Possibility of a cruise

[Solitarycruiser]

What are my chances of actually going on my scheduled Lisbon to FLL on November 28?

[Lois R]

Nobody can answer that at this point in time. I have a cruise booked for Oct 8th.  Lisbon/Lisbon for 12 nights.

 I am wondering the same thing but nobody knows what will happen in the fall.

[A Tucson Guy]

If you are talking this year, your chances are about as good as mine in going Dubai to Mumbai also in November, 2021. Nobody really knows but I think chances are slim but I hope I am wrong.

[johng75370]

I’m booked on Seabourn Nov 6 LIS-MIA crossing, and like others here have only guesses to offer.  I’m becoming more optimistic as people are trying to have events and gatherings later this year (like the giant Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona - they are planning a >50K person live event at the end of June).   But no one will know until closer in, and I’m thinking it is 50/50.   On one hand few countries are involved in a transatlantic, but on the other hand they may not be needing/wanting the ship brought to the Caribbean.  

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Solitarycruiser said:

What are my chances of actually going on my scheduled Lisbon to FLL on November 28?

 

Agree with Lois and our Arizona friend that the chance are "iffy"!!   Maybe?  

 

Personally, I am somewhat optimistic and would rate the current betting odds at about 50%.  Why a chance of it happening?   Vaccines are rolling out and more drug companies are in the process of getting their meds approved in the U.S. and Europe.  Millions have had Covid, survived and gained some degree of "herd immunity", etc., etc..  

 

For the cruise lines, the CDC will be challenging them to meet their tough, new standards.  Plus, for the cruise lines to gain the vaccine doses to immunize their worldwide crew will not be easy or quick.  Many of these issues and questions have and will be covered on the "SS Future Re-Open Plan" thread on this board.  

 

Lisbon is super wonderful!!  Been there previously?  Will you have time there prior to your cruise?  Per my live/blog below, happy to share more about charming and historic Portugal. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast.  Now at 31,463 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[Solitarycruiser]

Thanks for your answers.  I am scheduled to leave Atlanta on the eve of November 25 and spend the weekend in Lisbon.  Looking forward to exploring Lisbon and boarding Sunday.  I have engaged SS for an upscale hotel in Lisbon and transfers.  Hope all goes well.  I am a solo cruiser.

[Lois R]

I sail solo too and love SS😃 hope you will be able to sail and will love them as well😃

[MHF]

Welcome to Solo Ss!  They do a good job with us.  

 

I'm booked Nov 15, Rome to Jordan (B2B).  This is a rebooking for the May 2020 which was canceled.  Would love to do a summer one but not sure they will sail by then so I haven't booked anything.  I've had 3 others canceled, including one I was to have boarded this week.

 

Missy in MD, with some snow/ice still on ground

[Lois R]

Hi Missy, good to see you again🙂

[sctphil]

Like TLCOhio I'm cautiously optimistic about being able to cruise in November. I'm scheduled for the maiden voyage of the Silver Dawn (Barcelona to Lisbon) after having been originally scheduled for the transatlantic cruise of the Silver Moon In March 2021. I, too, am a solo cruiser and love how well Silversea treats the solo cruiser, not to mention how friendly and welcoming I have found my fellow travelers on Silversea to be. I definitely hope we can all start cruising again in the fall.

[FlyingScotSailors]

@sctphilcome join us on the Water Cooler, for friendly talk about many things, including gin. 🙄  We live off Exit 10, neighbor.

[jpalbny]

There are two CC folks that close to Clifton Park? What are the odds?

 

At present we canceled our May cruise, but we are still booked on Spirit for November, Barcelona to Lisbon. Too early to know anything.

[Fletcher]

Asking when international cruising may meaningfully resume is a valid question and impossible to predict.   I’d guess late 2021, more likely early 2022.

 

A related question, surely, is how willing are we to climb aboard a ship again when cruising as we knew and loved it will probably never return.

 

I’m talking here about likely significant changes to our conduct aboard and what protocols might be in place.  The atmosphere will never be relaxed; indeed it could be quite tense.

 

There will be social distancing at all times and probably one-way systems in place in all public spaces.  Masks will be required at all times except when eating or drinking.  Buffets will be a distant memory.  All waiting staff will be wearing PPE and might not serve you in the traditional way.

