Predict when cruising will start again post-Coronavirus

[Peacefulness]

On 5/10/2021 at 1:35 PM, LittleFish1976 said:

 

The most effective and important action that is required to defeat covid is to minimise movement of people!

 

If your country were in a similar position to ours then I guess there would be a very good chance that you could be allowed to travel here (for reference the travel bubble Australia has with New Zealand). It's not just what's happening here, in our country, the problem is (also) what's happening in the rest of the world.

 

Vaccination isn't a universal panacea although it's a very modern way to think about huge problems - that there must be an easy solution that won't cost any of us any inconvenience.

 

The truth of the covid pandemic is that it absolutely s*cks and it's a tragedy for the whole world. Most of us are going to have to put up with inconvenience (such as disruption to our travel plans). Some of us have been separated from close family members living overseas (I won't have seen one of my children for a year and a half by the time I - hopefully - see her in a few months. And most of the world is suffering a much worse fate than those of us in wealthy, western countries, be they northern or southern hemispheres.

 

I've already accepted I'll almost certainly never get back to Europe as it will be risky for many years to come, let alone travel to Antarctica via South America which I had hoped to do one day.

 

I can be sympathetic to someone's disappointment but I think you should turn your sour grapes into something more appetising than coming at our country's policies which are keeping us very safe and with a brilliant quality of life.

 

Wonderfully written.

Tania

[mr walker]

1 hour ago, mr walker said:

Both are cruisers.

 

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

😁 Both were cruisers.

Well I know one has booked a 4N P&O cruise in Dec '21 😮

[By The Bay]

9 minutes ago, mr walker said:

 

Well I know one has booked a 4N P&O cruise in Dec '21 😮

Will the cruise ships require passengers to be vaccinated here in OZ? The CDC is requiring 95% of passengers to be vaccinated for cruising to resume in US of A. I know we are not controlled by the CDC here in OZ. Princess cruising in the UK is limited to vaccinated UK resident passengers only. I can see the same happening here.

[dandtgeddes]

Gidday fellow cruisers-in-waiting 😉

 

I have our March 2020 trip rebooked for March 2022, what do you reckon, should I stop looking at Sydney hotels now?

 

TraceyG 🙂

[By The Bay]

8 minutes ago, dandtgeddes said:

Gidday fellow cruisers-in-waiting 😉

 

I have our March 2020 trip rebooked for March 2022, what do you reckon, should I stop looking at Sydney hotels now?

 

TraceyG 🙂

If cruising hasn't restarted, which unfortunately I doubt, you can still fly.

[ilikeanswers]

2 hours ago, Jacaluke said:

We are booked on a HAL Australia circumnavigation cruise in December 2021 - we are on the southern segment of the cruise, leaving from Perth and docking in Sydney Dec 22.  After this it heads to NZ.  Although this cruise doesn't enter international waters, is it still unlikely to go ahead due to the ship having to travel here from another country?  Also a lot of the travellers booked on the cruise are from the US.  I'm not very hopeful of it going ahead.

 

I think it is not looking hopeful for 2021 cruise and I would be surprised if we opened up to USA this year. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

Will the cruise ships require passengers to be vaccinated here in OZ? The CDC is requiring 95% of passengers to be vaccinated for cruising to resume in US of A. I know we are not controlled by the CDC here in OZ. Princess cruising in the UK is limited to vaccinated UK resident passengers only. I can see the same happening here.

I hope so. Even though I will have been vaccinated fully I don't want to be on a ship with some covidiot who also doesn't believe in good personal hygiene. Being vaccinated doesn't give complete immunity and I would not like my cruise to be cut short by someone who brought the virus onboard with them then coughed all over me.

[mr walker]

15 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

Will the cruise ships require passengers to be vaccinated here in OZ? The CDC is requiring 95% of passengers to be vaccinated for cruising to resume in US of A. I know we are not controlled by the CDC here in OZ. Princess cruising in the UK is limited to vaccinated UK resident passengers only. I can see the same happening here.

I'm not sure on the rationale for the 95% number. Surely the aim is for 100%. I recall reading that it was an allowance covering that U12's are not being jabbed, and perhaps for those that can't have the vaccine for medical reasons??

For me to cruise, it would have to be 100% vaccinated - crew & passengers, and only local ports, or I guess COVID-safe shore excursions, which wouldn't suit me

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, Russell21 said:

Things are getting desperate in our household. SWMBO has asked me to look at Train to and from MELBOURNE, with a 4 or 5 night stay in a city hotel. The horrible thing is it is starting to look attractive to me.

Train to Melbourne isn’t bad, I’ve done it a couple of times.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, mr walker said:

I'm not sure on the rationale for the 95% number. Surely the aim is for 100%. I recall reading that it was an allowance covering that U12's are not being jabbed, and perhaps for those that can't have the vaccine for medical reasons??

For me to cruise, it would have to be 100% vaccinated - crew & passengers, and only local ports, or I guess COVID-safe shore excursions, which wouldn't suit me

When I have had both COVID vaccinations, I will be happy to cruise but I would like all other passengers and the crew to also be vaccinated. I will take my chances on shore excursions.

[Chiliburn]

5 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

When I have had both COVID vaccinations, I will be happy to cruise but I would like all other passengers and the crew to also be vaccinated. I will take my chances on shore excursions.

I was listening to that dr Norman swan on the ABC .

he said that they are researching for older people in Australia will get the 2 AZ shots and a booster Pfizer one when it’s more available.

Its believed a combination will be very effective.

[cruisingaussies]

4 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I think the time line is flexible but I can tell you now the major cruise ships are not going to be waiting for the government to confirm, they just won't be coming here for the summer.

