Those traveling in March or April: thoughts?

[BermudaBound2014]

I've noticed many of us are traveling in March and April (or anytime really). I'm wondering your thoughts on traveling? I'm traveling with a group of 8 girlfriends and after Meraviglia yesterday they are seriously thinking of bailing. We are traveling seaside in Early April. Personally, I'm not worried about NCoV and I'm not that much concerned about loosing all ports (been there/done that). We have a a great time on our annual girls trip no matter what, BUT the thought of a quarantine gives me very serious pause. I've told the girls it's too early to make any decisions yet. We all have southwest flights so we can cancel those with not penalty right up until sailing date. I'm just curious about what my fellow travelers are thinking (no judgment)......

 

Also note: MSC put out this information last night and added "And any location under quarantine." to the list of people that can't board.  I take it that means that anyone flying through any of the effected areas (including Italy) are a no-sail. 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[travelberlin]

We are traveling in March going to Venice with an MSC ship. We are certainly worried because who wants to go to one of the places with large numbers of Coronavirus. We do not want to be denied access to ports or to be quarantined on a ship.

We really want to cruise but it is very risky for passengers, crew members and cruiselines. I think MSC has to take a decision soon and cancel those cruises which until end of April are heading to Italy.

[bigblue1952]

We are sailing out of Barcelona in April.  We booked specifically for the Amalfi coast but there is a good chance that may not happen.  We are still going and hopefully, all will be well.

[CruisingMom77]

Well, it's a tough spot for sure. Our sailing is April 25th on the Seaside. We are past our final payment date, and in fact if we cancelled now we would lose 50% of the fare, plus whatever we paid for the flights. It's a wait and see situation I am afraid. When I told hubby that I was kind of considering bailing out, he was the one pulling me back saying we are not cancelling anything yet. He is being very optimistic, and thinks that by the time we sail the dust will settle and things will be much better than it is now. I hope I had his optimism, but I think he is right, let's wait and see. Of course, it's not how I imagined the two months leading up to our trip. I thought it would be filled with good excitement, anticipation. Instead we are dealing with stress and worries, at least me. Hubby is still excited. 

[GSLMOM]

We are supposed to sail April 20 from Barcelona to Italy and France and we are trying to decide if we should go or not. Unfortunately, if we do that now we lose 50% which is a lot. In 8 days, we will lose 75%. I’m wondering if MSC will cancel...

[mafig]

Sailing end of March on Celebrity.  Looking forward to it and not cancelling.

 

Concerned more about quarantine but will just take extra of dh's meds.  We don't have babies, pets or a job at home, so we're in more of a position to just let it play out.

Edited February 26, 2020 by mafig

[BermudaBound2014]

4 minutes ago, CruisingMom77 said:

Well, it's a tough spot for sure. Our sailing is April 25th on the Seaside. We are past our final payment date, and in fact if we cancelled now we would lose 50% of the fare, plus whatever we paid for the flights. It's a wait and see situation I am afraid. When I told hubby that I was kind of considering bailing out, he was the one pulling me back saying we are not cancelling anything yet. He is being very optimistic, and thinks that by the time we sail the dust will settle and things will be much better than it is now. I hope I had his optimism, but I think he is right, let's wait and see. Of course, it's not how I imagined the two months leading up to our trip. I thought it would be filled with good excitement, anticipation. Instead we are dealing with stress and worries, at least me. Hubby is still excited. 

 

You and I are in a similar boat (pun intended). I'm sailing seaside a few weeks before you so I will have to make my decision sooner. I'm pretty sure at least a few of my girlfriends are going to cancel, even though I am trying to get them to  wait and see. The fact that we won't lose airfare is a big plus for us. We will loose money paid to MSC, but we booked fantastica balconies at a rate of $529 pp so even if we loose ALL Of that  and cancel on the last day it won't be a major hit (port taxes and fees will be returned to anyone who cancels). I mean, no one wants to lose $500, but it's an easier pill to swallow.

 

I think the next few weeks will tell a lot, but I would be lying if I told you I wasn't apprehensive. So many unknowns.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

16 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

We are traveling in March going to Venice with an MSC ship. We are certainly worried because who wants to go to one of the places with large numbers of Coronavirus. We do not want to be denied access to ports or to be quarantined on a ship.

We really want to cruise but it is very risky for passengers, crew members and cruiselines. I think MSC has to take a decision soon and cancel those cruises which until end of April are heading to Italy.

 

17 minutes ago, bigblue1952 said:

We are sailing out of Barcelona in April.  We booked specifically for the Amalfi coast but there is a good chance that may not happen.  We are still going and hopefully, all will be well.

