The Future of Luxury Cruising (from a Regent-lover's point of view)

[RJ2002]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

IMO, this is a more comprehensive interview with Frank Del Rio.  He discusses masks, the number of ships sailing, etc.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5340/?et_cid=3330266&et_rid=124463740&et_referrer=Baccardi_Contest

 

 

FDR is certainly making the rounds, getting his message out.  This is a very good thing.  Even though there is still much uncertainty, it is reassuring to hear him outline the plan for a gradual resumption of operations.  And more importantly, what that resumption might look like onboard - at least initially.  I applaud him for setting forth the expectations.  This will help people plan accordingly.  

[cruiseluv]

10 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I do not believe that Regent would need to move any tables from the dining venues - they simply only fill certain tables.  It seems much easier than trying to store the tables.  I highly doubt if “set seating” will be implemented.  

 

In terms of masks, most of us have masks already.  I learned last night that flights (and possibly airports) will be requiring them.  They will have stores where you can purchase them at the airports.  If mandated, Regent would have masks available for their guests that do not have them.  

 

We have been trying out different types of masks that do the job but are also comfortable.  The one thing that bothers me about masks (besides for being uncomfortable) is that they cannot show expressions.  Obviously this is not as important as safety.  If I have to wear a mask on a ship, I’ll likely find a way to put a smile on the mask. 

 

There are now reusable masks (washable).  They have replaceable filters on the inside.  We just got some and have yet to use them.  When I tried mine on it felt more comfortable than others.  It has two one-way valves that makes it much easier to breathe.  In any case, it is likely that more and more masks will become available as this horrible virus continues.

Sorry, my questions were obviously not well worded... Regarding masks, when would they be required? At any time except when you're in your suite and/or eating/drinking? While you're on the pool deck?

 

Regarding number of tables in use at the restaurants ... I meant removed from circulation, i.e. not filled so as to create the so called "social distancing"... how would that impact how many pax will be practicable to carry on a cruise? During normal circumstances, it was rare the time we showed up in Compass Rose and could be immediately seated( and we tend to eat late). What % of tables will be blocked and how will this translate in load of pax, that's my question

[cruiseluv]

9 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

It's possible to argue or speculate that our lives have changed forever (or for years at least.)  And that mask-wearing will become part of that culture.

 

 

No... I pass... I speculate to the contrary. This will be an interesting experiment, as there're states that are not requiring the stupid mask edict, so I doubt people that live in those states will subject themselves to this on their vacation. Heck, I live in one of the masks states and there's no way I would pay $$$ to continue the subjugation while on vacation. But, we're still a free country, so people will vote with their vacation $$$. I might be proven wrong and that's ok. Ive been blessed to cruise many times and will not be heartbroken if I cant do it again. 

[cruiseluv]

9 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

I am also not convinced that these homemade or mass-marketed masks can filter out the tiny virus particles, even with the so-called 'dosposable' liners.  Check out the micron-size they're designed to filter out vs the particle size (in millimicrons) of the virus under discussion.  The resulets of your research may surprise you. Most of these mass-market masks may be okay for typical household, dust, or seasonal allergens but not much more.

No, they can't. A rag over your face will give you minimal protection if any. You can create more harm to yourself by taking it off, putting it back , and contaminating yourself that way. 

[greykitty]

My neighbor, a retired AA captain, passed this article along to me.  It's an early view of possible airport/carrier changes, but he didn't think it was too off the mark.  He was also guessing that some of the check in procedures would also apply to cruise ships, etc. Be interesting to mark these speculations and see what happens down the road.  Posting here since so many cruise pax fly in connection with their cruises.

 

Forbes future of air

[Got2Cruise]

11 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

No, they can't. A rag over your face will give you minimal protection if any. You can create more harm to yourself by taking it off, putting it back , and contaminating yourself that way. 

The masks are worn not to protect yourself. The masks are worn to prevent the spread if you have it to other people. 

[rcandkc]

Just heard on the news that Carnival bookings are way up since announcing resuming cruises.  They said mainly young people tired of being cooped up.  😳

[cruiseluv]

49 minutes ago, Got2Cruise said:

The masks are worn not to protect yourself. The masks are worn to prevent the spread if you have it to other people. 

 

Yes, I understand that's the mantra, it makes no sense so I don't subscribe to it. What's so magical about a cloth mask that we're supposed to believe it doesnt allow germs to get out but allows germs to get in.

[jeb_bud]

4 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

 

Yes, I understand that's the mantra, it makes no sense so I don't subscribe to it. What's so magical about a cloth mask that we're supposed to believe it doesnt allow germs to get out but allows germs to get in.

