Anybody else hesitant to book a cruise out of Vancouver?

[jlynchtx]

I know this may sound ridiculous, but am I the only one hesitant to book a cruise out of Vancouver in 2022? That is my preference, but who knows with Canada. They are so slow with vaccine rollouts and are STILL under lockdowns. Who even know if they will allow cruising by next summer. I'm sure it will be fine, but it gives me pause for sure. I guess, it doesn't  matter as long as I can get my money back. 

 

On another note, how far in advance do people usually book Alaska cruises? Is a year about right? 6 months? I just don't want all the good balcony cabins to sell out before I decide. Who know how busy they will be next year if things get back to normal...

[donaldsc]

People will be so desperate to cruise to AK that you can assume that the best cabins will sell out.  If cabin location is really important, book early as long as you can cancel it.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, jlynchtx said:

I know this may sound ridiculous, but am I the only one hesitant to book a cruise out of Vancouver in 2022? That is my preference, but who knows with Canada. They are so slow with vaccine rollouts and are STILL under lockdowns. Who even know if they will allow cruising by next summer. I'm sure it will be fine, but it gives me pause for sure. I guess, it doesn't  matter as long as I can get my money back. 

 

On another note, how far in advance do people usually book Alaska cruises? Is a year about right? 6 months? I just don't want all the good balcony cabins to sell out before I decide. Who know how busy they will be next year if things get back to normal...

 

We may have had a slow start to receiving vaccines, but have now easily surpassed the US percentage of people with a first jab. In BC, as of yesterday our rate for adults is > 70% and 12 -18 yr olds is 67%.

 

With respect to lockdowns, our CDC and Provincial Health Officer has managed the pandemic very effectively. Yes, at present we still have some restrictions on travel, but our numbers continue trending in the right direction. We also have a well defined return to normal plan. By mid June we can travel throughout BC and by August we can travel Canada wide.

 

Provided the pandemic is behind us, Vancouver and our other ports should be open to cruise ships by 2022. Hopefully our Federal Govt will mandate that full vaccinations are required to enter the country.

[jlynchtx]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We may have had a slow start to receiving vaccines, but have now easily surpassed the US percentage of people with a first jab. In BC, as of yesterday our rate for adults is > 70% and 12 -18 yr olds is 67%.

 

With respect to lockdowns, our CDC and Provincial Health Officer has managed the pandemic very effectively. Yes, at present we still have some restrictions on travel, but our numbers continue trending in the right direction. We also have a well defined return to normal plan. By mid June we can travel throughout BC and by August we can travel Canada wide.

 

Provided the pandemic is behind us, Vancouver and our other ports should be open to cruise ships by 2022. Hopefully our Federal Govt will mandate that full vaccinations are required to enter the country.

  I didn’t really mean to get into politics. I have just heard different opinions from other people who line in Canada. I guess it all depends on your view of the role of government.
  Either way, that’s good news about the vaccine percentages being higher than I thought. Maybe it was the second dose I had heard about. I’m sure everything will be fine by next summer. I can always cancel if I need to and book something out of Seattle if that’s an option. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by jlynchtx

[Italy52]

Our 2021 cruise to Alaska would have left from Vancouver but it was cancelled.  We rebooked the same cruise for June of 2022 which also leaves out of Vancouver --- no qualms here.

[jlynchtx]

2 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

Our 2021 cruise to Alaska would have left from Vancouver but it was cancelled.  We rebooked the same cruise for June of 2022 which also leaves out of Vancouver --- no qualms here.

Yea, I’m sure I am just overthinking it. I’m sure things will be opened up and pretty normal by then. I can always cancel it if need be. 

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, jlynchtx said:

  I didn’t really mean to get into politics. I have just heard different opinions from other people who line in Canada. I guess it all depends on your view of the role of government.
  Either way, that’s good news about the vaccine percentages being higher than I thought. Maybe it was the second dose I had heard about. I’m sure everything will be fine by next summer. I can always cancel if I need to and book something out of Seattle if that’s an option. 

