Alaska Cruises Summer 2020

[az_tchr]

On 3/31/2020 at 10:19 AM, DFD1 said:

Since you asked, I would cancel, get as much money back as possible and I would not give any cruise line any significant amount of money for any cruise for at least one year......too much uncertainty.

I've been cruising since 1965....a lot of years. I've never seen anything like this.

Yup. 2021 Has got to be better.  If and corona around no cruises.  Unique situation this year. Alaska cruises not likely.

[PROCRUISE]

Carnival has already announced no Alaskan cruise up to and including June 30th. Just waiting for HAL to do the same.

[CRUZBUDS]

16 minutes ago, PROCRUISE said:

Carnival has already announced no Alaskan cruise up to and including June 30th. Just waiting for HAL to do the same.

 

RCCL and Celebrity also canceled Alaska until July 1st earlier this week  

[AtlantaCruiser72]

HAL, Princess and NCL have all been slow to respond to the Canadian port closures and how it affects Alaska and Canadian Cruises.  My guess is that they want to keep accepting bookings, any bookings, as long as possible to keep cash flowing in.  Even on sailings they KNOW won't happen.  Once they have the consumers $$$ they can control how/when/if you ever get it back.  Dishonest - yes - but perhaps not surprising given the current business crisis they are facing.  

[drowelf]

With a general end date for Alaska season in September, I really expecting that we will only get a month or 2 at most. I don't think that things will be back going in July. There might also be a problem with Alaska Seasonal workers to staff the ports and various excursions off the ship.  

 

While I hope that some part of the season can be salvaged, I would not be surprised to see that there is NO Alaska Season in 2020. 

Edited April 2, 2020 by drowelf

[rkacruiser]

On 3/31/2020 at 9:53 PM, Aquahound said:

Alaska is among the most beautiful places in the world and I hate to think people might miss out on their dream of cruising there this summer.  

 

Such an accurate statement.  I have a friend/neighbor who has been planning and has booked a very extensive Alaska/Yukon/Canada cruise tour since last Summer.  ("This is a one time trip and I want to do it right", she has said repeatedly.)  Doubtful that it will happen and I do feel sorry for her situation.

 

Thoughts need to be given to those from the lower 48 and Canada as well as Alaskan citizens who are involved in the Alaskan tourist industry.  If the Alaska cruise season disappears....  What about them?  As well as the impact it will have on the economy of our 49th State.  

[Talent312]

... We're scheduled for 5/23 Boston - Montreal.

I'm trying to be patient, waiting for HAL to cancel the rest of May & June.

They're certainly taking their sweet time about it, but its inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Talent312

[PandaBear62]

2 hours ago, Talent312 said:

... We're scheduled for 5/23 Boston - Montreal.

I'm trying to be patient, waiting for HAL to cancel the rest of May & June.

They're certainly taking their sweet time about it, but its inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are also scheduled for a Boston-Montreal cruise, but ours is in late July, Not super optimistic it will still be on, but it's too early to really know. 

I'm not really clear on the "cruise with confidence" FCC. It says you have until December 31, 2020 to redeem the credit. Does that mean book the cruise, or sail? If it's booking, how far out can we rebook?

It makes a difference to us, as to whether we just cancel before our final payment is due or make the payment and possibly get a FCC.

 

[wwcruisers]

6 hours ago, drowelf said:

While I hope that some part of the season can be salvaged, I would not be surprised to see that there is NO Alaska Season in 2020. 

 

Which, unfortunately, would not bode well for the post-Alaska Pacific Coastal (repo) cruises....(SIGH)☹️

[Talent312]

1 hour ago, PandaBear62 said:

We are also scheduled for a Boston-Montreal cruise, but ours is in late July, Not super optimistic it will still be on, but it's too early to really know. 

I'm not really clear on the "cruise with confidence" FCC. It says you have until December 31, 2020 to redeem the credit. Does that mean book the cruise, or sail? If it's booking, how far out can we rebook?

