Bad idea to book right now?

[Pyxie]

I'm torn. I had planned on booking a cruise today for March. The promo we have has to be booked by tomorrow and it's a significant discount. We're also within final payment so I can't just book with a deposit. A lot has happened in the past week since I started planning and now I don't know what to do.

 

To clarify, I am not afraid of getting the virus (had it already and I'm vaccinated) and I don't mind the current situation on board with masks, etc.. I just don't know how likely it is that I'll book and then it be canceled.

 

Thoughts?

[nwcruiselover]

Duplicate post—sorry.

Edited January 6, 2022 by nwcruiselover

[nwcruiselover]

Just now, nwcruiselover said:

Since you’re comfortable with the covid protocols and not afraid of getting the virus, you have no reason not to book.  Although the cruise fare will be non refundable, you would still get a full refund if Carnival cancels the cruise.  Just make sure you have insurance that would cover your hotel and air if Carnival cancels.

 

[K_e_short]

Another thing to think about is that many cruise ships are not running as many activities, shows, and they are short staffed.

 

Are you o.k being on a cruise ship with no entertainment and having to wait a while for drinks and food?

 

If that answer is yes then book.

 

If the issues that others have discussed on previous cruises will ruin your vacation then don't book.

 

[firefly333]

John heald just said carnival has no plans to canc any cruises.

 

I booked last sunday grandeur .. and 2 nights ago prices for all 4 legs fell and my cruise I booked isnt until may. I'm already booked soon and also in march or I'd have booked cheaper and closer in. 

 

Cruiselines will not cancel except possibly one ship without pilots .. unlikely on carnival. Dont listen to people who wish cruiselines will cancel. Dont listen to rumors.

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by firefly333

[1kaper]

14 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

John heald just said carnival has no plans to canc any cruises.

 

I booked last sunday grandeur .. and 2 nights ago prices for all 4 legs fell and my cruise I booked isnt until may. I'm already booked soon and also in march or I'd have booked cheaper and closer in. 

 

Cruiselines will not cancel except possibly one ship without pilots .. unlikely on carnival. Dont listen to people who wish cruiselines will cancel. Dont listen to rumors.

 

 

 

 

I'm not as confident cruises won't get cancelled.  I agree the cruise lines don't plan to cancel.  I believe they won't cancel unless they have to and I think that would come down to staffing issues (large numbers of staff infected which is possible particularly with this variant) or the government requires it.  Maybe port issues but I think that is less likely. 

IMO, the cruise line cancelling is not a concern for me.  If they do, you get your money back and sometimes more. 

Edited to add - I should add, I also hope that the worst of it will be over by March. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by 1kaper

[Pyxie]

22 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

Another thing to think about is that many cruise ships are not running as many activities, shows, and they are short staffed.

 

Are you o.k being on a cruise ship with no entertainment and having to wait a while for drinks and food?

 

If that answer is yes then book.

 

If the issues that others have discussed on previous cruises will ruin your vacation then don't book.

 

 

Yes I am. We really don't do many of the activities anyway. The one deal breaker would be if they shut the kids clubs back down. We are taking our kids and waited until they opened to cruise with them again.

[Guest BasicSailor]

With the comments you made, and all the obstacles involved, I wouldn't. You have possible missed ports, lack of staff, entertainment slow service, because of covid. Much less if you catch the virus and then to be quarantined to a cabin with food delivered to you, well you get free movies.  Carnival cruise industry is much larger than one spokesman who has apologized in the past for misinforming people.

[firefly333]

24 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

 

I'm not as confident cruises won't get cancelled.  I agree the cruise lines don't plan to cancel.  I believe they won't cancel unless they have to and I think that would come down to staffing issues (large numbers of staff infected which is possible particularly with this variant) or the government requires it.  Maybe port issues but I think that is less likely. 

IMO, the cruise line cancelling is not a concern for me.  If they do, you get your money back and sometimes more. 

Edited to add - I should add, I also hope that the worst of it will be over by March. 

Lol and so the rumors continue, no matter what carnival says. Hahahaha

[cruisingguy007]

21 minutes ago, Pyxie said:

 

Yes I am. We really don't do many of the activities anyway. The one deal breaker would be if they shut the kids clubs back down. We are taking our kids and waited until they opened to cruise with them again.

 

Feel the same, the kids club is mandatory for us as well. Hope everything works out for you and your family and you get to cruise. 

