Cruising in 2021

[LHT28]

16 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

So getting back to cruising in 2021....is anyone making deposits? I’m really on the fence. Found a great September 2021 itinerary on Marina but so hesitant. Anyone else feeling that? 

I will wait  to see how Oceania fares  after  all this  is over

[CintiPam]

11 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I will wait  to see how Oceania fares  after  all this  is over

Fabulous choice of the word “fares”, that conveys two good points! 😁

Edited April 29, 2020 by CintiPam

[JVNYC]

18 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Yup.....Booked Marina for Sept 2021.. AMS to LIS... used  2 cruise deposits to cover the costs.. 

 Things will be fine once CNN  get tired of hyping it... and moves on...

I have total faith this will be happening and a great cruise....... not even remotely worried

That’s the itinerary I’m looking at! It’s a great one!

[susiesan]

1 hour ago, JVNYC said:

So getting back to cruising in 2021....is anyone making deposits? I’m really on the fence. Found a great September 2021 itinerary on Marina but so hesitant. Anyone else feeling that? 

I booked Marina Aug. 29, 2021 Copenhagen to Stockholm. Rolled the deposit over from cancelled June 26 cruise, applied the $500 admin fee. I am saving over $1000 pp by doing the exact same cruise and itinerary next year than this year. But I still wish I was going in 2 months as one by one all my 2020 travel plans are unraveling.

[TrulyBlonde]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 If this was a  one of their 12 day cruises   with 8 sea days  that leaves only 4 days to see land.

At $2200 to $3000 a day for 12 days  for a basic outside cabin I have a hard time seeing the value unless you very-very well off  with cash to burn......

It was very well planned itinerary and not cheap. We were able to upgrade to the Owners Suite for a VERY reasonable price once we were on board because the cruise was not sold out. Here is the itinerary below with a few changes made due to early season and ice. Plenty of landings. Our finances are not anyones business.

 

Montevideo - Uruguay Embarkation from 16.00 to 17.00 Port of Montevideo

At sea

At sea

At sea

At sea

Fortuna Bay - South Georgia

Grytviken - South Georgia

Gold Harbour - South Georgia

Cooper Bay - South Georgia

At sea

At sea

Wilhelmina Bay - Antarctica

Paradise Bay - Antarctica

Neko Harbor - Antarctica

At sea

At sea

Ushuaia - Argentina Disembarkation after breakfast

ARRIVAL

DEPARTURE

19.00

Tuesday, Nov 13

Deception Island, South Shetland Islands - Antarctica

Wednesday, Nov 14

Port Lockroy, Goudier Island - Antarctica

 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

It was very well planned itinerary and not cheap. We were able to upgrade to the Owners Suite for a VERY reasonable price once we were on board because the cruise was not sold out. Here is the itinerary below with a few changes made due to early season and ice. Plenty of landings. Our finances are not anyones business.

 

Montevideo - Uruguay Embarkation from 16.00 to 17.00 Port of Montevideo

At sea

At sea

At sea

At sea

Fortuna Bay - South Georgia

Grytviken - South Georgia

Gold Harbour - South Georgia

Cooper Bay - South Georgia

At sea

At sea

Wilhelmina Bay - Antarctica

Paradise Bay - Antarctica

Neko Harbor - Antarctica

At sea

At sea

Ushuaia - Argentina Disembarkation after breakfast

ARRIVAL

DEPARTURE

19.00

Tuesday, Nov 13

Deception Island, South Shetland Islands - Antarctica

Wednesday, Nov 14

Port Lockroy, Goudier Island - Antarctica

 

 No prying....  but in an owner suite   at 74K pp    I dont think, for me,  I see the value of spending over 100K for 12 days.  for a cruise anywhere.      More power to you if  you can do that....     

[TrulyBlonde]

8 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

 No prying....  but in an owner suite   at 74K pp    I dont think, for me,  I see the value of spending over 100K for 12 days.  for a cruise anywhere.      More power to you if  you can do that....     

No where near that price. Take a balcony cabin and add $5000 total for the OS. They were more than willing to negotiate (which we did) for the extra revenue. Otherwise it sat empty. It was a blessing to have after we set sail and encountered the rough seas. 😉  That was value.

