"Opening" of the "Down Under" Ports- locals please respond

[Chiliburn]

2 hours ago, rwright261 said:

 

Thankfully we booked our trip before the pandemic... I'm hoping there a material change which means we can cancel or our insurance will cover us.... We have paid over £6000 so far in deposits so definitely can't afford to lose it! 

That’s a lot of money to give up on.

 

The current situation here 
NZ has gone to level one ,which means back to normal BUT the boarders are closed.

Australia isn’t there yet but local transmission is very low or next to nothing.

Most cases are from people in quarantine that have entered from overseas .

Some states still have their boarders closed.Both countries international boarders are closed.
Only residents,close family and essential workers are permitted.

 

Your trip was in December? 
My opinion is ,

We will have a cruise season this year for locals in a quarantine zone.

Unless there’s a vaccine or the government allows you do a quarantine period before you enter the country  ,your trip is in doubt.

 I would inquire about the option of rolling it over to next year.

[rwright261]

22 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

That’s a lot of money to give up on.

 

The current situation here 
NZ has gone to level one ,which means back to normal BUT the boarders are closed.

Australia isn’t there yet but local transmission is very low or next to nothing.

Most cases are from people in quarantine that have entered from overseas .

Some states still have their boarders closed.Both countries international boarders are closed.
Only residents,close family and essential workers are permitted.

 

Your trip was in December? 
My opinion is ,

We will have a cruise season this year for locals in a quarantine zone.

Unless there’s a vaccine or the government allows you do a quarantine period before you enter the country  ,your trip is in doubt.

 I would inquire about the option of rolling it over to next year.

It is... I think when people say you should be willing to lose your deposit, but not when your deposit is £6000!

 

Yes we were due to fly on 10th December and cruise 14th December- thanks for your input - appreciate hearing relatively close updates! 

[SinbadThePorter]

On 6/10/2020 at 7:18 AM, Chiliburn said:

We will have a cruise season this year for locals in a quarantine zone.

 

The problem is how do cruise ships enter a quarantine zone?

[Chiliburn]

27 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

The problem is how do cruise ships enter a quarantine zone?

The same as residents returning to Australia,they would have to go through a quarantine period.

 It would probably be a bit more elaborate but it could be done. Aircraft do it.

[Mandalay1903]

Thank you, friends, in Australia and NZ for your candid comments. We're booked for an Australia cruise in 1/2021, but have little expectation that it will take place particularly with passengers from our neck of the woods. We're so very happy to have visited NZ and parts of Australia on a trip 18 months ago. So sorry that this virus has spread and gotten out of hand in so many parts of the world, whether we acknowledge it or not. Keep up the great work on keeping it under control in your areas and we hope to visit in the future..

[SinbadThePorter]

On 6/11/2020 at 12:07 PM, Chiliburn said:

The same as residents returning to Australia

 

But cruise ships aren't Australian residents.

 

The government is obliged to take in Australian residents, not so much foreign cruise ships.

 

 

[Chiliburn]

37 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

But cruise ships aren't Australian residents.

 

The government is obliged to take in Australian residents, not so much foreign cruise ships.

 

 

Either are the U.S. troops that are rotated in Darwin..

So you don’t think the 20-21 cruise season will take place?

 I don’t think we will have a vaccine available to the general public for a year and ANZ people are big travelers. If they can’t travel overseas there’s going to be a push to open up local travel and cruise ships are popular .That’s my opinion, I t wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong.

 Wasn’t there a song,you’re mistakes in life are all you really  own?

Edited June 12, 2020 by Chiliburn

[Chiliburn]

On 6/11/2020 at 11:31 AM, SinbadThePorter said:

 

The problem is how do cruise ships enter a quarantine zone?

OK how about this,I’m not a expert but I’ll make a suggestion.

Most of the ships are around Asia where a lot of the crew come from.

By the time of our season,October .I think they would have rid the ships and the few onboard crew of any virus.So if has a clean bill of health it could go through a quarantine.

The crew could be put into a quarantine on land for 2 weeks and if after testing if they are clean could be put on the ship.

The ship and crew that are in cabins could travel to Sydney and on the way have a further 2 weeks quarantine and testing.
And even get some local crew.

How does that sound? Do I get the job ? LOL
Australia has been a quarantine zone for farm products for a hundred years and has been pretty good at it.Surely the experts and a multi $billion cruise industry will work something out.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Chiliburn

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

OK how about this,I’m not a expert but I’ll make a suggestion.

Most of the ships are around Asia where a lot of the crew come from.

By the time of our season,October .I think they would have rid the ships and the few onboard crew of any virus.So if has a clean bill of health it could go through a quarantine.

The crew could be put into a quarantine on land for 2 weeks and if after testing if they are clean could be put on the ship.

The ship and crew that are in cabins could travel to Sydney and on the way have a further 2 weeks quarantine and testing.
And even get some local crew.

How does that sound? Do I get the job ? LOL
Australia has been a quarantine zone for farm products for a hundred years and has been pretty good at it.Surely the experts and a multi $billion cruise industry will work something out.

 

 

That's what should happen but whether our pig-headed pollies will allow it is a different matter. There isn't anything it it for them. I don't think the cruise lines donate to the various political parties, do they?

 

 

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

There isn't anything it it for them.

 

That is the big question. Just why would a politician allow cruising to start up after the Ruby Princess debacle? There are distinct risks, but what benefits are there to them?

