SS Future Re-Open Plan: Timing, Testing Needs??!!

[alexandria]

30 minutes ago, chrism23 said:

The Trump Administration just overruled CDC No sail order.  Article below is from Axios.  Sailing can resume after October 31.  I am not going to comment on the wisdom or the politics of this decision.    

 

https://www.axios.com/scoop-white-house-overruled-cdc-cruise-ships-florida-91442136-1b8e-442e-a2a1-0b24e9a39fb6.html

 

As to the highlighted portion, not necessarily.  If the reports are true, it only means that the CDC proposal to extend the No Sail Order to February 2021 was overruled and that it will only be extended until October 31 at this time.  Just as has already occurred twice and will occur again today, the No Sail Order could again be extended on or before the reported October 31 end date.  Whether another extension past October 31 is likely to happen, nobody knows at this point.

[Randyk47]

6 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

As to the highlighted portion, not necessarily.  If the reports are true, it only means that the CDC proposal to extend the No Sail Order to February 2021 was overruled and that it will only be extended until October 31 at this time.  Just as has already occurred twice and will occur again today, the No Sail Order could again be extended on or before the reported October 31 end date.  Whether another extension past October 31 is likely to happen, nobody knows at this point.

I agree and would not put a lot of faith in the October 31 date.   What has concerned me, and continues to concern me, is the very real potential of a surge in infections in the next few weeks or months.   It is such a mixed bag of data right now.  One report I saw said 26 US states are experiencing surges or increases in cases.  Now Texas where we live is one of the states reporting increases yet locally we have seen a pretty significant drop off.   The other data point or points that are worrisome are the supposedly increasing numbers in Europe.  Hard for me to judge the accuracy or real impact but it doesn’t sound encouraging.   

[kimanjo]

Maybe what we just saw the major airlines do, that we never expected.  Change and cancel fees are gone. Award ticket re-deposit fees, gone.

Maybe the unthinkable will happen with the cruise industry.  Changing and adapting to these uncertain times, by completely re-thinking their cancellation policies?

 If the T&C's say if you test positive ( or a family member) and your on your own for getting either hospitalized at the port, or paying to get yourself home, and on top of that, losing your $$ for that cruise, ONE sailing and the publicity of a family or two or three stranded and left on their own will be disastrous PR.  I just don't see anything positive about pax being left totally and completely on the hook.  Especially if there is NO trip insurance that covers it.  

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 hour ago, alexandria said:

 

Based upon the recommendations I received from others about Silversea, I too thought they would "do the right thing."  After they announced the reduction of FCC to "up to 110%" for all bookings, including those made during the period covered by the April 8 amendment when the 125% FCC terms were clear, unambiguous and without limitation or restriction, an appeal was made to Silversea to honor those provisions for affected passengers whose cruises were cancelled by Silversea the very next day.  The response by Silversea senior management was curt and abrupt and simply indicated that they changed the terms on September 15, 2020, it was now "up to 110% FCC" and "thank you for your understanding." 

 

Two of our friends who have enjoyed Silversea cruising often over the years, and who chose not to cancel two existing bookings based upon the 125% FCC Cruise with Confidence policy, were among those affected by this issue when one of their cruises was also canceled in mid-September.  They recently called and apologized to us for recommending Silversea and shared their opinion that the Silversea they are now seeing does not appear to resemble in any way the Silversea they have loyally supported over the years.  They are so frustrated by what they view as a betrayal of their most loyal clients (those who were actually willing to invest in Silversea cruise bookings during the COVID crisis, rather that keeping their money on the sidelines), that they demanded a cash refund for the first booking, cancelled their second booking and have said that they don't intend to sail Silversea again.

 

I think it speaks volumes about the "new" Silversea that not only are they now refusing to honor a written commitment made to passengers in order to induce them to book a future cruise (or prevent them from cancelling an existing booking), but that they have also chosen to treat in this manner people who were actually willing to give Silversea thousands of dollars in the midst of this uncertainty and at a time when the US stock market and other parts of the economy were suffering.  It strikes me that those people who were willing to go out on a limb to support Silversea in "their time of need" would be the last customers that Silversea should alienate and betray.