[fold]

6 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Lol and so the rumors continue, no matter what carnival says. Hahahaha

While I don't support the spreading of rumors, Carnival doesn't really seem to be saying anything so all people can do is guess. Like with the offer of full refunds right now via their website tool, no one knows the rhyme or reason as to why certain sailings are eligible and others aren't. No one knows the state of ports of call for their given cruise. There's no transparency or communication, so while spreading rumors is not the right thing to do, Carnival hasn't really done anything to prevent it. I am booked for 1/29 and the primary reason I may cancel is Carnival's lack of communication, not covid itself.

[icft]

I would book the cruise. March is a lifetime away in covid terms. In South Africa, which was the first hit by omicron, cases are already falling as fast as they went up and restrictions are being lifted.

[1kaper]

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Lol and so the rumors continue, no matter what carnival says. Hahahaha

It's not a rumour.  I expressed my own opinion based on the information I'm seeing in the cruise/travel industry, what has happened in the past and my own experience with staffing dealing with Omicron. 

 

OP is trying to make a decision on whether or not to book.  John is not a psychic.  He cannot predict how this virus will affect cruising in the coming months.  None of us can.  We can only make educated guesses based on the information we have.  John saying today that cruises will not be cancelled means NOTHING.  No one knows what will happen tomorrow or next week or next month.

 

I believe they (CCL) have no intention of cancelling on their on accord.  But that doesn't mean that circumstances won't force their hand.  It has to be considered if that factors into your decision to book or not.  
 

[1kaper]

13 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Lol and so the rumors continue, no matter what carnival says. Hahahaha

Also he didn't say they wouldn't cancel.  He said "there are no planned changes".  As in right now.  That doesn't mean there won't be.  

[firefly333]

16 minutes ago, fold said:

While I don't support the spreading of rumors, Carnival doesn't really seem to be saying anything so all people can do is guess. Like with the offer of full refunds right now via their website tool, no one knows the rhyme or reason as to why certain sailings are eligible and others aren't. No one knows the state of ports of call for their given cruise. There's no transparency or communication, so while spreading rumors is not the right thing to do, Carnival hasn't really done anything to prevent it. I am booked for 1/29 and the primary reason I may cancel is Carnival's lack of communication, not covid itself.

Carnival said refunds if you cancel before jan 14, then extended it to the end of January if you want to cancel. Not based on which cruise you booked. Its stated to me clearly, though some got refunds further out saying they cant do protocols. 

 

I'm booking out of Galveston and no ports have been cancelled since the restart. Of course look at the ports you booked and know what is being allowed. Make a informed decision.

 

I agree if you are going to ports that have never yet cancelled and still saying .. well it could happen or my ship could get cancelled ... cruising is not for you right now. To me the bargains make it worth it. If things were normal I couldnt book at these prices so for me it is worth what I get for the lower price I'm paying. I dont live in fear. If i can cruise i will. 

 

I also noticed the cdc said it will leave the new warning voluntary. .. it's not planning on stepping in. No guarantees in life, but signs are a go.

 

 

[Virga]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Cruiselines will not cancel except possibly one ship without pilots .. 

 

Given that NCL has cancelled all sailings on seven different ships - including one sailing out of Miami - for the next 6 to 16 weeks...  That statement might be casting a little wide, they surely don't expect the captains to be sick for months on end.  

 

I do agree that Carnival won't be cancelling any domestic cruises unless they are forced to - operationally or by the CDC.  

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, Virga said:

I do agree that Carnival won't be cancelling any domestic cruises unless they are forced to - operationally or by the CDC.  

Cdc is also saying they are making their alert voluntary. 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by firefly333

[Pyxie]

48 minutes ago, Virga said:

 

Given that NCL has cancelled all sailings on seven different ships - including one sailing out of Miami - for the next 6 to 16 weeks...  That statement might be casting a little wide, they surely don't expect the captains to be sick for months on end.  

 

I do agree that Carnival won't be cancelling any domestic cruises unless they are forced to - operationally or by the CDC.  

 

This is actually what triggered my worry. NCL's cancelations.

[Qchell]

Hopefully by March things will have settled down.  South Africa is past the hump and hopefully we will be too in the next few weeks.  However, your concerns are valid.  We were supposed to be sailing at the end of January and are cancelling due to the upheaval so many cruise lines seem to be having.  We have limited vacation time and don't want to end up on a ship with no entertainment or, worse, quarantined in a stateroom for the duration of our cruise. 

If you book, do ensure you get insurance and I would recommend getting travel insurance that includes "cancel for any reason" which includes Covid.  That way if you book and things go south, you can cancel right before your cruise and not loose any money. 

[urbanhawk]

1 hour ago, icft said:

I would book the cruise. March is a lifetime away in covid terms. In South Africa, which was the first hit by omicron, cases are already falling as fast as they went up and restrictions are being lifted.

