Frankly, I'm Really Worried....

[coo359a2]

1 hour ago, cruising deacon said:

 

     FCD $ that will never be used either, that MAYBE we will get money refunded

      

 

Our son just called to say that he had 2 $100 refunds on the credit card  he used to purchase  FCDs June 2018.  These were first FCDs he had bought and didn't realize they expired.  He's not a big time cruiser🙂

[Sunwanabe]

On 7/8/2020 at 5:43 AM, skynight said:

Our view is no cruises until at least 2022, assuming that this timing will be post vaccines, post pandemic. If the cruise experience at that time isn't one we would enjoy then we'll just pass and find other recreational experiences. 

I agree, can't see any glimmer of joy in cruising until 2022. In the mean time I will look to other forms of vacation excitement until 2022.

[bstrauss3]

Just remember that cruising today is not what cruising was in our parents or grandparents time. It has constantly been evolving since it was first invented. Ships may need to be designed differently and laid out differently - the ship of 2020 is not the ship of 2010 nor 2000...

 

If there is money to be made, somebody will have a product to sell.

[rkacruiser]

On 7/10/2020 at 12:04 PM, SNJCruisers said:

So....the $64,000.00 question is, Why are your cruising days over?

 

Cannot speak for the poster whom you asked, but my thoughts.

 

Do I want to wear a mask all day when I am outside my stateroom?

 

Will I enjoy having a drink at a bar and trying to converse with another guest who is 6-12 or more feet away?

 

As a solo cruiser, probably likely that I will be seated at a table for one for dinner.  Or, if at a larger table, the person(s) will be so far away that carrying on a conversation over the din of the dining room would be difficult.  

 

I am not yet quite ready to say "no more cruises for me" because I/we don't yet fully understand what the new paradigm is going to be.  I just don't think the future is promising to enjoy "more water under my keel".

[Lucky TGO]

On 7/7/2020 at 2:45 PM, Thrak said:

I too am worried. I fear that when cruising returns it will be changed so much I will no longer enjoy it at all. Only time will tell.

Hi Thrak, I totally agree with you. Just don’t worry you can always cruise on The Rowboat. You will love The Yo-Ho-Ho Suit.😁

Your Pal,

 

[pris993]

On 7/7/2020 at 11:52 AM, Musky Ike said:

In all our cruises we have never done room service meals, but balcony meals are looking better now.  Tables for two in the MDR may also be more common. We shall see.

We have well over 60 cruises on 9 different lines... about 10 years ago, when the MDR service and menu changed, we started changing what we did on board.  We were on a 11 day Mediterranean cruise on a Celebrity ship, after 5 nights we decided we were not enjoying the MDR very much, it was too crowded, noisy and not well lite - we could hardly read the menu.  We decided to ship the MDR for the reminder of the cruise.  Much to our surprise we did not miss it at all.  From then on, we started changing up what we did on board.  We sometimes do the buffet, sometimes bring back food items from port to enjoy on our balcony, sometimes go to a Specialty dining room and sometimes use Room Service.  Found we love the variety and freedom to schedule our day the way we like... have not gone to the MDR for a number of years now.  We actually prefer solo dining vs meeting other people over a meal, so that was not an issue for us.  WE sometimes chit chat with strangers but don't develop relationships with other cruisers on board.  Just not our thing.   Cruising for us is more about enjoying being on the water, so we always book a mini suite and enjoy a lot of time on our balcony.  I suspect when cruising returns and we face new changes, we will figure out how to make it work for us, after some trial and error with the new arrangements.  We are going to wait til Jan 2022 to cruise, by then we may have a better idea what to expect.   I can tell you we always did a table for 2 in the MDR, would much prefer balcony/cabin dining, specialty dining room where there is more space between tables in the future. 

[caribill]

2 hours ago, Lucky TGO said:

Hi Thrak, I totally agree with you. Just don’t worry you can always cruise on The Rowboat. You will love The Yo-Ho-Ho Suit.😁

Your Pal,

 

 

 

Is The Rowboat big enough to allow two people on it with six feet separation?

[Lucky TGO]

17 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Is The Rowboat big enough to allow two people on it with six feet separation?

More than enough. What do you think? See photo 
 

 

[SargassoPirate]

10 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Cannot speak for the poster whom you asked, but my thoughts.

 

Do I want to wear a mask all day when I am outside my stateroom?

 

Will I enjoy having a drink at a bar and trying to converse with another guest who is 6-12 or more feet away?

 

As a solo cruiser, probably likely that I will be seated at a table for one for dinner.  Or, if at a larger table, the person(s) will be so far away that carrying on a conversation over the din of the dining room would be difficult.  

