CARNIVAL CORONA VIRUS THREAD

[amyotravel]

Just now, thesmiths said:

It's all based on how much rust a ship has.. from what I heard.

 

🧯

 

 

Not all based on that. But factors in! 😉

[coevan]

2 hours ago, amyotravel said:

You don't have to cruise a lot to have a PVP. But totally understandable if you would rather not have one.

 

I would have asked to talk to a supervisor. The email she was referencing may be the one someone posted on CC this morning. Did you read that post? If not, you should go see if you can find that.

 

 

However, Michael 123 said he booked with a third party discount agent. Technically CCL does not have to answer his questions. They should be directed by the outside T.A. I would have asked if they had the correct email.

[amyotravel]

9 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

However, Michael 123 said he booked with a third party discount agent. Technically CCL does not have to answer his questions. They should be directed by the outside T.A. I would have asked if they had the correct email.

Coevan, while I totally understand your point, I would not expect a third party to have the best info. If I book a United flight through xxx website, I cannot call United and ask a question? I know they don't have to answer questions, but I would hope they would want to give better info than a random site.

Edited March 4, 2020 by amyotravel

[petkind]

On ‎02‎/‎03‎/‎2020 at 10:15 AM, eas2225 said:

From where I live, there is no mass hysteria at all!  We went to the grocery store Friday night, then to BJ's (like Costco), and was able to purchase everything we needed.

 

Maybe its regional, not sure.

 

I'm concerned because we are on the Legend in September, leaving from Venice and my husband has pulmonary/cardiac issues, so I do want to know what's going on with the virus.

 

No hysteria, just a normal concern.

We are booked on the Legend on July 29 out of Venice and I am real nervous about going now.  We have fully paid for the cruise as well as the flight, so we are talking big money here for the two of us.  I'm not a rich person at all, but I would rather lose my money than have health issues.  If we do cancel, I hope we do get most of our money back as we do have insurance, but who knows if they would honor it.

[pacruise804]

7 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

In reference to your comment about Carnival having a business to run, I totally agree.  I think it is important to recognize their stance, their market and their environment (what the rest of the cruise lines are doing).  There have been comments here about comparison to what the airline industry is doing in terms of cancellation and allowing change.  While good information, it is truly apples and oranges.  I hope you make the right decision for you.

 

I can provide an apples to apples comparison - although definitely different varieties like red delicious to honey crisp 😉.  We have a Carnival Legend Journey cruise booked for May as well as a Viking Ocean Iconic Southern Caribbean booked for November, both through the same travel agent.  We have heard nothing from Carnival yet about our May cruise, but did receive an e-mail earlier this week from Viking.  Following is a snippet of that e-mail:

 

This is a situation that can change from day to day, and we can well understand that the decision of whether or not to travel may be weighing on your mind – particularly for those with imminent departures. 

In view of this we are for the time being making a temporary exception to our cancellation policy so that you can be free to postpone your cruise at any time up until 24 hours before the planned departure, without incurring any cancellation fees. You will be issued a voucher for future travel valid for 24 months, which can be used on any Viking product (river, ocean or expedition). This temporary exception to our standard cancellation policy is applicable for all guests who currently have a reservation with Viking and for all new reservations made through April 30, 2020.

 

So here is an example of what one line is doing.

 

4 hours ago, Tiffnate531 said:

I feel like most of the ports are pretty much the same.  They all offer pretty much the same type of excursions.  So I am in the belief of that as long as we have a few ports to enjoy some excursions I am happy. After all any port is better than work right??

 

Totally depends on the itinerary 😉 I do agree that I can find something to enjoy on almost any cruise and at any port.  Last September we thought we were going to Bermuda and instead got diverted to Charleston, SC - oddly enough there were aspects of the ports that weren't that much different 🙂 

 

I'd like to share a proverb I read years ago that I think applies to this (really most) cruising climate: 

Blessed are the flexible, for we shall not be bent out of shape. 😎

[Kobeattle]

19 minutes ago, petkind said:

We are booked on the Legend on July 29 out of Venice and I am real nervous about going now.  We have fully paid for the cruise as well as the flight, so we are talking big money here for the two of us.  I'm not a rich person at all, but I would rather lose my money than have health issues.  If we do cancel, I hope we do get most of our money back as we do have insurance, but who knows if they would honor it.

 

We are also booked on Legend this summer. We are watching the situation closely. We are prepared for the possibility that Legend may not be going to Europe at all this summer. Since Venice is in the Veneto region, I don't know how Carnival could possibly impose any kind of restrictions like RC added recently.

