People Still Booking Cruises

[Joe817]

This thread was started last Saturday, April 18. Since then, we've seen the total collapse of the crude oil market...which is weakly rebounding. We've also seen some outlandish statements by our government officials, and new revelations on how the wonder drugs POTUS praised, and the other one....come back without the promising results we were praying for....In just the past 7 days. I grow weary of nothing but negative news. Someday...someday, this will turn around, back to better times. 

 

As far as booking cruises right now there are 2 schools of thought:

1.) We Might as well book now. No telling what will happen in the next 30, 60, 90 days will bring...  The eternal optimists.

2.) Nothing is coming on the horizon, medically speaking, in the next 8-12 months...Nothing. CDC has extended the restrictions to middle of July, with the possibility of extending the restriction/ban. 

3.)ALL of the cruise lines have chartered their own vessels to transport their own crew members back to their own home countries. So they can be with their families and loved ones during this deepening crisis. Since they are sailing, and not flying, that adds several weeks for them to return home.   If not months. 

 

The depletion of the cruise staff's of all the cruising fleet's vessel's sailing back to their home countries, leaves me no choice but to believe the senior management of all of the major cruise lines do not contemplate a returning to normal cruising until well into the 4th calendar quarter. Or even into the first or second calendar quarter of 2021. 

 

I deeply apologize in advance if I have offended any CC member. I'm merely stating how I see things, myopic as it might be. I'm an eternal optimist, however the current events do not leave me much latitude to express my optimism. 

[firefly333]

33 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

 

 

I deeply apologize in advance if I have offended any CC member. I'm merely stating how I see things, myopic as it might be. I'm an eternal optimist, however the current events do not leave me much latitude to express my optimism. 

I was raised to respect the office, so yep I'm offended that you had to get political. I hate when posters do this, we need ignore button. This isnt the place for political rantings, find a political blog, not here where 50% will be offended or more. Wrong board.

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, glrounds said:

 

Score !

Hi glrounds I remember you from olden days on cc.

 

Yep what the downside? I pack my masks and go. Yes I'd probably wear a mask to board and muster. I'll do anytime dining alone or buffet and avoid crowds. Spend time at the pool reading and have meals cooked and some pampering.

 

Or it gets cancelled and I get $600 obc for a cruise fall 2021. Probably the later, but the prices too good to resist. I suspect it gets cancelled but it's ok, but sure a good deal. Maybe there will be deals next year. Sure probably cant match the price again. I see comparisons to 9/11. Nothing like 9/11 to me ... they kept cruising, at low rates.

[Joe817]

9 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I was raised to respect the office, so yep I'm offended that you had to get political. I hate when posters do this, we need ignore button. This isnt the place for political rantings, find a political blog, not here where 50% will be offended or more. Wrong board.

Thank you for your comment. I wasn't aware I that  my post was a 'political ranting'. I merely stated the facts, as I understood them. I'm sure you will agree with me, that my opinions, and ONLY my opinions, are shared with others on this on this  forum.

 

I strongly feel, that all of us will be sailing again. ... It's only a matter of time....And when. That's all. 

 

[the_thunderbird]

1 minute ago, Joe817 said:

Thank you for your comment. I wasn't aware I that  my post was a 'political ranting'. I merely stated the facts, as I understood them. I'm sure you will agree with me, that my opinions, and ONLY my opinions, are shared with others on this on this  forum.

 

I strongly feel, that all of us will be sailing again. ... It's only a matter of time....And when. That's all. 

 

Don't worry, we aren't all American either 🙂  

 

I think your post is bang on... 

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Thank you for your comment. I wasn't aware I that  my post was a 'political ranting'. I merely stated the facts, as I understood them. I'm sure you will agree with me, that my opinions, and ONLY my opinions, are shared with others on this on this  forum.

 

I strongly feel, that all of us will be sailing again. ... It's only a matter of time....And when. That's all. 

 

 

I didn't find it a political rant either but ...

