Fresh booking with Royal or Land for Sept?

[josh.vincent.180]

As everyone else we had multiple cruises cancelled with RC and Celebrity but we took the cash so anything new is a fresh booking.
 

We have been doing All Inclusive Resorts since then with trips to Cancun in June, Sept, and Nov. and a recent trip to Punta Cana in April.

I am looking at Vision of the Seas on Sept 26th and the cruise rebooking for us is less of an issue that dealing with airfare to San Juan.

 

Would you book?

 

Yes or No

[lazydayz]

No.

 

I would not do a new booking for September that required me to fly to a U.S. territory - there's no telling when cruises will start up again from the US, and I haven't heard anything that PR would be one of the first to reopen.  Since Port Canaveral and the Port of Miami have been so helpful getting crew vaccinated, that's where I would expect some of the first ships to sail from.  Even if cruises start up in August, it will be a slow rollout of ships.  My guess is Royal brings the short Florida to Bahamas sailings out first, to work out the kinks, then shifts its focus to its newest and biggest ships.  

 

So I would avoid that and look for another cruise from Nassau, Bermuda, Jamaica or St. Maarten rather than roll the dice on the Vision.  

[cruiserd89]

But isn't it possible the Vision will sail from San Juan in Sept. & October since it will already be fully staffed from having cruised all summer out of Bermuda?

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, cruiserd89 said:

But isn't it possible the Vision will sail from San Juan in Sept. & October since it will already be fully staffed from having cruised all summer out of Bermuda?

San Juan is an American Port...............no idea what American ports will sail or in what order Royal Caribbean will roll them off in.

It might have a whole new itineary by then. No way to predict.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Jimbo

[Ashland]

I have long had a B2B out of San Juan for March 2022 booked...I have no worries about this cruise and am very glad I booked when I did as prices will only go up.

[cruiserd89]

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

San Juan is an American Port...............no idea what American ports will sail or in what order Royal Caribbean will roll them off in.

Just selfishly holding out hope that Vision does sail this fall as DH and I are booked on an October cruise on Vision.  We've already cancelled the same cruise for June . . . so we're really hoping it goes in October. 🙂

[Jimbo]

3 minutes ago, Ashland said:

I have long had a B2B out of San Juan for March 2022 booked...I have no worries about this cruise and am very glad I booked when I did as prices will only go up.

Yours is March 2022 though, OP is talking about September 2021............we have really have troubles if your sailing in 2022 doesn't go.

[Ourusualbeach]

25 minutes ago, cruiserd89 said:

But isn't it possible the Vision will sail from San Juan in Sept. & October since it will already be fully staffed from having cruised all summer out of Bermuda?

Of all the ships in the fleet I would give the nod to the Vision as being one of the few potentials to be cruising in September  because she will be one that us already staffed with a vaccinated crew.  Ones that aren’t set to sail in the summer are a crapshoot as I don’t think there is any way to get all the ships fully crews by September.   All this is of course dependan5 on cruises actually sailing from US ports in September. 

[karena1]

1 hour ago, josh.vincent.180 said:

As everyone else we had multiple cruises cancelled with RC and Celebrity but we took the cash so anything new is a fresh booking.
 

We have been doing All Inclusive Resorts since then with trips to Cancun in June, Sept, and Nov. and a recent trip to Punta Cana in April.

I am looking at Vision of the Seas on Sept 26th and the cruise rebooking for us is less of an issue that dealing with airfare to San Juan.

 

Would you book?

 

Yes or No

I have had one for Sept booked for a very long time.  Have had 18 canceled so far.  We are booked on Navigator for 3 nights out of Miami.  I have a slim optimism that it might go.  But if did not already have it booked, I would not book anything new without knowing it would go.

 

We also have just been island hoping.  Went to San Juan last June before it closed down.  Went to Cancun in Aug/Oct/Jan/Feb and going again next month.  Went to Punta Cana in Sept/Dec/Apr and just got back again from there last week.  So we kept right on traveling, just wasn't on a cruise ship.  We don't have anything booked for July as we always go to Wis in July for a family reunion.

 

August we moved our cruise to Adventure out of Nassau and very excited to finally get on a cruise.  

 

We will see what happens.  Right now (again booked LONG ago) we have cruises every month from Sept through next April.  More booked from June 2022 all the way through Jan 2023.  So hoping we can go on all of them and nothing else gets canceled.

[Ashland]

54 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Yours is March 2022 though, OP is talking about September 2021............we have really have troubles if your sailing in 2022 doesn't go.

I just hope they don't change ships on us again...last October it changed from Freedom to Explorer.

[molly361]

48 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Of all the ships in the fleet I would give the nod to the Vision as being one of the few potentials to be cruising in September  because she will be one that us already staffed with a vaccinated crew.  Ones that aren’t set to sail in the summer are a crapshoot as I don’t think there is any way to get all the ships fully crews by September.   All this is of course dependan5 on cruises actually sailing from US ports in September. 

This could put a whole new spin on cruising in the US

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said in an interview with NBC Nightly News the cruise line is working with the CDC to gain permission to restart sailings in July, which will carry no vaccine mandate for passengers in order to sail.