 

In any case, I wish Carnival could come to some kind a decision soon before our final payment is due.  

[melissa84]

We have a cruise booked in a few weeks.  DS has a school trip planned, and the timing was just perfect for us to squeeze in a quick cruise while he was gone.  With all of the conventions and business travel cancellations that I am seeing, I am starting to think that it would not be a surprise if his school trip were cancelled.

 

Do you think that lots of people are cancelling their cruises this close to sailing date?  I am wondering how hard it will be to add him to our cruise if his trip falls through.   We have a two person cabin, and would need to upgrade to a 3-person cabin.  I am thinking if there are lots of cancellations then that will be pretty easy to do.

[petkind]

11 minutes ago, Kobeattle said:

 

We are also booked on Legend this summer. We are watching the situation closely. We are prepared for the possibility that Legend may not be going to Europe at all this summer. Since Venice is in the Veneto region, I don't know how Carnival could possibly impose any kind of restrictions like RC added recently.

 

In any case, I wish Carnival could come to some kind a decision soon before our final payment is due.  

I haven't checked yet, but do know how their cancellation policy works?  We have fully paid for our cruise and have the insurance, but like I mentioned before, I don't know if they would honor it just because people are too scared to go.

[pacruise804]

34 minutes ago, petkind said:

We are booked on the Legend on July 29 out of Venice and I am real nervous about going now.  We have fully paid for the cruise as well as the flight, so we are talking big money here for the two of us.  I'm not a rich person at all, but I would rather lose my money than have health issues.  If we do cancel, I hope we do get most of our money back as we do have insurance, but who knows if they would honor it.

 

I also hope you are covered, but here is a different thought that might help:

 

Since you have paid for the cruise and flight it might help to consider that money gone, and rather consider the future expenses.  If you take your cruise there will still be more costs in drinks, gratuities, excursions, etc.  If you don't go you won't have those costs but also won't have the memories of the trip.

 

Our upcoming cruise is a "free" cruise due to a future cruise credit from a cruise we took last year that was affected by a hurricane.  We are grateful for the credit as it is allowing us to take a Journey's cruise we might not have otherwise considered this year, but we are looking at around $2000 in taxes, fees, gratuities, excursions, etc for a "free" cruise 😉 

 

We had friends return from a mission trip in Guatemala recently.  They shared about a local family they had been supporting over the years who are now in turn sharing the little they have with those in the even more remote portions of their country.  It may not feel like it, but sitting here discussing cruises - we are rich 🙂 Best wishes in your decision.

[LaRue1975]

4 hours ago, Newfun4me said:

We're on the same cruise and I've been a bit stressed out, as well.  My biggest concern is some sort of quarantine.  We want to go, but also recognize that it is a fluid situation.  I'd feel a lot better if I could just cancel with a full refund and go once this has all calmed down.    

I was in exactly your place last week but have moved through it and I’m now looking forward to the cruise again. There is more information out there now and I do not think it is a danger for my family to cruise as we are all in good health, the hubby and I might be seniors but I don’t think we are elderly yet, lol!

 

As far as quarantine, not nearly as concerned, I think the Diamond Princess proved that is not the right thing to do. After I return I am planning to self quarantine myself from my 90 year old mother who is in an assisted living facility for at least two weeks. We can talk five tlmes a day via phone and I can still supervise her care. 
 

It helped me tremendously that my daughter and SIL are firmly in favor of still going on the cruise and bringing the grandson. We will be celebrating my daughter’s 40th birthday. I made it very clear to them it was not a problem to cancel, regardless of a refund. 
 

This special family trip has had plenty of complications. I booked it a year in advance for Easter Week, then my daughter’s mother in law booked a Disney Cruise the same week for their entire family as a surprise Christmas gift. 😱🤦🏼‍♀️ Thank goodness she was able to switch her cruise to March 20th so the kids return from that cruise less than two weeks before our cruise. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed they are not exposed during the first cruise which would prevent them from going on our cruise. I do believe that would be covered by a Carnival Refund and if not my travel insurance covers quarantine as a reason to cancel, we got this! 

[petkind]

4 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I also hope you are covered, but here is a different thought that might help:

 

Since you have paid for the cruise and flight it might help to consider that money gone, and rather consider the future expenses.  If you take your cruise there will still be more costs in drinks, gratuities, excursions, etc.  If you don't go you won't have those costs but also won't have the memories of the trip.

