SURVIVAL

[GrJ Berkshire]

With no cruises now till after 31/03/21, the main question will be how much of the Cruise industry can and will survive more than a year without any sailings.

We like many people have a lot of money tied up with Regent around £40K, so have some concerns as to how they will keep going especially as our next likely cruise to sail is 04/01/ 22 which is a long way off. Ongoing costs, maintenance, will not stop but income has, nearly all future cruises must be FCC so little new money in.

I know vaccines are arriving but mass vaccination is at least 6/9 months away.

Will we get back to the Regent cruises we knew and loved in the past ? Or will the "new normal" mean a very different future ? What do people think?

[Guerncruising]

12 minutes ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

 

Will we get back to the Regent cruises we knew and loved in the past ? Or will the "new normal" mean a very different future ? What do people think?

We had a VERY firm lockdown at the beginning of all this and over 190 days Covid free. We currently have 4 cases and Jersey over 500. 

What do I think? I think that this is going to take some time and needs to be managed very carefully in order to keep infections low. 

What do I want? A cruise as soon as is practicable but most importantly as close to all of those other cruises we have enjoyed in the past. 

[Rivercruisevirgin]

I am in total agreement with you Guerncruising.

I have requested a full refund for my February, Splendor cruise, as like you i have concerns over the viability of NCLH and the industry.

However, i did read in one of the NCLH financial reports in the Spring that they had additional investor support of around $3-4bn which FDR said could keep them going until October `21 even if no further cruises took place.

Once i have my money back (circa 60 days i guess), i will then decide later in the year once the vaccine situation has taken hold whether to book a Regent Cruise in 2022/ 2023, but i fear that as we know, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and it would appear that the 25% FCC`s are just being added on to the price of future cruises......but lets wait and see.

Personally, i really only want to cruise again when we are back to as near normal as possible, i certainly dont want to wear a mask to walk around the inside of the ship!!

[snorkle lover]

I couldn’t agree with you more. If we are going to be required to wear a mask on board for our 

September 2021 Northern Med cruise, you can count us out! We don’t want to spend this large amount of $$ for that type of experience.

[alidor]

Stay home then.  Not happy about wearing a mask, stay home.  Simple answer.

[Snore42]

Would be an interesting poll:

- Would ONLY cruise if masks are required on board

- Would ONLY cruise if masks aren't required on board

- Would cruise regardless

 

Not sure how to start those things on here.  

 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and feelings on this.   The only sure thing is that cruising will be very different when things do resume.   Until then we will sit on forums like this and give "what ifs".  

[Dolebludger]

Until we are able to get the vaccine, we just refuse to go to any public place that doesn’t require masks and we certainly wear them ourselves. But on the other hand, we don’t care to wear masks for extended periods of time, as would be required on a cruise. So the only solution us to stay away from cruising  until the pandemic is gone to the extent that good health practice no longer requires a mask.

[slidebite]

I think ^^ is an entirely reasonable outlook. If you are unwilling to wear a mask for a long time, stay away from cruising until you don't have to. Especially with the demographic of the typical Regent cruiser.

 

Hopefully it won't be too long, but there is so much confusion and people being scared of vaccines (talk about 1st world problems!) it might take a while.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We will jump at the chance to take the vaccine!

We will jump at the chance to take a Regent cruise!
sheila and Herb

[ronrick1943]

I hope for the vaccine soon, I also hope to cruise soon.  And a  required mask, yes.....I'm getting a little tired of people not caring about other---then run to a hospital should they get the C-19.

[Dolebludger]

I hope you understood that we mask up any time we go out in public, and will continue to do so. But we will not go into an environment where we are required to wear a mask longer than we care to do so. We will not violate the rules for that environment — we will just not go there.

[snorkle lover]

Same here!

[jjs217]

I'm getting used to wearing a mask.  In fact, I feel a little naked without it.  Also, with a pair of big sunglasses and the mask - I don't have to put on make-up to go to the grocery store.

[1982CruzStart]

If we had to wear a mask around the ship, no problem.  More important to me is i won't cruise until i can safely go ashore and visit the various sites. I cruise for the ports so unless we can do shore excursions i won't be paying Regent prices to sail around no matter how much i enjoy my time onboard. 

