Seabourn and the current issues surrounding the Corona Virus

[Flamin_June]

1 hour ago, MightyQuinn said:

is Seabourn offering you FCC if you cancel voluntarily?  If so, is there a deadline for you to notify them of your intent?  Crystal has offered us 100% FCC if we choose not to sail but we must notify them by Feb 21, which seems a bit too soon given the rapidly evolving situation. 

No. Nothing from SB .But our March 14th sailing out of Singapore, which has calls in Thailand and Myanmar, has no itinerary changes at the moment, so no option to cancel for FCC. If things spiral out of control in Singapore, or if other countries blacklist arrivals from there, as they have done for HK, then I assume Seabourn will instigate itinerary changes and cancellation options. However they are cutting it a bit fine for rescheduling flights, although I guess nobody much is flying to Asia right now. We can't afford to cancel right now, and I'm not sure our insurance would cover us in current circumstances. So we have to sit and wait and see.

[texanaust]

Several cruise lines such as Oceania have stated that anyone with a temperature over 100.4 degrees or 38C will be denied boarding with no compensation.  Their solution is to claim with your insurance company which I have a feeling will deny most of these sorts of claims. 

Just to be clear, Seabourn has not implemented this policy but they are screening embarking passengers.  If you have a fever, you may be denied under the current circumstances and a refund may or may not be forthcoming.  

 

[MightyQuinn]

25 minutes ago, Flamin_June said:

No. Nothing from SB .But our March 14th sailing out of Singapore, which has calls in Thailand and Myanmar, has no itinerary changes at the moment, so no option to cancel for FCC. If things spiral out of control in Singapore, or if other countries blacklist arrivals from there, as they have done for HK, then I assume Seabourn will instigate itinerary changes and cancellation options. However they are cutting it a bit fine for rescheduling flights, although I guess nobody much is flying to Asia right now. We can't afford to cancel right now, and I'm not sure our insurance would cover us in current circumstances. So we have to sit and wait and see.

 

Thanks Flamin_June.  It sounds like we're in the same boat with similar itineraries and not knowing if ports in Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar will continue to accept cruise ships. I also wonder if there will be further restrictions on air travel through certain countries.  We transit YVR-TPE-SIN and I worry that Singapore may add Taiwan to its no-go list and we'd be stuck making alternate flight arrangements yet again.

Our overall situations are very different, though, as we've had massive changes to our itinerary.  In fact, there's not a single port on our revised itinerary that is the same as when we initially booked.  That said, we love the new itinerary but wish we had more time to decide whether to accept it or not.

Here's hoping for the best for both of us and all who have to make tough decisions in this rapidly evolving situation.

[rols]

4 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Oh well...

unwarranted optimism.

8 more cases in SGP just reported. All linked to two known clusters.

Ovation disembarks in SGP on Saturday. We wait, with fingers crossed, to see if any current passengers report symptoms in next few days.

Yes another 8. I've been reading reports this morning to try and work out how many of those 8 were people already identified as contacts and isolated and were then confirmed as having COVID-19 and how many were found to have the disease after going to the doctor and were linked to other cases afterwards. The former is good as it means people were isolated before they could spread, the latter is less good as it means people who could have been identified (perhaps) were not and have been sitting in doctors' waiting rooms. 

My best estimate thus far is about 4 of them were pre-isolated from contact tracing. If you can catch 75% to 80% of cases before they become infectious, the disease will fizzle out (assuming transmissibility of 3 to 4). So A for effort but not quite good enough. 

 

Today's Straits Times article about cruise lines proactively starting to skip Singapore or pulling out of Asia completely. I can't honestly blame them after watching what happened to the Westerdam who had to go nowhere for two weeks just because it stopped in HK. As an aside I felt extra sorry for the Westerdam passengers who, after 13 sea days finally got to a port .. only to find that port was Sihanokville, possibly the worst destination in Asia!

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/cruise-lines-skipping-singapore-cancelling-asian-sailings-amid-port-closures-and

 

I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose this morning, most likely a cold, but I'll not be going out for the next few days just incase. 

[rols]

1 hour ago, texanaust said:

Several cruise lines such as Oceania have stated that anyone with a temperature over 100.4 degrees or 38C will be denied boarding with no compensation.  Their solution is to claim with your insurance company which I have a feeling will deny most of these sorts of claims. 

