TYinPalmSprings

23 hours ago, island lady said:

 

On our 1/2 Harmony...600 no shows...we got our "do it yourself" upgrade, moving into a GS, finding all the paperwork, shore excursions tickets, etc. for one of the no shows.  Brought it all to GS desk.  

We had canceled our 1/9 cruise a week before sailing, yet we continued to get, on the app, daily cruise messages, updates, and even a request to evaluate the cruise at the end. We contacted Royal and they said that there were so many cancellations for their cruises, and limited staff,  that they did not have time to get word  yet to the affected areas, and apologized for the mail confusion.  If the cancels had not made it through to the ships, it would also explain some of what was considered "no shows".   

31 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It is 16°F here in RI right now. What is your idea of a little chilly?😊

All relative to where you are from...like folks in Fairbanks would think your (our) RI temps are tropical. I grew up 10 minutes from Newport. My parents are buried there. I make a point of not visiting their graves or relatives in the area during the winter. LOL. When I first moved to Florida, a neighbor had a sign on his lawn that said "NO PARKING THIS SIDE DURING SNOW EMERGENCY".  It took me a few years before I realized it was a joke (he was from upstate NY) , especially after my first Christmas in Tampa when it snowed on Christmas day. I also lived in one of the warmest places in the country..Palm Springs for many years. We enjoyed our view of nearby mountain snows . The cold air in the country will dip, rarely, but it does, and even reach many islands. One cruise 2 years ago, it was so cold in Jamaica at this time of the year that  all water related shorex were canceled, and people either didn't get off the ship or wore coats.  The lady I was responding to on here lives by the port in Florida.

8 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Unscheduled stop here very early Monday morning to off load crew members...and take on a few. 

 

Docked up then a second time before 10 pm last night with Vision to do the same...stayed tied up until around 5 am, then backed out to let Freedom do the same.   Once transfer done with Freedom/Vision...we slid back in while Vision headed for the horizon.  Rhapsody has begun hanging out, anchored off Coco Cay here now versus her usual the last few weeks/months? at St. Maarten. 

 

We are here for the day with Freedom now...and yes...all going ashore that want to, are heading onto the island.  Went from really bad weather yesterday to absolutely perfect today.  Got lucky.  

 

 

 

 

 

Good News!!! If you choose to get off, enjoy your day on the island.

It will be a bit chilly here in Florida when you return tomorrow, as there is a cold front heading this way., so you may want to keep that in mind when you are setting out your clothes for disembarkation tomorrow. 

3 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

This week we were here three times.  😄 

Are you allowed to get off the ship to enjoy CC today? and were you the other times you docked there this week? Hopefully, you and all are finding ways to enjoy your cruise.

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Unless they got a medical exemption all pax 12 and over are vaccinated on my cruise. No kids dont get tested daily. 

 

For the post above of course I feel for first time cruisers, though they probably also paid rates they couldnt get before. No one wants to test positive and get isolated. 

Umm. I don't know about that. I've been cruising since the early 1970s, and, relatively speaking, I find it more expensive, especially for the new folks. Used to be one price once onboard, and better food, that you now only see in the specialty restaurants..and for a price. There's whole host of extra costs adding to the overall expense of the cruise that did not exist before. If you are Diamond, Pinnacle, Ambassador, Elite, Captain Circle etc, you get bargains,  perks, special rates, at  even free cruises. Those people now starting to cruise do not.  Great for us and other people at those upper tiers but not so good for the new folks who have to wait at the back of the line, told their level places others first,  and they find the best seats reserved for levels, or experience the inability to get a seat to a show at all, or are pushed out of the way when boarding, tendering, or disembarking. 

13 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Let's see you are paying to:

Wear a mask

Test

Possibly not go to the ports advertised

Possibly not be able to take the excursion you planned

Possibly be deemed a close contact and confined to your cabin

Possibly at some time be tested positive and be confined to a lesser value cabin with limited entertainment, food, drink etc.