 

I know I don't intend to consider Silversea again.  But I hope that by sharing my experience and knowledge with others and providing tools for them to research issues for themselves, fellow cruise enthusiasts can be well-informed in order to make the best decisions possible about their future travel plans.

 

 

Hi,

 

Just a few words of sympathy and support in taking the trouble to detail and share your experience so others can take account of  your post or not as they wish.

 

Our recent exchanges have been about the difference in consumer protection for Americans and Brits and were made to add to the caution side of the equation.  I hope others digest your comments alongside others to understand the risks they are taking when they "trust".    You think these changes are "new" but they are most certainly not.  I share our experience alongside yours because I think it was before your time and will better explain better my position with respect to our exchanges earlier this year. 

 

Three years back after an extended absence of SS cruises due to earlier dissapointments, my wife won the argument and we booked a Med cruise on Whisper which included new ports and biz flights etc etc.  To summarise when we arrived on board we were bewildered to find ourselves in what seemed to be an out of control drunken party and it quickly transpired that SS had chartered out the ship to a single company and had sold the few remaining suites - 20 or so .... to unsuspecting punters like us without bothering to tell us of the charter.  If we had known of the charter we would not have booked and we felt simply that we should have been given the choice. 

 

Bad enough that it was a charter but what was worst was that the group was totally unsuitable.  None of this is in contention because SS admitted the error and when we requested after two days that they book us on the next flight home, we were asked to stay and were promised very precisely a refund.  So we stayed.  In fact in the Venetian reception the promise of refunds was repeated to several who posted here confirming that the promises of refunds was made to them as well.  When we got home, we requested the refund but the refund was replaced with the offer a FCC of 15% of the value of the old cruise against a new one.  SS admitted in their own words that the cruise "wasn't of their normal standard" and "was less than we should have reasonably expected" but refused to engage on any discussion about the promised refund.  So SS were basically telling us that they were not prepared to discuss the promises made to us, or offering anything by way of refund but that they sought to use our loss as a marketing opportunity to sell us future cruises and get more cash from us.  As it happened we had already booked a further cruise which we cancelled and got a full refund as we had lost confidence in SS.  That left the question of the promised refund unresolved.  We appealed and complained to the bank but they refused.

 

In the UK alongside litigation we also have another recourse and that is as a result of Section 75 of The Finance Act where the bank and credit card provider are equally responsible for the goods and services provided.  We formalised a complaint to The Financial Ombudsman who having read SS's communications and the bank's with us and having read their brochure concluded that SS had failed to provide the promised cruise and had admitted so - and that they were in breach of the law with respect to only offering a FCC and found wholly in our favour, instructing the bank who shared respionsibility to make the refund.   In the UK this route is completely cost and risk free to the complainer irerespective of outcome and the bank pays a fee for every complaint made irrespective of the outcome.  They also appear on a public list so that the public can guage how good the bank is at handling complaints

 

It's the first time I've shared our experience since it happened and I don't really intend to discuss it any more  because it is over and we have moved on.   Many people will never experience something as bad as this and therefore may have never had an adverse experience.  But as you posted some do and it is equally important that all experiences both good and bad are shared without sanction by others.

 

The thing is that in the end for many people, but in particular Americans with less consumer protection, the lever of reputation is often the only lever.  Organisations must understand that even if "doing the right thing" is not of itself compelling enough then at the very least there might be a reputational consequencial cost of future business if they do not conduct themselve with integrity.  That is why sharing balanced and reasonable adverse experiences are as important as good and positive ones. Particularly in these extremely uncertain times.

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by UKCruiseJeff

[Observer]

19 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

It's the first time I've shared our experience since it happened and I don't really intend to discuss it any more  because it is over and we have moved on.   Many people will never experience something as bad as this and therefore may have never had an adverse experience.  But as you posted some do and it is equally important that all experiences both good and bad are shared without sanction by others.

 

 

Isn't it the case that boards such as this one tend to attract more reports of adverse experience than of good experiences?  The good are ordinary and expected.   The bad are happily extraordinary (and none the less regrettable).  

