Not cruising this winter? What are your plans?!

[sakigemcam]

If you live in a cold climate, a winter cruise to the tropics can help keep you sane. If the virus has you skipping this winter’s cruise, are you still getting away? Or sitting tight by the fire? 

If we decide to change our winter plans, we’re considering a direct flight to an all-inclusive. Not sure where yet. Flying for a few hours, masked and shielded, doesn’t concern us. We don’t mind masking when needed on vacation and we’d spend most of our time outside. The tenuous status of our sailing has us thinking we need to book an alternative sooner or later. We work full-time and it’s cooooold here. 
 

What are you all thinking? 
 

[chemmo]

What a refreshing post!

 

Totally agree with you, much as we would all love a winter cruise we can still enjoy life. Unlike you we are still reluctant to fly so we will make the most of our own country.

 

During the Summer months we have been able to enjoy a couple of trips in our tourer. However, as we are seeing worsening figures over here in the U.K. we feel we are presently limited to our own locality. Plenty of parks and National Parks within a short drive to enjoy, though.

 

The leaves are changing colour, shortly we will wake up to frosty mornings and bird feeders alive with sparrows, robins and blue tits. Each day we will make the most of things...I will have time to read books that have been on my iPad for four cruises and finally get stuck into my cross stitching! On the day next month we should have been boarding Silhouette we shall have Bellini’s with breakfast and a very special evening meal. If conditions over here improve we will consider booking something self catering last minute, perhaps with a wintertime sea view.

 

Sincere best wishes, OP, for a pleasant winter and hopefully a great AI holiday! Once again, thanks for a positive post. If we all focus at the things we can enjoy rather than those we can’t will all get through this difficult time in a more positive way.

[denatravels]

I just cancelled my February cruise. Maybe looking into an AI is the way to go.
My parents live in California. Haven’t seen them since last December. If this year’s holiday trip gets cancelled, I may cancel March cruise and see them instead.


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[Pinboy]

We are staying home and will freeze our a---s off .

Don't want to fly, don't want to be amongst 100's of people at an AI, which would be the same as being on a ship, however, without :

The Captain's 10 am announcement  ( that's to inform the passengers that the Captain is awake ) that we travelled 328 nautical miles since leaving XX,  then ,

Introduce the CD , who's ALL excited to tell us about the great sales at our next port in XXX , but, forgets ( ?? ) to mention the " kick-back ", oops, " referral fee " the Cruise Company receives from the stores they recommend, oops, tell us to go to, then, etc ,etc. -- and, tonight in the theater xxx who came " all the way from " xxx to entertain you--- a Fabulous show.

But, the good news --- There will still be chair hogs, slobs at the buffet  , bingo, and zumba at the pool ( Keep your distance !! ).

Yup, I think I've been on too many cruises !!!!

 

 

[hawkesbaynz]

I usually have a cruise and a few European ski trips booked for the Winter. We did a New England tour last Fall too.

 

We have cancelled our South American cruise and rebooked for 2022. Did not use Lift & Shift as cheaper cancelling/rebooking.

 

I have one ski trip to Austria booked at present. The tour operator states that they will move it if I have to self isolate afterwards as Austria currently a no-go from the UK. Doubt we would go anywhere else abroad.

 

We were going to get a new dog in 2021 but with all the time at home this year we now have a five month old Labrador chewing the house up. Fortunately my wife works from home and does not ski. Seems I will be training her this Winter. Hopefully she will be welcome at friends if we go on a cruise in 2021.

 

We are off to Dorset next week where you can have a fine view of several cruise ships at anchor.

[hawkesbaynz]

@Pinboy not sure if we could face the excitement, noise and alcoholic decadence of a Mexican/Caribbean All Inclusive. Think I am over that. A chilled out fortnight sun bathing and diving in the Maldives would be nice. However would not like to be stuck there as read horror stories of people being charged the daily rate when they were marooned there on their honeymoons.

 

I always seem to have those Captain/Cruise Director proclamations turned off! Not a lover of sardines by the pool but usually find a nice spot forward or relax on the balcony.

[BigAl94]

As it's currently impossible to plan anything with any certainty and having no desire to fly and risk quarantine on return all we are doing are short staycation trips booked at short notice as conditions allow. One next week cancelled due to local travel restrictions. Will miss getting away to winter sun!

[bikerunner]

Doing a Dominican Rep All Inclusive.  Did a lot of research on them and found that the Excellence ones seem to be my speed, very laid back not huge shots/party scene, Adult only etc.  Plus the resorts are only allowing max 30% at this time so at most maybe 200-250 at the resort.  I am going in Nov this year, taking place of my B2B cruise.  Rate works out well and comparable for what I like spending on a cruise for a concierge room, around 215 pp per night includes air etc.  

[mom says]

We are considering an AI in Cuba for a couple of weeks in Feb. The one we have our eye on is adults only, and with a policy of reduced capacity.  Since we would likely fly business class, we consider the flight risk acceptable. It all depends on how the COVID situation looks in Cuba later in the year.

[Jeremiah1212]

No plans for warm weather this winter. Fingers crossed it's a mild winter here in Chicago and Wisconsin. All-inclusives are not my thing at all. I follow a few fan pages online and despite the guests saying 'it's totally safe', the photos paint a different picture, with guests following no distancing guidelines at all. Just not worth it. We can stick it out a full winter in the cold and enjoy the sun that much more when it's appropriate. 

