Carnival cancels March

[xDisconnections]

40 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Local news the other day confirms what I have been saying all along about this darn covid 19. It is NOT the major killer in the US. In order. #1 Heart disease, #2 cancer and 3rd covid19. So how about we all relax and just be cautious. BTW Wearing a mask while tanning, why not? A 24/7 mask. . Get a great tan and people will think you have on a funny mask.

Who ever said it was the #1 killer? Based on your post, you're suggesting something that is #3 is not major?

[cruisingguy007]

4 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Unless something has changed recently, "cruises to nowhere" aren't legal in the U.S.

 

Easily avoidable. Dock in a close foreign port (for a reduced fee) and everyone simply stays on the ship. They could have one passenger technically step off or whatever constitutes the "technicality" (though I believe simply calling on a foreign port is enough to meet legalities). The cruise lines could then directly refund the port fees paid by passengers, apply them to gratuities, or offer a higher value of on board cruise credit for food/drink/shopping. Quite easy to accomplish with a little outside the box thinking.       

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Easily avoidable. Dock in a close foreign port (for a reduced fee) and everyone simply stays on the ship. They could have one passenger technically step off or whatever constitutes the "technicality" (though I believe simply calling on a foreign port is enough to meet legalities). The cruise lines could then directly refund the port fees paid by passengers, apply them to gratuities, or offer a higher value of on board cruise credit for food/drink/shopping. Quite easy to accomplish with a little outside the box thinking.       

 

 

Except that "simply calling on a foreign port" does not meet the requirements or legalities.

[cruisingguy007]

5 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Except that "simply calling on a foreign port" does not meet the requirements or legalities.

 

Hence: "They could have one passenger technically step off or whatever constitutes the "technicality". Shuffling whatever "technical" number off then right back on or meeting the min requirement. 

Edited January 7, 2021 by cruisingguy007

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

I don't have any reliable source to say what ports are open or not. Nothing I could find was current. But I did see an October 1st article in the Yucatan Times that Mexico was ready to welcome cruise ships in starting in November.

 

That obviously didn't happen, at least for U.S. based ships, but I would guess Mexico will still welcome ships whenever they are allowed to start cruising again. And probably a few other Caribbean ports as well, though certainly not all of them.

 

I see the biggest hurdle being getting US clearance. If those cruises to Mexico or wherever go off without a problem once permitted, I think other ports will soon allow them as well. Though some may decide they don't need the ships, like Key West did.

You can already fly to cancun and other vacation spots in mexico. I dont know why docking would be a issue in mexico. I know people who flew there for a vacation and back so it's open to fly there.

[travelhound]

3 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Local news the other day confirms what I have been saying all along about this darn covid 19. It is NOT the major killer in the US. In order. #1 Heart disease, #2 cancer and 3rd covid19. So how about we all relax and just be cautious. BTW Wearing a mask while tanning, why not? A 24/7 mask. . Get a great tan and people will think you have on a funny mask.

Well said 👍

[travelhound]

48 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You can already fly to cancun and other vacation spots in mexico. I dont know why docking would be a issue in mexico. I know people who flew there for a vacation and back so it's open to fly there.

My niece just went to Mexico and there were no restrictions.

[edl868]

Just canceled our early Apr cruise...figured I'd save the hassle making another final payment and then waiting months to collect the money back

[mringenoldus]

They have finally told the truth about the Radiance - the July itinerary was not fully booked as I've been told on several occasions. Instead, it was never going to sail until November.

 

I understand the suspensions but I very much dislike being lied to.

[xDisconnections]

7 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Unless something has changed recently, "cruises to nowhere" aren't legal in the U.S.

 

2 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Easily avoidable. Dock in a close foreign port (for a reduced fee) and everyone simply stays on the ship. They could have one passenger technically step off or whatever constitutes the "technicality" (though I believe simply calling on a foreign port is enough to meet legalities). The cruise lines could then directly refund the port fees paid by passengers, apply them to gratuities, or offer a higher value of on board cruise credit for food/drink/shopping. Quite easy to accomplish with a little outside the box thinking.       

 

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Except that "simply calling on a foreign port" does not meet the requirements or legalities.

Actually, cruises to nowhere are perfectly legal in the US when sailing on foreign flagged vessels. The tricky part is the use of the D1 work visa provided by the cruise lines as it provides them an opportunity to save on labor. In order to sail on a cruise to nowhere, the entirety of the crew must be US Citizens or comprised of those authorized to work in the United States. In the past, cruise lines frequently offered cruises to nowhere until they had their use of the D1 visa investigated.

 

As mentioned by @cruisingguy007, a service call is another acceptable option to skirt around requirements and does meet the requirements to remain in compliance. We frequently see service calls upon irregular operations in the Pacific Northwest to remain in compliance with the PVSA on some Alaska sailings with time spent in Victoria. For accounting purposes, onboard credit does not post against port fees/taxes if the cruise line uses creativity in their marketing materials.