I think a major path for the virus into your body is through your eyes from contaminated hands. The mask is to keep virus from flying out of your mouth and eventually transferring onto some unsuspecting victim’s hands, hence getting rubbed into eyes. 

[Roger88]

In my personal opinion, luxury cruising of the future will make you not see other passengers at all lol. All the cabins will be isolated with its own pool and buffet. I mean its available now in some cruises I dont see a reason to not apply it in the current situation. Also, I think this type of cruises will be very popular. I would go on such a cruise if I had money 

[rallydave]

27 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

Just heard on the news that Carnival bookings are way up since announcing resuming cruises.  They said mainly young people tired of being cooped up.  😳

Don;t believe everything you read.  That was information from a single TA who's goals are to sell cruises.  Only covers what they say if true and not other sellers.  Even FDR stated sales are down.  And, don't forget a lot of FCC's out there that people have to use so many of the sales are to people who had their cruises cancelled.

 

Not any typed of valid or verifiable information.  We will only know the truth if and when cruises start and cruise lines provide accurate infomraton.

[Pcardad]

9 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Don;t believe everything you read.  That was information from a single TA who's goals are to sell cruises.  Only covers what they say if true and not other sellers.  Even FDR stated sales are down.  And, don't forget a lot of FCC's out there that people have to use so many of the sales are to people who had their cruises cancelled.

 

Not any typed of valid or verifiable information.  We will only know the truth if and when cruises start and cruise lines provide accurate infomraton.

 

The information was from Cruise Planners.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/carnival-cruises-enjoys-huge-bookings-091447018.html

 

 

[RJ2002]

I don't doubt that Carnival bookings are up.  Younger demographic.

[Travelcat2]

I have read (a different source) that Carnival bookings are way up.  This will be the case whenever cruising resumes.  I mentioned on one of the active threads that this is concerning as it is the younger demographic that feels invincible (as many of us did at that age.... although, we were likely raised with rules and consequences so we mostly followed the rules).  Admittedly this is a generalization as there is a 20-something man that lives with his parents next door and I haven't seen his car leave in almost 2 months.  

 

The mask issue remains interesting.  Maybe it is just my rule following upbringing, but I will do whatever is necessary to keep myself and anyone around me safe.  FDR states that masks may be required when cruising on Regent resumes although there are no details.  I "get" the distancing thing as we've been doing that for a couple of months and it won't be that difficult to comply on most Regent ships (not sure about Navigator but Mariner, Splendor and Explorer seem to have the most open pubic spaces).  I'm assuming that once you are seated in a lounge or dining venue - since you are 6' apart from other tables, you could remove your mask.

 

There are still many questions...... excursions, servers coming to your table while dining stand out in my mind.  Perhaps if everyone on the bus wore a mask and they filled the buses only 50%, it could work but then you get off of the bus and ??????  IF any of our cruises sail, I would definitely check the latest statistics before venturing out on an excursion.  

[Dolebludger]

 

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Posted 15 hours ago

On the national news tonight was a story about the airlines DOING NOTHING to increase social distancing, and statements that they were eliminating the middle seat in economy  were not true. The report was accompanied by video showing an airline economy cabin as crowded as before the pandemic. This irresponsibility is relevant on this thread, because included Regent air in Totally within North America is basic economy. This furthers my opinion that Regent and it’s parent NCLH will not survive. Nobody really wanted to fly under those conditions BEFORE the pandemic, and the airline’s fares for business/first were and are horrific. Indeed, business/first seating on many domestic flights was more crowded than coach used to be. For most of us, a cruise involves a flight, often many of them. For us, we will just not cruise until the airlines are REQUIRED to provide the same social distancing as our local retailers. And as I see no Federal move to crack down on the airlines, I don’t see many cruisers while the pandemic exists, and perhaps not thereafter.

[Travelcat2]

Dolebludger - the information about airlines is very informative (not so much the prediction of bankruptcy).  Time will tell how the cruise lines fare before and after the vaccine is available.  It is a bit early for negative predictions.  Remember that Carnival bookings are way up.  This could also be the case for NCL.  OTOH, it is concerning to have large shiploads of young people that may not follow the rules.  Hopefully there will be a plan in place for these individuals (like confining them to their cabin and offloading them at the next port).

 

Editing to say that the FAA does need to put in some safety mandates for their planes.  Failure to do so would not only hurt the cruise industry but air travel worldwide.  The airlines cannot afford to have anyone get coronavirus from flying.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Travelcat2

[Dolebludger]

TC2,

 

The matter of social distancing on ships to the degree required of land facilities (especially mega ships) is also a problem. It has been discussed at length on this forum. While lines like Regent may find it plausible, I can't see  how mega ships can comply. I hope they figure out a way. The problem I am trying to address involves a cruise-bound airline passenger getting the virus on a crowded plane and being asymptomatic at embarkation, and boards. Thus the infection would likely spread aboard the ship(s) thus triggering another cruise ban. According to the CDC, a person with the virus can remain asymptomatic for up to 14 days, depending on the person. But during that 14 days, they can still spread the virus to others.