 

Oh boy, I do feel for both of you traveling through Italy :(. Do either of you know if museums and tourist attractions in Italy are closed? Venice is very dense (although I'm not sure how dense it is in March), so I can see Venice closing shop. The Amalfi coast (if you make it into Naples) could be done with a taxi with  minimal people contact since it's all outside, so that may be ok.

[BermudaBound2014]

10 minutes ago, mafig said:

Sailing end of March on Celebrity.  Looking forward to it and not cancelling.

 

Concerned more about quarantine but will just take extra of dh's meds.  We don't have babies, pets or a job at home, so we're in more of a position to just let it play out.

 

A quarantine would be a huge hit for me right now, but if I were in your shoes, it sounds like the perfect time for an adventure! This is going to sound prejudice against MSC; but I'd be much more likely to step on a Celebrity ship over a MSC ship during a crisis. I know that sounds terrible, but MSC communication is lacking in the best of times. We have all lived through some of the 'less than honorable' MSC blunders. NOW, in the companies defense, they just did a really nice job with communication about the Meraviglia and Jamaica/Grand Cayman incident, and they handled one of the hurricanes wonderfully, so it's a mixed bag. 

 

[GOLDENBONNY]

I have land vacation planned from Venice to Garda in beginning of june. I will wait till April to see how it goes if its gets worse I will cancel and loose $1000 on flight tickets but all hotels refundable till mid MAy. I would not cancel Caribbean cruise now,. 

[floridian1]

We sail in two weeks out of Rome (civita) and we have 2 school age kids. Watching all the updates and trying my best to keep all of us healthy with vitamin c, elderberry, frequent hand washing and sanitizer.

 

We decided we will NOT cancel unless we are forced to by MSC or the airline. The only port i forsee may deny a ship is Malta. However the Worst case scenario for us is quarantine as we have jobs and school to get back to.

 

In regards to msc or gov officials quarantining a med cruise - i'm not sure what good that would even do anyone since the cruise embarks and disembarks new passengers at every port (except malta).

 

the good news is no big news or big changes today out of italy in regards to coronavirus.

[CruisingMom77]

18 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

You and I are in a similar boat (pun intended). I'm sailing seaside a few weeks before you so I will have to make my decision sooner. I'm pretty sure at least a few of my girlfriends are going to cancel, even though I am trying to get them to  wait and see. The fact that we won't lose airfare is a big plus for us. We will loose money paid to MSC, but we booked fantastica balconies at a rate of $529 pp so even if we loose ALL Of that  and cancel on the last day it won't be a major hit (port taxes and fees will be returned to anyone who cancels). I mean, no one wants to lose $500, but it's an easier pill to swallow.

 

I think the next few weeks will tell a lot, but I would be lying if I told you I wasn't apprehensive. So many unknowns.

 

The only other thing that keeps me sane and not cancelling anything is that I know that if I did cancel now I would feel horrible. I would lose the last hope that I could go on the trip we have been planning for about a year. I would keep wondering what if things improved... I think the best approach right now is really wait and see, and hope for the best, but prepared for other outcomes. 

[cruiser man 60]

10 minutes ago, floridian1 said:

We sail in two weeks out of Rome (civita) and we have 2 school age kids. Watching all the updates and trying my best to keep all of us healthy with vitamin c, elderberry, frequent hand washing and sanitizer.

 

We decided we will NOT cancel unless we are forced to by MSC or the airline. The only port i forsee may deny a ship is Malta. However the Worst case scenario for us is quarantine as we have jobs and school to get back to.

 

In regards to msc or gov officials quarantining a med cruise - i'm not sure what good that would even do anyone since the cruise embarks and disembarks new passengers at every port (except malta).

 

the good news is no big news or big changes today out of italy in regards to coronavirus.

You can also embark etc in Malta 

[travelberlin]

14 minutes ago, GOLDENBONNY said:

I have land vacation planned from Venice to Garda in beginning of june. I will wait till April to see how it goes if its gets worse I will cancel and loose $1000 on flight tickets but all hotels refundable till mid MAy. I would not cancel Caribbean cruise now,. 

I have also a land vacation planned for June in Apulia, Italy. Not planning to cancel because until June anything can happen. But the point is March is around the corner. Will a miracle happen?

[Beardface]

5 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Meanwhile, those on MSC still can't get the compensation offered for missing ocean cay lol.. Seriously, do you think MSC would take care or their passengers in the same way? If so, do you have any evidence where MSC has gone above and beyond to error on the side of passenger compensation?

 

Sigh.  Yeah, let's start a panic before there is reason to do so.  That seems wise and not completely and utterly irresponsible at all.

[BermudaBound2014]

Just now, Beardface said:

 

Sigh.  Yeah, let's start a panic before there is reason to do so.  That seems wise and not completely and utterly irresponsible at all.

