Am I the only one who is still thinking about going on my cruise?

[blueslily]

Thank you for this thread. Helps reduce the blood pressure after reading all the other anger and hysteria on this site right now. Goodness, nobody is making people sail. 

 

And thanks for the comment about MSC being smaller than some of the other cruise lines that folks keep comparing it to. 

 

To everyone traveling, be safe, have fun, and enjoy the ocean! 

[blueslily]

1 hour ago, Talex831 said:

Nope, come hell or high water, flu or corona, we are sailing Seaside on April 4th. Unless the ship doesn't sail, we are there.

 

Hahaha. 

[brightestfan]

5 hours ago, SSelinger said:

We are nervous to go on 3/21 on seaside because several of us have underlying health issues and my husband is 83 which puts him in a high risk category. Did MSC give the option to rebook because when I called they offered nothing.  

Yes, the Assurance Policy begins tomorrow, the 10th.  I just read it.  You can re book with a Future Cruise Credit up until December 31 2021.  Only on sailings that you have prior to July31, 2020.

[blueslily]

For those going on the Meraviglia, enjoy the 60s/70s party. I was on her last month and it was my favorite party. Some of the confetti made it home with me. Lol

[misika]

We are also booked on the Seaside on Mar 21.  And like many others, because we are healthy and not in a high risk group, I am not worried about getting sick, but about being stuck/quarantined for 2 weeks and missing work, etc.   We live in Florida and cruise often by just driving to the port, but we are traveling this time with another couple who is flying in from up north.  As of right now three of us are ready to go and do not want to cancel.  The fourth person is hesitant, just as afraid of getting sick as being quarantined.  However, at this point we are going. 🤞

 

Wondering how many fellow passengers will make it to the ship?  We went on the Seaside back in September and it was a very small population of Americans, 

[cruisingnewtoit]

On X for a June Alaskan cruise. Husband and I are still planning on going but I am worried about the possibility of an extended quarantine. The Cost of our three dogs having to stay in boarding for 14 days will not be pretty. Plus my husband does not have the time off from work for the quarantine. 

 

We are sailing from Seward to Vancouver. We do have travel insurance. 

[jb0506]

Still planning on going. Leaving on Mera on March 29. Me, wife, kid, parents(mid-60's), and in-laws (70's). All in decent health.

[Beardface]

Honestly, having just got off the Seaside, I'm looking at some of the deals that are being announced right now to get people back onto a ship, and some of them are incredibly tempting for later this year

[jules815]

Sailing on Seaside April 18.  No plans to cancel.  

 

We always take out the insurance and also, for the past 5 years, we always insure our flights as well.  (We have parents in their 90's, so they're always a concern when we travel. They live in assisted living and are well cared for, but you just never know.)

 

 

 

 

 

[Markanddonna]

We all have to remember that this virus is unprecedented. I was thinking this morning that my DH and I have never lived through anything like this in our lives!  It is uncharted territory and I'm not blaming the CDC or current administration because of that. China wallowed secretly with this virus for a few months before it adopted draconian measures. No other country seems to be doing much better than our country either!  Check this website and note the number of cases per million of the population has coronavirus. That statistic is in the last column. Considering the huge international population we have in the USA, I think we've done a pretty good job. Because the dynamics and facts are evolving, we can't expect that all medical doctors and government officials to have the 100% accurate answers for us. Right now, the CDC is telling people not to cruise, but yet many still are even though they can cancel.

 

Also, I reflect on this fact: Neither my husband nor I nor our deceased parents who were born after 1918 have ever encountered anything quite like this before. I remember the "Hong Kong flu" in the last 1960s and the more recent ones, but none that have ever turned the world upside down like this. My grandparents lived through the Spanish flu, and that might be the equivalent. That was named the Spanish flu only because more people died in Spain than anywhere else- no one knows where it originated.

 

We love to travel, but are hunkering down for a while. It seems like the responsible thing to do for ourselves, our friends and family, and the country. This is the first time in eight years that we don't have at least one cruise booked. 

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

[sidari]

BF ... You might want to read this.

