When, where and under what conditions will you make another cruise reservation?

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, clo said:

I assume those are drive-by's? We rarely made reservations in advance and sometimes changed our itinerary the night before 🙂

 

I don't really understand what drive by means in this situation? Usually the ships that cruise the islands around Britain are quite small so you would have to book in advanced. To be fair I've heard these islands can book out in peak season so even DIY travel to these places can be difficult without advanced bookings on accommodation, car rentals etc. If you have no interest in archipelagos like the Hebrides or the Orkneys then obviously you see no interest in cruising. Cruising can be more convenient then trying to organise ferries which again generally have to be booked in advanced and aren't exactly that cheap either especially if using the car ferries. 

[Ashland]

18 hours ago, clo said:

We've done land trips, DIY, in England, Ireland, Scotand and Wales. Driving. I can't imagine doing any of it as part of a cruise. 

Cruising is just fine with us...gives us a chance (snap shot) to see many ports that can determine where we would like to spend more time.

[ldubs]

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Been to both London and Scotland in land trips and also a British Isles cruise.

 

The cruise was excellent. We saw among other things the Scottish Military Tattoo in Edinburgh and the Book of Kells in Ireland. It was definitely one of our best cruises (on the small former Ocean Princess).

 

Yes!  Edinburgh and the Tattoo were terrific.  The one we were on was port intensive and there was not a port on this itinerary that I did not enjoy immensely.  And, icing on the cake, I like flying into London for a cruise out of Southampton, so even "betterer".   I hope I will do this itinerary again some day.    

[ontheweb]

18 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Yes!  Edinburgh and the Tattoo were terrific.  The one we were on was port intensive and there was not a port on this itinerary that I did not enjoy immensely.  And, icing on the cake, I like flying into London for a cruise out of Southampton, so even "betterer".   I hope I will do this itinerary again some day.    

Ours was actually from Dover. The one we were unable to do this summer (not British Isles, but Norwegian fjords) was to be from Southampton. 

[clo]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

Cruising is just fine with us...gives us a chance (snap shot) to see many ports that can determine where we would like to spend more time.

Oh, I hear ya and respect what you enjoy. But I remember touring Ireland on our own. Bob discovered that Ireland has the Irish National Stud (thoroughbred horse) farm.

https://irishnationalstud.ie/

 

Being lifelong horse crazy, it was great. Then hit some other towns and villages, including a night in Cork. Visited a great food market. Wound up in Dingle Peninsula. I went horseback riding and IIRC Bob played golf. Then more of Ireland and back to Dublin where we flew to Glasgow. Bob played golf at Royal Troon and I rode again. Then to Edinburgh. Up to St. Andrews and a tour of Macallan distillery, then north and then down the west coast. I won't bore you with more. But so great.

[K32682]

I will make another cruise reservation when I can cruise as I did in 2019.  The prospect of a cruise with masks, social distancing, restrictions, etc. is unappealing.  The prospect of being quarantined in a cabin is appalling. The prospect of being dumped off the ship at the mercy of a third-world medical system is horrifying.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

I will be looking to book after our Nov 7 cruise, if it comes off and if my wife's mobility holds up.  Looking at a fall, 2021 river cruise on the Tennessee river (AQ), followed by a January 2022 Caribbean cruise (MSC YC).  If ships sail, I'll cruise.  We usually do a weeklong all-inclusive in winter (January 2021 already booked) so the Jan 2022 would be in lieu of the all-inclusive for that winter.  

[laikanuki]

I have no intention of booking a cruise until these conditions are met.

1.   I can cancel 100% almost up to date of embarkation 

2.   I can travel independently at each port and not be forced to use the ship's tours.

3.   Either the shipping line or travel insurance companies offer caronavirus coverage.   No insurance, no go.

4.   I do not have to wear a mask on the ship anytime², that is not my idea of a holiday.

 

I could be waiting a long time.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, laikanuki said:

I have no intention of booking a cruise until these conditions are met.

1.   I can cancel 100% almost up to date of embarkation 

2.   I can travel independently at each port and not be forced to use the ship's tours.

3.   Either the shipping line or travel insurance companies offer caronavirus coverage.   No insurance, no go.

4.   I do not have to wear a mask on the ship anytime², that is not my idea of a holiday.

 

I could be waiting a long time.

All reasonable, and we could all be waiting a long time.

[iancal]

On 9/20/2020 at 10:47 PM, laikanuki said:

I have no intention of booking a cruise until these conditions are met.

1.   I can cancel 100% almost up to date of embarkation 

2.   I can travel independently at each port and not be forced to use the ship's tours.

3.   Either the shipping line or travel insurance companies offer caronavirus coverage.   No insurance, no go.

4.   I do not have to wear a mask on the ship anytime², that is not my idea of a holiday.

 

I could be waiting a long time.

 

Absolutely.  Our feeling exactly.

 

 I feel very sorry for the cruise lines, their employees, their investors, and the suppliers etc. who depend on the industry for their business and living. 

 

I fear that there is still a long road to go before things are back to a new normal.  I suspect that the cruise industry will be among the last of the travel industry players to bounce back.  

Edited September 22, 2020 by iancal

[FredT]

On 9/21/2020 at 12:47 AM, laikanuki said:

I have no intention of booking a cruise until these conditions are met.

1.   I can cancel 100% almost up to date of embarkation 

LOL....   Then I guess you NEVER will cruise again.   In the 40+ years I have been cruising,   I have never seen (Or heard of) a cruise line that offers a refund up to the date of sailing....

 

Good Luck!

[Toofarfromthesea]

I really wonder why folks who won't cruise unless/until there is a vaccine even bother coming around here, these days.  Unless it is to scold and try to shame those of us who do not place such restrictions on ourselves.

[chipmaster]

23 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

I really wonder why folks who won't cruise unless/until there is a vaccine even bother coming around here, these days.  Unless it is to scold and try to shame those of us who do not place such restrictions on ourselves.

 

I'll cruise before a vaccine, as long as the countries and companies and people have rules that make sense, so far none of that and even more absurd the belief that a vaccine is a replacement for common sense.

 

Kind of like saying if we have seatbelts, airbags we can discard any thought about safe driving, LOL