PattiHere

On 8/3/2020 at 4:48 PM, lovescats5 said:

• What would you expect.  You make people stay home, thus increasing domestic abuse, and all the other things that drive people nuts.  Then you open a little of stores or cruise lines or whatever and now everyone is upset because there is an increase.  I am one of those people everyone dislikes.  I do not believe in masks, I think we need to let life get back to whatever normal will be.  If you do not want to take a chance on sailing, stay home.  I am in the high risk group because of age but am so tired of hearing and listening to people complain about not wanting to live until a vaccine is developed.  I had a niece die from the flu, and she got a flu vaccine.  There is no vaccine that will keep everyone safe.  Check the numbers on the swine flu and the regular flu.  Less than 1% of people have died from Covid.  Do I want people to die, no, but I am tired of having someone tell me how to live my life and what I should do.  Go ahead, give me your negative comments, tell me I am wrong in what I believe.  Won't change my mind like I won't change your mind.  I want to cruise, if you are afraid of cruising stay home in your house and let life pass you by.  My opinion only, which I am entitled to.

I agree with you. People can protest and gather in large groups, but yet I am told I cannot go on a cruise ship.  What buffet restaurant on land makes everyone wash their hands before going to the buffet.  What hotels do you see people in the public areas constantly cleaning.  I have been on over 30 cruises, never gotten sick.  I faithfully wash my hands.  I agree with your opinion, we are not telling people to go on a cruise, they do not have to go, but I am told I cannot go on a cruise because I may make them sick.  Please tell that to all the people I see out and about going on with their lives, should we all just lockdown, that isn't healthy, either emotionally or physically.   I am 73 and cruising is my enjoyment in my remaining years, I hope I can cruise again soon.   We need to go on living not waiting and worrying about dying, no one is leaving this world alive.   

On 7/15/2020 at 5:00 PM, boatseller said:

The economic and social devastation is worse than the virus.  Overdoses, suicides, mental health delayed treatments, all up huge.

 

"wore masks for 6 weeks, we would have this pandemic tamed" - Blackwater.  Two months of lockdown didn't stop it.

 

Florida would be #23 on the list of per capita loss rate, well behind much of Europe and...wait for it...Canada.  So, yeah, despite being a 'hot spot' we're still better off.  The plan here in Florida is to protect the vulnerable and get through this.  You can thank us later when the ships are sailing.

 

And two days ago it was reported that two Covid testing labs in the Orlando area were recording very high positives, This is a quote from an Orlando news source:

For at least the past 11 days, the Florida Department of Health coronavirus report shows hundreds of laboratories are reporting 98 to 100% of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive and according to the DOH those statistics are because some private labs aren’t reporting their negative results at all.  Some of the private laboratories are not reporting any negative tests but hundreds of positive COVID-19 tests.  When asked about the 98 to 100% positivity rates on the report, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health said the reason was due to some “smaller, private labs” not reporting negative test results to the state.

A spokesperson with Advent Health said they were told by FDOH to only report positive cases. The hospital said it would make any changes to their reporting if requested by the state.

Guess those high numbers for Florida are not accurate.

On 7/14/2020 at 1:30 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

It is now becoming not just cruising but A LOT OF FUN will be cancelled.

Mayor of Philadelphia just announced no concerts, parades, sports, anything with more than 50 people until MARCH 1ST 2021.

 

So get addicted to staying at home and doing small fun things. I am wondering what articles Cruise Travel magazine can now publish. I am wondering about all the lost jobs in the cruise industry including the officers too.

But one addiction we all should stop is watching too much news. Such a mess.

 

I think I will try to get addicted to looking at all my photos of past vacations of which I have many including doing B2B Norway and Baltics in 2018 on Serenade and last year on Celebrity Silhouette to Canaries. Was lucky I got these two on my bucket list. Will have to wait for New Zealand and Iceland.

 

Hoping for the best for 2021.

Peace out everyone.

it is also difficult to vacation in our country, so many restrictions, will we ever see the end and begin to look forward to vacations and being with our friends and loved ones.  

On 7/14/2020 at 1:30 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

 

20 hours ago, Arzeena said:

I hope you DO get to cruise when you want to and to enjoy your golden years.

People have no right to get angry at what you wish to do. Don't let them change your thoughts or bring you down. This pandemic and isolation has brought out the worst in many people.......probably because they do not know how to cope with the information overload, and their fear and anxiety is getting the better of them. I wish you all the best and hope you get to cruise and enjoy your golden years. You get into that mindset now.

Thank you!  🙂

17 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

 

Welcome to the club, we are also in our mid 70s and the only thing that's keeping me sane is that we live on and belong to a golf club and I've been able to play my usual 3-4 times a week. 

Dispite that, the wife and me are still down in he dumps what with the virus, no cruising and watching the country in a state of division I haven't seen since 1968.