Possibly be confined in a hotel at the end of your cruise

Possibly be tested multiple times until you can "pass"

 

Does not sound like a good value to me when you can vacation on land without any of that.

Yes, and if you fall prey to COVID on dry land, you at least have your home and access to  medical facilities and hospitals. Cruise med folks do their best but will be first to admit that they have neither the staff nor the medical equipment or facilities for major issues. I feel the worse for people who have saved for their first cruise and face this. Sure, if you cruise every few weeks you can go with the flow, and  care little about the shows and ports that you ay have seen or visited multiple times, and connect  with your regulars.

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Occasional announcements from the CD on mask wearing, and we’ve seen several crew attempt to convince pax to wear their masks. Most everyone has one “on”, but it is a nose counter’s dream with all the people only protecting their chins.

Thx. Godspeed to y'all

21 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Doesn't seem like a fair swap, if things continue like that, some more sailings might have to be cancelled.

How are passengers doing relative to honoring the mask requirements? On recent cruises I have heard that this has been a problem, with crew trying hard, and lots of altercations between passengers who were militant about people wearing them, and correctly, and those who would not wear them correctly, if at all? 

1 hour ago, EscapeFromConnecticut said:

All very true in normal times. 

But stockholders' eyes are going to widen when they see the all the lawsuits and governmental investigations get under way from the Coral, Diamond, Grand, Zaandam and Ruby disasters.

 

Meanwhile, there is no reason the think that cruise lines will be allowed to get away with their skirt-the-regulations practices in the future.

Until now it was just the occasional fire/Azipod breakdown/noro outbreak ... but this time, the cruise lines caused a non-stop string of crises all across

the globe.

 

This was more than months' worth of ports, Coast Guards, health agencies, fire services, federal negotiators and police departments scrambling to deal with ships docking (or pleading to dock) with sick,

dying and dead passengers. All during a pandemic when those governmental and private entities needed the resources elsewhere.

 

I just don't see cruise lines being allowed to sail in or out of ports again without providing a lot of costly, documented and paid-up-front provisional plans for dealing with the NEXT shipboard emergency.

 

Reality check: All of that is going to come out of our pockets. We've sailed mass market lines with stunningly affordable fares precisely because the companies didn't meet genuine First World regulations , didn't sail with adequate onboard

medical care for a widespread emergency, didn't have real contingency plans in place for sudden at-sea crises in EVERY spot the itinerary passed through. 
 

When that changes - and it must - the unlimited-growth model of mass-market cruising goes the way of the Titanic.

Well said. I believe the coronavirus brough this to a head. Long overdue.

18 minutes ago, voyageur9 said:

Cruising is not constitutionally protected. So to refuse to sell a ticket or to refuse boarding or to remove from the ship, those who fail to meet medical minimums isn't illegal. Frankly it's no different than roller coaster operators who specify minimum height and maximum weight criteria. If there's a reasonable safety and/or operational reason, then the operator can refuse those who fail to meet requirements. Some cruise operators refuse children. Others require medical certificates. And, I very much doubt that the morbidly obese or or those with chronic and serious diseases would have much luck in the courts trying to force a cruise line to carry them by claiming discrimination.

It's only unlawful discrimination if it's based on a constitutionally protected class. So race, gender, sexual preference etc etc. But for HAL or any other cruise operator to set minimum requirements of health so as to reduce the danger to others would likely pass legal muster. It might be a poor commercial decision (although maybe not) but it's not unlawful.

I understand your point and agree. The issue here is that is comes in direct conflict with their greed. If grandma and grandpa are paying to include the children and grandchildren, and those footing the bill are not allowed to cruise then, whoops, all off,  lost revenue. If a spouse is really fat, then whoops, lost revenue. If the large amount of people over 70 who have diabetes or other ailments, and those under 70 who have a taboo ailment....,then whoops lost revenue. ..and guess who fills their TAs, TPs B2Bs and cruise over 14 days.....yup, the people they do not want on their ships. Greed and survival should change things as greed always wins out. The stockholders and cheerleaders will demand it.  