 

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-stop-saying-its-a-bad-flu-doctor-fighting-italy-outbreak-shares-dramatic-account-11954229?fbclid=IwAR1kVXfFccleUVhV9G-kFGQ09WUzrxA4PgeZQKwDDFS1pVetQSUytF_LMQ4

[alyssamma]

34 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

We all have to remember that this virus is unprecedented. I was thinking this morning that my DH and I have never lived through anything like this in our lives!  It is uncharted territory and I'm not blaming the CDC or current administration because of that. China wallowed secretly with this virus for a few months before it adopted draconian measures. No other country seems to be doing much better than our country either!  Check this website and note the number of cases per million of the population has coronavirus. That statistic is in the last column. Considering the huge international population we have in the USA, I think we've done a pretty good job. Because the dynamics and facts are evolving, we can't expect that all medical doctors and government officials to have the 100% accurate answers for us. Right now, the CDC is telling people not to cruise, but yet many still are even though they can cancel.

 

Also, I reflect on this fact: Neither my husband nor I nor our deceased parents who were born after 1918 have ever encountered anything quite like this before. I remember the "Hong Kong flu" in the last 1960s and the more recent ones, but none that have ever turned the world upside down like this. My grandparents lived through the Spanish flu, and that might be the equivalent. That was named the Spanish flu only because more people died in Spain than anywhere else- no one knows where it originated.

 

We love to travel, but are hunkering down for a while. It seems like the responsible thing to do for ourselves, our friends and family, and the country. This is the first time in eight years that we don't have at least one cruise booked. 

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

The virus is anything but unprecedented. In fact, every year in the USA there is a much more deadly virus - the flu. It's already killed 20,000+ people this year in the USA alone. CV has killed less than 100 in the USA.

 

China did not "wallow" secretly for "months". The first case there (depending on which source you take) was either the beginning or the end of December. Taking the earliest date of December, it was only a month until January 7th when the WHO identified the new virus.

 

Lastly, you have encountered something like this before...you do every year...the flu.

 

None of this is to say you should ignore CV. You should absolutely practice good hygiene, washing hands frequently and correctly, not touching face, etc.

 

The only thing we haven't encountered before is the blind panic - for no reason - that the virus has produced. 

[camofwilliamsburg]

Not to get political, but some already have! This is nothing to do with the administration...this administration worked faster than the last when we had swine flu shutting down areas of travel as fast as he could.Maybe Congress could have done something faster but they have been consumed with impeachment hoax as well as many other hoaxes to rid us of this administration.   This President reacted faster and did more than any other in terms of protection of our people. He said not to be hysterical over this, in actuality it is less than regular flu deaths in a particular year, but he was not undermining the severity of this .... He said go on with life and take precautions necessary as you would in flu season.   This forum is NOT the place for anyone to say anything negative about how this is being handled by the administration and the CDC.  Stop making this political as the media is doing.... this is their last chance to throw shade to this admin and blame for this and the media is making it bigger than it is to sensationalize and make the country scared and not trust the admin.   Enough.... if you are at risk then you should take precautions, other than that, wash hands , wash hands , wash hands!

 

Also, we must give credit to all the cruise lines who have given such lenient cancellation policies to help make these decisions to cancel not a financial one.  Also we must thank them all for working so hard once on the ship to make sure we are all safe with the extreme cleaning and screening measures they are taking.

[Beardface]

19 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

The virus is anything but unprecedented. In fact, every year in the USA there is a much more deadly virus - the flu. It's already killed 20,000+ people this year in the USA alone. CV has killed less than 100 in the USA.

 

China did not "wallow" secretly for "months". The first case there (depending on which source you take) was either the beginning or the end of December. Taking the earliest date of December, it was only a month until January 7th when the WHO identified the new virus.

 

Lastly, you have encountered something like this before...you do every year...the flu.

 

None of this is to say you should ignore CV. You should absolutely practice good hygiene, washing hands frequently and correctly, not touching face, etc.

 

The only thing we haven't encountered before is the blind panic - for no reason - that the virus has produced. 

