Will There Be Any Cruising At All In 2020?

[Newleno]

10 hours ago, vpearlkc said:

 

I don't think many Americans would put up with the pay, living or working conditions provided on cruise ships neither would western europeans.  

then you increase pay, improve working conditions and increase cruise prices.  Easy Peasy Quick and Breezy - EPQB

[nellydean]

I cancelled our Jewel cruise end of September to Hawaii and the South Pacific, partly because our ncl cruise specialist in the U.K. could not guarantee it would run but, if it was cancelled, he said it probably wouldn’t be cancelled until after the balance due date in July.

 

One option he offered us was to rebook within a year any value cruise to sail by dec 21, and to keep the deposit in place. So we took that option.

 

I hope for other passengers in the US that the cruise does sail, but with it being a West coast US departure, and flights the way they are, plus the ongoing uncertainty over when the virus will dimish enough, it was too big a risk, and outlay, for us, especially as ncl has no similar cruise planned for that time next year, so taking a full balance future cruise credit wouldnt  have worked for us.

 

He said the chances of anything sailing in July were slim.

Edited May 4, 2020 by nellydean

[Trimone]

Cruising this year? Do NCL want ambulance chasing lawyers at every port replacing the taxi drivers offering tours.

NCL will want everything safe, it will be corporate manslaughter otherwise.

2021 at the earliest  

[david_sobe]

11 hours ago, Newleno said:

a lot of people in the usa and europe are unemployed right now, so if the ships are in these 2 areas of the world hire them.

You do realize how long it takes to hire and then train people?  That would take several months.  Working on a cruise ship is not for everyone so you really cant say because people are unemployed they are signing up for 14 hour days and avoiding any wage laws of their original countries.  Let alone be separated from their families for years.

Foolish to say such a thing

I just don't see the logic of people talking about cruising in the next 6 months while crews are still stranded, infected, or trying to get home.  Those competing interests do not work.

Edited May 4, 2020 by david_sobe

[mugtech]

.

56 minutes ago, Newleno said:

then you increase pay, improve working conditions and increase cruise prices.  Easy Peasy Quick and Breezy - EPQB

Lead balloon, meet cement cloud.

[Newleno]

6 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

You do realize how long it takes to hire and then train people?  That would take several months.   

 

We can wait to cruise, lets get it done right!  , like I previously said: increase wages, work rules, etc,  and increase the price of cruising

Edited May 4, 2020 by Newleno

[david_sobe]

Just now, Newleno said:

We can wait to cruise, lets get it done right!,  I work 14 hour days, like I previously said: increase wages, work rules, etc,  and increase the price of cruising

Wanting cruising to resume, I am with you.  But comparing your job or my job to cruise workers....please don't go there and embarrass yourself.  You really want to compare your job to jobs of making less than minimum wage (USA), working 14 hour days, 7 days a week, and being separated from your family for years.  Yeah.  You would not last 1 week.

IMHO its a bit selfish to care only about your vacation while the crew is still stranded, infected, or trying to get home.

Nothing matters but ME ME ME

[onetimearoundtheworld]

12 hours ago, Newleno said:

a lot of people in the usa and europe are unemployed right now, so if the ships are in these 2 areas of the world hire them.

 

I can imagine Minnesota's back to work protesters cleaning the tables in garden cafe and serving me my dinner. Yeah will be a fun experience...

[Newleno]

7 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Wanting cruising to resume, I am with you.  But comparing your job or my job to cruise workers....please don't go there and embarrass yourself.  You really want to compare your job to jobs of making less than minimum wage (USA), working 14 hour days, 7 days a week, and being separated from your family for years.  Yeah.  You would not last 1 week.

IMHO its a bit selfish to care only about your vacation while the crew is still stranded, infected, or trying to get home.

Nothing matters but ME ME ME

??? im troubled by this response, Im sorry but what part of:  " like I previously said: increase wages, work rules, etc,  and increase the price of cruising"  dont you understand?.  In addition my cousin's neighbor told me that some Captains on the ship work 2 months and then off 2 months.  Some officers have similar deals.  So why not all cruise employees on the ship?   Why because of cost, so raise the price of cruises.   

