May 2021 Mediterranean Cruise possible from US?

[katiemylady]

Hi all! My fiancé and I were supposed to get married in September, and then we’re going to hop on the September 29th 10-day Cruise out of Athens. Well, COVID came and kicked that plan right out the window. We canceled our cruise before our final payment date and made other plans in the US (we live in Massachusetts), because we figured that even if things got better and we were able to have our wedding as planned, we wouldn’t be able to go on our dream honeymoon. WELL, now that COVID is still a mess here in the states, we ended up postponing our wedding to late May 2021. 
 

SO, all that stupid nonsense aside, now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

[1025cruise]

No one can really say at this time, though I would hope things will be better by then.

[chipmaster]

Congratulations, is your wedding now a zoom wedding?

 

I'd say next year.. maybe, better to go for your 5 year anniversary celebration IMHO

[katiemylady]

37 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

Congratulations, is your wedding now a zoom wedding?

 

I'd say next year.. maybe, better to go for your 5 year anniversary celebration IMHO

We are not doing a zoom wedding, we just postponed to May for the entire thing in general. 
 

We likely wouldn’t be able to do this as a 5 year anniversary trip, because we are planning on starting to try to have kids within about 2 years after our wedding (were both getting old) and likely won’t have the money or freedom to go away at that point. 

[BirdTravels]

Congratulations. That's a good amount of time for the cruise lines to get back up on their feet. The European cruise industry has already restarted cruising with mega ships out of Germany. Lots of times for lessons learned and best practices.  

[bmwman]

Lets get real no one really knows but given the mess Sain are in and the Greek Island not letting people in I would say that its unlikely you will get  cruise Europe next year.

 

That said if there are no cruises by then NCL is bust with others so in reality who knows!!!  nobody knows 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

1 hour ago, katiemylady said:

Hi all! My fiancé and I were supposed to get married in September, and then we’re going to hop on the September 29th 10-day Cruise out of Athens. Well, COVID came and kicked that plan right out the window. We canceled our cruise before our final payment date and made other plans in the US (we live in Massachusetts), because we figured that even if things got better and we were able to have our wedding as planned, we wouldn’t be able to go on our dream honeymoon. WELL, now that COVID is still a mess here in the states, we ended up postponing our wedding to late May 2021. 
 

SO, all that stupid nonsense aside, now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

If I were you I'd start looking at alternatives to a cruise vacation for your honeymoon.  Hopefully things will be much better in May of '21 then they are right now, however the odds of there being cruises that US citizens can go on in Europe seems pretty remote on our current trajectory.  The odds of these cruise lines even surviving is highly questionable at this point.  If you put money down for a deposit you are risking losing it.

[bmwman]

Just now, BirdTravels said:

 

Congratulations. That's a good amount of time for the cruise lines to get back up on their feet. The European cruise industry has already restarted cruising with mega ships out of Germany. Lots of times for lessons learned and best practices.  

Do not agree at all with you.. The only cruises are for nationals of the country of departure and if you read the news this is not going well!

 

Barcelona will be closed until 2021 -that is definite since latest break in Catalonia. Please do not even think it will open its port when flights are again being halted from all over the world 

 

And here in the UK we will not be having any cruises as we control this virus.

 

I am afraid with US record whilst we love you all you will not even be able to enter Europe for some time 

 

 

 

 

[katiemylady]

7 minutes ago, Fido Chuckwagon said:

If I were you I'd start looking at alternatives to a cruise vacation for your honeymoon.  Hopefully things will be much better in May of '21 then they are right now, however the odds of there being cruises that US citizens can go on in Europe seems pretty remote on our current trajectory.  The odds of these cruise lines even surviving is highly questionable at this point.  If you put money down for a deposit you are risking losing it.

That is my fear as well. I know it took us almost 60 days to get back our deposit for the first cruise. 
 

