My agent told me Carnival wont cruise till at least August.

[LongHill44]

Can that be true.  We were in the process of booking for the 1st or 2nd week in July and she advised us to book in August as she doesn't see any cruises out of the US till August at the earliest.  

 

How can that be?

[MJSailors]

   “How can that be ?”

Due to the Corona virus affecting most countries in the world and that no one knows how long the virus will be present, anyone working in the travel industry is,most likely, using extreme caution regarding imminent vacation planning.

I see that you are from NY. Surely you are aware of the health crisis the state is experiencing now and will continue to face for weeks,if not months to come.

[poz222]

Unless your agent is Christine Duffy, She is just speculating. There are no such facts for her to know this as a certainty. 

[Joe817]

4 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

   “How can that be ?”

Due to the Corona virus affecting most countries in the world and that no one knows how long the virus will be present, anyone working in the travel industry is,most likely, using extreme caution regarding imminent vacation planning.

I see that you are from NY. Surely you are aware of the health crisis the state is experiencing now and will continue to face for weeks,if not months to come.

^^^^^This. We here in the U.S. have not even seen the "peak" of the spread, infections, death etc, etc. New York is the epicenter 'hot spot' for infections here. I believe it will spread. It will peak in New York first, I pray. But then the emerging hot spots of New Orleans, California, Florida, etc. Those 'hot spots' will have to peak and then subside greatly before I believe(and this is just my unsubstantiated opinion) the cruise lines will begin sailing again....I'm sorry to say. I pray I'm wrong, but that's just how I feel. 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

13 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

^^^^^This. We here in the U.S. have not even seen the "peak" of the spread, infections, death etc, etc. New York is the epicenter 'hot spot' for infections here. I believe it will spread. It will peak in New York first, I pray. But then the emerging hot spots of New Orleans, California, Florida, etc. Those 'hot spots' will have to peak and then subside greatly before I believe(and this is just my unsubstantiated opinion) the cruise lines will begin sailing again....I'm sorry to say. I pray I'm wrong, but that's just how I feel. 

But.... what is the time line? A month? 2? 3-4? That's the million dollar question. 

[Smooth sailor77228]

August sounds feasible. November sounds even more so.

[xDisconnections]

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

[RWolver672]

It was reported yesterday that every three days, the death rate in the US doubles.  No one knows for sure when this will end and we can get back to normal.  

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, Joe817 said:

^^^^^This. We here in the U.S. have not even seen the "peak" of the spread, infections, death etc, etc. New York is the epicenter 'hot spot' for infections here. I believe it will spread. It will peak in New York first, I pray. But then the emerging hot spots of New Orleans, California, Florida, etc. Those 'hot spots' will have to peak and then subside greatly before I believe(and this is just my unsubstantiated opinion) the cruise lines will begin sailing again....I'm sorry to say. I pray I'm wrong, but that's just how I feel. 

Southern Florida is not supposed to peak until mid May

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

Just like Royal an Ncl

[Earthworm Jim]

7 hours ago, poz222 said:

Unless your agent is Christine Duffy, She is just speculating. There are no such facts for her to know this as a certainty. 

 

It's just speculation as you say, but it's reasonable speculation and as a travel agent she's just doing her best to increase the odds that the OP's vacation actually happens. So I can't really knock her for it.

 

(As if Christine Duffy has any idea how long this emergency will take to play out. Even virologists don't know, though they can make a more educated guess than you or I. There's also another factor: Once it's winding down, how long will it be before the ports of call feel safe allowing cruise ships to dock again?)

Edited March 31, 2020 by Earthworm Jim

[beerman2]

3 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

Not sure how that is possible. 2 weeks after this 30 day extension .

 

Cheng 75 who has a wealth of knowledge in the shipping industry has stated it could take 4-6 weeks ( if I remember) to get the ships back to sailing . So that puts us mid June.

 

One more 30 day extension now you're mid July. 

 

Some choose to be hopeful  which is OK.  Realistically I'd go with the late July/August at the earliest. Hope I'm wrong!

[Jasalth]

6 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

But.... what is the time line? A month? 2? 3-4? That's the million dollar question. 

 

Alas there isn't enough data to all to even begin to speculate on that. Can we really actually trust the numbers in China? The numbers in the rest of the world say we really can't at all. All we can really do to attempt to even guess a time-line is by watching the numbers here and in Italy as they are reporting basically every little thing from full blown ICU to non-symptoms cases. 

 

Their curve just started to flatten in Italy, so it looks like 6 weeks from partial lockdowns happening or about 3 weeks from full lock down.

 

Even basing it on that is going to be iffy for American's because.. well most of America is filled with selfish, self-centered jerks. My neighbors and their 9 kids between the 2 house are still outside, talking to and stopping any one else out to chat, playing, having parties. I have seen pictures of places in my city where people are gathering in groups of 30-40.. just to get good pictures of the city empty.

 

Then again, the group that watches our bald eagles have implemented strict rules, marked "allowed" standing points on the trail and are keeping safe in doing what they love while a majority have switched to only our cam view. 

