Will you cruise in 2022 or wait?

[Coral]

2 minutes ago, Lois R said:

That is great!  I said 2 weeks......it was 2 weeks and 2 days......14 days would have been 2 weeks. I was just rounding it up🙂  i just got back from a 15 night sailing to the Caribbean.......one of the most relaxing cruises I have taken👍

I understood what you said. The price went down at 14 days - wish I would have waited!

 

This trip is definitely relaxing.

 

Though with all the news of omicron, I am glad I am not on a ship with much more individuals. I won't be booking far in advance in 2022. I may go at the last minute like this trip. During normal times, I would not have booked this trip. The ports don't do anything for me.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Coral

[Lois R]

I am doing the opposite.......it is what makes us all different🙂....I have multiple cruises booked........

A b2b in April......Lisbon to Barcelona and then Barcelona to Rome.   July I have a river cruise booked on the Seine.  November is Greece and Israel.........as long as they are all sailing, I am sailing.🙂

[Coral]

8 hours ago, Lois R said:

I am doing the opposite.......it is what makes us all different🙂....I have multiple cruises booked........

A b2b in April......Lisbon to Barcelona and then Barcelona to Rome.   July I have a river cruise booked on the Seine.  November is Greece and Israel.........as long as they are all sailing, I am sailing.🙂

I am not retired. That makes a huge difference.

[Seminole1975]

We are planning a land trip to Italy in March 2022 (this has been rescheduled 3 times). We have a river cruise scheduled in December from Amsterdam to Basal. Fingers crossed. 

[winegirl]

Put a deposit on a Scenic land/river cruise (Prague to Budapest) September 2022 with our daughter and some friends we met on a prior cruise. We have not travelled anywhere since October 2019, when we spent 3 weeks in Australia/NZ.  Scenic has an option to have air included or we get a credit.  We have until March to decide about that. Will purchase trip insurance at the time of further deposits (found a company that will waive pre-existing conditions when you make your FINAL payment, rather than the initial deposit.) 

 

I would like to know that we will be able to enter and exit Europe without a lot of hoops and restrictions. So hoping that Omicron will taper off and COVID infections will become endemic, rather than pandemic, later this year. We are all fully vaccinated and boosted, but the protection declines dramatically after about 10 weeks from the booster date, as I recently read.  The requirement for a COVID test within 24 hours of boarding a US bound return flight is also kind of bothersome.  I sure don't want to be stuck in Europe looking for a test, having to change flights or quarantining if worst comes to worse. 

 

I'll keep a close eye on COVID developments until we have to make further deposits and final payment.  Right now, if we can't take the cruise and can't get credit for our deposit, we are only out $ 1,500.  I can live with that.

[Vineyard View]

We are considering canceling a B2B  this coming May due to concerns happening on even the small Ocean ships - which we did book. We enjoy River cruising and thinking it may make some sense to look in that direction for 2023. Our experience has been Viking, which we completely enjoyed we do not enjoy their early payment requirements - never did, but  more so now. I am really curious Winegirl who you found that would accept  preconditions at FP. We found one who would accept it based only on deposit amount, and increased coverage as you pay more, but not that. If allowed would appreciate more information on that. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

We are considering canceling a B2B  this coming May due to concerns happening on even the small Ocean ships - which we did book. We enjoy River cruising and thinking it may make some sense to look in that direction for 2023. Our experience has been Viking, which we completely enjoyed we do not enjoy their early payment requirements - never did, but  more so now. I am really curious Winegirl who you found that would accept  preconditions at FP. We found one who would accept it based only on deposit amount, and increased coverage as you pay more, but not that. If allowed would appreciate more information on that. 

The Allianz Journey Plan, available through travel agents, covers pre-existing illnesses even if the policy is first taken out at final payment.  It also allows you to take out a small policy to cover the deposit, then increase as you add non-refundable expenses [but if you have birthday in between the rates may go up].

[Vineyard View]

Thank you very much for this information. Really good to know. 

[skiladyldp]

On 12/28/2021 at 12:59 PM, winegirl said:

(found a company that will waive pre-existing conditions when you make your FINAL payment, rather than the initial deposit.) 

Winegirl I would really like that information whenever you have time.  Thankyou

[scottjeanne]

I believe Allianz does waive the pre-existing clause as long as you obtain the insurance prior to final payment.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, scottjeanne said:

I believe Allianz does waive the pre-existing clause as long as you obtain the insurance prior to final payment.

It really depends on the insurance policy. Allianz has hundreds of policies (if not thousands). The one they write for my travel agent's company does waive pre-existing conditions when bought at final payment. Others do not. I think @Host Jazzbeau - the agency he has has a similar policy.

[lyndarra]

Not booking anything. Just waiting and watching.

[Coral]

I did book something for December. Still not sure if I will go on it.

[pookeysmom]

We just cancelled our April transatlantic cruise, concerned that the ports would be unavailable, or we wouldn't be allowed into Southampton at the end. Plus my parents are elderly. Even though we're all vaxed & boosted, they have underlying health issues & decided not to risk it yet.

But we are still taking our Mississippi river cruise next month out of New Orleans. Not looking forward to flying anywhere these days, but for this bucket list cruise, we'll give it a go.

