You NCL cruisers out there…stop planning cruises

[marktwothousand]

Seriously. Until we see NCL ships sailing to their home ports full of crew, nothing is certain. You wanna be disappointed by more and more re-planning and cancellation? Be my guest. We all want to look forward to something. But for the first cruises going back, if you really wanna be certain, you’re probably gonna have to wait until a month-or-so out to book anything with any certainty anyway. I’ve found some of my best deals on cruises a month out so don’t despair. As long as it’s not high-season or a holiday, and you’re not a diva on picking “Cabin 12128” EXACTLY, you can get some good prices.

 

Don’t worry, You can be a diva later, once cruising is back. You might have to just relax on your laundry list of particularities for the first one. 

 

I know y’all are good planners and such but for this one, we just gonna have to wait it out a little longer. If you’re from the US, Not sure if you realize, but most other NCL cruisers’ countries and staff countries are under strict travel restrictions right now. So it’s not gonna be over for everyone till it’s over for all of us.

 

let’s see how the situation looks toward July when NCL actually start moving Human Resources and assets around, and in the meantime, if you’re in the US, enjoy maskless heaven within your borders now and get those vaccination rates up. Canada and UK have well surpassed the US’ first-dose vaccination rate now (you won’t hear that in the US media) and the US has to catch up if they are going to even have any hope going launching cruises with the current CDC standards. That is how the UK was able to launch its first domestic cruise last week. 

 

So make sure your ”peeps” (as the young ones say) go and get those shots, because the daily US per capita vaccination rates are dismal right now (back down to February levels) despite being awash in this white gold. (Again: You won’t hear this on mainstream US media like FOX or CNN, but it’s all over the news everywhere else). China is currently administering 16 million per day with totals of over 500 million. THAT is the level the US needs to be at for cruises to truly resume. Facts.
 

If you want to go cruising, telling your friends, family, workers and everyone else, to get the vaccine, is the #1 thing you can do, in your communities right now, to make cruising a reality, faster. Stop focusing on booking vapor-cruises and putting your energy into that instead. I mean, many of you are all retired, what’s the urgency in booking so far out? You got that much going in your retirement during lockdown that you can’t plan around a one week cruise and a 3 hour flight?

 

Not to mention, the last thing you want is not enough people vaccinated, another resurgence and wave, and we can kiss US cruises goodbye until 2022 minimum. How depressing is that?

Edited May 28, 2021 by marktwothousand

[Defhermit]

I'm booked on August 7th to go to Alaska and I will eat a small part of my hat if it doesn't go. not disagreeing with anything you're saying, other than my chances!

[CaptainWoody]

Welcome to the forum Dr. Fauci!!!!  😁

[Old & Retired]

Says the guy from a country with it's borders still sealed......

[saltsandknit]

Yeah no. I will keep booking until we sail, and then I will book more. I have no problem with cancelations and rebookings. I understand the fluid nature of what is happening and I don’t blame the Cruiselines for trying to make the best choices in a difficult environment. Why in the world would I wait

[mianmike]

1 hour ago, saltsandknit said:

Yeah no. I will keep booking until we sail, and then I will book more. I have no problem with cancelations and rebookings. I understand the fluid nature of what is happening and I don’t blame the Cruiselines for trying to make the best choices in a difficult environment. Why in the world would I wait

 

Ditto.

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, saltsandknit said:

Yeah no. I will keep booking until we sail, and then I will book more. I have no problem with cancelations and rebookings. I understand the fluid nature of what is happening and I don’t blame the Cruiselines for trying to make the best choices in a difficult environment. Why in the world would I wait

My sentiments exactly. 

[All-ready2cruise]

1 hour ago, saltsandknit said:

Yeah no. I will keep booking until we sail, and then I will book more. I have no problem with cancelations and rebookings. I understand the fluid nature of what is happening and I don’t blame the Cruiselines for trying to make the best choices in a difficult environment. Why in the world would I wait

Not gonna stop dreaming just b/c some one is envious of those who can do more than just dream.  I hope everyone enjoys their cruises, I'm really excited for you. I'll be waiting a bit longer but I'm ready. 

[CroozFanatic]

marktwothousand....I knew they were going to hate on you, but keep bringing it.

[SeaShark]

13 minutes ago, CroozFanatic said:

marktwothousand....I knew they were going to hate on you, but keep bringing it.

 

"hate on you"?

 

What happened to you that made you see having a different opinion as being "hate"?

[craig01020]

I'm going to rush out and tell all the anti-vaxxers I know that they should get the shot....because I want to go on a cruise.  Yup, that'll work. 🤣

 

Cruising on the Jade from Athens in October. Can't wait.

[CroozFanatic]

7 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

"hate on you"?

 

What happened to you that made you see having a different opinion as being "hate"?

 

I can read

[Two Wheels Only]

The cynic in me believes that the OP simply wants fewer people to book so that it's easier for him to score a last minute deal....

 

8 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

I’ve found some of my best deals on cruises a month out so don’t despair.

 

...if everything is fully booked/sold out, those deals won't be there.

