How Likely Are You to Cruise After Sail Panel Announcement?

[Big_G]

5 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

What are they please?

 

My take is nothing is permanent but recommended to continue but I've been wrong before. Recommendations start on page 9.

 

"The following chart summarizes our recommendations and indicates which of them can be scaled down, modified, or discontinued over time (M) and which should continue to be implemented to address SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases (K)."

https://www.royalcaribbeangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Healthy-Sail-Panel_Full-Recommendations_9.21.20_FINAL.pdf

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, Joseph2017China said:

  Next time, quote the entire passage, and not just a few words.

 

Maybe I will...

 

If I had said spending thousands of dollars on a  vacation with unappealing restrictions instead of  a cruise with unappealing restrictions would that have covered it?

 

Mostly I shorted things to save space, nothing nefarious. And I can't stand CNN.

[HxFx]

3 hours ago, Joseph2017China said:

At the end of the day, you have a choice.  Either stay home, and skip 2 years of vacation, or go on a vacation. Your decision is based on how you feel today, and the level of fear that you have ingested with the news media.  I went to Las Vegas, wore a mask inside, and had a good time......but I did not enjoy the mask.  My other choice was sit at home for a week and watch TV and listen to the news telling me the horrors that await me.  

 

So I choose to go out, and continue to live a slightly "modified life"  I have been doing it for the last 6 months, with 2 short vacations, and one week long vacation.  I hope someday soon, I can do this without a mask, but until than, I'm not writing off the year.  I only have so many left.

I will choose a land vacation that is way less restrictive. I can stay outdoors and don't have to worry about constantly taking a mask off and on as I walk through the ship to get to different areas. I can eat at outdoor restaurants where often the mask time is next to nothing (if at all). I can stay in a condo where I can cook my own meals (I like to do this), I can get to excursions on my own....

 

We went to Key Largo a few weeks ago and other than a quick walk to our tables at restaurants we didn't have to wear masks. We spent our days diving, snorkeling, and hanging out at the beach. Similar to a cruise but don't have to walk through indoor places to get to everything and no masked bus trips/excursions... Not to mention the evenings where on a ship I'd pretty much have to wear one any time I am not in my tiny little cabin or sitting at a dining table. 

[dada2199cc]

Zero.

 

I had 5 figures in deposits with RCCL I was loaning to them thru 2021 that I just cancelled over the phone.  6 deposits.

 

My only reasons for cancelling them are:

 

• not being able to apply more than one FCC to a single booking
• not being able to cancel my guest on a booking and then get the full FCC in just my name (I cruise 10-14 times per year, my guests only cruise 2-3 usually)
• being forced to have some foreign corporation's contract worker scrape near my brain is not acceptable
• wearing a mask is not acceptable on a vacation

I love RCCL as a company overall, and I know they're going through a difficult time, but if they would have given me no time limit to apply FCCs and allowed me to apply more than one FCC to a single booking, I would have let them hold my deposit infinitely until such time that we returned to normal.

 

I just got back from a nice vacation to Mexico and it was amazing.  It was more expensive by a bit -- but it was nice and convenient and no masks at all.  No scraping of my brain.

Edited September 22, 2020 by dada2199cc

[sandy toes]

I have had cruises cancelled, have bumped cruises to future dates and bumped AGAIN. 
I am ready to cruise, to be on the ocean again.

I am wearing a mask everyday when I step away from my home.

Social distancing is so much a part of our lives.

To continue with those on holiday will actually seem like this new norm.

It will not last forever.

Nothing in life stays the same. 

I do not think there will be many problems with the "rules" as everyone will know about what is expected prior to getting to the port. I am looking forward to a cruise, even if only a few nights at sea. Maybe the hardest place to visit will actually end up being the private islands because it will be impossible to monitor everyone, everywhere. YES, I will cruise again. SOON. 

[Pratique]

2 hours ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

Don’t know what was actually submitted to the CDC, but the plan posted here was a big nothing with no meat or potatoes. 
 

M8

Coming attraction for a big budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere?

[bouhunter]

30 minutes ago, HxFx said:

I will choose a land vacation that is way less restrictive. I can stay outdoors and don't have to worry about constantly taking a mask off and on as I walk through the ship to get to different areas. I can eat at outdoor restaurants where often the mask time is next to nothing (if at all). I can stay in a condo where I can cook my own meals (I like to do this), I can get to excursions on my own....

 

 

That is exactly how we feel.  Two months booked this winter in warm destinations.  As much as we love cruising we're done with it until they can get back to some form of a normal experience.  Whenever that may be.

