbean so their plan is obviously working. Other land based resorts in the Caribbean are also moving to all inclusive so they must be doing something consumers like.

I could be mistaken but I think there are cruise lines that are all inclusive.

10 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

These same tipping debates happen with All-Inclusives. Some people who like to virtue signal, still think you should tip at an All-Inclusive Resort that markets and advertises as being All-Inclusive including the Tips. What happens is that the same people claiming moral superiority on this thread or any Tipping thread, still tip at All-Inclusives creating more issues among the staff and guests. 

 

11 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

These same tipping debates happen with All-Inclusives. Some people who like to virtue signal, still think you should tip at an All-Inclusive Resort that markets and advertises as being All-Inclusive including the Tips. What happens is that the same people claiming moral superiority on this thread or any Tipping thread, still tip at All-Inclusives creating more issues among the staff and guests. 

 

People are going to do what they are going to do. We found the all inclusive experience much more relaxing and enjoyable. No need to carry around extra cash and worry about what the right amount to tip is. Like I said it's an outdated model that they should revise.

Just my opinion.

Carry on.

All inclusive with no tipping would resolve some of these problems. We vacation at all inclusive resorts and the no tipping policy makes for a much more relaxing vacation. The whole gratuities as part of the employee compensation package is outdated. So is the drink and dining package.

Received this morning from RC:

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, the LNG required may limit her home port choices. 

Why do you think that? Ships don't have to be refueled at their home port they can be refueled where the LNG barge is. No?

32 minutes ago, mek said:

LOL - I simply don't plan on cruising at all until this mess settles down.  People act as if there are no other vacation options available.

Yup

All Inclusive resorts a good alternative to cruising. No more cruises for us until they get this mess straightened out. I just hope we get our money back if we cancel because of their protocols.

This is ridiculous. Make final payment, have cruise canceled, wait for refund. 

No more cruising for us until they get straight or the CSO is canceled.

There are other options that are less stressful.

No cruises from Cape Liberty in August.

Thanks. I read the article but it doesn't say they have reached an agreement. Wouldn't RCG have made an official announcement if there was an agreement.

11 hours ago, mbottoms66 said:

Test cruises do not have to go out of their home port.  The cruise line just needs to have a port agreement with the home port.

Do the cruise lines have such an agreement with Cape Liberty?

7 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Ask him personally if you win his Dinner with the Gov and Tammy Lottery vaccine incentive! 😉🥴🤣

Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen.

I can think of lots more compelling reasons to get the vaccine than having Dinner with gov horse face. 🤮

If Murphy has anything to say about cruising it's going to be a long wait for cruising to restart from Cape Liberty.

21 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

 

 

Aaargh!!  Not more rain!!!!!🤪

Thursday

Cloudy and more humid with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm; breezy in the afternoon high in the mid 70s

Hot next week with highs in the 90s

NJ has the highest death rate per hundred thousand from covid,  293 per hundred thousand

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/

If this is how cruising is going to be I think we are done with cruising.

We just returned from a seven night all inclusive Caribbean vacation that had none of the ridiculous CDC guidelines.  It was so enjoyable that we booked  another stay at the same resort. We have four cruises booked and if/when they are canceled we will continue to vacation in the Caribbean but not on a cruise ship. At least not until cruising returns to something resembling normal.

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Each company sets their own action plan, much as the CDC has required for cruise ships.  Yes, we practice quarantine when new crew arrive, we limit interaction with shore personnel, and use masks and distancing when interaction is required.

 

Yes, freight is still moving, in the US, mariners are classified as essential workers, so we don't have any travel restrictions.  But, in much of the world, ports are not allowing crew changes, so there are over 300,000 crew who have become stuck on their ships, and about another 300,000 who cannot get back to their ship.

 

Naturally, getting data from an international industry is difficult, but there have been no reported large number of cases among merchant ship crews.  Our company has had two cases, I believe, here in the US, on vessels that turn their crew over fairly often (about 4-6 weeks), none have been hospitalized and none died, out of a total of about 400 active crew and 400 on vacation.  There have been no reported instances where a ship was stopped due to a majority of crew becoming infected, but there may be isolated instances, particularly around crew change times.  Once we are onboard, we are in our "bubble" and remain there for a few months, so we are actually very protected.

 

I don't know how the Navy is doing, they have their own challenges given the crew size and accommodations, and their mission parameters, but they of course had the major outbreak on the aircraft carrier.

Thanks for your reply. Ships at sea would seem to me to be the perfect environment to examine the spread and effects of long term close contact. A petri dish at sea. 

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

And yet, their own Healthy Sail panel recommends the same thing.

How is the shipping industry handling Covid?

Are there special precautions for sailors?

I assume freight is still moving so they must be doing something to protect the crew.

It would be informative to see the numbers infected, hospitalized, treated, recovered in that close of an environment.

How is the navy doing with the covid?

13 hours ago, jptoz said:

That's a good point. Right now NJ requires 34 states to quarantine on arrival

Passengers have been passing through EWR daily for months. Is there any difference between  passing through an airline terminal and a cruise terminal? Just curious.

On 7/30/2020 at 12:16 PM, Milwaukee Eight said:

But isn’t this comparison similar to those that say D+ or Pinnacle’s only book insides?  That’s equally as bad. It’s just not true. 
 

Actually, I believe it’s very possible that many book a suite after traveling in other cabins and once they do, will not go back. That was our situation. We typically booked balconies until we were on Majesty OV. The cabin steward gave us a tour of a GS onboard and from then on, we were hooked. 
 

M8

We were upgraded to a GS on one of our Explorer cruises , after that there was no going back to an inside stateroom. 🙂

Cheers!

🍸

20 hours ago, Tim and Shauna said:

My husband and I were mistreated in the CL lounge by a group of D+ and Pinnacles. We purchased a suite and were told by a couple members of this group that we should go to the DL. We gave no indication of our level. It is interactions like this that place bias on levels and stateroom categories. 

We had a similar experience

The day the cruise line industry starts adopting the same invasive, inconvenient  procedures as the airlines is the day we stop cruising. At that point you might as well hop on a plane and fly to your destination.

No thanks.

2 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

There is absolutely no way social distancing can be achieved on a large cruise ship. 

Or an airplane or a train or a bus or a subway............

42 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

You think that is more stressful than trying to find a lounger by the pool on a sunny Caribbean day at sea?😏😉😄

😁

Cheers! 🍸

I have a class A commercial drivers license. I'm also over 70. Every two years I am required to have a physical to confirm that I am physically fit to drive an eighty thousand pound vehicle yet the government says I need a doctors note to take a cruise because cruising is way more stressful than maneuvering an eighty thousand pound vehicle through NJ rush hour traffic.🙄