This whole thing really sucks. We LOVE cruising, and wanted to explore some new areas neither of us have seen before while on our honeymoon. We’ve both always wanted to go to Europe, and likely won’t be able to once we start having children, so this is really our only chance. 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

14 minutes ago, katiemylady said:

That is my fear as well. I know it took us almost 60 days to get back our deposit for the first cruise. 
 

This whole thing really sucks. We LOVE cruising, and wanted to explore some new areas neither of us have seen before while on our honeymoon. We’ve both always wanted to go to Europe, and likely won’t be able to once we start having children, so this is really our only chance. 

You could theoretically plan a land trip to Europe and city-hop, however the unfortunate truth is, Europe may not be open to US citizens by then.  Luckily you won't be at as high a risk of losing deposits if you're just talking about hotel deposits.  My honeymoon was spent 5 days in Rome, then a train to Venice and two nights in Venice, before we hopped on a Mediterranean cruise.  Honestly the 5 nights in Rome and two nights in Venice were more fun than the cruise anyway.  

[dumbth]

You could go with med cruise as plan a, ferry hopping as plan b, then overland as plan c. If there is success with vaccine yet still no NCL avail, then you might potentially use the network of Greek, Italian, and Croatian ferries including overnight with staterooms. Variety has it's charms, and I can remember having a heavenly risotto on an unpromising ferry to Palermo. These can be hard to link together in early May until they switch to high season frequencies in late May.

 

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, katiemylady said:

.....now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

 

It really is impossible to predict! My advice would be, if you are sold on a particular cruise then do not book until 'last minute' by which time you would know if cruising has returned. I'd also def have in place a plan B which is not a cruise!

[bluesea777]

If it were us, we would wait until the cruising has resumed before booking a cruise.

 

The reason why we have two 2022 cruises booked is we have FCCs and FCDs from one shortened and 3 cancelled cruises. Otherwise we'd wait.

 

 

[DCGuy64]

On 7/26/2020 at 7:15 PM, katiemylady said:

Hi all! My fiancé and I were supposed to get married in September, and then we’re going to hop on the September 29th 10-day Cruise out of Athens. Well, COVID came and kicked that plan right out the window. We canceled our cruise before our final payment date and made other plans in the US (we live in Massachusetts), because we figured that even if things got better and we were able to have our wedding as planned, we wouldn’t be able to go on our dream honeymoon. WELL, now that COVID is still a mess here in the states, we ended up postponing our wedding to late May 2021. 
 

SO, all that stupid nonsense aside, now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

You'll be fine.

May 2021 is 10 months away. My life didn't change due to COVID-19 until March 16, which was a scant 4 months ago.

German passengers are already sailing and Asian cruises are resuming shortly. Furthermore, at least 4 major pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine. Early trials are incredibly promising. In short: 10 months from now, the world will be a very different place and I am 100% sure that cruises will be back to normal. There may be a change in certain protocols, but I have every confidence that your Mediterranean cruise will sail. We have two cruises booked before then and I fully expect them to go ahead.

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

 

-Stephen

 

 

 

[Crazy planning mom]

I am hopeful that it will happen but I would wait to book until October/ November.   By then, we should know more about the vaccine development.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

On 7/26/2020 at 7:15 PM, katiemylady said:

Hi all! My fiancé and I were supposed to get married in September, and then we’re going to hop on the September 29th 10-day Cruise out of Athens. Well, COVID came and kicked that plan right out the window. We canceled our cruise before our final payment date and made other plans in the US (we live in Massachusetts), because we figured that even if things got better and we were able to have our wedding as planned, we wouldn’t be able to go on our dream honeymoon. WELL, now that COVID is still a mess here in the states, we ended up postponing our wedding to late May 2021. 
 

