floridatravelersforlife

We did three itineraries in 6088 or equivalent on the Sirena, Insignia and Nautica.  Great cabin, but beware if you have heavy weather it does get to be a bit wavy.  Not as bad as the Vista cabins up front ,which have lots of bow slamming against the waves.   Sound wise very quiet.    Only mention heavy weather because we did a Sirena voyage to the Southern Caribe last January and we had awful luck with weather.  Only calm days were the last two and there were many delays and missed ports.  Glad we had the OS.

I will get vaccinated when it's convenient and sane.  All my cruise plans are 2022 anyway.

I will not wait in a line at CVS or Walgreens for hours.  I'm too old to do the wait outside the store routine.  

The fact that both drugstores are trying to hire 10,000 medical personnel, nation wide, to supplement their pharmacists sticking needles is telling.   It will be chaotic.  In the mean time, I'll just practice good hygiene, wear a mask and let the masses  fret and worry.  

Except for Iceland, not much for us.  Although we would love to do the Dubai run, with the new administration in Washington, I am shy to pass the Straits of Hormuz.  I'll wait for the next release.

59 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Of course another option is that the big boys, like NCL, says “ If you don’t want our larger ships, we won’t send our smaller ships either!”. There goes Oceania, Regent, Azamara, etc. See your $10 and raise you 50!

 

The locals can then relish their peace and quiet and pay a lot more taxes to make make up for the lost revenues. Must be nice to be rich!

We only travel on small ships so no effect on me, but I resent the populace giving the heev ho to the tourists that spend lots of dollars.  Since I live in FL I'll spend  my dollars in Key Largo, and give the finger salute to Key West.    

I think the jury is still out on what develops.  With  New York mandating covid tests, if you return from non northeast states and two week quarantines upon returning back to the state, who knows what pax from the northeast will decide to do.  If that totalitarian   approach spreads to other states, there won't be any takers to go cruising.  Living in Florida, I have more options.  Never the less, we have taken up other interests to make up for the lack of cruising.  We refuse to just sit at home for the rest of our retirement.

11 hours ago, Mura said:

I'm chiming in (without -- I admit -- having read every post diligently) even though we have no plans of traveling any time soon.

DH had already said a year or two ago that he didn't want to travel in the future because of his serious vision problems -- it was no longer fun or interesting.   But I was willing to cruise alone.  And then came Covid-19.

 

Personally, I'm not interesting in cruising if I always have to have a mask on when in public areas.  I understand why the ship could want me to do so ... but that's not longer "fun".  For months now we've been hiding out in our apartment and putting on a mask when we venture out ...but I don't want to travel that way.

 

Likewise, if I were to take a cruise I would not be interested in ONLY being able to take a ship's tour.  It's not that I am totally opposed to them.  We've had excellent ship's tours and lousy ship's tours, but not all of our private tours were perfect either.  However ... I do like the option of taking a ship's tour, a private tour OR going out on our own.  Being limited to only ship's tours would be a big drawback.  Plus, O's ship's tours were always much pricier than what we could do on our own ... and I doubt that's going to change.  Unless it changes to being even IMORE expensive.

 

This may all be a moot point.  Even I won't book a cruise - or land travel - until life is "more normal".  And while I will be willing to take a vaccine, I won't be first in line.

 

I DO miss our foreign travel.  We have done a lot of it in our time and I hate to think that we've already taken our last vacation out of the country.  I should add that we have also done a lot of US travel as well ... I have even taken our Danish friends on several US National Park trips ...

 

Mura

 

The way things stand, you might as well take the Staten Island Ferry and bring a take out lunch from a three star Michelin restaurant and do a few round trips.  I see the same experience.  The videos I have seen from the restarted Euro cruise lines look sterile and empty.  I see this down here at Disneyworld.  Customers go through the motions but it isn't the same.

RE the OP's question, my DW and I would like to do the French Polynesia trip again, but under the circumstances, we would rather island hop staying at some of those great hotels in Tahiti, Morea, Bora Bora, etc and do our own tours.  We too will come back someday.

Saw this on another board.  Ship is the MSC Grandiosa.  Time is mid September.   