 

Our upcoming cruise is a "free" cruise due to a future cruise credit from a cruise we took last year that was affected by a hurricane.  We are grateful for the credit as it is allowing us to take a Journey's cruise we might not have otherwise considered this year, but we are looking at around $2000 in taxes, fees, gratuities, excursions, etc for a "free" cruise 😉 

 

We had friends return from a mission trip in Guatemala recently.  They shared about a local family they had been supporting over the years who are now in turn sharing the little they have with those in the even more remote portions of their country.  It may not feel like it, but sitting here discussing cruises - we are rich 🙂 Best wishes in your decision.

Thank you so much for your comments pacruise804 - I feel so much better.  You are correct that if we do not get the money back, at least we will save in drinks, excursions etc.  This would have been our 17th cruise which one back in 2014 had originated from Venice so it's not like we have never been to that beautiful city.  I believe we have made the decision to cancel and hope that this virus gets contained somehow.  

[Kobeattle]

13 minutes ago, petkind said:

I haven't checked yet, but do know how their cancellation policy works?  We have fully paid for our cruise and have the insurance, but like I mentioned before, I don't know if they would honor it just because people are too scared to go.

 

I think you need to check with your TA (unless you booked directly with Carnival) for the exact terms and conditions, in addition to the insurance policy you took out. In our case, our deposit is refundable and we'll get 100% of the money back before 91+ days of the departure. So for the moment there is no risk for us.  We paid for our flights by points, so it'll cost some money to change/cancel flights, which is not as big a hassle as having non-refundable revenue tickets...

[LaRue1975]

Watching the Coronavirus press conference, Vice President Pence and the members of the task force will be meeting with representatives from the cruise industry on Saturday. I think this is great, it should help the cruise industry to make good decisions going forward regarding this health issue. 

[LaRue1975]

The CDC also confirmed during the press conference that there is a cluster of infections from a cruise ship that is being investigated in California. It was reported earlier that the one death in California was an elderly woman who had recently returned from a Princess Cruise from San Francisco to Mexico. Overall the press conference was reassuring, guess we will have to wait and see if or how the new cruise ship info affects our situations. 

[ilovesparky13]

1 minute ago, LaRue1975 said:

The CDC also confirmed during the press conference that there is a cluster of infections from a cruise ship that is being investigated in California. It was reported earlier that the one death in California was an elderly woman who had recently returned from a Princess Cruise from San Francisco to Mexico. Overall the press conference was reassuring, guess we will have to wait and see if or how the new cruise ship info affects our situations. 

I really hope it’s okay. 😬 I have a cruise leaving from San Francisco this May. Only difference is that mine is going to Alaska rather than Mexico. 

[Hoosierpop]

this situation with the Princess ship in SF is interesting. The passengers got off the ship 2/21, 10 days ago. Two people have been diagnosed and one of those has died. I know the incubation period is long, but it seems like if there was a widespread outbreak on that ship, more people would be sick. Or maybe they are, but just have minor symptoms. Or, they haven’t gotten sick, but will.

 

Time will tell.

[Jerseygirl1416]

4 minutes ago, Hoosierpop said:

this situation with the Princess ship in SF is interesting. The passengers got off the ship 2/21, 10 days ago. Two people have been diagnosed and one of those has died. I know the incubation period is long, but it seems like if there was a widespread outbreak on that ship, more people would be sick. Or maybe they are, but just have minor symptoms. Or, they haven’t gotten sick, but will.

 

Time will tell.

But how many healthy people who get a cold or the flu for that matter go to a Dr.? I think there’s probably many many more people who have been infected and have recovered without being counted. It looks like the cats out of the bag in the NY area so I’m thinking the hysteria and quarantine’s are coming to an end soon.

[Hoosierpop]

1 minute ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

But how many healthy people who get a cold or the flu for that matter go to a Dr.? I think there’s probably many many more people who have been infected and have recovered without being counted. It looks like the cats out of the bag in the NY area so I’m thinking the hysteria and quarantine’s are coming to an end soon.

Agree. And I hope that’s true. Meaning, that if people are getting it and recovering from it, the hysteria will lessen. I’m not trying to dismiss people dying. But so far, everyone who has died in the US has had other conditions which contributed to the death.

 

Again, I’m not trying to say it’s OK that people die. But the hysteria around this is not helpful.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I can provide an apples to apples comparison - although definitely different varieties like red delicious to honey crisp 😉.  We have a Carnival Legend Journey cruise booked for May as well as a Viking Ocean Iconic Southern Caribbean booked for November, both through the same travel agent.  We have heard nothing from Carnival yet about our May cruise, but did receive an e-mail earlier this week from Viking.  Following is a snippet of that e-mail:

 

This is a situation that can change from day to day, and we can well understand that the decision of whether or not to travel may be weighing on your mind – particularly for those with imminent departures. 

