If you can't take your next cruise, what will you do with the refund? (and/or "Where will you go?")

[Incognito1]

We hope that our cruises will go as planned, but are always looking for contingencies.

 

My partner has never been to the Grand Canyon, and I've never been to Branson.  If the next one gets canceled, however, I'm looking for a sunny beach!

[Honolulu Blue]

Fun question.  Since there's not much traffic yet, allow me to give an extended answer.

 

My next cruise (unless I find something that goes after things resume, which presumably is highly likely to go) is a music-themed charter next March.  Don't tell the charter company, but if it doesn't go, I'll probably not take a refund and take a reschedule to 2023.  This is not without risk, of course - I would need the charter company to stick around another year on limited revenue, the cruise line to do the same, along with them having a ship to spare for such frivolities as charters.  

 

If things are bad enough to cancel this cruise, then I'm going to assume that we're still in quite a bit of trouble regarding the current pandemic.  My vacation options would be heavily limited and best evaluated nearer the date of cancellation.

 

I hope your current plans go the way you want them to and you don't have to deal with any contingencies.

[Hflors]

If my December 21 cruise is cancelled I will roll it over to my Oct. 22 cruise

[Tapi]

Our latest modified cruise plans are for December aboard the MSC Seashore. We are flying to Miami to go on the cruise and then, from there, we are flying to Puerto Rico for Christmas and New Years. If our cruise cancels, we will just change our flights and head down to Puerto Rico earlier. I’ll just take the cruise refund and use that money for something else. We have other cruise plans for 2022 which are thankfully already paid for. 

[sparks1093]

Our next cruise is in November and if it cancels before final payment I'm only in for $100 right now. I'd probably use that to buy something for our February 2022 cruise which is more likely to happen.

[SRQbeachgirl]

If our Thanksgiving cruise is canceled it's a toss-up as to whether we will go anywhere, but it would probably be just a drive to the Smoky Mountains.

 

If our B2B April 2022 cruise is canceled (have mercy on us all if we're not sailing by then!) we will head to an all-inclusive in Mexico.

[FredT]

If our October Star Clipper cancels we are off to Florida.   3 days at Disney (We both worked there when first married, would love to see all the changes/additions "without kids"  )   then a slow leisurely drive down to Key West for a few days with friends who live there.    Exciting?   Nope.   but given the alternative......

 

[cruisemom42]

If I can "lift and shift" my BTB Med cruises in early fall, I will. I doubt they will go but I am reluctant to cancel as I'd rather just kick them forward another year.

 

If cancelled and I can't L&S, the money will just go back into my future travel fund until I have more clarity on booking future travel.

 

[Sea42]

Our AU/NZ cruise in January 22 is not likely to happen but I do have hope that our July 22 Norway cruise will happen. The money set aside for AU/NZ will most likely go to a land trip to Spain & Portugal in the fall of 22.

[lenquixote66]

We got a refund for our Dec.2020 cruise.The money went into our bank.

[Mary229]

As I am on the cusp of retirement I have a ready long list of travel plans, if one fails I move to the next one.  The money currently on hold for a cruise will likely stay allotted to a cruise. 
 

I have been both to the Grand Canyon and Branson.  The south rim can be quite hot in the summer but the north rim is always pleasant and less crowded.   I have only been to Branson once but Missouri often.  Arkansas is only a stone’s throw away too.   There are many beautiful state parks with lakes and swimming beaches nearby.   We are going there in May.  
 

ps. Many of the state parks have lodges and cabins

Edited March 29, 2021 by Mary229

[pris993]

rebook, another year out. 

[ldubs]

On 3/29/2021 at 2:32 PM, Mary229 said:

As I am on the cusp of retirement I have a ready long list of travel plans, if one fails I move to the next one.  The money currently on hold for a cruise will likely stay allotted to a cruise. 
 

I have been both to the Grand Canyon and Branson.  The south rim can be quite hot in the summer but the north rim is always pleasant and less crowded.   I have only been to Branson once but Missouri often.  Arkansas is only a stone’s throw away too.   There are many beautiful state parks with lakes and swimming beaches nearby.   We are going there in May.  
 

ps. Many of the state parks have lodges and cabins

 

A bunch of our family (eleven of us) will be taking a cross country driving trip from SF Bay Area to a suburb of Dallas.  There we will invade my BIL's house for a few days.  Then back in the big bus for the return trip.   We will take a couple of weeks meandering to see the sights -- everything from Zion National Park to the steak eating contest place in Amarillo!  Just call us the Griswolds!  Haha