 

I closely followed the saga of the passengers on Silver Shadow when the ship was stranded in Brazil.  I had multiple contacts a day with a passenger.  I do not believe there have been any threads about the SS response to the situation.  Everything I have understood is that SS response to a situation not of its making was extraordinary, including chartered flights, private jets from DFW, booked chauffeured limos from US airports to guests' front doors.  I had access to the daily menus from which guests could choose meals during the multi-day quarantine.  Etc.

 

I doubt that any of this was required by the T&C of the cruise ticket.  But SS did the right thing in this extraordinary circumstance, and I imagine they would in future such situations.

[UKCruiseJeff]

12 minutes ago, Observer said:

 

Isn't it the case that boards such as this one tend to attract more reports of adverse experience than of good experiences?  The good are ordinary and expected.   The bad are happily extraordinary (and none the less regrettable).  

 

I closely followed the saga of the passengers on Silver Shadow when the ship was stranded in Brazil.  I had multiple contacts a day with a passenger.  I do not believe there have been any threads about the SS response to the situation.  Everything I have understood is that SS response to a situation not of its making was extraordinary, including chartered flights, private jets from DFW, booked chauffeured limos from US airports to guests' front doors.  I had access to the daily menus from which guests could choose meals during the multi-day quarantine.  Etc.

 

I doubt that any of this was required by the T&C of the cruise ticket.  But SS did the right thing in this extraordinary circumstance, and I imagine they would in future such situations.

 

Generally speaking on almost all public fora then I agree that there is an almost overwhelming element of self-selection  whereby a disproportionate amount of noise is from those with adverse comment compared to those with a positive comment.   In those circumstances the balance can therefore be potentially misleading.

 

On this type of board however that is in my view true to a lessor extent because the majority of posters are very highly product positive wishing to share their enthusiasms offer help and it is moderated  with a clear commercial interest in mind. 

 

You will know well that no one is ever criticised for posting positive comments - quite the reverse - but those that post anything negative will receive  posts seeking to neutralise anything negative and often also personal attacks.

 

Jeff

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by UKCruiseJeff

[Observer]

12 minutes ago, chrism23 said:

 

I feared when they were bought by Royal Caribbean that the company would significantly change and become more corporate and less client centered, which perhaps was their biggest asset.  I think their rate of repeat passengers was the highest in the industry.  It sounds like, given many of the comments here, that my fears were well founded.  This whole situation makes me sad in so many ways.  

 

Another way of looking at this is concluding that the RCCL purchase has kept Silversea afloat.  It is difficult to see how SS could have survived as a family-owned company.  Customers of another fine luxury cruise line that appears to be essentially family-owned and does not enjoy the huge corporate/financial muscle of RCCL behind it are waiting very, very long to get refunds and then apparently only by filing disputes with credit card issuers.  

[nowornever]

Posted a couple of hours ago on NYT:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/health/covid-cruise-ships.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

[cruiseej]

On 9/29/2020 at 9:22 AM, Bucephalus53 said:

I will never sail, with any carrier, that has that wording in it's Terms and Conditions. 

 

I'm guessing you're never sailing again then, since I'd guess that every carrier has some similar wording. 😉

[Bucephalus53]

5 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

I'm guessing you're never sailing again then, since I'd guess that every carrier has some similar wording. 😉

That wording was not an issue before Covid...and I am anticipating it won’t be an issue at some point in the future either. Right now...it’s an issue. 

[brimary]

18 hours ago, alexandria said:

 

Based upon the recommendations I received from others about Silversea, I too thought they would "do the right thing."  After they announced the reduction of FCC to "up to 110%" for all bookings, including those made during the period covered by the April 8 amendment when the 125% FCC terms were clear, unambiguous and without limitation or restriction, an appeal was made to Silversea to honor those provisions for affected passengers whose cruises were cancelled by Silversea the very next day.  The response by Silversea senior management was curt and abrupt and simply indicated that they changed the terms on September 15, 2020, it was now "up to 110% FCC" and "thank you for your understanding." 