[mscdivina2016]

8 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

Seriously. Until we see NCL ships sailing to their home ports full of crew, nothing is certain. You wanna be disappointed by more and more re-planning and cancellation? Be my guest. We all want to look forward to something. But for the first cruises going back, if you really wanna be certain, you’re probably gonna have to wait until a month-or-so out to book anything with any certainty anyway. I’ve found some of my best deals on cruises a month out so don’t despair. As long as it’s not high-season or a holiday, and you’re not a diva on picking “Cabin 12128” EXACTLY, you can get some good prices.

 

Don’t worry, You can be a diva later, once cruising is back. You might have to just relax on your laundry list of particularities for the first one. 

 

I know y’all are good planners and such but for this one, we just gonna have to wait it out a little longer. If you’re from the US, Not sure if you realize, but most other NCL cruisers’ countries and staff countries are under strict travel restrictions right now. So it’s not gonna be over for everyone till it’s over for all of us.

 

let’s see how the situation looks toward July when NCL actually start moving Human Resources and assets around, and in the meantime, if you’re in the US, enjoy maskless heaven within your borders now and get those vaccination rates up. Canada and UK have well surpassed the US’ first-dose vaccination rate now (you won’t hear that in the US media) and the US has to catch up if they are going to even have any hope going launching cruises with the current CDC standards. That is how the UK was able to launch its first domestic cruise last week. 

 

So make sure your ”peeps” (as the young ones say) go and get those shots, because the daily US per capita vaccination rates are dismal right now (back down to February levels) despite being awash in this white gold. (Again: You won’t hear this on mainstream US media like FOX or CNN, but it’s all over the news everywhere else). China is currently administering 16 million per day with totals of over 500 million. THAT is the level the US needs to be at for cruises to truly resume. Facts.
 

If you want to go cruising, telling your friends, family, workers and everyone else, to get the vaccine, is the #1 thing you can do, in your communities right now, to make cruising a reality, faster. Stop focusing on booking vapor-cruises and putting your energy into that instead. I mean, many of you are all retired, what’s the urgency in booking so far out? You got that much going in your retirement during lockdown that you can’t plan around a one week cruise and a 3 hour flight?

 

Not to mention, the last thing you want is not enough people vaccinated, another resurgence and wave, and we can kiss US cruises goodbye until 2022 minimum. How depressing is that?

Is your News locked down in Canada as well?   There are ships sailing now in Europe, many countries have opened their borders to US passengers who have been fully vaccinated. Even in the coming months passengers will be waving at Canada as they cruise by en route to Alaska and Canada does not get a cent of our tourism dollars.

 In our country we have so much extra vaccine we are giving stuff away to get people to take a shot.

Do you have your shots? 

 

 Us retired people have nothing better to do anyways 😁

 

In all seriousness, I used to agree with you on last minute cruises. I assume you like inside cabins then?

 With the bid for upgrade programs and up sell departments the chance of getting a Suite or Balcony last minute, or even a month out are almost nill now.

Steve

 

[AdoraBelle]

25 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The cynic in me believes that the OP simply wants fewer people to book so that it's easier for him to score a last minute deal....

 

I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but the forums here aren't exactly overrun with posters anymore. I think OP would need a solid social media platform elsewhere to make a dent. 🙂

 

It also sounds like the bookings on the solid-seeming Alaska cruises have been pretty soft so far anyway. 

 

I do think that people who optimistically kept making cruise reservations while there were still 1000 people dying a day in the US from COVID19 were ... unreasonably optimistic, and probably should have realized they were just loaning cash to the cruise lines. 

 

I think the thing with various lines trying to home port out of non-FL ports and then cancelling those cruises was super rude, but also totally on brand for the cruise industry. The billion dollar corporation doesn't love you back.

 

I think cruise lines ARE going to have staffing issues. Where are those crew members going to come from? Will they still want to work in this industry after the way they were treated during the pandemic? Who is handling the logistics and vaccinations?  How about supply chain and provisioning issues?

 

Can't disagree with OP that anti-vax sentiments in the US are truly depressing. 

All that said, I do think a few cruises are going to manage to get off the ground in July and August. Hopefully mine in mid Aug will be one. If not, well, I was obviously too optimistic also. 

[saltsandknit]

1 hour ago, CroozFanatic said:

marktwothousand....I knew they were going to hate on you, but keep bringing it.

I don’t hate anyone. I see his point and I shared mine. I wasn’t rude. 

[mscdivina2016]

25 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

 

 

 

I do think that people who optimistically kept making cruise reservations while there were still 1000 people dying a day in the US from COVID19 were ... unreasonably optimistic, and probably should have realized they were just loaning cash to the cruise lines. 

 

Well $25,000+ in cruise fare unused from last March thru June plus a 25% FCC bonus and several 25-50% off bonus perk bookings seems like a great return to me.  Re booking several cruises (ok, maybe more than several) using that same FCC and bonus certs has been a huge return for me. I made sure to book cruises starting late this fall all the way thru the end of 2023.

