PRINCESS SHIPS & CORONA VIRUS

[Fido Chuckwagon]

2 hours ago, Lauraa88 said:

If princess offered us a refund we’d cancel. I just can’t afford to lose out on £7,000. Granted they’ll take it off of another cruise but I’d rather have the money back in my bank account! 
 

There’s over 250 empty cabins on our cruise at the moment. Caribbean princess 21st March 

I understand and feel for you.  With that said, you should maybe consider that you are falling for the sunk cost fallacy.  You aren't losing £7,000, that money is already spent.  If you were offered to cruise on that ship for free tomorrow would you take it?  I submit any sane rational person at this point would not.  Will you have fun on this cruise knowing that you could get sick?  That you could get quarantined?  That you could get the bug and not know it and spread it back home to your loved ones?

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Not to mention with all of the FCCs these cruise lines are giving out I would expect that the prices will be high next year with the demand of passengers wanting to use their FCCs. The same trip next year will probably cost you more.

I am thinking a lot of people won't use them and the cruise lines will gain that money.

[Iamcruzin]

13 minutes ago, Coral said:

I am thinking a lot of people won't use them and the cruise lines will gain that money.

Maybe the few new cruisers but anyone who enjoys cruising is probably already looking into booking them. This incident will be forgotten as fast as it came, especially by those who canceled and don't have a bad experience to reflect on. 

[Cruise Raider]

8 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I think you are more at risk sitting in the theatre with people in very close proximity, and also in elevators, compared with sitting with others at a dining table.

perhaps .... and yes, a crowded theater is not my idea of a germ free environment.  And, I can and do usually use the stairs but if I have luggage in hand, yes, I might use the elevator.  The reason I mention sitting at a table with others is because fellow passengers reach into the bread bowl ... I’ve even seen them pick up a roll and put it back after finding the roll they want.  Yuk...no bread for me.  Or double dipping in a shared condiment.  Double yuk!  I don’t even like to use the salt and pepper shakers on the table.  If you are packed in tight at a table, I’ve seen people spit while talking ... seen other’s food out of their mouth land right on my plate.  It’s not commonplace but, I’ve been cruising for decades and I’ve definitely encountered table mates that could be sick that don’t have the same table manners we were taught as children ... and my time working in infection control in a hospital has reinforced my avoidance of this.  It sometimes becomes a chore to wait for a table for two ... but, I do it and will definitely do it from now on.  

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, Pushka said:

To be blunt, this is ridiculous. The point of any cruise is to relax, enjoy and be social. Now every time some one comes close to us we have to move away? How does that translate to being in a lift? We can only to travel two (as a couple) per lift? How about at the bar? The Buffet? In a theatre? This is such a "CYA - blame the passenger" statement.  If that's the best any cruiseline can offer in terms of safety then it's all over. 

I'm also wondering what the over all experience on board will be. If the ships sail half full will they dumb down the buffets offering less? Will  some entertainment be canceled?  Will the over all energy be low key?  Will people be as outgoing looking to make friends?  We went to the supermarket yesterday and it's usually a mad house on Sunday and yesterday we didn't even wait on a long line.  We also went to the local deli for breakfast and there were only 2 other couples there. There is a counter line a mile long at this deli every day all day. Yesterday was unusual to say the least.

[Level six]

Agree.  All the things that make cruising fun for us will not be able to happen with distancing. 

 

Trivia(have to be close enough to whisper)

Dance lessons/zumba(floor is always packed)

Theater  (always packed and someone always coughing)

Just meeting other passengers is the fun part.  

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

To those who believe Princess should refund cash for cruises cancelled by guests, my guess is that they are in a horrible cash crunch right now. We are due two checks for refundable OBC and received one check in the incorrect amount.  When I called three weeks ago today, I was asked if I would accept significantly more money in FCC to be used within a year rather than a check. We declined that offer (which tells you our views on cruising right now).  We were told it would take at least six weeks for a check and are still waiting. 

[Coral]

35 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Maybe the few new cruisers but anyone who enjoys cruising is probably already looking into booking them. This incident will be forgotten as fast as it came, especially by those who canceled and don't have a bad experience to reflect on. 

It took a long time after 9-11 for people to travel.

 

I know frequent cruisers who have decided land vacations are best and may not return to cruising.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Coral

[Reader0108598]

5 minutes ago, Coral said:

It took a long time after 9-11 for people to travel.

 

I know frequent cruisers who have decided land vacations are best and may not return to cruising.

Yep we are on the fence for various reasons this does not help! Not the cruise lines fault but we have other options...like walking to a store for soda or water maybe a beer here and there without paying a ransom.

