Setting Sail On First Carnival Cruise Scheduled June 27th

[GLCM GUY]

My wife and I are 70+ years old and are looking forward to being back on a ship.  Had to cancel our 25 April voyage on the Panorama but are scheduled again in October and can't wait.

 

[Lottacruises]

Good luck to all who are booked on these first cruises. Having 14 booked this year watching them disappear has not really upset me. I'm a little nervous about going back out. Thanks for being brave for people like me!

[RWolver672]

16 hours ago, Radiioman46 said:

If the CDC has canceled all cruises to and from the USA until the middle of July, why are these cruise lines opening up their schedules from the end of May through the end of June? Are they just going to ignore the CDC?

 

 

I don't know about the other lines but Carnival isn't sailing until the end of June.  With them taking most of their crews back to their home islands, it's a good possibility that they won't even cruise until the middle of July.

[rwdtgb]

I booked the July 4 sailing on the Breeze. Not living in fear either when my number is up it's up that is something none of us control.

[wareaglefan444]

22 hours ago, Radiioman46 said:

If the CDC has canceled all cruises to and from the USA until the middle of July, why are these cruise lines opening up their schedules from the end of May through the end of June? Are they just going to ignore the CDC?

 

this may not be true, but it is my understanding that CDC has no jurisdiction over cruise ships and can only make recommendations. Now they can close the ports and make it very hard for the cruise industry, which seems to be the case. I really dont understand why the cruise industry is being treated like a red headed step child, if i wanted to, i could board a plane to Europe and fly over seas. 

[sc4125]

I sure hope that those of you booked this summer are able to sail.  I re-booked for November and I don't have much hope that we will indeed be sailing then. 

 

As someone who worked many years ago as a Purser responsible for incoming and outgoing crew, I can tell you that sending all crewmembers home isn't cheap - so I'm thinking that those in charge of the purse strings are not hopeful that cruising will be back within the next few month!s.  Airfare to and from countries like Indonesia, Philippines, etc is ridiculously expensive and to think they would send them home and pay to have them re-join the ships in a couple of months doesn't sound promising.

 

I pray that things improve quickly and that we can all get back to a somewhat normal life - stay safe

[ray98]

4 minutes ago, wareaglefan444 said:

this may not be true, but it is my understanding that CDC has no jurisdiction over cruise ships and can only make recommendations. Now they can close the ports and make it very hard for the cruise industry, which seems to be the case. I really dont understand why the cruise industry is being treated like a red headed step child, if i wanted to, i could board a plane to Europe and fly over seas. 

 

yeah....not letting them dock in the US could make it very hard....LOL.

[Will4Reals]

36 minutes ago, rwdtgb said:

I booked the July 4 sailing on the Breeze. Not living in fear either when my number is up it's up that is something none of us control.

Very well said! People can live their life like hermits if they choose to do so. That's what makes this country great is FREEDOM and you get to make that choice. Personally however I agree with you 100%! When my number is up it's up and I can at least say I went out with no regrets and did everything I wanted to do while I had the chance to do it! 

[Robinsoncruiseso]

On 4/21/2020 at 9:08 PM, trummy said:

Good luck. From the CDC website....

 

April 9, 2020 Update

On April 9, 2020, CDC renewed the No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations Order signed by the CDC Director on March 14, 2020—subject to the modifications and additional stipulated conditions as set forth in this Order. The Order is published in the Federal Register and effective as of April 15, 2020 (https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-07930external icon).

The extended Order is in effect until one of the following occurs:

• The Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declares that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, or
• The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations, or
• 100 days have passed from April 15, the date the extended order was published in the Federal Registerexternal icon and went into effect. 100 days from April 15 is July 24.

See the attached order (print-only) pdf icon[PDF – 9 pages] for the full requirements.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/index.html

Note the 100 days is how long the order will remain in effect if one of the other two obligations does not occur.  I believe CLIA is working closely with the CDC and others to come up with "other considerations" so to have the order modified.  This is where the new boarding procedures, on board procedures and care and the "hospital" ship come into play.  The cruise lines are very aware of the CDC orders.  