 

It's hard to be optimistic some days. Hang in there and stay safe

[Joe817]

4 minutes ago, the_thunderbird said:

Don't worry, we aren't all American either 🙂  

 

I think your post is bang on... 

Thank you the_thunderbird, your comments are deeply appreciated. I often I feel as if I'm on the point, all by myself.

[glrounds]

19 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Hi glrounds I remember you from olden days on cc.

 

Yep what the downside? I pack my masks and go. Yes I'd probably wear a mask to board and muster. I'll do anytime dining alone or buffet and avoid crowds. Spend time at the pool reading and have meals cooked and some pampering.

 

Or it gets cancelled and I get $600 obc for a cruise fall 2021. Probably the later, but the prices too good to resist. I suspect it gets cancelled but it's ok, but sure a good deal. Maybe there will be deals next year. Sure probably cant match the price again. I see comparisons to 9/11. Nothing like 9/11 to me ... they kept cruising, at low rates.

 

I see the PANORAMA cruise right after mine is quoted at an even LOWER price. Tempted to make it a B2B ! 😊 Do we still have to get off the ship in this case ? Or do I have to book the same cabin ?

[Joe817]

5 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

I didn't find it a political rant either but ...

 

It's hard to be optimistic some days. Hang in there and stay safe

Many thanx lllbnceuzn4life, in these uncertain times, it's sometimes difficult. And you as well!

[glrounds]

6 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

I didn't find it a political rant either but ...

 

It's hard to be optimistic some days. Hang in there and stay safe

 

Nor did I. I was completely in agreement with it as a matter of fact. Under the circumstances I think the leadership is doing a fine job up against horrible circumstances and conditions.

[Szoyka]

2 hours ago, glrounds said:

 

Close. Missed it by a week, Jan 18th. 😊

Ah, you’re right. I just looked, I was on the 18-25 of January cruise. How could I forget 😅

[firefly333]

25 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Thank you for your comment. I wasn't aware I that  my post was a 'political ranting'. I merely stated the facts, as I understood them. I'm sure you will agree with me, that my opinions, and ONLY my opinions, are shared with others on this on this  forum.

 

I strongly feel, that all of us will be sailing again. ... It's only a matter of time....And when. That's all. 

 

My parents keep reminding me they are from the greatest generation. Mom is turning 94 and dad is 101 wwii vet. Where they all pulled together in troubled times. 

 

Anytime you feel it necessary to give your bias politically it's the wrong board. This is supposed to be a fun place to discuss cruising. Just my opinion. 

[firefly333]

18 minutes ago, glrounds said:

 

I see the PANORAMA cruise right after mine is quoted at an even LOWER price. Tempted to make it a B2B ! 😊 Do we still have to get off the ship in this case ? Or do I have to book the same cabin ?

Lol, I hope we wind up on the same cruise some day.

 

I'm booked on 3 rcl so I will stick with the one, even though I may have to self quarantine from my folks afterwards. Lolol. Good luck. 

[skridge]

On 4/22/2020 at 8:52 AM, jimbo5544 said:

There is no bankruptcy coming.  I am not sure when the Panorama is due back, but def by then.  Have a great cruise.

What inside info do you have that says they will definitely be back up and running by August.  

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, skridge said:

What inside info do you have that says they will definitely be back up and running by August.  

There Is nothing that is definite.  .  

[outdoors27]

6 hours ago, Joe817 said:

Thank you for your comment. I wasn't aware I that  my post was a 'political ranting'. I merely stated the facts, as I understood them. I'm sure you will agree with me, that my opinions, and ONLY my opinions, are shared with others on this on this  forum.

 

I strongly feel, that all of us will be sailing again. ... It's only a matter of time....And when. That's all. 

 

It was a good post and not a political rant at all.