In view of this we are for the time being making a temporary exception to our cancellation policy so that you can be free to postpone your cruise at any time up until 24 hours before the planned departure, without incurring any cancellation fees. You will be issued a voucher for future travel valid for 24 months, which can be used on any Viking product (river, ocean or expedition). This temporary exception to our standard cancellation policy is applicable for all guests who currently have a reservation with Viking and for all new reservations made through April 30, 2020.

 

So here is an example of what one line is doing.

 

 

Totally depends on the itinerary 😉 I do agree that I can find something to enjoy on almost any cruise and at any port.  Last September we thought we were going to Bermuda and instead got diverted to Charleston, SC - oddly enough there were aspects of the ports that weren't that much different 🙂 

 

I'd like to share a proverb I read years ago that I think applies to this (really most) cruising climate: 

Blessed are the flexible, for we shall not be bent out of shape. 😎

Fair enough, how many ships does Viking ocean have?   Where are their itineraries?  Point me to a major line. How many people cruisr in them week to week?  I have no idea what the second point is. 

[Derbie]

My husband and I are on the Horizon starting April 18th.  We are in the period to lose 50% at this point.  I am hoping Carnival will come forward with some options; otherwise, we will just hang in there and make our decision on the last day of this timeframe.  We hate to lose so much money, but unless things settle down by the sailing date, we will have a hard decision to make.  I have to fly next week, and this is a little unsettling.  NY and Los Angeles, as well as the ship off the coast in CA are adding to the climate of fear in regards to cruising and traveling in general. 

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I can provide an apples to apples comparison - although definitely different varieties like red delicious to honey crisp 😉.  We have a Carnival Legend Journey cruise booked for May as well as a Viking Ocean Iconic Southern Caribbean booked for November, both through the same travel agent.  We have heard nothing from Carnival yet about our May cruise, but did receive an e-mail earlier this week from Viking.  Following is a snippet of that e-mail:

 

This is a situation that can change from day to day, and we can well understand that the decision of whether or not to travel may be weighing on your mind – particularly for those with imminent departures. 

In view of this we are for the time being making a temporary exception to our cancellation policy so that you can be free to postpone your cruise at any time up until 24 hours before the planned departure, without incurring any cancellation fees. You will be issued a voucher for future travel valid for 24 months, which can be used on any Viking product (river, ocean or expedition). This temporary exception to our standard cancellation policy is applicable for all guests who currently have a reservation with Viking and for all new reservations made through April 30, 2020.

 

So here is an example of what one line is doing.

 

 

Totally depends on the itinerary 😉 I do agree that I can find something to enjoy on almost any cruise and at any port.  Last September we thought we were going to Bermuda and instead got diverted to Charleston, SC - oddly enough there were aspects of the ports that weren't that much different 🙂 

 

I'd like to share a proverb I read years ago that I think applies to this (really most) cruising climate: 

Blessed are the flexible, for we shall not be bent out of shape. 😎

It took me a bit but I do get the Delicious to Honey Crisp😀 

[petkind]

11 minutes ago, Derbie said:

My husband and I are on the Horizon starting April 18th.  We are in the period to lose 50% at this point.  I am hoping Carnival will come forward with some options; otherwise, we will just hang in there and make our decision on the last day of this timeframe.  We hate to lose so much money, but unless things settle down by the sailing date, we will have a hard decision to make.  I have to fly next week, and this is a little unsettling.  NY and Los Angeles, as well as the ship off the coast in CA are adding to the climate of fear in regards to cruising and traveling in general. 

Oh my goodness, is there another ship in jeopardy now?

[Canada_Cruiser2012]

We also are booked April 18 on Horizon.  This Grand Princess situation has us concerned, so we are going to cancel and take the 50% hit. Be safe everyone.

[Hoosierpop]

8 minutes ago, Canada_Cruiser2012 said:

We also are booked April 18 on Horizon.  This Grand Princess situation has us concerned, so we are going to cancel and take the 50% hit. Be safe everyone.

We are on the 4/18 Horizon. Looking forward to the potential room upgrades. Unless it’s canceled. Would suck but would get all our money back.

[coevan]

6 hours ago, amyotravel said:

Coevan, while I totally understand your point, I would not expect a third party to have the best info. If I book a United flight through xxx website, I cannot call United and ask a question? I know they don't have to answer questions, but I would hope they would want to give better info than a random site.

 

 

you can't compare United or AA, as Carnival definitely wants you to call your T.A. and have them ask the questions. Personally I shop third party and always buy directly through the airline, changes are so much easier.