[ORV]

2 hours ago, JVNYC said:

That’s the itinerary I’m looking at! It’s a great one!

We went on a similar one this past Sept. It didn't go to Ireland but did more France ports. We loved it. 

 

I highly recommend Overlord Tours if you're going to the Normandy beaches. 

 

Dan, there is a Marriott property in Lisbon called Memmo Principe that was great if you're staying there post cruise. It was one of the Starwood Properties prior to the merger. I would also recommend Top Ten tours for any tours or transportation in the Lisbon area. They truly were top notch. 

[JVNYC]

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

We went on a similar one this past Sept. It didn't go to Ireland but did more France ports. We loved it. 

 

I highly recommend Overlord Tours if you're going to the Normandy beaches. 

 

Dan, there is a Marriott property in Lisbon called Memmo Principe that was great if you're staying there post cruise. It was one of the Starwood Properties prior to the merger. I would also recommend Top Ten tours for any tours or transportation in the Lisbon area. They truly were top notch. 

Thanks for this info. How was your weather that time of year? It can definitely be all over the place in that part of Europe.

 

[ORV]

I'd have to go back and look at pictures to see what we were wearing but as I recall it was pretty pleasant most of the time. 

[docmark]

"I would also recommend Top Ten tours for any tours or transportation in the Lisbon area. They truly were top notch. "

 

++++++ concur!!!,

[clo]

4 hours ago, JVNYC said:

So getting back to cruising in 2021....is anyone making deposits? I’m really on the fence. Found a great September 2021 itinerary on Marina but so hesitant. Anyone else feeling that? 

I just canceled our Marina cruise for 9/21. Through this site and the 'regular' media I've learned things about the cruise industry that I didn't know and don't like. And this crisis doesn't seem to have improved their reputation. And now they're going into a financial crisis. I didn't even want them having my measly $1500 deposit. Here's part of the email I sent my O agent, who is a GREAT guy and I made sure to tell him that.

 

"We've given this a lot of thought and have decided to cancel the above cruise for next year. I'm going to be honest with both of you and say the entire cruise line business is showing a lack of professional ethics IMO.  Perhaps it's always been like this and I just haven't known. And how they've acted during this crisis doesn't inspire confidence. Maybe we'll return to cruising some day but not any time soon.

 

Just us but it's left a bad taste in our mouth.

[JVNYC]

4 minutes ago, clo said:

I just canceled our Marina cruise for 9/21. Through this site and the 'regular' media I've learned things about the cruise industry that I didn't know and don't like. And this crisis doesn't seem to have improved their reputation. And now they're going into a financial crisis. I didn't even want them having my measly $1500 deposit. Here's part of the email I sent my O agent, who is a GREAT guy and I made sure to tell him that.

 

"We've given this a lot of thought and have decided to cancel the above cruise for next year. I'm going to be honest with both of you and say the entire cruise line business is showing a lack of professional ethics IMO.  Perhaps it's always been like this and I just haven't known. And how they've acted during this crisis doesn't inspire confidence. Maybe we'll return to cruising some day but not any time soon.

 

Just us but it's left a bad taste in our mouth.

I’m sorry to hear you cancelled. Is it the whole shady business of cruise lines avoiding taxes? What was it that changed your mind? 

[Paulchili]

30 minutes ago, clo said:

I didn't even want them having my measly $1500 deposit.

Do you think you'll have to wait 90 days for your deposit?

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Do you think you'll have to wait 90 days for your deposit?

To be fair, the last one we canceled we got the deposit in days but that was before the madness really settled in. The cancellation email I got from O said four to six weeks.

[clo]

30 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

I’m sorry to hear you cancelled. Is it the whole shady business of cruise lines avoiding taxes? What was it that changed your mind? 

We've taken 8 cruises in 18 years (counted up) and I'd never really known anything about the industry. Certainly their offshore registration and all that it allows them to do wasn't something I liked. And the way many paid as little attention to COVID for as long as they could really infuriated me. Some sailed even knowing about it. And seemed to have no plans for how to deal with it. And the anecdotes of people being sick with it and hearing announcements about how everything was hunky-dory. And now they're all in deep financial straights - what eight months of funds? That cruise would have cost $7,000. I can think of ways to spend that kind of money and have few to no qualms about it. So no judgment of others, we all make our own decisions. 

