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New suspension dates until after 11 May (merged)


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I hate to be pessimistic and would love to be on my balcony sailing from Athens on October 3rd but I really am starting to think that the 2020 summer cruise season is a write off. I just feel for all the staff and crew on the ships. I hope the company will look after them. 

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Do they believe that they even have a remote chance of commencing cruising operations in five weeks?  They're insulting their customers.  My Siversea (another RCCL brand) is less than seven weeks away and I would think about taking the 125% credit, but I am getting so frustrated with this company, that I'm now considering just waiting on a refund check.  They are insulting their customers.  We all know it's about protecting their cash flow, but this could backfire on them.

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All travel companies seem to be operating on similar principles. There’s a large element of hope over experience and knowledge. Dates vary a bit, but most seem to be accepting booking for May and/or June dates. Seems to me unlikely that anyone will be travelling before autumn at the very earliest.

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11 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

All travel companies seem to be operating on similar principles. There’s a large element of hope over experience and knowledge. Dates vary a bit, but most seem to be accepting booking for May and/or June dates. Seems to me unlikely that anyone will be travelling before autumn at the very earliest.

Agree and that’s why I cannot understand why the illusion of anything other than this continues to be portrayed.  All marketing should be suspended as it’s just creating an impression of being out of touch with reality and a greed to grab revenue.  In all conscience how can you sell a cruise for May in the Mediterranean- four weeks from now.  
 

All lines should project far further forward with the possible start date.  It’s going to take a while to get ships into location, berths secured, crews turned around safely, provisions obtained, shore services sourced, flights back operating (most aircraft will have to go through some servicing/maintenance before being redeployed). So I’d like a touch more realism than May 11th and that might improve cash flow from some (but not all) customers.  


I appreciate it’s a tough time for travel agents and little sales help as one poster highlighted but actually I don’t know anyone for whom it’s not a tough time financially and many people have absolutely zero earnings a capability just now (and in some cases none of the support schemes will recompense them).  So shut up the sales and redeploy these staff to refund processing.  Maybe employ displaced independent agents to give more administrators to process queries and refunds.....

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1 hour ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

All travel companies seem to be operating on similar principles. There’s a large element of hope over experience and knowledge. Dates vary a bit, but most seem to be accepting booking for May and/or June dates. Seems to me unlikely that anyone will be travelling before autumn at the very earliest.

 

May 11 is a fantasy and I agree that this summer is a washout because this pandemic will not simply "go away".  At the very least, reset dates should be July, at the earliest.  I am considering not being committed to any cruise until they come up with a vaccination.  That might be a prudent traveler approach.  We are hitting "peak", whatever that means, in several US east coast cities in the next couple of weeks, and that doesn't mean that life is back to normal post peak.  It won't be.

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The frustration with Azamara is the inability to be straight with customers, we were booked on Quest’s 17th March sailing which was as cancelled on the 10th March. I have an email from Azamara Dated 9th March stating that the sailing would be proceeding as planned, this is despite by then four of the planned ports were listed on Cruise Critic as closed to cruise ships, including our embarkation/disembarkation port. Only reason I can see they for this reply was to try and force me to take the FCC being offered rather than admit the cruise was unviable and having to offer a refund, remember this was just days before we were due to fly.

Further the cancellation email offered compensation for flight changes but this appears to be window dressing, ours has been refused because our non refundable flights were cancelled, ours couldn’t be changed but if they had what are we going to change them too the World is in lockdown. In the US it might be possible to change to domestic flights which appear to be continuing, this is not the case I’m Europe.

We are now being told refunds will be paid in 30 days, but 30 days from when? From the date of cancellation, date of original departure or the date we’re being told 30 days? Nobody is specific, on top of this we are seeing reports that customers who cancel future cruises are receiving refunds already.

Currently the U.K. FCO are advising against travel indefinitely and our lockdown could continue to the end of May at the earliest so even if the cruise lines could put together cruises by mid May we would be unable to take them. Reality is that this Summer’s European cruise season is not going to happen so it would be better for all cruise lines to admit this and allow those booked to move bookings into 2021 when hopefully we will see some normality return.

 

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We are booked on Pursuit from Lisbon May 14th.

 

Dated April 8th,

 

Today the Commission invited Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU until 15 May. The experience of Member States and other countries exposed to the pandemic shows the measures applied to fight the spread of the virus require more than 30 days to be effective. The Commission calls for a coordinated approach to the prolongation, as action at the external borders can only be effective if implemented by all EU and Schengen States at all borders, with the same end date and in a uniform manner. Link to full details;

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_616

 

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On 4/10/2020 at 4:32 PM, MNgardens said:

The earliest possible date for cruising would be sometime in July provided that the CDC declares the pandemic to be over.

 

Yes, just waiting for our cancellation notices for May (been expecting them it won’t be a shock). No point in going for FCC given the letter requirement (ok maybe that’s temporary but for how long, can’t risk it). Will be interesting to see how long we wait for our refunds. I feel a big home decoration project coming on - anyone else now decided they are fed up with the colours of their walls? 

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1 hour ago, uktog said:

Yes, just waiting for our cancellation notices for May (been expecting them it won’t be a shock). No point in going for FCC given the letter requirement (ok maybe that’s temporary but for how long, can’t risk it). Will be interesting to see how long we wait for our refunds. I feel a big home decoration project coming on - anyone else now decided they are fed up with the colours of their walls? 