[JT1962]

I saw an interesting post from someone from Florida on a different site that said the Re-open Florida Task force was working with the cruise lines and theme parks to test new procedures for re-opening. Supposedly they would allow a restricted number of only local Florida residents to return to theme parks and a few short 2-3 day cruises. There would be 1-2 ships from each cruise line at first, probably from Port Canaveral. If all goes well, they would gradually expand the number of ships, departure ports, length of itineraries and allow people from other locations to cruise and ultimately get back to a full schedule of sailings.

While not official, this seems to make sense. The worst thing for the cruise industry would be to start sailing again with a full schedule and have more outbreaks on multiple ships. If the current CDC requirements that the cruise lines must get any sick or quarantined passengers home not using public transportation remain in place, having only Florida residents makes that much easier to deal with if there is an issue.

Even if this doesn’t occur with just Florida residents, I don’t see all itineraries starting immediately once cruises do resume. I think it will be gradual, with some ships staying parked for a while or some of the older ships possibly even retired from service.

[PhillyFan33579]

7 hours ago, Joe817 said:

This thread was started last Saturday, April 18. Since then, we've seen the total collapse of the crude oil market...which is weakly rebounding. We've also seen some outlandish statements by our government officials, and new revelations on how the wonder drugs POTUS praised, and the other one....come back without the promising results we were praying for....In just the past 7 days. I grow weary of nothing but negative news. Someday...someday, this will turn around, back to better times. 

 

As far as booking cruises right now there are 2 schools of thought:

1.) We Might as well book now. No telling what will happen in the next 30, 60, 90 days will bring...  The eternal optimists.

2.) Nothing is coming on the horizon, medically speaking, in the next 8-12 months...Nothing. CDC has extended the restrictions to middle of July, with the possibility of extending the restriction/ban. 

3.)ALL of the cruise lines have chartered their own vessels to transport their own crew members back to their own home countries. So they can be with their families and loved ones during this deepening crisis. Since they are sailing, and not flying, that adds several weeks for them to return home.   If not months. 

 

The depletion of the cruise staff's of all the cruising fleet's vessel's sailing back to their home countries, leaves me no choice but to believe the senior management of all of the major cruise lines do not contemplate a returning to normal cruising until well into the 4th calendar quarter. Or even into the first or second calendar quarter of 2021. 

 

I deeply apologize in advance if I have offended any CC member. I'm merely stating how I see things, myopic as it might be. I'm an eternal optimist, however the current events do not leave me much latitude to express my optimism. 

I don’t think you said anything offensive, at least not in my book. I completely agree with your thoughts that cruising will not resume for awhile. Personally I don’t think cruising will resume until 2021 at the earliest.  I am friends with numerous crew members on Facebook. All of them are either at home right now with no idea when their next contract will start or on a ship right now with plans to return home in the near future. I have not seen or heard anything that leads me to believe cruising will resume any time soon.  
 

Ideally cruise lines would announce the obvious in my opinion that all cruises for the rest of the year are cancelled. However, I realize from a business perspective that is not going to happen. Most cruise lines will likely continue cancelling cruises for 30 day windows for the rest of the year. 

 

 

[rodndonna]

18 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I don’t think you said anything offensive, at least not in my book. I completely agree with your thoughts that cruising will not resume for awhile. Personally I don’t think cruising will resume until 2021 at the earliest.  I am friends with numerous crew members on Facebook. All of them are either at home right now with no idea when their next contract will start or on a ship right now with plans to return home in the near future. I have not seen or heard anything that leads me to believe cruising will resume any time soon.  
 

Ideally cruise lines would announce the obvious in my opinion that all cruises for the rest of the year are cancelled. However, I realize from a business perspective that is not going to happen. Most cruise lines will likely continue cancelling cruises for 30 day windows for the rest of the year. 

 

 

 

This is what I am thinking as well - nothing (except maybe some limited test runs) before 2021 but the Cruiselines will continue on the path of extending the short term cancellations for business reasons. Can't really fault them for that - they are trying to stay afloat as long as possible to hopefully ride this out , and from a business perspective it helps with cashflow in the meantime.