[dada2199cc]

Just now, bouhunter said:

That is exactly how we feel.  Two months booked this winter in warm destinations.  As much as we love cruising we're done with it until they can get back to some form of a normal experience.  Whenever that may be.

 

The only issue here is weather related.  Going on an 11-12 day cruise to 5-6 different islands means a much better chance of sun.  The captain is going to try to avoid storms as possible on sea days, too.

 

I have a 15 day Christmas trip to Mexico (3 resorts, each 5 days long) and I worry about hitting a storm front for 15 days.

 

I would MUCH rather take my 10 and 5 day "B2B" cruises instead, but alas not worth all of the risks.  Cancelling my airfare to Miami and switching it to Mexico cost me over $1000 extra I didn't want to spend because of last minute flight changes.

[Agavegirl1]

6 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

What are they please?

If you go to the actual recommendations and scroll down a bit, there is a chart.  There are two columns on the far right.  There are Xs in one or the other columns.  The first column is for recommendations that can be modified or eliminated.  The second is for those recommendations that should be permanent.  They are primarily for crew and vendor protocols and do not impact passengers

 

 

[onthewater51]

17 hours ago, yogimax said:

Not until there's an effective and safe vaccine!

That’s the way we feel.   As of now nothing has changed, so crusing under current conditions is not for us.  There are many other ways to enjoy our retirement 

[bouhunter]

59 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

 

The only issue here is weather related.  Going on an 11-12 day cruise to 5-6 different islands means a much better chance of sun.  The captain is going to try to avoid storms as possible on sea days, too.

 

I have a 15 day Christmas trip to Mexico (3 resorts, each 5 days long) and I worry about hitting a storm front for 15 days.

 

I would MUCH rather take my 10 and 5 day "B2B" cruises instead, but alas not worth all of the risks.  Cancelling my airfare to Miami and switching it to Mexico cost me over $1000 extra I didn't want to spend because of last minute flight changes.

Good points, but since we'll be gone for 2 months I don't see it all being stormy. 🙂

 

 

We cruised for 6 weeks total last winter and of course the weather in the Caribbean was pretty much perfect.  We're glad we were able to enjoy that much time onboard since it will be the last for a while.

Edited September 22, 2020 by bouhunter

[dada2199cc]

4 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

Good points, but since we'll be gone for 2 months I don't see it all being stormy. 🙂

 

 

We cruised for 6 weeks total last winter and of course the weather in the Caribbean was pretty much perfect.  We're glad we were able to enjoy that much time onboard since it will be the last for a while.

 

I'm willing to risk it.  I can't recall how many days we did last winter, I think around 4 as a couple and perhaps I did a total of 2 alone and the weather was amazing.

 

I just got back from Mexico -- 10 days away, non stop flights there and back, and all 10 days on the forecast showed rain, and we had exactly 2 hours of rain over the entire 10 days.  Was perfect plus we tried 2 different resorts.

 

October we're doing 9 days, November I think we're doing 10, and December is the 15 day trip, so it's very similar to a cruise ship but with fewer "free" restaurant options.

 

I think we will have a good position to compare between land-based and ship-based travel after doing so many resorts this year -- probably the biggest nightmare for cruises is losing customers forever to all-inclusive resorts!

 

The only "downside" for us is that we were D+ so we had the option to do 3 free drinks during happy hour each, and we aren't drinkers.  At the AI resorts, you automatically get "free booze" in your price, but since we don't really drink, we're paying for it in our AI package.  Wish they offered a wristband without drinks!

[bouhunter]

1 hour ago, dada2199cc said:

 

I'm willing to risk it.  I can't recall how many days we did last winter, I think around 4 as a couple and perhaps I did a total of 2 alone and the weather was amazing.

 

I just got back from Mexico -- 10 days away, non stop flights there and back, and all 10 days on the forecast showed rain, and we had exactly 2 hours of rain over the entire 10 days.  Was perfect plus we tried 2 different resorts.

 

October we're doing 9 days, November I think we're doing 10, and December is the 15 day trip, so it's very similar to a cruise ship but with fewer "free" restaurant options.

 

I think we will have a good position to compare between land-based and ship-based travel after doing so many resorts this year -- probably the biggest nightmare for cruises is losing customers forever to all-inclusive resorts!

 

The only "downside" for us is that we were D+ so we had the option to do 3 free drinks during happy hour each, and we aren't drinkers.  At the AI resorts, you automatically get "free booze" in your price, but since we don't really drink, we're paying for it in our AI package.  Wish they offered a wristband without drinks!

Yeah I hadn't thought about not having the D+ benefits and we do enjoy them.  Oh well..... 🙂

We aren't doing any AI's this winter, just pay as you go resorts and condo rentals.

