When Cruising Resumes.......

[Roz]

When cruising resumes, I'm wondering if no or reduced single supplements will be more available to entice people back onto cruise ships.  We can hope, can't we?

Edited April 5, 2020 by Roz

[rkacruiser]

A reasonable hope, particularly when cruising first resumes.  

 

But, on the other hand, I have been hoping for a knock on my front door from Publisher's Clearing House Team for some time.  

[gailellen12]

I have cruised solo a couple of times but I think I will be more reluctant to do it in the future.  I was supposed to cruise with friends this month.  They are unable to go away  anytime in the next year or so.  I do have FCC to use by the end of next year  but I think I will be more uncertain about going it alone down the line.  Those FCC may never be used.  Thankfully, a small amount of money involved.

[mef_57]

I am in an internal struggle about when to consider returning to cruising.  I had to cancel a great cruise set to leave in 2 weeks, but I can't afford the same cruise next April.  It was a repositioning cruise, and even before this pandemic, the costs to do the same or similar routes were $1K more than this year.  I now have a FCC to use so I promptly reserved space on a cruise for May 2021 for a region that I normally would consider 'too expensive' in order to lock in pricing I can tolerate.  My take on this is that for the first number of weeks, there will be incentive pricing, and then once the fear factor is reduced, prices will increase to try and recoup losses.  I see fewer solo deals unless within a very few weeks of sailing.  As a Canadian, that means flights could price these out of consideration.

Also, as I work in health care, I am reluctant to see these floating petrie dishes trying to bring back travelers as soon as possible.  It is my opinion that it will be cruising that contributes to the next waves of COVID that is projected unless we continue to stay at home.  Low pricing will entice those with a short memory, or higher tolerance to risk, but it won't ensure clean ships or countries to let a ship with an outbreak into their ports.

Ultimately, I will walk away from the FCC if things don't settle down sooner than the worst doom sayers predict.  Fingers crossed.🤞

[CruiseMH]

I also do have the hope that when cruising resmues there will be cheap offers for solo travellers.

But it all depends on how the people will react once cruising resumes. If the people want to cruise badly cause they missed it and they will book all the cruises as crazy then the prices will rather go up than down and solo cruisers will have to pay the same high prices as usual.

 

[PerfectlyPerth]

I have a couple of mini cruises (3-5 days to a specific location I fancy going to) that I snapped up a couple of months ago for 50% off. Not til Dec. But given all that is going on and not knowing what the industry will do etc - I'm not going out of my way to book shore trips etc until much closer to the dates. I don't have a powerful enough crystal ball to predict how the industry will recover and indeed what it will do down here in Aus. Also one I booked is with Princess and they are currently being investigated by the police for the Ruby debacle so there is the potential depending on the findings for them to be banned or pull out of the Aus market. Who knows. Again. Crystal ball stuff. 
it's a weird unpredictable world to be in at the moment. 

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, PerfectlyPerth said:

t's a weird unpredictable world to be in at the moment. 

 

Well said!

 

As I write this, it appears that some of the cruise lines are starting to repatriate many of their crew members to their home countries.  After that happens, the ships will then probably go to what is called "cold lay-up".  (I don't thoroughly understand the total definition of such so please don't ask.)  What I have deduced is this.  When cruising begins again, it's going to take time for such ships to be "returned to life" and properly crewed.

 

There is a glimmer of hope that once we "get on the other side" of this crisis, my State of Ohio will start to re-open very slowly.  That is what our Governor seems to be signaling.    How that will appear?  To be determined.  If our President is wise, I think that's the logical way to re-open the U.S.  

 

If this scenario is used and is successful, that may be what the cruise industry will do.  A few ships on select itineraries at a time regardless of the pent-up demand that may or may not exist.  If so, while we solos would like to see bargain rates, if there are those who are willing to pay whatever the quoted rates may be (dare I say brochure rates?)...need I say more?

 

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by rkacruiser

[DanielLL]

On 4/6/2020 at 10:15 AM, gailellen12 said:

I have cruised solo a couple of times but I think I will be more reluctant to do it in the future.  I was supposed to cruise with friends this month.  They are unable to go away  anytime in the next year or so.  I do have FCC to use by the end of next year  but I think I will be more uncertain about going it alone down the line.  Those FCC may never be used.  Thankfully, a small amount of money involved.

Why will you be more reluctant to cruise solo in the future?

[gailellen12]

On 4/12/2020 at 5:38 PM, DanielLL said:

Why will you be more reluctant to cruise solo in the future?

I will be approaching 70 and not sure that I don't want to have someone along with me in case I should run into any unexpected problems.  That is, if I am allowed to travel by HAL - If not I want my FCC refunded!!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, gailellen12 said:

I will be approaching 70 and not sure that I don't want to have someone along with me in case I should run into any unexpected problems.  That is, if I am allowed to travel by HAL - If not I want my FCC refunded!!

 

I am sympathetic with your thinking and there is no question in my mind, regardless of one's age, having a traveling companion can be most helpful at times.  

 

As one who is a bit more "senior" in age than you and has recently required wheelchair assistance to embark and disembark (due to the long, snaking walks through the terminal and the boarding ramps), my 3 cruises on two lines/3 ships from two ports in December and January taught me that, even as a solo, when a challenging situation takes place, on-board or at the ports, the ship's staff and the cruise line's agent's staff ashore helps to resolve what may, at first, seem to be a "what in the %#@* am I going to do now" into a successful, if not unusual, experience.  

 

At least for me, as one ages, traveling--not just cruising--but traveling by whatever mode of transportation becomes increasingly challenging.  As the late Kenny Rogers once sang:..."know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em..."  I am not yet ready to "fold 'em."

 

I encourage you to keep traveling/cruising!