June Alaska Cruise

[rhinomike]

We are scheduled to cruise from Seattle to Alaska on June 7th. I have read most cruise lines have cancelled but NCL has not cancelled yet. Any hopes of them not cancelling?  Why have they not cancelled yet?  
 

Any thoughts on rebooking for mid-July?

[G-DawgMN]

Just now, rhinomike said:

We are scheduled to cruise from Seattle to Alaska on June 7th. I have read most cruise lines have cancelled but NCL has not cancelled yet. Any hopes of them not cancelling?  Why have they not cancelled yet?  
 

Any thoughts on rebooking for mid-July?

 

 I would say that it is pretty much a given that it will cancel since Canadian ports are closed to cruise ships through June. NCL is staggering their cancellations a bit to soften the financial hit to them.

 I wouldn't book anything for this summer, I know my May cruise is a no-go, and I'm not sure that my November cruise will still be on either.

[rhinomike]

I had read the NCL was trying to get a pass for this summer stating they do not have to stop in a foreign port. We only have a short stop in Canada. During the Swine Flu we had a cruise to Mexico. We anchored shortly offshore and sat there for the day and then left. They were somehow able to get around the foreign port rule that way. 

[roger001]

My opinion, until a cure for the virus is found and distributed to everyone, no way can a cruise ship operate.  Each passenger would have to be tested for the virus before boarding and then after getting off in a port, if a port would allow that, and they would have to be quarantined again when returning home.  I don't see any cruises happening for a long time.   Here is a today's report regarding just Tennessee.

 

If the coronavirus in Tennessee continues to spread at its current rate, the viral outbreak will not peak until June and as many as 5,000 people will be hospitalized at once, according to new predictions from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Edited April 9, 2020 by roger001

[jskinsd]

21 minutes ago, rhinomike said:

We are scheduled to cruise from Seattle to Alaska on June 7th. I have read most cruise lines have cancelled but NCL has not cancelled yet. Any hopes of them not cancelling?  Why have they not cancelled yet?  
 

Any thoughts on rebooking for mid-July?

Which Alaskan ports do you think will accept a cruise ship sailing out of Seattle or Vancouver in July?  Who will decide it is safe?  All it takes is just one bad apple to start this problem again.✌️

Edited April 9, 2020 by jskinsd

[jskinsd]

10 minutes ago, rhinomike said:

 

Yes.  I understand that....  but our tour companies in Alaska told us not to cancel yet.  He said the people in Alaska are putting a huge amount of pressure on officials to open back up as soon as possible.  They said that the people of Alaska stay alive on the cruise ships and if they don't open back up very soon they will starve.  The cruise industry is a huge part of the Alaskan economy.   

That is the answer.  Lets put the pressure on to get the cruise industry open.✌️

[Laszlo]

9 minutes ago, jskinsd said:

That is the answer.  Lets put the pressure on to get the cruise industry open.✌️

Thats a Great idea, lets get them to open before its time....

[Jobeth66]

I have a CruiseTour set to start on June 22nd, land portion first, then Seward to Vancouver, docking 7/6.  I don't think it's going to happen - Denali is closed indefinitely, so there goes a big draw.  Glacier Bay may be closed, so there's something else we'll miss.  Vancouver is closed until 7/1 at /least/, so our ship wouldn't be able to do the previous cruise from Vancouver to Seward.  

 

I wouldn't expect anything going to Alaska before July, and that's probably optimistic.  They have to get crews that are out of the country back to the ships, which is going to take a few weeks since there are not very many flights.  They have to get the ships ready, since they'll have been run with minimal crew.

 

I don't see the government lifting the PVSA to allow ships to sail with no foreign port stop.  There isn't much in the act that would allow them to do so.

 

 

[rhinomike]

Yeah. I am guessing we won’t be able to go this year. We had a big group planned and it is really hard to get everyone together. 

[drvmywifecrzy]

Its starting to look like July will be a go based on latest data

[rhinomike]

1 hour ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

Its starting to look like July will be a go based on latest data

Yeah. I read July 1st Canada plans on opening up again unless that gets pushed back further. Hopefully not. 

[Ms BumbleBee]

I just wish they would go ahead and cancel everything in Alaska up to July 1.  We are scheduled for 5/16 out of Seattle and that is just not going to happen.  I do hope those of you after July 1st can cruise we are just ready to get our money back at this point.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

I have a Seattle departure for an Alaskan cruise in July. I am hopeful but not totally convinced it will happen.

I have put a minimum deposit for the same cruise for next year just in case.

The only way I lose is if NCL goes bankrupt. But, I am willing to take the chance.

[Jobeth66]

14 hours ago, Ms BumbleBee said:

I just wish they would go ahead and cancel everything in Alaska up to July 1.  We are scheduled for 5/16 out of Seattle and that is just not going to happen.  I do hope those of you after July 1st can cruise we are just ready to get our money back at this point.