 

 

As a person with some hearing loss, I find that between the mask on the other person and perhaps a plexiglass barrier added to the mix, it sounds like the other person is talking through their pillow.  I can't hear well in a noisy MDR on a good night, especially if the other person is across the table and is a "low talker".  Add some distance and a mask to the mix and I may as well stay home and watch Love Boat reruns for the near future.

 

No commercial travel for us until there are no mask requirements.😷

 

[JEH]

6 hours ago, pris993 said:

We have well over 60 cruises on 9 different lines... about 10 years ago, when the MDR service and menu changed, we started changing what we did on board.  We were on a 11 day Mediterranean cruise on a Celebrity ship, after 5 nights we decided we were not enjoying the MDR very much, it was too crowded, noisy and not well lite - we could hardly read the menu.  We decided to ship the MDR for the reminder of the cruise.  Much to our surprise we did not miss it at all.  From then on, we started changing up what we did on board.  We sometimes do the buffet, sometimes bring back food items from port to enjoy on our balcony, sometimes go to a Specialty dining room and sometimes use Room Service.  Found we love the variety and freedom to schedule our day the way we like... have not gone to the MDR for a number of years now.  We actually prefer solo dining vs meeting other people over a meal, so that was not an issue for us.  WE sometimes chit chat with strangers but don't develop relationships with other cruisers on board.  Just not our thing.   Cruising for us is more about enjoying being on the water, so we always book a mini suite and enjoy a lot of time on our balcony.  I suspect when cruising returns and we face new changes, we will figure out how to make it work for us, after some trial and error with the new arrangements.  We are going to wait til Jan 2022 to cruise, by then we may have a better idea what to expect.   I can tell you we always did a table for 2 in the MDR, would much prefer balcony/cabin dining, specialty dining room where there is more space between tables in the future. 

Your game plan appears to be just like the one DW & I have . We always ask at the Buffet for a scedules of its Specialty  Nights , the Italian  & Bar Barvian are our favorites .  We have a Circle  Caribbean  scheduled  for early January  2021 but we're are going to cancel  and re book for 2020 .

[SNJCruisers]

4 hours ago, JEH said:

We have a Circle  Caribbean  scheduled  for early January  2021 but we're are going to cancel  and re book for 2020 .

Wishful thinking, or mistyping?

[rkacruiser]

12 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

As a person with some hearing loss, I find that between the mask on the other person and perhaps a plexiglass barrier added to the mix, it sounds like the other person is talking through their pillow.  I can't hear well in a noisy MDR on a good night, especially if the other person is across the table and is a "low talker".  Add some distance and a mask to the mix and I may as well stay home and watch Love Boat reruns for the near future.

 

No commercial travel for us until there are no mask requirements.😷

 

 

I understand.  Hearing loss has been an issue for me for years.  I watched a YouTube presentation for my Church's first live, in person service and understood 5% of what I heard, if that.  Only the music came through loud and clear.

 

Not ready just yet to say "no more commercial travel" for me, but such a decision is on the horizon.

 

New car ready to hit the road; time to go; money to spend; no place to go!  Who would ever have thought that I would have found myself in this situation at this time of my life?  

[brisalta]

15 hours ago, JEH said:

Your game plan appears to be just like the one DW & I have . We always ask at the Buffet for a scedules of its Specialty  Nights , the Italian  & Bar Barvian are our favorites .  We have a Circle  Caribbean  scheduled  for early January  2021 but we're are going to cancel  and re book for 2020 .

 

Does the "Bar Barvian" imply that there are extra drinks available?

[Thrak]

16 hours ago, JEH said:

We always ask at the Buffet for a schedules of its Specialty  Nights

 

I didn't know one could get that schedule. I've always read that it's listed in the Patter but I never seem to see a listing for a specialty night. It would be nice to be able to get a schedule of all the specialty nights.

[coo359a2]

8 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I didn't know one could get that schedule. I've always read that it's listed in the Patter but I never seem to see a listing for a specialty night. It would be nice to be able to get a schedule of all the specialty nights.

I find this under the Dining Guide  section found on the last page of the daily patter.  If the buffet will be having  say  a special themed dinner such as Mongolian Barbeque or Indian Curry , this is listed by the Horizon Court/World Market  in the daily Dining Guide.   My favorites are the Mongolian Bargeque and German nights.  You know it will be Italian night when the buffet workers are dressed in their striped shirts.

[AF-1]

thrak and coo359a2;  yes I found that info during my cruise last year;  unfortunately I didn't find it until day 6.  Better late than not finding it at all. 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

thrak and coo359a2;  yes I found that info during my cruise last year;  unfortunately I didn't find it until day 6.  Better late than not finding it at all. 

And if there really are cruises in the future, now you will know where to find it from day one.

