TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail

@jfunk138

Not sure why you feel the need to take this tangent 5 steps further.  It is common sense that the transmission of any contagious viruses are lessened by distancing, hand washing and yes, those funny things we put on our face...not as a political symbol...but yeah, maybe as a sign of respect and hope that we can all cruise soon by following some basic guidelines.
 

My non-existent infectious disease experience  is as good as yours.  So my opinion means as much as yours.  If this makes no sense to you, please ignore me and I will do the same.  Thanks 

The 2020-21 influenza season has been a record low.  Did it have anything to do with masks?  Of course not.

Signed,

Flat-Earth Frank

@SNJCruisers

We have 3 full days with the late night flight Thursday down and late Sunday flight returning.  Would like to try one of the Universal parks on Friday since they are newer and as you mentioned more adult-oriented.  Please provide recommendations among the Universal parks if you’ve tried them all.  
 

We will likely try a 2nd park (likely Sea World) on Saturday & am encouraged by the inclusive dining option.

Sunday being a bit short (6pm flight out of Sanford airport) likely means we will shop that day.

Still trying to decide if renting a car is worth the hassle since our hotel is a 5-minute Uber to Universal, 10-minutes to Sea World but farther from Disney.  Hotel charges for parking and I remember back in the 90s how bad Orlando park traffic can be.

Thanks again for the advice. 

I guess I should thank the OP for making this thread as me & my wife only consider local weekend trips when not planning our annual cruise/vacation.  
 

I just booked a 3-day turnaround trip from the snowy Midwest to Orlando for next month.  Prepaid airfare & hotel...which while priced like a song was still more than the average daily rate we pay to fly/cruise.  
 

Still got to decide where in Orlando to venture so if anyone has strong opinions of the various Universal parks (neither or us have been), Sea World (both loved back in the ‘90s) and various Disney (both have been to Magic/Epcot-90s but really want to try Animal Kingdom.  Much appreciated!

@asalligo

Not to pick on you in any way.  My wife had an outbreak of Covid cases at the daycare she worked at about a week before Christmas.  Most of the workers were 20-30s in age & few of the 9 workers (out of 12 total who TESTED positive) showed any symptoms.  I had no symptoms myself but tested because of my wife’s work at the same time she did.

The moral of my story is not how deadly this is to young people, but how fast & unknown the virus does travel thru all populations.  Hope that helps with your vax decision.

1 hour ago, asalligo said:

The vaccine is the big question. Will it be required? I asked my doctor to tell me her personal opinion, should I get it, and she said no, that the risks of the vaccine currently outweighed the risks of the virus at my age with no other health problems and that no studies have been completed yet on infection after vaccine, so it might be a waste of time, and this was before all the new strain talk.

   

I’m guessing by your doctor’s quote that you are young.  I’m certainly not old (and have had covid) but am certainly going to get the vaccine before my Sep-21 cruise IF it is available and I get to go.  
 

Make sure you are not twisting your words or at least SAID to you doctor: “I am planning to go on a cruise, should I get the vaccine to protect myself OR OTHERS”?  She was very irresponsible if she based her recommendation exclusively on your health.

Anywhere I’m not in sight of my mother-in-law is a priceless vacation.  For now, that is my rescheduled Horizon cruise in September, 2021.  The wife & I selfishly snuck out this weekend when restaurants opened for indoor dining this weekend for the 1st time since October (I think).  

I would definitely try embarking again out of San Juan on the southern route.  So much more time needed than a 7-8 hour stop over.  Would be a few years down the line since we’ve never cruised to Alaska or Bermuda.

2 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

There's a reason why I specified the 4th..

I hope a lot of things improve at that point..

7 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

 

CCL has been obtaining loans at lower interest than 11% lately. Some of their debt has been pushed out to 2029.

That’s good.  I probably shouldn’t have quoted Joebucks without having complete info but most businesses don’t need to operate under those debt terms.  Long term loan repayment terms are definitely what cruise lines need right now.

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

How does it all look if there is a bankruptcy?

I think chapter 11 BK is inevitable for some

cruise lines as they become more & more cash-strapped.  Chapter 11s are usually only approved when the debtor company can provide a viable way out of it’s current situation (is that possible with this virus?).

The I think the recent high interest rate (11%?) loan rate CCL obtained recently indicates some concern investors have in profitability returning soon.  If further loans or stock offerings are initiated, they become more about repaying old loans than maintaining minimal infrastructure at even higher rates.

3 hours ago, stobe1 said:

I'm guessing Fantasy.

ISWYDT

Maybe Daydream. 

15 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

You do realize that once a crew member's contract is over, that they no longer receive any pay, so really, whether they were on the ship during their "time off", or at home, the financial responsibility to their family is the same.  

Maybe it’s just me but I consider the social responsibility aspect of either repatriating the crew or continue paying them greater than the legal aspect of contractual obligations.  Same with not taking into consideration feeding crew over what they would have to pay for food once repatriated.

We’re probably going too far off topic here so I’ll leave it alone.  Just my $0.02.