[greykitty]

Just a clip from Motley Fool - which I always have fun reading as entertainment in these slow days - but maybe useful in watching for context in general re press reports and spin.  But specific reference to Carnival and that one-source, one-travel travel agent report on increased bookings.

 

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/05/12/3-things-holding-back-cruise-line-stocks-right-now.aspx

 

 

2. Rosy reports have been misleading

A report over the weekend (breaking on celebrity gossip hub TMZ of all places) claimed that Carnival bookings were up 600% since announcing last week that it would resume some of its sailings in August. This would seem to be a spectacular development on the surface, but obviously there's a lot more to that story.

The source here was a privately owned travel-agency franchise network, and it was comparing booking activity with the level of interest three days before Carnival's announcement that it would start sailing again on Aug. 1. The industry standard for booking reports is to compare where year-to-date activity is relative to a previous year, so comparing three days before to three days after is silly. It also needs to be emphasized that Carnival announced last week that just eight of its more than 100 ships will begin sailing in early August, and even those sailings are still vulnerable to cancellation if the industry's no-sail order isn't lifted. 

This isn't the first time that a "too good to be true" report from an indie travel agency source didn't hold up as something that can be extrapolated across the industry. Last month, The Los Angeles Times (a steadier source for financial news) quoted the operator of an online cruise marketplace as seeing a 40% increase in bookings for next year over the previous 45 days relative to where activity was a year earlier. The CEO of the agency would go on to clarify that the metric was misinterpreted. The number was simply the mix of far-off sailings relative to last-minute bookings. Bookings for next year were actually 23% below the prior year's pace.

[greykitty]

I think this is another del Rio interview - he's certainly hitting the circuit.  I hope his timeline mentioned in the full interview is correct, although I personally think he's pretty optimistic.  Well, certainly that's his job, especially in the media.

 

 

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Norwegian Cruise Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio acknowledged that “many of the tenets that make the cruise industry popular -- that the ship is your home, your transportation, your dining, your entertainment, that you travel around over a seven- or 10-day period, that you visit multiple ports -- all those things that were assets under normal conditions are now being challenged. And in many cases could be liabilities.”

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Sailing-full-redefined-in-cruising-new-reality-coronavirus

[Dolebludger]

With the number of ports in other countries now being closed to cruise ships -- or requiring quarantine of anybody entering by ship or air, I think some of the lines' opening predictions are too optimistic as well. It would seem that cruise lines and airlines should be made to comply with the same social distancing rules applicable to stores, restaurants and bars on land. If they don't follow the same rules, I'll bet many people won't cruise and/or fly until there is a vaccine or at least a treatment.

[Travelcat2]

37 minutes ago, greykitty said:

I think this is another del Rio interview - he's certainly hitting the circuit.  I hope his timeline mentioned in the full interview is correct, although I personally think he's pretty optimistic.  Well, certainly that's his job, especially in the media.

 

 

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Norwegian Cruise Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio acknowledged that “many of the tenets that make the cruise industry popular -- that the ship is your home, your transportation, your dining, your entertainment, that you travel around over a seven- or 10-day period, that you visit multiple ports -- all those things that were assets under normal conditions are now being challenged. And in many cases could be liabilities.”

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Sailing-full-redefined-in-cruising-new-reality-coronavirus

 

Thank you for posting the article.  I learn something new from each of his interviews!

[Dolebludger]

I watched NBC evening news again tonight. (Perhaps I shouldn’t watch it but it seems to be non-prejudiced). The CEO of Boeing was interviewed, and said he expected at least one of the major airlines to go bankrupt within a year, and due to mergers that never should have happened, there are only three. Now,  everybody on this board knows that I do not like airlines -- and they are right. And everybody here should know that we love Regent cruises. But we have considerable flight time to get to even any US port to take a cruise. Just for fun, I went to the AA site to see what was available from Durango CO to Miami. As the number of flights have been reduced by 90%, I found that it would require an overnight stay in Dallas. That is not a situation indusive to cruising. I then went to the United site to try to get from here to Miami. Same result, except the overnight would be in Denver. And those are the only choices we have. Now, if we booked a basic Regent cruise Miami to Miami, who is going to pay for two $300 overnights at airport hotels? 
 

