Are O's fares dramatically rising for 2021?

[pinotlover]

4 hours ago, rallydave said:

What nobody has mentioned regarding vaccinations, there are a significant number of people who won't get vaccinated or allow their children to bevaccinated so won't need near 300M or 700M doses for the US  Also the story about lining up the school children an vaccinating them won't happen because of the uproar and aclu.

 

They will line up the students whose parents sign to have their children vaccinated, and do it quickly.

 

Most importantly, for the Anti-vaxers, the Authorities have been very clear. Once the vaccine is available, the schools are going back to full time schedules, doing regular work in all the classrooms. Now the students are only in class 50% of the normal times, with some classes requiring labs suspended. The Anti-vaxers can then decide whether to send their students to school or withdraw them. They are not going to continuously suppress the entire educational system to facilitate the Anti-vaxers. 
 

The Anti-vaxers can make all the decisions they choose, however they will progressively find the world getting smaller and smaller for them. Authorities will not keep bars, restaurants, etc at 25-50% capacity to facilitate them. People won’t continue wearing masks to protect those that refuse to protect themselves, nor will they be required to. The Anti-vaxers might have to continue to protect themselves from each other!

[rallydave]

14 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

They will line up the students whose parents sign to have their children vaccinated, and do it quickly.

 

Most importantly, for the Anti-vaxers, the Authorities have been very clear. Once the vaccine is available, the schools are going back to full time schedules, doing regular work in all the classrooms. Now the students are only in class 50% of the normal times, with some classes requiring labs suspended. The Anti-vaxers can then decide whether to send their students to school or withdraw them. They are not going to continuously suppress the entire educational system to facilitate the Anti-vaxers. 
 

The Anti-vaxers can make all the decisions they choose, however they will progressively find the world getting smaller and smaller for them. Authorities will not keep bars, restaurants, etc at 25-50% capacity to facilitate them. People won’t continue wearing masks to protect those that refuse to protect themselves, nor will they be required to. The Anti-vaxers might have to continue to protect themselves from each other!

While I completely agree with you about the anti-vaxers I am not sure where you got the information about schools and what authorities will or will not do one a successful vaccine is available.  Perhaps that is what is going on in Arizona where I believe you live however no such school situation is in force here in Texas and pretty sure there are other states not following the rules you stated.  Here schools are wide open for the entire day with parents allowed to either sent their children to full time school or continue with virtual schooling and while I hope the anti-vaxers see the light or are somehow forced to take the vaccine and no such plans to open fully once the vaccine is readily available and sufficient time for all to take the vaccine.

 

Unfortunately no National rules or policies in the US and each state or locale is available to do as they choose.

[ABoatNerd]

Indeed fly. The golf clubs shipped. Rental vehicle.

Will live in Florida in the same manner as here in Ontario, with caution (mask, shield and gloves always in a store) BUT, loving it and warm and exercised and watching gators and eating great food made at the condo or delivered in, being on the beach.

 

Life is meant to be lived and I am living it big time. No cowering in the basement of the frozen hell.

 

For me here is the reality.....

Most if not all of our pandemic viruses have come from China, so that is an issue that the G20 needs to deal with. Cruise lines need to deal with. If we do not deal with it, the G20 economy will be perpetually destabilized and so will cruising. I lived through the toughest situation of SARS (from China) in 2003 in Toronto ( the worlds epicenter of SARS), it was a big shutdown like we are dealing with now, with no tech, everyone had to physically go to work, was very difficult. So this is my 2nd pandemic and I am not in any way tolerant of China; Asian flu 1956, Hong Kong flu 1968, Wuhan virus now. 

 

To be able to cruise again means that we will always have in the back of our mind this virus, what that means for the future is to be determined.

[Nashna]

It is truly tragic that this pandemic has become so politizied.  I fear that the politization of Covid-19 will force us to endure this health crisus much longer than necessary.  

[CintiPam]

13 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

I am not interested in booking until I am certain of the safety factor, stability of ports and the on board product. Oceania's menu erosion makes me realize that with their debt level, there will be more product degradation going forward. Not going to pay more for less.

“Oceania’s menu erosion...”

 

Please elucidate to what you are referring. We average one cruise per year on Oceania, but only have sailed on the two “O” ships since Marina went into service in 2011. Our most recent was on Riviera disembarking March 11 in Miami.  I understand that food is a very subjective topic but I truly do not understand this reference.

[ABoatNerd]

CintiPam - the menu introduced in August 2018. A search will bring up many comments on the reduction in size, increase in repetition and use of lesser quality ingredients, particularly the meat items.

 

For me and the group I travel with, it was very obvious there was a food change. The Grand Dining Room, in particular, suffered from the downgrading. 

 

It was the before and immediately after the menu change that brought the clearest knowledge of the negative impacts. My dear friends did 4 Oceania in 2018 and they were startled at the difference. Enough change they said to not consider Oceania, which they have not, they moved to Crystal.

 

Hope this is of assistance.

[ORV]

11 hours ago, CintiPam said:

“Oceania’s menu erosion...”

 

Please elucidate to what you are referring. We average one cruise per year on Oceania, but only have sailed on the two “O” ships since Marina went into service in 2011. Our most recent was on Riviera disembarking March 11 in Miami.  I understand that food is a very subjective topic but I truly do not understand this reference.

Since you were on one of the last Oceania cruises to sail would you find what you experienced at all similar to what you were just told? It wasn't for me when I I was on the Riviera in Dec. Or perhaps I'm just not discerning enough. 