 

There will probably be daily Covid testing and various official checks with penalties if passengers do not comply.  There may be changes to the way our cabins are serviced.

 

I imagine theatres, casinos and spas might be closed.  To ensure social distancing, restaurants might introduce staggered dining with perhaps only tables for two or four people.

 

Shore excursions will be entirely controlled by the cruise line and independent trips ashore will not be allowed.  Expedition cruising might see a big change in the way that zodiac trips are organised.

 

Passengers will have to accept dramatic last-minute changes to the itinerary, cancellation of shore excursions and the possibility of the whole ship being quarantined for two weeks.

 

So when we ask, when can we go cruising again we also need to ask - do we want to go cruising again?

Edited February 20, 2021 by Fletcher

[Lois R]

Good morning, Fletcher,  are you going to take another cruise? I have a cruise booked for October and if it is sailing, I will be on board.

 

 

[silkismom]

We have one booked for mid-Nov, have been vaccinated and will be the first ones on board!!

 

[brimary]

Totally agree with all the doubts you raise mean cruising will never again be the wonderful experience we have enjoyed in the last 24 years on Silversea.We have decided to retire with all the wonderful memories but we are fortunate in being ancient enough to even consider this conclusion.For all those much younger SS cruisers We sincerely hope we are wrong with our forecast for the future.

[Fort_Worth]

Life evolves. I'm not ancient but I have cruised long enough to remember Formal Nights, Midnight Buffets, Desert Buffets, Fettuccine Alfredo and Cherries Jubilee prepared table side, visits to the bridge, shooting shotguns off the fantail, and so on and so on. We're booked on the Silver Moon for 22-nts departing Reykjavik May 30, 2022. I'm hopefully optimistic of the ship sailing and plan to have a great time regardless of the protocols in place. 

[cruiseej]

19 hours ago, Fletcher said:

I’m talking here about likely significant changes to our conduct aboard and what protocols might be in place.  The atmosphere will never be relaxed; indeed it could be quite tense.

 

@Fletcher  No one can say with any certainty that you're not right, because no one knows the details and nuances of what the future holds. But I think your picture is a bit dimmer than what I foresee. Yes, wearing masks in public areas when not dining and drinking is likely part of the future, and staff all be wearing masks.  Closed theaters and spas? I don't think so. Spas will be relatively easy to provide social distancing. Theaters will require capacity limits, and perhaps early and date shows to accommodate everyone, but that seems doable. If everyone onboard is required to have a vaccine prior to cruising, and virus tests before and after boarding, I think bus trips, zodiac trips and other excursions \ will be possible. It will be somewhat different, but not necessarily drastically so.

 

We just went out to dinner with a couple we've cruised with who we have "bubbled with"  over the past year. This one restaurant we've been to in the winter when outdoor dining is not possible has very well-spaced tables that makes us feel very comfortable. We wear masks until we're seated; the staff wears masks at all timers. We have great food, great wine, great conversation, and it feels almost normal. We had a very nice evening; we'll go again next month. I think it's possible cruising will be like this: a bit different in places, but fundamentally familiar and still enjoyable.

 

We won't be on the first cruise to go to sea, but we'll be looking at the commentary from the early travelers, and I'm cautiously optimistic that we -- and many past cruisers -- will be anxious to get back onboard in the future. 

 

 

[Fletcher]

16 hours ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, Fletcher,  are you going to take another cruise? I have a cruise booked for October and if it is sailing, I will be on board.

 

 

Good morning to you, too.  I'm not buying yet, just looking. Very few cruises appeal to me because I'm wholly itinerary driven.  I need to be very confident the cruise will run as advertised. There are three I quite fancy at the moment - a Hapag-Lloyd trip from Taiwan to Fiji in Autumn 2021 which I don't think will sail as these Micronesian island groups have all but closed their borders. Then a very special Silversea trip in the Amazon and also visiting the three Guianas.  That's in April 2022 and a bit iffy.  Then a Regent trip from Istanbul to Dubai in Autumn 2022 which I think stands a good chance of going. 

 

I might just buy a new Maserati instead!

Edited February 21, 2021 by Fletcher

[kimanjo]

On 2/20/2021 at 1:32 AM, Fletcher said:

Asking when international cruising may meaningfully resume is a valid question and impossible to predict.   I’d guess late 2021, more likely early 2022.