I thought I was the only one feeling overwhelmed by all that is happening.   At our age we do not have many days ahead of us, and three months of our lives have passed us by, how many more before we can begin to enjoy our "golden" years.   Will all of this ever end?  When I get on cruise critic, it is no longer fun, it use to be a place to come for advice, now people get angry if you ask or talk about wanting to cruise again.   I hope to cruise in December, need the cruise to look forward to, and I want us to go back to normal, not "new normal".    

13 hours ago, atanac said:

This was reported today:

 

MIAMI – There has been a record rise in the number of positive coronavirus cases in Florida.

 

I'm guessing cruises in or out of any port in Florida for 2020 are zero to none.

There are more cases because of the of the testing.  More important to watch the hospitalizations, if they go up.

On 5/10/2020 at 12:51 PM, ecslady said:

 

I'll be in the same situation as I moved a cruise to a June 2021 Empress sailing.  If that is the case, I'm sure it will be handled in a similar manner as other cancelled sailings have been in the past.

 

However, while many feel the Empress may be one of the first to go, I hope not.  This ship has a smaller passenger capacity which might make it more attractive to ports that may try to limit tourist capacity going forward.  The ship can also get into the smaller ports in Bermuda, and depending on what happens with the election in November, perhaps cruises to Cuba will be back and Empress will resume those itineraries. It may also be easier to Royal to clean and sanitize, since it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the mega ships. At this point, I'd prefer to be on a smaller ship, rather than one with 5000 guests.

 

Guess we will all have to wait and see what happens in the coming months.

 

 

Totally agree.  I have been on the Empress, and love the "old" lady.   This is how cruising use to be, a great ship and would be perfect to sail on while we are dealing with this virus.    I am booked to sail on her in February 2021 and cannot wait to get on her again.

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Based on the fact they announced their plan on starting to transfer crew to various ships in the coming week and it will take the month of may to get them home.  I suspect they will announce next round of cancellations in coming week or so.

I am thinking the same, with sending crew home, they will not be sailing in June.  🙁   Sure hope that by the fall we will be cruising again.    I do want to get back on a ship, we cannot isolate forever!   I am going to die one day, I don't know when, how or where, but I want to go on living until that time.   I could be in a traffic accident, hit by lightning, heart attack, etc.  No one is getting out of here alive, until then I want to live, and cruising is something I love to do!     My friend is a cashier in a grocery store, dealing with this virus everyday, yet no one in her store has gotten the virus.   As soon as the ships start to sail, she is ready to be on one.  Wash your hands, don't touch your face, use hand santizier, but go on living.   

On 4/22/2020 at 1:38 PM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Try. Doctors note, temperature checks before boarding, as for washing your hands and using sanitizers. That should be something no one should have to tell you to do. Sanitizing instead of just cleaning all the railings, your bathrooms etc. remember more people die from the common flu than this virus so far this year. A lot more.

Stats as of April 6, 2020 USA

39-55 million came down with the flu

Only 170 million got the vaccine or about half of the US population.

400,000 Hospitalized

63,000 Deaths

162 were children.

So knowing this. How many taking a Cruise before this virus were concerned about catching the deadly flu. I bet a real small percentage. We always wipe down anything we will touch every day in our cabin with a disinfectant towelette.

Before eating and after we have always washed our hands, that we learned when we were children.

When we walk around the ship we always use the hand sanitizers. No one needs to tell us to do so.

So taking a cruise right now we have have no qualms at all about doing so.

I will be doing the same!!!

18 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

I am a physician, when I see a patient over the age of 60 I can usually count on him to have some degree of either diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or hyperlipidemia.  Is Princess or some other cruise line would not permit these individuals, who usually have the money to pay for more exotic cruises, they would not to stay (forgive the pun) afloat. 

Encouraging young families would not be a better solution.  Children are usually prone to carry respiratory and G.I. Infections, which, being young, they usually remain asymptomatic, but could certainly give it to other cruisers. 

I am 73 with no health issues, no medication.   Walk 3 miles five days a week, eat a healthy diet, never smoked, blood work and heart excellent, no high blood pressure or cholesterol issues.  My grandmother lived to be 106, only took aspirin, no other medicine,  so I guess it may be good genetics and healthy lifestyle.   If I walked into your office you would be disappointed, I have none of the above which you listed.   I have been cruising for 20 years, I want to get back to it.   I will not live my life in fear or the what-ifs, I could die tomorrow in a car accident.  Now if there is a letter like the one RCCL requires my doctor will not sign it, due to the wording, not because of my health, she says she hopes she is as healthy as I am when she is 70, and she is probably in her fifties and overweight.    By the way I was doing washy-washy long before it was recommended, always wash my hands.  I am probably OCD about that.    My mother use to joke it was a wonder I still had hands.  

