Cruise cancellation extended until 17th September 2021

[rkmw]

It’s been posted elsewhere that the government has extended the ban on cruise ships till 17th September 

 

https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/covid-19-emergency-measures-extended-for-a-further-three-months?fbclid=IwAR0sP8HSWGqd2urC1uPXR4i_XaRLxZUBipaby0e0gFYe0SqUu5get4Pv5RA

[OzKiwiJJ]

Which actually doesn't mean a thing as far as the 21/22 season is concerned, as that typically wouldn't start until October. We'll just have to keep on keeping our fingers crossed 

[getting older slowly]

I wonder how we decided on the 17th September,  of is he just pushing dated out,, like the dangling carrot....

In some ways why not just cancel the 21/22 season and lets move on ...

[OzKiwiJJ]

21 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

I wonder how we decided on the 17th September,  of is he just pushing dated out,, like the dangling carrot....

In some ways why not just cancel the 21/22 season and lets move on ...

The previous ban ends 17th of this month so they just extended it by three months. I guess the original ban must have been put in place on the 17th of whatever month last year. Was it March?

[SuitesRbest]

As Cruise passenger article has said, the major drama is that there is NO clear path for the cruise industry to re-start. This will put the 2021/2022 at great risk in my opinion. It sucks that the Government has not given the industry any other information bah just extending the ban. I believe!

 

This is all sounding very familiar. If you have been following the antics of the governing bodies in the USA against the re-start of cruising, it seems very clear until the majority of Australians are vaccinated, I believe we will not cruise. Roll up ya sleeves I say. I get my 2nd shot on Thursday.

[bonox55]

Even if the ban is lifted in September, would this allow enough time for cruise lines to resume cruising before the new year?

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, bonox55 said:

Even if the ban is lifted in September, would this allow enough time for cruise lines to resume cruising before the new year?

Probably not. From what I've heard it would take about three months to get the ship up to full operating status, fully crewed and down here. So a decision would need to be made by early July at the latest that cruise ships could operate here from mid-October when the season usually starts. But that decision is not dependent on the current travel ban and if the travel ban is extended in September it may change to allow cruise ships here for domestic cruising.

[clairebearinaus]

Carnival recently announced on Facebook that its Australian ships (Splendor and Spirit) have left the Singapore area, where they've been bobbing around for awhile, and are en route to the UAE to re-crew.  

 

Not sure if that means full crew, but it's interesting.  I believe UAE is fairly lax about movements in and out compared to some countries, so would be a good jumping on point for crew from various places.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think one of the Royal Caribbean ships has headed up there as well. 

[possum52]

2 hours ago, clairebearinaus said:

Carnival recently announced on Facebook that its Australian ships (Splendor and Spirit) have left the Singapore area, where they've been bobbing around for awhile, and are en route to the UAE to re-crew.  

 

Not sure if that means full crew, but it's interesting.  I believe UAE is fairly lax about movements in and out compared to some countries, so would be a good jumping on point for crew from various places.

Crew is being changed over every few months from what I have seen on  this Alfie Smith's Same Ship Different Day videos on You tube - Alfie is 2nd Officer on Pacific Encounter at the moment. This video shows what happens when crew are being repatriated to their home countries from Carnival Lines' ships anchored around Singapore. As there were a fair few Filopino crew members the Pacific Encounter took them to Manila where there could make their way to their homes and the other crew members took international flights to their home countries. They also picked up crew to replace those who have gone home and sailed back to Singapore. 

 

So Carnival Spirit and Splendor may be doing the same thing.

 

 

[Russell21]

We only had a couple of days before our 60 day cancellation deadline came up for our group so I did a phone around and we all decided that we wouldn't have a cruise to go on at the 30th October. So reluctantly I phoned Princess and cancelled our booking. That is the 4th cruise that we would normally have had, and have missed, 2 with Carnival and 2 with Princess. The good news is that the added FCC that they gave us last time carries on until the end of next year with the offer to extend it if needed.

[Chiliburn]

9 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Crew is being changed over every few months from what I have seen on  this Alfie Smith's Same Ship Different Day videos on You tube - Alfie is 2nd Officer on Pacific Encounter at the moment. This video shows what happens when crew are being repatriated to their home countries from Carnival Lines' ships anchored around Singapore. As there were a fair few Filopino crew members the Pacific Encounter took them to Manila where there could make their way to their homes and the other crew members took international flights to their home countries. They also picked up crew to replace those who have gone home and sailed back to Singapore. 

 

So Carnival Spirit and Splendor may be doing the same thing.

 

 

I doubt they are crewing the ship in hope for a Australian season..

 

Are there any carnival group ships going to Alaska?  Maybe they are picking some up ?

 

Ovation is in Korea picking up crew and have just transferred some off voyager ,which has just done a milk run.

Ovation is off to Alaska soon and I don’t think we will see it again in Australia.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Chiliburn

[possum52]

24 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

I doubt they are crewing the ship in hope for a Australian season..

 

Are there any carnival group ships going to Alaska?  Maybe they are picking some up ?

 

Ovation is in Korea picking up crew and have just transferred some off voyager ,which has just done a milk run.

Ovation is off to Alaska soon and I don’t think we will see it again in Australia.

The crew they picked up are just enough to replace those who were returned to Manila, just enough to safely crew the ships while they waiting for cruising to resume - about 200 in total if I remember from about 4-5 ships.

