Predict when cruising will start again post-Coronavirus

[ilikeanswers]

4 minutes ago, NSWP said:

If i had coffee this time of the evening, i would not sleep.

 

I for some reason am not affected by caffeine at least not in coffee. It never keeps me awake and I sleep fine after a cup. My mum on the other hand is very sensitive. She can only drink it in am otherwise she finds it messes with her sleep patterns. 

[possum52]

13 minutes ago, NSWP said:

I must be the only person in Australia without a coffee machine, for me it is a plunger with ground lavazza or vittoria or a robert timms colombia coffee bag, does me. All donations gratefully accepted.😍

We used plunger coffee for years Les, it makes pretty good cup, particularly if you use good coffee.

Leigh

[NSWP]

Just now, possum52 said:

We used plunger coffee for years Les, it makes pretty good cup, particularly if you use good coffee.

Leigh

I agree, all about the quality of the coffee, i give it 4 minutes in the plunger.

[possum52]

Just now, NSWP said:

I agree, all about the quality of the coffee, i give it 4 minutes in the plunger.

Sounds about the correct length of time.

 

Leigh

[possum52]

23 minutes ago, NSWP said:

If i had coffee this time of the evening, i would not sleep. I have two cups of coffee per diem, breakfast and mid morning smoko.

I tend to only have one cup a day, these days if that. I drink more tea than coffee. But when on a cruise, I drink more coffee, maybe because of the social aspect of cruising.

 

Leigh

[NSWP]

If and when cruising recommences, one of the biggest challenges for the cruiselines will be compliance and enforcement of hand washing and sanitising hands,  in public areas, toilets, eating places, entertainment areas etc. We have all seen the pathetic attempts in the past.  Sorry to spoil your dinner folks, has to be said.

Edited August 10, 2020 by NSWP

[OzKiwiJJ]

18 minutes ago, NSWP said:

If and when cruising recommences, one of the biggest challenges for the cruiselines will be compliance and enforcement of hand washing and sanitising hands,  in public areas, toilets, eating places, entertainment areas etc. We have all seen the pathetic attempts in the past.  Sorry to spoil your dinner folks, has to be said.

Remember people are doing exactly the same in their home environment which is why illnesses spread through communities in normal times. A positive of Coronavirus is that it might actually be teaching people better hygiene habits.

[OzKiwiJJ]

35 minutes ago, possum52 said:

I tend to only have one cup a day, these days if that. I drink more tea than coffee. But when on a cruise, I drink more coffee, maybe because of the social aspect of cruising.

 

Leigh

Me too. I mostly drink tea even on cruises but I do enjoy one good coffee a day.

[ilikeanswers]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

I agree, all about the quality of the coffee, i give it 4 minutes in the plunger.

 

I use to do 4 minutes but on holidays a barista advised me to take it to 7 minutes. Tried it and I found I enjoyed it🤗. 

[MicCanberra]

I have a coffee or two with breakfast and then have tea (3 or 4 cups) for the rest of the day, I also drink water (at least 6-8 glasses) during the day and evening. I tend to have a wine or beer (or 2) with dinner 3-4 times a week as well.

[Sparky74]

21 hours ago, NSWP said:

Dop they still have the Jacaranda Festival in Grafton, always worth a visit, popular.  When my Mother lived on the Gold Coast for 20 odd years, on the drive north, half way stop was generally Grafton, nice town.

 

20 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Yes they still have the Jacaranda Festival in Grafton.  When I was there during the last Festival, keen photographers with their tripods kept setting them up on main roads to get the best pictures.  Must drive the locals crazy, but good business for the town.  Good to visit just before the Festival to avoid the crowds of tourists, who come by the bus loads. 

 

The Grafton Jacaranda Festival has been cancelled this year due to, you guessed it, COVID-19 restrictions. The way the announcement was worded was quite funny. It sounded like the committee had arranged for the trees to still flower this year even though the festival isn't happening. 

