Oceania’s fall cruisers

[patty1955]

I’m wondering how those of you booked on a fall cruise are handling the uncertainty. Are you making any reservations? Booking any flights? Have you decided what might cause you to cancel the booking?

[godfreyb]

Booked the Sirena Southampton - Miami 10/15. Booked one way fair on BA Premium Economy in a BA sale.  The fair was so cheap that I will get most of it back in unpaid taxes if the cruise is cancelled, or BA's 'book with confidence' doesn't come through.

[pinotlover]

Mid to late November cruise.

 

Booked BC air with miles which I can get back if cancelled.

 

Cruise has been waitlisted for months and booked many of my shore excursions because they were selling out.

 

Israel is nearly completely vaccinated, and allowing cruises there. Turkey is making good progress with the Chinese vaccine. UAE will have everyone vaccinated by late summer. Jordan is starting to make progress. We may have to by pass Egypt. Two additional sea days wouldn’t be a killer. Maybe they could add an additional day in Jordan. Overall fairly confident that cruise can go.

 

The Dubai-Dubai cruise after ours is likewise waitlisted. All of its stops are doing well on vaccinations also. Sound money making opportunities.

[pinotlover]

To continue above. I am hopeful about our November cruise. However, I realize there is a huge dark cloud hanging over us. That dark cloud is West and South Africa.

 

The Nautica is scheduled to turn south after Dubai and head to South Africa and cruises there and back again. I wouldn’t bet on a cruise to that region in 2023 no less 2022. 
 

Therefore, the question becomes will O cancel everything until it can pick up a consistent schedule in March or April. Or does it fairly quickly cancel those African cruises and put together some new cruises to fill the gap. 
 

This is a big issue. Argentina, Chile, and the Falklands are making marked progress on vaccinations. Chile is its usual catastrophe. Do the lines cancel all of S..A. because of Chile, or do they just bypass Chile and reschedule some new cruises to fill the gap?

 

Time will tell.

Edited March 15, 2021 by pinotlover

[royallondon]

Hi, we’re in the UK and due to go on Regatta mid Sept from LA.

What do you think the chances are of this cruise happening?

Any feedback welcome.

Regards

[Tranquility Base]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

The Nautica is scheduled to turn south after Dubai and head to South Africa and cruises there and back again. I wouldn’t bet on a cruise to that region in 2023 no less 2022. 

But you've said you think ATW '22 will go ahead

This cruise departs in just over 9 months and visits numerous countries in Africa.

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Tranquility Base said:

But you've said you think ATW '22 will go ahead

This cruise departs in just over 9 months and visits numerous countries in Africa.

They may not make various stops in Africa, just like we might not stop in Egypt.

[PaulMCO]

14 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

They may not make various stops in Africa, just like we might not stop in Egypt.

It will not be Egypt's doing. They are open with pretty much zero restrictions.  Was there in January on business. Maybe O won't go there but it will not be Egypt that is restricting.

 

Israel on other hand is CLOSED period now.  Need consulate permission to travel.  They will be more conservative to reopen and will definitely have PCR test requirements when they do open. 

 

This COVID test requirement will effect all cruise lines when reopening when countries require testing 72 hours before arrival.  Some may require a PCR test other may accept a rapid test, but test will be needed.  Other road block maybe insurance.  Some countries mat require COVID local insurance before arrival.  Bahamas is a good example of one requiring it.

 

I have two cruises short term planned one in July (Bahamas) and one in November (Antarctica).   Both have testing and continual testing plans in place.

[Aloha 1]

Fully expect NCL to cancel all June cruises this week which means I lose 2 cruises the Med. Holding out hope for Athens to Istanbul in July but hedged my bet with an X booking in October to Israel. Have Lima to Buenos Aires booked in December and Dublin to Dublin in July, '22.

[basor]

We are booked on Marina 07NOV - Venice to Miami....have booked BC with AA miles, booked hotel with Hilton points and keeping fingers crossed that we will sail.  All reservations can be canceled with no penalties but hope do not need to 

[Kate-AHF]

5 hours ago, pinotlover said:

...Chile is its usual catastrophe. Do the lines cancel all of S..A. because of Chile, or do they just bypass Chile and reschedule some new cruises to fill the gap?

 

Time will tell.

 

Chile has the 5th highest covid vax rate per capita in the world.  I'm thinking you meant Brazil instead of Chile?  If so, I think bypassing Brazil would be easier than bypassing Chile. in most SA cruises.

[clairol]

We are booked (cruise only) Istanbul to Venice on Riviera in October. We have booked a refundable hotel in Istanbul (Pera Palace) and nothing else at this point. Reports from Europe - especially with Italy in shutdown - are not very encouraging. We are keeping our fingers crossed while exploring some back up plans and trying to keep the hope alive. 

[Kate-AHF]

1 minute ago, clairol said:

We are booked (cruise only) Istanbul to Venice on Riviera in October. We have booked a refundable hotel in Istanbul (Pera Palace) and nothing else at this point. Reports from Europe - especially with Italy in shutdown - are not very encouraging. We are keeping our fingers crossed while exploring some back up plans and trying to keep the hope alive. 

 

We have a cruise this fall with Regent (Venice to Istanbul), and are also staying at the Pera Palace post-cruise.  We are SOOOoooooo looking forward to that trip, and that hotel.  Will try to help you keep that hope alive.

