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Simple Poll - When Will You Cruise Again


mrlevin
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When Will You Cruise Again  

147 members have voted

  1. 1. When Will You Cruise Again

    • As soon as cruises start up
      25
    • Will wait a few months in order to see how many cases show up
      28
    • Next year
      48
    • Not until a vaccine is available
      46


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I had asked on a forum whether the current schedule of disembarking passengers at, say 9:00 am, and embarking new passengers at noon, which obviously does not allow for any more than a cursory cleaning of any areas, private or public, is still tenable.  Maybe cruise lines should build in far longer periods between a ship's cruises so that a ship could be cleaned fairly well.  Obviously, fares would have to go up.  One person agreed with me that increased fares would be worth it.

 

I'm totally behind supporting the cargo shipping industry, and would be happy to see cruise lines use their ships for cargo and/or quarters for people needing a place to stay (like many hotels across the US are doing for LEOs and first responders, and also domestic violence victims who might otherwise be restricted to SIP with their abusers).  

 

But knowing what we know now, I think it's truly only reasonable to expect vacation travellers to sign an acknowledgment that they will not be 'rescued' if things go sideways.  As you said, maybe that would make some people think twice before they risk themselves, and so many others, for a holiday.  Then again, I was pretty excited on my once a month 10 minute visit to Walgreens today!  It was like an exotic vacation!

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I thought this story was interesting - a small cruise ship currently near Uruguay supposedly has 60% of its 217 souls testing positive for COVID-19.  It was an Antarctic cruise.  Antarctica cruise

 

Among logistics described:

 

"Australian passengers, and possibly those from New Zealand, are likely to fly home on Thursday or Friday on an Airbus 340 that has been refitted, with people who have the virus and those who do not traveling in separate cabin areas, according to Aurora Expeditions. The cost per passenger is about $9,300 and the cruise ship operator has asked the Australian government for help with expenses."

 

 

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26 minutes ago, dreamercruise said:

I asked the question, because I think it is unfair for cruisers to expect someone else (such as taxpayers) to pay for their risk taking decision.  I like your idea of the cruiseline making a rule for the passengers to bear the expenses.  Perhaps, the rule would encourage more people to stay quarantined at home and help stop the spread of the virus.  As much as I sympathize the cruise industry and staff for loss of revenue and jobs, I feel very sorry for the hospital workers, public transportation workers, and all those who are potentially exposed to the virus due to infected cruise passengers.

When the danger of Coronavirus is over, I expect the cruise fare to be higher, and am willing to pay the higher price.  After all, the cruiselines need to recuperate the loss from the virus disruption.  Just hope that the cruiselines can hold on longer and stay in business.

 

I understand what you are saying for non-Regent cruisers.  However, Regent pays for our return fights home (actually, it is included in our cruise fare).  So, if a cruise ends suddenly in a different port, Regent will make sure that passengers with Regent air can get home.  They have done this before and will do it again.  If, however, a passenger is ill and contagious, it would be up to their insurance company to get them home.  I do not see why prices would need to go up.  After all, Regent cruisers already pay many thousands of dollars for a cruise (our last cruise - that was cancelled - was $31K for the two of us).  It is different with mainstream and premium cruise lines where flights are not included (but people pay dramatically less than luxury cruisers do).  

 

I do not differentiate between cruise passengers with coronavirus and non-cruisers with the virus.  The men and women that are first responders and/or work in hospitals are there true hero's of this pandemic.  

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Which insurance carriers will be covering COVID-19 evacuation costs for non-essential travel?  And, if not up to a cruise ship to pay those costs...maybe all passengers will need to establish escrow accounts in the thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) to cover any needed treatment/evacuation costs?  With the cruise line set up to access such accounts if needed? 

 

And, I suppose even if insurance were to cover such costs, would each cruise line demand to see notarized copies of the policies within, what, five business days of a cruise deposit?  I would if I were them.  

 

I have to admit I'd love to see how the insurance carriers are evaluating risks and writing policies as we speak.  

 

I know I've often seen posts, especially for the luxury lines, of passengers either preferring to self-insure in general, or unable to get coverage for cruises in general, especially the world cruises.  Maybe I misunderstood those posters.  

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58 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Rick - please know that the question is being asked very respectfully.  Are you waiting for a vaccine or waiting to see when you feel that it is safe to cruise agaiN?  Based on your post, I am assuming that you are not waiting for a vaccine.

