NCL just cancelled through May 31

[Another_Critic]

36 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

 

I hated to see this about a Miami cruise food service supplier auctioning off all their remaining supply - it doesn't sound like they're counting on supplying a ship anytime soon (if ever again) 😔 

 

Who would have thought you'd even miss looking over the side of a ship and seeing that long line up of trucks delivering supplies to your ship?

 

 

"In a sign of the times, a leading food service supplier for Florida’s cruise mega-ports is auctioning off all of the remaining inventory in its soon-to-be-shuttered Miami distribution center. 

 

With U.S.-based cruises shut down since March 2020 and long odds for a restart anytime soon, this is a challenging year for any company that relies upon the cruise industry for revenue. That includes everyone from small shore excursion vendors in Alaska to the industrial-scale suppliers in Florida, the headquarters of the global cruise industry. 

 

The liquidation company Tiger Group announced last week that it will be selling over $11 million (retail value) in commercial food products in an online auction to be held February 23.  The goods account for the remaining inventory of cruise ship food supplier Kansas Marine's 114,000 square foot Miami distribution center. The liquidation includes 40 million items covering everything from beans to cookie dough to vegan products, along with the warehouse’s material handling equipment".

 

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sign-of-the-times-cruise-ship-chandler-liquidates-miami-warehouse

 

 

 

 

I wonder how long it will take for the suppliers (what's left of them) to ramp up before cruises can start?  No supply = no sailing.

[notmyrealnameoremail]

3 hours ago, compman9 said:

It is quite remarkable how mad the world has gone over an illness that has a 99.7% survival rate, with hardly any fit and healthy working age people among the sadly deceased

Legitimate source for this?

[livingonthebeach]

3 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I wonder how long it will take for the suppliers (what's left of them) to ramp up before cruises can start?  No supply = no sailing.

 

BYOF & BYOB = Bring your own food and booze.  Joking aside, that's one of the reasons I believe cruise fares will go up -- less suppliers translates into less supply, thus higher food prices.  

[mek]

55 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

BYOF & BYOB = Bring your own food and booze.  Joking aside, that's one of the reasons I believe cruise fares will go up -- less suppliers translates into less supply, thus higher food prices.  

And people used to joke about grilling on balconies!  LOL.

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

BYOF & BYOB = Bring your own food and booze.  Joking aside, that's one of the reasons I believe cruise fares will go up -- less suppliers translates into less supply, thus higher food prices.  

Plus I would expect to see less choices in WindJammer and a menu change in the MDR. 

[Ballwin Babe]

We are booked for the May 9, 2021 (now inaugural) sailing of the Odyssey.  We know that there's a zero percent chance of going, but we did make the final payment.  I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that we could not get a cash refund until RCCL cancelled the cruise.  We were concerned that they could tell us we'd forfeited our deposit by not making the final payment.

 

While nobody likes to hand over money to a cruise line for no purpose, this was the only way we thought we could not jeopardize our eligibility for a CASH refund.  Was I right or not so much?

[Hoopster95]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Hoopster95

[Ourusualbeach]

40 minutes ago, Ballwin Babe said:

We are booked for the May 9, 2021 (now inaugural) sailing of the Odyssey.  We know that there's a zero percent chance of going, but we did make the final payment.  I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that we could not get a cash refund until RCCL cancelled the cruise.  We were concerned that they could tell us we'd forfeited our deposit by not making the final payment.

 

While nobody likes to hand over money to a cruise line for no purpose, this was the only way we thought we could not jeopardize our eligibility for a CASH refund.  Was I right or not so much?

You were correct.  The only way for a cash refund if you had a non refundable deposit is for Royal to cancel.  Exceptions were made for cruises that had port calls or departed from Canada however all other sailings  require Royal to cancel.  
 

 

[ace2542]

10 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

How far behind will Royal be?

Does that really matter? Now way Royal sails if NCL doesn't. Don't see how they can? Unless they are doing something different? And they are not apart from maybe setting out a vaccination for crew policy and planning it and discovering what a nightmare it might be.

 

NCL will start up with Pride of America and the all American crew before Royal does with international crews on every ship to my knowledge unless you know differently.

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, little britain said:

With interest rates here are at 0.01% gross, it really doesn't make much difference! 

 

It's not about interest but freedom and control.  Once you cancel and end up with an FCC,   you are beholden to RCI and are at their mercy on what you can do with that money. You have to spend it with them, regardless of the fact that you may not get the product you thought you were getting. 

[Ballwin Babe]

I'm thinking that the mounting $$ committed by the cruise lines is driving up the fares of the cruises.  Otherwise, they'd have no margin on their sailings.  They've burned through the money that passengers have paid in.  That is a huge "borrow" from future revenues and cash flow by the cruise lines.  Raising fares is one way to squeeze out some incremental revenue from passengers.

[Lane412000]

Just made final payments for family cruise (5 cabins) on the 3 day and 4 day cruises out of Port Canaveral for May 2021.  Held out waiting for cancellations and then made final payments.  Total bummer for the kids and grandkids, cancelled again.

