Fingers Crossed MSC sails from US Soon. But when?

[hamrag]

On 8/18/2020 at 1:58 PM, Fogfog said:

....Saw this item and wonder what your thoughts are...https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/no-normalcy-cruising-until-2023-predicts-larry-pimentel

 

 

 

Based on evidence of current behaviours of many in the US of A, it would not surprise me if 'normal' cruising did not return to their waters until sometime in 2023. For those who are behaving appropriately in relation to COVID-19 risks, I feel so sorry for you!

[CruisingFox27]

The numbers of cases is reducing, we had reports in our news that has been an average just under 48k per day for the last week, still very high but an improved figure from the 75k it was last month. Although the number of test carried out is also reducing. If the numbers do keep declining maybe cruising could return by the end of the year or early next in the US.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Just be prepared to wait a few months for that refund :(.

 

Hank

 

I am.  It took Celebrity forever to get my money back to me.  And we had a major fight over the FCCs I used to partially pay for one of the cruises.  Finally resolved.  Nothing is quick these days.

[George C]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Just be prepared to wait a few months for that refund :(.

 

Hank

I canceled my November cruise a month a ago after they switched our cruise from seaside , only took a few weeks to get my refund.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/20/2020 at 12:14 PM, camofwilliamsburg said:

The new report from the WHO is asymtomatic people cannot spreadand masks are unnecessary, they actually cause more issues breathing your own exhalation.  

 

I have not read or heard this before.  If so, this is a hopeful sign.  But, will asymtomatic people who cannot spread the virus remain so during their cruise?  There is simply so much that no one seems to definitely know.

 

Having to wear a mask during times when I am outside of my stateroom is something that I am not going to pay to do when I have to do it where I live for free.  As much as I love to cruise and as much as I love being at sea, I am starting to come to the acceptance that my cruising days are very likely over.  

[rkacruiser]

On 8/20/2020 at 12:14 PM, camofwilliamsburg said:

The new report from the WHO is asymtomatic people cannot spreadand masks are unnecessary, they actually cause more issues breathing your own exhalation.  

 

I have not read or heard this before.  If so, this is a hopeful sign.  But, will asymtomatic people who cannot spread the virus remain so during their cruise?  There is simply so much that no one seems to definitely know.

 

Having to wear a mask during times when I am outside of my stateroom is something that I am not going to pay to do when I have to do it where I live for free.  As much as I love to cruise and as much as I love being at sea, I am starting to come to the acceptance that my cruising days are very likely over.  

[40yearcruiser]

On 8/20/2020 at 11:16 AM, mamaneedsavacay said:

We are booked on that cruise as well. I started a roll call and requested an M&M. Looks like the roll call date thinks it's a 10-day (added 3 days as a back-to-back to the proper 7 days). I didn't do that, I think the itineraries are pre-loaded.

When we booked this cruise it was offered in a 10-day and 7-day version, so I guess that is why the roll call is set for the longer cruise (we booked the 7-day). We didn't book this until last month after our original booking on the new Carnival Mardi Gras was cancelled because the completion of the ship has been delayed. I'd been hoping to try out the Seaside and go to Ocean Cay so this fit in perfectly. Now we just hope that we won't have another cancellation--we've had 4 cruises cancelled so far this year. We have been on the Divina a couple times but this will be the first on Seaside. By the way, are you aware that the itinerary has been changed? No notification from MSC but saw the changes on the website. We don't really care--just want to go somewhere ☺️.

[CruisingFox27]

Interview with Ken Muskat, who is hopeful of cruising returning in the US before the end of the year. 

https://www.porthole.com/interview-ken-muskat-msc-cruises-grandiosa-return/

Edited August 21, 2020 by CruisingFox27

[kelleherdl]

13 minutes ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Interview with Ken Muskat, who is hopeful of cruising returning in the US before the end of the year. 

https://www.porthole.com/interview-ken-muskat-msc-cruises-grandiosa-return/

Well.  I'm now moving my odds of sailing November 8th from Port Canaveral to 50/50. 😁

 

Yes. We are prepared to sail according to the Grandiosa protocols if they are still that strict.  We must move on.