 

For those waiting for a vaccine, cruise lines would likely go bankrupt before a vaccine is approved in the U.S. If another country developed a safe alternative to whatever the U.S. comes up with, we would have no problem flying to that country to get the vaccine.

Yes, I would not be waiting for a vaccine - just when I feel comfortable and think it's safe I'll be cruising again.  If I waiting for a vaccine (not just V-19, but many other vaccine) one would never cruise.  Sure when they have one I'd get it, like others I've taken.

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1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

If, however, a passenger is ill and contagious, it would be up to their insurance company to get them home.  I do not see why prices would need to go up.

Just because Regents includes air in cruise fare does not make it different than other cruiseline who offers air for an additional price.  In both cases, it is the cruiseline’s responsibility to fly the passengers back home, based on your answer.  The question is, as pointed out by Grey kitty, in case of a cruise with sick people onboard, who pays for the special chartered flight back home for passengers who are not infected and those contagious virus carriers who do not show symptoms?  Would Regents charter flights to each country?

i expect the cruise fare would go up due to disruption and cruise cancellations as a result of the virus outbreak.

No need to explain to me how many thousands of dollars Regents each Regents cruise costs.  My last cruise costs about the same amount, but for one person only.

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Regent (no "s") is not responsible for getting passengers home via a charter flight. There is usually evacuation insurance available but not for Covid-19.  My assumptions are based on when it is safe to sail.   When that occurs, evacuation insurance should return. 

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13 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I understand what you are saying for non-Regent cruisers.  However, Regent pays for our return fights home (actually, it is included in our cruise fare).  So, if a cruise ends suddenly in a different port, Regent will make sure that passengers with Regent air can get home.  They have done this before and will do it again.  If, however, a passenger is ill and contagious, it would be up to their insurance company to get them home.  I do not see why prices would need to go up.  After all, Regent cruisers already pay many thousands of dollars for a cruise (our last cruise - that was cancelled - was $31K for the two of us).  It is different with mainstream and premium cruise lines where flights are not included (but people pay dramatically less than luxury cruisers do).  

 

I do not differentiate between cruise passengers with coronavirus and non-cruisers with the virus.  The men and women that are first responders and/or work in hospitals are there true hero's of this pandemic.  

While what you say has been mostly true in the past, no guarantee for the future Regent will continue to cover peoples third party flights in the future based on the clear wording currently in the T's and C's where Regent clearly states that while they pay for third party things which includes air, they are NOT responsible when problems occur when using those third party services.

 

Yes, they have done this before however no guarantee they will do this in the future based on their written T's and C's.  Based on circumstances in the future we haven't begun to think about the situation could change.  If the T's and C's weren't so definitive about these types of situations, would completely agree but, never know when the situation will force Regent to fall back on the written T's and C's.

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19 minutes ago, rallydave said:

While what you say has been mostly true in the past, no guarantee for the future Regent will continue to cover peoples third party flights in the future based on the clear wording currently in the T's and C's where Regent clearly states that while they pay for third party things which includes air, they are NOT responsible when problems occur when using those third party services.

 

Yes, they have done this before however no guarantee they will do this in the future based on their written T's and C's.  Based on circumstances in the future we haven't begun to think about the situation could change.  If the T's and C's weren't so definitive about these types of situations, would completely agree but, never know when the situation will force Regent to fall back on the written T's and C's.

 

Regent (and other cruise lines) have top lawyers so the contracts are written to protect them.  In my opinion, suggesting that Regent may not continue to help their passengers is negative speculation and feeds into scare tactics.  

 

In this time of so much uncertainty, thinking of what Regent could do to hurt their passengers is probably a poor idea. 

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25 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Regent (and other cruise lines) have top lawyers so the contracts are written to protect them.  In my opinion, suggesting that Regent may not continue to help their passengers is negative speculation and feeds into scare tactics.  

 

In this time of so much uncertainty, thinking of what Regent could do to hurt their passengers is probably a poor idea. 

 

Have no idea what having top lawyers has to do with anything.  It is a fact that the writer of any contract tilts it to support themselves and most likely with the purchase by NCLH and the savings received by combining departments, the legal department has most likely been consolidated into a single legal department supporting NCL, Oceania, and Regent

 

It is a fact that telling people the pluses and minus of any possible situation so they can make an informed decision so negatives and positives need to be provided otherwise people don't know the whole story.  It is certainly NOT scare tactics to give people the entire story and not only rely on the positive opinion of a single person.

 

As to this time of much uncertainty, it is a poor idea to only post the positives without posting the facts that are in writing in the cruise contract.   People need to know the pros and the cons so they can make an informed decision and only providing the positives where there are truly negative possibilities is not the best approach.