 

What happens if a cruise leaves Sydney in the next year or so and covid-19 breaks out on board while in transit? Where does the ship go? How are the passengers to be handled? Who covers the costs? What if the outbreak is only detected after the passengers have disembarked?

 

Covid-19 in Australia has not gone away. It's just gone quiet, bubbling away in a population of asymptomatic carriers.

 

4 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

So you don’t think the 20-21 cruise season will take place?

 

No. I don't think the authorities are such risk takers. I do see the 21-22 cruise season as a possibility. In any case I'm not setting foot on a ship until I have insurance that covers covid-19. I have no idea when that will be, so I'll wait.

[Chiliburn]

2 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

That is the big question. Just why would a politician allow cruising to start up after the Ruby Princess debacle? There are distinct risks, but what benefits are there to them?

 

What happens if a cruise leaves Sydney in the next year or so and covid-19 breaks out on board while in transit? Where does the ship go? How are the passengers to be handled? Who covers the costs? What if the outbreak is only detected after the passengers have disembarked?

 

Covid-19 in Australia has not gone away. It's just gone quiet, bubbling away in a population of asymptomatic carriers.

 

 

No. I don't think the authorities are such risk takers. I do see the 21-22 cruise season as a possibility. In any case I'm not setting foot on a ship until I have insurance that covers covid-19. I have no idea when that will be, so I'll wait.

Come on Sinbad, I thought you hotel porters like to live on the edge.

[The_Big_M]

5 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

That's what should happen but whether our pig-headed pollies will allow it is a different matter. There isn't anything it it for them. I don't think the cruise lines donate to the various political parties, do they?

 

 

 

No, but where there is a business benefit, business will find a way. 

 

It's not like the foreign owned mining companies contribute much to Australia, but with the benefit of lobbyists they get political support. Not hard for some business donations to tourism campaigns, infrastructure in pollies seats and the like and hey presto, the cruise  business is great for the economy and it's all back on.

[The_Big_M]

4 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

What happens if a cruise leaves Sydney in the next year or so and covid-19 breaks out on board while in transit? Where does the ship go? How are the passengers to be handled? Who covers the costs? What if the outbreak is only detected after the passengers have disembarked?

 

 

Same thing as right now as footie games restart, and all the rest.

 

Manage it through the hospital system. If the heat gets really high, run an inquiry and find which operational area 'didn't do their job properly.'

[MMDown Under]

Australian Tourism Minister at Press Club announced this week that it was unlikely Australians will be able to travel overseas before 2021.

[rwright261]

On 6/17/2020 at 9:30 PM, MMDown Under said:

Australian Tourism Minister at Press Club announced this week that it was unlikely Australians will be able to travel overseas before 2021.

 

Oh that's interesting....so do you think that also means Australia won't be accepting tourists inti the country also....?

[MMDown Under]

2 hours ago, rwright261 said:

 

Oh that's interesting....so do you think that also means Australia won't be accepting tourists inti the country also....?

Yes.  Australian residents returning from overseas have to quarantine for 14 days.  

[Mandalay1903]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/06/18/australia-travel-ban-borders-closed-2021/#57da6d77c5f1

[OzKiwiJJ]

Also when the Australian border does start opening it will be selective, only with countries that have achieved some required level of control over the coronavirus. 

[zalusky]

Looks like a 2 year jail time if you sneak through the south Australia lockdown.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-20/south-australia-tightens-border-with-jail-penalty-for-breaches

[rwright261]

Hi all, 

 

I wondered whether there were any updates from our friends across the pond as to the current feeling re travel at present?

 

Thanks, 

 

Rachael

[The_Big_M]

There haven't been any specific updates.

 

Generally the mood is less optimistic though as we have experienced a second wave in parts of Australia, so there is more concern about opening up. Recent dates are a proposed state of emergency to extend for another year in one place, and another pressuring for some relaxation by 'the end of the year' but that not getting a positive response (i.e. still viewed as too optimistic) in another area. So should give you a view of the sentiment here.

[GUT2407]

QUeensland, WA, Tasmania and Northern Territory have their borders closed to even interstate travel (there the ones I am certain of it changes so quick I am not certain on Victoria and South Australia). And that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon, so I can’t see how cruising could happen. On top of that I doubt our international borders are likely to open till late 2021 or later.

[The_Big_M]

They could operate 'cruises to nowhere', or intrastate cruises without problem e.g. Brisbane to Cairns, Townsvile, Moreton; Sydney to Newcastle, Wollongong, Eden and so on. So it's far from impossible. 

 

But comes down to political mindset which as mentioned is highly cautious here... an overabundance of risk aversion, it could be said.

[Chiliburn]

14 hours ago, rwright261 said:

Hi all, 

 

I wondered whether there were any updates from our friends across the pond as to the current feeling re travel at present?

 

Thanks, 

 

Rachael

As of now the cruise ban is until September 17.

 

https://newsroom.abf.gov.au/releases/cruise-ship-prohibition-extended

 

That’s 3 weeks from now but they should be extending it soon.I thought it would of happened sooner.

 

 Personally I have doubts about next season let alone this season 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Cunard have cancelled their 20/21 season down here. Most other cruise lines have now cancelled through to mid-December.

 

It's still impossible to predict when cruising will start up again here. My guess is probably not until the second half of next year.