NCL cancels all August and September sailings

[seaman11]

14 minutes ago, Noworkforme23 said:

I think I am just going to put a deposit down on a Miami Beach Hotel for December 2020 as a back up since it appears we probably won't be sailing in December 2020 at this rate.. I already have my flight paid for.. So before I have to give over the remainder of my Final payment on 8/14/2020.. I think this will be my family's best option at this point for a vacation this year. 

is miami beach any good in dec?  last time i was at south beach it wasnt what i had hoped for. 

 

[Noworkforme23]

5 minutes ago, seaman11 said:

is miami beach any good in dec?  last time i was at south beach it wasnt what i had hoped for. 

 

It is cheaper in June, but we prefer to vacation the first few weeks in December. Rates are higher in December, but anytime on the beach in Miami is a good vacation. We like to stay at resorts that have their own private sections of the beach, so it is not crowded..Just a bit pricey.  We don't really venture out into the party scene. We just go for the hotel, the room views, & the beach. 

 

I can see November coming up & the December vacation getting cancelled from Miami /Western Caribbean cruise... so I think this will be our best bet. Really bummed.. We had a great thermal spa mini suite on the Encore & had booked a cabana in Belize.  But the strong hold that the CDC has on the cruise line right now is just too tight, I don't see it letting up at this point. 

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, Noworkforme23 said:

I think I am just going to put a deposit down on a Miami Beach Hotel for December 2020 as a back up since it appears we probably won't be sailing in December 2020 at this rate.. I already have my flight paid for.. So before I have to give over the remainder of my Final payment on 8/14/2020.. I think this will be my family's best option at this point for a vacation this year. 

 

Just make sure that it is refundable.

[mpk]

21 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I don’t think so. I believe they are only exempted from the PVSA on Hawaiian itineraries.

 

 

Pride of America is US flagged, and owned by a subsidiary, NCL America.  Sounds like it is carefully designed to meet PVSA and not rely on an exemption?

Edited June 18, 2020 by mpk

[TrueNorth74]

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-421/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-421.htm
 

This is very, very tl;dr, but the key sentence is this:

 

“The exemption requires that NCL operate these ships in regular service, as defined in the exemption as the "primary service in which the ship is engaged on an annual basis," between the islands of Hawaii and specifically prohibits NCL from transporting paying passengers to ports in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean.”

 

So unless NCL is somehow granted some kind of special waiver from Congress, POA can’t be used for Alaskan itineraries.

[njhorseman]

15 minutes ago, mpk said:

 

Pride of America is US flagged, and owned by a subsidiary, NCL America.  Sounds like it is carefully designed to meet PVSA and not rely on an exemption?

No...POA needed special federal legislation  enacted to permit it to be US -flagged as the ship was not entirely built in the USA. The ship was originally being built in Mississippi for American Hawaii Cruises, which  went out of business. NCL bought the partially completed ship, which bailed the federal government out of having to pay the loan guarantees it had provided, and had the ship towed to Germany for construction to be completed. In return for NCL's bailout, federal legislation was enacted that permitted the ship to be US-flagged without it meeting all the criteria for that designation, but as part of the legislation the ship was restricted to sailing only Hawaiian Island itineraries, so it can't be used as a US-flagged ship for sailing other domestic itineraries such as Alaska cruises.

[vpearlkc]

10 hours ago, njhorseman said:

No...POA needed special federal legislation  enacted to permit it to be US -flagged as the ship was not entirely built in the USA. The ship was originally being built in Mississippi for American Hawaii Cruises, which  went out of business. NCL bought the partially completed ship, which bailed the federal government out of having to pay the loan guarantees it had provided, and had the ship towed to Germany for construction to be completed. In return for NCL's bailout, federal legislation was enacted that permitted the ship to be US-flagged without it meeting all the criteria for that designation, but as part of the legislation the ship was restricted to sailing only Hawaiian Island itineraries, so it can't be used as a US-flagged ship for sailing other domestic itineraries such as Alaska cruises.

 

Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like it's almost impossible to get a fully US-flagged cruise ship going. 

[Longwood50]

Yes, I had two cruises with NCL  booked for August in the Mediterranean.  Both canceled.  That now makes 6 cruises I have booked and all cancelled.  No more FCC for me.  The prices for the new sailings are more than double. 

[Charles4515]

Yes, I had two cruises with NCL  booked for August in the Mediterranean.  Both canceled.  That now makes 6 cruises I have booked and all cancelled.  No more FCC for me.  The prices for the new sailings are more than double. 