 

As for what PSK said about warmer months, no one can say for sure and scientists DON'T agree that it will stop it! Thinking like that as it gets warmer out is what is going to get us into more trouble! Australia is in an up-curve of cases! The average temperature last month was about 72-75 degrees! In Egypt case numbers are rising with an average March temperature close to 80! Warmer weather /= safe! 

 

 

 

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

Yes, Carnival previously stated they expected to resume operations in April. Obviously we all know that isn’t going to happen per Carnival. So this time when Carnival states they will resume operations in May you believe them?  You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know the chances of any cruises happening in May are slim to none. 

[hattack]

with so many unknown factors ,we have come to the conclusion to regroup our resources and plan on next year starting in Jan 2021 ...why go thru the stress of schedule, cancel, reschedule, cancel again for the next few months 

[Earthworm Jim]

3 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

 

If we had insight into the inner discussions of Carnival executives, I highly doubt they "expect" to resume in mid-May. That's just a placeholder date as a best case scenario of how this plays out. Not the most likely scenario. And as beerman2 points out, it could be longer for internal logistical reasons even in the best case.

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

If we had insight into the inner discussions of Carnival executives, I highly doubt they "expect" to resume in mid-May. That's just a placeholder date as a best case scenario of how this plays out. Not the most likely scenario. And as beerman2 points out, it could be longer for internal logistical reasons even in the best case.

True, what they have info on is they know the earliest possible date they could commence cruising.  While I undersatend the frustration, that is what they are giving us.  

Edited March 31, 2020 by jimbo5544

[Purvis1231]

I am afraid if Carnival cannot sail before August- they may good bankrupt.

[Joebucks]

The answer is no one knows, not even Carnival's most senior leadership. Carnival is doing their suspensions 30 days at a time to make decisions based off facts and their best educated guesses. Pausing new bookings for the foreseeable future is a pretty sound decision if you ask me. Your Agent has no insider knowledge, and is forming their own version of what they see on their end.

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

The answer is no one knows, not even Carnival's most senior leadership. Carnival is doing their suspensions 30 days at a time to make decisions based off facts and their best educated guesses. Pausing new bookings for the foreseeable future is a pretty sound decision if you ask me. Your Agent has no insider knowledge, and is forming their own version of what they see on their end.

Would love to be a fly on the wall during those calls

[jperry2011]

I dont know why people use travel agents, you can literally book a hotel and a cruise in 15 mins online or on the phone.

Your travel agent cant tell the future and is making you wait on a vacation for  no reason.

Carnival wont let its ship sit until august.. not a chance.

Most likely they will ban any high risk and over 65-70 year old cruisers for the time being. Do advanced health screenings prior to boarding. Clean the ship like crazy the whole cruise. Serve you at the buffet areas. Also the way testing has evolved recently you may see tests that can be done in a few minutes before your allowed onboard. 

 

Book the cruise yourself, the worst that can happen is they cancel for another month and you get a full cruise credit plus $600 OBC just like me.

[stetucke]

5 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Carnival expects to resume operations in mid-May. Have they given us a reason to assume otherwise?

Carnival expected to be back April 11th as well. They are very likely to push back again.

[bigdog1958]

1 hour ago, jperry2011 said:

I dont know why people use travel agents, you can literally book a hotel and a cruise in 15 mins online or on the phone.

Your travel agent cant tell the future and is making you wait on a vacation for  no reason.

Carnival wont let its ship sit until august.. not a chance.

Most likely they will ban any high risk and over 65-70 year old cruisers for the time being. Do advanced health screenings prior to boarding. Clean the ship like crazy the whole cruise. Serve you at the buffet areas. Also the way testing has evolved recently you may see tests that can be done in a few minutes before your allowed onboard. 

 

Book the cruise yourself, the worst that can happen is they cancel for another month and you get a full cruise credit plus $600 OBC just like me.

The worst is they declare bankruptcy and if your lucky you get some of your money back

[jperry2011]

7 minutes ago, bigdog1958 said:

The worst is they declare bankruptcy and if your lucky you get some of your money back

Possibly but I highly doubt the government would let it get that far. Cruises support alot of American jobs at the ports, food, transportation, etc.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

2 hours ago, Purvis1231 said:

I am afraid if Carnival cannot sail before August- they may good bankrupt.

 

If Carnival, NCL or Royal Caribbean declare bankruptcy it would be a chapter 11 not a chapter 7 bankruptcy so they would still be in operation just restructuring. 

 

They are predicting the peak of this in the US to be in 3 weeks/start of May. The cruise lines are not going to be sending staff back to the ships until they are certain operations will resume within a couple of weeks. When the cruise lines do start up, I think it will be a few ships at a time over several months. Part of the problem too is when various countries and ports allow cruise ships to return. There are just way too many unknowns and moving parts for this to be over by May, June or July in my opinion.

 

I also predict any new build that hasn't started already to be delayed indefinitely. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by ohioNCLcruiser