 

The blind panic happened because its an election year and the US media pounced on it to drive an election year narrative.  Notice how quickly they pounced on the administration for cuts to the CDC over the last few years (which may or may not have actually happened, depending on what source you listen to).  The WHO saw an opportunity to make a name for themselves by playing into that hysteria, and caused the rest of the world to absolutely melt down over it all.  Now we are at the point where an major European country will quarantine it entire population because 0.015% of its citizens have tested positive.

 

And this paranoia is now getting to the point where I'm reading articles and listening to news stories that are trying to tell people that even if they show no symptoms at all, that they should still be concerned they could be a carrier of the disease and should still seclude themselves from society, even if they've already tested negative for it.  Logic and reason have long since gone out the window here.

[SHayesShip]

I just booked last week for an April, 2020 cruise on the Armonia. I am 64 years old and in good health. I will be taking as many precautions as possible and plan on having a good time on the Armonia. 

[alyssamma]

12 minutes ago, Beardface said:

And this paranoia is now getting to the point where I'm reading articles and listening to news stories that are trying to tell people that even if they show no symptoms at all, that they should still be concerned they could be a carrier of the disease and should still seclude themselves from society, even if they've already tested negative for it.  Logic and reason have long since gone out the window here.

This.

 

I want to try and stay apolitical, but the 24hr news cycle definitely wants to scare everyone...and they have.

 

Again, CV *is* serious and we should do what we can to stop it. But the panic it has caused is simply not warranted. People just need to take normal precautions, wash their hands, and go about their normal lives.

 

For every cruise horror story there are a hundred that have zero problems. True, if you are that 1 in 100 it sucks for you, but ships have been missing ports (due to weather) for a while now. Other things (Divina coming back from Columbia) have caused massive delays at customs. Yes, 14 day quarantines are new and certainly not something anyone wants to go through, but percentage-wise this is a drop in the bucket compared to all of the cruises that have zero problems.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

15 hours ago, blueslily said:

And thanks for the comment about MSC being smaller than some of the other cruise lines that folks keep comparing it to. 

 

This statement is factually incorrect.

 

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company which is one of the worlds leading shipping companies, operating for nearly 50 years, with over 70,000 employees, so there is that.

 

But if we are just talking cruise ships,  MSC  "is the fourth largest cruise operator in the world, after Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd."

https://foe.org/cruise-lines/msc-cruises/

 

The major difference between MSC and the 'big dogs' is that MSC is not publicly traded. The other cruise lines all have to answer to share holders.  MSC only answers to themselves which is why they don't always put their customers first. This is likely why MSC receives an F from the better business bureau (BBB).  https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/profile/cruises/msc-cruises-inc-0633-14001025

 

Where I do give MSC some slack is that they are dealing with an insane number of languages because they are operating in so many countries. If you follow this company long enough, you too will likely come to the conclusion that the left hand and the right hand are rarely on the same continent. Take all the miscommunication regarding FCC for example.

 

MSC is an excellent budget oriented cruise line, but you often get what you pay for in life. Personally, I think it's one of the best values in the industry right now, but I don't sail on MSC expecting the same level of quality I pay for on other lines. Beer budget does not yield champagne.

 

To answer the OP's original question, my group of 8 has bailed. I may have chosen to travel, but a girlfriends trip without friends isn't the same. I think the hysteria will die down soon enough, but no one knows exactly how far it will go before things turn. There have been  more disruptions to cruise ships ports again today.  Hawaii's Lt Governor has put a ban on all cruise ships on the table. The Caribbean Princess was issued a "DO NOT SAIL'" order yesterday by the CDC and (I believe) is returning to Fort Lauderdale due waiting for test results from crew exposed.

https://time.com/5799954/caribbean-princess-coronavirus-fear/

 

Those traveling in late April and May still have some time to see how this pans out. This weekends turn around will be a decent predictor of just how far the CDC is taking things. Those traveling in the next few weeks should be prepared for rough seas. We are in unprecedented times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fishwife2016]

My husband and I are still planning to go on our Armonia cruise on March 30th.  Fingers crossed it goes smoothly.