[Guerncruising]

6 minutes ago, 1982CruzStart said:

I cruise for the ports so unless we can do shore excursions i won't be paying Regent prices to sail around no matter how much i enjoy my time onboard. 

I couldn’t agree more. We are very fortunate in that we have never been required to wear masks and only those who have voluntarily chosen to (very few) have done so. 

The real problem is each country’s response and the individuals in that country. Whilst tour guides may be good but can you imagine all the beggars etc that you see in certain countries. 

Still hoping to get back to cruising though. 

[Dolebludger]

Beyond the mask and port issues, we will need to see a complete list of rules and regulations that will apply to any future cruise before we put any money down for one. We get a mailer ad from Regent almost daily.  But many highly likely conditions aren’t addressed in the ads, probably because nobody knows yet. An example is what changes must be made to ensure distancing. Regent will have an easier time with this than cruise lines with less space per passenger, but it will still be a challenge. Another factor is that the pandemic is not easing, instead it is growing. NCLH can exist without booking proceeds only until October, 2021,  and there is certainly no guarantee that cruises will be able to go by then. 

[CBWIR]

3 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

 NCLH can exist without booking proceeds only until October, 2021,  and there is certainly no guarantee that cruises will be able to go by then. 

Interested to know the basis for this assertion. Please let me know your source of information. Thank You.

[Dolebludger]

My source of this info is an interview with FDR that appeared right here on CC

[Pcardad]

Wall Street pouring cash into RCLH stock.....if it were in danger of folding the stock would tank first.

[CBWIR]

4 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

My source of this info is an interview with FDR that appeared right here on CC

Wasn't that interview before they sold $800+ million in stock in late November. Seems like old news. Yes?

[Pcardad]

I can't type...NCLH stock.

[dfdub]

On 12/9/2020 at 4:33 PM, Dolebludger said:

Beyond the mask and port issues, we will need to see a complete list of rules and regulations that will apply to any future cruise before we put any money down for one. We get a mailer ad from Regent almost daily.  But many highly likely conditions aren’t addressed in the ads, probably because nobody knows yet. An example is what changes must be made to ensure distancing. Regent will have an easier time with this than cruise lines with less space per passenger, but it will still be a challenge. Another factor is that the pandemic is not easing, instead it is growing. NCLH can exist without booking proceeds only until October, 2021,  and there is certainly no guarantee that cruises will be able to go by then. 

We booked our cruise early 2020 for late August, early September 2021.  We picked these dates betting on a vaccine (which is here) and/or most of this insanity would be over in Northern Europe.  Looks like a good bet!!  We are cautious, washing hands, mask when appropriate or require by law, and stay away from sick people!  My presumption is that the intelligent people that would be sailing on a Regent Cruise will be doing the same. The United States is on a trend to have a lower death total than 2019, in spite of COVID-19!!  Flu deaths are almost nonexistent!! All normal death tolls are far below average and below 2019 totals!!

We're going to cruise!!!

[Dolebludger]

On 12/10/2020 at 1:35 PM, CBWIR said:

Wasn't that interview before they sold $800+ million in stock in late November. Seems like old news. Yes?

Well, no and yes. FDR’s announcement of no-sail cash being adequate until Oct 2021 was made AFTER the financing. But it is old news, but not in a good way. CNN reports that Carnival won’t sail until “late in 2021”  and FDR said he expected NCLH to do the same. So it looks like things are getting tight.

[DaveFr]

9 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Well, no and yes. FDR’s announcement of no-sail cash being adequate until Oct 2021 was made AFTER the financing. But it is old news, but not in a good way. CNN reports that Carnival won’t sail until “late in 2021”  and FDR said he expected NCLH to do the same. So it looks like things are getting tight.

Please post a link to the CNN story you referenced. I remember stories about the cruise lines not being fully back in operation on all ships until late 2021 but I haven't found what you reported above.

[Dolebludger]

Dave, I wish I could, but the info is gone from money.cnn.com since this morning.