Edited August 21, 2020 by kelleherdl

[shipgeeks]

We would have no problem following all the protocols if it will get us on an MSC cruise.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, CruisingFox27 said:

Interview with Ken Muskat, who is hopeful of cruising returning in the US before the end of the year. 

https://www.porthole.com/interview-ken-muskat-msc-cruises-grandiosa-return/

 

Thank you for sharing this. If MSC is the catalyst that gets the CDC off their butts and it is MSC that actually gets us sailing again before the end of the year I will personally commit to sailing MSC at least once a year for the next 5 years! They will have earned that business. Unfortunately, Ken Muscat doesn't have a great record in my book because he misstated the opening date of Ocean Cay not once, but three times. Regardless, the proof is whether or not we sail.  If MSC gets a ship out of Florida before 2021 I will be greatly impressed and will openly admit that my prediction (2Q21 from the USA) was seriously off.  

 

I added this line to a new thread, but perhaps it belongs here. The CDC has dropped the recommendation to quarantine after travel. Baby steps... moving in the right direction:

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/cdc-quietly-drops-recommendation-for-14-day-quarantine-after-traveling.html?fbclid=IwAR0GSVNqHRp2Dx1rLeTM2seKTwK9FtngguGAndbTNOTC9vGCXYz1ywjN5d0#.X0BnWXmU98W.facebook

Edited August 22, 2020 by BermudaBound2014

[hamrag]

8 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

.....I added this line to a new thread, but perhaps it belongs here. The CDC has dropped the recommendation to quarantine after travel. Baby steps... moving in the right direction:

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/cdc-quietly-drops-recommendation-for-14-day-quarantine-after-traveling.html?fbclid=IwAR0GSVNqHRp2Dx1rLeTM2seKTwK9FtngguGAndbTNOTC9vGCXYz1ywjN5d0#.X0BnWXmU98W.facebook

 

Read the full article, it specifically mentions cruising, as follows:

 

'The agency still recommends travelers who visit areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases, attend large gatherings or sail on a cruise ship quarantine for 14 days and get tested for the virus.'

[CruisingFox27]

@BermudaBound2014 dear Ken does have a tendancy to get a bit 'enthusiastic' and go off piste 🤣

I remain skeptical for US sailings in November but then I wouldn't have imagined in June that a sailing would take place in August. As we've all discovered, a lot can chance in a very short space of time.

[BermudaBound2014]

6 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Read the full article, it specifically mentions cruising, as follows:

 

'The agency still recommends travelers who visit areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases, attend large gatherings or sail on a cruise ship quarantine for 14 days and get tested for the virus.'

 

 

Actually, here is the exact language from the CDC. They are no longer suggesting a full blown quarantine for 14 days, but they do mention taking extra precautions and stay home as much as possible. Unfortunately,  "traveling on a cruise ship" is still being singled out as a high risk activity when it comes to travel :(. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html

 

[mamaneedsavacay]

19 hours ago, 40yearcruiser said:

 I'd been hoping to try out the Seaside and go to Ocean Cay so this fit in perfectly. Now we just hope that we won't have another cancellation--we've had 4 cruises cancelled so far this year. We have been on the Divina a couple times but this will be the first on Seaside. By the way, are you aware that the itinerary has been changed? No notification from MSC but saw the changes on the website. We don't really care--just want to go somewhere ☺️.

 

We have done the Seaside once before and enjoyed it. Our biggest drawbacks were the crowd/not finding deck chairs and not finding a whole lot of organized family activities. But I think that sailing at less than capacity will improve the former, at least. And we will be glad to be in the Bahamas/Caribbean in the winter, regardless.  We were scheduled to go on the Meraviglia to Ocean Cay in March, but was canceled, so really looking forward to OC as well, especially two days in a row. 

 

We are pleased to go to Costa Maya instead of GC, except that it shows departing at 1pm, which would cut our plans short for the beach club. But I'm wondering if they will have the MSC-only excursions rule as they do in the Med right now. I know they won't on Ocean Cay, obviously, but not sure what kind of guided tours they would offer to stay in the "MSC bubble" in Mexico. Maybe if fewer ships are operating at that time in the Caribbean, they can fully rent out the beach clubs and bus us there. That would be a dream! (We have teenagers.)

 

Here's to hoping!

[KennyFla]

19 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

Well.  I'm now moving my odds of sailing November 8th from Port Canaveral to 50/50. 😁

 

Yes. We are prepared to sail according to the Grandiosa protocols if they are still that strict.  We must move on.

I would say your odds are a little better.  We were all watching the last two weeks here with the schools re-opening.  There were some setbacks, some classes had to move to home learning for 14 days, but the schools are still open.  Every time the media or teachers union started to talk about closing down, the parents rose up and made their opinions heard.  Schools are still open.

 

I still believe November 1st.  