 

Affirmative, at present we are well behind the US on giving 2nd doses, but are ramping up quickly, with increased vaccine supply. You should be fairly safe for next summer.

[gottagoacruzn]

They just might be like N. Korea now!!!

[CruiserBruce]

6 hours ago, jlynchtx said:

Yea, I’m sure I am just overthinking it. I’m sure things will be opened up and pretty normal by then. I can always cancel it if need be. 

Overthinking? Maybe. But realistically, in the Covid world, things can change, for the good, or bad, very quickly, or at least unexpectedly. Cruising next June is still a very long time away in the Covid world.

[Donald]

If I lived in the USA, I would be far more worried about cruising from a US Port.

Canada and Mexico are both seeing far better COVID numbers than most individual American states. Texas, Florida, and California are the worst. 

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, Donald said:

If I lived in the USA, I would be far more worried about cruising from a US Port.

Canada and Mexico are both seeing far better COVID numbers than most individual American states. Texas, Florida, and California are the worst. 

Huh? Mexico has not established a very good record of counting their cases- they are likely missing large numbers of cases. And California has had some of the best per capita numbers in the US for the last several months. And the three states you mention are in the middle of the pack for Covid cases per capita for the entire pandemic.

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Huh? Mexico has not established a very good record of counting their cases- they are likely missing large numbers of cases. And California has had some of the best per capita numbers in the US for the last several months. And the three states you mention are in the middle of the pack for Covid cases per capita for the entire pandemic.

Agree with you 100%.

 

Additionally, looking at ‘historical’ data on case counts may be very interesting when it comes to a research paper but it doesn’t much reflect the likely risk level of leaving from certain cruise ports some time in the not-too-distant future.

[kuddles14]

On 6/2/2021 at 11:00 AM, jlynchtx said:

I know this may sound ridiculous, but am I the only one hesitant to book a cruise out of Vancouver in 2022? That is my preference, but who knows with Canada. They are so slow with vaccine rollouts and are STILL under lockdowns. Who even know if they will allow cruising by next summer. I'm sure it will be fine, but it gives me pause for sure. I guess, it doesn't  matter as long as I can get my money back. 

 

On another note, how far in advance do people usually book Alaska cruises? Is a year about right? 6 months? I just don't want all the good balcony cabins to sell out before I decide. Who know how busy they will be next year if things get back to normal...

We were booked for this August out of Vancouver. After careful consideration and  some hesitancy, we decided to book the Quantum of the Seas out of Washington for August 2022 for the exact same reasons you gave. After I booked it I felt a lot better. Some day I hope to go back to Alaska leaving from Vancouver. 

 

Also, my sister in law booked our cruise last week and she did get a good balcony. However, if  you are going to do this, I would book sooner than later. Like someone said, next year, will hopefully be a lot more normal in Alaska and keep in mind that all of 2020 was cancelled and a portion of 2021 cruises to Alaska were cancelled. These people are more than likely going to be looking to rebook for next year. 

 

Kathy

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We just booked a cruisetour ending in Vancouver for June 2022. If you are looking for a suite I’d suggest you book sooner rather than later. We got the last Celebrity Suite available on our sailing. 

[Mountaineer0313]

I just booked an 11 night roundtrip out of Vancouver for September 2022. The way I see it, if it get's canceled, I'll just get a refund. Basically I've been using my booked cruises as a savings account for the last 2 years 🤣

[Italy52]

19 minutes ago, Mountaineer0313 said:

I just booked an 11 night roundtrip out of Vancouver for September 2022. The way I see it, if it get's canceled, I'll just get a refund. Basically I've been using my booked cruises as a savings account for the last 2 years 🤣

We have a round trip out of Vancouver for June 2022.  Princess has cancelled us twice now so hoping that June 2022 will be the lucky number.  If not, we know the FCC drill. 

[Barsnikel]

I booked a May northbound out of Vancouver.  I figure that by then they will have most of the requirements finalized.  I did ask the "what if Canada is still closed" question, and Celebrity responded they would then go out of Seattle, with no additional cost to passengers.  We shall see.....