[Level six]

18 minutes ago, Coral said:

I know frequent cruisers who have decided land vacations are best and may not return to cruising.

 

We cruise a lot and this weekend we almost bought an RV to replace our habit of cruising!!  

[Reader0108598]

4 minutes ago, Level six said:

 

We cruise a lot and this weekend we almost bought an RV to replace our habit of cruising!!  

We also love cruising ,but the shine is wearing off after 30 cruises we are rethinking our choices.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Reader0108598

[Iamcruzin]

26 minutes ago, Coral said:

It took a long time after 9-11 for people to travel.

 

I know frequent cruisers who have decided land vacations are best and may not return to cruising.

Well we have been doing more land vacations than cruises but that has more to do with all of the changes they are making across the industry. I can't say I have a favorite line anymore. It's down to who offers the best price and what can I live without as far as over all experience.  I don't think people are going to let those cruise credits go to waste. 

[LoriPhil]

While we cruisers would love to get a cash refund vs FCC, the hard reality is that cruise lines continue to have massive on-going expenses, regardless if ships are sailing half empty or cruises cancelled so those payments are already spent. While it’s not our fault that this pandemic is making a hash of things, it’s not the cruise lines’ either, and  I want Princess to be a functional business when cruising is back on the menu so I can use that FCC in future.

[Elizabeth K.]

You can take all the precautions you want. Its the other passengers who may be less conscientious that you have to worry about. Like the man in front of us at the theatre where we had to wait to tender off, who was flossing his teeth. Yes I am serious. Or the  passengers who can't remember not to pick their noses. Or those that still cough in their hands. And there was the young woman with a really nasty cough sitting at my gate at the airport post cruise. My apologies for being blunt but that's the reality. I just go off the Royal on Saturday and am really glad to be home.  We made the decision to go at the last minute having waffled all week. We'd have lost all of our fare even though we had insurance. And we thought we'd be OK. And we are. But it was hard to not feel a bit anxious all week.

[Reader0108598]

12 minutes ago, LoriPhil said:

While we cruisers would love to get a cash refund vs FCC, the hard reality is that cruise lines continue to have massive on-going expenses, regardless if ships are sailing half empty or cruises cancelled so those payments are already spent. While it’s not our fault that this pandemic is making a hash of things, it’s not the cruise lines’ either, and  I want Princess to be a functional business when cruising is back on the menu so I can use that FCC in future.

Agree but our money is just as important not our fault not their fault  give the money back to the people that paid it! If they want to book another cruise they will ,do not hold them hostage by the Fcc's !

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2020 by Reader0108598

[Fido Chuckwagon]

44 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

Agree but our money is just as important not our fault not their fault  give the money back to the people that paid it! If they want to book another cruise they will ,do not hold them hostage by the Fcc's !

 

 

 

I also hate to be the Debbie Downer here but these FCC's are likely not going to be worth the paper they are printed on in 6 months.  These cruise companies are on a one way train to bankruptcy right now.  They're all highly leveraged and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will be able to survive.  The stock prices of the cruise companies just continue to crater day after day.  

[BballinQT24]

59 minutes ago, Elizabeth K. said:

You can take all the precautions you want. Its the other passengers who may be less conscientious that you have to worry about. Like the man in front of us at the theatre where we had to wait to tender off, who was flossing his teeth. Yes I am serious. Or the  passengers who can't remember not to pick their noses. Or those that still cough in their hands. And there was the young woman with a really nasty cough sitting at my gate at the airport post cruise. My apologies for being blunt but that's the reality. I just go off the Royal on Saturday and am really glad to be home.  We made the decision to go at the last minute having waffled all week. We'd have lost all of our fare even though we had insurance. And we thought we'd be OK. And we are. But it was hard to not feel a bit anxious all week.

I felt this way on my last cruise before all this started. Kind of puts you on edge.

 

Unfortunately many people just think of themselves and don’t care about infecting others. They don’t want to miss out so instead of doing the responsible thing and staying to themselves if possible, they go out and spread it around. An illness one person considers not a big deal for themselves could turn into a hospital stay for someone else. Until people practice better hygienic practices and stay to themselves things can spread around no matter what the crew does.

 

This isn’t limited to cruises but it sure feels amplified when you’re in an elevator or sitting in the theatre with someone hacking up or wiping their face, putting hands in their mouth, etc near you.

Edited March 9, 2020 by BballinQT24

[HalifaxUKFirstTimers]

My take is that the Cruise Lines are in a no win situation. Clearly, they need to keep customers happy but also need to keep their cash flow positive in what must be difficult and testing times. 
 

