Australia 2021: is this a bad sign?

[Aus Traveller]

2 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Is this a bad sign? I booked this cruise on Black Friday, perhaps over optimistically.

 

The Coral Princess cruises (the Tasmanian one you posted and the following one to NZ) are marked "currently not available", but the Royal Princess cruises around the same date are still showing as being on sale.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[Ombud]

Excursions for my December cruise opened up this morning & I booked 2 of the 3 I wanted with OBC. Not suggesting that anyone fork over cash for something I'm still not sure will happen but I had FCD & Shareholders OBC

[Aus Traveller]

7 hours ago, Ombud said:

Excursions for my December cruise opened up this morning & I booked 2 of the 3 I wanted with OBC. Not suggesting that anyone fork over cash for something I'm still not sure will happen but I had FCD & Shareholders OBC

I feel that an Australian-based Princess cruise in December has a reasonable chance of happening, but the Aust government may not open our borders to international arrivals by then. This will of course depend on the international situation re vaccinations and the spread of COVID.

[AZjohn]

59 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I feel that an Australian-based Princess cruise in December has a reasonable chance of happening, but the Aust government may not open our borders to international arrivals by then. This will of course depend on the international situation re vaccinations and the spread of COVID.

Yes, I agree this is going to be all about your country opening up borders rather than who is vaccinated currently in the US or anywhere else. I hope everyone can get vaccinated soon (regardless where they live) but I don't know how it's going over there.

[Ombud]

Agreed .... unfortunately.  I really want those 2 excursions & I have a boatload of goodwill OBC bc so many TAs were canceled bc of ships rerouted. I would never suggest booking excursions with A$s

[Aus Traveller]

9 minutes ago, AZjohn said:

Yes, I agree this is going to be all about your country opening up borders rather than who is vaccinated currently in the US or anywhere else. I hope everyone can get vaccinated soon (regardless where they live) but I don't know how it's going over there.

In Australia vaccinations have only just started this week. Because we do not have community spread of the virus, the late start of vaccinations isn't really a problem. The only COVID we have had in the country in the last nine or so months has been from returned Aussies in quarantine. On a few occasions, a worker in the quarantine hotel has contracted the virus then passed it on to their family or people they were on contact with. Our closed borders and contact tracing followed by a lockdown, have been the keys to the success of suppressing COVID. Now that vaccinations are underway, hopefully Australia can avoid widespread infections.

 

The Aust government will be monitoring vaccination and infection rates overseas very carefully before they open the borders. I expect that any international travellers will have to show proof of vaccination before they are permitted to board a plane. QANTAS has already announced that they will have this policy.

 

P.S. QANTAS has announced that they have pushed back their planned start of international flights, now to 31st October. The only international flights operating are a limited number for Australians wanted to be repatriated. The number of people allowed to come is strictly limited, it is very difficult to get a seat and they are expensive.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[Ombud]

Actually that's a relief as I booked a flight on Qantas. If this doesn't go I'll rebook for December 2022

Edited February 24, 2021 by Ombud

[leck57]

20 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

P.S. QANTAS has announced that they have pushed back their planned start of international flights, now to 31st October. The only international flights operating are a limited number for Australians wanted to be repatriated. The number of people allowed to come is strictly limited, it is very difficult to get a seat and they are expensive.

 

Yes, I read this news from Qantas just now. I was hoping to fly to Singapore for a Royal Princess cruise back to Australia in mid October so that is just before the Qantas start up. Hopefully Singapore Airlines will start up prior to then, otherwise it might be another cancelled cruise.

I would happily swap to an Australian based cruise but who knows what will be happening with them around that time. A lot of water to flow under the bridge between now and then.

[Loki S]

23 hours ago, Ombud said:

Actually that's a relief as I booked a flight on Qantas. If this doesn't go I'll rebook for December 2022

Maybe even check out the itineraries for 2022/2023 that open mid next week. Not saying you need to book but maybe as a backup to get what you want.

[Ombud]

I just did and booked another downunder. Now I need to figure out what to do with 1-Dec 2021 cruise 

[Loki S]

Can appreciate your sentiment with the December 2021 cruise. We’re in the same position with a cruise in November 2021 departing Brisbane to PNG. The unknown makes it really difficult 😥.

[Ombud]

Yes so I booked a later one yesterday (but Sydney to Hong Kong 2023) and will fly into Melbourne for a week pre-cruise

[Loki S]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Yes so I booked a later one yesterday (but Sydney to Hong Kong 2023) and will fly into Melbourne for a week pre-cruise

That sounds like a great cruise.

[Thrak]

We had a 33 day B2B2B down under cancelled (December 2020) and rebooked a 26 day B2B2B in its place for January 2022. My wife seems convinced these cruises will happen but I keep telling her Australia may not let us in. We've both been vaccinated (2 more days will complete the two weeks after the second Moderna shot) but, if the borders are closed, being vaccinated won't mean squat.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Thrak

[Ombud]

I moved FCC from this one to my furthest out cruise (Sydney to HK 3/2023) just in case 

[40yearcruiser]

We certainly hope that by the end of this year borders will be open again and most of the world will be vaccinated. We are scheduled for a B2B from Australia in March & April of 2022 and are hopeful that we will get to go this time (had similar cruises for the same months in 2020 canceled). It's been over a month now since we completed the Moderna vaccine with very little side effects so we're ready in that regard. I think the key is for the US to get the COVID cases to a very low number so the rest of the world thinks it's safe to let us in.

[Loki S]

Overtime it will be interesting what happens.

[Ombud]

Vaccinations ramping up!!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/charting-australias-covid-vaccine-rollout/13197518?nw=0

[Loki S]

I fall within phase 1b and have my first appointment on 6 April 2021 ..... bring it on 😀.

 

IMO manufacturing the AZ vaccine in Melbourne will assist with the roll out, without relying on importing the vaccine.