It makes a difference to us, as to whether we just cancel before our final payment is due or make the payment and possibly get a FCC.

 

From what I've read elsewhere, "use" means book by - not cruise by.

I would think you could book any available cruise.

Delta, OTOH, says use by 12/31/20 and travel by 12/31/20.

.

I prolly should've canceled when only my deposit was on the line.

 

[Roger88]

I am still surprised these Alaska cruises are so popular. Whats so special about them? Are they cheap or something? In order to get a nice Alaska cruise you need to travel to CA or Canada and I am not even sure if the west coast of Canada got any ports. In any case, hope these cruises are good and safe. These is all that matters at the moment. Guys, those who travelled, tell us more about those Alaska cruises. Thank you 

[Cindy]

7 hours ago, wwcruisers said:

 

Which, unfortunately, would not bode well for the post-Alaska Pacific Coastal (repo) cruises....(SIGH)☹️

I’m starting to think that’s not meant to be.😢

 

 

5 hours ago, Roger88 said:

I am still surprised these Alaska cruises are so popular. Whats so special about them? Are they cheap or something? In order to get a nice Alaska cruise you need to travel to CA or Canada and I am not even sure if the west coast of Canada got any ports. In any case, hope these cruises are good and safe. These is all that matters at the moment. Guys, those who travelled, tell us more about those Alaska cruises. Thank you 

 

Alaska cruises are very popular, and no, they’re not cheap! Most of the cruise lines have multiple ships in Alaska every year, doing a variety of itineraries and land tours. By law, all the cruises have either a start/end port (Vancouver) or a port call (usually Victoria) on their itinerary.

[CRUZBUDS]

I agree - Alaska cruises are always expensive.  Shore excursions are even more expensive.  

 

Until you've been there, it is difficult to explain the appeal.  How to you describe a beautiful day cruising through Glacier Bay?  When this settles down - do yourself a favor and put an Alaska cruise on your to-do list.   

[rkacruiser]

7 hours ago, CRUZBUDS said:

Until you've been there, it is difficult to explain the appeal.  How to you describe a beautiful day cruising through Glacier Bay?  When this settles down - do yourself a favor and put an Alaska cruise on your to-do list.   

 

The natural beauty, the wildlife that one often sees, the freshest halibut I have ever ate, the history, and Alaska's citizens--welcoming and friendly.  Google the music video of Lee *****'s "I Want To Go Home To Alaska".  Alaska is a worth a visit.  You just might find yourself wanting to return.  

[lyndarra]

23 hours ago, Roger88 said:

I am still surprised these Alaska cruises are so popular. Whats so special about them? Are they cheap or something? In order to get a nice Alaska cruise you need to travel to CA or Canada and I am not even sure if the west coast of Canada got any ports. In any case, hope these cruises are good and safe. These is all that matters at the moment. Guys, those who travelled, tell us more about those Alaska cruises. Thank you 

I'm an Aussie and have done two Alaska cruises and would have done a third if I hadn't cancelled my 14/7 Westerdam cruise over 4 weeks ago having seen the writing on the wall back then. There's always something new (to me) and amazing things to see and experience.

It is expensive but some good deals can be had towards the end of the season. By comparison a 7 day Mississippi River cruise cost me about the same as two 7 day Alaskan cruises including pre and post cruise tours.

[StLouisCruisers]

6 hours ago, lyndarra said:

By comparison a 7 day Mississippi River cruise cost me about the same as two 7 day Alaskan cruises including pre and post cruise tours.

 

How interesting!  I assume you took in New Orleans on your Mississippi River cruise but how far north did you go?  Memphis perhaps?  Most Americans probably haven't done that cruise so I am impressed you decided to see some of our country, only inland instead of the usual cruise ship ports.

[Redee2cruz]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2020 at 7:17 AM, tinykygal said:

Friends  booked their FIRST cruise and on HAL because we think the health scores are good and because we love BB King.

Their cruise is to Alaska in AUG 2020.

Final payment isn't until May and I had read suggestions to delay cancelling until perhaps month before final payment in order to receive down payment.