13 minutes ago, lovelife said:

 

Here's a third.  But then I don't get any e-mails from RCCL.

Neither do I!🙁

2 hours ago, avj43 said:

This goes for us too..  We normally cruise twice a year.  We still have a cruise for December and one for April next year.  We had to cancel the one for May this year.

I have a cruise booked for September, booked a year ago before all of this began.  Also have a cruise in December.  Sure hope when this is all behind us that we will not need a letter.  I want to continue cruising, having been doing it for thirty years now, and at this age I no longer can do the physically demanding type of vacations, cruising is now perfect for me, I can be as active or relaxed as I want to be, and if my family or friends cruise with me, they can be as physically active or relaxed as they would like to be.   Great vacation to share with young and not so young!  With over thirty cruises, many cruise lines, I have never, ever been sick during or after a cruise, but I always have taken care to wash my hands frequently, that was before "wishy-washy".  

Thank you everyone for your replies.   I want to continue cruising, just wasn't sure if I was the only one wanting to still book cruises, and since I am over 70 the letter had me concerned.

I want to go on living until I die, I am not going to sit around and worry about what may happen, life is too short.  Just hope this letter is no longer an issue, only thing that would prevent me from getting on a ship if my doctor decided not to sign it since she does not agree with the wording.   

So looking forward to being back on a ship, my happy place.  Life is always changing, I have been here for over 70 years, and life is very different from the way it was in the fifties, nothing stays the same, we just change with it.   Cruising is different than my first cruise, but I still love being on the open sea.   

18 minutes ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

We have six booked right now (plus one late in 2021).  Every time one is canceled by the cruise line, I book another one.  My theory is that sooner or later the ship will sail and either my 71-year-old SO can get a letter signed or the requirement will be dropped.  None of the cruises were expensive (two were free from Casino Royale), so I won’t have a lot of money tied up in FCCs or awaiting refunds.  I chose the first one based on the week that falls after two possible thirty-day extensions and the itinerary (I believe Coco Cay has a higher chance of being open).  The second one, a month later, is on Carnival, because my PVP stated in writing that the letter requirement was not in effect and it is close to home and easy.  Another one because it was $428 total for two people plus $100 OBC (3 nights on the Mariner to Coco Cay), so why not?  Sooner or later, we will get to take one of the cruises, meanwhile I am kept busy planning and even though I know that the first ones will probably not go, it gives me some hope and pleasure during a time when that is really hard to find.

Thank you, what I needed to hear.  I want to have something to look forward to.  We need hope, and you are so right, it isn't easy to find it now.   I want to begin looking towards the future, not just live in the present.  Still concerned about the letter, and wondered if other folks my age were booking cruises.   Until I hear otherwise, I will keep my dream of cruising again soon, it gets me through the days of just hearing bad news.

I am over 70, and booked a cruise for December 2020 after my May 2020 was canceled.   Just wondering if any other over 70 year old people are still booking a cruise, because of the letter which may or may not be necessary.   I just need something to look forward to and want to believe I will be on a ship.   I am healthy, no medications or health problems, walk 3 miles six days a week.  My long time doctor isn't sure if she wants to sign the letter, but says I have no reason not to cruise.   

5 hours ago, mek said:

The answer for me is - I just don't know.  As long as any cruise line requires the doctor's release, my husband will not be allowed to board a ship unless they stop requiring it or change the language.  Too bad, I love cruising, but this could mean the end of it for us.

That would be the only thing holding me back from cruising.  My doctor looked at the letter and said she would not sign it.  Hopefully this letter will not be required when we begin cruising again.   

3 minutes ago, TYinPalmSprings said:

I am so disappointed about this as well, especially as we have an upcoming Med cruise with them in early May.  I am 71, healthy and my wife almost 70. Still working on my doctor who threw up on the letter for liability reasons for both him and because of his insurer. Not sure if our May 2 departure will even sail, it probably won't, but this letter thing going forward is dumb and unwise.  Aside from the bad will they are creating with both new and seasoned cruisers, this wrong turn will ultimately sink them financially if they don't pull themselves together and suspend it. Asking us to "hope" doesn't cut it. Many of us 70+ folks could be out several thousand dollars per person as a result of this. How do they think they will ever fill a TA or extended cruise? Summers and school breaks will not keep them afloat. They have been my favorite line for years. We have done 29 cruises, a lot of them with RCCL, which is nothing like your volume, but enough to feel we help them grow over the decades. Sure we are over 70 and the average life expectancy according to the CDC as of 2019 was 78.8 years so the numbers are a bit skewed. Lots of feedback coming back to them and for an illness that even the CDC does not know anything about (never mind our doctors). Let's assume the worse and hope for the best.