[Linda the Book Lover]

1 hour ago, Will4Reals said:

Very well said! People can live their life like hermits if they choose to do so. That's what makes this country great is FREEDOM and you get to make that choice. Personally however I agree with you 100%! When my number is up it's up and I can at least say I went out with no regrets and did everything I wanted to do while I had the chance to do it! 

 

2 hours ago, rwdtgb said:

I booked the July 4 sailing on the Breeze. Not living in fear either when my number is up it's up that is something none of us control.

I am a senior and fully intend to cruise on the 27th if we are able to do so. There are so many what ifs going around and some thoughts have merit. If there is a way we can fly and sail we are going to do it. If we are unable to get off of the ship - so be it. If we have to rebook, fine with us as we already rebooked another one of our cruises. Those who run the business of cruising will submit their solutions and if approved we sail if not we don't. The choice is individual in what we decide to do. Meanwhile we are healthy, safe, and waiting patiently for the answer. Oh yes, and I bought a really cute pair of sandals with a kitten heel for my cruise just the other day online. 😉😃

[Stick93]

I am happy so many have cruises booked after the June go date. But really it’s not about you (the passengers). It’s about the staff being safe and able to stay that way while working for you to have a great vacation. Staff members on the ships who have been unable to go home are still getting sick and sometime being medically evacuated to shore -  and they are not living in anywhere near the close confines they usually do when passengers are the ship. 
What will it take for someone to bring the virus on and pass it to the wait staff, bar staff, entertainment staff and then all over the ship. This is especially true if most crew member may not have been exposed and will have no immunity. 
When (not if) this happens the CruiseLine will lose millions more by having to shut down again and take all the sick off their ships. It’s a liability that  I don’t think they will take and so for the foreseeable future there will be no cruises. I had a cruise for July 6th that was cancelled but I would have cancelled and have a second summer cruise for August 23rd which I know will not sail. 
The elephant is in the room. It’s not a make believe one - enjoy dreaming of cruises. It’s going to be a while until its safe and ready for even healthy people to go.   

[Viscus]

Just booked a solo balcony for $650 with prepaid gratuities on the 6/27 Vista 7 day western out of Galveston. My PVP called, said that number out loud, I had paid within 10 minutes.

 

1) This will be the cleanest the Vista has ever been if this sailing occurs, and I'd imagine most folks on the ship will be hyper-vigilant hygiene wise.

2) For less than $100/day AFTER taxes and grat for a balcony for a 7 day sailing on one of their newer ships? Yes please.

3) I can work 100% remote, so if we get quarantined, already cleared working on a cruise ship balcony for 14 days post sailing.

4) My fiancee and I were supposed to be in France for 13 days mid-May, but that cancelled. If I don't have a vacation booked to look forward to, I will go insane.

5) Worst case, I just paid $650 for a future cruise with $600 OBC and I helped my PVP with some commission. 

6) If this cruise happens, I'll be self-quarantining for 14 days when I get back regardless.

[Will4Reals]

11 minutes ago, Viscus said:

Just booked a solo balcony for $650 with prepaid gratuities on the 6/27 Vista 7 day western out of Galveston. My PVP called, said that number out loud, I had paid within 10 minutes.

 

1) This will be the cleanest the Vista has ever been if this sailing occurs, and I'd imagine most folks on the ship will be hyper-vigilant hygiene wise.

2) For less than $100/day AFTER taxes and grat for a balcony for a 7 day sailing on one of their newer ships? Yes please.

3) I can work 100% remote, so if we get quarantined, already cleared working on a cruise ship balcony for 14 days post sailing.

4) My fiancee and I were supposed to be in France for 13 days mid-May, but that cancelled. If I don't have a vacation booked to look forward to, I will go insane.

5) Worst case, I just paid $650 for a future cruise with $600 OBC and I helped my PVP with some commission. 

6) If this cruise happens, I'll be self-quarantining for 14 days when I get back regardless.