 

 

14 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

So, if a cruise ends suddenly in a different port, Regent will make sure that passengers with Regent air can get home.  They have done this before and will do it again.  If, however, a passenger is ill and contagious, it would be up to their insurance company to get them home.

Stating this as a fact when it is completely contrary to the written Terms and Conditions (T's & C's) in the cruise contract is completely disendengious and dangerous to Regent customers who are unaware of the facts that contradict this in the written T's and C's.  Yes, Regent has done this in the past but, no guarantee this will happen in the future.  There are many unknown situations that can come up that will force Regent to rely on their written T's & C's. and it behooves us to provide all possible situations and not just the most beneficial so cruisers can make a fully informed decision before putting thousands of dollars at risk. 

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36 minutes ago, rallydave said:

 

Have no idea what having top lawyers has to do with anything.  It is a fact that the writer of any contract tilts it to support themselves and most likely with the purchase by NCLH and the savings received by combining departments, the legal department has most likely been consolidated into a single legal department supporting NCL, Oceania, and Regent

 

It is a fact that telling people the pluses and minus of any possible situation so they can make an informed decision so negatives and positives need to be provided otherwise people don't know the whole story.  It is certainly NOT scare tactics to give people the entire story and not only rely on the positive opinion of a single person.

 

As to this time of much uncertainty, it is a poor idea to only post the positives without posting the facts that are in writing in the cruise contract.   People need to know the pros and the cons so they can make an informed decision and only providing the positives where there are truly negative possibilities is not the best approach.

 

 

Stating this as a fact when it is completely contrary to the written Terms and Conditions (T's & C's) in the cruise contract is completely disendengious and dangerous to Regent customers who are unaware of the facts that contradict this in the written T's and C's.  Yes, Regent has done this in the past but, no guarantee this will happen in the future.  There are many unknown situations that can come up that will force Regent to rely on their written T's & C's. and it behooves us to provide all possible situations and not just the most beneficial so cruisers can make a fully informed decision before putting thousands of dollars at risk. 

 

I do not believe that giving passengers the worst case scenario is best for anyone. It is akin to stating that the ship could sink, we could be stranded, etc.   It is fine to state that in the past, this how the situation was handled which leaves open the possibility that it could be the same ...... or not.

 

The Terms and Conditions are what they are.  Regent cruisers are expected to read them.  It would also not be fair to passengers to not state that Regent has gone above and beyond (in whatever situation is being discussed) their stated Terms and Conditions.  This is especially important now with what is going on with the cruise industry.  

 

Top lawyers have a lot to do with everything.  Some cruise passengers would sue over something quite minor if Regent did not protect themselves via their contracts.  It takes sharp lawyers to make sure that every "I" is dotted and "t's" are crossed.  .  

 

To use a current issue ... on cruises that Regent has cancelled, passengers get a choice of OBC's or FCC's.  And, if you cancel a cruise within the stated time period, you receive FCC's.  This is NOT in their "T's & C's" but is happening.  Should we be telling passengers with cruises that will likely be cancelled in June that they may not receive the same offers?  One assumes that the same offer will be available during this unique cessation of cruises.  

 

One must look at situations from Regent's perspective as well as the passengers' perspective.  

 

In any case, let's do what Cruise Critic is asking us to do ....... use a "soft virtual voice" and let this board be a haven for cruise discussions.  

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31 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

do not believe that giving passengers the worst case scenario is best for anyone. It is akin to stating that the ship could sink, we could be stranded, etc.   It is fine to state that in the past, this how the situation was handled which leaves open the possibility that it could be the same ...... or not.

 

Have to give the worst and the best and all points in between in order to tell the whole story.  That's a fact and not a belief.  As to your seconde sentence, agree with it completely except you stated as a fact that Regent would do the same things as they did in the past and all I did was say that is not a fact and may or may not occur in the future.

 

32 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

he Terms and Conditions are what they are.  Regent cruisers are expected to read them.  It would also not be fair to passengers to not state that Regent has gone above and beyond (in whatever situation is being discussed) their stated Terms and Conditions.  This is especially important now with what is going on with the cruise industry.

 

Agree but, also must state the alternative possibility and not simply state that they will do it unequivalently in the future because they did it in the past.

