It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn

[Germancruiser]

I will stick to my two favorite cruise lines- X and Cunard. I absolutley don´t see that any cruise line- and that includes Princess has done anything wrong. These have been and are still unpredictable times- a situation nobody has experienced before. Nobody could forsee what happend.

I followed David Abels s Blog when he was in Quarantine on board the ill fated Diamond Princess. He had nothing but praise how Princess handled the situation. Sure they made misstakes- but what cruise hasn´t! ?

They ( Princess) went over and beyond backwards to help their passengers in situation which was taken out of the hand by the Japanese Goverment.

[cl.klink]

19 hours ago, Mojogurued said:

Sometime soon this will all seem like a bad memory.  X will return to the high seas at competitive prices, more customers, or more luxury if lines like Oceania fail.  I believe we will survive and thrive as a valuable asset to RCL.  I believe all your refund issues will be solved - we just need patience.  I believe Celebrity will be vindicated compared to the mistakes made by lines like Princess.  Who will be standing with X after this Covid-19 situation is over?

 

Strongly agree.

 

We will figure out how to move on, as we have these past weeks / months with the challenges of these weeks / months.  One day at a time, handling each day, we make the best decisions we can, and advance. String enough days together and its next month. Next season. Next year.  We have so many possibilities.  There are so many variables we can tweak and adjust.  We humans are a resilient species.  We have loved cruising because there is a lot to love about it.  Even if it is cruising 2.0, when the day comes, it will still have a lot to love.  And, we will love it.

 

Until that day,

 

- Joel

 

 

[TeeRick]

I will stand with X because they have my deposit.

[ECCruise]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

I will stand with X because they have my deposit.

Likewise.  They have a full payment plus 4 additional deposits, over $8k with just =X=.  Lots more factoring in Azamara and RCL.

 

There should be an unwritten CC law:  No cheerleading unless you have skin in the game. 😉

[Bo1953]

12 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Likewise.  They have a full payment plus 4 additional deposits, over $8k with just =X=.  Lots more factoring in Azamara and RCL.

 

There should be an unwritten CC law:  No cheerleading unless you have skin in the game. 😉

Yes, I have lots of skin in this game!

 

bon voyage

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I smile with the thought that, with hundreds of billions at stake, the cruise lines will succeed.  I predict that cruise ships will become THE SAFEST places to be!  You will also be able to fly safely in the near future.  
 

“The darkest hour is, indeed, just before the dawn.”  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Likewise.  They have a full payment plus 4 additional deposits, over $8k with just =X=.  Lots more factoring in Azamara and RCL.

 

There should be an unwritten CC law:  No cheerleading unless you have skin in the game. 😉

 

I've got in the neighborhood of $13,000 in the game.  That enough skin for you?

[ECCruise]

2 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I've got in the neighborhood of $13,000 in the game.  That enough skin for you?

Sounds good to me. 🙂

[Quo Vadis?]

Seven cruises with non-refundable deposits..

I just hope our FCCs don't expire before I do.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

1 hour ago, Argo. said:

Seven cruises with non-refundable deposits..

I just hope our FCCs don't expire before I do.

LOL LOL LOL!!

[Germancruiser]

CGTNormandie- you made it through RMS QE (1965) up to the Divina- you wont expire!

[youwash]

Looking for something to give me a feel good moment today I booked our hotel in Fort Lauderdale for our cruise on Reflection next February. My husband gets the email confirmation and calls me and asks me why I would do that and do I really think we will be cruising then. And I replied that I thought so and would proceed on that thought.  Plus we can always cancel the reservation. 
 

The biggest revelation was his reaction as he is ALWAYS the optimist and I am ALWAYS THE PESSIMIST.

 

 

[Mojogurued]

14 hours ago, ECCruise said:

Likewise.  They have a full payment plus 4 additional deposits, over $8k with just =X=.  Lots more factoring in Azamara and RCL.

 

There should be an unwritten CC law:  No cheerleading unless you have skin in the game. 😉

 

I am not cheerleading. We need more optimism and some realism about how the cruise industry always bounces back. No skin in the game? I have a $900 deposit on Silhouette March 2022. I put skin in the game AFTER this all broke out.

[ECCruise]

7 hours ago, Mojogurued said:

 

I am not cheerleading. We need more optimism and some realism about how the cruise industry always bounces back. No skin in the game? I have a $900 deposit on Silhouette March 2022. I put skin in the game AFTER this all broke out.

First off, generally when someone posts a winking smiley face (😉) people understand that the post is at least somewhat jocular.

But to respond to your post, I am a little annoyed when I/we are told to "stand with" or "support" a huge multi-billion corporation like it is a high school football team with a losing season.  The cruise lines did not ask for this mess, I couldn't agree more, but lots of their actions leading up to it (and in response to it) are responsible for their current situation.  Huge, massive profits that they plowed into stock buybacks and dividends instead of shoring up their financial footing.  And now they have to go deep into the borrowing well and still, nearly 2 months later, not refunded me a dime of what is owed.

I feel that the close to half million dollars I have put in cruise lines pockets over the years more than qualifies me to look at them with a realistic (and sometimes pessimistic, frankly) eye.

[Lastdance]

                                               "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.

