Do you REALLY think we'll be cruising this year?

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, oceangoer2 said:

My question is this...and an answer from both pesimistic AND optimistic is appreciated. 

Do I cancel my Nov. cruise now and lose the deposit (small) or hang on until Aug. final payment date and have a better idea if it'll even go in Nov.  If so, I pay the final payment and if cancelled afterward, there's a FCC attached, unless the open up the refund capacity.  Personally I'm in the middle of both attitudes.  Hoping it goes because of all the perks etc attached which won't be transferred to a new booking using an FCC (I think)...but very much doubting as airlines and ports aren't likely to be receptive to travel until next year.  My bigger concern is the airfare already paid for this cruise;  if it goes under I lose it...if I wait for them to cancel I get a credit...again, if the airline goes bankrupt there's no hope of remuneration at all (in my mind).  How do others see it...sorry...hope you can understand my gibberish explanations.

It seems to me that the first question you have to ask yourself is whether or not you are willing to cruise in November. If the answer is "yes", you don't mind risking catching COVID-19 on the way to or from the cruise, or during the cruise itself, then by all means leave your booking in place. It's win-win; either you get your cruise or you get 125% FCC/a full refund. On the other hand, if you think that the risk will still be too high, or if you are unsure, wait until just before final payment to gauge the risk. If you aren't comfortable, cancel.  After all, are the dollars you'll lose worth the possibility of catching COVID-19?

 

As for the flight, as it is presumably a much smaller amount than your cruise fare, make your decision based on the cruise, then see what your airline has to offer should you decision be to cancel.

[UnorigionalName]

3 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Agree completely. I'm "assuming" as publicly available data is kind of limited, and I'm on the periphery of this right now, that the rapid serology is targeting an anti Spike Protein IgM/IgG. I'm actually in a high risk category right now, and may ask my specialist tomorrow what his thoughts are of doing serology. We were in Washington State in November (have lost a family member), London in December, and NYC in mid-February, and traveling in the DC area until this all broke loose. We're starting to see tracebacks that would suggest community-based transmission in pretty much all of those areas when we were there and before the virus was recognized in those locations.

 

I currently have limited confidence in both the cutoffs for titers, especially on the LFIs, and their meaning, but...

 

the serology testing right now is not reliable.  I may be somewhat useful from a public health persepective, but I don't know if there is much value on an individual basis.

 

They are all being rushed out under EUA's and their performance is not clear.  There is reports that at least some of the tests are crossreacting with other coronaviruses.  The FDA is aware and has put out guidelines for when these tests eventually go for fda approval.  And as you said, there is no clear understanding what a positive titer means. 

[yorky]

1 hour ago, latserrof said:

Well said, and I totally agree. Those spreading false hope (and bad info) are doing a grave disservice to CC members.

Ok I need to reply to this. No one on here knows when ships will be cruising again, we all have opinions but no one truly knows whether you have a positive, or negative view on the future. Please give CC members a bit more credit, false hope/ no hope. We will all find out in the end what turn out to be correct but please respect the views of everyone whether you agree or disagree. I’ve seen just as much “Bad info” from those of a negative view to those of a positive view.  I’m personally not trying to influence anyone and never have, people all have personal responsibility and will make up their own minds based on a mix of their health and what level of risk is comfortable to them. None of us are here to force others into anything simply because we “predict” things may go a certain way, let’s be a little kinder and more respectful even if we don’t agree.

Edited April 28, 2020 by yorky

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, oceangoer2 said:

My question is this...and an answer from both pesimistic AND optimistic is appreciated. 

Do I cancel my Nov. cruise now and lose the deposit (small) or hang on until Aug. final payment date and have a better idea if it'll even go in Nov.  If so, I pay the final payment and if cancelled afterward, there's a FCC attached, unless they open up the refund capacity.  Personally I'm in the middle of both attitudes.  Hoping it goes because of all the perks etc attached which won't be transferred to a new booking using an FCC (I think)...but very much doubting as airlines and ports aren't likely to be receptive to travel until next year.  My bigger concern is the airfare already paid for this cruise;  if it goes under I lose it...if I wait for them to cancel I get a credit...again, if the airline goes bankrupt there's no hope of remuneration at all (in my mind).  How do others see it...sorry...hope you can understand my gibberish explanations.

Which airline and will your travel insurance cover, just in case, the air portion?

 

bon voyage

[mayleeman]

@oceangoer2 We also have a November cruise (Equinox). I think we only have $500 to pay at final payment. This is because back in mid-December, due to uncertainties about a health procedure, we transferred all of our money for an April Equinox cruise we had booked and had made some payments toward. We live in SCarolina, so we can drive if we needed to, and therefore we can decide what to do without worrying about airfare. We also have a deposit and an FCC on a RCCL Odyssey of the Seas cruise, with $3,400 left to pay. Both cruises were booked last year and have CFAR insurance. (All deposits were nonrefundable.)

