estillcrew

3 hours ago, OhioScubaGirl said:

Grand Turk, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica each have an isolated incident of turning away 1 ship each.  (Grand Cayman 2 ships)

Carnival may be adjusting their Grand Cayman stops.  You may get advanced notice of this...or may find out on the ship. 

Only 2 Princess ships (Diamond and Grand) ended up in quarantine - no Carnival ships, and none in the Caribbean.  

A few ships have had delayed docking back at home port by several hours.  Carnival Panorama, Regal Princess, and Caribbean Princess have been delayed.  I think RC Anthem of the Seas was delayed as well. 

I know that sounds like a lot, but there are dozens of ships daily that are cruising without any incidents.  They don't make the news!  It would be an easier decision of every ship that cruised without incident is reported.  

You are so right! I think we will decide last minute and see what develops. My travel agent is leaving on a cruise this week and she said that she is not worried one bit. She said that she has many travel agent friends who are cruising now and have had zero issues.

5 hours ago, OhioScubaGirl said:

We decided to cancel our cruise on Carnival and of course are very disappointed about it.  It was the Grand Princess that put us over the edge.  We couldn't handle a 14 day quarantine on a ship or military base.  I'm so torn.  I really, really want to cruise.  Does anyone know if I can use the cruise credit that I have to rebook the same cruise - March 28?   I know that sounds borderline ridiculous, but all the future options are a lot more money for us and far into the future.  We aren't going to decide for another week or so.  We need to see the news slow down with cruise ships.  

When I talked to Carnival yesterday, the lady said that I did not have to rebook on the same ship or the same itinerary.

7 hours ago, ireashmott said:

There are a few deciding factors - 1) your age and medical history; 2) the cost that you would incur if you accepted Carnival’s postponement offer; 3) the cost that you would incur if you didn't cancel and the worst happened; and 4) your tolerance for port changes, port cancellations, and a quarantine. 

 

You will know the answer to the first and your doctor could advise. 

 

You should figure out what the cost would be. Maybe Carnival has you covered for the cruise, but you have flights, pre-cruise hotel, private excursions, etc. to tally up for the total cost of postponing. 

 

You should figure out what it would cost you if you went and you were delayed or quarantined. You might need an extra hotel because the embarkation is delayed, you might need to change your flight home because the disembarkation is delayed, and/or you might miss 14 days of work because of quarantine. 

 

As for some facts, here are some of the occurrences: 

• multiple cruise ships from various lines have been denied from calling at ports including Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Grand Turk, Tortola, and St. Lucia, this resulted in many lines rescheduling to avoid some of these ports
• Carnival Panorama: On 7 March 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) halted passengers disembarking from the cruise ship Carnival Panorama docked at Long Beach Cruise Terminal in California when a female passenger was reported to be sick.^[The sick passenger was transported to a hospital to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 and all passengers were held on board the ship pending test results. The test came back negative for coronavirus late that evening, so disembarkation was scheduled to resume the next morning. Carnival Panorama was returning from a trip to Mexico with scheduled stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, which were also scheduled stops for Grand Princess during the previous month.
• Grand Princess: On 7 March, Princess Cruises confirmed that Grand Princess was still at sea roughly 50 miles (80 km) from San Francisco, and that it was scheduled to dock in Oakland on 9 March 2020, with US passengers being transferred to facilities on land and crew being quarantined and treated on board
• Royal Princess: A crew member on Grand Princess had transferred to Royal Princess fifteen days before, the CDC issued a "no-sail order" on 8 March 2020, prompting Princess Cruises to cancel the ship's seven-day cruise to Mexico before it departed Los Angeles.
• Costa Luminosa: On 8 March, an Italian woman was quarantined in Puerto Rico while being tested for the virus. She had arrived in Puerto Rico via a cruise ship that had departed from Fort Lauderdale.

See: https://www.cruisehive.com/three-carnival-cruise-ships-avoid-calls-to-grand-turk-temporarily/38238

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_outbreak_on_cruise_ships#Grand_Princess

 

Thank you so much. This was very helpful!

7 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

I’m currently on the Horizon. Grand Turk was supposed to be our first stop, but they cancelled and changed it to Nassau. GT strengthened their restrictions as to who they’ll let debark, which is why the Magic got denied Friday, so Carnival decided not to even bother trying. The Captain made the announcement during muster. Judging by all the moans & groans, Nassau was a bad replacement port, but hey, we’re still on a cruise.