 

Yeah, me too.  I know the likelihood of my tour staring on 6/22 is pretty slim.  And the chance that my cruise sails out of Seward to Vancouver on 6/29 is also unlikely.  But I'm not doing anything at this point until we know for sure.  I have my RT to/from Seattle booked, I don't have a flight from Seattle to Fairbanks for the start of our tour booked yet.  We can change the Seattle RT if we have to with no change fees,  so we can use that to go somewhere else.  

 

I have no plans to book the flight to Fairbanks until we're positive the cruise is a go.  I just can't see getting stuck with it.

 

The other issue, of course, is the self-quarantine.  Alaska currently has a 14-day self-quarantine for anyone arriving out of state.  I doubt they're going to waive that for passengers arriving for cruises and tours.  If it's lifted by June/July, ok - but I don't know how likely that is.

Edited April 10, 2020 by Jobeth66

[CRAustin]

CDC has extended no cruising for another 100 days from April 9th

[kdmbluerzr]

Following.  I have an Alaska cruise booked July 27, Seward to Vancouver. It's a wait and see kind of thing.

[buckeyefrank]

18 minutes ago, CRAustin said:

CDC has extended no cruising for another 100 days from April 9th

Not necessarily true.  It will most likely be at least 100 days but the order issued said that cruising will be opened at the earlier of 100 days or when the cruiselines have precautions in place to prevent the spread / limit exposure.  I don't think it will happen before 100 days but it certainly could.

[Jobeth66]

2 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

Not necessarily true.  It will most likely be at least 100 days but the order issued said that cruising will be opened at the earlier of 100 days or when the cruiselines have precautions in place to prevent the spread / limit exposure.  I don't think it will happen before 100 days but it certainly could.

 

Did you read what the CDC says they have to have in place as 'precautions'?

 

Full medical facilities including PPE & ventilators on the ships.  Robust testing plans for passengers and crew, with weekly reporting to the CDC - we can't get everyone in the US tested at this point, where are the cruise lines going to get hundreds of thousands of tests?  Social distancing plans (on the pool deck?  In the buffet?  At the shows? At bars/lounges?).  Agreements in place with shoreside hospitals BEFORE any cruise to take any sick passengers that require hospitalization due to COVID-19 along with plans on how those patients will be transferred by commercial means (in other worse, you can't rely on the Coast Guard to evacuate them).  Which hospitals in Florida or NY or Seattle or anywhere else are going to agree in advance to take an unknown number of patients with an unknown prognosis from any number of ships that might be in port? 

 

Just don't see it happening.  The cruises that were ground zero for infections worldwide are under intense scrutiny.  No way they are allowed to start up operations anytime in the very near future.

[lisakoivu]

I am sure that Canada will extend closures beyond July 1. Our Prime Minister has said we are months or even a year from things being back to normal, and that nothing can really go back to normal until vaccine. 

[buckeyefrank]

1 hour ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

Did you read what the CDC says they have to have in place as 'precautions'?

 

Full medical facilities including PPE & ventilators on the ships.  Robust testing plans for passengers and crew, with weekly reporting to the CDC - we can't get everyone in the US tested at this point, where are the cruise lines going to get hundreds of thousands of tests?  Social distancing plans (on the pool deck?  In the buffet?  At the shows? At bars/lounges?).  Agreements in place with shoreside hospitals BEFORE any cruise to take any sick passengers that require hospitalization due to COVID-19 along with plans on how those patients will be transferred by commercial means (in other worse, you can't rely on the Coast Guard to evacuate them).  Which hospitals in Florida or NY or Seattle or anywhere else are going to agree in advance to take an unknown number of patients with an unknown prognosis from any number of ships that might be in port? 

 

Just don't see it happening.  The cruises that were ground zero for infections worldwide are under intense scrutiny.  No way they are allowed to start up operations anytime in the very near future.

I didn't say it was likely.  As a matter of fact I said the exact opposite.  My point was, saying cruises are suspended for 100 days is not the full story and is misleading.

[Jobeth66]

7 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

I didn't say it was likely.  As a matter of fact I said the exact opposite.  My point was, saying cruises are suspended for 100 days is not the full story and is misleading.

 

Sorry - the way you had your post worded was that you thought the cruise lines COULD potentially have the measures they need in place before the 100 days.  I think there's exactly zero chance of that happening, even of they start working on it around the clock right now. 

[yankees111]

8 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You mean the TRump Virus

How ignorant you must be to make such a stupid comment!

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, yankees111 said:

How ignorant you must be to make such a stupid comment!

Even Trump has been smart enough not to say Chinese Virus anymore because that was just incorrect. 

[yankees111]

Covid-19 started in China so no clue what your point is.

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, yankees111 said:

Covid-19 started in China so no clue what your point is.

My point in calling it the Trump Virus is to show how completely idiotic to continue to call it the Chinese Virus as on of the posters did. Even Trump is no longer saying that. I wonder why HE stopped using that?