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Even though I've got some future cruise credits on several different lines, I'm not booking ANYTHING until cruises start sailing again. There's just been too many cancellations to trust current reopening dates and some of the restart attempts in northern Europe show that they don't seem to know what they're doing.

[sanger727]

On 8/21/2020 at 5:38 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

I have not read or heard this before.  If so, this is a hopeful sign.  But, will asymtomatic people who cannot spread the virus remain so during their cruise?  There is simply so much that no one seems to definitely know.

 

Having to wear a mask during times when I am outside of my stateroom is something that I am not going to pay to do when I have to do it where I live for free.  As much as I love to cruise and as much as I love being at sea, I am starting to come to the acceptance that my cruising days are very likely over.  

 

You haven't heard this before because it isn't true. I have heard that asymptomatic people are unlikely to spread the virus. But Pre-symptomatic people (which for the mask discussion is the same thing - someone who has the virus and doesn't realize it) have contributed greatly to the spread.

[Debde]

On 8/21/2020 at 5:38 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Having to wear a mask during times when I am outside of my stateroom is something that I am not going to pay to do when I have to do it where I live for free.  As much as I love to cruise and as much as I love being at sea, I am starting to come to the acceptance that my cruising days are very likely over.  

 

I am not even thinking about a cruise until maybe November of 2021. My opinion is, it's too soon. Time will tell.

 

I agree with you that if I have to wear a mask outside of my cabin that cruising would not be worth the money to spend for me. Thinking with positivity, that a vaccine will be available in the near future and is able to change this dramatically and life may go back to something close to the way it was. Let's face it, it is possibly the only thing that will stop this awful virus. I want to hope my cruising days are not over.  Hoping that in another year from now, I am starting to think about booking again. Of course I already have my sights set on one November 2021 out of Fla.🙂

 

 

[Fogfog]

Grandiosa seems to be having success and I was quite impressed to hear about that

 

 

[Arizona Wildcat]

On 8/22/2020 at 8:43 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

Actually, here is the exact language from the CDC. They are no longer suggesting a full blown quarantine for 14 days, but they do mention taking extra precautions and stay home as much as possible. Unfortunately,  "traveling on a cruise ship" is still being singled out as a high risk activity when it comes to travel :(. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html

 

Unfortunately there are a few things that need to happen before cruising truly resumes with any sense of normal.

#1 Airlines need to resume service

#2 Borders need to open without quarantines

#3 CDC/WHO travel warnings need to be rescinded as travel insurance pretty much impossible with those in place.

Today #2 seems the hardest and likely to me to take the longest time wise to happen.  The list of closed borders is huge and not changing much.  

[Cruiser Bruiser]

On 8/21/2020 at 4:39 PM, kelleherdl said:

Well.  I'm now moving my odds of sailing November 8th from Port Canaveral to 50/50. 😁

 

Yes. We are prepared to sail according to the Grandiosa protocols if they are still that strict.  We must move on.

I'm supposed to sail on Meraviglia on November 21 (88 days to go!). I am increasingly optimistic. I think rapid testing is going to be the key to making this work.

[Sunshine3601]

On 8/22/2020 at 11:43 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

Actually, here is the exact language from the CDC. They are no longer suggesting a full blown quarantine for 14 days, but they do mention taking extra precautions and stay home as much as possible. Unfortunately,  "traveling on a cruise ship" is still being singled out as a high risk activity when it comes to travel :(. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html

 

High risk includes restaurants bars airports bus and train stations and movie theaters and all of these are open in PA.  

[chipmaster]

11 hours ago, Debde said:

 

I am not even thinking about a cruise until maybe November of 2021. My opinion is, it's too soon. Time will tell.

 

I agree with you that if I have to wear a mask outside of my cabin that cruising would not be worth the money to spend for me. Thinking with positivity, that a vaccine will be available in the near future and is able to change this dramatically and life may go back to something close to the way it was. Let's face it, it is possibly the only thing that will stop this awful virus. I want to hope my cruising days are not over.  Hoping that in another year from now, I am starting to think about booking again. Of course I already have my sights set on one November 2021 out of Fla.🙂

 

 

 

Having just done a x-country jaunt that including flying ( with mask ), out and about shopping ( with mask ), walking around a campus and main street ( with mask ), dining inside and out ( with mask except eating ).   I will disagree, wasn't that bad, I'd do a cruise, people need to get over it and accept what might be new norm.

[MarkusToe]

i've a cruise booked from germany to ireland and UK May 21 -

I think, if the voyages in med are succcessful furtheron, there will be a chance to go.

In case they missed - I'll assume end of he game until ....who knows, maybe forever