[Mary229]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

A bunch of our family (eleven of us) will be taking a cross country driving trip from SF Bay Area to a suburb of Dallas.  There we will invade my BIL's house for a few days.  Then back in the big bus for the return trip.   We will take a couple of weeks meandering to see the sights -- everything from Zion National Park to the steak eating contest place in Amarillo!  Just call us the Griswolds!  Haha

That place in Amarillo is weird.  We had to drive through there 2 or 3 times a year on business.   It was a very good steak house at one time.  Once we were there and stayed in the little cheesy bunk house next door and stumbled into the restaurant on an evening when someone was doing the deed.  It is one of those situations where you don't know if you want to laugh or cry!  Anyway interestingly they say far higher percentage of women complete the task then men

[Sky616]

Not going on any cruise when the vaccine is mandatory.  Plenty of other things to do.  Been to FL three times since this BS started.  Going to Colorado and South Dakota in June and wife and me going to gulf shores, AL in Sept for 25th anniversary.  I'll wait until the cruise lines come to their senses.

[iancal]

Greece/Cyprus this fall  if circumstances permit (not very optimistic).   Thailand for our snowbird time assuming they will let us in.   Hopefully Morocco and Portugal in the spring.

 

All independent travel, no cruising.

Edited April 7, 2021 by iancal

[clo]

7 hours ago, iancal said:

 Thailand for our snowbird time assuming they will let us in.  

FB recently gave me some of my photos from Thailand. Breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately we were there in mid-March to mid-April (four countries) and it was also breathtakingly hot and humid. As in over 100F and humidity around 98%. 

[Incognito1]

19 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

A bunch of our family (eleven of us) will be taking a cross country driving trip from SF Bay Area to a suburb of Dallas.  There we will invade my BIL's house for a few days.  Then back in the big bus for the return trip.   We will take a couple of weeks meandering to see the sights -- everything from Zion National Park to the steak eating contest place in Amarillo!  Just call us the Griswolds!  Haha

That sounds like so much fun!  On our last long drive, we looked up weird places on AtlasObscura.com.  A lot of places that we would never have dreamed of.

[clo]

8 minutes ago, Incognito1 said:

That sounds like so much fun!  On our last long drive, we looked up weird places on AtlasObscura.com.  A lot of places that we would never have dreamed of.

What a great idea! Thanks.

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

That sounds like so much fun!  On our last long drive, we looked up weird places on AtlasObscura.com.  A lot of places that we would never have dreamed of.

 

Love Atlas Obscura🤗 always consult it before any trip. 

[cruisemom42]

12 hours ago, clo said:

FB recently gave me some of my photos from Thailand. Breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately we were there in mid-March to mid-April (four countries) and it was also breathtakingly hot and humid. As in over 100F and humidity around 98%. 

 

SE Asia is definitely a place where the season influences when I would visit. First time I was in Thailand was August, never again!  Even though I was just out of college, it was a really energy sapper. 

 

Second time was February and while it was bearable it was still very humid everywhere. Being on the beaches was the only place I felt a fresh breeze, but as I am not a beach person it wasn't an inducement to stay there.

[clo]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

SE Asia is definitely a place where the season influences when I would visit. First time I was in Thailand was August, never again!  Even though I was just out of college, it was a really energy sapper. 

 

Second time was February and while it was bearable it was still very humid everywhere. Being on the beaches was the only place I felt a fresh breeze, but as I am not a beach person it wasn't an inducement to stay there.

I seem to recall that Nov/Dec is better.

[ldubs]

On 4/7/2021 at 5:21 PM, Incognito1 said:

That sounds like so much fun!  On our last long drive, we looked up weird places on AtlasObscura.com.  A lot of places that we would never have dreamed of.

 

"AtlasObscura.com"

 

Thanks for the link.  I spent some time going through the site yesterday.  I was fun to see what they had to say about my local area.   

[lenquixote66]

On 4/9/2021 at 12:04 AM, ldubs said:

 

"AtlasObscura.com"

 

Thanks for the link.  I spent some time going through the site yesterday.  I was fun to see what they had to say about my local area.   

They had nothing at all about my local area.I am in a relatively small town of 30,000 people but there are several places that tourists as well as local residents visit in the summer.

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

They had nothing at all about my local area.I am in a relatively small town of 30,000 people but there are several places that tourists as well as local residents visit in the summer.

 

They had nothing for my small town of 12,000 either.  I just kind of looked at the SF Bay Area in general.   No tourists in my town, but a couple of the festivals attract about 20K people to our three block down town.  That was prior to COVID of course.