[Fredric22]

8 hours ago, Joe817 said:

This thread was started last Saturday, April 18. Since then, we've seen the total collapse of the crude oil market...which is weakly rebounding. We've also seen some outlandish statements by our government officials, and new revelations on how the wonder drugs POTUS praised, and the other one....come back without the promising results we were praying for....In just the past 7 days. I grow weary of nothing but negative news. Someday...someday, this will turn around, back to better times. 

 

As far as booking cruises right now there are 2 schools of thought:

1.) We Might as well book now. No telling what will happen in the next 30, 60, 90 days will bring...  The eternal optimists.

2.) Nothing is coming on the horizon, medically speaking, in the next 8-12 months...Nothing. CDC has extended the restrictions to middle of July, with the possibility of extending the restriction/ban. 

3.)ALL of the cruise lines have chartered their own vessels to transport their own crew members back to their own home countries. So they can be with their families and loved ones during this deepening crisis. Since they are sailing, and not flying, that adds several weeks for them to return home.   If not months. 

 

The depletion of the cruise staff's of all the cruising fleet's vessel's sailing back to their home countries, leaves me no choice but to believe the senior management of all of the major cruise lines do not contemplate a returning to normal cruising until well into the 4th calendar quarter. Or even into the first or second calendar quarter of 2021. 

 

I deeply apologize in advance if I have offended any CC member. I'm merely stating how I see things, myopic as it might be. I'm an eternal optimist, however the current events do not leave me much latitude to express my optimism. 

Nothing on the horizon, medically speaking, in the next 8 to 12 months?  This is perhaps the most ill-advised opinion I have seen on here recently.  There are over 70 clinical trials currently going on with many new therapies being developed.  Every day, science comes closer to learning how to successfully treat this virus.  By the summer, we will have results from many clinical studies from researchers around the planet.  This will become treatable in the near future.  Even by late Fall, vaccines may start to be available for health care workers. 

[Countrygurl]

On 4/19/2020 at 12:11 PM, ronbe65 said:

At the moment we have one cruise booked for September 2020 and another one for Summer 2021. Both were booked long ago.

The first one is likely to be cancelled. 

I would not book any new cruise until the industry comes back to normal or whatever will be "normal" for post-virus cruising.

 

Happy cruising! 

Agree 100%.  I too am booked for Sept 2020.  I booked in early February never realizing how bad this would get.  My final payment is due in June and I haven't made a decision on whether or not to pay it.  I'd just go with it, and take an onboard credit if it is cancelled.  However, I am cruising with my mother who is in her late 70's, and so the decision is a bit tougher.  Right now I'm just waiting.  We'll see what May brings.  I won't cruise until I feel its safe to do so.  Some things are just more important than cruising.  Boy that was tough to say!lol

[firefly333]

9 hours ago, glrounds said:

 

I see the PANORAMA cruise right after mine is quoted at an even LOWER price. Tempted to make it a B2B ! 😊 Do we still have to get off the ship in this case ? Or do I have to book the same cabin ?

Is your price up today? Mine is but a better cabin for same category available. I'd ask to be moved if I didnt think we would be cancelled. My price is up $110 pp. .. lol but for $20 more I can get $50 obc. 

[Buddybo1]

i have one booked in november wondering about rebooking next year how would deposit work will i lose it

[glrounds]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Is your price up today? Mine is but a better cabin for same category available. I'd ask to be moved if I didnt think we would be cancelled. My price is up $110 pp. .. lol but for $20 more I can get $50 obc. 

 

I book through a site that posts desperation pricing (think 90-day ticker). Usually filled with bookings of people that have cancelled in order to beat the cancellation penalties. I'm at $239 for the 7-day PANORAMA and still seeing $189 for the week following. I'm getting the feeling this will also be cancelled based on the posts that are talking about the shutdown lasting 'til 2021.

 

"Trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too" - - Kipling

[skridge]

5 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

There Is nothing that is definite.  .  

I appreciate that.  I very much hope that cruising is able to continue in August or before.