SO, all that stupid nonsense aside, now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

 

Since you are asking for advice, I would recommend you not make any plans yet. People who are putting down  new cash deposits on NCL cruises are taking unnecessary financial risk. I do understand that for some, having a vacation on the books is an emotional decision as opposed to a logical one, but if you can be patient until the first part of 2021, we will have a much better idea of the state of the industry come next May. Even when cruises do begin to sail, getting people to actually board them is going to be challenging so I do anticipate last minute bargains to be had. You should also note that insurance policies for cruising have changed as a result of Covid19, so booking something now runs additional risk. 

 

Congratulations on your wedding and upcoming honeymoon. I wish you all the best! 

[njcruiser27]

We were supposed to go on a Mediterranean cruise out of Athens Greece this September but COVID and a health issue nixed that. We looked at cruises for 2021, but have decided to wait until 2022 to take a similar cruise in early October. We just don’t want to take the chance of having our cruise cancelled. The cruise we wanted in 2021 was in April and I’m just not sure US citizens will be able to go to Europe.  

[Samstress]

On 7/29/2020 at 11:38 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Since you are asking for advice, I would recommend you not make any plans yet. People who are putting down  new cash deposits on NCL cruises are taking unnecessary financial risk. I do understand that for some, having a vacation on the books is an emotional decision as opposed to a logical one, but if you can be patient until the first part of 2021, we will have a much better idea of the state of the industry come next May. Even when cruises do begin to sail, getting people to actually board them is going to be challenging so I do anticipate last minute bargains to be had. You should also note that insurance policies for cruising have changed as a result of Covid19, so booking something now runs additional risk. 

 

Congratulations on your wedding and upcoming honeymoon. I wish you all the best! 

 This is what we should all be expecting & accepting as reality. Thank you for being the 'voice of reason'.  BTW.  I think you said you were booked on the Star out of Buenos Aires in January, 2021....we are as well.  Doesn't look good....

 

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Samstress

[4774Papa]

On 7/26/2020 at 7:15 PM, katiemylady said:

Hi all! My fiancé and I were supposed to get married in September, and then we’re going to hop on the September 29th 10-day Cruise out of Athens. Well, COVID came and kicked that plan right out the window. We canceled our cruise before our final payment date and made other plans in the US (we live in Massachusetts), because we figured that even if things got better and we were able to have our wedding as planned, we wouldn’t be able to go on our dream honeymoon. WELL, now that COVID is still a mess here in the states, we ended up postponing our wedding to late May 2021. 
 

SO, all that stupid nonsense aside, now we are unsure if we should go ahead and try to rebook a similar Mediterranean cruise again? Do we think we may Be able to travel internationally by that point? Postponing a wedding and originally cancelling a honeymoon has been super stressful, and honestly we are lost on what to do with our now official honeymoon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

I understand your frustration.   We had to cancel a safari in East Africa in July and postpone it for 2021.

I am always the optimist and believe that a vaccine will be available in early 2021 and we expect to make our safari in July 2021.

 

As for cruising out of Athens, Greece, you will likely be visiting some Greek Islands, a great way to see ports like Mykonos, Santorini, Crete and more.  Also, plan on spending at least three full days in Athens to see the Acropolis (Parthenon), New Acropolis Museum, the Archeological Museum and other sites in Athens.  Also, take a day trip to Delphi, visit the Temple of Sounion and a short day cruise to three nearby islands.

[mellowrose]

Don't put your hopes on a vaccine. Its still not confirmed by the experts when that will be coming out. Personally I would not put money down on a cruise for 2021. The USA is getting higher and higher numbers of deaths so I doubt if Europe will be welcoming Americans into their ports in 2021. Lets hope for the best but plan for the worst. There are other attractive travel options in USA itself. Beautiful parks, resorts that all need customers.

[chipmaster]

3 hours ago, mellowrose said:

Don't put your hopes on a vaccine. Its still not confirmed by the experts when that will be coming out. Personally I would not put money down on a cruise for 2021. The USA is getting higher and higher numbers of deaths so I doubt if Europe will be welcoming Americans into their ports in 2021. Lets hope for the best but plan for the worst. There are other attractive travel options in USA itself. Beautiful parks, resorts that all need customers.

