MrMike45

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

 

I felt that way last year. Swore up and down I wouldn't take a vacation that required masks or covid tests. I have a good friend that I like to travel with who is approaching 70 and is concerned that she will have major health issues in the future that will prevent her from taking exotic trips. When the vaccines started getting distributed and we believed they would stop of from catching covid we decided to book a trip for this year, realizing that things could change. And they sure have, now we have to wear masks and get multiple covid trips on the trip. But I'm ok with it now. This was already and "adventure" trip, not a " relaxation" trip. And frankly, if we had waited to book it we may not have booked it. And with everything getting worse instead of better it's starting to look more and more like the day when covid is "over" is quite a long ways off.

Agree with part of that.  I live in NYC, where we are back to requiring masks indoors, proof of vaccinations in restaurants, my son needing to wear a mask daily to school, at 4 years old in Pre-K.  Covid isn't going away, neither are the restrictions.  Any vacation in the future will likely have some medical requirement.  And I can live with that.  I know what the restrictions are in the US, be it in NY, or in like PA when we take our son to Sesame Place. 

But there is a big difference from a weekend getaway for a 2 hour drive to Pennsylvania for a few hundred dollars vs. a week long trip to other countries on a ship for a few thousand dollars.  The stress level of being on a cruise right now far exceeds my missing being on them.  Again, just my opinion, and anyone who is cruising successfully....I am very jealous.  Just too soon for my own personal preference, and not sure why anyone would want to deal with that vacation/stress right now.

I miss cruising as much as anyone.  Every time one of those "memories" pop up on Facebook or my phone from a previous cruise I curse under my breath and get a little sad.  

That being said...and I know there have been some successful cruises already...why?  Why book anything with so many unknowns and potential for stress?  That, to me at least, is not a vacation.  I'll curse and be sad a little longer rather than deal with that.  

What's the general atmosphere/attitude of the staff and other workers?  Is it a giant relief/sense of happiness to be back to some sort of normalcy? A giant family reunion of sorts?

So 2021 is a wash I suppose ☹️

FYI it’s not just NY.

NJ and CT are in the tri-state area and require the same quarantine for out of state visitors as NY. 

The NBA is not in a bubble....it IS a bubble.  The players, coaches, staff, refs, announces, TV crews, and whatever family members they might have brought.  The bubble is a complex, not only of arenas, but hotels and condos.  Everyone entering the bubble is tested before entering, then forced to quarantine for a period, and then deemed "ok".  If anyone leaves the bubble, be it for a family emergency like Zion Williamson did, or be it for a strip club like Lou Williams, they must get tested daily while outside the bubble, sending the results to league health officials.  And when they return, they must go into quarantine for another X period while being tested daily.  Only when they complete quarantine and all negative tests are reported, are they allowed to rejoin their team, and be around other people inside the bubble. 

Since the NBA has started this, there has not been 1 single player test positive.  

I assume the NHL is doing the same, as the leagues exchanged ideas on their plans, but I'm not into hockey as much as basketball so can't say for certain.

The MLB on the other hand is allowing players to be free outside of the stadium.  Yes, they are being tested daily, and yes they are playing in empty stadiums, but after a game or on an off-day, the players are living at home or in a hotel on the road.  They are not isolated from the general public.  They are not "bubbleized" (just made that up lol).  And as we have seen, some people do not take the same precautions as others.  So if they go to a bar or a restaurant or a store or whatever, and aren't taking proper precautions, they can catch Covid from the general public.  Without quarantine measures when they return to the stadium, they can easily pass it on to teammates or staff.  And once it gets in a clubhouse, it spreads like wild fire.  

I don't know how this translates to cruising, since what the NBA is doing would not be possible unless every passenger and crew member was willing to subject themselves to a 14 day MONITORED quarantine before stepping foot on the ship, then not leaving the boat for the duration of the cruise, so they only interact with each other, and then when they disembark, the crew and new group of pax do the same before the next cruise.  But what the NBA doing seems to be working.  They have created their own little "Covid-free" community.  

@Fredric22 

The flu is our best comparison because it is a contagious virus that causes between 30,000 and 80,000 deaths in the US each year

Covid has caused 120,000 deaths in 4 months. 
 

So busting out my fingers and toes and trusty abacus...

120,000 in 4 months = 360,000 in 12 months. 
 

Flu - 30,000 to 80,000 deaths in the same 12 months. 
 

And somehow these are the same???

Lol seaman your best bet is to go buy a sail boat. Sorry bud. 

2 hours ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

 

I'm not joking at all. This virus is nowhere near what they said it would be. Again, hospitals here are empty. Empty. Prior to re-starting "elective" surgeries, medical personnel were laid off because they have absolutely nothing to do. The "soaring" numbers you are referring to in Florida is solely due to the testing in the agricultural communities located within Collier, Martin, and Palm Beach Counties. The percentage of severely ill people is extremely low. Anyone with an underlying condition should not be take cruises, traveling, or going out.  