Those FCCs are great for the cruise line. For the consumer lots of luck. The cruise lines will probably come out ahead in most cases.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Formula280SS]

On 6/17/2020 at 6:12 AM, david_sobe said:

OMG  Are you kidding me?
During the most restrictive lock downs, New Yorkers fled to Florida and the infections spiked because of it.  There is reality and fairy tale land.  Agreed, what I stated was reality. Just today front page of the Sun Sentinel in Florida has a story a girl went out on the town with her 10 friends and now all tested positive. It has everything to do with the attitude of people not caring for the health of others.  A "girl with her 10 friends" is not comparable to those who fled NY, NJ and CT in March and April of 2020.  Please.

 

I never said the cruise cancellations has anything to do but the spike in Covid numbers.  When elected leaders hide numbers i.e. refuse to report hospital statistics (FL Governor) and publicly state cases are going down or declare victory, we have a right and a duty to speak up. Sure, it's a conspiracy theory.  Florida reacted differently and successfully, didn't paint the entire state with a broad brush or every industry and activity; it focused on nursing homes and the other via social distancing and related measures. Miami has stopped opening up because of the spike.  It APPROPRIATELY is taking such action as the pure statistics show the higher risks in the urban areas.  If Florida acted like New York, the whole STATE would have to return to lock-down.  That's one of the points.  This has EVERYTHING to do with cruising because its the EXACT reason why cruising keeps getting delayed. There is a NO SAIL ORDER and the CDC has not approved a return to sail protocol.  Just today, NCLH is pointing out that the CDC won't even respond to their requests for response to their health protocols submitted. 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/norwegian-cruise-investors-can-blame-the-cdc-for-extended-cruise-suspensions-analyst-says-2020-06-17?mod=mw_quote_news

On 6/17/2020 at 6:12 AM, david_sobe said:

 

If everyone would just wear a mask we could beat this thing. I have no problem with masks, although I believe they should all be efficacy masks and not unsafe, incorrect material or designer.  Again, I have no problem with the masks at at. Look at the hairstylist who was positive and had symptoms.    She was around over 80 customers and no one tested positive because she and her customers wore masks. There were TWO hair stylists in Missouri with 140 customers; none of which contracted COVID 19.  Now, how many hair stylists' are there in the country?  We need to stop applying a BROAD BRUSH to every circumstance and individual.   I have been around multiple prisoners who were positive with masks and I wore a mask and I still test negative.  Masks work but until people wear them, we will never get over this thing.   Again, no problem with masks at all where social distancing is not appropriate.  4 months and over 117k Americans dead.  That is more Americans than the Vietnam war, Iraq war, Afghanistan war, and every terrorist attack on Americans combined.  All in just 4 months.  People are NOT wearing masks. Yep, if one were to look at the statistics, it is clear where it hit the hardest, Nursing Homes and elderly care facilities, health-care workers (wearing masks) and those with severe underlying conditions.  To a reasonably prudent person, public policy would now have adjusted to these facts and FOCUSED on such risk areas.  And, again, I have no problem with mask when social distancing can't be achieved. This has everything to do with cruising. The cruising, hotel, restaurant and related industries were economically hit hard by the reaction to C-19, but other than two Carnival subsidiary ship large infections, the cruise industry did not have noticeable variance from statistics in the countries regarding those at risk and the lack of social distances protocols that were 'subsequently enacted. Until people take this serious cruising will NEVER resume.  When you state Covid is a "problem" in parentheses like you did.  That infers you don't think there Covid is a problem. OMG, it's hard to take that seriously; reading what someone actually wrote and the spinning it 180 degrees.  Sad. The exact reason so many fled to Florida is the exact reason Florida now is a problem.  You answered your own question.  I don't think Florida is now a problem.  They are testing 100,000 people a day at times and are closing in on 2 MILLION people tested.  It is simple MATH.  The more you test, the more you get results.  However, there is a dedicated MM spin to make Florida look bad with partial data.  Happens all the time.

This is why this is spreading faster than ever in many states with cruising ports The cruising ports, and cruises, haven't been open for MONTHS and generally the ships aren't even there.  So you believe the C-19 is flying by air from the refuse at their private islands in the Bahamas to Florida in June to infect Floridians and cause the # of positive cases?  YIKES>

 

 

We can agree to disagree, at least for while it appears nationally.  

Edited June 18, 2020 by Formula280SS

[Formula280SS]

On 6/17/2020 at 9:19 AM, CruisingSince1982 said:

 

I couldn't agree with you more.