 

If anyone gets the sensational news of what US folks do ( Party-shooting, cruise ship, etc. etc. ) not that is different than the youth rave parties in Germany, but what is different is the US case/deaths compared to the rest of the world.  

 

Who'd want the US folks as guests?

 

[katiemylady]

7 hours ago, mellowrose said:

Don't put your hopes on a vaccine. Its still not confirmed by the experts when that will be coming out. Personally I would not put money down on a cruise for 2021. The USA is getting higher and higher numbers of deaths so I doubt if Europe will be welcoming Americans into their ports in 2021. Lets hope for the best but plan for the worst. There are other attractive travel options in USA itself. Beautiful parks, resorts that all need customers.

Yeah, there are plenty of places in the US for us to go, but like I mentioned, this is really the only opportunity we are going to have to travel internationally before we have kids. It’s just all the more frustrating that the US as a country cannot get their heads out of their behinds enough to manage this thing better than we have. It sucks for people like us who have followed all protocol, and are still going to miss out on once in a lifetime opportunities because of this thing. 

[DCGuy64]

11 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

STOP,  you crossed the political line.  Don't do it.

Agreed. This is from the Moderators, posted back in March. We should all be mindful of this.

 

The world has become a changing place; we're all stressed, worried and nothing makes sense any longer.  We've lost  jobs, the security of every day life, some experience health issues and yes, some have even lost friends and family.

 

For 25 years we've provided this haven for cruisers.  KEYWORD:  haven.    I'm asking that you all remember that.  This is our place to escape, connect with friends and to discuss your favorite form of travel -- cruising.

 

Don't bring politics into your posts.  Soften your "virtual" voice when you respond to others.  Re-read before you push the submit button.  Let's set an example for the rest of the travel world by displaying who we are!  Remember, we're all in this together.

 

Thank you for listening, and for your anticipated cooperation,

 

LauraS and the Cruise Critic Community Team

[DCGuy64]

24 minutes ago, Dwight1 said:

I think cruises are pretty much over for 2021 and Restrictions in allowing US citizens in preclude Europe for a long time. A better choice may be a Sandals resort or other hotel in St Lucia, Grenada or Barbados. Restrictions there to a land visit will probably change and be ok by mid- late 2021. I’ve been to those three islands and the Greek Islands and they are an excellent substitution.


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Cruises are over for 2021? That doesn't even start for 4 more months. Did you mean 2020 instead? The EU will be revisiting the (non-binding, FYI) ban on US citizens every two weeks, so it may not be a long time. I've been following this situation very closely and some countries are already allowing Americans (Croatia and Albania right now, more may follow). I heartily agree with the choice of a resort! My wife and I are planning to visit one in Mexico at the end of the month. Normally we're not all-inclusive resort types but this situation gave us the opportunity to try it out.

 

[katiemylady]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Agreed. This is from the Moderators, posted back in March. We should all be mindful of this.

 

The world has become a changing place; we're all stressed, worried and nothing makes sense any longer.  We've lost  jobs, the security of every day life, some experience health issues and yes, some have even lost friends and family.

 

For 25 years we've provided this haven for cruisers.  KEYWORD:  haven.    I'm asking that you all remember that.  This is our place to escape, connect with friends and to discuss your favorite form of travel -- cruising.

 

Don't bring politics into your posts.  Soften your "virtual" voice when you respond to others.  Re-read before you push the submit button.  Let's set an example for the rest of the travel world by displaying who we are!  Remember, we're all in this together.

 

Thank you for listening, and for your anticipated cooperation,

 

LauraS and the Cruise Critic Community Team

I apologize for bringing politics into it. I did not bring it up again after that initial reply that made me aware I brought politics into it (I genuinely didn’t think that was a political statement, just pure facts lol). I won’t mention anything else about the country and how it is handling this virus, and I have only been responding since then about the frustrations I have about the situation and the uncertainty of it all.