 

A related question, surely, is how willing are we to climb aboard a ship again when cruising as we knew and loved it will probably never return.

 

I’m talking here about likely significant changes to our conduct aboard and what protocols might be in place.  The atmosphere will never be relaxed; indeed it could be quite tense.

 

There will be social distancing at all times and probably one-way systems in place in all public spaces.  Masks will be required at all times except when eating or drinking.  Buffets will be a distant memory.  All waiting staff will be wearing PPE and might not serve you in the traditional way.

 

There will probably be daily Covid testing and various official checks with penalties if passengers do not comply.  There may be changes to the way our cabins are serviced.

 

I imagine theatres, casinos and spas might be closed.  To ensure social distancing, restaurants might introduce staggered dining with perhaps only tables for two or four people.

 

Shore excursions will be entirely controlled by the cruise line and independent trips ashore will not be allowed.  Expedition cruising might see a big change in the way that zodiac trips are organised.

 

Passengers will have to accept dramatic last-minute changes to the itinerary, cancellation of shore excursions and the possibility of the whole ship being quarantined for two weeks.

 

So when we ask, when can we go cruising again we also need to ask - do we want to go cruising again?

 

I disagree. If everyone is required to be vaxxed, pax and staff, there would be no need for all the above listed protocols.  

A tiered approach is now being discussed ( UCSF Grand Rounds feb 11) offered a diagram of just this.  Vax-Vax group, feel free to mingle without restrictions.  Vax-unVaxxed,  keeps masks on and social distancing.  Un-vaxxed-Unvaxxed.  All usual protocols.

 

If you were renting a house this fall with mixed families ALL required to be vaxxed to stay in vacation home, would you wear a mask in that house "bubble".  No, of course you wouldn't. 

 

And, add a layer of testing, and a ship could comfortably sail with that 100% fully vaxxed and tested.

 

Friendly wager, I bet I'm right.  Cocktail of choice, un-masked on ship, I win.  Masked, you win!  Based on vaccinations required for pax and crew.

[Fletcher]

27 minutes ago, kimanjo said:

 

I disagree. If everyone is required to be vaxxed, pax and staff, there would be no need for all the above listed protocols.  

A tiered approach is now being discussed ( UCSF Grand Rounds feb 11) offered a diagram of just this.  Vax-Vax group, feel free to mingle without restrictions.  Vax-unVaxxed,  keeps masks on and social distancing.  Un-vaxxed-Unvaxxed.  All usual protocols.

 

If you were renting a house this fall with mixed families ALL required to be vaxxed to stay in vacation home, would you wear a mask in that house "bubble".  No, of course you wouldn't. 

 

And, add a layer of testing, and a ship could comfortably sail with that 100% fully vaxxed and tested.

 

Friendly wager, I bet I'm right.  Cocktail of choice, un-masked on ship, I win.  Masked, you win!  Based on vaccinations required for pax and crew.

I disagree.  There is a lot more to this than being inoculated. A whole lot more.  The passengers and crew all have to get to the ship from any number of other countries, not all of them fortunate to have a decent vaccine roll-out.   The vast majority of nations have not yet issued a single jab. If the ship takes on supplies in any port that means contact with harbour staff, various contractors, the list is endless and they all come into contact with staff on the ship.  For shore excursions, if they are permitted, that brings passengers into the outside world and another vast bubble of risk.  In order to achieve any kind of immunity the entire world will have to be inoculated.  And it won't happen.  Probably ever.

 

And my final thought, cruise lines like Silversea fear any sort of outbreak and if they fail to impose the kind of protocols I think might be likely then they makes themselves vulnerable.

 

PS: Early last year, I think in April 2020, I said on these Forums that I didn't think cruising would start until deep into 2021.  People thought I was talking rubbish.  

Edited February 21, 2021 by Fletcher

[kimanjo]

4 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

I disagree.  There is a lot more to this than being inoculated. A whole lot more.  The passengers and crew all have to get to the ship from any number of other countries, not all of them fortunate to have a decent vaccine roll-out.   The vast majority of nations have not yet issued a single jab. If the ship takes on supplies in any port that means contact with harbour staff, various contractors, the list is endless and they all come into contact with staff on the ship.  For shore excursions, if they are permitted, that brings passengers into the outside world and another vast bubble of risk.  In order to achieve any kind of immunity the entire world will have to be inoculated.  And it won't happen.  Probably ever.

