Proceed with Caution

Good morning from rural North Yorkshire,

Newbie cruiser here - still looking forward to my first cruise - its still scheduled for July 2020- but wont tempt fate!!!

I like many on this forum seem to be blessed with a gorgeous visual landscape at home- i look out onto the Yorkshire Wolds - not a National Park like its big brother locations - the Moors- (Hearbeat & Hogwarts) or Dales ( James Herriot & DCI Banks etc.). David Hockney discovered us a few years ago but his following was not mainstream daytrippers so the hordes never really descended and as a location we live in relative obscurity.

Fortunately for us - as so many it seems on this thread- you could could convince yourself that its business as usual until you travel to the towns and seems to be the same all for all contributes to this post. 

I smiled at the the ' what no Tonic' comment earlier in the thread as i walked a 10 mile round trip (LDW is my thing) to the local supermarket to allow me to count it as exercise- as i was conscripted to get more Tonic asap so with rucksack on my back i tramped over the hills on a glorious day and bought fresh fruit also to hide the none essential other purchase and dropped some off it for my frail and feisty mum who now lives in the town- the fruit that is, not the tonic. I would't mind but i like others am a whiskey drinker .

I played our first online quiz  with 3 teams on Monday (via Zoom) and last night took our Bridge rubbers on-line also.

Great to hear from those of you on the USA West and New England Coastlines, spent many happy months there in the 80's and its nice to hear mention of these places again.
 

Good bye for now and keep positive, as lots of negativity seems to be steadily creeping in.

Thankyou to all who replied to my initial 'ramblings'.

I think i am going to 'hold out for a few more days in the hope that the British side of Cunards operations halves their balance due payments to reflect the American approach - which seems to have gone from 120-60 days.  

posted 35 mins ago on Celebrity's twitter account- do we think Cunard will follow suit ?

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/travel-alert/voluntary-suspension-of-cruising

I am new to this forum and cruising, so please be gentle with my long missive, but i seem to share a number of issues that are being reflected, namely;

1. I have tried to engage with Cunard direct as has my travel agency - i have had no joy and she was( my TA) given the verbal response referred to yesterday by someone on this thread that there will be no changes to the British  90 day balance policy

2. I have to pay may balance by the end of this month or risk losing my deposit for a beginning July 2020 trip.

3. I cannot really 'afford' to lose the deposit so am encouraged to pay the full balance and hope the mechanisms in place- Insurance, Cancellation decision by Cunard and Celebrity solvency - all come on line/remain in place.

4. I cannot (definitely) afford to pay the balance and then not have the option of a cash return -rather than FCC- as my finances may change over the next few months.

Consequently i am left thinking that my options are to a). bite the bullet and cancel this week , b) sit tight and wait for the british cancellation policy to catch up with whats just been posted in america and c) pay the balance this week, hope that my point 3 above saves me and my 82 year old mum with a long list of medical issues - all cited on our early march insurance, will find a future voyage option that suits and there is not a long line of people vying to embark!!!!

Thoughts are welcomed?