Would you cruise in August

[firekapy]

I don’t have an issue with cruising.....we’d go as soon as we could, in fact we are booked for Oct 25 on Harmony.  The only thing I worry about is flying cross country to Orlando.  Much more concerned about flying than cruising. 

[miamijoe.rm]

We're booked out of San Juan in June after RCI says they are opening back up. I figure we'll have the boat all to ourselves! WooHoo!

[rtazz17]

28 minutes ago, miamijoe.rm said:

We're booked out of San Juan in June after RCI says they are opening back up. I figure we'll have the boat all to ourselves! WooHoo!

Lol,im guessing you wont see any boats in san juan

[Iamcruzin]

32 minutes ago, miamijoe.rm said:

We're booked out of San Juan in June after RCI says they are opening back up. I figure we'll have the boat all to ourselves! WooHoo!

All cruises all lines have been suspended until July. Better come up with plan B.

[JT1962]

Why do people still believe the dates that the Cruise Line’s post when sailing will begin again when those same cruise lines have already moved that date three times? The dates are just place holders so they can manage the cancellations and possibly keep getting deposits on new bookings or getting final payments on upcoming cruises already booked.

 

All cruises will not just immediately start sailing again on or near a certain date. From several reports I have read, the cruise lines are planning on sailing one or two ships on short 3 to 4 day itineraries at reduced capacities initially to ensure the procedures they have in place are working. Those will probably be from Port Canaveral to the private islands. They will then gradually add more ships, itineraries and increase capacities as long as there aren’t any major outbreaks or quarantines due to Covid-19. I would not be surprised to see it take 5-6 months or even longer after those initial sailings before they get back to sailing most of their ships at or near full capacity.

 

 

[Kingseat]

8 hours ago, JT1962 said:

Why do people still believe the dates that the Cruise Line’s post when sailing will begin again when those same cruise lines have already moved that date three times? The dates are just place holders so they can manage the cancellations and possibly keep getting deposits on new bookings or getting final payments on upcoming cruises already booked.

 

All cruises will not just immediately start sailing again on or near a certain date. From several reports I have read, the cruise lines are planning on sailing one or two ships on short 3 to 4 day itineraries at reduced capacities initially to ensure the procedures they have in place are working. Those will probably be from Port Canaveral to the private islands. They will then gradually add more ships, itineraries and increase capacities as long as there aren’t any major outbreaks or quarantines due to Covid-19. I would not be surprised to see it take 5-6 months or even longer after those initial sailings before they get back to sailing most of their ships at or near full capacity.

 

 

We are not experienced cruisers however, this is exactly what we thought would happen. 
 

we are in the UK and due to sail out of Venice in October but I don’t think it will happen. Mainly because I am not convinced the ship will be in Europe and ports will be open.  

[LXA350]

On 4/23/2020 at 3:09 AM, bouhunter said:

No.

 

If we want to cruise or travel in general in the not so ditant future we will have not choice than to adapt to various measures that might not be the most convenient.

 

Again all of us can contribute to a safe cruise experience once it will commence again and it is so smple and shouldn't even be explained. Please wash your hands often and espcially before entering any food venue wash them very thoroughly and in addition disinfect them at a Purell dispencer!!!

 

[airbusdrvr]

Quote

 

1 hour ago, LXA350 said:

 

Again all of us can contribute to a safe cruise experience once it will commence again and it is so smple and shouldn't even be explained. Please wash your hands often and espcially before entering any food venue wash them very thoroughly and in addition disinfect them at a Purell dispencer!!!

 

I was on Allure back in January. What really irritates me is when people walk into the Windjammer and are told to please wash your hands or use hand sanitizer by the staff greeters and they do neither and walk right in. I think the new protocol will be wash your hands or you do not enter. 

Edited April 26, 2020 by airbusdrvr

[LXA350]

4 minutes ago, airbusdrvr said:

 

I was on Allure back in January. What really irritates me is when people walk into the Windjammer and are told to please wash your hands or use hand sanitizer by the staff greeters and they do neither and walk right in. I think the new protocol will be wash your hands or you do not enter. 