 

This is a discussion board. We are discussing. I haven't witnessed anyone in panic mode. I was responding to another person who challenged my thoughts on MSC during the NCoV issue. I've followed this cruise line for about 10 years. My opinion is based on historic behavior.  BTW: Have you even sailed on MSC yet? 

 

Regardless (because it really doesn't matter that you have yet to sail MSC),  people are allowed to have opinions that don't agree with yours. We understand that you believe this is all overblown hyperbole created by the news media. I don't necessarily disagree.

 

That doesn't change the fact that in a crisis situation, I'd rather be sailing with another company. Again, I have historic evidence to back my stance. I'm allowed that freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

[HofstraJet]

Two of Grandiosa's ports of call in March are Palermo and Malta. I'm booked on a March 9 sailing from Palermo.

[DCGuy64]

We're booked on the Preziosa from Le Havre on 19 May, just made final payment a week or so ago. No plans to cancel or postpone. We will just wait and see. What we will NOT do is precipitously cancel on our own (as someone on a Princess thread posted recently) and then DEMAND a full refund later. If MSC cancels, they'll take care of us. Not worried in the least.

[travelberlin]

8 minutes ago, HofstraJet said:

Two of Grandiosa's ports of call in March are Palermo and Malta. I'm booked on a March 9 sailing from Palermo.

Please let us know how it goes... Safe sailings.

[Sam Ting]

43 minutes ago, floridian1 said:

We sail in two weeks out of Rome (civita) and we have 2 school age kids. Watching all the updates and trying my best to keep all of us healthy with vitamin c, elderberry, frequent hand washing and sanitizer.

 

We decided we will NOT cancel unless we are forced to by MSC or the airline. The only port i forsee may deny a ship is Malta. However the Worst case scenario for us is quarantine as we have jobs and school to get back to.

 

In regards to msc or gov officials quarantining a med cruise - i'm not sure what good that would even do anyone since the cruise embarks and disembarks new passengers at every port (except malta).

 

the good news is no big news or big changes today out of italy in regards to coronavirus.

Actually the worse case is you get it. 

[electro]

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

We're booked on the Preziosa from Le Havre on 19 May, just made final payment a week or so ago. No plans to cancel or postpone. We will just wait and see. What we will NOT do is precipitously cancel on our own (as someone on a Princess thread posted recently) and then DEMAND a full refund later. If MSC cancels, they'll take care of us. Not worried in the least.

I'm booked on this cruise, boarding on May 17th in Hamburg, and staying on for the 11 day starting 24 May. we have paid final payment on both and have no plans to cancel. The only way I'm not going is if the airlines or MSC cancels.

[skings]

I'm booked on MSC Meraviglia 20 day TA departing Miami 4/12. Have been planning for almost a year. I'm 76 with slight asthma, big decision to go or cancel. Meeting with doctor March 9th will see what she has to say at that time. Another 2 weeks maybe 

outlook will be better for travel. (hopeful but realistic)

[Skoobdo]

Sailing in April. I'm going even if they cancel the cruise. I'll just rearrange my itinerary and don't miss a beat, like I always do.

[floridian1]

48 minutes ago, cruiser man 60 said:

You can also embark etc in Malta 

i didn't know that - never saw that option. I stand corrected.

[GOLDENBONNY]

38 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

You are talking about three different companies. CCL is not affiliated with Celebrity (RCL is). Anyway, Diamond princess followed Japan's orders.  While the quarantine went bad, I'm not sure what more anyone would want CCL to do. This is unexplored territory. 

 

What Diamond princess did amazing is take care of their passengers. Here are just some of the compensations offered: Current cruise free, future cruise in same amount free, ALL onboard charges occurred free (this includes all on-board charges for the 29 day cruise prior to quarantine). ALL ship excursions taken prior to quarantine, free. All return flights, free. Those still in Japan are being taken care of. All medical costs being incurred in Japan are Free.

 

Meanwhile, those on MSC still can't get the compensation offered for missing ocean cay lol.. Seriously, do you think MSC would take care or their passengers in the same way? If so, do you have any evidence where MSC has gone above and beyond to error on the side of passenger compensation?

 

This isn't even tackling the communication barriers when dealing with MSC.  Or how MSC handles guest relations on the ship, or the pre-bookig experience, etc...  

 

Yep, I'd rather be on any another line if presented with a crisis.

 

 

Corp is a Corp they only worry about money. We don't know what Diamond did and why. They say they followed  orders but we will know later or never what was real deal. I don't see anything amazing what they did about compensation . They did what they must do and I am sure people will open lawsuits  later on .Good care for me it's not compensation, its cancelling cruises and flight  to affected areas before people need compensation ,its not letting people from affected areas to board the ship.