Agree, after Frydenberg's announcement and with the short notice border closures and NZ bubble pauses, I can't seen any cruise line taking a chance sending a ship here for the season.  There goes our Xmas/NY cruise for the second year in a row.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We'll lose three cruises if the season doesn't happen.

 

Oh well, I just calculated that the savings from those would cover half the cost of a world cruise for two in 2025, assuming the world has settled down by then. 

[cruisingaussies]

We lost four cruises last year.  It sounds as if you're young enough to think about 2025 which is great for you.  Usually (that is, used to) fly to Europe every year and cruise/stay but every year as we get older, it doesn't get any easier.  Not that I'd want to go there for a while but it would be nice to be able to make a plan for early 2022.  Obviously not going to happen.

I'm sure we all appreciate being here and safe but what is going to happen to our poor tourism industry, which is already in tatters.

[onlyslightlymad]

I haven't seen this mentioned although I'm sure those of you in Aus are already in the know.

 

Qantas has pushed back the restart date for most of its international network after the federal budget revealed Australia’s border will likely remain shut until the middle of next year.

In the latest blow to its overseas flying plans, Australia’s largest airline said on Tuesday it would cancel all international flights other than to New Zealand scheduled from October 31 through to December 20.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/qantas-delays-resumption-of-international-flying-after-budget-blow-20210512-p57r5s.html

[cruisingaussies]

 

Comment from Margy Osmond from the Tourism Transport Forum:

"... the far-off opening date assumed by the budget would be devastating for business.

"We will see more job losses and we will see many, many business failures out of this and when the borders do finally open," she said.

"In the absence of any additional ongoing support, we'll be lucky to have a tourism industry to welcome international tourists back into the country." 

(From abc.net.au)

I expect Qantas will be able to keep limping on with domestic flights operating but with its lucrative long haul business closed down for the foreseeable future, it's going to be a very long and hard road.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, cruisingaussies said:

We lost four cruises last year.  It sounds as if you're young enough to think about 2025 which is great for you.  Usually (that is, used to) fly to Europe every year and cruise/stay but every year as we get older, it doesn't get any easier.  Not that I'd want to go there for a while but it would be nice to be able to make a plan for early 2022.  Obviously not going to happen.

I'm sure we all appreciate being here and safe but what is going to happen to our poor tourism industry, which is already in tatters.

I don't know about "young enough" 🤣 but since all we'd have to do is get down to Circular Quay to board the ship it hopefully won't be too much for us. 😊 We loved the 35 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruuse we did in 2019 so think we would enjoy a longer cruise.

 

I'm still gutted over the Western Europe cruise we lost last year. I doubt we'll want to do the long haul flights by the time Europe opens up again safely so we'll never get a chance to do that sort of cruise again. 😥

[cruisingaussies]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I don't know about "young enough" 🤣 but since all we'd have to do is get down to Circular Quay to board the ship it hopefully won't be too much for us. 😊 We loved the 35 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruuse we did in 2019 so think we would enjoy a longer cruise.

 

I'm still gutted over the Western Europe cruise we lost last year. I doubt we'll want to do the long haul flights by the time Europe opens up again safely so we'll never get a chance to do that sort of cruise again. 😥

Understand!  Still hoping we'll be 'fit' enough to get on a long haul whenever it's possible but tremble to think what the travel insurance rates will be.  😬

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, cruisingaussies said:

Understand!  Still hoping we'll be 'fit' enough to get on a long haul whenever it's possible but tremble to think what the travel insurance rates will be.  😬

Yes, travel insurance could be the deal breaker. The cruise lines might need to offer travel insurance to get enough passengers for long distance cruising.

[cruisingaussies]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, travel insurance could be the deal breaker. The cruise lines might need to offer travel insurance to get enough passengers for long distance cruising.

That could be a go-er.

[possum52]

9 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Yes, travel insurance could be the deal breaker. The cruise lines might need to offer travel insurance to get enough passengers for long distance cruising.

Perhaps for all cruising Julie. Travel insurance is my main concern other than passengers and crew being vaccinated about going on a cruise. As it is 6 months to our next cruise I looked at Insure and Go recently (our usual travel insurer). We usually have chosen their cruise cover. On their website, you can only choose domestic flights to be covered. 

 

Leigh

[OzKiwiJJ]

16 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Perhaps for all cruising Julie. Travel insurance is my main concern other than passengers and crew being vaccinated about going on a cruise. As it is 6 months to our next cruise I looked at Insure and Go recently (our usual travel insurer). We usually have chosen their cruise cover. On their website, you can only choose domestic flights to be covered. 

 

Leigh

We got ten months of an annual policy "on hold" with Insure and Go which we can reactivate any time. We bought it just before Covid hit. 

[Aus Traveller]

We usually rely on the Visa card 'free' travel insurance. We had to claim once and there were no problems. Unless they drastically change the terms and conditions, I will continue to use this insurance. There is an excess to pay ($200 I think), but I consider this as paying an insurance premium but I only have to pay it if I lodge a claim. Even so, $200 is pretty cheap insurance.

[NSWP]

7 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I think the time line is flexible but I can tell you now the major cruise ships are not going to be waiting for the government to confirm, they just won't be coming here for the summer.

Totally agree Mic

[NSWP]

5 hours ago, dandtgeddes said:

Gidday fellow cruisers-in-waiting 😉

 

I have our March 2020 trip rebooked for March 2022, what do you reckon, should I stop looking at Sydney hotels now?

 

TraceyG 🙂

Come over and rent a car for a month, see Straya.