Seabourn and the current issues surrounding the Corona Virus

[Chairsin]

To the poster who booked Philippine Airline tickets with Skylux you should know that the reason those tickets are non refundable and non changeable (even with a change fee) has nothing to do with the airline.. Unfortunately you bought tickets from a consolidator (Skylux). Consolidators often sell  tickets that may have a good price but in exchange you are getting very different fare rules and highly restrictive terms - including being truly non refundable. It is too bad for the poster but perhaps can serve as a warning to others that before you buy tickets from a consolidator read the fare rules so you fully understand  what you are purchasing. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Glad to hear that, because I know United is strict but will still allow you to change flights.   It may cost $200 each but Seabourn has said they will refund the change fees.   It’s also good to know about Turkish airlines.   My brother worked for the FAA as a safety investigator and was an instructor for American Airlines.   His insights have made me a little squeamish about flying with quite a few carriers.

[jenidallas]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

I assume you have top loyalty status with the airline.

You are correct.  One of the few advantages of flying every single week.  😂

[Paulchili]

8 minutes ago, jenidallas said:

You are correct.  One of the few advantages of flying every single week.  😂

Plus getting all those miles 😀-  which I find more and more difficult to spend.

Oh, I miss the good old days.

[Cantara24]

1 hour ago, Chairsin said:

To the poster who booked Philippine Airline tickets with Skylux you should know that the reason those tickets are non refundable and non changeable (even with a change fee) has nothing to do with the airline.. Unfortunately you bought tickets from a consolidator (Skylux). Consolidators often sell  tickets that may have a good price but in exchange you are getting very different fare rules and highly restrictive terms - including being truly non refundable. It is too bad for the poster but perhaps can serve as a warning to others that before you buy tickets from a consolidator read the fare rules so you fully understand  what you are purchasing. 

 

Sadly you are correct, I do not understand how people buy into these 3rd party cheap seats. Ya get what ya pay for.

[westmount]

Some of you might find this mildly amusing, but while we saw a great show yesterday by local dancers performing on the dock while we watched from above, our ships haul is being inspected under water to make sure we bring no microbes of materials into the southern waters of Australia and New Zealand. 
Of all the things that could go wrong right now, we are now waiting this morning for the haul to be given a clean bill of health , it’s kind of funny. 
  Btw, when it comes to airlines and the situation around the world, although difficult to get on the phone with from the ocean, Both United and now Air Canada have had about six changes made so far without asking for dime, and we haven’t made it to Perth yet. 
  Reasonable people asking for a reasonable response will always be taken care of. When booking anything from a third party consolidator, discounter etc, as in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 
   I also must add that the Raffles hotel in Singapore together with Expedia refunded my hotel in Singapore that was never happening, so I don’t get what all the issues are. 
  Two insurance companies in Canada announced they will no longer cover cancelations going forward as the virus is now known. 
 We all know the story, so if you wish to book, know the risk and decide if it’s worth it. I don’t think there is a big risk in booking a trip right now for six months out, as you can cancel within 30 days if things get worse, and it looks like seats on planes won’t be so difficult to find should you want to do it. 
  I believe that once we get off the Sojourn, a nice time away from the ocean will be required, but the industry will look different at that point with new rules and new protocols in place I’m sure. I’m not sure how they can check everyone getting on a ship for their two week prior history of contacts etc, but while maybe out of place here, I think a vaccine might be in order before I’m taking  another cruise, booking is another matter. 
  Meanwhile, we’re still in Colombo watching three huge msc container ships being loaded for entertainment this morning, although to be fair, the staff has been great in loading up the schedule with things to do. I’m at the stage I might take up yoga, Heaven help me. 

[ael123]

In response to "You got what you paid for"... That is not fair or empathetic. I prepared properly for our trip. I bought trip insurance which covered us if we were sick or couldn't go on the trip we would have been covered and the cost would have been reimbursed. I did not expect for the cruise line to change all the ports and the embarkation point as well as the disembarkation point. We have been cruising since 1979 and I never would have guessed this could happen. To us, we are retired  - the tickets weren't cheap. We needed business class because my husband has a history of blood clots and is 6 feet 6 inches so to be in coach wouldn't work for us. It is definitely money we can't afford to flush down the toilet. I never heard of a consolidator so I now know this exists. 

[sfvoyage]

Westmount:  How is the general mood on the ship?  Are topics of conversation dominated by the virus, health, and travel interruptions, etc.?  I'd imagine there are adjustments to activities and entertainment (some crew, entertainers, and lecturers not being able to embark or disembark?).  What about provisions?...  Just wanted to get a sense of how life is like on the ship at the moment.

[SLSD]

Evidently, the passengers on the Princess ship off the coast of California will be going into quarantine.  (I actually know someone on the ship and she has been posting this evening on FB.  She says that they did not know the results of the testing onboard until they heard the Vice President reveal the test outcomes in a news conference.)  I saw that news conference myself.  The VP said, "“We want to recognize, from the experience now of two cruise ships, the cruise ships represent a unique challenge for health officials,” Pence said, “and so we would ask elderly Americans to use common sense and caution in planning any cruise ship vacation in the future.”