 

32 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

To use a current issue ... on cruises that Regent has cancelled, passengers get a choice of OBC's or FCC's.  And, if you cancel a cruise within the stated time period, you receive FCC's.  This is NOT in their "T's & C's" but is happening.  Should we be telling passengers with cruises that will likely be cancelled in June that they may not receive the same offers?  One assumes that the same offer will be available during this unique cessation of cruises.

 

As I stated in another post, we all agree to Terms and Conditions that are in effect at the time of the cruise purchase and contract.  This can and often is changed at a later date and if both parties agree (buyer and seller) that is fine.  And actually what was given for April could be changed by Regent for June and beyond and people need to understand what was done in the past might not be done in the future.   And hope you know what assume means???

 

33 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

One must look at situations from Regent's perspective as well as the passengers' perspective.

 

Agree and you seem to mostly look at things from only one side while I have attempted to follow what you posted above.

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22 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

One thing you won't have to worry about if air since it is included.  I also doubt if cruise fares on luxury lines will increase (based on Regent's previous quarterly increases on some cruises).  We did notice that there was no increase March 31st.  

 

I don't think that anyone expects Regent to pay for evacuation or medical expenses (whether inside or outside of our home countries).  

I have been tracking a Baltic cruise next summer. The fare went up $100 this month. 

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5 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

I have been tracking a Baltic cruise next summer. The fare went up $100 this month. 

 

Thank you for posting that.  I did learn yesterday that prices did increase March 31st ....... it just was not "advertised" by Regent.

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2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

The Terms and Conditions are what they are.

Yes, and as rallydave pointed out, we should be able to count on the T&Cs.  It is wonderful that Regent has made a practice of going above and beyond, and it is reasonable to hope that they will be able to continue to do so in the future.  IMO, it is not reasonable to assume that their past generosity is unchangeable and to berate others who point out what Regent has actually agreed in writing to do. 

 

Current events are hitting them hard, and they may not have the resources to go above and beyond in the future.  We have threads speculating about bankruptcy of various cruise lines.  Falling back to meeting only their written T&Cs would be preferable to that, and hopefully much more likely.  Although going back to business as usual would be even better, of course.

 

As they say about investments, past performance is no guarantee of future success.

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18 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

Yes, and as rallydave pointed out, we should be able to count on the T&Cs.  It is wonderful that Regent has made a practice of going above and beyond, and it is reasonable to hope that they will be able to continue to do so in the future.  IMO, it is not reasonable to assume that their past generosity is unchangeable and to berate others who point out what Regent has actually agreed in writing to do. 

 

Current events are hitting them hard, and they may not have the resources to go above and beyond in the future.  We have threads speculating about bankruptcy of various cruise lines.  Falling back to meeting only their written T&Cs would be preferable to that, and hopefully much more likely.  Although going back to business as usual would be even better, of course.

 

As they say about investments, past performance is no guarantee of future success.

 

Since Regent has being going above and beyond their "T&Cs" for years, I'm not sure why we need to count on their "T&Cs".  Would it be better if Regent was not giving FCC's for cruises that passengers cancel since it is not in the "T&C's"?  The "T&Cs" do not state that a passenger can receive 125% of their cruise fare in FCC's (or cash - something that is in the "T&Cs". )

 

As mentioned it is the responsibility of everyone that sails on Regent to read the contract.  It is also important to realize how Regent goes above and beyond these contracts for their passengers.  IF Regent cannot continue these practices in the future, that should be explained to future and current passengers but "predicting" a negative outcome is really unconscionable in today's environment.  This is not the time to look at worst case scenarios (for anything - not just Regent or cruises).

 

There are posters like myself that tend to look at positive scenarios whenever possible.  We try to lift others up - explain how we are in the same situation that they are - how we are dealing with it and what we hope for the future.  Isn't that pretty much what  has asked us to do?  

 

Maybe there should be a thread where people can post all worst cases scenarios so that those of us that don't want to hear the negativity, can avoid the thread (more or less like we can avoid watching some of the news on television that is not only incorrect but frightening........ after all, isn't this week being compared to "9/11", etc.?  As Cruise Director Ray likes to say ....... "Rubbish!"..   

Edited by Travelcat2
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I believe the old truism is 'plan for the worst, hope for the best'. 

 

Certainly this is the time to look at worst case scenarios, and plan for those.  Even if you hope those plans are never used.   Can any reasonable person think otherwise?