 

Two of our friends who have enjoyed Silversea cruising often over the years, and who chose not to cancel two existing bookings based upon the 125% FCC Cruise with Confidence policy, were among those affected by this issue when one of their cruises was also canceled in mid-September.  They recently called and apologized to us for recommending Silversea and shared their opinion that the Silversea they are now seeing does not appear to resemble in any way the Silversea they have loyally supported over the years.  They are so frustrated by what they view as a betrayal of their most loyal clients (those who were actually willing to invest in Silversea cruise bookings during the COVID crisis, rather that keeping their money on the sidelines), that they demanded a cash refund for the first booking, cancelled their second booking and have said that they don't intend to sail Silversea again.

 

I think it speaks volumes about the "new" Silversea that not only are they now refusing to honor a written commitment made to passengers in order to induce them to book a future cruise (or prevent them from cancelling an existing booking), but that they have also chosen to treat in this manner people who were actually willing to give Silversea thousands of dollars in the midst of this uncertainty and at a time when the US stock market and other parts of the economy were suffering.  It strikes me that those people who were willing to go out on a limb to support Silversea in "their time of need" would be the last customers that Silversea should alienate and betray.

 

I know I don't intend to consider Silversea again.  But I hope that by sharing my experience and knowledge with others and providing tools for them to research issues for themselves, fellow cruise enthusiasts can be well-informed in order to make the best decisions possible about their future travel plans.

Like your friends we have been avid supporters of Silversea annually since 1999.

We also shared the experience of UK CruiseJeff of being on Chartered cruise with Silversea eleven years ago and all we received was an apology for the inconvenience of being one of 18 normal passengers on board

Agree with all you say on the management of  the Pandemic by Silversea but consider the deteriorating standards since the RC  takeover result from the involvement of the Mass market in a luxury market they do not understand.

Sadly this  is why we have retired from Silversea and all cruising after 21 superb years of luxury cruising with Silversea that we have been fortunate to enjoy.

[les37b]

18 hours ago, Observer said:

 

Another way of looking at this is concluding that the RCCL purchase has kept Silversea afloat.  It is difficult to see how SS could have survived as a family-owned company.  Customers of another fine luxury cruise line that appears to be essentially family-owned and does not enjoy the huge corporate/financial muscle of RCCL behind it are waiting very, very long to get refunds and then apparently only by filing disputes with credit card issuers.  

Completely agree and I’m fairly sure the reason for the sale of the other 50% by Manfredi at a massively discounted price was to be able not to dig deep and stump up the enormous costs to run a Cruiseline without any income from the bank balance of the initial sale.

[TLCOhio]

While there is some "debate" as to the politics and/or science related to when and how the CDC might lift its "no-sail" order, the bottom line continues to be that the ships cannot now resume sailing.  And from below, the CDC in its release late yesterday is still seriously concerned about how cruising might "AMPLIFY THE SPREAD" of Covid-19, both on ship and/or when passengers return back to their homes/communities.  

 

From NBC-TV News this morning, they had this headline: “Cruises in U.S. waters halted until at least November, CDC says” with these highlights: “Cruise ships will be barred from sailing in U.S. waters for at least another month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Wednesday, extending its 'no sail' order through October.  That's a far shorter extension than what the CDC originally proposed to the White House coronavirus task force, which was that cruise ships should not sail until at least February.  But the February extension was nixed after a meeting between the CDC and members of the task force, according to officials familiar with the situation. 'Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas provide current evidence that cruise ship travel continues to transmit and amplify the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,' the CDC said in a press release, 'even when ships sail at reduced passenger capacities—and would likely spread the infection into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume prematurely in the United States.' ”

 

Even in the remote chance that the "no-sail" order would be lift on Nov. 1, things are not going to resume back even to "half-normal" very quickly.  Look at the airline industry!!  They have been allowed to operate fully for months, but customers are staying away.  The same would affect the cruise industry.  It is going to take time and much more medically to even being able to be sailing at "quarter-speed" or "half-speed".  

 

Full story at:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cruises-u-s-waters-halted-until-least-november-cdc-says-n1241554

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 240,500 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[TLCOhio]

On 9/30/2020 at 6:27 AM, Dermotsgirl said:

Day trips to the seaside are indeed living like a local. Trips to Southend featured heavily in my Essex childhood. Now that I live in Kent, we have regular day outings for coastal walking all along the north Kent coast, anywhere from Whitstable round to Sandwich. 