 

The president was reluctant to allow the passengers on the Princess ship to reenter the United States (even though many of them are Americans) , but evidently someone persuaded him to relent.  The crew, on the other hand, will be quarantined on the ship.  

 

I do hope nothing like this happens to any Seabourn ship.   The Princess ship was on a cruise in Mexico I believe.  

 

(I read the above information in an article in the Sacramento Bee.)

Edited March 7, 2020 by SLSD

[teamflames]

Have been watching it SLSD, Princess is really having a nightmare. 2 ships quarantined with the virus and they had another ship that has to end 2 cruises early because of Noro.

It seem Mr Trump didn’t want the numbers of the US to jump, so I guess they want it accounted for separately as was done in Japan.

Only 45 tests done so far. 19 of the 21 positive cases are crew - I wonder if they are hotel staff?

I haven’t seen a tally but from following several news reports I have counted 7 different cases from the previous itinerary (at least one in Hawaii and a couple in Canada as well). In Maryland they have cases from people who travelled on a cruise ship but have not released which one?

Interestingly there was a Royal Caribbean ship which debarked in Baltimore last month with over 70 cases of the flu but the cdc did not warrant it testing for covid19 - seems strange.

All Royal Caribbean cruise brands have implemented a new cancellation policy where a cruise can be cancelled within 48 hours of sailing for a FCC.

Each day brings more developments!

Hope your friend is safe.

[tv24]

Yes, each day does bring new events.  We don't know what will happen with our 3/28 departure on the Odyssey, although we are still planning to go.

[zimflyer]

35 minutes ago, tv24 said:

Yes, each day does bring new events.  We don't know what will happen with our 3/28 departure on the Odyssey, although we are still planning to go.

Same here  due out of Perth on 22 March on Sojourn. We will have to have a lot of faith....

 

Despite buying all new air fares to match the new start and end ports, we still have to hope we can have faith in SB to refund our additional expenses....

 

Nil response to my first email 10 days ago.

 

Nil response to our reimbursement and /or some info to clarify on that...

 

Not even an auto-response or case ID to acknowlege receipt....

 

Boy ,  this highly 'passenger focused' company is beginning to smell a lot like  "off..."

 

14 days to go, nobody wants to assist, answer questions, and altho Aussie, we are only allowed to call via our US agent, who also struggle to get a phone to SB answered, and whose emails are also ignored...

 

They are not happy, we are not happy, they have the money... sounds like an 80s pop tune !!!

[naata]

Zimflyer,  looks like strong bout of "Stonewalling" by Seabourn, which is not what any passenger would expect.

We have had multiple future cruise offers by mail, nice glossy ones with decent pricing!.

 

If Seabourn are so keen to keep up the reservation flow, I fail to understand why would they treat their cruising members in a similar avoidance manner as yourself.

We all would wish that they treat booked passengers in a sympathetic manner.          Future passengers must be keenly watching how this virus situation plays out, and in particular how Seabourn handles the current difficult situation?!.

 

A lot depends on it, IF they wish to keep loyal passengers booking in the future!.

[barcrab]

For those of us that have cruises booked in the fall and not in penalty, makes one wonder whether to go ahead and cancel.

[SLSD]

8 hours ago, teamflames said:

Have been watching it SLSD, Princess is really having a nightmare. 2 ships quarantined with the virus and they had another ship that has to end 2 cruises early because of Noro.

It seem Mr Trump didn’t want the numbers of the US to jump, so I guess they want it accounted for separately as was done in Japan.

 

 

Teamflames, I think you are right.  From What Mr. Trump said, he didn't want the "numbers" to go up.  I see the larger issue being that very very few people in the United States are being tested.  What that tells me is that our numbers could be much much higher.  And, as we have been told, there can be asymptomatic carriers (who would not be barred from a cruise ship if they had no fever or symptoms). It is not a good situation.  I know that many feel that they are bullet proof and their main annoyance is all of the extreme cruise line uncertainty.

 

 I do think that Seabourn could have a better cancellation policy.  There is a lot they could do, even in this really bad situation, to garner customer loyalty.  Allowing cancellation as close as 48 hours before a cruise for FCC, to be used in the next 18 to 24 months, would be a start I would think.  I do think the cruise industry is reeling.  Mr. SLSD, the corporate insolvency attorney, just shakes his head.  He says, "If Seabourn uses asset based lenders, they are going to be in trouble."

 

I do hope my friend and her husband aboard the Princess ship off the coast of CA are safe.  She posted that they are confined to their cabins and that their meals are being brought to their doors.  Quarantine will be no fun for them.  I've read that the conditions at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio are not great (assuming as Texans they would be sent there).   