[Newleno]

3 minutes ago, onetimearoundtheworld said:

 

I can imagine Minnesota's back to work protesters cleaning the tables in garden cafe and serving me my dinner. Yeah will be a fun experience...

Are you talking about Michigan?   Sure cruising has always been fun to some, so of course that would not change, I concur

[vpearlkc]

1 hour ago, Newleno said:

then you increase pay, improve working conditions and increase cruise prices.  Easy Peasy Quick and Breezy - EPQB

 

How would that work out for the low end mass market cruise lines like NCL Carnival and Royal Caribbean? A cruise on the Pride of America using an American and or Green Card crew and paying at least minimum wage is priced at just about double any other NCL ship.

 

There is also a lot more turnover on the Pride of America from what I have read. Very few would be willing to make a career of working 12 hr. shifts seven days a week for 5 months at a time. 

 

Nothing like in the past when cruise crews were normally well educated people from poor countries that took pride in their jobs and were glad to be able to provide better lives for their families.

 

 

 

[Newleno]

10 minutes ago, vpearlkc said:

 

 A cruise on the Pride of America using an American and or Green Card crew and paying at least minimum wage is priced at just about double any other NCL ship.

 

There is also a lot more turnover on the Pride of America from what I have read. Very few would be willing to make a career of working 12 hr. shifts seven days a week for 5 months at a time. 

 

Double the prices or triple the prices, otherwise people will not be able to cruise  like you said it is already done on pride of America 

 

Like I already said, now this is very clear so I am confused as to why you would make a different reference " In addition my cousin's neighbor told me that some Captains on the ship work 2 months and then off 2 months.  Some officers have similar deals.  So why not all cruise employees on the ship?   Why because of cost, so raise the price of cruises."   raise prices to increase wages

Edited May 4, 2020 by Newleno

[vpearlkc]

34 minutes ago, Newleno said:

??? im troubled by this response, Im sorry but what part of:  " like I previously said: increase wages, work rules, etc,  and increase the price of cruising"  dont you understand?.  In addition my cousin's neighbor told me that some Captains on the ship work 2 months and then off 2 months.  Some officers have similar deals.  So why not all cruise employees on the ship?   Why because of cost, so raise the price of cruises.   

 

OK lets pay a room steward $50,000 a year let him or her work 2 months on get 2 months off and work a 10 hour shift. Let the crew take over anything below deck 7 so they can have private rooms and nice bars and cafes. I guess a $3000 cruise in a low end balcony would pay for that.

[nellydean]

2 hours ago, nellydean said:

I cancelled our Jewel cruise end of September to Hawaii and the South Pacific, partly because our ncl cruise specialist in the U.K. could not guarantee it would run but, if it was cancelled, he said it probably wouldn’t be cancelled until after the balance due date in July.

 

One option he offered us was to rebook within a year any value cruise to sail by dec 21, and to keep the deposit in place. So we took that option.

 

I hope for other passengers in the US that the cruise does sail, but with it being a West coast US departure, and flights the way they are, plus the ongoing uncertainty over when the virus will dimish enough, it was too big a risk, and outlay, for us, especially as ncl has no similar cruise planned for that time next year, so taking a full balance future cruise credit wouldnt  have worked for us.

 

He said the chances of anything sailing in July were slim.

Sorry, we can book another cruise until Dec 2022, not Dec 21.

[oteixeira]

CCL just announced they plan to start cruising out of 3 ports on about 12 ships starting 8/1/20, so I guess that is our answer.  I am expecting other lines to follow.

 

https://carnival-news.com/2020/05/04/carnival-cruise-line-announces-plan-to-phase-in-service/

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, oteixeira said:

CCL just announced they plan to start cruising out of 3 ports on about 12 ships starting 8/1/20, so I guess that is our answer.  I am expecting other lines to follow.

 

https://carnival-news.com/2020/05/04/carnival-cruise-line-announces-plan-to-phase-in-service/

Yeah...Royal and NCL can't be far behind!

