WILL THERE REALLY BE EUROPEAN CRUISES IN 2020?

[npcl]

Germany just canceled Oktoberfest.

[leck57]

On 4/21/2020 at 2:21 PM, Thrak said:

We're wondering what the situation will be for Australia and New Zealand.... We're booked for November/December.

 

We would really love to see you here in November but I have my doubts. Virus wise, Australia is doing well but I'm still not sure that we will be opening our boarders to overseas people by then. Why would a country almost eliminate a virus and then let people in from places who may not have it under control. I'm not sure anyone could handle a second phase of lock downs. I think we will either need to have a vaccine by then or the main travel areas will need to have eliminated it.

At any rate I really wonder about shipping companies going again by then. I reckon the first company that has a virus outbreak on board one of their ships next time round, it will be business sunk for them without a doubt. I'm a Princess and Celebrity cruiser in general and if either go through this saga again I wouldn't go near them, if they stay in business that is.

[OzCanuck]

12 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

I can't put my finger on it, but read somewhere that our travel insurance will not cover us if we travel during a period of time when Canada (our home country) recommends against personal travel.

 

 

Don

 

Just check the exclusions on your policy. 

 

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/04/21/germany-oktoberfest-2020-canceled-face-coronavirus-pandemic/2995274001/
 

"Will there really be European cruises in 2020?"

 

No.

[iancal]

I certainly would not be buying a 2020 Europe cruise nor would I be making a final payment on one that is already booked.

[AF-1]

6 minutes ago, iancal said:

I certainly would not be buying a 2020 Europe cruise nor would I be making a final payment on one that is already booked.

Why not;  what is your reasoning or fear to go on Europe in Oct/Nov?

[iancal]

We like cruising but at this stage Europe is uncertain at best.  I would not give any cruise line a dime of my money at this point nor would I be interested in any of the FCC that have conditions attached to them.

 

We would not want to be 30 days out from our cruise and financially committed to the cruise and to air only to find that a number of port stops on the cruise had been closed/cancelled.

 

I have seem nothing to make me feel safe about cruising anywhere in the fall.   The cruise lines have far more interest in my wallet than they do in my health.  Besides, there would be zero issue for us delaying a cruise from the fall of 2020 to the spring or fall or 2021.

Edited April 22, 2020 by iancal

[AF-1]

iancal,  thanks for the quick feedback.  appreciate your answer

[npcl]

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Why not;  what is your reasoning or fear to go on Europe in Oct/Nov?

Well if Germany has just decided to cancel Oktober Fest, that is a pretty clear indication that they are not planning to be open to tourism by that time.  One of their major reasons for canceling is the number of people that come to it from all over the world.

[Triptkr]

On 4/20/2020 at 8:26 PM, ontheweb said:

We cancelled our Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Crown. We saw that Norway had closed 2 of our ports, and felt they were more likely to close more than open those. We also wondered about our flights to and from London, would they still be flying at the times we had them booked.

Hi ontheweb,

Which date were you scheduled for?  We're currently on the August 22nd sailing.  I haven't seen any of our ports being canceled...yet.

[HappyCruiserettu]

On 4/21/2020 at 7:37 AM, CCFC said:

My cruise on July 11th out of Southampton is still currently going ahead though looking at the pricing we might be the only ones on the ship, its less than half what we paid.

With the great prices, many will want to go.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, Triptkr said:

Hi ontheweb,

Which date were you scheduled for?  We're currently on the August 22nd sailing.  I haven't seen any of our ports being canceled...yet.

Our cruise was to be on July 25th.

 

I believe I first read it in a post on the Baltic section of these boards, but I just did a google search and there are plenty of links. Here is one of them:

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/bergen-and-several-other-norwegian-ports-halt-cruise-shore-visits

 

[Triptkr]

3 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Our cruise was to be on July 25th.

 

I believe I first read it in a post on the Baltic section of these boards, but I just did a google search and there are plenty of links. Here is one of them:

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/bergen-and-several-other-norwegian-ports-halt-cruise-shore-visits

 

 The link to the article above is from March 12th.  I'm seeing Norway banning foreign citizens by sea, land or air until at least April 13th.  