 

Leigh

[Chiliburn]

46 minutes ago, possum52 said:

The crew they picked up are just enough to replace those who were returned to Manila, just enough to safely crew the ships while they waiting for cruising to resume - about 200 in total if I remember from about 4-5 ships.

 

Leigh

Didn’t the two carnival ships go to the to the UAE ?

Just to pick up 200 or so crew seem excessive 

Edited June 15, 2021 by Chiliburn

[possum52]

5 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Didn’t the two carnival ships go to the to the UAE ?

Just to pick up 200 or so crew seem executive?

I was referring to a P&O Aus ship sailing to Manila with crew to be repatriated and replacement crew being picked up and wondered if something similar was happening with the ships going to the UAE - perhaps they mainly had Middle Eastern or European crew on board so easier to sail to the UAE.

 

Leigh

Edited June 15, 2021 by possum52

[clairebearinaus]

UAE is handy to India too.

 

I agree it doesn't make sense for Carnival to send both ships that far if it's just for a couple of hundred people.  

 

Maybe it's a staging point and they're headed elsewhere after that?

 

I'd love to think they are embarking a full crew though, and starting their training and quarantining process to be ready in the hope Australia's ban is lifted in September.  Probably wishful thinking!  Maybe we'll hear more news when they arrive at their destination.

[Chiliburn]

It’s intriguing,something is going on.

 

 

[getting older slowly]

Thinking about a cruise round the coast..... the way the state borders snap shut.

 

( example passenger taken off the Ghan...  also friend of the family's.. on a fly round Aussie deluxe trip on chartered plane got to Broken Hill    after lockdown started in Vic.... taken off Plane and had to quarantine at own cost for 14 days in NSW )

 

Just saying travel round Australia is an open and shut case... cruise ships.. can't see it....

 

Still thinking about a Tassie trip on the boat, but will now wait until until 2nd shot....

[woodscruise]

21 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Ovation is off to Alaska soon and I don’t think we will see it again in Australia.

Chiliburn, do you think Ovation will replace Navagator and permanently stay in LA.

Do you think RCG will reduce their presence or pull completly out of Australia.

[OzKiwiJJ]

34 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

Thinking about a cruise round the coast..... the way the state borders snap shut.

 

( example passenger taken off the Ghan...  also friend of the family's.. on a fly round Aussie deluxe trip on chartered plane got to Broken Hill    after lockdown started in Vic.... taken off Plane and had to quarantine at own cost for 14 days in NSW )

 

Just saying travel round Australia is an open and shut case... cruise ships.. can't see it....

 

Still thinking about a Tassie trip on the boat, but will now wait until until 2nd shot....

But at least with a cruise all the ship has to do is avoid those ports. I very much doubt they would take fully vaccinated passengers off a ship just because they came from a state where there was an outbreak. They might have to isolate in their cabins for a day or so until they are tested and return a negative but that would be the worst that could happen I suspect.

 

Also by the time cruising recommences a decent percentage of the population should be fully vaccinated. The recent Celebrity Millenium cruise where two passengers tested positive has shown that it can be managed safely. 

 

We have a Round Australia cruise booked for March and if the ship is here and operating cruises we'll be on it.

[gogo65]

So there is some Kimberley cruising happening, Broome-Darwin-Broome, I wonder what they’ve done with Victorians in the recent lockdown.

We are watching Ponant closely and they have currently canceled Kimberley cruises up to mid august, I think it will be interesting to see what will happen with border closures/lockdown on ships and how they will react.

hopefully the fact that they are/will be doing regular swabs may reduce the risk of being kicked off a ship if a random state goes into lockdown.

 

[Chiliburn]

27 minutes ago, woodscruise said:

Chiliburn, do you think Ovation will replace Navagator and permanently stay in LA.

Do you think RCG will reduce their presence or pull completly out of Australia.

I think Ovation will definitely replace Navigator in the short term in LA.

We could have a few cruises after Christmas but they won’t bring ovation across the pacific empty just to do a couple of months.

If RC spend the money on Ovation so it can hook up to shore power in LA West coast USA is where it will stay. LA in winter,Alaska in summer.

 California is the 5 largest economy in the world 
 

This virus is going to be with us for a long time and if we don’t have international tourists.The cruise line’s will reduce there ships here. 
We don’t have the population.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Based on figures from 2018 of how many Australians went cruising I calculated four ships of under 3000 passengers could operated here for the full season just with Aussies and Kiwis onboard. 

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Based on figures from 2018 of how many Australians went cruising I calculated four ships of under 3000 passengers could operated here for the full season just with Aussies and Kiwis onboard. 

What ships would you predict Julie? 4 ships is pretty third world,I think giligans Island would have more . But you are probably right.

 

Brisbane and Sydney a P&O ,Carnival each .

maybe a Princess , Royal Caribbean extra in Sydney.
 

Hey we have solved the need for another cruise terminal.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

What ships would you predict Julie? 4 ships is pretty third world,I think giligans Island would have more . But you are probably right.

 

Brisbane and Sydney a P&O ,Carnival each .

maybe a Princess , Royal Caribbean extra in Sydney.
 

Hey we have solved the need for another cruise terminal.

But Botany Cruise Terminal is nearly constructed Chili. a fisherman - Rod Whatshisname,  told me, lol.

Edited June 16, 2021 by NSWP