 

Thank you.

[harkinmr]

Pride of America will not be deployed for the Alaska cruises.  And NCL quote confirms what posters have said about the Hawaii restrictions.

 

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?stzid=UgzUrHBNtNLSvP-D0BB4AaABAg&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cruiseindustrynews.com%2Fcruise-news%2F23106-pride-of-america-won-t-be-redeployed-from-hawaii.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0cc1jHpwl2z3pvAOOywvMYTKRNWRLtnZldLHjzpdOro6E3I8vrMkQfxg4&event=comments&redir_token=-ijG-LP9wGCcJ2dlo8v2eYlMjO18MTU5MjU3MzE5OUAxNTkyNDg2Nzk5

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by harkinmr

[sammee]

14 hours ago, Noworkforme23 said:

I think I am just going to put a deposit down on a Miami Beach Hotel for December 2020 as a back up since it appears we probably won't be sailing in December 2020 at this rate.. I already have my flight paid for.. So before I have to give over the remainder of my Final payment on 8/14/2020.. I think this will be my family's best option at this point for a vacation this year. 

That was my thoughts too. My August out of NYC cancelled. I was going to hit the Florida gulf coast near St. Pete.  Florida rules for NY/NJ to quarantine for 14 days needs to be lifted before I put a deposit down.

[Longwood50]

24 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Those FCCs are great for the cruise line. For the consumer lots of luck. The cruise lines will probably come out ahead in most cases.

Charles4515  

I agree, they obviously are like a gift card that has an expiration so the cruise lines know that they will have a pent up demand to use them up irrespective of price.  Fares now on most cruises listed are much much higher.  The same cruise I booked is offered at a worse time of the year in the Mediterranean and is double the price I had booked for prime time in August.  Nope, I will ask for a refund and if anything book at the last minute if the prices drop. 

[Jobeth66]

2 hours ago, sammee said:

That was my thoughts too. My August out of NYC cancelled. I was going to hit the Florida gulf coast near St. Pete.  Florida rules for NY/NJ to quarantine for 14 days needs to be lifted before I put a deposit down.

 

We're going to St. Pete (Snell Island) next week, for a week.  We can self-quarantine for the length of our stay, just to get out of Jersey and to a great house with a pool and a beautiful lanai.  I can have groceries and booze delivered, and just relax and enjoy not working.  🙂

[sammee]

2 hours ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

We're going to St. Pete (Snell Island) next week, for a week.  We can self-quarantine for the length of our stay, just to get out of Jersey and to a great house with a pool and a beautiful lanai.  I can have groceries and booze delivered, and just relax and enjoy not working.  🙂

I was actually thinking about that, but have family to visit, and no house with a pool, so the best I could do would be a suite on the gulf. Tough times, lol.

[MrMike45]

@Fredric22 

The flu is our best comparison because it is a contagious virus that causes between 30,000 and 80,000 deaths in the US each year

 

Covid has caused 120,000 deaths in 4 months. 
 

So busting out my fingers and toes and trusty abacus...

120,000 in 4 months = 360,000 in 12 months. 
 

Flu - 30,000 to 80,000 deaths in the same 12 months. 
 

And somehow these are the same???

[mking8288]

Seasonal influenza isn't anywhere close to or like Covid-19, this is far, far worst and damaging to the human body's multiple organs, and in acute cases, lead to rapid and massive cardiac arrest and death.  One of our nieces work in mortuary services at NY's capital region - she sees first-hand, the post-mortem damages inflicted on the heart, lungs and kidneys, etc. - and sadly, some of those they 'processed" were their own colleagues ... frontline healthcare personnel & first responders, in perfect health otherwise with no known risk factors, in their prime age.  Words and stories alone cannot adequately describe the sadness, grief and human tolls taken on everyone involved.  Like the last responders that struggled to give the deceased the final respect that all should get, they struggled without adequate & full PPE because of shortage and failure to act on a timely & decisive manner at the full US governmental level.  

 

With influenza, folks have choices to get a vaccine and be protected - with Covid-19, it is not and perhaps, never will - according to some of the newest, emerging non-peer reviewed clinical research findings & data coming out of mainland China.  

 

Watchout for PTSD and the post-crisis mental health issues that are and will continue to emerge among the caregivers ... nearly 19 years after 9/11, we are still dealing with the long-term effects of the falling of the WTC towers.  Not everyone recovering from Covid-19 will ever be the same or normal again with the damages done to the human body, consider oneself lucky if among that group ... yeah, it is "like" the flu, really.  Go ahead, feel free to disagree and challenge the facts, the data and until someone in your circles is/was impacted and struggled to come to terms with the losses and/or never getting to say their goodbye - it will be business as usual for some, carry on & pack to cruise.  A cold & different perspective on the myths against Covid-19.  