 

I agree with you.  My doctor will not sign the letter.   I have been loyal to royal, love cruising and now that I am retired cruising is what I look forward to.  I am 73, no health issues except arthritis, and not on any medication.  I walk 3 miles five days a week.  My doctor just does not like the letter, and can't understand why it is necessary.  She feels the temperature taking should be enough, covers everyone who may be sick.   Some seniors are not as lucky as I, have health issues, but can still cruise, it is what they look forward to.   My mother cruised until she was 86, she had congestive heart problems, but never got sick on a cruise, and I have the greatest memories of the cruises she took with me.  She died happy because she could do what she loved.  A perfect vacation for those of us who are up in years.   I sure hope this isn't going to become the norm, many seniors will no longer be able to cruise.   I looked forward to this time in my life, now it seems as though everyone is against seniors, saying they are draining the economy with their health problems, walk to slow with their walkers, etc.   When I was young, we respected and cared for our senior population.   I will try to be optimistic and hope for the best as you suggested.   I am ready to cruise again except the letter is keeping me from going.  Doctors are busy with sick people and don't have the time for these letters.

5 minutes ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

My DH will be 71 by the time we cruise next in April '21,  He is in perfect health at this time.  Hopefully, he still will be.  But if doctor's are refusing to sign the letter at that time I am not sure what we will do.  Airfare will be available soon.  I don't plan to book anything until the virus threat is a memory only, but that will put a lot of people in a bind.  What if you are all set to go and a week before departure you can't find a doctor to sign this form?  Hopefully, Royal will rethink this once the hysteria dies down.

Same here.  I am healthy, but doctor will not sign.  I am not even on any medications.🤔

20 hours ago, JeffT237 said:

I feel like the 30 day suspension will get extended.  The way things are moving in the country with all of the closures and quarantines it seems almost inevitable that this will happen.  Just look at the things that are happening here in California which  are unprecedented.  Bars and restaurant closures, schools closed, 65 year olds being asked to self quarantine, and Disneyland as well as our other amusement parks are closed.  

 

I too try and avoid getting political, and if this is overkill well that is another discussion, just giving my opinion on the original posters question.  Whatever your opinion is on how this has been handled so far can wait, those things can be debated and will be for long after this crisis has passed.  What we need now more than ever is for our leaders to drop the politics and work together and for our citizens regardless of age or party affiliation to work together for the common good, if that's even possible.  I think it is. 

Agree with all of the above!!!   However, I have a friend who is 88 years young, and she said she has lived though wars, diseases, epidemics, and has survived all of them.  She says she can not recall it ever being like this, it is as though the world has gone crazy.   It makes her sad to see what is happening.

I guess it is nice to know I am not alone with this issue. I tried the "I am booked", but unfortunately it didn't work for me. I am highest level with MSC thanks to their status match, but have also cruised with them twice before, do not remember having issues with the website previously. I feel like the person I spoke to just did not want to offer any help. I would like to be able to view my reservation online.

Thank you for all your replies and suggestions!

I am unable to get to my booking on MSC. I type in my email and password, and I keep getting a pop up that says "I am not logged in". I called MSC, told them I was having an issue. I told them I had Safari, they tell me MSC is not compatible with that system.

I had no issues last week, now I can't get into my booking at all. The woman told me I would now have to do everything through the phone.

Has anyone else had a problem getting onto the website. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

My cruise is December 1st, 2018 on Seaside

If you have a cruise booked, be sure to call and have your new status linked to your reservation. I did this yesterday, and the price dropped just over $204 and they took it off of my balance. Worth the call.

Thank you for your post. The email also suggested I call. I will do so today. :)

Twice now I have sent a copy of an email I received from RCCL showing my name, Crown and Anchor number and Diamond tier to MSC for a status match for my upcoming cruise. It still does not show that they have confirmed my status. When I call no one seems to be able to tell me why I am not receiving a status match. Is there something I can do to take care of the situation before my upcoming cruise with MSC. I booked it because of the status match. Has anyone else had a problem?

 

Thank you.

Received the email telling me I am now Black on MSC! It took awhile but finally I can look forward to the cruise. Thank you everyone for all you’re replies!

Email them at MSCVoyagersClub@msccruisesusa.com. I was having the same problem and once I emailed them it took a day to get a number.

Thank you to everyone for their help regarding trying to get our status match. I have written to the above email address, but will also try and call later today. It has been almost four weeks since I sent the first email from RCCL to MSC.

Twice now I have sent a copy of an email I received from RCCL showing my name, Crown and Anchor number and Diamond tier to MSC for a status match for my upcoming cruise. It still does not show that they have confirmed my status. When I call no one seems to be able to tell me why I am not receiving a status match. Is there something I can do to take care of the situation before my upcoming cruise with MSC. I booked it because of the status match. Has anyone else had a problem?

Thank you.