[Jimbo]

23 minutes ago, molly361 said:

This could put a whole new spin on cruising in the US

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said in an interview with NBC Nightly News the cruise line is working with the CDC to gain permission to restart sailings in July, which will carry no vaccine mandate for passengers in order to sail.

Can't see that happening. If Florida would have just abided by whatever the CDC and cruiselines wanted we wouldn't be in this position right now.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Jimbo

[firefly333]

29 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Can't see that happening. If Florida would have just abided by whatever the CDC and cruiselines wanted we wouldn't be in this position right now.

Actually carnivals position has always been they should be treated the same as other vacation  industries. No change, though people keep hoping carnivals position changes, or he says that and hopes the individual lines create policies... but carnival has been consistent. Nothing to do with florida. In the interview he says airlines dont check vaccines, cruiselines should be treated the same. He has been saying this way longer than florida passed any laws. Read the interview. He has been unwavering. He asks for equal treatment.

 

You say ... .whatever cruiselines wanted. Carnival has always wanted no vaccine checks. So floridas policies wouldnt affect them. 

Edited May 17, 2021 by firefly333

[Jimbo]

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Actually carnivals position has always been they should be treated the same as other vacation  industries. No chance though people keep hoping carnivals position changes, or he says that and Hope's the individual lines create policies... but carnival has been consistent. Nothing to do with florida. In the interview he says airlines dont check vaccines, cruiselines should be treated the same. He has been saying this way longer than florida passed any laws. Read the interview. He has been unwavering. He asks for equal treatment.

 

You say ... .whatever cruiselines wanted. Carnival has always wanted no vaccine checks. 

I think Carnival is taking a huge risk, if someone catches covid on a back to back cruise, it easy to trace where you caught it, unlike a normal business you go to like a restaurant, possible catch it there but hard to pin it on them.

 

That happens on a cruise ship, cruises will be canceled again and we are back to square one.

 

The Carnival position on this might very well bite them in the butt for requesting to be treated like equals.

 

Time will tell I guess, I hope no one catches it anywhere, but people are still getting it one way or the other.

[firefly333]

14 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I think Carnival is taking a huge risk, if someone catches covid on a back to back cruise, it easy to trace where you caught it, unlike a normal business you go to like a restaurant, possible catch it there but hard to pin it on them.

 

That happens on a cruise ship, cruises will be canceled again and we are back to square one.

 

The Carnival position on this might very well bite them in the butt for requesting to be treated like equals.

 

Time will tell I guess, I hope no one catches it anywhere, but people are still getting it one way or the other.

As someone vaccinated I'd be good with that policy. We have many on my huge roll call who arent vaccinated who feel the opposite but will cancel if they have to. We are waiting on pins and needles for policies to be put forth. Some got hopeful enough today we started talking about precruise hotels. 

 

First ship scheduled to leave is my carnival vista out of Galveston. 

 

Btw everyone said switch to NBC to listen. So I just heard how they want to be treated the same as other travel industries. ..then they went into the small vendors who need the income. I listened to the NBC news coverage anyway just now.

 

Oh.... .maybe their biggest pt. ..children under age 12 couldnt sail. They have a ton of kids booked especially for the summer. 

Edited May 17, 2021 by firefly333

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

I have long had a B2B out of San Juan for March 2022 booked...I have no worries about this cruise and am very glad I booked when I did as prices will only go up.

I checked the prices today for our  March 2022 B2B cruise on the Explorer. The price for both cruises went down. Called the TA and got the price reduction for both cruises. 

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Can't see that happening. If Florida would have just abided by whatever the CDC and cruiselines wanted we wouldn't be in this position right now.

I would have bet against carnival doing mock cruises. 

[Ashland]

50 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I checked the prices today for our  March 2022 B2B cruise on the Explorer. The price for both cruises went down. Called the TA and got the price reduction for both cruises. 

Thanks..I'm so glad you got a reduction !!!!.I just checked prices and I'm "REALLY" excited now that I booked when I did. The pricing for my OS is around what the JS is going for now 

[josh.vincent.180]

When Royal cancelled Vision out of Bermuda and recent inklings of good news, I booked this morning.  Balcony room for 2 for $2200 and I get back $250 back in credits thru my credit card and https://www.lolli.com/ using online TAs.

I also booked my flight to SJU via Southwest the day before with points thinking at least I can change and cancel and it only cost us $10 for fees.  I did this out of Pittsburgh since Friday night before wife and daughter has a Celine Dion concert right now and I just figured I would tag along and have daughter drive us to airport.

I booked the Hotel in San Juan at the Airport the night before as we arrive at 8pm and we know San Juan well, but it was $275 for a refundable room rate til Sept 24th, WOW.

I haven't booked return flight as I am looking at United into our regional carrier and that means change fees.

 

From this point it looks as if San Juan only requires a clean PCR 3 days before, and I am vaccinated with J&J as is my wife.

So let's see if this holds or if its cancelled and I head to another all inclusive.

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by josh.vincent.180