They are faced with a perfect storm of having to cancel cruises with the resulting loss of income and also knowing that folk will not be as keen to book future cruises, Add to that the stock market’s collapse and easy to see why they would not want to jeopardize their future income.

 

Carnival are the biggest Cruise company and one hopes that they have the resources to ride this out but for sure it is going to be a difficult period and in the future we will probably see a reduction in ships.

 

one final point, as first time cruisers who have our first ever cruise booked for November, the current position is making me a little nervous to be honest.

[Reader0108598]

32 minutes ago, Fido Chuckwagon said:

I also hate to be the Debbie Downer here but these FCC's are likely not going to be worth the paper they are printed on in 6 months.  These cruise companies are on a one way train to bankruptcy right now.  They're all highly leveraged and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will be able to survive.  The stock prices of the cruise companies just continue to crater day after day.  

I agree return my money the way I gave it to you.

[sunshine 229]

30 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

I agree return my money the way I gave it to you.

I sympathize with your feelings but sometimes, when something bad happens, everyone has to feel some of the pain. 

If everyone tries to get all their money back right now,  it may just drive the industry into complete collapse with the final result that no one will get their money and the future cruise credits will also be worthless for those who were willing to accept them. If everyone would have some patience, we all might do better in the end, but I have lived long enough to know that calling for patience and some sort of community spirit is probably  useless. So many people will all just be thinking about themselves and getting their money back before anyone else does.

[Lauraa88]

9 minutes ago, sunshine 229 said:

I sympathize with your feelings but sometimes, when something bad happens, everyone has to feel some of the pain. 

If everyone tries to get all their money back right now,  it may just drive the industry into complete collapse with the final result that no one will get their money and the future cruise credits will also be worthless for those who were willing to accept them. If everyone would have some patience, we all might do better in the end, but I have lived long enough to know that calling for patience and some sort of community spirit is probably  useless. So many people will all just be thinking about themselves and getting their money back before anyone else does.

I half agree BUT my husband and I can only afford one cruise a year. If we don’t get a refund for our cruise on 21st March and we don’t travel we won’t be able to afford another holiday this year. Why should we be penalised? This cruise had cost us £7,000..... not a small sum of money! For people travelling imminently I think we should be refunded. For people  who are travelling April/May onwards, I think the FCC is reasonable at the moment but should be reviewed regularly. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by Lauraa88

[Reader0108598]

20 minutes ago, sunshine 229 said:

I sympathize with your feelings but sometimes, when something bad happens, everyone has to feel some of the pain. 

If everyone tries to get all their money back right now,  it may just drive the industry into complete collapse with the final result that no one will get their money and the future cruise credits will also be worthless for those who were willing to accept them. If everyone would have some patience, we all might do better in the end, but I have lived long enough to know that calling for patience and some sort of community spirit is probably  useless. So many people will all just be thinking about themselves and getting their money back before anyone else does.

Been around for awhile myself..lol  I can only cruise once a year like others now have to watch my retirement money 🙂 I did not have a cruise booked but i still think they should return peoples money. Some people have to put in for vacation way ahead of time my job was like that!  Plus flights and hotel! to be honest not really concerned about their company .

Edited March 9, 2020 by Reader0108598

[chipmaster]

2 hours ago, Fido Chuckwagon said:

I also hate to be the Debbie Downer here but these FCC's are likely not going to be worth the paper they are printed on in 6 months.  These cruise companies are on a one way train to bankruptcy right now.  They're all highly leveraged and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will be able to survive.  The stock prices of the cruise companies just continue to crater day after day.  

 

Money is almost free now, someone will buy them for their assets as many of us will cruise again, but not now, LOL

 

Like the banks a few years ago, and airlines, the business is huge and profits there, they won't go bankrupt, that is real sky is falling thinking, but COVID19 will kill millions by next year that is a certainty!

[caribill]

7 hours ago, Pushka said:

And that is exactly why people just can't bear to cancel. It is so much money to lose and I just don't want any FCC. Who knows what happens in 12 months time? We already have 2021 cruises planned. It's useless to us. 

 

The FCC can be used to help pay for your already booked Princess 2021 cruises.

[MissP22]

It's hard not to feel concerned about catching anything this time of year so we decided to push out Mar 16th trip out till the fall.

It never seems to fail that we catch something after returning home in the spring. We figured why chance it especially when they gave us the opportunity to cancel without penalty. 

They'll be many more chances to cruise in the future.