Lottie A

Me as well! Russ was superb. 

Brilliant news! 

I got a message to change from a April cruise to an October cruise this morning. It’s lucky I did! 

Pam I just had a thought.....could you not get a flight from Gatwick? There is a flight from Gatwick on the day back at 13:00, getting in at 14:45. It’s an Azamara flight with transfers. Only 45 mins extra from Heathrow and not a very long wait at the airport.

My dear friend Max. My fiend since 2010. We took him out for lunch in Batumi, Georgia on The Black Sea one memorable day. We laughed a lot at our Georgia escapades. Play piano for us up there drinking a “cawfee”. Rest in Peace.

That’s good to know. Thank you. 

Thank you Phil! 

I am on this April cruise as well. I know we can’t guarantee it but I really hope it goes. Otherwise perhaps we can lift and shift? I don’t really know the rules on that. At the moment Journey is supposed to start cruising the cruise before ours.....April 10th? We go on April 17th. It may be a little too close to start in April as Phil says, If we have to pay the final balance in January I am going to take the risk.I will keep all my fingers and toes crossed! I will be amongst the first to have the vaccine anyway. Let’s hope we see each other in April Pam! 

We wish him well in his future endeavours. A true gentleman. 

We have one cruise booked on Azamara, one cruise booked on another cruise line and one land holiday. The Azamara cruise is next April, the second cruise after they are due to restart on Journey. Like many others I am hoping for a vaccine by then. If a vaccine isn’t available by then we will have have to consider our alternatives. Like many others I have gotten used to wearing masks but enforced land excursions in a group would be a step too far. 

Well my cruise on Journey is now the second cruise out. It’s April 17th. Let’s hope we go!

So have I! Keeping everything crossed too! 

The Spanish government have just banned ALL cruise ships from their ports for an indefinable time.

Rightly or wrongly, the cruise industry seems to be taking the hit for Covid-19. CMV (small British based cruise line) have started urgently seeking a loan. Barclays have already denied them. 
Carnival is seeking to dispose of 6 ships.

 
It seems that anyone who has a “weakest link“ will be vulnerable in these desperate times.  

The first ship’s casualties have arrived. It’s Carnival but it can only be the beginning.  
 

https://cruisemarsh.wordpress.com/2020/06/18/carnival-corporation-have-principle-agreements-for-disposal-of-6-ships/

Viking has now suspended all sailings until August 31st. 

Saga has now postponed all cruises until September 1st. I don’t think other cruise lines will be far behind them. 

Just FYI I was surprised to receive an email from Azamara today advising me that my TA now had details of my FCC for my cancelled June 11th Cruise. I had only paid the deposit and I cancelled the cruise myself in March before I had paid the final payment. Of course Azamara then cancelled the cruise anyway a couple of weeks ago. 
I was surprised to receive any credit at all as deposits in the U.K. are usually non refundable. There was no option to ask for a refund of my money. 

Yes I thought this was a much more relevant survey and better designed to gain information about our future cruising plans. 
I also said I was unlikely to cruise again until a vaccine OR effective treatment for Covid-19 was available. It is much better to have a vaccine of course, but do remember that there are many viral infections that still cannot be vaccinated against. An effective treatment may be much easier to find in the shorter term. 

Thanks for all your efforts and hard work over the past few years. 

Well I am sorry to say it but realistically I don’t think there will be any cruising until next year at least. There will need to be a viable mass vaccine available or a huge drop in the Covid infection rate. Neither of which I see happening soon. 
 

However I am looking at booking a cruise with friends in June 2021 that I think has a possibility of sailing. I think I’m an optimistic realist! 

Awww. 😅

So happy for them to be on their way home. There was a little dust in my eye too! 

So relieved that Azamara have done the right thing by you Corinne. It will give you one less thing to worry about right now. Thinking about you and take care. 

12 minutes ago, cinnamon said:

 

Update. 

The agent promises me the full refund has been credited to my bank account but it will take ‘several’ days to arrive. 

I’ll check it daily. 

At least that’s some progress Corinne. Hope it arrives very soon. I’m so sorry you have had to go through all this unnecessary stress at such a sad time. Take care. 

Corinne, there are no words. Pam has been keeping me updated. My deepest condolences on the loss of John to this terrible virus. The only small light is that you were able to be with John at the end. 

Bonnie, surely this is something that you can help with by passing this issue to senior management ? I know Richard Twynam would have moved Heaven and Earth to help Corinne in her tragic situation. 

OK, I have bitten my tongue and tried not to respond to this stupid requirement from Azamara of a physician’s letter to certify “fitness to travel” but now I have had enough. 

Two comments....firstly good luck in getting any doctor to provide you with one at this time of extreme pressure. We are all working ourselves to exhaustion looking after seriously ill and dying patients. Letters to cruise lines are not on our list of priorities right now. 

Secondly, anyone with even a moderate pre existing relapsing chronic health condition could not be deemed  “fit to travel” anyway. No doctor could predict when or whether a deterioration was likely. Someone with Cancer, Angina, COPD, Asthma, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue....they are just a very few examples of varying conditions that can fluctuate dramatically at any time, including on a cruise.
 

It doesn’t actually matter if you are over 70 or not. If you did have one of these health conditions you may be perfectly stable, yet your GP could not medically certify that would continue to be so on a cruise. 
 

Then there is the minefield of getting travel insurance....

Azamara need to reconsider this requirement now.

Sorry...rant over from a very tired GP who should be retired, but has gone back to work. I have an even more exhausted GP friend fast asleep on my sofa right now. He has been working 12-14 hour days for over 2 weeks. He won’t be writing any “fitness to cruise” letters either.