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I just like to keep it real, not to promote gloom and doom for the sake of negativity.  Optimism is great, but IMO it is irresponsible to have blinders on and not look at all the possibilities.  Of course, sometimes things come out of left field that we have no way of predicting, but informed decision making requires an analysis of all foreseeable scenarios and an attempt to figure out the likelihood of each one happening.  We also need to realize that sometimes things do come out of left field, and absolute statements that we will always have a positive outcome are unrealistic.  I am of a mind that it is better to under promise and over deliver.  I don't want to make major financial commitments without knowing (as best I can) what range of possibilities to expect. 

 

I have bookings in October and January that I have not cancelled, but final payments are coming up and I will have to decide soon.  I feel like a teeter totter, thinking one minute I should cancel them, take my losses (there will be some, for reasons best omitted), and stop worrying about it.  The next minute I remember how much I want to go on each of these trips, and how much I would regret it if I cancel now and then they are able to sail without any problems.  It is not an easy choice.

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2 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

I just like to keep it real, not to promote gloom and doom for the sake of negativity.  Optimism is great, but IMO it is irresponsible to have blinders on and not look at all the possibilities.  Of course, sometimes things come out of left field that we have no way of predicting, but informed decision making requires an analysis of all foreseeable scenarios and an attempt to figure out the likelihood of each one happening.  We also need to realize that sometimes things do come out of left field, and absolute statements that we will always have a positive outcome are unrealistic.  I am of a mind that it is better to under promise and over deliver.  I don't want to make major financial commitments without knowing (as best I can) what range of possibilities to expect. 

 

I have bookings in October and January that I have not cancelled, but final payments are coming up and I will have to decide soon.  I feel like a teeter totter, thinking one minute I should cancel them, take my losses (there will be some, for reasons best omitted), and stop worrying about it.  The next minute I remember how much I want to go on each of these trips, and how much I would regret it if I cancel now and then they are able to sail without any problems.  It is not an easy choice.

 

Agree with you but it does seem that some posters repeatedly "promote gloom and doom for the sake of negativity".  

 

I truly do not have blinders on.  Having our cruise cancelled less than 24 hours prior to boarding was very real and quite upsetting.  It was reality hitting me in the face.  I spent days prior to the cancellation worrying and stressing out about that cruise.  Ultimately, I had a choice ...... I could still be lamenting over that cruise or look forward to others.  Then I booked a cruise that was in May (bad decision on our part).  So, once again, we picked ourselves up and booked a cruise for January (that may be cancelled due to announcements out of New Zealand)   We also have a November cruise that may or may not go.  At this moment, I am not thinking about our January cruise as it is too far out to think about.

 

My point is that, although I try to be a realist, I don't dwell on negativity.  I understand what could happen and what has happened but I work every day at trying to control negative emotions (that, after all, is not good for your health).  When I post about Regent going above and beyond - I do speak in past tense (except for the current situation which is still fluid and could change at any moment).  

 

We are on our 3rd week of staying at home and there are times when staying positive is a struggle.  Perhaps that is one reason that I come to Cruise Critic ....... to hear how others are handling things -- when posters think this might end, etc.  Unfortunately, the negativity is popping up on most recent threads.  

 

In any case, hope that your cruises go forward safely and that you will enjoy them thoroughly!

 

 

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All of us must consider both sides, always - good/bad, positive/negative; otherwise, we are remiss in conducting our due diligence with mostly everything in our lives, including cruising.

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2 hours ago, ddsun1 said:

All of us must consider both sides, always - good/bad, positive/negative; otherwise, we are remiss in conducting our due diligence with mostly everything in our lives, including cruising.

 

What you say would be 100% true IF we were not being bombarded with misinformation.  How can anyone make a decision when the U.S. government and the cruise lines have no idea what comes next?

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26 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

What you say would be 100% true IF we were not being bombarded with misinformation.  How can anyone make a decision when the U.S. government and the cruise lines have no idea what comes next?

Really quite simple.  Just because two entities have no idea what comes next, in reality not only those two entities but, nobody and no entity knows what comes next so you need to take ALL of the available information available, evaluate that information and using the best information available make the best decision you can.  Leaving out any of the valid pros/cons no matter how negative or positive will leave you without the best decision.

Edited by rallydave
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Regent seems to have a very loyal, almost rabid, customer base. Why,  oh way, can't a company representative make a statement to the fact that the " over 70/ fit to travel" rumor is not now and never will be a factor of their company policy......unless it is over written by official government laws of some sort. As long as this topic/rumor is allowed to swirl around, who would want to take a chance on a FCC? If people had some sort of OFFICIAL statement of company policy it might help to stem the cash bleed and let people make their own risk choices.  And those Regent lawyers can craft the policy, in writing, to be added to the Terms and Conditions. 

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