 

Appreciate ALL of these great suggestions, comments and follow-up regarding "living like a local" in the UK.  YES, we definitely want to do such an "adventure" at a future date when travel is more back to some form of normal.  As to above, we enjoyed in 2008 five days in the Kent area prior to boarding at Dover to do our Baltics/Russia cruise.  Love getting those interesting history samples, seeing the gardens, enjoying the local food, experiencing the charm for these various areas and regions of the UK, touring unique homes, etc., etc.   

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 231,077 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[TLCOhio]

Below is a link to the full text of the CDC order put out late yesterday.  When you read this text and their specific warnings, it is not exactly a "WARM AND WELCOMING" invitation saying "All is fine, welcome aboard, no risks.", etc.  Am I missing something and/or being unfair in summarizing the message from the CDC?

 

Here is one of their key highlights: “The challenges described in the No Sail Order highlight the need for further action before cruise ships can safely resume passenger operations in the United States.  Recent passenger voyages in foreign countries continue to have outbreaks, despite cruise ship operators having extensive health and safety protocols to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on board and spread to communities where passengers disembark. When health and safety protocols were apparently observed, resuming passenger operations significantly burdened public health authorities by creating the need for additional SARS-CoV-2 testing, isolation of infected travelers, contact tracing, and quarantine of exposed people.”

 

Here is more: "On cruise ships, passengers and crew share spaces that are more crowded than most urban settings. Data show that when only essential crew are on board, ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2 still occurs. If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk."

 

Full CDC order yesterday at:

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0930-no-sail-order.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 88,754 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[worldtraveller99]

So does this imply there will be no cruising at all - until after COVID has gone - when the companies may have gone out of business? 

[jollyjones]

Well, there are other cruisable parts of the world that aren't the US of A. And cruises are happening there. Not entirely without incident, but they are happening.

 

The CDC can only control US of A ports and waters.

Edited October 1, 2020 by jollyjones

[alexandria]

18 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

Well, there are other cruisable parts of the world that aren't the US of A. And cruises are happening there. Not entirely without incident, but they are happening.

 

The CDC can only control US of A ports and waters.

 

Indeed but for most US residents, cruising from ports outside of the US is not feasible due to outright travel bans or lengthy quarantine periods imposed by most (if not all) countries from which cruises are currently departing.  And like the restart of cruising from US ports or in US waters, at this point nobody knows when restrictions will be relaxed or restricted such that US residents can cruise if they so desire.

[MrsWaldo]

31 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

Indeed but for most US residents, cruising from ports outside of the US is not feasible due to outright travel bans or lengthy quarantine periods imposed by most (if not all) countries from which cruises are currently departing.  And like the restart of cruising from US ports or in US waters, at this point nobody knows when restrictions will be relaxed or restricted such that US residents can cruise if they so desire.

Yes, but the US is not the only country in the world, despite the thoughts of some. 
 

In fact, SS have already discussed their intention to potentially operate cruises within bubble  zones and have done so as an example in Saudi.  Australia for one is already discussing removing the quarantine requirements for those coming from New Zealand and that in itself opens up quite a few cruise options.   
 

I appreciate this is not here and now, but certainly possible. On my last 3 Silversea cruises Americans were not the most represented population and in fact on the last one they weren’t even second or third.  

[TLCOhio]

17 minutes ago, alexandria said:

Indeed but for most US residents, cruising from ports outside of the US is not feasible due to outright travel bans or lengthy quarantine periods imposed by most (if not all) countries from which cruises are currently departing.  And like the restart of cruising from US ports or in US waters, at this point nobody knows when restrictions will be relaxed or restricted such that US residents can cruise if they so desire.

 

Yes, technically and legally, what is noted by jollyjones is 100% correct.  MrsWaldo is also right that "the US is not the only country in the world."  BUT, alexandria smartly shares that the "IMPACT" from any CDC orders carries a much wider, stronger power than some would expect or believe.  Other countries and health agencies watch closely what is ordered, questioned, said and issued by the respected medical/science staffs at the CDC.  My guess and experience has been that the U.S. still constitutes the largest single base of the major cruise ship customer numbers.  That depends as to where you are sailing, but overall the total data probably adds up that way.  

