NCL says that you must show proof of vaccination two weeks before boarding so it’s not as simple as showing you card when you board. From my confirmation email:

”Each guest must submit proof they have completed the full cycle of required doses for the vaccine administered at least 2 weeks prior to their sail date.”

I wonder if NCL will require a more legitimate electronic record than the CDC card, requiring folks to contact their county or state’s Immunization Registry for an official record. That would insure no false records are used. But they would need to notify guests sooner than later about what forms of proof they’ll accept so that guests can get their records of proof in order. So far there hasn’t been any communication about where to upload our vaccine record or what is acceptable.

Hey all, quick question. I was originally booked in a sailing departing 3/21/20, right as cruises were first canceled because of the pandemic. The original offer said you had to book by 12/31/20. 
 

Later, it changed to book by 5/31/21 because cruises kept getting cancelled (and still are!). I recall seeing somewhere on Carnival’s that this new book by date was extended to those who were on earlier canceled cruises to. I don’t see that exact wording anymore.

A PVP reached out to me tonight saying I needed to book by 12/31/20 but think he is mistaken. Is anyone else in a similar situation who knows whether the book by date is 12/31/20 or is 5/31/21 for all?

Thanks!

Yes, you are right about how there is no scientific fact yet. I'm sure there will be, but we just don't have it yet. However, knowing what we know about both industries and about how different viruses behave, I think beachbum53's statement is logical - if at the very least to suggest that both flying and cruising as they were before COVID-19 are very risky. 

As an epidemiologist, when I weigh the risks of transmission, there are two very important factors: numbers of virus introductions and proximity/space. Yes, cruises hold a lot more people at any time. However, airplanes carry a lot more people per amount of space, AND also important for virus transmission, introduce more new people per period of time. Airplanes are also not cleaned as thoroughly - though protocols may change because of COVID-10 - whereas cruise ships are cleaned throughout the day. Worse, the number of passengers from all over at an airport (from touching check-in kiosks to security bins, to using the restroom, eating, in seating areas at gates, etc.) at any given time increases the chances of virus introduction. 

Norovirus, for example. I know COVID-19 isn't Norovirus, but let's take one virus we know a lot about in this industry just to see how it compares. Cruise ships make headlines when there's an outbreak - they're called petri dishes of the sea. Why is that? A cruise ship is the most convenient setting to study an outbreak because you have a large cohort of people spending days together at a time. There is generally no introduction of new people. Someone is sick and it spreads throughout the ship, and because the incubation for noro is so short, within days hundreds of pax have it. Because you are still still with the same group of passengers, it's see the trend and see that this is spreading on the ship.

But where did that first person from the ship get noro from? Most likely, they got it en route to their cruise, either from the airport they were in or the plane they were on. But it's much harder to trace an outbreak back to a 2-3 hour plane ride or a giant hub of an airport because everyone who has gotten sick has gone their separate ways. 

For COVID-19 it takes just one infected and maskless person to speak, cough, sneeze, one time for it to spread. This can happen on a plane or on a cruise. or anywhere. Cruises will always get the brunt of the headlines because  cases often pop up while people are still on the same itinerary. It's important to note that the cruises that made headlines in March were longer sailings, you didn't see the 3 day booze cruises making headlines because if someone was exposed Day 1, they wouldn't show symptoms until they were home. But that doesn't mean cruise ships are any more of a hot spot than an airplane, it just means it's a case that's easy to solve.

We'll all get back to cruising. Remember, this virus is still new and has only been around for less than a year. That's pennies in the science world. But we have learned a lot so far in that amount of time and can only learn more. 

EDIT: the aviation industry employee wrote about what protocols are in place to make flying safer. That certainly helps with transmission risk on the plane itself but the airport is its own petri dish, and once passenger traffic is back to more normal numbers it'll be hard to reduce those constant exposures. The airport scares me more than the plane ride, so I'll be staying home for a bit longer 🙂 Once cruise lines are able to start cruising again they will put similar risk reduction protocols in place, and many of those have already been explained.   

They're only going to cancel one month at a time because it takes forever to even process all the cancellations. Hold times are already 2-3 hours, can you imagine if they canceled everything until the summer in one swoop?

I think cruise lines will suspend sailings until at least mid-summer. We aren't even close to the peak of this thing in the states.

5 hours ago, pamrose228 said:

Apparently COVAC 19 does not thrive well in hotter climates. Thus no reported cases in South American Africa and Australia (I think one was unconfirmed). But I still am stressing about the Escape TA in 7 weeks.

After debarking we have 4 days in Rome. 
 

I took an insurance policy with Alliance not with NCL. Would this be cancel for any reason?

 

As for airfare if there are restrictions on folks entering USA from Italy wouldn’t flights be reimbursed?

 

 

There is no evidence of the virus not thriving well in hotter climates. Please do not spread unsubstantiated remarks.

The situation will be very different by April.

Too soon to determine changes now.

Since Italy started reporting cases, other European are seeing cases too that are linked to Italy, including Croatia. Catalonia just announced its first case too. It could be that it'll become more widespread in Europe over the next couple months. Or maybe it'll all blow over. So the question will not just be what do the cruise lines do about Italy. What will they do about their entire European season?

23 minutes ago, tandemcruzr said:

This is no longer available. Only Havana guests with their wristbands are allowed.

@Jamesatgsu understands that, which is why he used the past tense to reference the after 7pm access....

Keep checking back daily. 

I booked my cruise 3 months in advance in a spa interior and upgraded to a Havana later. At least 4 Havana cabins appeared within the first month after booking, I'm guessing due to cancellations or those interiors upgrading to balcony cabins. If you check once or twice a day, I think you'll be able to snag them!