 

Steve

[AdoraBelle]

3 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Well $25,000+ in cruise fare unused from last March thru June plus a 25% FCC bonus and several 25-50% off bonus perk bookings seems like a great return to me.  Re booking several cruises (ok, maybe more than several) using that same FCC and bonus certs has been a huge return for me. I made sure to book cruises starting late this fall all the way thru the end of 2023.

Interesting. Other people describe having to try to re-use the same 10% off coupon over and over. 

[mscdivina2016]

5 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

Interesting. Other people describe having to try to re-use the same 10% off coupon over and over. 

That's what I did last year but mine were 25-50% and they allowed it. I think I used it on 11 cruises.  I lost 3 this year but still have 8.  

 The key was the letter we received. Some people got the letter that stated use this bonus on a future cruise. Mine as well as others stated on future cruise's.  So at that time they were allowing it, especially when a customer is booking many. I was lucky to grab 4 in 2023 with the bonus as well.

Steve

[BoundForSea]

3 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The cynic in me believes that the OP simply wants fewer people to book so that it's easier for him to score a last minute deal....

 

 

...if everything is fully booked/sold out, those deals won't be there.

 

3 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The cynic in me believes that the OP simply wants fewer people to book so that it's easier for him to score a last minute deal....

 

 

...if everything is fully booked/sold out, those deals won't be there.

Specifically, the OP wants cabin 12128...😂😂

[BermudaBound2014]

I believe the OP has made some valid points. For NCL, the US market was the lions share of their business. I don't remember the exact figure, but it was greater than 80%. Nothing has sailed from the USA yet :(.

 

The cash NCL has borrowed will run out eventually. It's only a matter of when.  I'm not sure when that date is, but NCL announced they secured high interest bearing notes to stay afloat until this fall. They are literally bleeding money in lay up. Profusely. 

 

I believe getting crew onboard is a sizable obstacle, but the biggest challenge for the industry is getting people to book the ships.  Sure, this site is full of enthusiasts, but based on inventory of cabins available for Joy and Gem, the outlook is dismal. Bliss isn't selling well yet either. Pent up demand only goes so far. 

 

6 hours ago, saltsandknit said:

Yeah no. I will keep booking until we sail, and then I will book more. I have no problem with cancelations and rebookings. I understand the fluid nature of what is happening and I don’t blame the Cruiselines for trying to make the best choices in a difficult environment. Why in the world would I wait

 

@saltsandknit @DCGuy64 @mianmike  In my opinion, the only reason to wait is if you can not get cash back from the organization. If you are booking with their money (money you can not recoup), I agree, there is no reason to wait. If you have money to loose, there is no reason to wait. However; if you are booking with new cash, there is plenty of reason to hold that money tight until cruise ships are actually sailing (and preferably turning profit). 

 

I don't believe the OP was posting with malice intentions and I'm ok with being called Susie Negative 🙂

[Cruising Lynne]

The OP is right about a lot of us in the US not seeing the big picture. Getting crew in place from various countries must be a huge challenge. Even though things are loosening up here, it is still going to be difficult to get a ship ready to go. 

 

If you can book with an already paid for cruise next deposit, then great. You won't lose any new money to NCL. I had been hesitant to book anything until cruising actually starts, but do have two booked for 2022. Now I am not even sure those will sail, but we shall see. I enjoy having a cruise to look forward to, and like to follow the ABB rule ( Always Be Booked ). No, I am not a travel agent, LOL

 

I am only a little disappointed that our Gem out of DR was cancelled. I tried very hard not to get too invested and had only told one person our possible plan.

[julig22]

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The cynic in me believes that the OP simply wants fewer people to book so that it's easier for him to score a last minute deal....

 

 

...if everything is fully booked/sold out, those deals won't be there.

Even pre-covid those deals weren't always there.  Plus I often use NCL air and that perk tends to disappear closer to sail date and I use CN certificates for deposits so no additional money on loan.  If prices go down after final pay then I request an upgrade.  They go down before final pay I just rebook.  Nothing lost by booking in advance.

[BermudaBound2014]

22 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

@saltsandknit @DCGuy64 @mianmike  In my opinion, the only reason to wait is if you can not get cash back from the organization. If you are booking with their money (money you can not recoup), I agree, there is no reason to wait. If you have money to loose, there is no reason to wait. However; if you are booking with new cash, there is plenty of reason to hold that money tight until cruise ships are actually sailing (and preferably turning profit). 

 

I don't believe the OP was posting with malice intentions and I'm ok with being called Susie Negative 🙂

 

I timed out on the edit. What I was trying to say was: If you can get money back from NCL, I recommend you do it. If you can't, then there is no harm in booking because you are playing with NCL dollars anyway.

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

Seriously. Until we see NCL ships sailing to their home ports full of crew, nothing is certain. You wanna be disappointed by more and more re-planning and cancellation? Be my guest. We all want to look forward to something. But for the first cruises going back, if you really wanna be certain, you’re probably gonna have to wait until a month-or-so out to book anything with any certainty anyway.

Thanks for the advise. 

 

We're happily booked on the Bliss in August. The unknown, the triumphs, the disappointments,,. is all part of the total adventure.  We sail the Caribbean during hurricane seas, and cross the North Atlantic during winter storms (not on NCL). Wouldn't have it any other way.