I hope all here will understand the “airline problems” that we in the middle of the US are confronted with if we just want to take a simple Caribbean cruise. And without even mentioning the “sardine can” seating in basic economy air class which isn’t distancing, it isn’t doesn’t seem to be even possible. All I have been trying to say is that Regent (and other lines) can’t get bookings from people who can’t reasonably get to the ports. We have always recently opted for an overnight at both embarkation and disembarking ports,, and paid for them,  because airlines were unreliable even before the pandemic. But add in two intermediate overnights will be a deal breaker

 

All I am trying to present on this forum is that luxury cruising cannot successfully resume, with reasonably full ships, until there is a healthy, decent, and reliable way to get the guests from their homes to the port and back, without forced overnight stays due to lack of flights. And we just don’t have that now. So we naturally are worried about the future of luxury cruises (or any cruises for that matter). And I haven’t even mentioned cruises from or to another continent. The issues are even worse, but this post is already too long!

Edited May 13, 2020 by Dolebludger

[CBWIR]

11 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

I watched NBC evening news again tonight. (Perhaps I shouldn’t watch it but it seems to be non-prejudiced). The CEO of Boeing was interviewed, and said he expected at least one of the major airlines to go bankrupt within a year, and due to mergers that never should have happened, there are only three. Now,  everybody on this board knows that I do not like airlines -- and they are right. And everybody here should know that we love Regent cruises. But we have considerable flight time to get to even any US port to take a cruise. Just for fun, I went to the AA site to see what was available from Durango CO to Miami. As the number of flights have been reduced by 90%, I found that it would require an overnight stay in Dallas. That is not a situation indusive to cruising. I then went to the United site to try to get from here to Miami. Same result, except the overnight would be in Denver. And those are the only choices we have. Now, if we booked a basic Regent cruise Miami to Miami, who is going to pay for two $300 overnights at airport hotels? 
 

I hope all here will understand the “airline problems” that we in the middle of the US are confronted with if we just want to take a simple Caribbean cruise. And without even mentioning the “sardine can” seating in basic economy air class which isn’t distancing, it isn’t doesn’t seem to be even possible. All I have been trying to say is that Regent (and other lines) can’t get bookings from people who can’t reasonably get to the ports. We have always recently opted for an overnight at both embarkation and disembarking ports, because airlines were unreliable even before the pandemic. But add in two intermediate overnights will be a deal breaker

 

All I am trying to present on this forum is that luxury cruising cannot successfully resume, with reasonably full ships, until there is a healthy, decent, and reliable way to get the guests from their homes to the port and back. And we just don’t have that now.

Another daily screed on airlines. You decided to move to a location with limited air srevice. We all have to live with the consequences of our decisions.

Edited May 13, 2020 by CBWIR

[Dolebludger]

If I may respond to the above post, it was not a place with limited airline service when we chose to move here. We had numerous  AA flights per day to their Dallas and Phoenix hubs, and numerous flights from there to everywhere. We had numerous United flights  to Denver and numerous flights from there to everywhere. And we had Frontier flights from here to Albuquerque to almost everywhere.  While we lost Frontier a few years back (no huge loss) we continued with all the AA and United flights until the pandemic. It is not a matter of my choice, as the problem didn’t exist when we made our choice!. And have you checked on flights from and to your location? And I see that your profile here does not disclose your location.  That’s fine, but tell us all; how do you find airline service from your location? Do you have anything good to tell us about it? Do you have any comments about how comfortable and socially distanced basis economy flying is?  
 

Another “daily screed: on airlines and their service? Please don’t criticize me unless you also tell us how much you like your airline service from and to your location. And if you do not like my belief and analysis that poor air services  to luxury cruises will hinder the profitable cruise reopening, please present your concept. Just please do not criticize mine without presenting yours.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Dolebludger

[Travelcat2]

Dolebludger - I truly understand your feelings.  However, prior to the pandemic, Regent has been flying their customers all over the world for years.  Yes - there are places that are super inconvenient (like where you live).  When we relocated from Los Angeles 18 years ago, one of the criteria was that we needed to be reasonably close to a large airport.  In our case, we have Vancouver (the closest), Seatac, and a tiny airport that gets us back and forth to Seattle (when we are forced to fly out of there).

 

Given the currency condition of airlines, it is doubtful that there will be more flights or ones where there is more room in economy.  The best way for you to get somewhere (other than Miami) is to take a flight that goes to an airport that would take you overseas.  IF you use the same airline, you likely could have First Class within the U.S. and Business Class internationally.

 

There are challenges for most of us.  I learned this evening that the border between Canada and U.S. may not open until next year.  This might require us to do another air deviation - if our cruise in November sails.  Definitely a pain in the neck but we are willing to go through some discomfort in order to ultimately get onto a ship.

 

If you accept that you may never have the type of flights that you want, you may be less upset about it.  Getting upset about something that you can do nothing about isn't worth it.