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

[deliver42]

Cruise lines can change itineraries at any time, virus or not, even while on a cruise.

[llawrence]

That usually happens during the cruise....and usually it is only one port....But if the ports are changed before the cruise, will we be given an option..... I think cruise lines tend to not think about other costs the cruisers incur.....transportation, pre and post lodging...food costs, parking, clothes unique to a certain cruise...I don’t want to fly to Florida for a Caribbean cruise and end up in the Bahamas....(I like the Bahamas...but been there, done that).   Had one cruise diverted because of a hurricane ...going to Bermuda..ended up in New England....I did not have the proper wardrobe....gave us onboard credit to buy jackets.....lol.  

[Oceangoer2]

10 hours ago, hcat said:

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!

I should have added...."open when it's safe to do so"...it's still hard to look at a lovely 'park' and not golf but it is what it is and we're all patient here and happy to have NO cases in our gated community.  We observe the Ontario social distancing policies and will continue to do so until there's a mandate to open up the province.  I'm surprised, however, that NY is allowing courses to open...Your Governor is very much on top of these virus conditions and we are impressed by him and fact based briefings.

[HS2BS]

Itinerary changes can be made at the discretion of the cruise line, and no that is not a reason to cancel and be refunded. Like most we have/had a b2b cruise that was to leave 5/09 and 5/19 that Celebrity changed the itineraries so drastically(New England/Canada cruise booked but neither one possible) that they do not resemble what was booked. Still waiting for refund and fcc as both cruises were cancelled by Celebrity.

IMHO I believe that Celebrity is doing it’s loyal customer base a great disservice in still listing cruises in June & July and even later that are unlikely to sail. Do I make alternate plans(just cancelled our 8/16 sailing from Dublin to Boston today), wait for Celebrity; and what about the over 70 medical form?

 

Hal

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

1 hour 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. Yet another reason that booking now carries a lot more risk than usual. 

 

Conversely, most of the stock analysts I've seen are warning that bookings will be soft over the next year at least. So there's really no need to book now. (Yes, there'll be a batch of FCCs chasing trips before mid-'21, and the cruise lines are parking a bunch of ships so capacity will be down.  Still, I know of no reliable source projecting heavy demand & a shortage of cabins in 2021)  

[beentothere]

Having cruised since the early 1950's and travelled far and wide I was known as a complainer. But the

items i addressed were all of health and welfare so I considered them to be worthy of the effort. However, as

I continued to observe a deterioration of response throughout not just the cruising but the entire hospitality industry

my travel experiences were progressively put to rest.

 

For excessive complaining I have been banned for life on a top level cruise line for CDC reporting of a major violation

that must have been my imagination you see.

 

My good fortune considering this years experience as I otherwise could have been jailed on some vessel as so many were. And that includes a lifelong friend who made the internet and national news dealing with that certain Dutch ship.

 

Good luck to us all Mr. Dickens and To life!

 

 

 

[Bo1953]

5 minutes ago, beentothere said:

Having cruised since the early 1950's and travelled far and wide I was known as a complainer. But the

items i addressed were all of health and welfare so I considered them to be worthy of the effort. However, as

I continued to observe a deterioration of response throughout not just the cruising but the entire hospitality industry

my travel experiences were progressively put to rest.

 

For excessive complaining I have been banned for life on a top level cruise line for CDC reporting of a major violation

that must have been my imagination you see.

 

My good fortune considering this years experience as I otherwise could have been jailed on some vessel as so many were. And that includes a lifelong friend who made the internet and national news dealing with that certain Dutch ship.

 

Good luck to us all Mr. Dickens and To life!

Then, as I read your post, there were no other options to consider, in terms of cruising that you would not or did not consider given the gravity of the situation as you saw it on these vessels?

 

In health and bon voyage

[NMTraveller]

2 hours 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.  

 

That is one one of the reasons I cancelled our July cruise.  Back in March I figured the chances were 50/50 the cruise would go.  But I had no idea what ports the ship would go to or what crusing would be like.  I am in wait and see mode.  I figure that there will be some cruises,  but to what ports and what will cruising be like?  There are some countries that will open up their ports and others that won't for a while.  Some that were hard hit and others that weren't.

[drlucy12]

1 minute ago, NMTraveller said:

 

That is one one of the reasons I cancelled our July cruise.  Back in March I figured the chances were 50/50 the cruise would go.  But I had no idea what ports the ship would go to or what crusing would be like.  I am in wait and see mode.  I figure that there will be some cruises,  but to what ports and what will cruising be like?  There are some countries that will open up their ports and others that won't for a while.  Some that were hard hit and others that weren't.

