I need some encouragement

[Lois R]

On 7/14/2020 at 6:20 AM, Markanddonna said:

Thanks to all for responding with understanding and some compassion.  How rare in today's social media that is often so unkind.

We are in the midst of downsizing so we can leave the worries of a big home and move to a condo, hopefully for more future travel.  Our home is filled with beautiful items from Europe, North America, and Australia: wax seals of Medieval kings, a shofar from Israel, a hanging lamp from Turkey, Polish and Native American pottery, artwork from around the world, etc.  I have enjoyed looking at these things and remembering the wonderful travel opportunities of the past. 

 

 

Empathy for you...I can relate in a certain sense.  If I can tell you my story.....I retired on Dec 31st......I was supposed

to take a long Celebration retirement trip (after going through radiation treatment in Feb).  I was going on a TA crossing for 16 days and then going on a river cruise for another 10.

That was supposed to be from April 5---May 4th. We all know what happened--everything stopped.

 

And then at the end of April I got really sick. (not with Covid) but I was hospitalized for a

week and went to some very dark places while in that bed alone for that time.  I made it to the other side and have 

recovered but damn, I wish I could cruise too!!!!!!!  I keep looking at trips for next year but who knows if 2021 will 

be possible........we can only hope.    And yes, there are lots of places I still want to visit! 

[George C]

We would have done something like a 14 day Europe cruise next year for our 30 anniversary but will put will wait to see how things go. Did just book celebrity edge sky suite for April, which is refundable.

[clo]

2 hours ago, Kate P.C said:

We keep positive with booking road trips and exploring a lot of the places we haven't been to locally.

But will never stop planning and looking forward to our next cruises.

So when you travel internationally is it generally via cruising?

[Hlitner]

The OP asks a very good question.  As long time cruise and travel lovers we have been desperately trying to hang on to our positivity while also being a realist.  But this is becoming increasingly difficult as the reality of COVID simply overcomes most positive thoughts.  Until a few weeks ago we felt positive enough to keep our mid-October booking (Regal Princess), a December booking (MSC) and a long Asian booking for next April.  But now I find myself moving into the camp of those that do not see much future for the cruise industry until (and if) there is a safe/effective COVID-19 vaccine.  A good scientist friend of ours expresses reality by simply saying that cruise ships are petri dishes.  None of the cruise line proposals can address the big question of what happens if a single person on a ship develops COVID-19 symptoms?  And the reality is that it will happen with pre-cruise temperature taking, testing, etc. not doing much to prevent a case getting aboard any ship.

 

Sure, the cruise industry will try to resume operations with new protocols that will toss a smokescreen over the reality of COVID.  But without a safe/effective vaccine there may not be any future to cruising.  And if the cruise lines manage to resume operations without a vaccine we would predict it will be a short lived attempt since the first case of COVID will quickly result in another worldwide shutdown.

 

So perhaps I can shed some ideas regarding the OP's questions.  While we still have 4 cruise bookings we have serious doubts that any of the cruises will happen.  So we are also thinking in terms of a few long land trips (back to our travel routes) with a few extended European driving trips on the agenda once the situation stabilizes and Europe again opens its doors.  Meanwhile we have already commenced domestic USA travel (via car) and are now in a nice oceanview condo in the Carolinas.  We are easily able to maintain social distancing in most environments, wear masks, and go to restaurants where we feel they are taking appropriate measures.  Yes, we understand there is some risk but are willing to accept the risk as long as we are in a position to generally control that risk (unlike on a cruise ship).  We still have some family and friends who are sheltering in their homes while we enjoy the beautiful beaches, ocean water, and restaurants.  That is their choice and appropriate for those with minimal risk tolerance.  And thanks to them (and many like them) there are more reasonable options for us because of less crowding :).

 

My own belief is that land travel will gradually open while the cruise industry remains completely to mostly shut down.   The reality is that it is only on land that the individual still has a lot of control over their environment and the ability to quickly change course if something seems too risky.  In fact, we have two restaurant reservations (this week) in places where we have some concern.  If we see that those places are not meeting our own COVID mitigation standards we can simply turn around, walk away, and go somewhere else.  On a ship, once you leave the port your options are much more limited.