 

We are just as passionate and love cruising as the rest here on CC ... only 30 something cruises for us with plans for more.  Just not in the near future until ... 

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3089476/there-may-be-no-immunity-against-covid-19-new-wuhan-study

Edited June 18, 2020 by mking8288

[Noworkforme23]

On 6/17/2020 at 5:50 PM, Noworkforme23 said:

I think I am just going to put a deposit down on a Miami Beach Hotel for December 2020 as a back up since it appears we probably won't be sailing in December 2020 at this rate.. I already have my flight paid for.. So before I have to give over the remainder of my Final payment on 8/14/2020.. I think this will be my family's best option at this point for a vacation this year. 

 

Just did it for the Loews Miami Beach Hotel from Dec 11-Dec 19, 2020.. At least if the cruise is cancelled, we will still have a beach vacation & our flight does not have to get cancelled.. It was a non-refundable ticket w/AA & their website is only allowing changes thru September 30, 2020..  We have stayed here twice in the past.. Great location on Miami Beach & lots of dining options...

 

Still not sure if I will give the rest of my cruise fee to NCL by 8/14/2020.. I was really hoping for NCL that they would get to sail by August.. Now having to wait until October to see if they sail is just too short of a notice to wait & see what happens at this point. 

Edited June 19, 2020 by Noworkforme23

[tgloersen]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:06 PM, HowardK said:

I would agree with you- I think we are going to see the same pattern in other states where people just can't stay in. I feel as though it is come down to a choice between physical and mental health as well as the economy.

I went to drop my car off for routine matinenacne (6 months I had to go sometime) and was appalled at the people not wearing masks.

 

Florida never closed down like we did up here in New England and NYC.  They opened to early.  Up here nothing was allowed to open until we could show that we had 14 consecutive days of declines, FL and TX and others did not do that.  In my opinion that is why its exploding down there.  Here in CT we are at phase 2, most everything open with exception of large events like concerts and sporting.  We still have declining numbers, i believe we are below 200 people in the hosp. for covid-19 for the whole state now.

[zqvol]

Not sailing out of the US until at least September 16th

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/19/cruise-lines-voluntarily-suspend-all-trips-out-of-us-ports-until-sept-15-trade-group-says.html?fbclid=IwAR0OkYTkEq6nX1nGWgIRHuwjgN1sKAWa4ebllAMMzsdxIuruHcAeaUlSIl4

Edited June 19, 2020 by zqvol

[Jobeth66]

I was actually thinking about that, but have family to visit, and no house with a pool, so the best I could do would be a suite on the gulf. Tough times, lol.

Well, we had planned to visit family in the Cocoa area, but the house with the pool won. :) I'll go back down after this dies down again to see family :)

[sammee]

35 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

On 6/18/2020 at 3:12 PM, sammee said:

I was actually thinking about that, but have family to visit, and no house with a pool, so the best I could do would be a suite on the gulf. Tough times, lol.

Well, we had planned to visit family in the Cocoa area, but the house with the pool won. 🙂 I'll go back down after this dies down again to see family 🙂

Good idea, make it to trips.

[Newleno]

On 6/17/2020 at 3:15 PM, hftmrock said:

you do realize that in the US, there is 120K dead and the estimates from the experts are about 200K by October. Thats 80,000 more dead and I think thats if people keep masks and social distancing so if that doesnt happen, it will be higher...

 

200,000 dead in 7 months... glad you think this is no big deal... I would really be afraid what you would find bad

 

its more deaths that ANY  USA military war death toll except

American Civil War

World War 2

 

the American civil war had over 755,000 deaths but that averaged 520 per day. how many died from Covid yesterday?

 

Im glad you think its all sunshine and rainbows

 

We have still locked ourselves down, basically 3 months now, clearly a lot of people did not and that is why the plague is still here,   People have been rioting,looting, arsoning,  protesting, festivaling for weeks but I dont even dear order delivery.  Who are people blaming  for the current state of affairs?  Instead  blame the plague!  Has there ever been a vaccine for a corona virus?

[roger001]

We’re not going to be cruising for a long, long time.    Today’s report is uglier and uglier.  
https://apple.news/AUQ_Iw5LsTHuYTl4on86sLA