"March is a lifetime away",  even in covid terms. Just playing the devil's advocate here:in Sept. of 2020, I booked a cruise on  the Panorama for Dec. 31, 2021...thinking the pandemic would be over. Wrong! So, this past Sept., I moved the cruise forward to  August of 2022. I think we are moving forward, trying to be positive. IMO, just book, and hope for  the best, and Happy cruising! 

[1kaper]

1 minute ago, Qchell said:

Hopefully by March things will have settled down.  South Africa is past the hump and hopefully we will be too in the next few weeks.  However, your concerns are valid.  We were supposed to be sailing at the end of January and are cancelling due to the upheaval so many cruise lines seem to be having.  We have limited vacation time and don't want to end up on a ship with no entertainment or, worse, quarantined in a stateroom for the duration of our cruise. 

If you book, do ensure you get insurance and I would recommend getting travel insurance that includes "cancel for any reason" which includes Covid.  That way if you book and things go south, you can cancel right before your cruise and not loose any money. 

 

Depends on what you book.  The ones I've looked at don't always give all your money back if you Cancel for Any Reason. If you cancel for any of the reasons listed (covid isn't usually one of them from what I've seen), you get all your money back. If you cancel for a reason not listed, you get a percentage back, plus you are out the cost of the insurance.  

[circuitrider]

If you're just worried about Carnival cancelling the cruise, I wouldn't worry. In that situation, they would have to give you a 100% refund at the very least, perhaps more (as in, refund plus a partial credit toward a cruise). If YOU cancel (including if you test positive for Covid) then you may have to deal with a future cruise credit, but if THEY cancel the entire cruise then I guarantee a full refund will be an option (they'll likely try to get you to take a future cruise credit and may try to sweeten the deal a bit...but you should always have the option to just take a 100% refund).

 

Personally, we're pretty easy-going. We go on a cruise to go on a cruise. Swap some ports around (so the first stop is now the last and the last is the first)? No worries. Miss a port and stop somewhere else instead? Might be a bit disappointed but we'll live (I now know to NOT have the last port be the only port we do any snorkeling in). Miss a port entirely? I may complain a little if they just refund the port fees, throw in some obc and I'll get over it.

 

We're taking the kids with us on a Carnival cruise in March. Couldn't believe the prices, less than $50 per person per day (including taxes/fees but not gratuities) for two staterooms (one a balcony) during spring break? Couldn't get my card out fast enough. I'll hope for the best but as long as there's something for the kids to do (if kids club is closed then the water slide needs to be open) and we have a beach day somewhere, we'll be happy.

Edited January 6, 2022 by circuitrider

[asalligo]

My only concerns with booking right now would be cancelling airfare and not being able to make replacement plans when Carnival cancels. When they do cancel it is within a few days of cruising and you cannot just shift to an all inclusive at that point. That is why we cancelled our March cruise and moved to an all inclusive. Just seems like a much more solid bet that we will get our vacation.  

 

I do not care what John Heald says. If more crew than they can do without get sick at the same time, they will have no choice but to cancel. 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by asalligo

[Oceansaway17]

5 hours ago, Pyxie said:

I'm torn. I had planned on booking a cruise today for March. The promo we have has to be booked by tomorrow and it's a significant discount. We're also within final payment so I can't just book with a deposit. A lot has happened in the past week since I started planning and now I don't know what to do.

 

To clarify, I am not afraid of getting the virus (had it already and I'm vaccinated) and I don't mind the current situation on board with masks, etc.. I just don't know how likely it is that I'll book and then it be canceled.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

When I price is really low ya have to weigh the benefits.  March could still be interesting given the covid.

However, if you see a good price for something in June then that would be better to book for the price as well as things having settled down more too.

 

But if you do not have to fly, then book the March trip and do the best you can and lower your expectations and take a good book.

[firefly333]

13 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

When I price is really low ya have to weigh the benefits.  March could still be interesting given the covid.

However, if you see a good price for something in June then that would be better to book for the price as well as things having settled down more too.

 

But if you do not have to fly, then book the March trip and do the best you can and lower your expectations and take a good book.

I've been watching prices and thru may is almost as cheap as close in. Probably because protocols have been released thru may, but not thru june yet. People can cancel thru may and get a refund or fcc but not june yet. 

 

I just booked grandeur for may earlier this week, for under $100 a day solo. There were JS for 900ish for both 4 and 5 days. Price goes up end of may ..june hasnt dropped yet. Give it time. There are some great deals out there.