On 4/8/2020 at 1:01 PM, KirkNC said:

Plus this is not anything new, expedition ships have used medical screening questionnaires for years.  It’s not discriminatory either if it is done for passenger and crew safety.  I can tell you on the world cruise there were dozens of people completely unable to take care of themselves.  One man wore his pajamas all day, some others were on oxygen and at least one lady could not feed herself.  It’s great that they wanted to see the world but in an emergency they would not even make it to the life boat on their own.

Neither can an infant or small child make it to the lifeboat on their own during an emergency. Say, let's eliminate them from cruises as well. Let's also include the handicapped, people in wheelchairs...and, oh, of course, people who are morbidly obese.

55 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

Umm, off-topic but that would be a PT-17 (primary trainer).  Stearmans were emphatically NOT pursuit planes!  But they certainly are fun -- although a snap roll in one is a timed maneuver 😉.

 

OK, we now return you to the original thread topic.

 

Yeah, thx. I noticed my typo and tried to go in and correct it, but it told me it was too late. It was a training aircraft with a wooden rudder and wings that were more like toilet paper, but the open cockpit added to the adventure. 

I am 71 but in great physical shape, exercise, do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, and have a low BMI.   My doctor says that  due to liability issues his insurance will not allow him to sign the required document for anyone, of any age. Just after my 70th birthday, I piloted a 1930's era Stearman P-17 bi-plane, but, oops, I have an ailment for life kept in check with meds for the rest of my life, so sadly,  I would not be allowed to get on a ship anyway evenif I could get my doctor to sign the document..  Although there is a high percentage of medical issues associated with the obese, like diabetes and heart problems that make them more prone to acquiring a severe case of the COVID-19 virus , there is no requirement to refuse passage to those obese,  or worse, morbidly obese, people regardless of their ages. The impact of the disease to smokers and vapers is much more severe than the general public, not to mention the health effects of smoke to other passengers, but that is not an issue here either. And, yeah, those uncontrolled small children who cannot be counted to avoid handling buffet food, control their sneezing, coughing, and drooling place everyone at risk. No rules against them. Say, unless they want to openly discriminate, they should consider ALL issues and handle them with the same logic.

Urgency and priority is to save the people FIRST, as they are the victims not only of the virus, but of the cruise lines and governments who are playing the shell game with their lives. Carnival Corp (and it's subsidiaries HAL, Princess et al) and all other lines with ships not registered in the US, need to be slapped with huge fines, and if they cannot pay then we should confiscate their ships and/or take business control of their operations. I guess the lines think it's okay for them to do what they do to maximize their profit, yet they rely Florida and the US Gov to regularly foot the huge bill and potential medical risks for their ships, not to mention the impact to the places they port. The cruise lines are placing the lives of its passengers at great peril on a regular basis by cheapening out and finding the most lenient and low tax countries to register their ships.  THIS MUST STOP NOW. Going forward, before they are allowed to sail from the US or dock here, Carnival/RCCL and others  they should be required to foot the bill for this PAY IT and need to present to the US government a sound plan for handling their related situations starting immediately. There also needs to be huge bill sent to the the Bahamas, Panama, The Netherlands, Liberia and every other country who has their flag flown on these ships. They undercut laws, regulations and taxes to get whatever benefit they do from the dubious honor of flying their flag on these ships. so they should be held liable financially and criminally. The gravy train is over.

20 hours ago, denamo said:

Does the note have the be the exact one that Royal Caribbean has drafted or can a doctor craft their own?

You have to use their worded form.

11 hours ago, denamo said:

Yes, hopefully, once the virus has quelled, the note will go away.

 

The cruise lines are not promising that. They are denying you passage and keeping your money only with YOUR hope that THEY will change THEIR minds later. and in the case of a FCC, you better HOPE that THEY change THEIR minds before the credit expires. Now that we are seeing that the volume of serious cases have more deeply penetrated younger groups, their requirement may not only remain in place, but it may be extended to those groups and ALL will be required to get that doctor's note.  Add to that the talk that this may be a cyclical virus, now advancing to South America, and it may return in the fall for a second round, and with no serum expected in the short term.