                                      Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

 

                                                                            ~Helen Keller                                                                     

 

 

I am a very optimistic realist at this point in my life.  Nothing is ever perfect, but I am able to control how I respond to things, rather than the other way around...I was able to receive my three refunds, but the first one took several months, and a lot of communication, as it was booked through the big box store. Actually, Celebrity came through for me at the very end.  My other two were within a week, as they were booked with my favorite agent to whom I am very grateful!  I have quite a few cruises booked with her in 2021 &2022.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Lastdance

[sanger727]

15 hours ago, youwash said:

Looking for something to give me a feel good moment today I booked our hotel in Fort Lauderdale for our cruise on Reflection next February. My husband gets the email confirmation and calls me and asks me why I would do that and do I really think we will be cruising then. And I replied that I thought so and would proceed on that thought.  Plus we can always cancel the reservation. 
 

The biggest revelation was his reaction as he is ALWAYS the optimist and I am ALWAYS THE PESSIMIST.

 

 

 

I'm rooting for you. We had been tentatively planning a trip to SouthEast Asia next February. Still hoping to go. Nothing is booked yet though, currently all their borders are closed and will at least wait for them to open up to US tourists before we book.

[yorky]

12 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

I'm rooting for you. We had been tentatively planning a trip to SouthEast Asia next February. Still hoping to go. Nothing is booked yet though, currently all their borders are closed and will at least wait for them to open up to US tourists before we book.

We still have our fingers crossed that our Asia cruise Feb 14th will go ahead.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Here's my optimism:

 

Since we cannot cruise this year, and will not cruise in summer of 2021 unless there is an effective vaccine by then, I predict that wife and I will live to see a vaccine in time to cruise in 2022; and that, instead of our regular cruise, it will be a luxury cruise since we will have three times as much money available to spend!

: 

[mahdnc]

This wasn't worth starting a new thread, so I thought I would post it here.  I just noticed, according to Cruise Critic, that today is my 20th anniversary (although I was active before that including the pre-Cruise Critic bulletin board on AOL).  I would never have guessed that this would be the current state of cruising by the time this anniversary arrived.

[Covepointcruiser]

We have had two cruises canceled but are really hoping our December cruise is a go.  We had an Azamara cruise in South Africa for Jan 21 but we canceled.   I don’t believe any of this was the fault of the cruise lines.   The COVID 19 that has hit the east coast is a European strain and is more easily transmitted than the Asian was.    The lawyer that brought this to New York State was a super spreader.  He flew from Florida but had been in Israel.

[Mojogurued]

12 hours ago, ECCruise said:

First off, generally when someone posts a winking smiley face (😉) people understand that the post is at least somewhat jocular.

But to respond to your post, I am a little annoyed when I/we are told to "stand with" or "support" a huge multi-billion corporation like it is a high school football team with a losing season.  The cruise lines did not ask for this mess, I couldn't agree more, but lots of their actions leading up to it (and in response to it) are responsible for their current situation.  Huge, massive profits that they plowed into stock buybacks and dividends instead of shoring up their financial footing.  And now they have to go deep into the borrowing well and still, nearly 2 months later, not refunded me a dime of what is owed.

I feel that the close to half million dollars I have put in cruise lines pockets over the years more than qualifies me to look at them with a realistic (and sometimes pessimistic, frankly) eye.

 

If they had multi-billions of dollars laying around in a bank you and everyone else would already have their refunds. Did you put half a million dollars into the cruise lines pockets as charity, or did they give you half a million dollars worth of vacations? I'll never be able to enjoy that much time at sea, and would only wish to have your problem.

[Mojogurued]

5 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Here's my optimism:

 

Since we cannot cruise this year, and will not cruise in summer of 2021 unless there is an effective vaccine by then, I predict that wife and I will live to see a vaccine in time to cruise in 2022; and that, instead of our regular cruise, it will be a luxury cruise since we will have three times as much money available to spend!

: 

 

I like the way you think! We had to take 2020 off anyways and cancelled 2021 early on. Right now we're in Aqua Class for 2022 but we might celebrate after all in the Retreat.

[BigAl94]

The publicity gets worse https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242595896.html

[laslomas]

14 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Here's my optimism:

 

Since we cannot cruise this year, and will not cruise in summer of 2021 unless there is an effective vaccine by then, I predict that wife and I will live to see a vaccine in time to cruise in 2022; and that, instead of our regular cruise, it will be a luxury cruise since we will have three times as much money available to spend!

: 

 

I like your thinking. Just keep hoping that the prices do not increase in that time to wipe out the chance of that super luxury cruise. Looking ahead they are certainly on the way up! 

[Mike981]

On 5/6/2020 at 3:25 PM, ECCruise said:

 

But I don't owe them any more loyalty than they owe me.  They didn't cause the virus but their bad business posture ('This will never end!  Build more ships!  Keep raising prices! Cut some more amenities!") put them in the "Wile Coyote treading air" position they find themselves.  I hope they find their way out of it because we've had a lot of wonderful times all over the world on cruise ships.  But I am not going to do anything "special" to ensure they survive.

 

 

I love that Wile Coyote reference.

As a rehabilitated corporate employee, I so agree with your assessment. The corporate company is beholden to people, just not their clients. It's the rules of the game. Constant increases in revenue. No matter what.

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Mike981