[Cruise a holic]

We are scheduled to pay for our May 23 sailing this weekend.  I think since NCL cancelled, Royal will probably also- but my DH thinks we should pay and move to another Royal cruise-  We also have August 2021and January 2022 cruises scheduled and would move the money to them.

 

He is more optimistic then me- I really am not even sure about August.  Still so many people worldwide getting sick and dying.  

Edited February 17, 2021 by Cruise a holic

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

 I think since NCL cancelled, Royal will probably also- but my DH thinks we should pay and move to another Royal cruise-  We also have August 2021and January 2022 cruises scheduled and would move the money to them.

One of the main reasons to pay it off in full, is to get a refund when RCI cancels (virtual certainty for May sailings). If you want to "move" the money to another sailing, just cancel now, get the FCC and apply it to the other sailings.

[Cruise a holic]

10 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

One of the main reasons to pay it off in full, is to get a refund when RCI cancels (virtual certainty for May sailings). If you want to "move" the money to another sailing, just cancel now, get the FCC and apply it to the other sailings.

If I pay and wait- can I move to any sailing of my choice?  My DH has a schedule that will not allow us to sail next April, May or June 2022.

 

When I speak to the reps, they don't seem to be knowledgeable.  I believe I am talking to people from other countries who do not truly understand my questions as the responses I get make no sense and vary from agent to agent.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Cruise a holic

[Sunshine3601]

15 hours ago, SeaHunt said:

 

I hated to see this about a Miami cruise food service supplier auctioning off all their remaining supply - it doesn't sound like they're counting on supplying a ship anytime soon (if ever again) 😔 

 

Who would have thought you'd even miss looking over the side of a ship and seeing that long line up of trucks delivering supplies to your ship?

 

 

"In a sign of the times, a leading food service supplier for Florida’s cruise mega-ports is auctioning off all of the remaining inventory in its soon-to-be-shuttered Miami distribution center. 

 

With U.S.-based cruises shut down since March 2020 and long odds for a restart anytime soon, this is a challenging year for any company that relies upon the cruise industry for revenue. That includes everyone from small shore excursion vendors in Alaska to the industrial-scale suppliers in Florida, the headquarters of the global cruise industry. 

 

The liquidation company Tiger Group announced last week that it will be selling over $11 million (retail value) in commercial food products in an online auction to be held February 23.  The goods account for the remaining inventory of cruise ship food supplier Kansas Marine's 114,000 square foot Miami distribution center. The liquidation includes 40 million items covering everything from beans to cookie dough to vegan products, along with the warehouse’s material handling equipment".

 

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sign-of-the-times-cruise-ship-chandler-liquidates-miami-warehouse

 

 

 

 

I suspect a lot of their food has expiration dates that are fast approaching as their inventory probably was well stocked prior to march 2020 when cruising stopped.  

Auctioning off the food now will also help many other business buy the food cheap.  

Clearing their inventory of old food is good.  We will then have fresh food when cruising restarts.

[SpainAlien]

19 hours ago, compman9 said:

It is quite remarkable how mad the world has gone over an illness that has a 99.7% survival rate, with hardly any fit and healthy working age people among the sadly deceased

 

History will record this as the most staggering period of international idiocy

Just one thing, it is a 97% survival rate but the problem isn't the death rate it's the number of hospital beds that it takes up and what the media are referring to as "long covid"

 

[molly361]

29 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

If I pay and wait- can I move to any sailing of my choice?  My DH has a schedule that will not allow us to sail next April, May or June 2022.

 

When I speak to the reps, they don't seem to be knowledgeable.  I believe I am talking to people from other countries who do not truly understand my questions as the responses I get make no sense and vary from agent to agent.

 

no  if they follow what they have been doing now they will let you move price protected to the same ship within one week before or after your sail date

[Sunshine3601]

53 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

If I pay and wait- can I move to any sailing of my choice?  My DH has a schedule that will not allow us to sail next April, May or June 2022.

 

When I speak to the reps, they don't seem to be knowledgeable.  I believe I am talking to people from other countries who do not truly understand my questions as the responses I get make no sense and vary from agent to agent.

I personally would not make final payment for a May cruise since you know you cannot do a cruise May 2022.    I would either take a fcc for your deposit money or transfer it to another booking if you know what you want to book

 

[NancyIL]

1 minute ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I personally would not make final payment for a May cruise since you know you cannot do a cruise May 2022.    I would either take a fcc for your deposit money or transfer it to another booking if you know what you want to book

 

I would pay for a May cruise,  because I’d want a refund. If I wanted to book another cruise, I’d make sure the deposit was refundable.  

[Sunshine3601]

2 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

I would pay for a May cruise,  because I’d want a refund. If I wanted to book another cruise, I’d make sure the deposit was refundable.  

Yes, that is another option.   I, too, opt for the refund as we have several FCCs from cruises cancelled last spring.  