[latserrof]

I guess I have to ask the question that's been pending for some time:

 

Why would anyone believe anything the cruise lines say at this point?

[Formula280SS]

On 4/25/2020 at 8:03 AM, vpearlkc said:

With NCL and other cruise lines having to transport crews home on their ships, how would they get the crews back to start cruising again? Just one of many obstacles to overcome before cruising can resume.

 

Unless a high % success therapeutic is identified, approved and mass-produced, as well as a vaccine for "at-risk" age, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, IMO, the answer is no for 2020.

 

Thereafter, if both such are available in late 2020, it will take 3-6 months to establish a reduced size initial operating fleet, staffed from all over the world with a myriad of preventative protocols and logistics to be reunited with such ships, IMO.

 

Both of the above are predicated upon the same approach for those passengers who require air travel to their cruise port.  Safe air travel will have to be demonstrably evident before many cruisers (of a typical demographic by age, but changing with younger new cruisers) will 'get on a plane "first," IMO.

[oteixeira]

48 minutes ago, Formula280SS said:

 

Unless a high % success therapeutic is identified, approved and mass-produced, as well as a vaccine for "at-risk" age, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, IMO, the answer is no for 2020.

 

Thereafter, if both such are available in late 2020, it will take 3-6 months to establish a reduced size initial operating fleet, staffed from all over the world with a myriad of preventative protocols and logistics to be reunited with such ships, IMO.

 

Both of the above are predicated upon the same approach for those passengers who require air travel to their cruise port.  Safe air travel will have to be demonstrably evident before many cruisers (of a typical demographic by age, but changing with younger new cruisers) will 'get on a plane "first," IMO.

I am not sure you missed it, but CCL is doing exactly what you stated in the 2nd paragraph starting 8/1/20.   As for airplane travel, I think with the super reduced fleet, as well as what will probably be a lot of empty rooms from FCC taking folks, that CCL is counting on locals to take really good deals to get away.  People are getting tired of the lock down already (good or bad, I am just stating what is obvious by pictures of lots of people out as the weather turns), and I think they will take the opportunity to jump in a cheap local cruise if they live in a port city.

Take a look at pics of NYC from this weekend.  First nice weekend there this year basically, and the entire lockdown seems to be out the window for folks.  😞

Edited May 4, 2020 by oteixeira

[Formula280SS]

15 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

I am not sure you missed it, but CCL is doing exactly what you stated in the 2nd paragraph starting 8/1/20.   As for airplane travel, I think with the super reduced fleet, as well as what will probably be a lot of empty rooms from FCC taking folks, that CCL is counting on locals to take really good deals to get away.  People are getting tired of the lock down already (good or bad, I am just stating what is obvious by pictures of lots of people out as the weather turns), and I think they will take the opportunity to jump in a cheap local cruise if they live in a port city.

Take a look at pics of NYC from this weekend.  First nice weekend there this year basically, and the entire lockdown seems to be out the window for folks.  😞

 

Thank you for the thoughtful reply.

 

We left our FL winter waterfront retreat (Hutchinson Island South, Stuart FL) almost 2 months early as FL was time-lagged behind NY/NJ/CT.  What started out as a beautiful January and February, our world changed as out-of-state influx from 'hotspots just started showing up noticeably.  We tried for a couple of weeks in March to hunker down, no dining out, no drinks at bars, but with the overwhelming influx from the hotspots everywhere, it just seemed "time to go" back up to our NH principal/summer lake home.  The 25 hour "voyage" was out of a science fiction movie as a caravan in I95 N of campers, RV' and motor homes and jam-packed SUVS all with Northern plates.  Now, after six weeks is state-mandated protocol's, it is getting antsy.  Worse?  We're a resort state; summer is big.  Our 2nd home summer owners are advancing the timeline, our grocery stores and liquor stores are battling to keep the shelves inventoried, especially Thursday to Sunday, and the Governor-requested 14-day out-of-state self quarantine is seemingly ignored. 

