When Do You Think Cruising Will Be Safe

[Thesandman12]

4 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

 

I'm with you all the way. I've even been shamed on CC for citing such views as overkill.  We used to get sidelong glances on airplanes when we would sit down, whip out a couple of wipes, and wipe down any surface we were likely to touch.  Friends used to refuse our offer of a little squirt of hand sanitizer just before we ate - saying that no, they had washed their hands before they left home.  All those folks are singing a different tune today.

 

To answer the OP, cruising will be safe again when there is a viable vaccine in use worldwide.  I have no interest in a cruise with masks and distancing.  

amen to that we have been doing that even before. Many people have no respect for others or even themselves. stay safe

[mek]

2 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

You missed the point, people can take extra precautions and still get sick.  People can practice common sense hygiene and still get sick.  No one can say when cruising is going to be "safe" because was it really "safe" to begin with?

 

 

No I didn't.  I was just commenting that I have never done anything special and have never been sick on a cruise.  

[WeLuvVacation]

Every time this kind of thread comes out I say January of 2021. I should and will revise that to say three months after a vaccine is produced. In other words I really don't know an exact time.

[karena1]

We have a B2B at the end of June booked.  So I think it will go - doubtful.  Am I hoping it goes - absolutely - will go in a minute if we can. 

 

Our next one is end of August.  So hoping for sure can do that one.

[Crazy planning mom]

I would book the 2nd half of 2021 or early 2022.  Personally, I rebooked for June 2021 due to scheduling constraints.  Hope, it works out.

[lenquixote66]

11 hours ago, JamesEM said:

I was doing a b-2-b-2-b on the Vision, the remaining two weeks were cancelled, just received my cash refund (Yeah).  Now I'm looking to book a b-2-b, what do you think would be safest time to book my next time?

May 2021 is my prediction

[Roger88]

Cruising has always been safe in my opinion. People were not taking any precaution measures and it all ended up with a few ships being closed on quarantine. I am also sure that the new measures taken by the Industry will eliminate such cases completely.  My only hope is that people will take a better care of their health, especially when they are on board among other hundreds of people 

[JamesEM]

17 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

 

I'm with you all the way. I've even been shamed on CC for citing such views as overkill.  We used to get sidelong glances on airplanes when we would sit down, whip out a couple of wipes, and wipe down any surface we were likely to touch.  Friends used to refuse our offer of a little squirt of hand sanitizer just before we ate - saying that no, they had washed their hands before they left home.  All those folks are singing a different tune today.

 

To answer the OP, cruising will be safe again when there is a viable vaccine in use worldwide.  I have no interest in a cruise with masks and distancing.  

On my Sprint flight back from PR, most everyone had wipes and masks, an announcement was made thanking us for cleaning the plane and someone would be around to collect the wipes. 

[BillieJeanKaraokeKing]

I would only consider going 6 months after cruises have been sailing without incident. 

 

However, I appreciate the likes of some of you guys for offering to be the guinea pigs lol

[SargassoPirate]

21 hours ago, mek said:

And I have never done anything extra except wash my hands and on 65+ cruises  never come down with anything.  I'm certainly not comparing C19 to anything else we have encountered, but until I can go back on a ship and all I have to do is practice common sense hygiene, then cruising won't be for me.  No masks, gloves, social distancing - I can do that at home and not shell out $$$$'s.  If that means I relax on my patio with a tropical drink, then so be it.

 

Here in the Sargasso Sea, the drinks are cheaper and She Who Must Be Obeyed stocks my favorite brand of Scotch.  Happy hour starts whenever it's five o'clock somewhere. There are no chair hogs to contend with.  There are no feral children runnng amok.  It's always casual dress at first seating.  We can watch the evening show on our own big screen without someone behind us talking through the show and where we can control the volume and not have to wear ear plugs. There are no annoying marketing announcements from She Who Must Be Obeyed, but she does keep me informed about the expected weather for the day.  We can do our own laundry anytime.  We don't have to queue up for anything.

 

Maybe this is the year for a luxury Staycation!

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by SargassoPirate

[leisuretraveler223]

It's going to be a long time before I get on a cruise ship again.  It's more that I need to see what happens.  My most pressing concern isn't just getting sick (I'm low risk), but being able to get off.

 

The first ship with signs of a problem suddenly won't be allowed into port.  I don't want to be stuck on a ship.