[iancal]

One thing to keep in mind is that the cruise lines are no doubt purposely cancelling cruises as late as possible whether or not they know earlier that a cruise will not happen.

 

Why?  Cash flow plus the hope that customers who will cancel themselves, and cancel inside the final payment penalty window.    Simply because a cruise is still 'on' and the cruise line is selling passage does not imply any confidence, IMHO, on the part of the cruise line that it will 'happen'.

[ohnonotmeagain]

According to the daily corona virus update, BBC 5pm, Britain should expect some form of social distancing until the end of the year. Not much social distancing on a ship.

[Ride-The-Waves]

This year (2020)?  Next year is also in serious jeopardy.  US CDC has announced that the Fall 2020 Flu season, combined with COVID-19, could be significantly worse than the current situation.  Wave II is coming.  France and Italy have restricted tourists from entering their countries through 2020.  Where will the ships go?  Who will want to cruise?

 

Take that FCC!  Provide cruise lines with free loans.  Good for them, bad for you.  FCC is a liability easily eliminated in a financial restructuring.  These huge companies know more about that than we do...

Edited April 22, 2020 by Ride-The-Waves

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, Triptkr said:

 The link to the article above is from March 12th.  I'm seeing Norway banning foreign citizens by sea, land or air until at least April 13th.  

And you have seen how many closed ports reopen????? I bet the answer is none!

[Carnevale]

We have a September cruise and will cancel just before FP if things look the way they do right now.  There’s no way I will give Princess any money for a booking that seems likely to be cancelled given the mess they are making of refunds for the cancelled cruise I should be on now right now.  If Princess was doing a better job processing refunds and keeping customers updated on the refund process I would be more willing to book a cruise that might be cancelled.  But I am done with providing my money to Princess as a free loan.

[Bizziecruzer]

On 4/21/2020 at 2:21 PM, Thrak said:

We're wondering what the situation will be for Australia and New Zealand.... We're booked for November/December.

Talk in Australia is that our borders will be closed to international travellers until early 2021 at best. Cruising may start however probably restricted to Australians only. Wish my crystal ball worked!

[CCFC]

Carnival brands P&O and Cunard have cancelled all cruises up to July 31st today.

[Coral]

I don't see any cruises in Europe this year.

[Paula_MacFan]

We have a European cruise scheduled for Sept, final payment due in June.  I cancelled all our shore excursions yesterday after I saw Germany had cancelled Oktoberfest (one of the countries we were supposed to visit).  Oktoberfest was scheduled to begin Sept 19th, the day we were supposed to leave on our cruise.  I don't see how we can cruise if countries are cancelling events.  

 

I expect we will cancel the cruise by June before final payment based upon the way Princess is handling refunds right now.  I have been waiting 7 weeks for a simple deposit refund (no complicated FCC calculations required, so really no excuse).  

 

We have been planning this trip for 2 years so I am very disappointed......but I just don't see it happening in 2020.

[AF-1]

Paula_MacFan,  I am feeling your disappointment.  We have had a river cruise on the Rhine cancelled.  Also have a Princess cruise to europe for end of Oct.  As of now this one looks like we may have to cancel too.  Based on current health requirements; don't know if they will allow someone with asthma to board the ship.

[Thrak]

9 hours ago, Bizziecruzer said:

Talk in Australia is that our borders will be closed to international travellers until early 2021 at best. Cruising may start however probably restricted to Australians only. Wish my crystal ball worked!

 

In addition to Australia not wanting the international travelers I actually have more reservations in regard to the loooooooooooong flights than I have regarding health on a cruise ship. On a ship I can move around, get fresh air, have my own cabin, etc. On a 22 hour flight I'm sitting in a crowded airport part of the time and stuck in a very confined space with a bunch of potentially ill people for very long periods of time. I will hate not doing this trip but it really doesn't seem like a good idea these days. Hopefully the world will get a handle on things in the not-too-distant future.