Very similar situation! My PVP called and saw I hadn't re-booked from my last cruise that got canceled back in March. I looked at sailings and saw one on Carnival Breeze to San Juan, Amber Cove, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. 4 ports I have never been! Rare I am on a cruise and not stopping at a port which I have previously been. I paid $210.00 for a solo premium ocean view that has a full size bath in it. I will have a $600.00 OBC due to my previous cruise that was canceled plus the offer I booked came with $100.00 OBC. $210.00 for a week with $700.00 OBC was a no brainer! Just like you if it gets moved it gets moved, if I get quarantined I get quarantined! Let me set sail! 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, Viscus said:

Just booked a solo balcony for $650 with prepaid gratuities on the 6/27 Vista 7 day western out of Galveston. My PVP called, said that number out loud, I had paid within 10 minutes.

 

1) This will be the cleanest the Vista has ever been if this sailing occurs, and I'd imagine most folks on the ship will be hyper-vigilant hygiene wise.

2) For less than $100/day AFTER taxes and grat for a balcony for a 7 day sailing on one of their newer ships? Yes please.

3) I can work 100% remote, so if we get quarantined, already cleared working on a cruise ship balcony for 14 days post sailing.

4) My fiancee and I were supposed to be in France for 13 days mid-May, but that cancelled. If I don't have a vacation booked to look forward to, I will go insane.

5) Worst case, I just paid $650 for a future cruise with $600 OBC and I helped my PVP with some commission. 

6) If this cruise happens, I'll be self-quarantining for 14 days when I get back regardless.

I didnt see this price, just checked. 

 

I got booked on 6 day freedom right after you, leaves the 28th. Your price is best out of Galveston I've seen.

[Admin]

I'm booked on the June 27, 2020 Sunshine out of Charleston...if it sails!

[ccturner26]

I am crossing my fingers and toes for our 6/27 sail date on the Horizon out of Miami.  We were originally scheduled on the "will it/won't it sail" Magic on 3/14.  I really hope they let us know earlier than the evening before that it's a no-go.  LOL  My stress was through the roof the weeks prior. 

 

[hayesktrm]

I spoke with my PVP and she doesn't think the quarantine will happen again.  When I thought about it, I thought, she may be right.  At the time they were quarantining, they only had a few cases in the US.  It's everywhere now.  Granted, we may not be able to get on an airplane, but again, this thing is way more widespread than originally thought.  That being said, my boyfriend and I have already had COVID-19 so we are so excited and hopeful that this will happen.  We are (fingers crossed) sailing out of Galveston on the Vista on June 27th!  I agree with what Viscus said...it will be a very clean ship and people will be washing their hands way more than normal.

[BeachDiva101]

My boss talked to her PVP at Holland America and the PVP said that the talk is that the authorities/people who make the decisions regarding letting cruise ships into the Caribbean island ports are very concerned about cruise ships bringing Covid 19 cases onto the islands.  The Caribbean islands do not have the medical infrastructure that we have here in the US to handle a lot of cases of covid 19 if that happened and the cruise lines are probably going to cancel all Caribbean cruises through 2020.  My boss told me this because I have 2 caribbean cruises planned this year.  I think a lot of ports will say no to cruise ships and more cancellations are coming.

[joeyancho]

1 hour ago, hayesktrm said:

I spoke with my PVP and she doesn't think the quarantine will happen again.  When I thought about it, I thought, she may be right.  At the time they were quarantining, they only had a few cases in the US.  It's everywhere now.  Granted, we may not be able to get on an airplane, but again, this thing is way more widespread than originally thought.  That being said, my boyfriend and I have already had COVID-19 so we are so excited and hopeful that this will happen.  We are (fingers crossed) sailing out of Galveston on the Vista on June 27th!  I agree with what Viscus said...it will be a very clean ship and people will be washing their hands way more than normal.

Clean ship and washing hands matters little.  If one person sneezes or coughs, well that's all it takes.  Then it gets passed around.  Everything about cruising is conducive to mass infection.  I have been on 43 cruises but it will be a while before I cruise again.  

[trummy]

 

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-cruise-ships-take-on-a-new-mission/

 

At first, it might have made sense to keep full crews aboard the ships in hopes that they’d soon be welcoming back passengers. But the recent extensions of the CDC’s “No Sail Order” have made it clear that’s not going to happen in the immediate future.

“As the company moves to safe operational manning levels during our pause in operations,” says Carnival, “we have begun the process of returning healthy crew members to their home countries throughout the world [by] utilizing some of our fleet as transport, given the limited number of commercial flights and charter options.”