 

So we may have more options available than you, but what I am wondering is if you can swing driving to your cruise (Florida port?). Many airlines are issuing 2 year credits, I think, for flights being cancelled by customers. If you don't have to worry about the airfare, you can extend your decision period by making final payment. Depends on whether you like to gamble.

 

I worry about that type of scheme, though, because I think the policy of a refund/FCC choice will likely be replaced by FCC only as X's cash gets lower.

 

We are considering gambling by making the November cruise payment. On our February cruise, we will probably just cancel outright and see what our CFAR can do if we lose the FCC's used there. Trying the full payment strategy with the $500 due for November is one thing -- I cannot imagine putting another $3,400 toward the other one!

 

I will let people know what the insurance people say. If they will cover 75% of any amounts offered as FCC (which we would rather decline) we might just cancel everything. For both cruises, we have invested a total of around $3,800. I would rather have $2,850 in cash than sitting around worry about when and if we can use FCC's.

Edited April 28, 2020 by mayleeman

[Pinboy]

13 Pages on this topic-- 

Some say YES , Some say No---

Who really knows because there are just too many factors to consider.

However, If you drink Lysol , you won't be cruising -- That's for sure. 

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

There will be no cruising in 2020, period. The best way to answer the most difficult of questions is sometimes with a head-on collision. No maneuvering around or trying to avoid the inevitable. That only prolongs the feelings - whatever they might be - that consume our being prior to the final impact. It's difficult to squander the plans and hopes and excitement that come with new horizons and future adventures. But in our best interests, personal reconciliation to what is not in our best interests will make  lives a whole lot easier and healthier. 

 

The idealism of the moment is overshadowed by the realism of the day. In no way will the two be compatible for sometime to come.  

Edited April 28, 2020 by Spif Barwunkel

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, Pinboy said:

13 Pages on this topic-- 

Some say YES , Some say No---

Who really knows because there are just too many factors to consider.

However, If you drink Lysol , you won't be cruising -- That's for sure. 

 

well...that made me chuckle!!  I wouldn't drink lysol, but some do like kool-aid.

[Oceangoer2]

3 hours ago, mayleeman said:

@oceangoer2

 

I will let people know what the insurance people say. If they will cover 75% of any amounts offered as FCC (which we would rather decline) we might just cancel everything. For both cruises, we have invested a total of around $3,800. I would rather have $2,850 in cash than sitting around worry about when and if we can use FCC's.

"So we may have more options available than you, but what I am wondering is if you can swing driving to your cruise (Florida port?). Many airlines are issuing 2 year credits, I think, for flights being cancelled by customers. If you don't have to worry about the airfare, you can extend your decision period by making final payment. Depends on whether you like to gamble."

 

The very first issue is....CROSSING the border...until that's lifted, no airline, no cruise, no driving to the port.

 

2nd issue is..... cruise but no ports open

 

3rd issue is.....no vaccine, so no cruise for us.

 

So....that part is easy. 

 

It's just whether to cancel now or just before final payment, so I thought we'd wait and hopefully X will cancel.  If they do that, then the airline is more likely to cancel as well.  So in my mind, I lose a little DP, and gain an airline credit open for 2 years.

 

If X does NOT cancel and we do, then we're losing a small DP.  We have an airline ticket which right now allows cancellation with no fee...future credit up to 2 years.  If we wait until Aug. to cancel and the border is open, the cruise is a 'go', the airline is flying, and we cancel...it will only be a small airline penalty with future credit.  

 

So...as some have advised...it's best to wait until just before final payment, make a decision at that point based on the status quo, and if we cancel then we're only out minimum $$s with an airline credit for 2 years.  

 

Thanks all...really helps to talk it out...and especially with clear thinkers.  Right now my head is muddled with so much TV talk. 

 

[Oceangoer2]

3 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

I will let people know what the insurance people say. If they will cover 75% of any amounts offered as FCC (which we would rather decline) we might just cancel everything. For both cruises, we have invested a total of around $3,800. I would rather have $2,850 in cash than sitting around worry about when and if we can use FCC's.

May I ask where you got the 75% insurance coverage figure?

[Pushka]

We are booked on Edge for July departing Rome. It is not going to happen. Yet yesterday we received notification from Celebrity that we could check in. Our final payment is 18 May of several thousand. And we all know the cruise won't be cancelled before final payment. And we know the reason why. We will lose our NRD as that was the only option. We won't be able to cruise next year so voucher isn't an option. Just wish Celebrity would treat its passengers like Viking has who cancelled all cruises until June 30, way back in March. I expect that date will be extended if not already. 

[mayleeman]

6 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

May I ask where you got the 75% insurance coverage figure?

Cancel for any reason pays 75% of the nonrefundable amounts you would otherwise forfeit.

 

Forgot about the borders being closed! We see so many Ontario license plates down here in SC when golf season starts--not this year.☹

[Pinboy]

31 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

 especially with clear thinkers.  Right now my head is muddled with so much TV talk. 