[Markanddonna]

2 hours ago, alyssamma said:

The virus is anything but unprecedented. In fact, every year in the USA there is a much more deadly virus - the flu. It's already killed 20,000+ people this year in the USA alone. CV has killed less than 100 in the USA.

 

China did not "wallow" secretly for "months". The first case there (depending on which source you take) was either the beginning or the end of December. Taking the earliest date of December, it was only a month until January 7th when the WHO identified the new virus.

 

Lastly, you have encountered something like this before...you do every year...the flu.

 

None of this is to say you should ignore CV. You should absolutely practice good hygiene, washing hands frequently and correctly, not touching face, etc.

 

The only thing we haven't encountered before is the blind panic - for no reason - that the virus has produced. 

You must have misunderstood what I was saying, or I'm pretty sure we aren't living on the same planet. In my six decades on earth, I don't recall countries closing their borders like China and Italy have done and putting their country into quarantine. I wasn't saying that the coronavirus is worse than the Type A Flu.  I'm talking about the policies restricting movement.  When I was a baby, our house was put under quarantine by the county health dept. because of my sister's scarlet fever but have never lived through an event like this. 

 

Maybe I have a different view because I am now in that group that the CDC is concerned about. I'm actually low risk because of my good health, but I have a spouse who is high risk. The warning yesterday was for our group to prepare for weeks of isolation at home. I'm not panicking or panic buying. I think about the consequences of future actions if I don't heed the advice from our government.

[alyssamma]

1 minute ago, Markanddonna said:

You must have misunderstood what I was saying

Sorry, yes, misunderstood 🙂

 

I agree...I haven't seen this level of panic either. We are on the same page then.

 

Borders closed, schools closed, etc. We are close in age...I haven't seen anything like it either!

 

Kevin

 

[bombcat9]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

This statement is factually incorrect.

 

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company which is one of the worlds leading shipping companies, operating for nearly 50 years, with over 70,000 employees, so there is that.

 

But if we are just talking cruise ships,  MSC  "is the fourth largest cruise operator in the world, after Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd."

https://foe.org/cruise-lines/msc-cruises/

 

The major difference between MSC and the 'big dogs' is that MSC is not publicly traded. The other cruise lines all have to answer to share holders.  MSC only answers to themselves which is why they don't always put their customers first. This is likely why MSC receives an F from the better business bureau (BBB).  https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/profile/cruises/msc-cruises-inc-0633-14001025

 

Where I do give MSC some slack is that they are dealing with an insane number of languages because they are operating in so many countries. If you follow this company long enough, you too will likely come to the conclusion that the left hand and the right hand are rarely on the same continent. Take all the miscommunication regarding FCC for example.

 

MSC is an excellent budget oriented cruise line, but you often get what you pay for in life. Personally, I think it's one of the best values in the industry right now, but I don't sail on MSC expecting the same level of quality I pay for on other lines. Beer budget does not yield champagne.

 

To answer the OP's original question, my group of 8 has bailed. I may have chosen to travel, but a girlfriends trip without friends isn't the same. I think the hysteria will die down soon enough, but no one knows exactly how far it will go before things turn. There have been  more disruptions to cruise ships ports again today.  Hawaii's Lt Governor has put a ban on all cruise ships on the table. The Caribbean Princess was issued a "DO NOT SAIL'" order yesterday by the CDC and (I believe) is returning to Fort Lauderdale due waiting for test results from crew exposed.

https://time.com/5799954/caribbean-princess-coronavirus-fear/

 

Those traveling in late April and May still have some time to see how this pans out. This weekends turn around will be a decent predictor of just how far the CDC is taking things. Those traveling in the next few weeks should be prepared for rough seas. We are in unprecedented times.

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

This statement is factually incorrect.

 

MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company which is one of the worlds leading shipping companies, operating for nearly 50 years, with over 70,000 employees, so there is that.