 

I wish the best of luck to all of you are going ahead with your cruises.  Mr. SLSD and I are just sitting tight, waiting for this terrible episode to end and then we will resume cruising.  At the moment, we have our two mothers (ages 93 and 97) to be concerned about, as they are definitely in the cohort which is very at risk if they contract the virus.  At ages 67 and 68, we would not be so thrilled ourselves.  From what I have read, anyone over the age of 60 is more at risk, and especially those 60 or over.  

Edited March 7, 2020 by SLSD

[robertmartha]

As all of us on the boards have been following every update - wondering what today (Saturday will bring). The VP is meeting with the powers that be of the major lines in FL today - what can the US order them to do - can they order them to stop sailing for a specific period of time? Not sure what that would do since this situation could last weeks if not months until it can be contained somehow - so even if ships were held in ports for two weeks (can't imagine!) would assume the same situation going to exist two to three weeks from now.

 

And for those passengers on the Grand - the crew will be held on board in quarantine, passengers who test positive will also be  quarantined - but what about those who do not test positive today - will they be allowed home then - and if so isn't the incubation period two weeks - so isn't there a chance 13 days from now one of those passengers who is home somewhere and out in the public could start exhibiting symptoms? 

 

I have resigned myself to the fact (esp living in near one of the hotspots - in the county next to the Westchester NY hotspot) that it is going to spread into the county we live in and NYC and that this is going to get extremely worse before it gets better. Fortunately we as a nation/world have never had to live thru something as widespread as this in quite some time, so for most of us this is all unchartered territory.

 

[jenidallas]

10 hours ago, teamflames said:

All Royal Caribbean cruise brands have implemented a new cancellation policy where a cruise can be cancelled within 48 hours of sailing for a FCC.

Hopefully Carnival brands follow suit.  While it’s a lot of uncertainty for the lines to not know if their cabins will be full or not, there are people like me who are 44 days out who would prefer to sail but also worry about what could evolve in the next 6 weeks.  I vacillate back and forth on my response... I don’t want to cancel out of fear, but I also don’t want to lose money.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Given that one case of COVID-19 on-board can cause an entire ship to be quarantined,  cruising is no longer a viable business.  Until COVID-19 is reacted to as just another flu, or an effective vaccine is available widely, it is my opinion that the cruise industry will have to go into indefinite hiatus.  If I had a cruise pending, I would attempt to quickly get my money back.

[3418ahl]

Personally, I worry far less about cruising, especially on small ships like Seabourn, than I worry about the flights, numerous airports, numerous people handling the luggage I eventually pick up, security pat downs that have patted down hundreds before me, etc.  The cruise is not my main worry, but the trip to the ship is.

[Mauzac]

1 hour ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Given that one case of COVID-19 on-board can cause an entire ship to be quarantined,  cruising is no longer a viable business.  Until COVID-19 is reacted to as just another flu, or an effective vaccine is available widely, it is my opinion that the cruise industry will have to go into indefinite hiatus.  If I had a cruise pending, I would attempt to quickly get my money back.

 

It's a good job we're all different then, because we have 2 b2bs coming up in less than a month and have no intention of cancelling.  We are getting onto Quest.      If everyone pulls out, there will be no cruise line to go on.  

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

My point is not about personal safety, inconvenience, etc.  It’s about the business aspect of cruising.  A cruise line is now taking an enormous financial (and PR) risk every time a cruise departs.  The insurers may make the shutdown decision for them..

[Mauzac]

15 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

My point is not about personal safety, inconvenience, etc.  It’s about the business aspect of cruising.  A cruise line is now taking an enormous financial (and PR) risk every time a cruise departs.  The insurers may make the shutdown decision for them..

 

If decisions are made for us, we will abide by those obviously.  Apart from that, we are looking forward to our cruise.  

[oceanviewer21]

1 hour ago, 3418ahl said:

Personally, I worry far less about cruising, especially on small ships like Seabourn, than I worry about the flights, numerous airports, numerous people handling the luggage I eventually pick up, security pat downs that have patted down hundreds before me, etc.  The cruise is not my main worry, but the trip to the ship is.

Agree with you 100%. Our main worry too. Why is this not mentioned more?

[JPH814]

54 minutes ago, Mauzac said:

 

If decisions are made for us, we will abide by those obviously.  Apart from that, we are looking forward to our cruise.  

I will second that position. We have a cruise in Europe planned leaving May 23. If it is cancelled, so be it.  I will monitor the situation and will make a decision April 22. But as of now, full steam ahead

 

i lived through the bird-flu, swine- flu and many other scares.  Normal precautions were sufficient.  I have not heard anything (Yet) that makes me believe this will be any different.  But I am still listening...

[Mr. Manhattan]

3 hours ago, jenidallas said:

Hopefully Carnival brands follow suit.  While it’s a lot of uncertainty for the lines to not know if their cabins will be full or not, there are people like me who are 44 days out who would prefer to sail but also worry about what could evolve in the next 6 weeks.  I vacillate back and forth on my response... I don’t want to cancel out of fear, but I also don’t want to lose money.

ditto