 

Hank

 

 

[Treasure Hunter]

We have booked January on the Sky Princess ( which I am becoming depressed about happening) a Seine River Cruise in May ( ditto) and the Enchanted Princess in the Mediterranean for October. We just booked the Viking Mississippi for 2023! Because 2022 was fully booked. What! So we just keep on hoping and book refundable deposits and moving bookings. I have to have something to look forward to. We too do instacart and restaurant pick up but I feel like I’ve cooked a 1,000 meals since March and run through Netflix. I can’t seem to get into a book. The last cruise I read six. I find talking to you guys on Cruise Critic is better than therapy!

[iancal]

We are optimistic.  We travel frequently.  But we have no pending reservations and we have no plans to do so until we feel it is safe to travel.  We have no issue booking last minute.

 

We strongly suspect that we will be flying  and doing independent land tours long before we take our next cruise.  This is what we are planning for.  When the threat subsides we will push the buy button and travel.  Until then...safe at home and environs.

Edited July 19, 2020 by iancal

[cruisemom42]

It seems like there are some people who have "itchy feet" -- they find it hard to stay put in one place for long. They like to travel just to travel to somewhere, anywhere. Perhaps the travel itself is part of it.

 

I tend to be more of the camp that "travels for a Reason" (with a capital R). I have no desire to drive somewhere and sit in a hotel just for a change of view or a chance to try a new restaurant. That does zero for me. 

 

I can sit at home happily and while away the hours planning my next trip(s) even if they are a long way off. What does bother me about this pandemic is the uncertainty. Not knowing when or if it will be safe to fly/cruise/travel to the places I want to go.

 

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

It seems like there are some people who have "itchy feet" -- they find it hard to stay put in one place for long. They like to travel just to travel to somewhere, anywhere. Perhaps the travel itself is part of it.

 

I'm definitely one of those itchy feet people😂 but I wouldn't say I travel for no reason at all. I just happen to be interested in many things so anywhere I go I can find something that interests me in a destination. It is not to say some places don't interest me more than others but I have yet to find a place where there is nothing to discover. Even places that disappoint me still interest me in how disappointing it is😜. I guess I am easily amused😉. 

[navybankerteacher]

I’ve recently found that walking across Piazza Navona or just standing still in front of the Library of Celsius or in the Tate Modern for a while does a lot more for the itch than time spent in a shipboard casino or at some showtime spectacular, so I am finding more and more that my vacation travel is on land —- but still - an Atlantic sea crossing is a great way to get home.

[clo]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

chance to try a new restaurant.

We love dining, fine and otherwise. Best meal we've had in our lives (so far) was in Budapest. But it could be NYC, SF, SEA and more. But we can't even fly. But we in no way obsess about it. And I'm sincerely hoping that if people are beyond normal stress, I'd suggest some therapy.

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

 A few of us on CC have been saying since March that planning cruises now is a recipe for disappointment. Some folks caught on right away, some doggedly hung onto "optimism" for months, and one group even now still clings to its "cruising is just around the corner" fantasy.

 

  Want to avoid letdowns and disappointments? Follow the posters who offer facts, rational argument and evidence ... and stay far from the rabid "optimists" who've been consistently wrong since St Patrick's Day, again and again and again.

 

[Mike981]

16 hours ago, EscapeFromConnecticut said:

 

  Want to avoid letdowns and disappointments? Follow the posters who offer facts, rational argument and evidence ... and stay far from the rabid "optimists" who've been consistently wrong since St Patrick's Day, again and again and again.

 

*Below has been said many times on CC*

I just shared last week with someone who still thinks they will cruise this year, to look at the logistics of starting back up if they flicked the switch "all systems go" today. Just having staff all over the world, and then how many will decided they don't want to work on a cruise ship anymore? They will need to be replaced and trained. There is so much that needs to be dealt with logistically before they start sailing again that I have no idea about, let alone health considerations.