 

But if we are just talking cruise ships,  MSC  "is the fourth largest cruise operator in the world, after Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd."

https://foe.org/cruise-lines/msc-cruises/

 

The major difference between MSC and the 'big dogs' is that MSC is not publicly traded. The other cruise lines all have to answer to share holders.  MSC only answers to themselves which is why they don't always put their customers first. This is likely why MSC receives an F from the better business bureau (BBB).  https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/profile/cruises/msc-cruises-inc-0633-14001025

 

Where I do give MSC some slack is that they are dealing with an insane number of languages because they are operating in so many countries. If you follow this company long enough, you too will likely come to the conclusion that the left hand and the right hand are rarely on the same continent. Take all the miscommunication regarding FCC for example.

 

MSC is an excellent budget oriented cruise line, but you often get what you pay for in life. Personally, I think it's one of the best values in the industry right now, but I don't sail on MSC expecting the same level of quality I pay for on other lines. Beer budget does not yield champagne.

 

To answer the OP's original question, my group of 8 has bailed. I may have chosen to travel, but a girlfriends trip without friends isn't the same. I think the hysteria will die down soon enough, but no one knows exactly how far it will go before things turn. There have been  more disruptions to cruise ships ports again today.  Hawaii's Lt Governor has put a ban on all cruise ships on the table. The Caribbean Princess was issued a "DO NOT SAIL'" order yesterday by the CDC and (I believe) is returning to Fort Lauderdale due waiting for test results from crew exposed.

https://time.com/5799954/caribbean-princess-coronavirus-fear/

 

Those traveling in late April and May still have some time to see how this pans out. This weekends turn around will be a decent predictor of just how far the CDC is taking things. Those traveling in the next few weeks should be prepared for rough seas. We are in unprecedented times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of cruising, which is what I was referring to, MSC is the little dog compared to Royal, Carnival and Norwegian. They have an even smaller section of the US market versus globally.  I wasn't referring to their shipping capabilities or operations. I thought that was implied but I realize I should have clarified. Have you cruised with MSC before? What were your complaints? Just curious.

 

[Danny61231]

This post is about people who have cruises coming up soon and still plan on going.

 

PLEASE KEEP ALL POLITICAL POSTS OR POSTS DISCUSSING THE HISTORY OF DISEASES OUT OF THIS POST!

 

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far and shared their plans!

[BermudaBound2014]

@bombcat9 I’ve cruised with msc twice. Once YC and once fantastica balcony with two more bookings upcoming. I haven’t cruises as much as some on here but I’m closing in on 40 so I’m not inexperienced. 
 

My suggestions for improvement echo the majority of reviews- food quality, inconsistent service, and very difficult shoreside experience. It’s a budget cruise line, but offers exceptional value. 

 

You claimed that MSC was significant Smaller Corp than the others. It’s not. Msc is the fourth largest cruise company in the world. My comment about the shipping aspect was to provide a more complete picture.. If you consider the shipping aspects, msc is one of the largest (or perhaps THE largest) sailing right now. You’d think they would be much more organized and well thought out given the Size. This is no small operation. 
 

Of course, you are free to cut them some slack but I would suggest that msc made a blunder being so far behind the competition with fcc. In my group of 8, two are mscderanged and will never ever set foot on msc again- two are highly unlikely to sail with msc, and four of us are “cutting them some slack” because we understand and accept that msc has some shortcomings. 
 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

@bombcat9 I just did a quick google search for number of ships in each fleet for the sake of accuracy. 

 

Carnival 29
RCL 26
Princess 20
MSC 18
NCL 17
Costa 16
Holland America 15 
Celebrity 15

Aida 14

Oceana, Azamiran, Seabourn, P&O, Fred Olsen, etc.. all have less than 10.

Viking has 61 ships (ocean and river) which I found really interesting

 

Obviously some of these lines are partners, much like MSC cruises and MSC shipping.

 

PS: Please understand that I am not trying to be argumentative. I can understand how you would make the mistake of thinking MSC was smaller than the competition.

[blueslily]

Looks like its not needed.

 

Happy sailing to everyone who is going this month. Pack some extras just in case. 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by blueslily