But will they enforce it?

[drsel]

I guess until the virus is controlled or a vaccine is available, all excursions will be compulsorily through the cruise line only

 

 

 

 

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

I guess until the virus is controlled or a vaccine is available, all excursions will be compulsorily through the cruise line only

 

Kind of like what is done for most passengers in Russia who don't have their own Russian visa.  For me this would be a "deal breaker" and keep me from cruising.

 

With respect to the OP, I am pretty sure enforcement of policy will be more strict than the past.  Whether this is just "window dressing" remains to be seen.

Edited August 22, 2020 by SelectSys

[clo]

2 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I will, most likely, continue to wear a mask even when it is no longer a requirement on modes of public transportation (including flights and cruises). 

I'm thinking I will also. It's become almost second nature.

[bschmoll]

I recently read and article about passengers being left at a port of call because they left the controlled excursion bubble the cruise ship had arranged in the port of call. This made me wonder if this is going to be how cruises will operate in the coming months until there is a vaccine. Are we all going to be forced to either stay within the cruise lines bubble? Does this mean that for the foreseeable feature we will no longer be able to walk off the ships, hop in a taxi, and explore on our own? I noticed in some advertising material NCL had sent out that they alluded to this controlled port experience as well. I have a cruise booked in early Dec 2020 and had planned to scuba dive almost every day, but if I am limited to ship excursions this will not be possible and I feel like it's not the vacation I had originally booked. I understand that these are trying times and perhaps even a limited cruise would be better than no cruise, but I probably wouldn't have booked it if I would have known they were going to significantly change the way ports of call work.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

 

Kind of like what is done for most passengers in Russia who don't have their own Russian visa.  For me this would be a "deal breaker" and keep me from cruising.

 

Actually that is what the cruise lines would like you to believe, but you can use one of the licensed Russian tour agency in St. Petersburg and they supply you with the same visa waiver as the cruise lines tours.

[wheezedr]

Clearly all things cruising are in a state of flux.  You will need to be prepared for lots of changes in how cruises operate.  Being allowed to tour only on organized ship excursions seems to be one of the changes that may be in place for a while.  It reduces the likelihood of my booking a cruise for a while, but how soon independent land touring will be available is also open to question.   I do not see a lot of overseas travel on my agenda in the near future 

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I am primarily interested in european cruises with an emphasis on history, art and architecture.  

 

As you know, we share somewhat similar interests and reasons for travel.

 

It's ironic that in the next couple of years I had several bucket list trips that were best or conveniently done by cruise: Antarctica, the Viking trail in the Atlantic (Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland), a circumnavigation of Japan during the cherry blossom season...

 

But it is starting to become clear that I should perhaps shelve some or most of these for now and look at more land travel in Europe and the Mediterranean in the next couple of years instead, as I think these areas are more likely to (eventually) open up to travelers from the US sooner than the cruise experience will return to normal.

 

So -- currently focusing on possibilities such as some of the Roman sites in Germany, a return to Provence, and plans to spend more in-depth time in areas of Italy that deserve more exploration.

 

 

[1025cruise]

This is specific to MSC cruises to resume at the moment. My guess would be that by the time cruising returns to the Caribbean, this will not be the case.

[bschmoll]

This is from the NCL website. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid... 

"EXTENDED SHIP TO SHORE SAFETY

• We’re partnering with our local destinations and tour operators to ensure our industry-leading health and sanitation protocols extend to the shoreside experience.
• We will only visit safe, open ports of call which may cause changes to your itinerary. Keeping our guests up-to-date with the latest confirmed changes impacting their itineraries is a top priority."

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

I guess until the virus is controlled or a vaccine is available, all excursions will be compulsorily through the cruise line only

 

 

 

 

Let's hope so.

[dogs4fun]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

But it is starting to become clear that I should perhaps shelve some or most of these for now and look at more land travel in Europe and the Mediterranean in the next couple of years instead, as I think these areas are more likely to (eventually) open up to travelers from the US sooner than the cruise experience will return to normal.

Makes sense.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, bschmoll said:

This is from the NCL website. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid... 

"EXTENDED SHIP TO SHORE SAFETY

• We’re partnering with our local destinations and tour operators to ensure our industry-leading health and sanitation protocols extend to the shoreside experience.
• We will only visit safe, open ports of call which may cause changes to your itinerary. Keeping our guests up-to-date with the latest confirmed changes impacting their itineraries is a top priority."

Paranoid? You should feel reassured that a company whose future depends on no Covid cases is willing to do what is needed to prevent "pandemic naysayers" and other assorted ill-educated folks from ruining things for everyone else.

However, given the passenger load for the numerous, huge mass-market ships, I'd think you'd be more paranoid about those of your fellow passengers disobeying the "new normal" food safety rules by thrusting their grubby paws in the buffet dishes. 