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

And if there really are cruises in the future, now you will know where to find it from day one.

So, the cruise industry is dead in your opinion?

[Lovincruisin1321]

44 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

So, the cruise industry is dead in your opinion?

I'm just chiming in......I don't think the cruise industry is dead but it will never be the way we remember it.  Many changes (good/bad) will occur.   Unfortunately, if the CDC can still have it's hand in it, it may be many, many months before we are cruising again.  

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

So, the cruise industry is dead in your opinion?

I really don't know; that's why I said if there are cruises in the future. We all know the immediate future outlook for cruises is very bleak.

[HaveWeMetYet]

Yes, those that have had COVID-19 do develop antibodies.

 

But two new scientific studies have discovered that those antibodies start to fade very, very quickly.

For example, a study that was recently conducted in China found that more than 90 percent of COVID-19 patients experience steep declines in COVID-19 antibodies “within 2 to 3 months”…

A new study from China showed that antibodies faded quickly in both asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients during convalescence, raising questions about whether the illness leads to any lasting immunity to the virus afterward.

The study, which focused on 37 asymptomatic and 37 symptomatic patients, showed that more than 90% of both groups showed steep declines in levels of SARS-COV-2–specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies within 2 to 3 months after onset of infection, according to a report published yesterday in Nature Medicine. Further, 40% of the asymptomatic group tested negative for IgG antibodies 8 weeks after they were released from isolation.

And a very large study that was just conducted in Spain found that some patients that had initially successfully developed antibodies “no longer had antibodies weeks later”…

A large study from Spain showed that antibodies can disappear weeks after people have tested positive, causing some to question how possible it will be to attain herd immunity.

A study published in medical journal Lancet showed 14% of people who tested positive for antibodies no longer had antibodies weeks later.

Needless to say, this is absolutely devastating news, and it has very serious implications for vaccine development…

 

Such findings have implications for vaccine development, since the efficacy of a vaccine hinges on the idea that a dose of weakened or dead virus can prompt your body to generate antibodies that protect you from future infection. If those antibodies are fleeting, a vaccine’s protection would be fleeting too.

Short-lived antibodies also diminish hopes of achieving widespread or permanent herd immunity.

If antibodies can fade in some patients within weeks, and if just about everyone loses them after a few months, that would render any vaccine almost completely useless.

And if these findings are confirmed, we can pretty much forget about ever achieving “herd immunity”.

Instead, we are potentially facing a future in which COVID-19 will be with us permanently, and people will need to understand that there is a possibility that they will be able to get infected repeatedly.

 

The cruise industry may well be dead.

Better take those refunds.

[Carol28]

I do have an idea about sharing dinner with others.  Perhaps cruise directors will have a cocktail hour where people who would like to share meals with others can meet each other and form dinner tables.  I prefer tables for 6, but even joining one other couple is fine.  

We often meet another couple while on a tour or at the pool, so why not have a 'party' where like-minded people can find other people for dinner?

[getting older slowly]

Well at least we have been and enjoyed cruising in pre covid-19 days

 

What awaits us    ?????    we will not know any time soon.....

 

All I would like is to be able to  get out of the city for a week or two.... walk along a deserted beach.....

 

as i fear the reality is..... it is not going away any time soon and social distancing we be round for a long time.... hope of a magic vaccine.... is just that hope  seriously a couple of year....

 

Well that's about it.... 

 

Cheers Don   

[dreaminofcruisin]

12 hours ago, coo359a2 said:

I find this under the Dining Guide  section found on the last page of the daily patter.  If the buffet will be having  say  a special themed dinner such as Mongolian Barbeque or Indian Curry , this is listed by the Horizon Court/World Market  in the daily Dining Guide.   My favorites are the Mongolian Bargeque and German nights.  You know it will be Italian night when the buffet workers are dressed in their striped shirts.

If you have found it under the Dining Guide you have been really lucky. This varies A LOT from ship to ship....It has been many cruises since I have seen it and I know exactly where it is supposed to be! It's REALLY frustrating. I think it is only as good as whoever puts together the Patter. 😒 

[coo359a2]

2 hours ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

If you have found it under the Dining Guide you have been really lucky. This varies A LOT from ship to ship....It has been many cruises since I have seen it and I know exactly where it is supposed to be! It's REALLY frustrating. I think it is only as good as whoever puts together the Patter. 😒 

I usually check the Patters each night for the following day's activities and to see if  any special foods are planned for the buffet.  We usually find themed dinners are  on cruises over 7 days.   I  can't recall seeing any special offerings on cruises for 7 days or less.  The Royal class ships have even listed the day they will have their chocolate themed buffet breakfast.  I've even asked the Chef if any of the special dinners will be on the buffet during the cruise.