 

They will need to haveenough staff members at the entrance of each dining venue to make sure no one will enter who didn't wash + disinfeced their hands (Windjammer) and all other dining venues to at least disinfected them.

[island lady]

15 hours ago, rtazz17 said:

Lol,im guessing you wont see any boats in san juan

 

Oh you might see boats...but probably not ships.  😉 

[ECCruise]

7 hours ago, Kingseat said:

We are not experienced cruisers however, this is exactly what we thought would happen. 
 

we are in the UK and due to sail out of Venice in October but I don’t think it will happen. Mainly because I am not convinced the ship will be in Europe and ports will be open.  

You are correct.  That sailing will not be happening.

Italy closed for tourism until year end. 

[BHappy2Day]

Would I cruise this August?  It depends on 

1.  Infection rate globally with pandemic, since cruisers are international--maybe summertime is a partial reprieve

2.  Infection rate in areas local to terminals and ports of call

3.  Cruise line agreements with U.S. ports and other ports of call in case of outbreak--i.e., would not cruise if there is a chance of a stranded ship

4.  Screening and testing ability pre-cruise and during cruise; denial of passage and fly-home protocols

5.  Mitigation and containment measures aboard ship

     a.  Anti-virus cleaning, and if available, anti-viral fogging

     b.  Crowd management to maximize social distancing---very difficult, but whatever can be done should be done

     c.  Limiting total passenger count to help with crowd management

     d.  Spreading out in space and time meals in food and entertainment venues 

     e.  Availability and requirement to wear masks in public spaces other than dining

     f.  Closure of high-spread environments--pools, spas, gyms, beauty treatments

 

So-----for many or most people, the above list would render cruising useless.  And, that list might be too expensive or impractical for cruise lines.  But I really, really want to cruise, and I hope we find a way to do it!

[cementhands]

I realistically think the cruise lines are going to go through extremely hard times. It’s questionable that they can survive this epidemic. Keeping the ships in shape is expensive. Think about every stateroom and functioning plumbing alone. Leaving your house alone for months and a multitude of thing need fixing. Even though some crew is still onboard how long will it last.
Second wave of covid19 expected this fall. Cruise lines are bleeding money now. Government bailout package is unlikely as other USA companies have precedent.
2021 spring might be next cruise opportunities.

Staying healthy is our only concern.

[LXA350]

1 hour ago, BHappy2Day said:

Would I cruise this August?  It depends on 

1.  Infection rate globally with pandemic, since cruisers are international--maybe summertime is a partial reprieve

2.  Infection rate in areas local to terminals and ports of call

3.  Cruise line agreements with U.S. ports and other ports of call in case of outbreak--i.e., would not cruise if there is a chance of a stranded ship

4.  Screening and testing ability pre-cruise and during cruise; denial of passage and fly-home protocols

5.  Mitigation and containment measures aboard ship

     a.  Anti-virus cleaning, and if available, anti-viral fogging

     b.  Crowd management to maximize social distancing---very difficult, but whatever can be done should be done

     c.  Limiting total passenger count to help with crowd management

     d.  Spreading out in space and time meals in food and entertainment venues 

     e.  Availability and requirement to wear masks in public spaces other than dining

     f.  Closure of high-spread environments--pools, spas, gyms, beauty treatments

 

So-----for many or most people, the above list would render cruising useless.  And, that list might be too expensive or impractical for cruise lines.  But I really, really want to cruise, and I hope we find a way to do it!

 

Having pools closed off could work but not the spa, the cruiseline needs the business. Even the gym can be open as long as the amount of people in are limited at the time and a staff member fully disinfects the equipment after each usage.

[atgood]

We have a cruise booked in August and will go if RCI doesn’t cancel.  We are not in one of the at risk categories.  
 

Eventually, the current Covid-19 hysteria will die down.  Covid-19 is not as virulent as influenza.  This will come out as more accurate studies are published in reputable media sources.  Covid-19 usually never overcomes the immune system of a healthy adult.  However, Covid-19 is very dangerous to the elderly and immunocompromised. 