[MsTabbyKats]

2 hours ago, hayesktrm said:

I spoke with my PVP and she doesn't think the quarantine will happen again.  When I thought about it, I thought, she may be right.  At the time they were quarantining, they only had a few cases in the US.  It's everywhere now.  Granted, we may not be able to get on an airplane, but again, this thing is way more widespread than originally thought.  That being said, my boyfriend and I have already had COVID-19 so we are so excited and hopeful that this will happen.  We are (fingers crossed) sailing out of Galveston on the Vista on June 27th!  I agree with what Viscus said...it will be a very clean ship and people will be washing their hands way more than normal.

There's no evidence that having Covid once makes you immune.  In addition, there are mutations now, so even less chance of immunity.  

[MsTabbyKats]

35 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

Clean ship and washing hands matters little.  If one person sneezes or coughs, well that's all it takes.  Then it gets passed around.  Everything about cruising is conducive to mass infection.  I have been on 43 cruises but it will be a while before I cruise again.  

Ditto....

If one person on the elevator coughs, people can wash their hands forever and it won't do a thing.  "They" make a big deal about "hand washing" and it's simple to enforce on a ship.  What's necessary is "social distancing".  That's what that works and that's impossible to do on a mass market cruise ship.

[James4me]

I don’t get it.  Why are people planning on cruises a month or 2 or even for that matter December cruises?  I hope if you are planning a cruise, let’s say July, that the ports you are going to will even be open.  You need to research the ports you are going to, to know when things are going back to what we once called “normal”.  I don’t think they, the ports, will be and you’ll be stuck on the ship with a $25.00 cruise credit for missing the port stop.  I was just looking at rebooking my May Panorama cruise for 2022, however I’m hearing that this Coronavirus will rear its ugly head again this Winter, thus, rendering all transportation and borders shut down once again.  I hope for those who have booked cruises this year come back and keep us posted.  I know all of us here want to get back to our favorite way of vacationing which is cruising, I surely do.  I’m starting to get depressed about this whole thing as you can possibly tell in how I’m responding.  I’m all over the place with this and how it’s going to affect our future cruises.  I hope you all who are making your plans for this year will be able to sail.  Once again, please keep us who are undecided to book posted.  This is really the only place to get true information rather than fake news sites.  Ok, I’m done.  I need my drink of the day 😚.  

[joeyancho]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Ditto....

If one person on the elevator coughs, people can wash their hands forever and it won't do a thing.  "They" make a big deal about "hand washing" and it's simple to enforce on a ship.  What's necessary is "social distancing".  That's what that works and that's impossible to do on a mass market cruise ship.

Exactly!  Hand washing is a good defense against noro virus. But Covid 19 is airborne and very contagious.   In NYC 20% of people tested positive for the covid19 antibody.  A ship has between 3 and 5 thousand people on board.  The crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was just tested and 800 tested positive.  There is a very high probability that some one on the ship has it.  A lot of people are a-symptomatic but can still pass the germ. So screening is not effective.  A know a lot of people are itching to take a cruise but I think cruising is going to take a very big hit.  

Edited April 24, 2020 by joeyancho

[trummy]

9 hours ago, Stick93 said:

I am happy so many have cruises booked after the June go date. But really it’s not about you (the passengers). It’s about the staff being safe and able to stay that way while working for you to have a great vacation. Staff members on the ships who have been unable to go home are still getting sick and sometime being medically evacuated to shore -  and they are not living in anywhere near the close confines they usually do when passengers are the ship. 
What will it take for someone to bring the virus on and pass it to the wait staff, bar staff, entertainment staff and then all over the ship. This is especially true if most crew member may not have been exposed and will have no immunity. 
When (not if) this happens the CruiseLine will lose millions more by having to shut down again and take all the sick off their ships. It’s a liability that  I don’t think they will take and so for the foreseeable future there will be no cruises. I had a cruise for July 6th that was cancelled but I would have cancelled and have a second summer cruise for August 23rd which I know will not sail. 
The elephant is in the room. It’s not a make believe one - enjoy dreaming of cruises. It’s going to be a while until its safe and ready for even healthy people to go.   

 I agree. Too many think only of what they want. Yes we have freedom. The freedom to be selfish seems to be in full force.