spyro1952

21 hours ago, richsea said:

Really? I must have been lucky on over 40 cruises; never witnessed that. But I’m also not a doctor, so wouldn’t presume to know who is or is not should ve cruising by passing them in the hall.

77 cruises and I have seen it and yes I am a dr

On 4/22/2020 at 12:01 PM, Essiesmom said:

Certainly those are advantages to being registered abroad.  But the bald fact is that they cannot be registered here because they are not built in the US.  The US no longer has any shipyards building large cruise ships.  The only US flagged large cruise ship is on one of two hulls built in the US and then abandoned.  NCL purchased them and towed them to Europe for completion.  I believe they got what amounts to a Papal Dispensation from Congress to do this.  EM

Doesn’t matter where the ship is built.  They are all foreign registered so they don’t pay US taxes.

7 hours ago, Musky Ike said:

Partial restart scheduled for July 1 so if they follow the same MO I would not expect to hear updated cancellations list until June. 

In regards to re-start dates I’ve heard July 15, June 30, but US ports are closed to cruise ships until July 25 per 100 day order.  Nothing has been mentioned anywhere about Europe ports or Britain.  
I have cruises booked but will not make final payment until there is more information as I am still waiting on fcc from cancelled April cruise.  Not giving them more money.

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

The health info that was sent out is telling passengers to call Princess if you have a chronic or underlying health condition.  I assume Princess medical team will look at your chronic condition and make a decision to allow you to cruise with your condition or require you have  letter from doctor stating you can cruise with your medical condition.  Example; someone who has chronic asthma which makes them  cough or breathing issues.  To some lay person who sees this passenger coughing onboard may tell ship staff that this person should not be allowed on ship.  They have no idea the person has chronic asthma.  This is why Princess is asking people to call them prior to showing up at port and then being denied boarding.  I would not want to fly to Australia or Europe only to be told; sorry you can't board.  

Not the same as being examined by your own physician who knows your condition and responses etc.  I do not blame cruise lines for limiting passengers over 70 from cruising on their ships.   I have seen many passengers in the past few years that should not be cruising.  Dementia, extremely poor mobility and circulatory disorders, open chronic wounds, mid cycle chemo, and much more.  
If your own doc won’t sign your good to cruise then you shouldn’t be cruising.  The cruise lines is not responsible for your denial.

I just watched a vid on YouTube and stated Princess to resume operations July 15th.  But nobody knows where or how etc.  Maybe this is just a target.  If continental Europe is essentially closed what about British Islands?  Norway or Iceland?  Baltic?  
The other thing to think about is hurricane  season in Fl and the Caribbean which starts on June 1.  Do you

cruise and risk Covid or do you cruise and risk cat 4 or 5 hurricanes?  All the ships can’t go to Alaska.  
Just sayin 😊

On 4/16/2020 at 1:42 PM, caribill said:

He does not come off looking so good in this Business Week article

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-carnival-cruise-coronavirus/?srnd=businessweek-v2

Thanks I was looking for this.  After I read it, my opinion of him was he comes off as quite the con artist.  He does nothing for my confidence in cruising on a Carnival Corp owned ship.  

1 hour ago, joe d said:

 

"Guests and crew members meeting certain criteria will be unable to sail........ If you have an underlying severe chronic medical condition."

We need to know exactly what this means.  Why would anyone  book a cruise and give their money to Princess if there was a chance they could be turned away at the last moment.

This criteria has been developed by the CD C and includes age restrictions, many chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease, immune disorders, chemo

patients, respiratory disease like asthma or COPD.   Of course these can be enforced at US ports only.   I do see similar  European ports using similar restrictions, preventing cruise lines from trying to push the envelope.

I have 3 cruises booked -  for August, on thE Island and then 33 days on the Crown which includes TA.  Not really counting on any of actually happening, but will make my decision before final payment.  I am still waiting for cancellation FCC for spring TA and do not want to have anymore money tied up in cruise lines.  Too risky especially if they have to continue to cancel cruises.

Mine was just changed overnight to 60 days for Aug 24, Island, British Isles. New payment date is June 29

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am not sure everyone gets it!  We cruisers are used to the hand washing plea, which is the best way to deal with Norovirus and other pathogens spread via hands.   But COVID-19 and Influenza are also commonly spread via airborne droplets that come from coughing and sneezing.  Anyone who has spent significant time on ships has likely encountered cruises where Upper respiratory bugs spread like wildfire though a ship.   While the cruise lines can do lots of things to better disinfect a ship, and passengers can help by frequent handwashing, this is not enough to overcome the inability to social distance on a ship.  Like it or not a cruise ship is like a big incubator for many bugs.  If nothing else, the Diamond Princess and Coral Princess has shown that even quarantines in the cabins do not stop the spread of COVID-19.   It would seem that lacking an effective vaccine there is little the cruise lines can do to deal with COVID-19 and other contagious airborne pathogens.