[clairol]

12 minutes ago, Kate-AHF said:

 

also staying at the Pera Palace post-cruise.  We are SOOOoooooo looking forward to that trip, and that hotel.  Will try to help you keep that hope alive.

We are so excited to stay there too! Have been to Istanbul twice before but have not stayed there. There are some great programs on the hotel's history which we have been watching in anticipation. If you haven't found them yourself already - check out YouTube. 🤞

[clo]

3 hours ago, Aloha 1 said:

Fully expect NCL to cancel all June cruises this week which means I lose 2 cruises the Med. Holding out hope for Athens to Istanbul in July but hedged my bet with an X booking in October to Israel. Have Lima to Buenos Aires booked in December and Dublin to Dublin in July, '22.

Maybe you could do land tours to some of those places. I'm like to fly before I cruise.

[patty1955]

As you can see from my signature, we're booked on a Oct. 16th  Mediterranean cruise. We're also booked on a transpacific (Tahiti to San Diego) on Windstar next April that I'm more confident of sailing. I'm planning to use my FF miles to book the flight to Tahiti in first class. I don't think that will leave me with enough miles to book anything for the fall cruise. I haven't booked anything for the fall cruise since I'm not sure if we're going. 

I would love to take this cruise since it has several bucket list ports but who knows if it it will sail to all the ports or if we'll be able to wander the town (are favorite way of exploring). Online speculation suggests that cruise lines will drop some ports or require cruisers to take ship sanctioned excursions. Either might be a deal breaker. 

[marieps]

14 hours ago, godfreyb said:

Booked the Sirena Southampton - Miami 10/15. Booked one way fair on BA Premium Economy in a BA sale.  The fair was so cheap that I will get most of it back in unpaid taxes if the cruise is cancelled, or BA's 'book with confidence' doesn't come through.

We are also on this cruise.  Booked the one-way ATL-LHR since delta is offering changes w/o  fees.  Have explored VRBOs, but many have strict cancellation penalties, so have not booked yet.   Planning to spend a couple of night with Regatta friends in St. Albans.  So beyond the flight not much planning done, which is certainly not like us.

[Cruise Wonderland]

14 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

Chile has the 5th highest covid vax rate per capita in the world.

It is true that Chile has high vaccination rate. However the number of confirmed cases in the past week is also the highest since June 2020.

[Tranquility Base]

On 3/16/2021 at 9:26 AM, Kate-AHF said:

 

Chile has the 5th highest covid vax rate per capita in the world.  I'm thinking you meant Brazil instead of Chile?  If so, I think bypassing Brazil would be easier than bypassing Chile. in most SA cruises.

Concern is growing over the situation in Brazil.

 

As more countries get their own vaccination programs well underway, attention will need to extend to assisting other countries.

 

If high population at risk countries are not assisted, as well as the local toll, there is also the global threat due to variants developing and spreading. Perhaps more resistant to existing vaccines.

 

As many are saying, the World will not be protected until the World is protected.

We are all in this together.

Different lifeboats but all in the same storm.

[Andee]

We're booked on a Miami to Miami cruise leaving Nov 27 that includes the Amazon.

It seems unlikely that it will happen, so I haven't booked air or researched the ports.

[KS&JW]

6 minutes ago, Andee said:

We're booked on a Miami to Miami cruise leaving Nov 27 that includes the Amazon.

It seems unlikely that it will happen, so I haven't booked air or researched the ports.

 

Yes, things would have to change dramatically for any cruise to go to Brazil.  Sadly, I don't see that happening. 

[nikless]

On 3/15/2021 at 3:54 PM, basor said:

We are booked on Marina 07NOV - Venice to Miami....have booked BC with AA miles, booked hotel with Hilton points and keeping fingers crossed that we will sail.  All reservations can be canceled with no penalties but hope do not need to 

We are booked on that one too, with another couple.  Using O air (Business Class- you only live once) and booked hotel in Venice without deposit.  Cancellations OK 5 days out.

 

[sailfar]

After having 5 cruises cancelled because of the pandemic, we have finally booked four new Oceania cruises for the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023.   Hopefully things will improve by then.  However, it will take the world working together and the US needs to be setting an example.  The news out of Miami Beach and the maskless overpopulating spring breakers that are not being controlled by the state or local governing agencies does not bode well.  The CDC is supposed to give guidance to the cruise lines early in April and the Port of Miami and the Miami airport look like hot spots out of control.  If you wish to go cruising again, please support policies that get us vaccinated and the covid spread under control, especially preventing variants from developing.  Until then, our country as well as others will forbid the unvaccinated from entering their country.    You or the cruise lines will have no choice.  

 

[victory2020]

On 3/15/2021 at 8:42 AM, royallondon said:

Hi, we’re in the UK and due to go on Regatta mid Sept from LA.

What do you think the chances are of this cruise happening?

Any feedback welcome.

Regards

I'm on the Sept23rd cruise. I am concerned because it's a  9 day & CDC has talked about nothing loner than 7 day when we start back up.

[Jockocruiser]

9 hours ago, victory2020 said:

I'm on the Sept23rd cruise. I am concerned because it's a  9 day & CDC has talked about nothing loner than 7 day when we start back up.

Yeah but.  The CDC doesn’t control non USA departures.  Thus the recent announcements by Crystal, and RCI of Royal and Celebrity, of sailings in 2021 summer.  A long journey begins with the first step.