[sakigemcam]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

We are staying home and will freeze our a---s off .

Don't want to fly, don't want to be amongst 100's of people at an AI, which would be the same as being on a ship, however, without :

The Captain's 10 am announcement  ( that's to inform the passengers that the Captain is awake ) that we travelled 328 nautical miles since leaving XX,  then ,

Introduce the CD , who's ALL excited to tell us about the great sales at our next port in XXX , but, forgets ( ?? ) to mention the " kick-back ", oops, " referral fee " the Cruise Company receives from the stores they recommend, oops, tell us to go to, then, etc ,etc. -- and, tonight in the theater xxx who came " all the way from " xxx to entertain you--- a Fabulous show.

But, the good news --- There will still be chair hogs, slobs at the buffet  , bingo, and zumba at the pool ( Keep your distance !! ).

Yup, I think I've been on too many cruises !!!!

 

 

Haha thanks for the laugh on this miserable day. We discovered a small AI while on a port stop last year - 75 rooms. Thinking of something like that. 

Yeah maybe it's time to you to stop cruising for a bit LOL!

PS - We're in CT too. 

Edited September 30, 2020 by sakigemcam
add

[sakigemcam]

9 minutes ago, mom says said:

We are considering an AI in Cuba for a couple of weeks in Feb. The one we have our eye on is adults only, and with a policy of reduced capacity.  Since we would likely fly business class, we consider the flight risk acceptable. It all depends on how the COVID situation looks in Cuba later in the year.

 I'm finding a number that have committed to reduced capacity - definitely the key. We found a small AI on  a port stop last year that has our eye for sure. Staying  on property is like staying on the ship, no biggie....

[sakigemcam]

19 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

Doing a Dominican Rep All Inclusive.  Did a lot of research on them and found that the Excellence ones seem to be my speed, very laid back not huge shots/party scene, Adult only etc.  Plus the resorts are only allowing max 30% at this time so at most maybe 200-250 at the resort.  I am going in Nov this year, taking place of my B2B cruise.  Rate works out well and comparable for what I like spending on a cruise for a concierge room, around 215 pp per night includes air etc.  

We're looking at DR too, if Aruba doesn't work out. That pricing sounds way more reasonable too, although the Aruba AI was spectacular and only 75 rooms. What a great deal!

[bigbenboys]

We have no travel plans for this winter. Seattle mostly has mild winters. We have decided to skip Christmas with the family this year. If Broadway, NYC opens up by April 2021, that will be our 1st travel plans. Cruise to Alaska in June 2021. I just had a contractor in to give a bid on remodeling our lower level (3 bedrooms, bathroom, entertainment room and laundry room). Plans are to start in Jan.

[spammie]

Key West the first week of November! 😎

[Pinboy]

2 hours ago, sakigemcam said:

PS - We're in CT too. 

'Ol Pinboy is stumped -- what's that mean in Canadian ???

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

'Ol Pinboy is stumped -- what's that mean in Canadian ???

Yeah, a bit of a non sequitur given what you posted and the fact that you’re in Canada, not Connecticut.

[sakigemcam]

8 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

'Ol Pinboy is stumped -- what's that mean in Canadian ???

 

8 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

'Ol Pinboy is stumped -- what's that mean in Canadian ???

Yes yes, I realized that, sorry.

[Laurab23]

No plans for me this winter. I do not fly so no warm weather to enjoy. I will just stay home and dream about my June(hopefully) cruise to Bermuda.

 

Laura

[cantstopingcruising]

It's going to be a long cold winter.

[hcat]

We are hoping to go to our  beautiful place in Florida for  awhile.  We  have not been there since Feb...flights for June were cancelled and we just decided to wait things out.

 

We have great neighbors down there and a  top notch Home Watcher . We can't wait to be there again... even if Florida is not doing as well Covid -wise as  NY. At least we can walk and bicycle outdoors when it is colder up north. 

 

We will not come home for the holidays,  but lucked out...dtr and her family are driving down for 2 weeks to see all the grandparents and friends.

 

Bump in the Road:  SW Air changed our flight layover time....sorry  but we are not sitting with a mask on for 4 hrs in Baltimore!   They gave us 3 days to make a change..like lift and shift..We found a  same day alternative with a much  shorter layover.  Hope it does not change again.

 

Hope it works but expecting it to be " different" this year.

[travlr21]

We plan on staying home. We love to cross country ski and snowshoe so it will not be a hardship. We missed most of last winter as we spend mid December to mid February in New Zealand, an awesome land trip. We won't complain about this winter. 

[sfaaa]

Stay home, practice social distancing and build up my cruise fund for 2022 or whenever cruising is deemed safe again.

[garyl62]

We have non-stop flights booked Chicago to San Juan for a March cruise, as a back-up we booked a week at a hotel in a oceanfront 1 bedroom suite on the beach in San Juan that we can cancel with a 48 hour notice.  Splurged on the room but figured even with some nice meals we'd spend about the same as the cruise.  If the cruise cancels we'll still use the flights, but if PR shuts down we'll be out of luck.  It's not warm, but I probably make an extra trip to the UP of Michigan to snowmobile just so I can spend some time away from the day to day grind.

[govanguy]

Blackpool for the Illuminations.