11 hours ago, baldilocks said:

I would hope that if we cannot cruise because of the required doctor's note, RCI would give a full refund. It is not our fault that they put this limitation on us...especially after we book a cruise. We have already jump ship from the Brilliance April 27th cruise to the Harmony November 29th because of the note. We are suppose to get our FCC in about 3-4 weeks....less insurance paid for and OBC allowance. That was about a $200 hit. We will pick up a $100 OBC on the Harmony cruise since we own RCI stock. 

Um.... you own stock in a company that refuses, under their recent policy change,  to allow you to cruise..... indefinitely? You would possibly benefit financially in your stock as they will retain cash,  at least in the short term, if they boot you off their cruises, but it's your cash, personally, they are keeping. Which offers you the most gain? It's a thought provoking situation.

The benefit of these sites is not just to talk about the fun and light aspects of travel, or for those in the industry on here, or who own financial interest in those industries, to promote it  for their own interests, but to also recognize issues that impact travel. For instance: An FCC may be okay for some, but for those of us over 70, under the new policies of some lines, you are not allowed to travel without a doctor's note that people are reporting they are not able to get as the doctors fear liability even if their patient is  healthy. The more concerns expressed, the greater the acknowledgment from the lines who read this. I have gained so much from others on here that some may consider "complaining". It was not my TA or the cruise line that I learned my cruise was cancelled, it was on here. I have also learned from here protocol on specific circumstances that have saved me thousands. I welcome ALL comments regardless if people desinate them as complainers or cheerleaders.

1 minute ago, gerif said:

I wasn’t replying to you, nor do I care to engage in your game play. bTW, if I were a week shy of turning 21 I couldn’t go into a bar and order a beer. 

You don't make sense. Blocking you

5 minutes ago, gerif said:

I rest my case. 

???? 

38 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

I do not know your doctor or yo for that matter.  But if you have no issues, in great health. I personally would want him to sign the form. What reason did he give you for not wanting to sign it? Maybe he feels that you have a condition that might make you more susceptible to it. Maybe he is just over cautious.

For me, I am in perfect health, 71, and talked with my doctor. He said that not he ,or the CDC, understands anything about this virus and it's effect, not only to those 70+ but for ANYONE of ANY AGE. His concern is placing potential liability to him and his liability insurance would not recognize it either. He added that he did not feel any doctors would feel comfortable signing this.

2 hours ago, gerif said:

Did they take your money before or after they became aware of the current pandemic?

Before

2 minutes ago, gerif said:

Now you’re really not making any sense. She charged for lessons provided. Failure to provide further lessons was totally out of her control. 

I think you're missing the point. They took money not for a past delivered cruise, but for an upcoming one that they are telling you you will not be able to board, then only issuing a credit that, under their going forward new policy,  will not allow you to use. If you purchased a new tv and paid the store, and they decided they would not provide it because they changed their policy for certain customers, YOU, I do not think you would walk away and just say oh, well. 

11 minutes ago, gerif said:

When they took your money they had no idea what we would all be facing at this time. I’ve had to cancel my husband’s memorial service that was scheduled for next weekend. A dear friend had to close her dance studio and will likely be unable to reopen because this is an expense many of her students will be unable to afford due to lost jobs. I’m set to manage the East coast’s largest cat show in July. Lots of money has already been laid out for something that just might not happen. To hear people come on here and whine about something over which the cruise line had no control really makes me wonder about these people. 

Did your dear friend keep the money from her students and tell them she changed her policy?

3 hours ago, gerif said:

I am over 70 in good health. Have several good friends who are many years younger with severe health issues. Do I feel discriminated against? No. A line has to be drawn somewhere and I don’t feel this was done arbitrarily. Take car insurance. An 18 year old pays considerably more than a 30 year old but might be a much better driver. Lines must be drawn somewhere. 

but does the car insurance company agree to take your money, then change their policy after they have your money, refuse to insure your car, then keep the money?