LOL---   " CLEAR THINKERS ???   What, Who, Where ????

Ya think YOUR head is muddled ????

There's already 13 pages , let's go for 60 pages on this topic !!!

We need more Thinkers !!! 

 

[Oceangoer2]

14 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

Cancel for any reason pays 75% of the nonrefundable amounts you would otherwise forfeit.

 

Forgot about the borders being closed! We see so many Ontario license plates down here in SC when golf season starts--not this year.☹

I wish OUR golf course would open.  We live in a private golf community and it's hard watching the open fairways and greens every day and not being able to play.  Took our annual fee pretty quickly though!

[Oceangoer2]

3 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL---   " CLEAR THINKERS ???   What, Who, Where ????

Ya think YOUR head is muddled ????

There's already 13 pages , let's go for 60 pages on this topic !!!

We need more Thinkers !!! 

 

Glad to hear I'm not alone.....LOL.

[tosteve1]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/cruise-ships-coronavirus/
read that and see how you feel about cruising !

[hcat]

3 hours ago, oceangoer2 said:

I wish OUR golf course would open.  We live in a private golf community and it's hard watching the open fairways and greens every day and not being able to play.  Took our annual fee pretty quickly though!

I wish our local  NY course wouldn't open this Sat.

Dh works part time in the pro shop and despite many precautions set up to avoid touching people and money,  he will have an increased  exposure risk to Covid..  We have been hermits for 2 months & I am  very nervous. 

 

He loves that job and it helps pay for his golf club  membership in Fla which he hardly used this season...but is the risk worth it?    Folks here in NY are still filling hospital beds and morgues so to me opening up golf here  is insane!

[hcat]

5 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

There will be no cruising in 2020, period. The best way to answer the most difficult of questions is sometimes with a head-on collision. No maneuvering around or trying to avoid the inevitable. That only prolongs the feelings - whatever they might be - that consume our being prior to the final impact. It's difficult to squander the plans and hopes and excitement that come with new horizons and future adventures. But in our best interests, personal reconciliation to what is not in our best interests will make  lives a whole lot easier and healthier. 

 

The idealism of the moment is overshadowed by the realism of the day. In no way will the two be compatible for sometime to come.  

 

I think this eloquently sums it all up!

  Or in cruder terms..we need to just get over it !

[IDB37]

Haven't seen much discussion about crew conditions onboard.

 

Even if every new (passenger focussed) 'hygeine' measure is implemented, the vast majority of the crew will still be living/sleeping in extremely cramped conditions, sharing bathrooms and eating facilities etc..

 

I hadn't really thought much about this until Covid arrived on the scene, but it does make me feel very uneasy about getting on board until those issues are addressed.

 

Given the cost and time implications of doing so, I'm really not sure how, when or if that can realistically happen.

 

 

[mayleeman]

@IDB37 I brought the crew issue up several days ago if you missed it (#93). One person commented, but I don't know if anyone wanting to resume quickly is thinking about how problematic staffing a ship will be.

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by mayleeman

[IDB37]

My apologies @mayleeman, I hadn't seen your prior post.

 

Yes, the crew accommodation & working conditions are subjects that haven't really seen the light of day yet. But they are surely fundamental issues that will need to be addressed, if we are all to feel safe again.

 

 

[llawrence]

May crew that have returned home may not come back.....I imagine the crew, in most cases, does not have a great view of how they were treated...that would mean training new crew members....that take time....

Another issue could be the predicted surge in cases as States reopen. 
 

[yorky]

7 minutes ago, llawrence said:

May crew that have returned home may not come back.....I imagine the crew, in most cases, does not have a great view of how they were treated...that would mean training new crew members....that take time....

Another issue could be the predicted surge in cases as States reopen. 
 

We can certainly expect a larger percentage of crew turnover than is the norm for sure. Personally I don’t see a shortage of individuals wanting to be part of a ships crew, it will always be seen as an opportunity to make for more money than individuals can make in their own countries. Most of the seniors staff will carry on as normal I would have thought. The only issue I can see is as you say the time needed to train new staff but I would imagine we are talking weeks to do that and not months. When of course the time is right.

[llawrence]

Another issue here is what happens if booked cruises radically change the ports.... will we have the opportunity to cancel for refunds ? We have future cruises booked to ports we want to go to....I would not want to be forced to go to ports I have no interest in.  

[drlucy12]

2 minutes ago, llawrence said:

Another issue here is what happens if booked cruises radically change the ports.... will we have the opportunity to cancel for refunds ? We have future cruises booked to ports we want to go to....I would not want to be forced to go to ports I have no interest in.  

Agreed.  I pick a cruise mainly for the ports.  I enjoy the atmosphere, social events on board etc but it is mainly for the itinerary.  I may be wrong but can’t a cruise change the ports without advance notice? I know that can happen with bad storms but this is an unprecedented event.