 

Here are a few things to chew on.  

 

1.  Many people under 60, especially those under 21, do not know they may have already had it.  It’s therefore impossible to know the true number of infected persons.  

 

2.  Of the 2 million people (as of a few days ago) who have tested positive for COVID-19 globally, most have had mild to no symptoms.  

 

3.  With a much higher number of actual cases than just the 2 million to include asymptomatic people who’ve never been tested, the mortality rate is actually much lower than what is being reported.  China initially withheld their number of asymptomatic Covid-19 cases, potentially in the hundreds of thousands.  Doing so caused the Covid-19 mortality rate to be reported at 4%.  If the withheld number of cases were to be included, the mortality rate drops way down (as low as 0.2% in China).  

 

4.  Covid-19 infected people do not end up spreading it to those around them more than influenza.  I can recall as an example of a school shutting down temporarily due to the number of cases of the flu.  Regarding  the highly publicized cases in the NBA, the NBA tested hundreds of players, staff, and media to come up with a total of 14 cases of Covid-19.  Of the 14, 12 were a symptomatic and two cases had mild symptoms.  The most extreme case of Covid-19 spreading was reported on the USS Theodore Roosevelt.  Living conditions on there are very tight.  4800 sailors were exposed to multiple Covid-19 infected individuals, day after day, and yet 4000 sailors didn’t get Covid-19.  I could not find out results for symptoms of the 800 that tested positive. 

 

5.  As of a few days ago, Covid-19 has infected less than 0.07% of the global population (based on a population of 3 billion).  I was surprised at this number and thought it was higher based on the tv reporting we’ve seen. 

 

6.  Your level of rest, nutrition, stress, age, and general health come into play as to weather you will die from Covid-19.  People in certain categories are definitely at a higher risk.  There are plenty of reasons which potentially explain the number of cases in the US.  We have high obesity and diabetes rates in the US so people with those conditions are already at a higher risk to begin with.  Also, due to advances in medicine and other healthcare before Covid-19 arrived on scene, people in the US are living at lot longer these days.  This allows for more older people (as candidates) to become infected with Covid-19 when they otherwise would have already passed on if they had lived in the previous century.  

 

7.  The increase in the number of US Covid-19 cases since early April could be explained by the CDC’s new guidance regarding the issuing of death certificates. COVID-19 now is to be listed as the cause of death if it was assumed to cause or contribute to a death without even a positive test result.  To muddy the waters further, if a city attributes enough deaths to COVID-19, it can request federal aid.  Go figure.

[time4u2go]

11 minutes ago, atgood said:

Covid-19 infected people do not end up spreading it to those around them more than influenza.

Can you cite a reference for this?  

[atgood]

10 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Can you cite a reference for this?  

Here’s an article for good information:

https://idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40249-020-00655-w

 

The article mentions it is estimated that each year, 1 billion cases of symptomatic influenza infection have occurred across the globe, including 3–5 million cases of severe illness and 290,000–650,000 cases of influenza-related respiratory deaths.  
 

Covid-19 has quite a way to go to reach an estimated 1 billion cases annually. 

 

There’s a very informative and recent video out featuring Dr. Dan Erickson and Dr. Artin Massihi, ER doctors in Kern County California.  They present hard data from the front line where they work and talk medical common sense.  There are two parts and they are a little over an hour in total.

 

Part 1:

 

 

Part 2:

 

 

One of the quotes from the video, "Well we have 39.5 million people [in California], if we just take a basic calculation and extrapolate that out, that equates to about 4.7 million cases throughout the state of California.  Which means this thing is widespread, that's the good news.  We've seen 1,227 deaths in the state of California with a possible incidents or prevalence of 4.7 million. That means you have a  0.03[%] chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of California” if you test positive.  To summarize, millions of cases, small amount of death. 

 

I’ll summarize other numbers from the video.  