[RWolver672]

18 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Local news the other day confirms what I have been saying all along about this darn covid 19. It is NOT the major killer in the US. In order. #1 Heart disease, #2 cancer and 3rd covid19. 

 

Heart disease and cancer are not contagious.  Covid19 is.

[PhillyFan33579]

23 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

 

Was hopeful the first 6 months or so, but am beginning to wonder if there is a cruising future as well...not to mention what it will look like if it does indeed return. 

 

With the 'stay scared' factor so high, I believe the cruise lines feel any effort they put in attempting to appease the CDC is wasted effort.  

 

I remain somewhat optimistic for 'enjoyable' cruising to return, but starting to think even that is unrealistic.

i agree with your comment about the CDC and wasted effort. Unless I have missed something, I haven’t heard anything about test cruises that generated a lot of discussion a few months ago. My thought is the cruise lines are now taking the position of waiting things out instead of investing who knows how much money to make their ships “safer” only to have the CDC say the steps implemented aren’t good enough. 
 

I think cruise lines overseas have proven you can cruise relatively safely now. Even before COVID-19 ships were never and will never be perfectly safe. But I think the CDC is going to continue to make it more or less impossible for cruises to resume from US ports for a long time. 

[skridge]

I am not understanding why the canceling of cruises continues to shock some on these boards.  The pandemic is still raging.  Yesterday was the most recorded deaths from the virus.  You know when the second most was.  The day before.  See the pattern.  People on here seem to be so afraid of facts and statistics because it gets in the way of their pipe dream of getting on a ship any time soon.

[embarkation75]

46 minutes ago, skridge said:

I am not understanding why the canceling of cruises continues to shock some on these boards.  The pandemic is still raging.  Yesterday was the most recorded deaths from the virus.  You know when the second most was.  The day before.  See the pattern.  People on here seem to be so afraid of facts and statistics because it gets in the way of their pipe dream of getting on a ship any time soon.

 

Amen to that! The truth is the truth despite nearly half of this country more concerned with spreading/believing conspiracy theories. The reality is nothing is happening until vaccinations reach a large enough level that covid numbers fall substantially. I long gave up on what was originally a mid-March cruise and moved the booking to the end of 21 as I simply don't see anything returning to normal until mid summer to early fall. For those that actually believed they could still be cruising in March over the last few weeks, I've got an excellent tropical beach property to sell you in Siberia.

[florida eagle]

Would stopping at a Cruise Company Private Island Like Coco Cay or Half Moon Cay qualify as a Ship to Nowhere Cruise? If so, multiple ships can dock and leave.

[shof515]

11 minutes ago, florida eagle said:

Would stopping at a Cruise Company Private Island Like Coco Cay or Half Moon Cay qualify as a Ship to Nowhere Cruise? If so, multiple ships can dock and leave.

 

no. the issue with cruise to nowhere is how the crew paperwork is handled with visa and other similar things

[ProgRockCruiser]

17 minutes ago, florida eagle said:

Would stopping at a Cruise Company Private Island Like Coco Cay or Half Moon Cay qualify as a Ship to Nowhere Cruise? If so, multiple ships can dock and leave.

The Private Islands are all part of another country, so they do qualify as a foreign port, and thus it would not be considered a cruise to nowhere, so it would be "legal".

 

However, even though those are private islands, they are still governed by the laws/rules of the country they are a part of, so it would take specific negotiations with that Government to bypass/alter any COVID restrictions in place.

 

i.e. the Private Islands are not governed by "The Republic of Disney" or "The Country of Carnivaland", they are governed by the Bahamian Government or the Government of the Turks and Caicos or whatever.

[florida eagle]

12 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

The Private Islands are all part of another country, so they do qualify as a foreign port, and thus it would not be considered a cruise to nowhere, so it would be "legal".

 

However, even though those are private islands, they are still governed by the laws/rules of the country they are a part of, so it would take specific negotiations with that Government to bypass/alter any COVID restrictions in place.

 

i.e. the Private Islands are not governed by "The Republic of Disney" or "The Country of Carnivaland", they are governed by the Bahamian Government or the Government of the Turks and Caicos or whatever.

So if a ship can not go to Nassau for instance at this time, a cruise ship can connect and disconnect at their own islands with an agreement with the Bahaman government. Being that this would be temporary over a period of time, then giving the Bahaman government a few thousand dollars or several thousand dollars for each connection and disconnect would be possible over the prospect of receiving nothing. A lot of ships can do this if enough people who are cruisers and would accept this for the present issues we have.

[Joebucks]

5 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

Heart disease and cancer are not contagious.  Covid19 is.