 

I've talked about some of the safety measures they’ve put in place on my live thread, if you’d like to have a look. Too much to repeat here. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2739821-comin’-at-you-live-from-horizon-37-315/

Thank you for the info! I appreciate it.

My husband and I are trying to decide whether or not we need to cancel our cruise that departs on March 22nd, and would like the facts about how much the cruise industry is being affected by the Coronavirus. We are not worried at all about getting sick, but we are concerned about missing our ports of call or being quarantined for 14 days. It seems as though the media is exaggerating the situation. So, does anyone have hard facts to help me make an educated decision about cruising next week? How many ships have been quarantined? How many ports have not allowed cruises to dock? Are their any ports that have temporarily closed to cruises out of America? If our itinerary is changed, when will we be notified? For those who are cruising now or who cruised last week, was your trip impacted? If so,  how? Thank you so much for any help you can provide. I really don’t want to cancel our trip!

Will you keep us updated in regards to Covit 19 affecting your port stops or cruise in general? I’m not scared of the virus, but am scared about how all this media hype might affect my cruise that departs in 12 days! Hope you have a wonderful cruise and that nothing interferes with your itinerary!

We have taken the exact cruise, and it was hand's down, the best cruise we have ever been on. It is so port intensive, so you are smart to relax on the beaches most of the time.

San Juan - I would do the forts. You can easily walk there. You can get some fabulous pictures while walking around the fort. If you want, bring a kite, and fly it with dozens of other people.

St. Thomas: I would do Megan's Bay or Sapphire Beach. Neither one are that great, but you get more beach time there than if you go to St. John's. Most of your St. John's time would be spent traveling back and forth.

St. Kitts: We did the zip line. It was the highest, longest zip line ever ( a total of 5 different ones as you make your way down the mountain) I was terrified. It is 500 feet above sea level.

St. Lucia: BEST EXCURSION EVER: We did the segway excursion. We rode through the mountains and along the coast. We also went snorkeling and hiking (or if you prefer, you can chill out on the beach instead), and tasted local food and drinks, etc. It was a jam packed excursion, and we enjoyed every second of it.

St. Maartan: We went to Orient Beach. Not sure if it's open after the hurricane. There is a clothing optional part if you want to partake

Barbados: We took a catamaran sail and snorkel trip and fed the giant sea turtles. It was really cool and laid back.

Hope this helps!

Do suite guests also get priority tender times for tender ports?

Thanks,

Well, now I am curious! What are the "new" desserts that you are all talking about? Please tell me they didn't take away the chocolate melting cake!

I have stayed on the spa deck on the Magic, and it was fantastic. The decor in the room is a little nicer and you will have spa bath products instead of the usual soap and shampoo in the dispenser. You will have free access for two to the spa amenities like the sauna, mineral pool and heated loungers (which are heavenly right before bed). You have to have your sign and sail card to get into these particular rooms. You will also have robes and slippers in your closet and yellow Carnival beach towels.

However, we did feel movement on the spa deck. Because it was so close to the front of the ship, we could feel the front of the ship going up and down in the water for the first couple of nights. Despite the movement, I would choose the spa room every single time over a room above the lounge. We stayed below the lido deck once and will never do it again. We were awoken every morning to the sound of chairs being dragged around. It was terrible.

Also, if you have never had a balcony, do it. Having a balcony makes all the difference on a cruise! It is so peaceful and relaxing.

The only port we have missed was Costa Maya in March. It was a beautiful day, but the captain just couldn't get us close enough to the docks because of the winds. We were all refunded our port fees and the bar waiters passed out free drinks on the lido deck to everyone as an apology. It wasn't too bad!

We have purchased two cabins since our girls were 14. When they were 14 and 15, we purchased two balcony cabins and opened the divider between the two balconies. It was like having a two bedroom/2 bathroom suite! It was fantastic! When they were 16, we purchased an interior a few doors down from us. I was a bit nervous with them a few doors down, but they are good girls and wouldn't get themselves in bad situations. This time, we have an ocean suite so we are all together. 