They pushed off from the dock, then they describe a sound as  a car revving an engine trying to get it to start. They went back to the dock. Now they’re moving again, leaving 90 min late. No announcement though.

They have heard no updates from the Captain yet, which I would assume no news is good news. But they also haven’t left yet... more to come!

On 2/16/2020 at 9:56 PM, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

 

Both the doctor and nurse were so nice to me and really worked to make me comfortable. I was impressed with the whole experience. As to costs, I wasn't billed for anything. In fact, I got a letter from GS that evening saying that all my onboard charges had been paid for (including the three designer purses I had bought the day before!) and an additional $250 dollars in onboard credit had been added to my account. I was shocked, but they definitely earned five stars for customer service that day. Would prefer to never go through that again though...

Glad everything turned out for you okay and the outcome wasn't more serious. Sounds like the cruise line was afraid you might sue them for the slip and fall so they offered you all that upfront. Of course, accidents happen, but I'm sure they get passengers quite often who try to take advantage of the situation.

Family is on board right now and said they're late into port this morning (Mazatlan) due to a mechanical issue that is preventing them from going at regular speed. Not sure of more details or if it's something that will be able to be fixed today while in port. But a mechanical issue on a brand new ship, that doesn't sound good.

You paid for her cruise and she didn't even give you an explanation for backing out?!?

That's not someone I'd call a friend any longer.

Is there anyone else you could think of who you'd like to join you? It's a month away, maybe someone would be able to make it work

A nice upgraded inside cabin in those situations 😉

15 hours ago, sfaaa said:

No plan on doing any more flying or cruising until the situation improves. 

That's unfortunate since this is likely to go on for a year or more. The peak in China alone won't be until April or May, estimates say and that's not including wherever else this spreads. 

Will I go to China? No. But I won't let it stop me from traveling altogether and will just take proper precautions wherever I decide to go.

Her test came back for flu, not coronavirus.

Honestly, flu and noro are bigger risks, and if this situation validates anything, it's that and not anything to do with your risk of coronavirus and the number of Chinese cruisers.

Even if you don't book through the casino offer, they would still give you the Drinks On Us card once you attain the specific number of points so it may be worth booking through your TA, depending on what other perks your casino offer comes with. For example, my casino offer came with the Drinks on Us card on Day 1 - no qualifying necessary.

21 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Certainly overkill, and that is what mainline media does best.  That said, better to be well informed as opposed to the opposite. 

Being well-informed is one thing and certainly important. But there are better ways to inform people than to unnecessarily scare people  and ruin their vacations! 🙂

You can't directly compare Guy's Burgers on Carnival to Margaritaville on NCL. Yes, people swear by Guy's, but it's also free. If Guy's had a $15 cover you can bet it would be less popular, even if the burgers were the best in the world (they're not the best, but they're the best  at sea that I've found).

Soul Bound is so so bad. I saw it on the Sunrise and will not be returning to it on the Horizon.

Vintage Pop was fun though.

39 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Yes.  
BTW, Some casino offers allow for you AND your traveling companion to get free drinks in the casino.  Some don’t.  

How do you find out if your offer gives one to your companion too?

10 minutes ago, Oldskl said:

Sorry to hear these umbrellas are banned in NJ. You must have smaller, crowded beaches. Not the case here in Florida, the Caribbean, Brazil, or the Philippines where I travel. We were set up on the end of the beach with noone behind us, but really never issue because we always walk away from the crowds. Just one of the advantages of using this umbrella, plus you are fully protected from those brief rain showers, the sun, and it is anchored better than those upright umbrellas so it won't blow away. Try one on your next cruise.

 

Do you see how much of a braggart you come off as to the rest of us here?

You're starting to sound like that character Penelope from SNL.

This is why several (including me) are accusing you of being entitled. We get it. You travel, extensively, all over the world. The only place you cannot travel to right now is the Havana area. And whether that's fair or not, Havana guests are fortunate to not have to hear you brag about all your world travels while they sit in their underutilized premium space that they paid for. 

38 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

read the offer carefully. Is states Free Drinks in the Casino while Gaming. Once you qualify.

It depends which casino rate you book but some very clearly state DOU card included from the start. Here is my current offer:

10 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Drinks on us are Casino promotions sent in the mail and or email. yes you must qualify. No matter if you do the promotion or not. Qualifying for free drinks in the Casino is the same. On a 7 day cruise I might get to the quota on the last day of the cruise. As I said. it takes a lot of money to get tot hat point. Fore some dumping $1,000.00 in a slot or at the tables in nothing. On a slot. If you keep playing your winnings and giving it back. It adds up faster. To prevent that. If we win over $100.00 I go get it in cash. Put it in the safe every time. At the end of the cruise it certainly adds up nicely.

That's not true. If you book with a casino rate that includes DOU card, you get the card on the first day before you earn any points.

5 hours ago, isladonna said:

Is there a indication you have drinks on us in your carnival contract or documents for checking in?

 

There is no indication on your cruise documents. You have to go to the casino cage on the first day to get it. I email the Carnival's Player Club to get confirmation of my rate and what's included to have with me in case there is no record of my benefits when I board. On a previous cruise, I was supposed to have DOU but they had an oversight and didn't issue it to me until I was able to show them I was supposed to have it.

Can you sail one week earlier or later? If so, take a look at the 8 day Southern Caribbean itineraries on the Horizon. That way you get a newer ship and one of the best Caribbean itineraries that Carnival does!