Agreed.  I am paid in full for our August Celebrity cruise so I am in wait and see mode.  However, I cruise for the ports.  If someone has a mild cold or cough on board unrelated to the coronavirus, will they deny us at the port??

[TeeRick]

Escape From Connecticut:  But for the casual cruisers or new customers who come to CC looking for guidance, it would be awful if they saw just the false posts of "Oh, everything is fine - of course we'll be cruising soon."  

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

 

I perhaps understand these sentiments expressed by these two members but I personally have a bit of a disagreement with them.  Sorry.  First- very few if anybody here is saying or thinking "everything is fine".  Some are being a bit more optimistic than others in their opinions.  Why is that a "false post"?  Casual cruisers and/or new cruisers still live on our planet during a pandemic and it is condescending to them to presume they would come here and just sign up for a cruise based on one or two more optimistic opinions in a thread about potential resumption (or not) of cruising this year.  So when is giving an opinion on a topic that nobody really knows the answer to a "grave disservice" to CC members when it does not quite line up with your opinion?

[Pinboy]

9 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Escape From Connecticut:  But for the casual cruisers or new customers who come to CC looking for guidance, it would be awful if they saw just the false posts of "Oh, everything is fine - of course we'll be cruising soon."  

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

 

I perhaps understand these sentiments expressed by these two members but I personally have a bit of a disagreement with them.  Sorry.  First- very few if anybody here is saying or thinking "everything is fine".  Some are being a bit more optimistic than others in their opinions.  Why is that a "false post"?  Casual cruisers and/or new cruisers still live on our planet during a pandemic and it is condescending to them to presume they would come here and just sign up for a cruise based on one or two more optimistic opinions in a thread about potential resumption (or not) of cruising this year.  So when is giving an opinion on a topic that nobody really knows the answer to a "grave disservice" to CC members when it does not quite line up with your opinion?

I believe I said the something similar, in fewer words , in a post above--

Who the H---L knows when we will be able to cruise again ??

And about the ports , especially the Caribbean , every one is " basically " the same  , with the " best prices " on the day we arrive. Come to think of it, I should have purchased that Rolex watch , a real one , ( the guy selling it told me it was real  ) , for $ 125.00 US ( around $ 600 Canadian ?? ).  

 

 

 

[mayleeman]

19 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

So when is giving an opinion on a topic that nobody really knows the answer to a "grave disservice" to CC members when it does not quite line up with your opinion?

 

Well, I can imagine a casual search could result in someone finding posts that pooh pooh any discouragement of whether cruises in September, say, would happen. That person could decide to go ahead and book one, thinking if the cruiseline is taking bookings they will be sailing.

 

I think they would have to be really myopic to not see the larger picture, so not very likely.

[yorky]

23 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Escape From Connecticut:  But for the casual cruisers or new customers who come to CC looking for guidance, it would be awful if they saw just the false posts of "Oh, everything is fine - of course we'll be cruising soon."  

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

 

I perhaps understand these sentiments expressed by these two members but I personally have a bit of a disagreement with them.  Sorry.  First- very few if anybody here is saying or thinking "everything is fine".  Some are being a bit more optimistic than others in their opinions.  Why is that a "false post"?  Casual cruisers and/or new cruisers still live on our planet during a pandemic and it is condescending to them to presume they would come here and just sign up for a cruise based on one or two more optimistic opinions in a thread about potential resumption (or not) of cruising this year.  So when is giving an opinion on a topic that nobody really knows the answer to a "grave disservice" to CC members when it does not quite line up with your opinion?

Absolutely, I’ve seen comments on here stating Italy was a no go for tourists until next March, which was not true, and others stating there will be no cruising again until we have a vaccine, again speculation stated more or less as fact. I’m not sure how helpful they would be to someone coming on here looking for advice. Personally I’m far happier with False hope” than what appears to be “ No hope”.

[TeeRick]

6 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

I believe I said the something similar, in fewer words , in a post above--

 

Very good! 😀 

[weregoingcruising]

We have deposits on 7 cruises starting 10/20202 ending 2/2022. We are hopeful🥺 but also realistic😧 so are taking a wait and see attitude.

[jonthomas]

Cruise ships are some of the worst places to be .  Until there is a vaccine to eradicate covid, there can be no cruising. Crews can not be in those close quarters and neither can passengers.