I prefer the anytime dining. The early dining is sometimes difficult to make on port days that end at 5:00. If you are doing an excursion and get back to the ship at 4:00, it is difficult to get everyone through the lines to get back on the ship, get to your room, get showered, dressed, and down for dinner by 6:00. I really like to come in from an excursion and have a drink or two on the balcony and then get ready. And sometimes, you are just pooped after an all day excursion and need a little nap. If you go down to dinner and you have to wait (any time dining), it is never very long and you can always have a drink while you wait. We have only waited a few times. Usually, we are seated right away unless it is a sea day. And, we found out on our last cruise that you can request the same wait staff team each night with anytime dining. We love anytime dining and would never go back to early seating.

We are cruising out of Tampa in March and plan to come down one day early. Is there a hotel that offers a stay, park, and cruise option? If not, are there any other hotels you would recommend - especially ones that come with a free breakfast?

Thanks so much!

Hi, everyone! I am wondering if any of you have suggestions for excursions while we are docked at Grand Cayman. We have already been to Stingray City, and while it was fabulous, we are looking to do something different this time. Do any of you have recommendations for an excursion that doesn't involve the stingrays? Any great beaches or other fun things to do in the area? We will have two 18 year olds with us. Thank you!

Thank you so much! Here is the article for those who are interested:

Instant rebuilding is "not realistic" on Grand Turk but efforts are already underway to get the tourism business back in action as soon as possible.

That's according to Jack of the much loved Jack's Shack, who told Cruise Radio that the speedy return of tourists was vital to support the local economy.

“As tourism is our only industry to speak of and everyone is out of work for practically two months, the devastation has to be solved with savings. For those who lost their whole home, the situation is bleaker.

“We are all hoping the cruise ships will return soon so we can start making salaries again and having fun with our cruising friends!”

He added that while the impact of Irma and Maria has not been on the same scale as Hurricane Ike in 2008, there was still a lot of work to be done.

“Jack’s Shack has only minor damage. It should take a week of clean-up, re installation of sun shades and tiki hut roofing, which we took down to avoid losing. The kitchen was not damaged, it just as 12 inches of sand in it!”

You can read the full interview here.

Okay, thanks for the update. Our local news reported that Maria missed Turks and Caicos, so I was curious if anyone had been there yet. I had no idea that Maria caused damage too. Bless those people's hearts.

I know that John Heald said that the port was open and that Jack said that Jack's Shack did not receive much damage, but has anyone docked there yet to see the damage first hand? If so, how does it look? Are there still trees lining the beach? Is Margaritaville still standing? Are all the vendors still operating on the beach? Are the duty free shops damaged?

This is one of my favorite ports, and it has been on my mind a lot lately. I am hoping for someone to post some images of the current state of Grand Turk port or comment about what they have observed. My heart goes out to all of the people on the island, and I hope that everyone is back in business to get the much needed tourism dollars!

Thank you! Can't wait to sail her!

This is so true! Another reason to purchase the plan. Thank you!!

This.... plus... they fill your cup with 75% ice. I remember on the Fascination, they used cans (never have I seen this) for the diet coke, mr. pibb, and even regular coke. Depending on which bar you went to, you would either get a full can, or you would get a little under a full can. I felt like I was constantly going up there to refill my cup.

You are totally right about them getting watered down quickly while on deck. Thanks! Another reason to purchase the package.

Whenever it seems like it's close to breaking even, I also then realize I'll get more sodas to make it worth it. For example, if I'm sitting out on the deck, and my soda gets watered down, I have no problem getting another one. And I don't feel bad ordered 2 at dinner. My teenager likes the pineapple juice, and he'll drink like 2-3 at every dinner! LOL! I think you'll make it worth it at the end of the day.

You always come through with the information I need! I was thinking that the cost was a little over $2 per soda, but I wasn't certain since we always purchase the bottomless bubbles. I will get it again for the girls! Thanks!!

I happened to save a screenshot from last month on Conquest. I also had BB. Hope this answers your question.

 

We had connecting balconies on the spa deck of the Magic last year. It was so wonderful! Our balcony was huge since we were able to open up the divider, and it was very easy to go from our room into our daughters' room. We felt like we had much more privacy than with connecting rooms. I don't think it would be as nice on the cove balconies because the view would be partially blocked since the balconies could not be completely open to the water.

We have always purchased bottomless bubbles for our children, but now that they are teenagers, they seem to drink more water than soda. I am trying to determine if the package is worth it for a 16 year old, but I cannot remember the price per soda on board the ship. The package price for a 17 year old and younger is $4.95 per day, so how many sodas per day does that equal?

Thanks so much!

Thank you for your honest review! I will be sailing her in 199 days!