 

In NY state, 256,272 Covid-19 cases, 39% of those who were tested for Covid-19.  19,410 Covid-19 deaths out of a state population of 19,000,000 which is a chance of dying of 0.1% if you live in NY.  To summarize, millions of cases, small amount of death.  I calculated the mortality rate at 7.5% for those who test positive using his numbers, but that doesn’t include other underlying factors.  

 

In the USA, 802,590 positive Covid-19 cases in over 4 million tests (19.6% positive rate for those tested for Covid-19). Dr. Erickson mentions the number of deaths at 43,000 which was current at the time of the video and was in the range of influenza historically in the USA. 

 

Spain, the second largest number of Covid-19 cases has a 22% positive rate and a 0.05[%] chance of dying.  

 

Sweden and Norway didn’t go into lockdown.  Sweden did some social distancing.  Both countries experienced similar very low death rates as California, but neither country enforced a lockdown. 

 

Another quote from the video, "We decided to keep people at home and isolate them, even though everything we've studied about quarantine, typically you quarantine the sick.  When someone has measles you quarantine them.  We've never seen the healthy, where you take those without disease and without symptoms and lock them in your home.  So some of these things from what we've studied from immunology and microbiology aren't really meshing with what we know as people of scientific minds who read this stuff."

 

One final thing of note that they’ve observed during the lockdown, which a lot of us haven’t considered, is the increase in secondary effects (child abuse, domestic abuse, alcoholism, suicides, loss of revenue) from quarantining are significantly more detrimental than Covid-19. 

[A&L_Ont]

On 4/24/2020 at 10:41 AM, island lady said:

Could be "rounding up" to July 1st to match the Canada border/cruise ports opening...if they open then at all.  😮 

As it stands right now many in Canada are watching what is happening in the States, with is what felt by some to be a premature opening/return to “normal”. If it is indeed premature, and a second wave follows  the border and ports will be closed even longer.  We love our neighbours to the south but we don’t want to visiting to soon.  

 

On 4/25/2020 at 7:09 AM, Biker19 said:

RCI has not clarified how, but apparently you'll be able to "give" away your FCC, probably even "sell" it.

You might be able to light your backyard campfire with it too.😉

 

On 4/25/2020 at 9:23 AM, Biker19 said:

See if you can downgrade to a cheaper cabin so you have less tied up in an FCC and get some of your money back..

Has anyone had any luck with this?

Edited April 27, 2020 by A&L_Ont

[Biker19]

5 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Has anyone had any luck with this?

Don't see any reason it wouldn't, there should not be any money involved (same deposit), just hopefully a lot less due at final.

[A&L_Ont]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Don't see any reason it wouldn't, there should not be any money involved (same deposit), just hopefully a lot less due at final.

I was thinking about it differently than you but I do see your point.
 

We have a deposit on a non refundable suite, to which we are cancelling for late October. The deposit is the same for either a GS or the largest cabin in board.  If we downgraded from a sky loft to a grand suite, it should not reduce my future FCC before final payment. 
 

As it stands yesterday Delta already cancelled our booked flight, with a Credit to be used within 2 years.  There was no cash back offer.  It seems as though this sailing is not meant to be for us. 

[jean87510]

4 hours ago, atgood said:

Here’s an article for good information:

https://idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40249-020-00655-w

 

The article mentions it is estimated that each year, 1 billion cases of symptomatic influenza infection have occurred across the globe, including 3–5 million cases of severe illness and 290,000–650,000 cases of influenza-related respiratory deaths.  
 

Covid-19 has quite a way to go to reach an estimated 1 billion cases annually. 

 

There’s a very informative and recent video out featuring Dr. Dan Erickson and Dr. Artin Massihi, ER doctors in Kern County California.  They present hard data from the front line where they work and talk medical common sense.  There are two parts and they are a little over an hour in total.

 

Part 1:

 

 

Part 2:

 

 

One of the quotes from the video, "Well we have 39.5 million people [in California], if we just take a basic calculation and extrapolate that out, that equates to about 4.7 million cases throughout the state of California.  Which means this thing is widespread, that's the good news.  We've seen 1,227 deaths in the state of California with a possible incidents or prevalence of 4.7 million. That means you have a  0.03[%] chance of dying from COVID-19 in the state of California” if you test positive.  To summarize, millions of cases, small amount of death. 

