Cruising Hesitancy Amid Covid

[2seabournsailors]

5 hours ago, SLSD said:

So why even look at his thread if it nauseates you?  That doesn't make sense to me.  I would not dream of telling anyone here what they can discuss and what they can't discuss because it bothers ME.  Let's try to be more tolerant.  

Fully agree! As I always mention on "another site", if you aren't interested in a Topic, simply use that brilliant little invention called a scroll button!

[curmudgeon98]

On the general topic, our general hesitation has been less about medical risks and more about concerns that we won't have the type of experience that we enjoy.  We are not dedicated cruisers, but rather tend to tack a cruise onto overseas land-based vacations.  Ports are important to us, not just the experience at sea.

 

At present, doing a trip with multiple countries/ports involves adding a fair amount of uncertainty and stress around the frequently changing rules and requirements.  Jumping through hoops around testing timeframes and formats, being restricted to cruiseline shore excursions, etc.  If it were for something really important to me (like seeing my kids/grandkids), I will do it, but for a vacation it adds a lot of "psychic cost" that has tended to push it over to the "too much trouble" side of the balance.

 

I've been giving some thought to some more limited cruise itineraries, but those also tend to be less interesting to us.  Given world conditions, I'm not willing to commit major funds to a cruiseline well in advance, so I'll only commit to something with a short timeline; I'm willing to accept that there may not be space, or we may not get the preferred cabin as a consequence.

 

Despite all that, we were hoping to fit in a couple of cruises this fall, but family needs and circumstances cropped up to cause us to drop those before we actually booked.  

[crusinbanjo]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:13 PM, curmudgeon98 said:

On the general topic, our general hesitation has been less about medical risks and more about concerns that we won't have the type of experience that we enjoy.  We are not dedicated cruisers, but rather tend to tack a cruise onto overseas land-based vacations.  Ports are important to us, not just the experience at sea.

 

At present, doing a trip with multiple countries/ports involves adding a fair amount of uncertainty and stress around the frequently changing rules and requirements.  Jumping through hoops around testing timeframes and formats, being restricted to cruiseline shore excursions, etc.  If it were for something really important to me (like seeing my kids/grandkids), I will do it, but for a vacation it adds a lot of "psychic cost" that has tended to push it over to the "too much trouble" side of the balance.

 

I've been giving some thought to some more limited cruise itineraries, but those also tend to be less interesting to us.  Given world conditions, I'm not willing to commit major funds to a cruiseline well in advance, so I'll only commit to something with a short timeline; I'm willing to accept that there may not be space, or we may not get the preferred cabin as a consequence.

 

Despite all that, we were hoping to fit in a couple of cruises this fall, but family needs and circumstances cropped up to cause us to drop those before we actually booked.  

Well said, your post reflects the feelings of Mrs Banjo and myself.  Next month will be 2 years of not cruising.  Do we miss it, yes, but like you we are not willing to navigate all the restrictions and stumbling blocks currently required for cruising and international travel.  This past year we have booked 3 cruises, hoping the pandemic would subside and then reluctantly canceled them when realizing the uncertainty going forward into 2022.  So for us, we are still on the sidelines, waiting for a return to some stability.