Hubby & I booked a bike and barge cruise from Germany through 5 other countries & back in August. We love European river cruises & this is our 1st bike and barge.

Praying all this has calmed down by then 🙏

[Coral]

3 hours ago, pookeysmom said:

We just cancelled our April transatlantic cruise, concerned that the ports would be unavailable, or we wouldn't be allowed into Southampton at the end. Plus my parents are elderly. Even though we're all vaxed & boosted, they have underlying health issues & decided not to risk it yet.

But we are still taking our Mississippi river cruise next month out of New Orleans. Not looking forward to flying anywhere these days, but for this bucket list cruise, we'll give it a go.

Hubby & I booked a bike and barge cruise from Germany through 5 other countries & back in August. We love European river cruises & this is our 1st bike and barge.

Praying all this has calmed down by then 🙏

I definitely want to read your bike and barge review when you return!

[Canal archive]

Pookeysmom which river/canal are you biking and barging on? A full Mississippi River cruise in on my bucket list so at least I can still dream 😴 

[notamermaid]

Would also be interested to read about the bike & barge itinerary. Germany and five countries? Sounds long and a great experience, I am really curious where you are going @pookeysmom.

 

notamermaid

 

[cruisr]

I am not cancelling anything.  If the cruise cancels, so be it but if it is sailing, I am on it.

[sharkster77]

Pre-COVID we had thought about doing a tulip cruise in 2022--at this point we hope and pray that we can pull off just the 2 land tours we have booked (one of them on its third rescheduling) in 2022.

 

MAYBE, based on what the world looks like in the fall of 2022 we might think about cruising again in 2023---but I suspect that there are so many cruises that have been re-scheduled multiple times, bookings might be tough to get--perhaps 2024, God willing??

Edited January 6, 2022 by sharkster77

[Shmoo here]

On 12/21/2021 at 5:52 AM, Bake apple said:

What are your plans?

Well......we have a Vantage tulips cruise scheduled for March.  It's the 3rd incarnation of the same cruise we were scheduled for in March of 2020, then moved to April 2021, and now this year.........and we're still waiting.  I have doubts this one will come off, just like the others.

 

 

 

 

[Canal archive]

Shmoo here, it’s now time to walk with a limp and be ham fisted. So fingers and toes crossed third time lucky 🍀 same as us with our barge cruise. Think positive I’m trying all I want is a fantastic experience and to beat this awful bug into submission. 

[Bake apple]

It has been only 15 or 16 days since I first started this thread and at the time we were really considering booking spring or summer 2022 cruise!! Well, since then  it has not been all that cheerful on the travel scene to be honest.  Here in Ontario we are back in pretty tight restrictions, schools closed etc etc. Very high virus cases each and every day now. Our government has issued a Travel Alert against all International Travel.  So the question I posed back two weeks ago: "what to do, what to do?" has been answered for now.  We are going to look at Fall 2022 to see if anything strikes our fancy otherwise it will be 2023. It is what it is and like everyone else we are weighing the risks and coming to a decision that is comfortable for us. Having said that, I received another River Cruise brochure in the mail this week and I did read every single page, twice!! 😁 

[Vineyard View]

Baked Apple, we are in similar local infection concerns and thoughts. I contacted our TA about moving our booked cruises. 
Our only experience with Rivers is with Viking, and while we absolutely love them both on rivers and ocean, We think another river cruise May make more sense than even the small ocean ships we like to sail on. Fall is dicey travels here with wildfire season, so likely spring 2023.  Only Because of the long full pay in advance that Viking has, we may look at other lines that sail the rivers. 
thank you for starting this thread. It has been very helpful. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Baked Apple, we are in similar local infection concerns and thoughts. I contacted our TA about moving our booked cruises. 
Our only experience with Rivers is with Viking, and while we absolutely love them both on rivers and ocean, We think another river cruise May make more sense than even the small ocean ships we like to sail on. Fall is dicey travels here with wildfire season, so likely spring 2023.  Only Because of the long full pay in advance that Viking has, we may look at other lines that sail the rivers. 
thank you for starting this thread. It has been very helpful. 

If you're looking to maximize social distancing on a river cruise, look at the lines with the fewest passengers (= more distance and more space everywhere).  Crystal (106), Uniworld (128), Tauck (130).  Compare Viking (190).  All these ships are the same size (135m long).

[slidergirl]

I have my Rhone canal barge trip booked for the beginning of July.  Small fully catered barge, 14 women.  But then I have 3 more weeks of roaming around France and Italy.  Other than the barge trip, everything I've booked, from flights to hotels to AirBnB has been "cancellable up to the day before" and "pay when you check-in", so I'm not out all that money until it becomes a cancel due to Covid situation.  I hope it goes OK in July - this is a big bucket trip for me, from the barge trip to seeing Andrea Bocelli in Italy in the outdoor theatre in Lajatico.  

I'm just over my "O" isolation today and back to work.  5 of us and 3 of us have it - my boss finishes isolation tomorrow and one co-worker just called out sick yesterday.  I live & work in a major Winter resort and we are blowing up with "O".  Our county just put a mask mandate in place until Feb. 21 for all public indoor areas.  I sooooo love enforcing that one (NOT).  

And, my grand-neice gets married Aug 20 - they waited a year to do this.  It better be OVER for it!!