I wish everyone who thought this in the US spent a week in NYC during the height of the virus. Your view would change instantly 

1 hour ago, seaman11 said:

thats true however this time they would not lose the cruise fare if they did so that could help and also if not feeling well 3 days out they can cancel and get fcc, also if seen sneezing and coughing would be pulled aside and denied boarding.  sure this is only a liability waiver, but if thats what it takes to go to a 200k person rally or get onboard then ppl will do it.  it is not full proof of anyone lying i agree. 

 

however if you are waiting for a 100 percent guarantee you will be staying home mike for a long while. 

For me, While I’m not out there ignoring every guidance the experts give, I’m also not really worried if I did catch the virus. 42 and in good shape. No medical conditions. 
 

What concerns me:

- 3 year old son who spent 31 days on a ventilator from 2 months old to 3 months old with pertussis (the whooping cough) 

- wife who has had asthma her entire life 

- mother who lives with us and is 74 years old who is a survivor of a stroke and lung cancer

- being quarantined at sea for a month without a real idea when we might get home. 
 

that’s the thing with this virus, and with people who are willing to “risk it”. It’s not yourself that is only taking the risk...it’s everyone you come in contact with. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I somehow caught covid and passed it on to my son, wife or mom. And I don’t know if I would have a job if I was stuck at sea for 30 days and not able to work. 
 

So waiting for a 100% guarantee. Or atleast a vaccine/better understanding of the disease is the path I’m going to take. 
 

but again, if the cruise lines start up, and there are people willing to get on them, god bless and good luck. And I’ll be watching to see how it plays out and if it is safe enough for us to go. 

Kinda like those medical waivers we used to have to sign saying we weren’t sick? Because there was ever a person ever who checked YES when they read checking YES would deny boarding. 
 

Voluntary questionnaires are useless. It’s just a liability waiver form for the cruise lines. Like a woman checks off she’s not pregnant, god forbid goes into labor on the cruise and something bad happens. Cruise line can say “she declared she wasn’t pregnant” and not be sued. 

1 minute ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@MrMike45 For those that can book last minute, I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. I fully expect  last minute dirt cheap cruising will be had once ships start sailing. 

agreed yes. But FCC is typically for people booked months in advance whose cruise was cancelled. Booking and paying in full...once cruises have sailed....definitely the smart move imo 

23 minutes ago, seaman11 said:

Id rather be stuck on the ship 30 days then home.  I was stuck on one during harvey. Casino , good food, free drinks. Sign me up. 

I’m pretty sure if Someone tests positive on a ship all that is closed and your confined to your cabin, in quarantine. Food delivered to your room. No casino. No bars. 1000 less channels on TV. Entire cabin the size of 1 room in your house. And if your one of the unlucky soles who booked an inside room...no outside light. 
 

I’ll pass 

I just hope all the people lobbying for cruises to begin again are prepared in the event they spend 30 days at sea in quarantine and don’t come back complaining afterwards. Not any specific poster here, just in general. 
 

cruise with 3000+ people in close quarters....very likely chance of someone testing positive. And what port, in the US or abroad, is going to let them dock after what has happened these last 4 months? 

2 hours ago, Carolina Girl 99 said:

I'm totally bummed regarding the October 2020 Meraviglia cancellations, I jumped the gun I'm afraid.

We had booked two 12+ days cruises for Oct 2020 knowing we would cancel one. After family discussions over Memorial Day weekend, it was decided we would keep our NCL booking and cancel MSC based solely on ports. I called my TA to cancel on May 25th. Then MSC announced the cancellations with the 100 + 25% FCC, so if we had just waited another week or so we could have taken advantage of the FCC or moved the deposit to another date (plan on re-booking Meraviglia for May 2021). Instead it looks like I won't get anything extra and I still have to wait the 60 days for my deposit to be refunded

I did the same thing but I’m looking at it from the other point of view. I’m so glad I requested a refund. 
 

What good is FCC at this point? It’s a future credit for booking a cruise that literally, NO ONE IN THE WORLD, knows when it might happen. Every time the cruise lines think they might be starting up...they push back the date. Every state that reopens and begins getting back to normalcy...sees a surge in cases. Every expert out there is predicting a huge second wave come fall/winter.  
 

So yes, I lost out on an extra 25%. But if you look at 2021 cruises on all lines, the prices are more expensive than the 2020 similar ones. Why, because raising the prices nullify that 25%. 
 

I’d much rather have my money in hand (assuming I get it in 60 days) and then book once I see a ship with 3000 people sailing regularly. 

While this is an NCL thread, this is first hand knowledge from my MSC booking. 
 

Few weeks back, right before Canada closed it ports... 2 days before I wanted to upgrade my room. On their website it showed rooms available in a higher category however when I called the customer service person, they said that it was showing all rooms on the ship as being sold out. She noted that it was odd since none of their cruises were sold out. But nonetheless, couldn’t upgrade. 
 

The next day, online when I tried to do a mock booking to see if the upgrade room was still available, when I clicked the part to choose room category I got a message saying this cruise was now sold out (same as you get when trying to book NCL today). 
 

