Omicron - anyone canceling an upcoming cruise?

[kj_connections]

Is anyone worried about Omicron and canceling an upcoming cruise?  My sailing is March 20th and my final payment is in a few days and I do not know what to do.  Will cruise lines cancel cruises?  Will countries ban international travel?

[Reenie75]

1 hour ago, kj_connections said:

Is anyone worried about Omicron and canceling an upcoming cruise?  My sailing is March 20th and my final payment is in a few days and I do not know what to do.  Will cruise lines cancel cruises?  Will countries ban international travel?

If the cruise cancels or restrictions say Canadians (I'm Canadian☺) refund or credit for another cruise most likely would happen. We are sailing March 5th.

[JT1962]

I just booked 2 weeks ago for late January and am planning on sailing if the cruise does. Omicron seems to be much less serious than Delta with fewer having any serious issues and no deaths being reported worldwide as of yesterday per WHO.

[Reenie75]

3 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

I just booked 2 weeks ago for late January and am planning on sailing if the cruise does. Omicron seems to be much less serious than Delta with fewer having any serious issues and no deaths being reported worldwide as of yesterday per WHO.

By the sounds of it - the virus is getting weaker. Hope so, fingers crossed 

[CampNCruise74]

30 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

By the sounds of it - the virus is getting weaker. Hope so, fingers crossed 

Might be somewhat weaker but way more contagious.  Get your boosters now folks!  that's the next step that will be required to cruise in the future!

[sfaaa]

Doesn't matter if omicron is weaker or not. If you test positive, you are not allowed to board a plane or cruise ship and subject to quarantine. 

[HappyInVan]

6 hours ago, kj_connections said:

Is anyone worried about Omicron and canceling an upcoming cruise?  

 

Nope. I cancelled a May cruise (to Alaska) just two weeks before omicron was announced. I still have 3 bookings for 2022. The earliest is June (during summer).

[styles27]

10 hours ago, kj_connections said:

Is anyone worried about Omicron and canceling an upcoming cruise?  My sailing is March 20th and my final payment is in a few days and I do not know what to do.  Will cruise lines cancel cruises?  Will countries ban international travel?

We’re booked on Seashore Jan 8th and we plan to go.
We both had our booster in October (2 weeks before our Divina cruise in Nov). 

 

We were very comfortable on Divina with the Covid protocols in place.
We don’t plan on getting off the ship in Nassau or DR as we’ve been to those ports so many times. 
We have almost 2 full days in OC on this sailing and that is what we’re looking forward to the most (besides seeing the new ship)

[ready2cruzagain]

Nope! Been almost 2 years since we have been on a cruise and I am ready! We both have our Booster shots and I feel like the Omicron is not as strong as some leaders want it to be.  I am just curious what is going to happen Jan. 15th when the CDC is suppose to relinquish the restrictions on the cruise ships. I hope they finally do it!

[deliver42]

Going  on our seashore cruise in May. We've both been vaxxed and boosted. I'm not even thinking of cancelling any of our 4 booked cruises starting in March on the Wonder of the Seas. We've done everything we can, and the cruise lines are doing the same.

[Fla Mike]

We are vaxxed and boosted.

 

Been on two cruises already, September and November, one on Carnival, and one on the Divina.

MSC's protocols put Carnival to shame.

 

We have a cruise on the Mera set for February, not a chance we ain't goin! 🤞

[8420PR]

MSC cancelled cruises in South Africa last week until 9th January because of a high positivity rate after a 4 night cruise (probably a result of omicron caught before embarkation), but I think that was more likely a precautionary step when we didn't know much about omicron and not likely to happen in other countries.

 

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/msc-cruises-south-africa-suspends-sailings-2021-12

 

I'm vaccinated and in the age group where there is a very very low chance of death or hospitalization so the main worry is being positive on boarding or onboard and the inconvenience that would cause.  