Very Quite

This issue is my main concern for the foreseable future.  Yes testing will mitigate onboard breakouts, but if any ports have a break out, there will be a shut down and in the worst case, the cruise will be long long transatlantic cruise.  

We'll take a cruise next year, but it will be out of our .home state (Florida).  

On 9/27/2020 at 5:30 AM, GICNJC said:

Perhaps I missed it reading the broad new health rules from the major lines.  They all talk about testing, but what will the protocol be once we get vaccinated? 

I would imagine the cruise companies will require all persons getting on board to get pre board tested.  Vaccinations won't give you a pass since 1) Vax records can be forged.  2) one can catch and carry the virus even after being vax'd.    A vax helps the body fight the virus, but it is still in your system and the level of virus resistance varies with the individual   3) Pre board 100% testing accounts for all circumstances  of infection and removes  the most  risk.

Cruise companies cannot afford to have a repeat of this year.

From a different perspective, consider the sea conditions of the Drake passage.  We were on the Infinity in Jan 2010.  On the traverse from the Falklands to Antarctica Peninsula we encountered a 75 mph storm with  cross wise 38 ft seas.  More than minor damage to the ship and injuries.  Waves blew out windows on some of the lifeboats, the top forward lounge had the roof peeled back.  The captain altered the itinerary and we landed at Ushaia.  We then resumed our journey to Paradise Bay.  Great time and great excitement.

Recommend the lowest cabin in the middle of the ship.  Definitely not the suites, forward or aft. Some Vista suite pax reported being lifted off their beds

This subject of this thread is the reason I won't be flying anywhere to catch a cruise in 2021.  I'll invest the 3 hours trip down to Port of Miami,  with the chance that we will be denied boarding,  but no more.  As long as we, for certain, will get a full refund of the cruise, it's worth the risk.   And the probability there will be difficulty in making our own excursions, makes it even less enticing.  If we just go for a long on board cruise, then we might as well take a ferry boat ride somewhere.  Disillusioned to say the least.

FYI. we received (on Friday) our refund in full for our 4/1/21 cruise around Japan. We cancelled on 3/30, so it took 66 days.   I am impressed that the refund came through since it was hefty.

We are more wait and see.  We will glean from others reporting through CC on their experiences.

We have a FCC that expires at the end of the year so if there are any interesting Caribbean cruises for early 2021, we might go for it.  We are only going to sail out of Miami. No air or overseas destinations for us until 2022.

7 hours ago, RJB said:

There must be 20 to 25 ships off shore in the ocean between Miami and FLL.   So sad to  see all those ships just sitting there with who knows how many crew.

Are the ships lit up at night?  Must be a pretty sight.

18 hours ago, Ladys Mom said:

By the way, NCL hired Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the FDA, as a consultant on their Covid response team.  They would not have gone to the effort and expense of having him if they weren't taken their response of the pandemic seriously, and they didn't want to initiate cruises as soon as possible.

Dr Gottlieb is off my list of people to pay attention to.  His growing list of clients and media appearances makes me wary about his ultimate goal.   The post Government service consulting business is lucrative and he is striking while the iron is hot.  It's now in his best interest to perpetuate the paranoia.

3 hours ago, Paulchili said:

It seems that way but as you can see here:,

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2748423-norwegian-cruise-line-may-go-out-of-business/

Oceania secured a number of loans and hopefully they now will start the refunds soon?

I have a more pessimistic view.   NCL will use the money to pay the lawyers (and management) to enter bankruptcy.  If there is any money left, they will use it for cash flow. I don't see any money left for refunding deposits.  It's not a high priority to pay obligations.

I can understand the fervor for bonds.  When bankruptcy occurs the bondholders will be first in line for control of the ships - the major asset.  The vessels can be resold for huge profits versus the bondholders' investment.  It's a win -win for the Hedge Funds.  

On 4/30/2020 at 3:54 PM, Roger88 said:

I feel sad for those "wealthy" South American countries. Even semi-advanced countries like Mexico, Argentina or Peru will suffer a lot from pandemic. Simply because their medical service is just slightly higher than in countries of Africa. All they can depend on is the support from the US or wealthy European countries. I can already see ships from Europe bringing provisions to South America to help it overcome the consequences

I have to agree with you.  I chuckle at all those retirement articles that purport the cheap and charmed life in a lot of South American countries  "Medical treatment is far superior and cheap" Yet the hoards of expats streaming back to the US as a result of the Covid 19 kind of  defeats that claim.