Hopfully the festival can happen next year and hopefully we can be Cruising by then also. DW & I were supposed to be in the USA now, getting reading for our Alaskan cruise and our TransPacific. ☹️  Maybe next year or even the year after.

[Sparky74]

18 hours ago, Cyrix400 said:

Somewhat surprised to still  read this - the crew still stuck on board, the countries are being difficult.

A longish article from USA Today - interesting points what the non-working crew does ( or cannot do) whilst waiting.

"12,000 crew members still on cruise ships in US waters months after COVID-19 pandemic shut cruising down"

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/08/08/cruise-ships-us-have-12000-crew-members-amid-covid-19/5574288002/

 

 

 

I, too, am surprised that so many crew are still stranded on ships. 

It disheartening (but perhaps unsurprising) that not all cruiselines and doing the right thing by their crew. 

[MicCanberra]

CMV certainly weren't.

[NSWP]

Heartbreaking that the crew are still stranded.  I bet many are not being paid their full wages and some not at all.

[MicCanberra]

No wages, contracts cancelled, no pay out of contracts and some are still doing some of their duties, all with no chance of getting home even if they could afford it.

[NSWP]

10 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

No wages, contracts cancelled, no pay out of contracts and some are still doing some of their duties, all with no chance of getting home even if they could afford it.

In a nutshell Mic. Poor souls.

[OzKiwiJJ]

One article I read said that RCI crew were getting paid. Not as much as they would normally earn but better than nothing. That article also implied that it wasn't the cruise lines that were making it hard to get the crew home, it was the crews' home countries and also lack of transportation. That's one reason some of the ships are moving from place to place, they are offloading crew as close to home, or available transport home, as they can.

[MicCanberra]

I was referring to the CMV crew, it was so bad the International Transport Workers Federation got involved.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/itf-assists-with-crew-repatriations-from-cmv-cruise-ships-1

[OzKiwiJJ]

12 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I was referring to the CMV crew, it was so bad the International Transport Workers Federation got involved.

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/itf-assists-with-crew-repatriations-from-cmv-cruise-ships-1

Yikes, the poor crew! Very sad.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

One article I read said that RCI crew were getting paid. Not as much as they would normally earn but better than nothing. That article also implied that it wasn't the cruise lines that were making it hard to get the crew home, it was the crews' home countries and also lack of transportation. That's one reason some of the ships are moving from place to place, they are offloading crew as close to home, or available transport home, as they can.

The tipping pool is not there to subsidise their wages, so no US$2500 a month, for waiters and cabin stewards etc, probably $1000 if they are lucky.

Edited August 11, 2020 by NSWP

[MicCanberra]

13 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yikes, the poor crew! Very sad.

Yes, some are just stuck in a limbo of sorts.

[NSWP]

P and O UK have cancelled their 2021 Worldie from and to Southampton, Jan to May. I was considering doing the half Worldie on that itinerary,  Syd to Southampton, like my wife and I did on Arcadia in 2012, via Africa, 49 days, great adventure, great memories.

Edited August 12, 2020 by NSWP

[lyndarra]

On 8/10/2020 at 6:48 PM, NSWP said:

Tried that, good,  i like barista brothers too in the brown plastic bottles, i also am an iced coffee freak.

I tried Barista Bros once and it was disgusting so I threw it in the bin. I thought later that maybe I should have checked the best by date on it. It was the last bottle in the fridge at the small servo where I bought it. I usually buy Dare Double Espresso.

[Cyrix400]

No cruising this year - from the latest cruiseweekly.com.au

 

"P&O Cruises UK has extended its pause until 12 Nov, while also cancelling two long itineraries departing in Jan, while Holland America will not sail until at least 15 Dec"

[NSWP]

5 hours ago, Cyrix400 said:

No cruising this year - from the latest cruiseweekly.com.au

 

"P&O Cruises UK has extended its pause until 12 Nov, while also cancelling two long itineraries departing in Jan, while Holland America will not sail until at least 15 Dec"

As I said the 2021 Worldie on Arcadia - ex Southampton - Cancelled.