@geckoaz

A better measure of responsibility would be to compare how Carnival repatriated their crew compared to other cruise lines and if Carnival continued to pay crew while they remained on the ships. I haven’t researched either issue myself but did hear some comments about pay stopping which I consider cruel considering the crew’s financial responsibility to their family.
 

This virus has been a life-changing event for most of us.  Hopefully all governments and businesses learn how to adapt to minimize the future impact on individuals.

Transferred a cruise scheduled 87 days away to exact same cruise 424 days from now.  My TA really wanted me to make final payment under the premise that the cruise would be canceled anyway & a $600 OBC would come my way.  I’m too risk averse & still saves about $120 rebooking it & incurred no cxl fee.

20 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

I talked to my PVP today about our October 19th cruise. She told me that Carnival is allowing anyone booked in October, November and December to rebook their cruise within the next year for no penalty even if booked under early saver

If this can be commonly replicated it will need to either be stickied or reposted often.  I’m not canceling October yet & would have to do any changes through my TA but would consider this a huge benefit to those cruisers undecided about their 4th quarter cruises.  And it costs Carnival $0.
 

Thanks for sharing.

6 hours ago, pe4all said:

Our restaurants just went to 25% indoor occupancy

Illinois restaurants just went with 25% indoor capacity last Friday.  We decided to dine in at one of our favorites that had been closed since late March.  They definitely did things right with tables clearly marked as unusable for social distancing and wait staff always wearing masks.  We wore ours while moving about as a measure of respect.  Meal was great & uneventful.  Hopefully the State won’t re-spikes as closures would certainly reoccur.

I would likely cancel or move my October booking if there wasn’t a fee involved with the ES rate.  Doesn’t make sense at this point to make changes involving a fee when it will likely be canceled anyway.  I may look to defer final payment date (currently 7/28) but am not sure if that increases my cancellation penalty if I can’t go due to work restrictions.  A no win/break even situation as many are experiencing.

@richfret

Hang in there.  There will be cruising again one day.  One thing about cruising many people like is that it can be planned down to the last bite, balcony angle to a sunset and favorite cruise director.  All-inclusive resorts can be nearly as comfortable & planned and may be your best option until cruises resume.

@FiredogCruiser

I personally don’t see politics playing as much of a role in cruises resuming as some others.  However the ultimate deciding body is the CDC/Coast Guard first then state/local next.  The details being worked out are mostly between the CDC and the cruise lines themselves.  Those 2 groups must continue to work closely together even after cruising resumes to avoid future interruption.

23 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I’m glad your friend recovered. And I also have no intention of cruising in the near future. I do intend to live my life in a socially responsible manner and as simply sick and tired of the people who want to blame and guilt every person who choose to step outside with ‘what if you breathe the same air as an elderly person’. Yes, I could catch covid and spread it. If I catch it it will almost certainly be at work. I would still like to be able to live my life in the meantime.

A lot of wisdom in your words (in my opinion).  Living your life to the fullest extent is not mutually exclusive with being socially responsible.

13 hours ago, gtaylor said:

 

1966 USS Recruit (TDE-1)

Thank you for your service.  My brother served on the Coral Sea in the late ‘70s which I think was stationed in San Diego at the time.

1 hour ago, TooManyWakeUpsTilWeSail said:

I’m not telling anyone not to cruise & mine is still scheduled for October.  Just don’t assume that cruising while active cases are high can only affect you.  

Quoting myself here to be clear.  We all need to balance the risks presented by this virus vs rewards (helping economy, personal enjoyment, etc).  It is an individual decision once available.
 

Yesterday was the 1st day since March 23rd I was able to eat inside a restaurant in Illinois; I did.  Wore a mask entering & leaving (obviously not while sitting).  Tables were marked for available seating or excluded.  I enjoyed my meal as much as I would have last year.  

4 hours ago, sanger727 said:

If you find one case where that type of interaction lead to someone catching it, I’ll take that seriously.

Well my wife’s 52 year old friend (who lives in a Chicago suburb) has a compromised immune system.  From day 1 of the Illinois lockdown she always has ordered food delivery, worked permanently from home, lives alone and had no house guests.  She left the house twice in the following month during non-peak times & still got Covid-19.  She took every reasonable precaution.  She has recovered since then.
 

You can believe what you want to believe.  I’m not telling anyone not to cruise & mine is still scheduled for October.  Just don’t assume that cruising while active cases are high can only affect you.  

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

The CDC states that 8 out of 10 deaths are with people age 65 and older.  Also at higher risk are people with underlying conditions. Those are the people who should stay safe.  People shouldn't be shamed for accessing their own risk and choosing to live their life accordingly.  From everything that has gone on in past month, obviously people have accessed their risk and made choices.  If they catch the virus, that's the risk they took.

I think cruising will be generally as safe as it was before covid-19, but it might take a while.  It will always be with risks.

There are a lot of young, healthy people in Florida right now making choices whose results get passed on to older & less healthy people when they pass them later in a grocery store or on the sidewalk.  Do you really think there is a 0% chance your risk assessment only involves you & your freedom?

5 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Beginning to think more and more we have no idea. 

Jimbo, as soon as someone can explain the spike in Arizona to us.....say heat drives them indoors then look at Nevada which is not spiking.