 

I've got this bad habit of considering the source, and some, due to past posting history here,  I have no faith in. 

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

I've got this bad habit of considering the source, and some, due to past posting history here,  I have no faith in.

Take solace in that you are not alone - I suffer from the same malady. 🙂

[Nashna]

I wish there was a rule that  required CC posts to stick to the subject. 

[LHT28]

4 hours ago, Nashna said:

I wish there was a rule that  required CC posts to stick to the subject. 

they have  Guidelines  

but who reads those

Thread hijacking is not supposed to be acceptable

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/#guides_disruption

[1985rz1]

33 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

they have  Guidelines  

but who reads those

Thread hijacking is not supposed to be acceptable

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/#guides_disruption

Moreover, no one enforces them, except for random cases.

[CintiPam]

13 hours ago, ABoatNerd said:

CintiPam - the menu introduced in August 2018. A search will bring up many comments on the reduction in size, increase in repetition and use of lesser quality ingredients, particularly the meat items.

 

For me and the group I travel with, it was very obvious there was a food change. The Grand Dining Room, in particular, suffered from the downgrading. 

 

It was the before and immediately after the menu change that brought the clearest knowledge of the negative impacts. My dear friends did 4 Oceania in 2018 and they were startled at the difference. Enough change they said to not consider Oceania, which they have not, they moved to Crystal.

 

Hope this is of assistance.

Thanks very much for the explanation; I now understand your comment. 
 

IMO there was a period of several years (2015-2018?) during which the food offerings in the GDR became more homogenized, much blander, with a suppression of innovation/spice/variety in favor of beef and potatoes, particularly noticeable in the appetizers and entree offerings. I was very happy when Oceania returned to more what I term “innovative international” menu offerings in the last couple of years.

 

YMMV.

[CintiPam]

10 hours ago, ORV said:

Since you were on one of the last Oceania cruises to sail would you find what you experienced at all similar to what you were just told? It wasn't for me when I I was on the Riviera in Dec. Or perhaps I'm just not discerning enough. 

 

I've got this bad habit of considering the source, and some, due to past posting history here,  I have no faith in. 

As I indicated in the immediately preceding post 26, I do not agree; I thought the food on our last cruise was very good indeed. (And I particularly enjoyed the addition of a daily Humphry Slocombe ice cream flavor.)

 

Regarding staying on topic, with the prospect of cruising once again seeming to be further and further away, I am happy simply to see others still willing to talk about cruising and Oceania. 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

Moreover, no one enforces them, except for random cases.

 CC hosts do not read all the posts

  you have to report the post for them to pay any attention

 

[ABoatNerd]

10 hours ago, CintiPam said:

As I indicated in the immediately preceding post 26, I do not agree; I thought the food on our last cruise was very good indeed. (And I particularly enjoyed the addition of a daily Humphry Slocombe ice cream flavor.)

 

Regarding staying on topic, with the prospect of cruising once again seeming to be further and further away, I am happy simply to see others still willing to talk about cruising and Oceania. 

 

CintiPam, good to hear you were pleased with the food. I do remember the "bland" food era as you describe!

It will be interesting to see what the food quality will be in the future.

 

Cruise prices have no where to go but upwards at least until all the FCC's are used up. Food costs are rising as well. 

 

What I believe is that the choice between purchasing a cruise versus a land vacation etc is going to become more about the experience versus the cost if there is residual restrictions that linger on cruises versus land. Might not be the simple, I will take a cruise decision process of the past. If this happens, then cruising will have to become more price competitive.

 

Time will tell.

[Shawnino]

On 10/27/2020 at 9:36 AM, ABoatNerd said:

 

 

What I believe is that the choice between purchasing a cruise versus a land vacation etc is going to become more about the experience versus the cost if there is residual restrictions that linger on cruises versus land. Might not be the simple, I will take a cruise decision process of the past. If this happens, then cruising will have to become more price competitive.

 

Time will tell.

 

100%. 

Serious opportunity for land-tour operators if they can capitalise on it.

[Daniel A]

37 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

 

100%. 

Serious opportunity for land-tour operators if they can capitalise on it.

DW & I had a Airplane/train/bus/ vacation originally booked for last month.  We had this tour booked for more than a year.  With Covid and our ages and health status we didn't think it was a good idea to go.  Plane from New York to Chicago.  Train from Chicago to Provo, Utah.  Eight days in a tour bus ending in Rapid City, South Dakota.  Plane trip from South Dakota to Arizona, Stay a week in Arizona then plane from Arizona to Washington, DC and another from DC to NYC.  Nope - that wasn't a good idea at all.  Tour operator let us reschedule the trip to next September.  I don't think I'll be looking to spend 8 days in a bus wearing a mask then either.  Here's to hoping that a vaccine will have eliminated the mask/distancing requirements by then. 🥂

 

We do have a 7 day cruise booked on Insignia for July too.  We'll have to wait and see what happens with that.

[ABoatNerd]

On 10/28/2020 at 11:36 AM, Shawnino said:

 

100%. 

Serious opportunity for land-tour operators if they can capitalise on it.

 

 

Shawnino - Indeed, it is all about varied travel options, cruise lines have many obligations - lets see how the Globus and land tours do, et all do.

If you want to see the world (not everyone wants to, some want to do the ship only). Just purchase what you want.

 

The cruise lines have the petri dish isolation obligation - just not doing that any time soon.

Will fly or drive but not held hostage by a cruise line ever.

 

To each their own.