1 hour ago, alaskaca said:

Great shot and it sounds like a trip of a lifetime!!

We were on the Infinity, from Ushaia on the way to the Antarctic Peninsula when we were hit by a storm - 75 mph winds and 38 ft seas.  The ship listed to the point the shower curtain bottom was outside the shower stall, the veranda sliders were vibrating like reeds, and there was damage to a number of life boats.  An expedition ship was a hundred miles away and the pax suffered several ortho injuries and  damage.  This was Jan 2010.  

Great trip but would not consider a small ship unless departing from Invercargill, in NZ

I got the same 90 days today.  It's a race for a refund vs bankruptcy.    We  had a hi end suite which we cancelled, so if we lose the money, this is the last cruise on Oceania and maybe all others.   We've been most everywhere except Asia and that region is not on my wish list anymore.

On 4/16/2020 at 6:56 AM, Redtravel said:

I feel exactly like you.  We have been fortunate to travel internationally for years.  We are at a point in our lives 70+ where we have been revisiting the places that we really loved. 
I have traveled often in the US. It’s a big country with many fabulous places to visit.  We love big cities with lots of cultural attractions and the beautiful National parks and seashores.  There are still places that  we haven’t seen in the US that would be nice to visit.  For now, stay safe.

Ditto for me.  We cancelled our Asian trips for next year and will ride it out.  Domestic destinations are attractive, but they will also be attractive to the throngs of people who are thinking the same thing.  Instead of cruises, Disneyworld, NYC and the like, the masses will congregate at the beaches, National Parks, other points of interest.  This all sounds unpleasant to me.  We live in Florida so our pastimes will be our usual activities and daytrips.    We are over 70, but in no hurry to resume cruising, since we have seen most of the world.  

As one of those grey hairs, I see my days of cruising coming to an end.  The harsh CDC mandates will cause the cruiselines to adjust their pax populations to meet new health guidelines.  Sort of like auto manufacturers to offer hi mpg cars to allow their best selling gas guzzling trucks to be sold without restrictions.  It's the average that counts.  So IMHO, high health risk pax will be discouraged from sailing either by actual restrictions or super high fares.  Never mind the cost of travel insurance will sky rocket if not disappear altogether.   

Sailing itself will be stressful with masks, gloves, etc everywhere.  And in-cruise testing could lead to pax getting kicked off ships in isolated places.

Yes I am pessimistic about my future cruising.  The younger pax will have the best of all worlds, with lower fares, etc.  To them I say enjoy the ride.

Besides the extension, the details are pretty stringent for Cruiselines.  Health oversight, not only on embarkation, but also during the cruise;  social distancing on board ( like maybe cutting back the theatre attendance,  medical facilities upgraded to life saving from stabilizing; evacuation of diseased pax at cruiseline expense (not Coast Guard).

I hope the smaller ships will be economically viable.  

I might have missed it, but what happened to the crews on the O ships?  For instance, I noticed Sirena is berthed at it's usual "J" position on Miami.  I assume the Captain, staff and operating crew are on board, but what about the hotel staff, entertainers, food service workers?.  I don;t recall if the entire ship is on quarantine.    Are they free to debark the ship?  

1 hour ago, MadManOfBethesda said:

 

You've written that on separate threads now, but that has not been my experience. I had to cancel a cruise once a couple of weeks before departure for medical reasons and I had absolutely no difficulty getting 100% of my money returned to me.  I believe that the company was Travel Guard, but I'm not completely sure.  All I had to do was fill out a form and have my doctor submit supporting documentation. Easy Peasy.

 

But more importantly, and more on point with this thread, the OP most likely wouldn't even need to deal with an insurance company.  As I responded to you on another thread when you posted about Renaissance going out of business, I had a fully-paid-for cruise booked on Ren when they went under and I received 100% of my money from my credit card company (AmEx). And that had nothing to do with trip insurance; that was simply the credit card company doing a chargeback because I had not received the "services" or product that I had contracted for from Ren.    

Thanks for the Ren experience.  That is what I am looking for.  Travel insurance doesnt come into play.