 

Hank 

Totally agree.  Until there is a reliable vaccine widely in use world wide cruising will be minimal.  I think there has been less effort to clean and sanitize on Princess ships recently.  Seventy seven cruises and # 76 and 77 was the first time I ever had gotten sick.  Food poisoning on #76 and Noro virus on #77.

I also think the economy will not bounce back quickly and many cruisers will not be in a financial position to cruise.  

7 hours ago, caribill said:

Will cruising ever get back to the old "normal?"

 

Hard to say, but to even get going again in a meaningful manner:

a) Embarkation/disembarkation ports need to be open again to cruise ships.

b) Flights to/from these ports need to be going again with no restriction on where the passengers are coming from.

c) Ports on the voyage itinerary need to be welcoming to cruise ships and their passengers.

 

With the USA now having the highest number of Covid-19 positives in the world, will other countries forbid entry to Americans?

 

Yes, a Covid-19 vaccine would help, but not everyone will have one and it might not be 100% effective.

No vaccine is 💯% effective.  There may be some people with pre-existing conditions that will not be able to get vaccinated.   But for the most part if MOST     Would get vaccinated herd immunity then would protect those unvaccinated.   

15 hours ago, Mackenzie1 said:

I’m trying to face facts. This virus arose in Wuhan, China in November 2019.  It’s only been four months since then, and the entire world is almost in lockdown. I hope cruising survives this, but it may take a very long time. This would be my second sea day on a Crown Princess cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Rome, and only three weeks ago, while I had some concerns, I thought everything would be O.K. for our cruise. I was so wrong. 

12 hours ago, Sunwanabe said:

 You are right in your thinking. As much as many of us want to cruise soon, it is going to be several months at least for the good times to return to cruising. 

 

Seriously I don’t think cruising will be safe for anybody until there is a vaccine and in use globally.

36 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

We're still scheduled for the April 19 TA. 😲 Let's see where she goes when she leaves port.

I seriously doubt any ships will be taking on passengers in 3 weeks time.  Most borders in Europe are closed.  Holland & Spain, the itinerary for this TA are closed.  Everybody needs to chill and stay home and forget about cruises for awhile.  HAL needs to step up, cancel their cruises, and offer compensation packages for booked passengers 

1 hour ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

We are also planning to cruise today.  I don't think it’s a matter of being brave.  It’s about realizing that we have about the same or less chance of getting Coronavirus than we do the regular flu (which I caught in a cruise many years ago)

 

Also part of me thinks it’s going to get worse before it gets better so let’s cruise now

If you’re on the Regal you’re not cruising today.  And yes some may Take  chance and board a cruise only to be refused at ports or end up quarantined to your cabin.

Not a cruise - jailed at sea

6 minutes ago, sgacruiser said:

Coastguard is here now, so they are completing the two requires test. Estimated 20 minutes and we will complete our trip to FLL. 3-4 hours for the test results, so they are thinking we will be docked by 2pm if they come back negative. 

Do you know if today’s cruise is cancelled or not?

Was supposed to do TA and BI cruise on Regal starting 4/19 but cancelled last week.  Don’t want to get stuck in quarantine somewhere

4 hours ago, jat1977 said:

I understand that argument, but my question is, why wouldn't Princess do what Viking is doing and just offer a cruise credit (not a refund) for people who are currently scheduled to depart in the next month or two during the peak of the virus?  Princess would still keep the money and passengers would still get to cruise . . . just at a later date.  I would say that is a win-win situation as Princess won't lose money and they get to keep goodwill among passengers.  Plus Princess could then resell the now-freed-up cabins to people who are willing to take the risk.  

Please tell me how Princess would not lose money running ships that are 1/4 to half full?

5 hours ago, resistk said:

 

Due to the COVID19 crisis, let passengers cancel without penalty if they want. No one should be pressured by financial loss or worry to take a cruise under these circumstances.  if the cruise lines want to keep running half full that is their option but passengers should have a choice without being financially punished.  This is not a business as usual event, consumers will not forgive the cruise lines so easily, especially if another cruise ship gets involved.

I just cancelled a back to back TA and BI cruise but had insurance.  My insurance for these cruises was approx $500.00 and would never book a cruise without it. 

Why should those who refuse to buy insurance be compensated unless Princess cancels their cruise?  If their cruise goes,  they can certainly cancel with penalties because it is their choice not to go.  Princess is a business like any other business and they will operate cruises until they either go out of business or the government tells them they are grounded. 

6 hours ago, jat1977 said:

With other cruise lines allowing currently booked passengers to modify or cancel their cruises without penalty, regardless of whether they have CFAR insurance, what do you think the likelihood is that Princess will follow suit?  Especially since another Princess ship has been impacted by Covid-19?