 

I tried to be realistic and the helped me decide I would rather delay my 2021 trip until 2022, than kill myself over speculation and baseless facts.

 

I was reading a thread this weekend that started at the beginning of Covid and it is chilling to see the posts that were stated as fact and how things will play out. How wrong they are today. No one knew how it was going to go, but that is the point. No one knew and some were acting like they had inside knowledge, and unfortunately some took it that way.

Something to think about. Remember when everyone was talking about the second wave? Well, we are still in the first wave and it is getting worse.

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

34 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

*Below has been said many times on CC*

I just shared last week with someone who still thinks they will cruise this year, to look at the logistics of starting back up if they flicked the switch "all systems go" today. Just having staff all over the world, and then how many will decided they don't want to work on a cruise ship anymore? They will need to be replaced and trained. There is so much that needs to be dealt with logistically before they start sailing again that I have no idea about, let alone health considerations.

 

I tried to be realistic and the helped me decide I would rather delay my 2021 trip until 2022, than kill myself over speculation and baseless facts.

 

I was reading a thread this weekend that started at the beginning of Covid and it is chilling to see the posts that were stated as fact and how things will play out. How wrong they are today. No one knew how it was going to go, but that is the point. No one knew and some were acting like they had inside knowledge, and unfortunately some took it that way.

Something to think about. Remember when everyone was talking about the second wave? Well, we are still in the first wave and it is getting worse.

Mike981 - refreshing to see CC members who are interested in evidence instead of opinion, fact instead of snark & sarcasm.
      It's worthwhile to go back to March and early April posts in CC to see which folks knew what they were talking about ... and which ones were consistently wrong.

      There's generally a pattern - a few variances here and there, but typically the people who called it right back then are still calling it right. Meanwhile, it's useful to spot the cruise line cheerleaders, the angry diehards and head-in-the-sand "optimists" - the ones who have been wrong at every development, week after week.

 

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, Mike981 said:

*Below has been said many times on CC*

I just shared last week with someone who still thinks they will cruise this year, to look at the logistics of starting back up if they flicked the switch "all systems go" today. Just having staff all over the world, and then how many will decided they don't want to work on a cruise ship anymore? They will need to be replaced and trained. There is so much that needs to be dealt with logistically before they start sailing again that I have no idea about, let alone health considerations.

 

I tried to be realistic and the helped me decide I would rather delay my 2021 trip until 2022, than kill myself over speculation and baseless facts.

 

I was reading a thread this weekend that started at the beginning of Covid and it is chilling to see the posts that were stated as fact and how things will play out. How wrong they are today. No one knew how it was going to go, but that is the point. No one knew and some were acting like they had inside knowledge, and unfortunately some took it that way.

Something to think about. Remember when everyone was talking about the second wave? Well, we are still in the first wave and it is getting worse.

 

Just a two week lockdown to flatten the curve, Yup.  Who would have thought this back in March.  

 

Everyone stay safe.    

[Markanddonna]

We went on another Zoom trip to Europe this past Sunday offered through withlocals.com.  This time we went to Barcelona and learned about the inside construction of LaSagrada Familia with a woman who is a light engineer.  We've been to Pompeii and Naples during the pandemic, virtually, of course.

[evandbob]

1 hour ago, Markanddonna said:

We went on another Zoom trip to Europe this past Sunday offered through withlocals.com.  This time we went to Barcelona and learned about the inside construction of LaSagrada Familia with a woman who is a light engineer.  We've been to Pompeii and Naples during the pandemic, virtually, of course.

 

Amazing how the stained glass panels are positioned in the same order of a rainbow.  It's quite stunning when the sunlight angles through the inside of the cathedral this way.

[clo]

2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

This time we went to Barcelona and learned about the inside construction of LaSagrada Familia

So have you not been there? I could live in Barcelona! And, oh, the food! We had a penthouse apt. walking distance to Sagrada Familia and a block to public transpo. Such an easy city to get around.