What a dreadful policy, and stupid. That encourages people whose temperatures are elevated to take aspirin and other temporary fever reducing measures so they don't lose their cruise. Early in this outbreak a woman from China did exactly that to avoid temperature detection at an airport so she could enjoy her arranged vacation in Paris, and was stupid enough to blog about it. 

And I agree that insurance companies will seek to deny any such claim. 

I hope if Seabourn does implement a temperature check policy, it's less boneheaded than Oceania's. 

[ab21au]

3 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

No. Nothing from SB

Below is the email what we got from SB.  We have cancelled our 29th sailing, and put the 100% FCC towards a Mediterranean cruise later in the year. 

 

”February 05, 2020

 

Dear Valued Guest:

 

We look forward to welcoming you on board Seabourn Ovation. We know you are eager for news about your cruise and very much appreciate your patience while we have been managing this developing situation.

 

As you are likely aware, a new type of coronavirus was recently detected in mainland China. We are closely monitoring this situation, and wish to reassure you that our medical experts are coordinating closely with global health authorities. For more information, please see the Guest Health Advisory attached to this letter.

 

In light of global concerns regarding China and as the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, embarkation for your cruise on Saturday, February 29 will now take place in Singapore rather than Hong Kong, China.

 

Guests with Seabourn’s Flight Ease

Guests who have purchased their air through Seabourn will have their arrival flights rebooked to arrive in Singapore rather than Hong Kong at our expense. We will communicate your new travel arrangements to you shortly. 

 

Guests with Independent Air

Guests with independent travel arrangements should rebook their air to arrive at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) no later than 7:00 PM on Saturday, February 29. Please be sure your flights do not route though any city in mainland China or through Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Macau.

 

Note: Guests who have traveled from or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, or had contact with a suspected or confirmed case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or a person who is under monitoring for coronavirus in the last 14 days prior to sailing will not be permitted to board the ship. If you will fall into one of these categories, please call us at the number below to process a cancellation and refund prior to sailing. 

 

 

Itinerary

As a result of this change, we will no longer call to Da Nang (Hue) or Halong Bay (Hanoi), Vietnam, and have added calls to Georgetown, Penang and Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia.

 

The first 14 days of your itinerary are now as follows:

 

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart
Saturday, February 29	Singapore	7:00 AM	11:00 PM
Sunday, March 1	At Sea (Strait of Malacca)
Monday, March 2	Porto Malai, Langkawi, Malaysia	8:00 AM	11:00 PM
Tuesday, March 3	Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Wednesday, March 4	At Sea (Strait of Malacca)
Thursday, March 5	At Sea (South China Sea)
Friday, March 6	Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam	9:00 AM	Overnight
Saturday, March 7	Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam	Overnight	4:00 PM
Sunday, March 8	At Sea (South China Sea)
Monday, March 9	Sihanoukville (Kâmpóng Saôm), Cambodia	7:00 AM	8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 10	Ko Kood, Thailand	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
Wednesday, March 11	Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
Thursday, March 12	At Sea (Gulf of Thailand)
Friday, March 13	At Sea (South China Sea)
Saturday, March 14	Singapore	7:00 AM	5:00 PM

 

In recognition of the extensive changes to your voyage itinerary, each guest who sails on this voyage will receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 50% of the base cruise fare paid for the first 14-day segment of your voyage. The terms and conditions of this credit are detailed at the end of this letter. Although not a replacement for the changed ports, it is our sincere hope that the Future Cruise Credit will help you create new cruise memories with us in the near future.

 

As a gesture of goodwill and gratitude for your understanding, each guest who sails will also receive $250.00 USD as an onboard credit applied to your shipboard account. These credits can be used toward any shore excursion, as well as services in the spa and all onboard purchases.

 

We understand this is not the cruise vacation you anticipated, and some guests may prefer not to travel at this time. Should you choose to defer your travel and cancel your cruise you will receive a 100% Future Cruise Credit (excluding independent travel expenses) that can be used on a replacement cruise that sails within 12 months. The terms and conditions of this Future Cruise Credit are listed below.