 

Too many land based alternatives for me to deal with that until I see it's definitely not a problem.  I say it takes at least two years before that happens.  But, none of these cruise operators are going to survive anyway.  You're watching the steady march to bankruptcy reorganization. So who knows what the product will even look like on the other side.

[Karma5]

when a vaccine is available......................it will be safer.............

[GOLFER1234]

The problem isn't YOU, it''s the inconsiderate filthy pigs who don't

1. wash hands after using bathroom (and I'vd seen many)

2. use the hand sanitizer

3. cover mouths when sneezing or coughing....

4. believe in other basic sanitary measures

 

Some of you are saying that you are going to cruise as soon as the fall? What is wrong with you? As of today there are about 80K passengers and 100K staff stuck on ships, some for 6-8 weeks!!!. It's going to take years before this industry will, if at all, come back to normal. One person on a ship can infect many. I am not risking my health for a chance to sail with thousands of others. I've done 14 sailings and LOVE it. We all have choices when traveling but no matter how much the crew cleans and allegedly sanitizes it won't be enough for me right now. Not sure if I can step foot on a ship again.

 

Just my point of view....

[lenquixote66]

44 minutes ago, GOLFER1234 said:

The problem isn't YOU, it''s the inconsiderate filthy pigs who don't

1. wash hands after using bathroom (and I'vd seen many)

2. use the hand sanitizer

3. cover mouths when sneezing or coughing....

4. believe in other basic sanitary measures

 

Some of you are saying that you are going to cruise as soon as the fall? What is wrong with you? As of today there are about 80K passengers and 100K staff stuck on ships, some for 6-8 weeks!!!. It's going to take years before this industry will, if at all, come back to normal. One person on a ship can infect many. I am not risking my health for a chance to sail with thousands of others. I've done 14 sailings and LOVE it. We all have choices when traveling but no matter how much the crew cleans and allegedly sanitizes it won't be enough for me right now. Not sure if I can step foot on a ship again.

 

Just my point of view....

I cannot count the amount of times that I saw people not wash their hands in the bathroom.The number of people sneezing in the air or coughing in the air is unbelievable.As of now I do not believe that I shall ever cruise again.

[dagadget]

December of 2020 is our target. if we do not go then we will just extend our FCC until it is safe.

[leisuretraveler223]

On 4/30/2020 at 8:54 PM, singinalot said:

it’s safe now!

 

Based on what?

[John Reid]

7 hours ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

Based on what?

It may be sarcasm, since there are no cruises now.

[John Reid]

My thoughts for me and family.

Truly safe? Not for a full year after a successful vaccine is available. So two years or longer.

The virus would have to be under complete control in the ports of call for a cruise and that is going to take time.

If there are inoculation deniers on a ship and they contract the virus, the entire vessel could be quarantined for an extended period. 

I would fear returning home without symptoms yet infected and passing the virus on to family and granddaughters.

I enjoy cruising and have taken 38 since 2008. I have three more that I booked before the breakout began.

But I am not willing to take a cruise with the experience so diminished by restrictions (though they would be necessary) that it would no longer resemble the cruising we have known.

And that is unfortunate.

 

Again, my thoughts - not intended to be yours.

 

[KansasK]

I hope by a year after the vaccine is available it will be safe to cruise again. I hope the cruise lines require that passengers submit proof they have been vaccinated for Covid19 so the ship won't be quarantined. This won't be popular with a lot of people, but I still hope they require it. 

[Trixie21]

We have cancelled any remaining cruises this year and rebooked currently for june (Norway and iceland ) and august (Western Caribbean) 2021 .

Hopefully that will be enough time for the cruise lines and ports to get fully up and going again.  Fingers crossed a viable widely available vaccine and/or treatment will be produced by then also - a vaccine is the only thing which will get things back to anywhere near normal.

[leisuretraveler223]

6 hours ago, KansasK said:

I hope by a year after the vaccine is available it will be safe to cruise again. I hope the cruise lines require that passengers submit proof they have been vaccinated for Covid19 so the ship won't be quarantined. This won't be popular with a lot of people, but I still hope they require it. 

 

They haven't done that for flu. I doubt you'll see it for Covid.  The goal will still be herd immunity.  There will always be the 3-5% of asshats who don't vaccinate. But if it's like most other viral illnesses, 92-93%will provide the herd immunity so the idiots can't cause an outbreak.