 

We normally have our two older grandchildren from TX, now 8 and 6, for 10-days at Disney then home to NH for summer, Boston in August to visit Uncle and to CA to visit other in-laws.  All cancelled.  If the behavior of the summer influx is reflective of the experience in FL in March, I'm toying with the idea of driving back down to FL where the summer will bring less people, more sunlight and heat (possibly a good thing re: the virus).

 

You're right about NYC.  When we drove over the GW bridge, it looked like a ghost town; but one can only do that for so long.  We really don't get the politicians restricting fresh air alternatives to confinement.

 

Now, Boston is a hotspot.  With middle son there, only the young are even out and a degree of panic of some is visible.  We'll see if that changes going forward.  Bostonian's, like NY'ers can be just a bit vociferous, to say the least, at some point.  😲

 

Oh well, won't it be nice to have a vaccine, and a therapeutic?  Dreaming of our next cruise and talking with others about it over a glass of wine, beer or drink (or all).  😷

[Newleno]

1 hour ago, oteixeira said:

Take a look at pics of NYC from this weekend.  First nice weekend there this year basically, and the entire lockdown seems to be out the window for folks.  😞

Well if what you are saying is true, then well, you dont get the most cases in the world by following the rules of shelter in place, so I am not surprised.

[oteixeira]

Just now, Newleno said:

Well if what you are saying is true, then well, you dont get the most cases in the world by following the rules of shelter in place, so I am not surprised.

I would argue they get the most cases because of the density of the city, the fact that they have a 55% population usage of mass transit as primary means of transport and a lot of essential employees as well.  Sadly, too many people in too small an area with not enough safe ways to get around.  And now, add in cabin fever and nice days outside, and it's a recipe for a bad situation.  

[pcakes122]

8 hours ago, Newleno said:

As we all know the plan was made so that hospitals are not overrun,  So it is not about how many of us get the wuhan or die from the wuhan, it is all about the integrity of the hospitals.  Let's not change the goal posts here.  So if the hospitals are not overrun and can handle capacity, then you take steps. I totally disagree with your assessment, you cant treat Idaho like nyc. The Fiat currency system is in great jeopardy, so once again if the hospitals are not overrun we need to get the economy moving in order to avoid total collapse.  I think that people need to be educated that money does not grow on trees.  If everyone could have free everything the whole world would have done it by now.

Ok, first of all we need to stop calling it the "Wuhan" because the strain that hit the United States came from Europe not China per the CDC report issued last week.

 

Cruising is not going to resume until large gatherings resume across the US.  I agree that Idaho is different from New York, but there are no cruise ports in Idaho and you can't stop New Yorkers from going on cruises.

 

I'm honestly weary of the debate here, but if folks truly want to understand what is going on and what it will take to reopen in areas like NY (cruising will not happen until then), I strongly suggest that you listen to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily briefing. It is available on the local news here in the tri-state area, but for others you can watch it on YouTube on the NBC News Channel (or on the governor's website. )

 

These briefings are not political in nature AT ALL - in fact they are purposely "kept to the facts".  Governor Cuomo does an excellent job of explaining in plain English exactly what is happening and what is realistic. Even if you are not in this area, what happens in this area is going to affect cruising so it's good info for those who are anxious to cruise.

 

Here's the link to today's briefing.  ( the first part of the video is stats, Cuomo starts speaking at 13:15.

 

https://youtu.be/9Y861dM3V4w

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by pcakes122

[Newleno]

15 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

 

These briefings are not political in nature AT ALL - in fact they are purposely "kept to the facts".  Governor Cuomo does an excellent job of explaining in plain English exactly what is happening and what is realistic. 

 

 

 

Yeah Ok sure you betcha oke doke (like saying Senator Mitch McConnell is not political), secondly for awhile people from china or people that went to china were banned from cruise ships, so if necessary you could do the same for new yorkers.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Newleno

[OceanBlueWaters]

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah...Royal and NCL can't be far behind!

And you will be a guinea pig?  You will flaunt your status how you secured a Haven, yet others have food confiscated from them in grocery stores?

You rock!

JMO