 

Most airlines and hotels are allowing guests to change travel plans involving China with no penalty, but should you incur airline change fee expenses related to adjusting your travel plans to arrive in Singapore on February 29 we will reimburse up to $250 per guest. Please present proof of change fees, excluding fare differences, at Seabourn Square once you are on board.  Guests with Seabourn post-cruise hotel and transfer arrangements in Hong Kong, Japan will be refunded to the original form of payment.

 

For guests with Seabourn tours booked for the cancelled ports, you will be refunded to the original form of payment. Our Destinations team is working to secure tours for our new ports and they will be available for you to book on board.

 

We regret this disruption to your vacation plans and appreciate your understanding. Please refer to the attached Health Advisory for more information about the steps Seabourn is taking to safeguard our guests and precautions you can take to reduce your risk of contracting a respiratory illness.

 

Should you have any questions, please contact us at the appropriate office:

 

Seattle Office (USD/CAD Currency):

Contact us at 1 866 827 5254. We are available Monday – Friday 6:00am to 5:00pm PST

 

Rotterdam Office (EUR Currency):

Contact us at NL 0800 7245425, BE 0800 77533, DE 0800 1822031. We are available Monday – Friday 9:00am to 6:00pm

 

Southampton Office (GBP Currency):

Contact us at 0844 338 8686. We are available Monday – Friday 8:30am to 6:00pm

 

Sydney Office (AUD Currency):

Contact us at 300 987 323. We are available Monday – Friday 8:30am to 7:00pm

 

Thank you for your attention to this important information and for choosing Seabourn. We are eager to welcome you on board and remain, as always, at your service.

 

Kind regards,

Seabourn“

 

[texanaust]

2 hours ago, ab21au said:

Below is the email what we got from SB.  We have cancelled our 29th sailing, and put the 100% FCC towards a Mediterranean cruise later in the year. 

 

I'd say what you posted was pretty generous from SB.  Risk taking the cruise and be rewarded with the 50% FCC, otherwise cancel and get a refund in the form of a FCC.

 

[florisdekort]

Looks like Ovation’s new / revised cruises from Singapore were all canceled overnight, similar to RCI’s decision. 

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

Looks like Ovation’s new / revised cruises from Singapore were all canceled overnight, similar to RCI’s decision. 

 

I'm not at all surprised by this news but it must be incredibly disappointing for those who are in Singapore waiting to board. 

 

 

[Flamin_June]

9 hours ago, rols said:

I woke up with a sore throat and runny nose this morning, most likely a cold, but I'll not be going out for the next few days just incase. 

runny nose is good, I'm led to believe, as it is not a diagnostic symptom for Covid-19, nor is sore throat. Hopefully just a common cold!!!🤧😏

[Cantara24]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

Looks like Ovation’s new / revised cruises from Singapore were all canceled overnight, similar to RCI’s decision. 

 

Could you post your source please.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Cantara24

[Cantara24]

58 minutes ago, Cantara24 said:

 

Could you post your source please.

Sorry … saw the other thread.

[3418ahl]

We are due to sail on March 14.  I just spoke with Seabourn, and as of yet, no decision has been made for future cruises out of Singapore, other than the one that was just cancelled.  They will be making those decisions after they handle the cruise due to depart today. They will send an email directly (not through travel agent) if cruises are cancelled.

[SLSD]

5 hours ago, Cantara24 said:

 

Could you post your source please.

I saw the posted email from Seabourn announcing this cancellation on another site.  So--it is certain. 

 

[3418ahl]

3 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I saw the posted email from Seabourn announcing this cancellation on another site.  So--it is certain. 

 

The person asking for a source was referring to the post made by Florisdekort, and there is NO decision on Singapore for cruises departing other than the one that was due to leave today.

[SLSD]

16 minutes ago, 3418ahl said:

The person asking for a source was referring to the post made by Florisdekort, and there is NO decision on Singapore for cruises departing other than the one that was due to leave today.

Got it. 

 

[Cantara24]

I viewed Seabourn’s actions towards it’s SE Asia itineraries balanced and controlled which is why I thought this sudden cancellation of Ovation’s Feb 15^th completely “out of character” given there are no reported cases on board and the fact Singapore is on record of no plans to increase its current alert level.