 

And my final thought, cruise lines like Silversea fear any sort of outbreak and if they fail to impose the kind of protocols I think might be likely then they makes themselves vulnerable.

 

So I take it, no to the friendly wager?  

 

[TLCOhio]

9 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Very few cruises appeal to me because I'm wholly itinerary driven.  I need to be very confident the cruise will run as advertised. There are three I quite fancy at the moment - a Hapag-Lloyd trip from Taiwan to Fiji in Autumn 2021 which I don't think will sail as these Micronesian island groups have all but closed their borders. Then a very special Silversea trip in the Amazon and also visiting the three Guianas.  That's in April 2022 and a bit iffy.  Then a Regent trip from Istanbul to Dubai in Autumn 2022 which I think stands a good chance of going. 

 

Appreciate ALL of these great and varied comments, follow-ups, etc., on this interesting thread.  Agree 100% with Fletcher as to the high value for excellent itineraries.  That's our top personal priority, too!!  Having been early last year in the South Pacific as Covid was starting to close up certain ports, I understand those special challenges/history in this unique, scenic area.  Many in these islands suffered in the past with those health issues that caused many deaths on their islands in the 1800's.  

 

As to the Regent potential 2022 cruise, I hope it works.  That's a super special itinerary that includes the Holy Lands, Egypt, Petra, etc.  As noted below, we did a similar itinerary in late 2018 with another cruise line that included many of these key stops and attractions.  Hopefully by later 2022 things will be back to some closer form of "normal".  

 

Agree also that it is more than just the vaccine as to what makes cruising fun, exciting, effective, etc.  We are making progress.  We are also not there, yet.  AND, there will be a need for some type of "BOOSTER" shot later this year or in early 2021.  Today, however, we are closer and can see some form of "light at the end of the tunnel"??!!  Hopefully, maybe, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 19,437 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

[Sunandsealover]

Kimanjo, I’m with you about a hopeful future....if vaccines are required to sail and crew are also vaccinated, I see no reason that this horror we are now living with can’t come to an end. Cruise lines know that most travelers are not interested in going on a restricted cruise, especially luxury lines, and the ports of call also know that their local communities have been devastated from the lack of tourism.  If specific regions require mask wearing while off ship, so be it, but on board won’t work for me - for those passengers that wish to wear a mask, at all times, then they should. 
 

I am sad that I don’t want to deposit on trips until we see what cruise lines determine, but I’m set on not sailing without most freedoms on board restored and knowing that the ports on my itinerary will actually welcome ships.  If not, I would rather stay home than ‘vacation’ with what I perceive as an uncomfortable, unfulfilling experience.  We all need to make the best decision for ourselves and there will always be a difference of opinion. I’m hopeful, not idealistic. 

[zqtchas]

On 2/20/2021 at 2:32 AM, Fletcher said:

Asking when international cruising may meaningfully resume is a valid question and impossible to predict.   I’d guess late 2021, more likely early 2022.

 

A related question, surely, is how willing are we to climb aboard a ship again when cruising as we knew and loved it will probably never return.

 

I’m talking here about likely significant changes to our conduct aboard and what protocols might be in place.  The atmosphere will never be relaxed; indeed it could be quite tense.

 

There will be social distancing at all times and probably one-way systems in place in all public spaces.  Masks will be required at all times except when eating or drinking.  Buffets will be a distant memory.  All waiting staff will be wearing PPE and might not serve you in the traditional way.

 

There will probably be daily Covid testing and various official checks with penalties if passengers do not comply.  There may be changes to the way our cabins are serviced.

 

I imagine theatres, casinos and spas might be closed.  To ensure social distancing, restaurants might introduce staggered dining with perhaps only tables for two or four people.

 

Shore excursions will be entirely controlled by the cruise line and independent trips ashore will not be allowed.  Expedition cruising might see a big change in the way that zodiac trips are organised.

 

Passengers will have to accept dramatic last-minute changes to the itinerary, cancellation of shore excursions and the possibility of the whole ship being quarantined for two weeks.

 

So when we ask, when can we go cruising again we also need to ask - do we want to go cruising again?

the plus is no cooking or cleaning. we are ready just for that.