[DCGuy64]

16 hours ago, MrSnarkyPants said:

They're preparing to bury my best friend this week from COVID. His whole family caught it when it was brought into the household during a custody swap from an ex. He went on a ventilator and died; the rest of the family had mild cases.

 

My sister was in the hospital for 3 weeks and survived.

 

I have a customer where COVID ripped through the department. Out of 4 staffers, one is dead, one was hospitalized for 3 weeks, and two had mild cases.

 

I work with people all across the country. The ones who follow protocols and don't engage in risky behavior generally stay well. The ones who are trying to pretend that this is no big deal and avoid masking,  go out to eat at indoor restaurants, make no effort to socially distance themselves, and act like nothing is happening are the ones who end up sick.

 

You can do whatever rhetorical flip-flops you'd like to paint me as "doom and gloom" or someone who is overreacting, but here's what we know:

• This virus affects people differently, and you don't know how it's going to end until you have it. 
• This virus travels through aerosols in confined spaces - and a cruise ship has lots of confined spaces.
• Until the vaccines are deployed worldwide and transmission is down, there is a significant risk being on a cruise ship
• If you think the industry is in bad shape now, try returning too soon and kill a few grandparents and see how many cabins you can sell after that.

You can call me all the names you'd like, but if you want to get people back on ships, you need vaccines in arms. Period.

 

I am very sorry your friend died of Covid. If you are willing to share the person's name or just 1st initial, I will be happy to add him/her to a list of people we pray for in a group I'm in.

The husband of a good friend of mine has an immune system issue and his experience with Covid has left him with significant breathing challenges that, according to her, could last for years. Covid is no joke, that's for sure. I caught it from my wife at the beginning of the year and did the required isolation for 10 days. It was like a mild cold for me, mostly the loss of taste and smell plus an annoying cough. But I recovered, just as most people do. Whether it'll affect me in some manner over time isn't known yet. My wife and I have both signed up to receive the vaccine and will get inoculated when it's our turn. All that being said, the vast majority of people survive, and yet, many other social pathologies have been indirectly linked to the lock downs put in place to deal with the pandemic, including (but not limited to) marital strife and divorce, mental health issues like depression, suicidal thoughts and suicides themselves, children falling behind in school, people losing their homes or being evicted, businesses going under, unemployment, etc. Until we see Covid from all angles and address all of the knock-on effects, not just the virus and disease, our world will continue to suffer.

FYI while I agree with your points about cruising as it used to be, I think it's clear that things will change. Social distancing, reservations for activities, vaccinations and/or mask wearing, and sailing at less than full capacity can all mitigate or eliminate the issues you laid out. MSC has done an outstanding job in Italy of returning to cruising safely, so it's clear it can be done.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

If I pay and wait- can I move to any sailing of my choice?  My DH has a schedule that will not allow us to sail next April, May or June 2022.

 

When I speak to the reps, they don't seem to be knowledgeable.  I believe I am talking to people from other countries who do not truly understand my questions as the responses I get make no sense and vary from agent to agent.

As I mentioned, pay it off to get a refund. Cancel now and use the FCC on any sailing. 

 

 Having clueless and/or conflicting reps is the norm at RCI.

[bobmacliberty]

I remain optimistic.  Not that my cruise this coming September will happen (it probably won't) but that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.  In the US, vaccinations are happening more routinely with almost 5% of US population fully vaccinated and almost 12% having received at least one shot.  This should start accelerating.  Cases per day in the US have dropped significantly (peak of 255K per day in mid Jan to 83K per day now) and deaths per day are also now dropping (peak 3.4K per day down to 2.3K per day).  Most of those vaccinated so far are in higher risk categories, which will further help reduce cases and deaths.  The threat is real and we are not out of the woods, but we are now headed in the right direction.  I realize that there are many more logistical complications involved beyond vaccinations but where money is involved, people will find a way to make it work.

 

Given a choice between optimism, realism, and pessimism, I choose realistically optimistic.  I don't know how I could survive otherwise. 

[mek]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

I remain optimistic.  Not that my cruise this coming September will happen (it probably won't) but that there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.  In the US, vaccinations are happening more routinely with almost 5% of US population fully vaccinated and almost 12% having received at least one shot.  This should start accelerating.  Cases per day in the US have dropped significantly (peak of 255K per day in mid Jan to 83K per day now) and deaths per day are also now dropping (peak 3.4K per day down to 2.3K per day).  Most of those vaccinated so far are in higher risk categories, which will further help reduce cases and deaths.  The threat is real and we are not out of the woods, but we are now headed in the right direction.  I realize that there are many more logistical complications involved beyond vaccinations but where money is involved, people will find a way to make it work.

 

Given a choice between optimism, realism, and pessimism, I choose realistically optimistic.  I don't know how I could survive otherwise. 

My husband received his 2nd shot last week and I will get mine on the 24th.  I'm more than optimistic that I will be able to resume the things I have really missed this past year.  Our first plans are to go out to eat inside a restaurant, maybe go see a movie,(just depends on what is on), and having our grandson over for a few days and nights, (the thing I have missed the most!)