Should we proceed?

[Nymich]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Overthinking.

 

We're booked on the Gem for September, final payment is next week. The only way we won't go is if NCL cancels, and I doubt they will. They have a lot riding on the resumption of cruising so I expect we will go and all will be well. I'm not worried about the company financially, not one bit. Good luck on your cruise, January is a long way off and way too soon to be worrying about.

Now here's a guy who is living life without fear.  Very admirable my friend.

[Drews_Cruise]

Too much stress with these cruises planned.  DW has pfizer /Moderna mix and now were also unsure if it will be a problem next year.  We're booked on Princess in March out of San Francisco and NCL in August out of Amsterdam.  I hope it gets cleared up quickly or we wont make final payments.  Hang in there until last minute of you can, as that's what we will do. 

[Named-Tawny]

The first thing to ask yourself is how okay/disappointed you'll be if they move the cruise to another port - would you still want to go?

After that, you have some options - you can wait until September, or you can switch to another ship now (I'm doing the Breakaway out of NOLA in January).  Switching definitely carries more certainty, but also you have very little to lose by keeping your current booking for another month or two.  (I have no idea if they'll let you keep your booking and book another non-Florida cruise for the same time)

[kelib]

13 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Both really, but you and I have different philosophies/strategies. You book MANY cruises long in advance (what did you say you have nearly a dozen on the books?) and don't worry about losing any money (deposit or final payment) because your credit card will reimburse you.

 

My strategy (even pre-covid) is to typically book after final payment is due for the 'normal' cruisers. The strategy has saved me thousands. It works for me. Others not-so-much. Of course, I am very flexible with room location.  

🙂

I think I have booked only one cruise outside of final payment date. My best was $399 solo rate on the Escape 2 years ago just 5 days notice. Also $999 solo rate for the POA on 3 weeks notice. The air for HNL was a little tough to take but was still a bargain compared to POA normal rate. 
Radar is now up for bargains in NY/NJ ports since I live just down the NJ Turnpike 

 

My philosophy now is the closer you are to booking the better chance you have of not getting cancelled. I have a booking with Celebrity end of August and keeping fingers crossed on that. 

Edited July 17, 2021 by kelib

[kelib]

14 hours ago, MichiganBound said:

In January 2022, you have NCL cruise options departing from New Orleans, New York, and Los Angeles.  If you're open to travelling a little further, you can also get NCL cruises departing San Juan or Panama.  So you do have other options should you choose to scrap the Florida departure.

Sailing out of San Juan is awesome. If you prefer more port days rather than sea days then that is a great way to go. 

[Old & Retired]

After NCL's miserable conduct over the past few months, I would be very hesitant to give them one thin dime until they prove with a month or two of successful cruises that they are serious about getting back to sailing.  They have lost millions (billions?) of dollars over the last year and a half, so I get they are doing anything and everything to stay afloat, but the overt deceit, lies, intentional misrepresentations and overall disdain for their 'valued customers' has really got me wondering about the future of this shady company.  Like I said, not one thin dime until they regain at least a sliver of my trust.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Old & Retired

[RaftingJeremy]

Some of the answers here are absolutely hilarious. I appreciate the daily comedy on this website. 

[deliver42]

I'm not sure that Del Rio, for all his bluster, will leave Florida. If he loses his suit, which is very possible, he will probably go with what is working with the other lines. 

[aubreyc1988]

14 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Overthinking.

 

We're booked on the Gem for September, final payment is next week. The only way we won't go is if NCL cancels, and I doubt they will. They have a lot riding on the resumption of cruising so I expect we will go and all will be well. I'm not worried about the company financially, not one bit. Good luck on your cruise, January is a long way off and way too soon to be worrying about.

I agree with this. If NCL loses their lawsuit, they will do SOMETHING to make sure they can sail out of Florida. They don't have the financial luxury to not sail. 

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

I'm not sure that Del Rio, for all his bluster, will leave Florida. If he loses his suit, which is very possible, he will probably go with what is working with the other lines. 

 

18 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I agree with this. If NCL loses their lawsuit, they will do SOMETHING to make sure they can sail out of Florida. They don't have the financial luxury to not sail. 

Well said. I think FDR sees the big picture and if it looks like FL won’t budge, he’ll opt for 95% and sail rather than 100% and not. I’d sure love to be a fly on the wall at an NCLH meeting, though. “Come on, Frank, something’s gotta give!” 

[aubreyc1988]

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

 

Well said. I think FDR sees the big picture and if it looks like FL won’t budge, he’ll opt for 95% and sail rather than 100% and not. I’d sure love to be a fly on the wall at an NCLH meeting, though. “Come on, Frank, something’s gotta give!” 

I think Del Rio is worried about the variant/winter sailings so he wants to try for 100% vaxxed out of Florida for that scenario. If he can't get it, at worst he's out legal fees and can do the 95. At best, NCL wins suit and that is a good thing for everyone in the industry and beyond cruising even. 

[All-ready2cruise]

22 hours ago, jennie0820 said:

Final payment is due in September.  I'm worried that isn't enough time 😕

I get it, however, it may seem like a long time to some but not everyone.  If I felt as you do, I wouldn't book any cruises until you're comfortable about the outcome.   I think it would drive me crazy just wondering if I'd lose all my hard earned money.  For you OP, I'd stop thinking about cruising for now. 

Stay safe

[BarnCat1]

Our final payment in due beginning of August.  I am seriously thinking of booking a cruise out of another port or just another vacation completely.  I don't want to get caught up in all this legal mess then have it possibly cancelled at the last minute and have to scramble to find somewhere else to go.  Prices are really high for everything right now and last minute changes can be costly. Then there's the Delta variant and a new Lambda variant their watching.  That could change the no mask rules for sure, even if you're vaccinated. I was going to do the wait and see approach, but I'm not sure anymore. 

[JamieLogical]

12 minutes ago, BarnCat1 said:

Our final payment in due beginning of August.  I am seriously thinking of booking a cruise out of another port or just another vacation completely.  I don't want to get caught up in all this legal mess then have it possibly cancelled at the last minute and have to scramble to find somewhere else to go.  Prices are really high for everything right now and last minute changes can be costly. Then there's the Delta variant and a new Lambda variant their watching.  That could change the no mask rules for sure, even if you're vaccinated. I was going to do the wait and see approach, but I'm not sure anymore. 

 

The October 3 sailing to Bermuda out of NYC on the Breakaway had a price drop yesterday. It seems like a great deal to me!

[gfountain1]

We live in Florida and are looking to travel out of state to board a vaccinated cruise out of New Jersey or New Orleans. We ended up cancelling our January cruise because of what’s happening here in Florida. 

[WarfRatWA]

37 minutes ago, gfountain1 said:

We live in Florida and are looking to travel out of state to board a vaccinated cruise out of New Jersey or New Orleans. We ended up cancelling our January cruise because of what’s happening here in Florida. 

We are booked to sail out of Miami in January as well.  The news from Florida is disconcerting....20% of all new COVID cases nationally are in Florida.  If that trends, we can expect a significant impact on future cruises from Florida.  We finalize payment in September, so we have a couple of months.  We'll make a decision before final payment.