Next day, MSC cancelled all Canadian cruise’s for fall 2020. 
 

So again, I know this is NCL topic. And I do not have any concrete proof of NCL canceling cruises thru August. But it is following the exact same model as my MSC booking. So I’m willing to bet tomorrow, or likely Monday, there will be an announcement that all cruises are canceled. 
 

And like others have said...the longer they wait to announce it, the more final payments need to be made...which gives NCL more interest free loans from customers. 90 day interest free loans if you choose a refund (even if you make final payment today). Or even better for them, open ended interest free loans if you take the 125% FCC for an unknown restart sail date, which will undoubtedly be at a higher cost thus nullifying your extra 25%. 
 

shady business practices all around by the cruise line industry these days. As someone mentioned, ANYONE giving a cruise line a penny these days until a ship actually sails is out of their mind and/or flush with cash that they don’t care if they don’t get that money back for a long time. 
 

Seaman you’re foolish if you think any cruise ship is sailing any time soon. Sorry to burst your bubble. 

@rkacruiser I book thru MSC casino and I spoke w my casino rep on the phone after the cancellation. When they were told of the announcement, they were also told that MSC has no plans of sailing from NYC in 2020 or 2021. I have a 30% casino voucher that he allowed me to move until dec 31 2021 Incase things change but more than likely that is wasted. 

I believe the sheer shady-ness of what has happened to us Tri-State people is being overlooked. Many of us cruise from NY because it is a short drive to the pier, so why fly to Florida and add expense. Some of us cruise from NY out of not wanting to fly (my wife is terrified of it and that’s not a way to enjoy a “vacation”)
 

We had all our 2020 cruises cancelled, albeit and understandably beyond MSC’s control, on Monday. We were offered FCC or refund in 60 days. So we called and many Transferred their deposits to the 2021 cruises leaving from NY. Personally, I cancelled a few days earlier as I knew Canada was closing its ports and requested a refund that will take 60 days. 
 

So on Monday/Tuesday they took our money for cruises in 2021 that literally, 2 days later, were cancelled as the ships were moved to Port Canaveral and Miami. You know damn well it doesn’t take 2 days to make such a decision and work out the logistics. So basically, MSC was taking our money knowing there was no way the cruise was taking place. 
 

So again, me personally, MSC essentially has a $400 60 day interest free loan from our deposit For our Oct 2020 cruise. On Monday, I booked a 2021 Divina cruise and put down Another $400 deposit. A cruise that when I booked it, was already never going to occur. So now they have a 2nd $400 interest free loan that I won’t be able to get back my money for 60 days, even though they accepted it under completely false pretense only 2 days prior. 
 

And the kicker....MSC has pretty much decided to stop cruising from NY altogether. So as a family that will not fly, and had 2 cruises booked in the next 2 years....we now have none booked with no ability to do so as they no longer sail from NY, and they have $800 of my money I need to wait 2 months to get back...IF they even refund it in the time frame they say. 
 

So while I hope everyone Enjoys Port Canaveral as a home port. Personally MSC lost a customer with some super shady (I want to use another S word) tactics. 

It seems like MSC has pulled out of NYC. Could be covid related and they don’t want to risk another outbreak. Could be financial reasons. All speculation. But I am sure your cruise is cancelled as well

Posted this is the other topic but just in case someone is only looking at this one 

Just got off the phone with my Casino rep, the one who booked this cruise for me 2 days ago. He swore to me that he had no idea this was occurring and if he did he wouldn’t have booked me on the cruise. He will extend our casino voucher/discount until December 2021. But according to him and the announcement they received....MSC is not intending to sail out of NYC at all in 2021. 

Just got off the phone with my Casino rep, the one who booked this cruise for me 2 days ago. He swore to me that he had no idea this was occurring and if he did he wouldn’t have booked me on the cruise. He will extend our casino voucher/discount until December 2021. But according to him and the announcement they received....MSC is not intending to sail out of NYC at all in 2021. 

This would actually be even more disappointing then just having some cruises we had booked/cancelled.  My wife will not fly...period.  We are platinum plus on NCL, but after our first MSC Cruise last year, we vowed to only cruise them going forward as it was that good.  If MSC does indeed intend to leave NY, that would put us back on NCL or maybe having to try out Royal or Carnival, neither of which seem as appealing.  This stinks 

4 minutes ago, Até said:

Perhaps Meraviglia is going to be doing the NYC runs in Fall 2021?

It's scheduled to be in Miami during Fall 2021, so unless they also cancel/move that I doubt it.  Wonder if MSC is just going to be done with NY?  Not worth the trouble 

11 minutes ago, Até said:

Sorry, yes.  Those were really nice itineraries, I'm afraid the alternatives are not going to be very good.  They were happy to take that second deposit.

 

Man that is so shady.  I get that the phone operators might not know what's going on...but our Casino host, who did all the transfer of names and our casino voucher...he is unaware as well? 

Wow, just wow.