 

A vaccine is a year or more away, or maybe not at all. As the  flu vaccine is not totally effective, we could presume neither would a covid vaccine be. 

 

Can a cruise line not go bankrupt without sailing for  one or two years?

 

 

[drlucy12]

1 minute ago, jonthomas said:

Cruise ships are some of the worst places to be .  Until there is a vaccine to eradicate covid, there can be no cruising. Crews can not be in those close quarters and neither can passengers.

 

A vaccine is a year or more away, or maybe not at all. As the  flu vaccine is not totally effective, we could presume neither would a covid vaccine be. 

 

Can a cruise line not go bankrupt without sailing for  one or two years?

 

 

I am not sure the cruise lines would survive if they had to wait on a vaccine so they are going to have to explore other avenues to keep crew and passengers safe.   

[yorky]

9 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Cruise ships are some of the worst places to be .  Until there is a vaccine to eradicate covid, there can be no cruising. Crews can not be in those close quarters and neither can passengers.

 

A vaccine is a year or more away, or maybe not at all. As the  flu vaccine is not totally effective, we could presume neither would a covid vaccine be. 

 

Can a cruise line not go bankrupt without sailing for  one or two years?

 

 

In my opinion probably not, that’s why I believe we will be cruising again without one.

[ch175]

9 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Cruise ships are some of the worst places to be .  Until there is a vaccine to eradicate covid, there can be no cruising. Crews can not be in those close quarters and neither can passengers.

 

A vaccine is a year or more away, or maybe not at all. As the  flu vaccine is not totally effective, we could presume neither would a covid vaccine be. 

 

Can a cruise line not go bankrupt without sailing for  one or two years?

 

 

So this is pretty much the same as everyday life pre-virus. Companies and individuals who figure out how to navigate the situation will be successful and survive. Those who sit around and wait for someone else to solve their problems will not.

 

This is why you see small local distilleries making hand sanitizer. And restaurants selling things like toilet paper and other supplies they don’t need right now. And wholesale restaurant suppliers selling and delivering meat and eggs to consumers.

 

I doubt cruise lines are going to sit around and wait for a vaccine. Seems like a sure recipe for failure to me. They will have to figure something out that people will purchase.

[jonthomas]

Cant see how cruise lines can change the tight quarters for crew or passengers. They would have to sail three quarters empty. 

 

Besides, no authority would authorise any kind of sailing without a vaccine or a definite cessation of covid. 

 

 

[llawrence]

Just a FYI...I just got an email from Elliott Forums, a consumer advocacy group that RCL as removed the “fit to sail”.    We will see

[mayleeman]

I think they should wait for accurate testing and a highly effective vaccine.

 

But, reading these threads, I see that indeed may be unrealistic. Clearly many CCers are willing to begin anew if the lines can demonstrate their safety precautions work. That is pretty much what the CDC reqirements include, plus a realistic method of treating/isolating any COVID-19 infections that might slip by.

 

It is more likely to me (and I am very hopeful on this) that accuracy in both infection and antibody testing will be the linchpin that allows cruises to begin. But they must be available widely so that all pax and crew can be tested regularly to minimize any exposure. Maybe daily. But tests are now woefully inaccurate--as much as 15 to 20% of one of the most used antibody tests. Asymptomatic infections are the hardest for everyone to deal with. So much testing now has been of suspected cases, but to determine the full spread ,and to protect cruise pax from another Diamond Princess, those undetected cases have to be identified.

 

It will be a huge step forward also once scientists determine if immunity is acquired with an infection. Otherwise, a vaccine might never get developed.

 

I don't think cruising will begin just due to better treatments. The range of severity is too broad to hope it can be reduced to just a mild flu-like experience for everyone, and even if treatments lessen severity, it is still the high infectiousness that needs to be controlled to avoid putting ships back into limbo..

Edited April 29, 2020 by mayleeman

[llawrence]

Still trying to confirm the email accuracy

[llawrence]

Seems Royal has changed the wording on their travel advisory.   Check it out

[Fouremco]

From the Royal blog website:

 

Earlier on Tuesday, Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service Vicki Freed took questions from travel agents about a variety of topics that many guests are wondering about.

In addition to announcing a doctor's note is no longer needed for guests who are over 70 years old, a number of hot topics were hit during the question and answer session of the call, and here are the answers provided to concerns many readers have had as well.