 

If you were to die tomorrow, what would be the difference if it was contagious or not? Now what if I told you, you could have prevented your death, would you have wish you did? I would argue, you have more power to prevent heart disease death (and hell, those who died from COVID, could have had a better chance of survival if they took care of their heart health). It is also a bigger killer than COVID. Yet, people continue to be slobs, but wear the mask to be "safe." We get the panic and the hive-mind response of "but not contagious". In the end, it doesn't make as much sense.

 

Anywho, I wonder what kind of impact these continued cancellations has on cash flow. There were people eager to take the OBC before, which was good for Carnival to show revenue on the books. With confidence dropping, there has to be more people giving up on that option. 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, florida eagle said:

So if a ship can not go to Nassau for instance at this time, a cruise ship can connect and disconnect at their own islands with an agreement with the Bahaman government. Being that this would be temporary over a period of time, then giving the Bahaman government a few thousand dollars or several thousand dollars for each connection and disconnect would be possible over the prospect of receiving nothing. A lot of ships can do this if enough people who are cruisers and would accept this for the present issues we have.

Idk about carnival, but rcl had ships out of Galveston stopping at coco cay. Now it can no longer do that route as those ships also stopped at key west to fill out 3 ports. Key west voted no more big cruise ships and apparently there is no 3rd port to the Nassau coco cay ... plus who route. Without key west ships out of Galveston no more itineraries scheduled there. 

 

 Back stuck with every ship going to cozumel.  Feb 2021 was the last scheduled to coco cay out of Galveston and of course cancelled. 

[xDisconnections]

2 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Idk about carnival, but rcl had ships out of Galveston stopping at coco cay. Now it can no longer do that route as those ships also stopped at key west to fill out 3 ports. Key west voted no more big cruise ships and apparently there is no 3rd port to the Nassau coco cay ... plus who route. Without key west ships out of Galveston no more itineraries scheduled there. 

 

 Back stuck with every ship going to cozumel.  Feb 2021 was the last scheduled to coco cay out of Galveston and of course cancelled. 

Freeport is an option. Even Miami or Fort Lauderdale can be an option. 

Edited January 8, 2021 by xDisconnections

[Buckeyefrank100]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

The issue is YOU don't know what the effects will be. It's different for each person. My next door neighbor, a woman in her 30's, is a 'long hauler'. She contacted Covid in March is continuing to experience long term effects from the virus. Yes, the majority get better and no long term effects, but you have no idea how it will affect YOU.

And you don't know what the effects of a person getting the flu or bronchitis or pneumonia are either.  It's different for each person.

[Tinknock50]

21 hours ago, travelhound said:

My niece just went to Mexico and there were no restrictions.

Cool.....we may head there to use my Southwest flight credits that were going to go for my cancelled cruise.

[Moviela]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Idk about carnival, but RCL had ships out of Galveston stopping at Coco Cay. Now it can no longer do that route as those ships also stopped at key west to fill out 3 ports. Key West voted no more big cruise ships and apparently there is no 3rd port to the Nassau Coco Cay ... plus who route. Without Key West ships out of Galveston no more itineraries scheduled there. 

 

 Back stuck with every ship going to Cozumel.  Feb 2021 was the last scheduled to Coco Cay out of Galveston and of course cancelled. 

 

My cousin is a mover and shaker (lawyer) in Florida and he sends me this from the state legislature just two days ago:

 

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a local government may not restrict or regulate commerce in the seaports of this state, as listed in s. 311.09, including, but not  limited to, regulating or restricting a vessel’s type or size, source or type of cargo, or number, origin, or nationality of  passengers. All such matters are expressly preempted to the state.

 

The elitists of the Conch Republic have not only been served with lawsuits, they have now been corralled by the state. Mardi Gras can dock there now. 

 

He tells me the drafters of the Key West law did not do their homework, and RCL has a couple of ships small enough to slide in there. Ding-Dong!

[Earthworm Jim]

43 minutes ago, Moviela said:

 

My cousin is a mover and shaker (lawyer) in Florida and he sends me this from the state legislature just two days ago:

 

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a local government may not restrict or regulate commerce in the seaports of this state, as listed in s. 311.09, including, but not  limited to, regulating or restricting a vessel’s type or size, source or type of cargo, or number, origin, or nationality of  passengers. All such matters are expressly preempted to the state.

 

The elitists of the Conch Republic have not only been served with lawsuits, they have now been corralled by the state. Mardi Gras can dock there now. 

 

He tells me the drafters of the Key West law did not do their homework, and RCL has a couple of ships small enough to slide in there. Ding-Dong!

 

At this point, it's just a bill introduced by one person, Florida Senator Jim Boyd. Bills are introduced all the time, and a lot of them go nowhere. We have yet to see whether his bill has any support from others in the Florida legislature or the governor. Much to early to take it too seriously for now.