[smush21]

If the Olympics go ahead next year I guess cruising is safe. They were cancelled not just because of the safety of the athletes but also the impact on bringing so many nationalities together.

Cases of Covid are much higher in cities in Europe which allowed football(soccer) matches go ahead in March - some of these matches would have been played by teams from for example England and Spain. There was a similar rise in infection after large horse racing meetings and returning tourists from ski resorts.

The second wave is also a distinct possibility.

Ports are going to look at how safe it is to allow guests into their countries. I guess in Europe its about the mix of nationalities visiting - although I understand that on any cruise there is a mix. 

So when will cruising be safe - when people can gather in large numbers without fear of infection.

 

[OnTheJourney]

Shortest and probably best answer to this thread...one guess is probably as good as another 

Edited May 5, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

On 4/30/2020 at 8:15 PM, GOLFER1234 said:

The problem isn't YOU, it''s the inconsiderate filthy pigs who don't

1. wash hands after using bathroom (and I'vd seen many)

2. use the hand sanitizer

3. cover mouths when sneezing or coughing....

4. believe in other basic sanitary measures

 

Some of you are saying that you are going to cruise as soon as the fall? What is wrong with you? As of today there are about 80K passengers and 100K staff stuck on ships, some for 6-8 weeks!!!. It's going to take years before this industry will, if at all, come back to normal. One person on a ship can infect many. I am not risking my health for a chance to sail with thousands of others. I've done 14 sailings and LOVE it. We all have choices when traveling but no matter how much the crew cleans and allegedly sanitizes it won't be enough for me right now. Not sure if I can step foot on a ship again.

 

Just my point of view....

 

And, the 4 points you mention are things we've encountered even under normal circumstances. Will some of those folks change under a more stringent and cautious environment? Probably not. 

 

As to never setting foot on a ship again, I just don't want to live with that level of paranoia. For the short term, sure, but not going forward for some indefinite time. I can cancel any cruise plans I currently have, not book anything down the road, then very possibly wind up not even getting the virus, and thus will have given up on (at least cruise) travel.

 

For those of us, like myself, who retired fairly young in order to have the freedom and time to travel, I'm not sure I'm willing to throw all those options away in exchange for staying home and doing all that I can to avoid contracting this virus. To do so, in my mind, qualifies more as a commitment to 'staying alive' rather than truly 'living'. I believe there is a distinct difference between the two. DIY land touring is probably not as risky but still, unless one is going to sleep in the car every night, never again set foot in a hotel nor participate in any event where you encounter others in reasonably close proximity, you're still exposed to people during any sort of sightseeing or whatever other social function. Probably as great a risk is incurred spending time in restaurants and shops, etc. as there is walking around a ship. The problem with cruising, of course, is the issues associated with confinement when an outbreak does occur.  Then, there's the rather bizarre idea I suppose of cruising in such a manner whereby you spend most of the time in your cabin, not going ashore, no excursions (horrors!) and have room service delivered every day. In that scenario, I'd probably just as soon stay home. That, to me, would not be 'cruising'. Noroviruses break out on ships all the time. Fortunately, the symptoms are typically short lived and not that severe.

 

I, for one, do not wish to - nor plan to - give up on my travel plans and bucket lists, including those which involve cruising. As I alluded to already, I try to hypothetically picture myself essentially giving up travel but not ever getting CV, then looking back on it a few years from now. Will I pat myself on the back for having essentially isolated myself from group travel experiences or will I look back regretfully at all the valuable time I've sacrificed and not have hardly gone anywhere? I suspect the latter to be the case. This is not to suggest that I'm not as scared as the next guy of getting CV and maybe winding up on a ventilator, but in the final analysis life is full of so many different kinds of risks. And, being very close to age 65, how much longer do I realistically have to travel before whatever other unforeseen health issues could arise? J.R.R. Tolkien: "It's a dangerous business going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails."

Edited May 5, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

13 hours ago, John Reid said:

 

But I am not willing to take a cruise with the experience so diminished by restrictions (though they would be necessary) that it would no longer resemble the cruising we have known.

And that is unfortunate.

 

 

 

 

I tend to agree. Depends on exactly what some of those 'restrictions' might be.