 

I wonder if this Carnival Corp press release was a harbinger of a message coming from the parent to its subsidiaries, I refer:

Carnival Corporation & plc Update On Financial Impact Of Coronavirus

MIAMI, Feb. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc is closely monitoring the evolving situation with respect to Coronavirus.  The safety of guests and employees, compliance and protecting the environment are top priorities for the company. The company's medical experts are coordinating closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for its guests, crew and ships.  The company's global team is working tirelessly to support guests impacted by voyage disruptions during this unprecedented time. 

Travel restrictions as a result of Coronavirus necessitated the suspension of cruise operations from ports in China, as was previously announced, and are now resulting in the cancellation of voyages in other parts of Asia.  Significant events affecting travel typically have an impact on booking patterns, with the full extent of the impact generally determined by the length of time the event influences travel decisions.  As a result of Coronavirus, the company believes the impact on its global bookings and cancelled voyages will have a material impact on its financial results which was not anticipated in the company's previous 2020 earnings guidance.

Since the situation continues to evolve, the company is currently unable to determine the full financial impact on its fiscal year 2020. However, while not currently planned, if the company had to suspend all of its operations in Asia through the end of April, this would impact its fiscal 2020 financial performance by $0.55 to $0.65 per share, which includes guest compensation. In addition, the impact on global bookings will further affect the company's financial performance. The company is currently evaluating contingency plans to mitigate the impact and will provide an update with its first quarter 2020 earnings release in late March.

[Janet987]

New Travel Advisory, posted in the past few hours since I last checked:  https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/news.html

 

 

February 14, 2020

Seabourn Cruise Line has cancelled the next voyage on Seabourn Ovation. The decision comes out of an abundance of caution considering the highly dynamic and unpredictable changes we have seen the past couple of weeks in travel restrictions and port operations that could affect the cruise. While we expect things will stabilize, we never want to put our guests in the position of a having an experience that doesn’t live up to their expectations.    

Seabourn Ovation was due to depart Singapore on February 15, 2020 for a 14-day round trip cruise. We have had no known or suspected cases of coronavirus on board. 

Affected guests will receive a refund of the fare paid for the 14-day voyage. Because the cruises were cancelled close to the departure dates, guests will also receive a future cruise credit. Guests and travel advisors are being notified and those guests in Singapore will be hosted in local hotels while they rebook their onward travel. While this decision will be disappointing for our guests, we feel they will understand the commitment to continue to work closely with the health authorities because we share a common goal of looking after the safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the places we visit.

We continue to assess the situation and will provide a further update on future voyages in Asia once we have more information.

[oceanviewer21]

2 hours ago, Cantara24 said:

I viewed Seabourn’s actions towards it’s SE Asia itineraries balanced and controlled which is why I thought this sudden cancellation of Ovation’s Feb 15^th completely “out of character” given there are no reported cases on board and the fact Singapore is on record of no plans to increase its current alert level.

 

 

 

I wonder if this Carnival Corp press release was a harbinger of a message coming from the parent to its subsidiaries, I refer:

 

Carnival Corporation & plc Update On Financial Impact Of Coronavirus

MIAMI, Feb. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc is closely monitoring the evolving situation with respect to Coronavirus.  The safety of guests and employees, compliance and protecting the environment are top priorities for the company. The company's medical experts are coordinating closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for its guests, crew and ships.  The company's global team is working tirelessly to support guests impacted by voyage disruptions during this unprecedented time. 

 

Travel restrictions as a result of Coronavirus necessitated the suspension of cruise operations from ports in China, as was previously announced, and are now resulting in the cancellation of voyages in other parts of Asia.  Significant events affecting travel typically have an impact on booking patterns, with the full extent of the impact generally determined by the length of time the event influences travel decisions.  As a result of Coronavirus, the company believes the impact on its global bookings and cancelled voyages will have a material impact on its financial results which was not anticipated in the company's previous 2020 earnings guidance.

 

Since the situation continues to evolve, the company is currently unable to determine the full financial impact on its fiscal year 2020. However, while not currently planned, if the company had to suspend all of its operations in Asia through the end of April, this would impact its fiscal 2020 financial performance by $0.55 to $0.65 per share, which includes guest compensation. In addition, the impact on global bookings will further affect the company's financial performance. The company is currently evaluating contingency plans to mitigate the impact and will provide an update with its first quarter 2020 earnings release in late March.