 

Take care, they are warnings about do-it-yourself projects resulting in extra demand on hospital emergency departments particularly over Bank Holidays.

That's my excuse for sitting in the summer house with a glass of wine anyway.

My lawn mower is broken and I am trying to get a new part.

So I am sat listening to the birds singing and watching the grass growing.

 

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1 hour ago, uktog said:

Yes, just waiting for our cancellation notices for May (been expecting them it won’t be a shock). No point in going for FCC given the letter requirement (ok maybe that’s temporary but for how long, can’t risk it). Will be interesting to see how long we wait for our refunds. I feel a big home decoration project coming on - anyone else now decided they are fed up with the colours of their walls? 

 

I wonder sometimes if the replacement for the temporary letter requirement might be a vaccination.  While I just turned 60, I have a real fear of getting on a cruise ship while this pandemic is still out there.  We will move our Galapagos out from this May until next May if Silversea allows it, but that is only because I believe 100 person expedition carries less risk and is more easily managed than a ship 7 times the size.  We would not take our 4/26/21 cruise on the Pursuit in Japan unless there would be a vaccine by then.  

Edited by hubofhockey
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28 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

 

I wonder sometimes if the replacement for the temporary letter requirement might be a vaccination.  While I just turned 60, I have a real fear of getting on a cruise ship while this pandemic is still out there.  We will move our Galapagos out from this May until next May if Silversea allows it, but that is only because I believe 100 person expedition carries less risk and is more easily managed than a ship 7 times the size.  We would not take our 4/26/21 cruise on the Pursuit in Japan unless there would be a vaccine by then.  

One of the UK companies trying to develop a vaccine is hoping they may have developed one by September this year, providing their current trials go well. Obviously even if this works out it would be a while before becoming generally available, but even so that’s good news. Like you we would feel much happier cruising if we had had a vaccination. We also agree that some sort of vaccination certificate may be acceptable as a replacement for a doctor’s letter.

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One just can't rely on when. I heard optimistic September this year. I saw Bill Gates on TV this morning. He speaks very sensibly from a position of experience and he thinks a vaccine won't be ready for perhaps 18 months once they have been trialled on humans. 

 

Galapagos is even less likely to happen.than mainstream in spite of the size of ship. The authorities are extremely careful. 

 

Phil 

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I don’t want to be selfish on this one so the availability of a vaccine would still give me a dilemma.
Once they do get a valid vaccine I hope globally there is some way the roll out can be based on need not want. It’s not a need it’s a want if I go and try and jump the line by paying for a vaccine so I can cruise. I’m afraid in some communities that might happen. 

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51 minutes ago, uktog said:

I don’t want to be selfish on this one so the availability of a vaccine would still give me a dilemma.
Once they do get a valid vaccine I hope globally there is some way the roll out can be based on need not want. It’s not a need it’s a want if I go and try and jump the line by paying for a vaccine so I can cruise. I’m afraid in some communities that might happen. 

I’m assuming that over 70s ( or possibly over 65s) would be one of the first groups, especially those with a condition that makes them more vulnerable. 

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5 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I’m assuming that over 70s ( or possibly over 65s) would be one of the first groups, especially those with a condition that makes them more vulnerable. 

 

Much more likely to be essential workers and health service staff.

That is were the priorities should be and deservedly so in my opinion.

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1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

One just can't rely on when. I heard optimistic September this year. I saw Bill Gates on TV this morning. He speaks very sensibly from a position of experience and he thinks a vaccine won't be ready for perhaps 18 months once they have been trialled on humans. 

 

Galapagos is even less likely to happen.than mainstream in spite of the size of ship. The authorities are extremely careful. 

 

Phil 

 

They should be the most careful.  We'll reschedule for next May, but it's no lock that cruise will happen.  Ecuador has been rocked by COVID-19.  

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25 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Much more likely to be essential workers and health service staff.

That is were the priorities should be and deservedly so in my opinion.

And it’s a global not UK issue so other countries essential workers come ahead of the over 70s

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6 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Of course, I was assuming that would be the case.

 

Thought that you would, us oldies will have to wait our turn, I honestly believe a virus for the masses is a long way off.

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25 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Thought that you would, us oldies will have to wait our turn, I honestly believe a virus for the masses is a long way off.

I ment to say a vaccine for the virus, any senior moment.

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On 4/13/2020 at 1:49 AM, excitedofharpenden said:

After your post about Guayaquil a few days ago I looked it up. Truly awful. 

 

Phil 

I moved my Galapagos cruise to next May, was due to go this May, we added on a private land tour on return to Guayaquil and my Agent who does land tours through South America was pretty happy to re-book us for next year as they are expecting some normality back by then so that’s hopeful!!

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For those looking to plan future cruises - please note that it is unlikely any cruises will occur

in Australia for at least 12 months. There are currently criminal investigations into the Ruby Princess.

 

Over 600 passengers have covid-19 and about 20 have died

Cruise ships are not the flavour of the month and one of the top news stories.

 

Australia has some the most stringent restrictions in place

Australians may not be allowed to fly overseas until 2021

 

But for a country of about 26 million people

have less then 50 new covid-19 cases  per day for nearly 1 week

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/coronavirus-cases-data-reveals-how-covid-19-spreads-in-australia/12060704

 

 

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