Edited September 22, 2020 by bouhunter

[ryano]

The only other choice I have is to roll away from over 1800.00 in non refundable FCC.  If my Alaskan cruise actually happens next year, I will be there.  I dont like all the restrictions but they arent keeping almost two grand of my money that they have had since late 2017.  

[parrotfeathers]

7 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

One thing casual cruisers may not understand is that for some, cruising isn't a vacation, per se, its a lifestyle. Kind of like going to your local country club. Just something you're used to. 

 

That crowd is probably ok with most of the bullet points. 

 

I definitely agree with your statement.

[Tapi]

23 hours ago, MichiganMan4 said:

I'm just not going to shell out $10K for this type of experience.

To play devil’s advocate, what if instead of costing $10K, you could go on the same cruise for a fraction of the price but abiding by all the new protocols? Let’s say $2K. Would you do it? Or is it still a hard pass? 

[chaswelf]

There is nothing in the report that would stop me.  The mask wearing doesn't bother me as we've been wearing one for so long now that its becoming second nature.  I kind of compare it to when wearing seat belts became the law,  it was a pain to start but became second nature after a while.

 

[Tapi]

8 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

One thing casual cruisers may not understand is that for some, cruising isn't a vacation, per se, its a lifestyle. Kind of like going to your local country club. Just something you're used to. 

 

That crowd is probably ok with most of the bullet points. 

Since you mention the country club analogy, let me tell you what happened at our local country club. They began the pandemic with very relaxed protocols. (What could go wrong in mostly open spaces?) Well, that lasted until one employee tested positive. They then tested the entire staff and 19 employees had it (mostly young asymptomatic employees). They shut the place down for cleaning and quarantining, and to create new procedures.

 

Long story short, when they reopened, the list of restrictions and procedures was strict and long. You couldn’t even be in a golf cart without a mask. People were still allowed to use the outdoor pools, fitness center, etc, but you had to go online and reserve a 2 hour slot to control capacity and maintain distance.

 

But it did little to stop people from attending. The place was still widely attended the entire summer with all slots fully booked. You simply couldn’t get one. 
 

I’m guessing that cruising will be treated the same way by avid cruisers. There will be less cruises available, and there will be many new rules and procedures in place, but these cruisers will adjust accordingly to continue doing what they love. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Tapi

[Ocean Boy]

59 minutes ago, Tapi said:

To play devil’s advocate, what if instead of costing $10K, you could go on the same cruise for a fraction of the price but abiding by all the new protocols? Let’s say $2K. Would you do it? Or is it still a hard pass? 

Masks plus port activity restrictions is a no go for me. The cruise could be free and my answer would be the same. I don't want to be unhappy even if it cost me nothing.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, ryano said:

The only other choice I have is to roll away from over 1800.00 in non refundable FCC.  If my Alaskan cruise actually happens next year, I will be there.  I dont like all the restrictions but they arent keeping almost two grand of my money that they have had since late 2017.  

That is very understandable position as that is a lot of money to walk away from.

[navychica]

Nothing in the panel is a surprise, but I still won’t go until they get rid of masks. They’re a constant visual reminder of illness, and I prefer my vacations to be an escape. Not to mention I’m not going to try to keep one on my 3 year old. A family member has a beach house near Savannah, so I think that’ll be all vacations for the next two years or so.

[Ocean Boy]

4 minutes ago, navychica said:

Nothing in the panel is a surprise, but I still won’t go until they get rid of masks. They’re a constant visual reminder of illness, and I prefer my vacations to be an escape. Not to mention I’m not going to try to keep one on my 3 year old. A family member has a beach house near Savannah, so I think that’ll be all vacations for the next two years or so.

Masks are not just a visual reminder. If they are needed to help keep everyone safe then they are an indication that you are in a risky environment. I will take that risk for work but a risky non-essential vacation... I don't think so.

[Ocean Boy]

Ok, I finally thought up one reason why I might like people wearing masks on the ships..... Maybe it would keep them from licking their stinking fingers while walking around in the Windjammer.

[time4u2go]

2 hours ago, chaswelf said:

There is nothing in the report that would stop me.  The mask wearing doesn't bother me as we've been wearing one for so long now that its becoming second nature.  I kind of compare it to when wearing seat belts became the law,  it was a pain to start but became second nature after a while.

 

Same here with the masks. I've gotten so used to it I sometimes forget I even have one on. It wouldn't bother me at all.

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Ok, I finally thought up one reason why I might like people wearing masks on the ships..... Maybe it would keep them from licking their stinking fingers while walking around in the Windjammer.

Can’t smoke with a mask on. That’s a big plus. Likely the Casino will be smoke free.