[Markanddonna]

3 hours ago, clo said:

So have you not been there? I could live in Barcelona! And, oh, the food! We had a penthouse apt. walking distance to Sagrada Familia and a block to public transpo. Such an easy city to get around.

yes, love Barcelona.  We've been there, but this video visit was with an expert who is assisting on using glass in one of the new towers.  We went to Pompeii virtually with an archaeologist who works in the excavations in Pompeii.  Using these sorts of visits, I get a unique perspective and can see areas closed off to most visitors. 

[dogs4fun]

1 minute ago, Markanddonna said:

yes, love Barcelona.  We've been there, but this video visit was with an expert who is assisting on using glass in one of the new towers.  We went to Pompeii virtually with an archaeologist who works in the excavations in Pompeii.  Using these sorts of visits, I get a unique perspective and can see areas closed off to most visitors. 

May I ask where one would find these virtual visits? Pompeii with an archaeologist working the excavations sound like my cup of tea.

[Markanddonna]

5 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

May I ask where one would find these virtual visits? Pompeii with an archaeologist working the excavations sound like my cup of tea.

We first took a trip to Naples with Raffaele who has his PHD in archeaology. His English was also very good and he was courteous and patient. We liked it so much that we booked him to give my children and grandchildren a tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum. https://www.withlocals.com/experience/beautiful-pompeii-herculaneum-private-day-trip-75a617ae/locals/?adults=4&children=0&hostId=78789c40-6060-4dc9-aaf0-beb0417fe175

 

There are a few others who now do these tours, but I can highly recommend him.

 

BTW- it is sort of fun when your friends ask you what's new and you tell they you were in Italy or Spain.

 

[dogs4fun]

36 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

We first took a trip to Naples with Raffaele who has his PHD in archeaology. His English was also very good and he was courteous and patient. We liked it so much that we booked him to give my children and grandchildren a tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum. https://www.withlocals.com/experience/beautiful-pompeii-herculaneum-private-day-trip-75a617ae/locals/?adults=4&children=0&hostId=78789c40-6060-4dc9-aaf0-beb0417fe175

 

There are a few others who now do these tours, but I can highly recommend him.

 

BTW- it is sort of fun when your friends ask you what's new and you tell they you were in Italy or Spain.

 

Thank you for the link  - I just checked his site. Oh my ... his tours are very expensive - especially as they are only virtual visits. €300.76 for one person. Am I missing something? Think I will stick to my notes & guide books from previous visits. Mary Beard does some wonderful youtube videos that are free of charge.

Edited July 21, 2020 by dogs4fun

[Markanddonna]

The $$$ are the in-person tours.  I believe it costs $9 per person for the withlocal virtual tours.

[dogs4fun]

17 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

The $$$ are the in-person tours.  I believe it costs $9 per person for the withlocal virtual tours.

Ah, I am an idiot. I did not see the prices for the the virtual tours - will check again.

Edited July 21, 2020 by dogs4fun

[cruisemom42]

33 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

The $$$ are the in-person tours.  I believe it costs $9 per person for the withlocal virtual tours.

 

Yes, I had to poke around a bit to get there from your link.

 

But that $9 per person assumes you have a group to share the cost among. It is still a fixed amount of 56 euros for up to 9-10 people -- or for 1 person.

 

Looks interesting though. As someone who's been to Pompeii for around 10 full days, all total, maybe I should get my act on the road and do something similar.

 

 

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, clo said:

So have you not been there? I could live in Barcelona! And, oh, the food! We had a penthouse apt. walking distance to Sagrada Familia and a block to public transpo. Such an easy city to get around.

 

There's a lot of ancient Rome remaining in Barcelona (Barcino to the Romans) -- next time you are there visit the Roman ruins under the old Cathedral, look at the ancient Roman towers (part of the defensive walls) still standing at stretches throughout the old city, or take a tour through the museum (MUHBA) of several fascinating subterranean Roman houses -- complete with mosaics and even a fresco or two.