 

Could they be trying to keep the ship out of danger from Covid-19 so that it will be able to head back to Europe virus free on the 14th March or possibly earlier should things worsen before then. I would have thought it number one priority should be to get back to Europe.

[Cantara24]

Thanks oceanviewer21, I am sorry, you have completely missed the point in my post. I can't help you with that as this forum is not conducive with normal conversation. Suffice to say there are options that may now become a solution, circumnavigation of Oz perhaps, who knows ... just think'n.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Cantara24

[rols]

Moving briefly away from Seabourn, does anyone else feel a sense of outrage that Japan decided to quarantine 4000 people on a cruise ship on which there had been a known case. Even though everyone was segregated to their own rooms there was no way people living in such close quarters were not going to infect each other. To date nearly 300 people have become sick, most of whom I would hazard a reasonably reliable guess would not have become so had they been disembarked and taken to a proper quarantine facility, or allowed to be flown home by their host nations and quarantined there. 

I know Japan has asked that the infections are not counted 'against Japan', however I think their dreadful treatment of these passengers has caused many more to become sick than needed to and these infections should absolutely be counted as part of Japan's totals. 

[teamflames]

5 minutes ago, rols said:

Moving briefly away from Seabourn, does anyone else feel a sense of outrage that Japan decided to quarantine 4000 people on a cruise ship on which there had been a known case. Even though everyone was segregated to their own rooms there was no way people living in such close quarters were not going to infect each other. To date nearly 300 people have become sick, most of whom I would hazard a reasonably reliable guess would not have become so had they been disembarked and taken to a proper quarantine facility, or allowed to be flown home by their host nations and quarantined there. 

I know Japan has asked that the infections are not counted 'against Japan', however I think their dreadful treatment of these passengers has caused many more to become sick than needed to and these infections should absolutely be counted as part of Japan's totals. 

Have you followed the thread on the Princess board? Very heated arguments on there whether the infected are the result of the quarantine, if you express your view on that thread be prepared for some heated debate 

[rols]

1 hour ago, teamflames said:

Have you followed the thread on the Princess board? Very heated arguments on there whether the infected are the result of the quarantine, if you express your view on that thread be prepared for some heated debate 

I haven't. And now I shall not! 

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, rols said:

Moving briefly away from Seabourn, does anyone else feel a sense of outrage that Japan decided to quarantine 4000 people on a cruise ship on which there had been a known case. Even though everyone was segregated to their own rooms there was no way people living in such close quarters were not going to infect each other. To date nearly 300 people have become sick, most of whom I would hazard a reasonably reliable guess would not have become so had they been disembarked and taken to a proper quarantine facility, or allowed to be flown home by their host nations and quarantined there. 

 

I've been following a couple who are quarantined on the Princess Diamond on Facebook.  Their names are David Abel and Sally Abel.  David is doing several videos a day.  They have now been tested for the virus and are awaiting results.  It is a very tense situation for them and for all the others on the ship---especially the crew who have kept working and have been more exposed than the passengers to the virus.  I think this is the sort of situation the other cruise lines are trying to prevent.  There is talk now that even when these unfortunate people are allowed off the ship, there were will further quarantines.  They reported that planes are being sent for the Americans which will take them back to the United States.  Nothing of this sort has been done for those from the UK---and some are unhappy about that.  

Edited February 15, 2020 by SLSD

[oceanviewer21]

8 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I've been following a couple who are quarantined on the Princess Diamond on Facebook.  Their names are David Abel and Sally Abel.  David is doing several videos a day.  They have now been tested for the virus and are awaiting results.  It is a very tense situation for them and for all the others on the ship---especially the crew who have kept working and have been more exposed than the passengers to the virus.  I think this is the sort of situation the other cruise lines are trying to prevent.  There is talk now that even when these unfortunate people are allowed off the ship, there were will further quarantines.  They reported that planes are being sent for the Americans which will take them back to the United States.  Nothing of this sort has been done for those from the UK---and some are unhappy about that.  

Chance for Richard Branson to get some more publicity?