 

They respect our opinion as we are seasoned cruisers.

 

What are your thoughts.  I told her I would ask the forum.

 

[Redee2cruz]

My husband always said he would never cruise until we had our first one with Celebrity.  The experience was memorable, without issue and one in which we repeated with our family twice a year. We introduced others to cruises and now they sail every year. We have a cruise booked to Alaska July 10th on Royal.  Even if the cruise sails, there would be some level of being uncomfortable and I can't imagine that we would have the same experience as we have had previously.  For this reason I would recommend cancelling so that their first experience is not their last.    Cruising is wonderful when everything happens as it should....I am tearfully cancelling my upcoming cruise because I just don't need the extra anxiety on vacation.  Good luck either way..

[PROCRUISE]

19 minutes ago, Redee2cruz said:

 

 

No one here, including myself, really knows the answer to your question nor probably does the CEO of HAL at the moment.

We are still waiting for HAL to cancel our June Alaska cruise which is a given and then our TA has been requested to immediately file for 100% refund. 

My GUESS, considering cruise lines are now even sending staff back home to Asia (RCCL) is that there will be no Alaska cruise season at all this year. Stay healthy and safe!

Edited April 4, 2020 by PROCRUISE

[StLouisCruisers]

12 minutes ago, Redee2cruz said:

My husband always said he would never cruise until we had our first one with Celebrity.  The experience was memorable, without issue and one in which we repeated with our family twice a year. We introduced others to cruises and now they sail every year. We have a cruise booked to Alaska July 10th on Royal.  Even if the cruise sails, there would be some level of being uncomfortable and I can't imagine that we would have the same experience as we have had previously.  For this reason I would recommend cancelling so that their first experience is not their last.    Cruising is wonderful when everything happens as it should....I am tearfully cancelling my upcoming cruise because I just don't need the extra anxiety on vacation.  Good luck either way..

 

I would have to agree on this matter.  They would be so stressed they would probably not enjoy their time there.  We also cancelled our June and July cruises in Northern Europe this summer and I am very sad that we don't have any cruises booked in 2020 anymore.  I am even concerned about our January 2021 cruise.  We shall just have to wait and see.

[CRUZBUDS]

On 4/2/2020 at 8:12 PM, Talent312 said:

... We're scheduled for 5/23 Boston - Montreal.

I'm trying to be patient, waiting for HAL to cancel the rest of May & June.

They're certainly taking their sweet time about it, but its inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI  Celebrity switched their early Canada/New England cruises on the Summit to Bermuda with other east coast U.S. ports 

[Talent312]

7 minutes ago, CRUZBUDS said:

FYI  Celebrity switched their early Canada/New England cruises on the Summit to Bermuda with other east coast U.S. ports 

I would hope that they'd offer a full refund, given the change in destination.

But with their right to change ports, maybe that means they'd stick with FCC only.

 

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, CRUZBUDS said:

FYI  Celebrity switched their early Canada/New England cruises on the Summit to Bermuda with other east coast U.S. ports 

 

Thanks for your post.  I did not know this.  Will now have to Google Bermuda with regard to the virus situation to see what their government is doing.

[Aquahound]

On 4/3/2020 at 8:38 AM, CRUZBUDS said:

Until you've been there, it is difficult to explain the appeal.  How to you describe a beautiful day cruising through Glacier Bay?  When this settles down - do yourself a favor and put an Alaska cruise on your to-do list.   

 

Agreed!  Of 56 cruises, I can say confidently that Glacier Bay has been my favorite scenic sea day.  Last year in GB, on top of all the natural beauty, we saw a family of 4 brown bears, and some really good calving from Margerie Glacier.  When this piece broke, the wake made the ship rock.

 

Edited April 4, 2020 by Aquahound

[Crazy For Cats]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Thanks for your post.  I did not know this.  Will now have to Google Bermuda with regard to the virus situation to see what their government is doing.

I checked about a week ago and Bermuda is on lockdown.  No tourists can enter.