[Mura]

3 hours ago, docmark said:

"I would also recommend Top Ten tours for any tours or transportation in the Lisbon area. They truly were top notch. "

 

++++++ concur!!!,

It's one thing if you are only in Lisbon for one day on a cruise stop.  But if you are there for several days on your own --- well, over the years, we have found Lisbon very easy to do on our own.  Our first visit there was in 1984 and we've been there many times since.  It's one of our favorite European cities.

 

So we have NEVER used a tour agency to get around Lisbon (or the nearby visits) because we were always there for a minimum of 3 days.

 

Our first visit to Portugal was for a week's drive up to the northwestern border and back down to Lisbon for three days.  Next year we did a different private drive route and spent a few more days in Lisbon.  So we always done it on our own.

 

As I said at the outset, if you only have one day in this marvelous city, by all means use a guide.  If you have more time, you can indeed do it on your own.

 

Mura

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Mura said:

It's one thing if you are only in Lisbon for one day on a cruise stop.  But if you are there for several days on your own --- well, over the years, we have found Lisbon very easy to do on our own.  Our first visit there was in 1984 and we've been there many times since.  It's one of our favorite European cities.

 

So we have NEVER used a tour agency to get around Lisbon (or the nearby visits) because we were always there for a minimum of 3 days.

 

Our first visit to Portugal was for a week's drive up to the northwestern border and back down to Lisbon for three days.  Next year we did a different private drive route and spent a few more days in Lisbon.  So we always done it on our own.

 

As I said at the outset, if you only have one day in this marvelous city, by all means use a guide.  If you have more time, you can indeed do it on your own.

 

Mura

Hey girlfriend,

 

Totally agree with you. We had a little apartment, used public transpo, ate GREAT food, etc. I'd go back. Have you been to Porto? Some English friends of ours just adore it. 

xoxoc

[Mura]

Clo, I've been spanked before by listers for getting sidetracked on the subject of Portugal so I will write to you privately!  If anyone else is interested in what I have to say, please write to me privately.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

Have you been to Porto?

Without being too far OT, we’ve been to Porto twice and it was a very pleasant surprise to us - not to be missed if possible.

[JVNYC]

Anyone else apprehensive about booking something in 2021? 

[Hawaiidan]

19 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

No where near that price. Take a balcony cabin and add $5000 total for the OS. They were more than willing to negotiate (which we did) for the extra revenue. Otherwise it sat empty. It was a blessing to  after we set sail and encountered the rough seas. 😉  That was value.

iF YOU GOT that  that is amazing  and yes a value  thats like 100,000 off published rates    You done well kiddo....  WOW!

Edited April 30, 2020 by Hawaiidan

[Hawaiidan]

22 hours ago, JVNYC said:

That’s the itinerary I’m looking at! It’s a great one!

I have set up a special  Normandy tour  for 6....  with Overlord.     I set up a super  bunch of sites as I had been there before.. and this trip to show my wife. about $190 pp      I also have  a private for 4 tour in Bordeaux    for  each day  1  toe Dodurone/Lascaux and 2 to St Ermilion and Pomerol     All run by a former wine maker and restaurant owner  from Bordeaux  about $120 pp@    I started a Roll call... for Marina

let me know...  

[CabinBoy2020]

On 4/20/2020 at 9:58 AM, Jancruz said:

I was thinking about it and was wondering if anyone will cruise before there is a vaccine..I know I would anyone else??

Jancruz1

 

I like your positive attitude Jancruz.  Yes, I would cruise without a vaccine if treatments were improved and cruise lines incorporated enhanced hygiene and safety practices.  I'm cancelling all my land and sea travel plans for this year.  But I'm booked on Crystal for Fall 2021 and Summer 2022 and I don't plan to cancel.  The only change I'm considering is moving up from an oceanview to a veranda cabin - just in case!  Time will tell.  

[susiesan]

5 hours ago, JVNYC said:

Anyone else apprehensive about booking something in 2021? 

Besides my Marina Aug. 29 BalticI have a deposit on a Jan.14 Windstar Tahiti cruise. I am not apprehensive at all as it is only $100 deposit. I also have booked the air to PPT with UA miles. At this point it is 50/50 as to whether French Polynesia will allow visitors by then. But if they do, I will be there.