 

I’ll summarize other numbers from the video.  

 

In NY state, 256,272 Covid-19 cases, 39% of those who were tested for Covid-19.  19,410 Covid-19 deaths out of a state population of 19,000,000 which is a chance of dying of 0.1% if you live in NY.  To summarize, millions of cases, small amount of death.  I calculated the mortality rate at 7.5% for those who test positive using his numbers, but that doesn’t include other underlying factors.  

 

In the USA, 802,590 positive Covid-19 cases in over 4 million tests (19.6% positive rate for those tested for Covid-19). Dr. Erickson mentions the number of deaths at 43,000 which was current at the time of the video and was in the range of influenza historically in the USA. 

 

Spain, the second largest number of Covid-19 cases has a 22% positive rate and a 0.05[%] chance of dying.  

 

Sweden and Norway didn’t go into lockdown.  Sweden did some social distancing.  Both countries experienced similar very low death rates as California, but neither country enforced a lockdown. 

 

Another quote from the video, "We decided to keep people at home and isolate them, even though everything we've studied about quarantine, typically you quarantine the sick.  When someone has measles you quarantine them.  We've never seen the healthy, where you take those without disease and without symptoms and lock them in your home.  So some of these things from what we've studied from immunology and microbiology aren't really meshing with what we know as people of scientific minds who read this stuff."

 

One final thing of note that they’ve observed during the lockdown, which a lot of us haven’t considered, is the increase in secondary effects (child abuse, domestic abuse, alcoholism, suicides, loss of revenue) from quarantining are significantly more detrimental than Covid-19. 

Refreshing to read something posted that corroborates what Ive said and thought for some time now. I've seen this before. Thx for posting.

[Cruise a holic]

Cannot believe that people do not understand how this virus spreads- not the flu, which in comparison to Covid is mild.  Covid is more like pneumonia then the flu.  It has the potential to kill many more people in the world.

 

Don't "drink the cool

 aid " stay home and listen to the scientists.  

[Sunshine3601]

17 hours ago, LXA350 said:

 

Having pools closed off could work but not the spa, the cruiseline needs the business. Even the gym can be open as long as the amount of people in are limited at the time and a staff member fully disinfects the equipment after each usage.

Sunlight kills the virus so I dont see pools being shut down.   Yes, They will have to control people and distancing at pools.  Probably no hot tubs.

[Cruise a holic]

No guarantees that sunlight will kill 100% of virus

[jp2746]

We are planning on cruising in August if we are allowed.  We are waiting to put money down because we already have cruise credit coming and 7K in refunds that we are waiting for.   I don't want to invest more money that may take months to get back.  So, we have reservations to each port with airline miles (that can be canceled without a penalty) just in case we can cruise.  However, we also had a back up plan to go to Aruba in August and Southwest canceled flights from FLL to Aruba until August 11th, so that isn't looking too good.  But we really want to cruise before school starts!

 

We are in California and I am sure that we had Covid in early February of this year.  We have a 21 year old son in college who was very sick. Unfortunately, he has vaped and he thought that he had messed up his lungs and was afraid for his life at some point.  He never got to the point of going to the hospital, but he was very sick.  He had fever, cough and he had a hard time breathing.  Many of his friends at school had the same thing, so he figured something must be going around.  My younger son and myself both had a slight fever and lung issues for a while, but nothing that required a doctor's visit (although I did contact the doctor at one point for a phone consultation).  Neither of us had a cough.  We all head very bad headaches for a few days that wouldn't go away with any medication and we all had horrible fatigue.  My husband only complained of fatigue and headaches.  At the time there was very little information about Covid so we really had no idea that we could be sick with it.  I just remember my son telling me that everyone at school was sick with the same thing.  He emphasized that everyone in every single class had some sort of issue similar to his.  

 

I will be interested in taking the antibodies test to verify this.