 

Asking because we are currently scheduled on a caribbean cruise leaving March 22.  As of yesterday, our medallions are in the mail and the cruise is a go.  But, we do not have CFAR insurance (only basic travel).  My parents were coming with us.  However, they are in their 70's and have underlying health conditions; my Dad is very high risk for the virus.  We have until Saturday to get 25% back.  My parents want to cancel, but I am trying to decide if we should just cancel now and eat the 75% loss or wait and see if Princess either (a) modifies their policy in which case we could move our cruise and not lose any money or (b) cancels our cruise altogether and we get a refund.  My husband is wanting to wait it out.  

 

*Please no lectures about the benefits of CFAR insurance.  We are obviously wishing we had purchased it, but hindsight is 20/20 and no one could have predicted this truly rare situation.  This was going to be our kids' first cruise and this is by far the most expensive vacation we have ever planned so I am just trying to decide if we should eat the 75% loss now and at least get a small portion of our money back or try to wait it out to see if we can modify later.   

I seriously doubt that your Caribbean cruise will be cancelled unless there is a sudden up tick of cases especially here in 

florida.  Right now there are 4 cases on the west coast of Fl. not community acquired as far as I know.  If they start massive testing they are likely to uncover many more cases throughout the country.  Not sure if they will EVER have the capacity to do this in the US b/c politically it is not advantageous to the current administration to increase numbers to epidemic proportions.  

As a seasoned cruiser, I strongly suggest you take your 75% and go.  Even NORO virus which is very prevalent right now on Caribbean cruises can really affect your elderly parents with pre-existing medical conditions.  And cruise ships are like big Petri dishes that float around the oceans.

On 3/3/2020 at 10:39 AM, LARGIN said:

The sky is not falling people..  We will be on the 3/7 & 3/22 cruises on the Grand.  My sister is currently on the ship and so far no cases except for seasickness as the ship was hit with a major storm Friday and was rock & rolling with rain and 60 MPH winds.  Just remember to wash your hands and try not touching your face.  See you all on the ship.

Princess has Just cancelled the 3/7 cruise.  They are holding the ship out of port, helicopter corona kits in and test B2B passengers and those showing symptoms that could be corona.  BTW corona symptoms and symptoms of sea sickness are totally different and should not be compared

23 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Local news here in SF showed Governor Newsom addressing the issue and apparently the ship will not be allowed to dock until everyone is tested with kits that are to be provided to the ship.

Test kits are still not readily available despite what the government is saying, especially enough to test 2500 passengers and crew.  There have only been about 150 tests performed in the US so how are they going to suddenly test 2500+ .  This is going to be another dilemma there will be asymptomatic passengers who are + when they are eventually tested and what happens?  Do they just let them off the ship into the community?  The only good thing is that they're not in Japan.

On 2/29/2020 at 1:52 AM, mcrcruiser said:

 Because we  are very high risk to the corona virus . We are in our 80s &  have underlying medical conditions we had to cancel ( 2) B2B  ,7 night cruises  sailing in April . I askedPrincess  if we could   move the funds to a future cruise date  .  We got a negative reply & had to pay almost $1300 in cancellation fees . 

 We would gladly take cruises when there was not such a great risk   on a heavily populated Royal Princess (3600 plus crew ) .If just one person brought the virus on board the same problem as  on the  Diamond Princess would occur  

 In fact already there is a case of unknown corona virus in northern California where one of the 2 cruises is headed  & now the state & federal ,CDC  must follow up on 8400 potential  corona virus  people .If any one of these were to board the ship;as a example  ,there would be a serious outbreak  & the prospect for another Diamond Princess   high illness rates 

 

 My question is should Princess   waive cancellation fees to people who are of high risk & wish to postpone their funds toward a future cruise & gain good will  during  this  pandemic  ?

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

No sympathy here either.  If you are at such risk why didn’t you buy insurance?  Princess Cruises is a business like anything else.  They offer you protection but if you don’t take their offer they certainly are not obligated to do anything else.

12 hours ago, suzyed said:

I'm not concerned about the virus as much as I am concerned that all the hype and hoopla may cause us to miss ports because someone on board is "sick" without even know what/why.

I am concerned about being stuck on a ship, not going into ports etc.  Now with community transmissions the risk is much greater and reliable testing is not readily available.  I just cancelled a B2B transatlantic and British Isles for April & May.  
I am a nurse and what we are seeing and hearing is not hype.  This is serious stuff.

People who ate totally asymptomatic Can spread this virus.   

As a smoker I need to reply here that at least 95% of the ship is non smoking.  The casino has non smoking nights and the casinos are empty.  There are large non smoking areas in all the ship’s’ casinos.

I too would love to see non smoking cruise  lines so I don’t have to listen to complainers stomp on my passenger rights.

Need correct stock symbol for Carnival stock that gives you OBC on Princess.

Thanks