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

4 hours ago, Barsnikel said:

I booked a May northbound out of Vancouver.  I figure that by then they will have most of the requirements finalized.  I did ask the "what if Canada is still closed" question, and Celebrity responded they would then go out of Seattle, with no additional cost to passengers.  We shall see.....

 

Ours ends in Vancouver.  Hopefully they would do the same for us. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 6/10/2021 at 1:08 PM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Ours ends in Vancouver.  Hopefully they would do the same for us. 

As a teacher I am sure that you know this already, but for anyone else who may be traveling on a one way cruise from a US port and ending at Canadian port, please make sure that you are traveling with your passport book if you plan to fly home to an US airport. 

I have worked at Pier 91 in Seattle and we had a similar end of the season cruise that would be disembarking in Vancouver, BC.  When we were checking in passengers we were instructed to ask anyone traveling with just a birth certificate or passport card what their travel plans were to return to the US.  If they said fly from Vancouver, BC, we had to tell them that they needed a passport book to fly back into the US from Canada.  Telling them at check-in gave them 8 days to figure out how to cross the border (bus, Amtrak, rental car) and get to a US airport to fly back to their home state.  Luckily, there were not too many passengers that this news effected, but there were some.   It was a big surprise, not to mention additional time and expense.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

56 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

As a teacher I am sure that you know this already, but for anyone else who may be traveling on a one way cruise from a US port and ending at Canadian port, please make sure that you are traveling with your passport book if you plan to fly home to an US airport. 

I have worked at Pier 91 in Seattle and we had a similar end of the season cruise that would be disembarking in Vancouver, BC.  When we were checking in passengers we were instructed to ask anyone traveling with just a birth certificate or passport card what their travel plans were to return to the US.  If they said fly from Vancouver, BC, we had to tell them that they needed a passport book to fly back into the US from Canada.  Telling them at check-in gave them 8 days to figure out how to cross the border (bus, Amtrak, rental car) and get to a US airport to fly back to their home state.  Luckily, there were not too many passengers that this news effected, but there were some.   It was a big surprise, not to mention additional time and expense.

We always travel with a passport while cruising, just to be safe. 

[mlmalone3]

We booked a June 2022 cruise out of Vancouver thinking the borders would be open by then.  We have cruised from and to Vancouver, but have never actually visited the city itself. Next summer, we plan on arriving a couple of days early and enjoying Vancouver before setting sail to Alaska! Fingers crossed it all works out as planned!

[Ashland]

We (extended family of 6) booked the Alaska RT out of Vancouver for Sept 18, 2022.

So glad we booked when we did...prices, category and location... Nice !!!

[quack2]

No.  If cruising is safe, Vancouver will be fine.

[alohayall]

I’d have no hesitation to book for Vancouver next year.  I think the lockout of ships in Canadian waters is they are being protective of themselves.  If they are open next year, I’d go if I needed the vacation.  
 

(I just booked a September cruise out of Seattle). I feel safe in cruising a 100% vaccinated cruise with reduced occupancy now.  I also went to Disney World last fall with mask, social distancing and reduced capacity restrictions, so that’s the sort of person I am.  It felt very safe in the “Disney Bubble.”  

 

You have to follow your own instincts and listen and follow educated guidance.  Watch the trends.  Be careful.  If you don’t feel safe, don’t do it.  This is a general life lesson.

 

Another one is book early if you really want to do something at a certain time and place.  Especially with so much Bonus future cruise credits out there.  Cruisers need their fix and they have credit for cruises to use (by a specified date).  Just make sure your deposit is refundable - life can be uncertain.

 

Vancouver is a lovely city - you see it a lot on TV shows without realizing it.

[bonvoyagie]

Well we had a cruise out of Vancouver cancelled this year so we made other plans for both 21 and 22 and will try again in 23 - in fact we just booked it yesterday - 699 days to go!  So yes we think things will be at a new normal by then,