 

Going back to March, the CDC has been extremely pointed about their lack of confidence in the actions and cover-ups by certain cruise lines and their staff members.      And WHY!!!  Especially towards Carnival and certain of their lines, that serious doubt and distrust has been deep and well-earned!!!

 

As to worldtraveller99's comment of "So does this imply there will be no cruising at all - until after COVID has gone - when the companies may have gone out of business?",    I understand that significant frustration and risk.   AND, we do not appreciate not knowing . . . when and how sailing will resume??!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 67,458 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

[TLCOhio]

From the Wall Street Journal's sister business publication, Barron's, this afternoon, they had this headline: “CDC Extends No-Sail Order to Oct. 31 but Remains Skeptical of Cruise Safety” with these highlights: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its no-sail order for cruise ships until Oct. 31, giving the industry a begrudging signal that its U.S. operations could resume by the end of the year.  The CDC, in extending its order late Wednesday, didn’t paint a rosy picture for the cruise companies.  Shares of the big three cruise companies were flat to down slightly Thursday after the news. The CDC statement points out that from March 1 through Sept. 29, there have been at least 3,689 Covid or Covid-like illness cases on cruise ships in U.S. waters—and an estimated death toll of at least 41.  The CDC said that the cruise operators need to take 'further action before cruise ships can safely resume passenger operations in the United States.' That includes convincing the CDC that their updated health and safety protocols are sufficient."  

 

Here is more from this news source: "For the large cruise operators, which have mostly been shut down due to the pandemic since-mid March, ending the no-sail order on Oct. 31 would be welcome news—though it will take a month or longer to restart ships because they’ve been out of service. These companies have been burning through hundreds of millions of dollars of cash every month as their ships sit idle, and they’ve had to go through several rounds of capital raising, mostly debt with high coupons.  Most analysts who follow the large U.S. cruise companies had expected minimal cruising in and out of U.S. ports for the rest of this year, with a slow ramp-up starting in early 2021. The revised extension of the no-sail order to Oct. 31 isn’t expected to have a big impact on that estimated timeline overall. Still, it would open the door for more cruises at the end of this year and in the first quarter of 2021.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.barrons.com/articles/cdc-extends-no-sail-order-to-oct-31-but-remains-skeptical-of-cruise-safety-51601566468?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D90296431485580256592070686107298687474|MCORGID%3DCB68E4BA55144CAA0A4C98A5%40AdobeOrg|TS%3D1601587234

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 50,161 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

[clo]

On 9/30/2020 at 11:32 AM, UKCruiseJeff said:

You will know well that no one is ever criticised for posting positive comments - quite the reverse - but those that post anything negative will receive  posts seeking to neutralise anything negative and often also personal attacks.

 

I've never tried to mislead anyone but I WILL try to talk straight talk and get taken to task if it's not all peachy keen.

[Randyk47]

17 hours ago, MrsWaldo said:

Yes, but the US is not the only country in the world, despite the thoughts of some. 
 

In fact, SS have already discussed their intention to potentially operate cruises within bubble  zones and have done so as an example in Saudi.  Australia for one is already discussing removing the quarantine requirements for those coming from New Zealand and that in itself opens up quite a few cruise options.   
 

I appreciate this is not here and now, but certainly possible. On my last 3 Silversea cruises Americans were not the most represented population and in fact on the last one they weren’t even second or third.  

I agree and indeed one of the things we have appreciated and enjoyed about Silversea has been the International passenger mix.   I won’t even attempt to name all the nationalities represented but it’s been not only countries but continents.   That said I do have concerns that any cruise line can survive long doing small zone bubble cruises.   Certainly Silversea has a leg up as their itineraries are worldwide and very varied versus the say endless cookie cutter Caribbean and Alaskan cruises.   However, monetarily the bread and butter backbone of the larger cruise industry is indeed those repetitive cruises.     Right now I’m just figuratively holding my breath as I see the next three to six months being critical to so much more than just cruising.   

Edited October 2, 2020 by Randyk47

[scottjeanne]

With President Trump contracting COVID, I wonder how it will affect travel.

[spinnaker2]

20 minutes ago, scottjeanne said:

With President Trump contracting COVID, I wonder how it will affect travel.

I hope he stays home and doesn't travel.

But that's just me.