The cruise lines can only do so much to assure compliance. So, I'm betting the future will bring more folks being disembarked mid-cruise. And, hopefully, they'll be so outraged that they'll never cruise again.

[bschmoll]

It's not just about the cruise companies. All the auxiliary tour providers rely upon cruise passengers as well and if they can't take part in it then certain port countries will probably determine it's not worth catering to cruises. Trust me I was paranoid about buffets and watching old people drop toast on the floor and proceed to use tongs to pick it up and put them back. I'm probably one of the few on here that has actually been quarantined on a cruise ship prior to the Rona.

Edited August 23, 2020 by bschmoll
typo

[cruizergal70]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Actually that is what the cruise lines would like you to believe, but you can use one of the licensed Russian tour agency in St. Petersburg and they supply you with the same visa waiver as the cruise lines tours.

Yeah, but it's the same net effect. You have to be on an official tour. No independent sightseeing. 

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, bschmoll said:

It's not just about the cruise companies. All the auxiliary tour providers rely upon cruise passengers as well and if they can't take part in it then certain port countries will probably determine it's not worth catering to cruises. Trust me I was paranoid about buffets and watching old people drop toast on the floor and proceed to use tongs to pick it up and put them back. I'm probably one of the few on here that has actually been quarantined on a cruise ship prior to the Rona.

You have every right to be "paranoid" that something which is a make-it or break-it cruise feature to you is still up in the air.  It's very difficult for some of us in today's world, where so much is still unknown about cruise line protocols, to make an informed decision about whether or not to cruise.  Hopefully by the time final payment comes around more will be known.  Good luck!

Edited August 23, 2020 by mnocket

[drsel]

The Cruise lines have to strictly enforce all the rules and regulations.
they cannot afford to have a single case of covid-19 onboard

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

Yeah, but it's the same net effect. You have to be on an official tour. No independent sightseeing. 

It may be the same net effect, but it will not be allowed if the cruise line only lets you take their own tours as opposed to independent tours.

 

Their new scare phrase (as opposed to the old one that you might miss the ship leaving) will be you can catch the virus on an independent tour.

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

It may be the same net effect, but it will not be allowed if the cruise line only lets you take their own tours as opposed to independent tours.

 

Their new scare phrase (as opposed to the old one that you might miss the ship leaving) will be you can catch the virus on an independent tour.

Well, wouldn't it really be based  on the wording of the regulations? Will it read that all disembarkating passengers must be a part of a licensed tour? OR, will it read that the CRUISE LINE must not allow disembarkating passengers  to leave the ship without being a part of an official tour? 

 

If it the latter, that puts the cruise line on the hook for keeping track of passengers whereabouts. Since the cruise lines already have tour contracts in place, it makes sense that they would require cruise line sponsored tours.

 

Remember,  the goal is to be able to do contact tracing. How would the cruise lines manage and track dozens of unaffiliated tours and tour companies? 

[snichols23]

"Well, wouldn't it really be based  on the wording of the regulations? Will it read that all disembarkating passengers must be a part of a licensed tour? OR, will it read that the CRUISE LINE must not allow disembarkating passengers  to leave the ship without being a part of an official tour? 

 

If it the latter, that puts the cruise line on the hook for keeping track of passengers whereabouts. Since the cruise lines already have tour contracts in place, it makes sense that they would require cruise line sponsored tours."

 

 

Maybe the cruise lines will have a list of APPROVED providers. Not something I would see them doing, but a possibility.

[MamaFej]

35 minutes ago, snichols23 said:

 

Maybe the cruise lines will have a list of APPROVED providers. Not something I would see them doing, but a possibility.

I've been wondering the same thing, or if they will contract with companies such as Tours By Locals, With Locals, and other licensed guide companies in order to be able to provide sufficient excursions. That could lead to a lot of "bubble merging," however, and that does not seem wise at this point. It seems that the guides would need to be on the ship in order to properly maintain the safety of the bubble. 

 

We do indeed seem to be in for a long haul.

[SelectSys]

I saw a video last night suggesting that MSC has dropped the prices of their shore excursions as part of this policy change.  They seem to realize this is likely a very sensitive subject for passengers and are worried about affordability.

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, snichols23 said:

 

Maybe the cruise lines will have a list of APPROVED providers. Not something I would see them doing, but a possibility.

They already have a list of approved providers...the ones that are a part of the cruise sponsored excursions. 

 

What incentives are there for the cruise lines to help other tour companies poach their passengers?

[snichols23]

Health care providers do it

[clo]

4 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

Since the cruise lines already have tour contracts in place, it makes sense that they would require cruise line sponsored tours.

And it seems like it could be to 'forge' a document for an independent or no tour. Or book, get a document and then cancel.

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, snichols23 said:

Health care providers do it

That's because the goal of health care providers is to help the patient. Of course a GP would recommend a cardiologist for heart problems.

 

What would be the goal of the cruise lines?