[sverigecruiser]

I'm not at all afraid of omicron but we Will probably cancel our cruise next summer because it's very unlikely that MSC can promise that we won't need to wear masks     

[Cruiseforever11]

Done 3 cruises this year and got another 4 book next year and one so far in 2023. Jabbed twice and we are getting our 3rd jabs next week. Personally I'm tired of covid now fed up with the rules and the changes however we will adapt and carry on. We can't keep hiding behind the sofa everytime a new variant decides to pop up so while I can still cruise and MSC still allows me to cruise I will continue. 

[styles27]

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Absolutely correct. It's going to be a real pain for international travellers with air tickets etc.

 

Looks like a booster is absolutely necessary...

 

"Vaccines appear weak at blocking Omicron infection..."

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/vaccines-appear-weak-blocking-omicron-203342248.html

 

 

I agree about having to fly internationally to cruise. I don’t see us personally doing that for a while because of the cost of airfare and the unknown of testing positive before the cruise.
 

I’m so grateful that our last cruise before Covid paralyzed the world was a Mediterranean cruise on MSC in 2019.

So for us we will continue to cruise from US ports as much as we can while the passenger numbers are this low. 
 

 

[ConnieTact]

We are booked to fly to Spain from U.K. and sail on Grandiosa for a week on Jan 8th. 
I’m getting increasingly concerned as I don’t think we can risk testing positive and having to isolate in some hotel abroad.  (We’re both double jabbed & had the booster one too). 
This new variant is doubling fast in U.K. and when I booked the cruise things had started to look improved. We’ve gone on a few U.K. local cruises this year but are now and doubting my choice to fly. 
I think we can request to swap to another cruise (if I do it soon!) and have paid in full. 
Does anyone have experience of doing this?

In answer to the OP question ‘will countries ban international travel?’
We don’t know but it would make our decisions much easier if they did! 😅

I have been waiting for that to happen.

Edited December 14, 2021 by ConnieTact
Spellos!

[Reenie75]

21 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

Jan. 15th when the CDC is suppose to relinquish the restrictions on the cruise ships

Sorry don't know too much about this but what do you suppose CDC will change? 

[dexddd]

35 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

Sorry don't know too much about this but what do you suppose CDC will change? 

A week before.

[ready2cruzagain]

40 minutes ago, Reenie75 said:

Sorry don't know too much about this but what do you suppose CDC will change? 

The CDC is suppose to transition to a voluntary program for cruise ship operators. It was suppose to end this past Oct/Nov I believe but they extended it. IMO they will more than likely extend it again come Jan. 15th with the Omicron variant🙄 I am also including a link for you to read

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/26101-cdc-extends-conditional-sail-order-through-january-15-2022.html

 

• The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency;
• The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations; or
• January 15, 2022 at 12:01 am EDT.
• After the expiration of the Temporary Extension & Modification of the CSO, CDC intends to transition to a voluntary program, in coordination with cruise ship operators and other stakeholders, to assist the cruise ship industry to detect, mitigate, and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships.

[Missymssy]

Very confusing. The CDC tells us nothing of what the rules are in many other countries, though. As far as whether or not countries in Europe/Mediterranean will even be allowing passengers off cruise ship in ports.....

 

So, even after Jan. 15, this information is unknown? Or is there similar guidelines from WHO?

[neptuno]

We cancelled our Southern Carib on Divina cruise Dec 5th due to Delta overwhelming Florida back in Sept.  Now might be a good time to re-book seeing that Italy has restricted its citizens from cruising in the Carib through January.  Maybe less crowded ships in the Carib?  Less unvaxxed kids?

[styles27]

5 minutes ago, neptuno said:

We cancelled our Southern Carib on Divina cruise Dec 5th due to Delta overwhelming Florida back in Sept.  Now might be a good time to re-book seeing that Italy has restricted its citizens from cruising in the Carib through January.  Maybe less crowded ships in the Carib?  Less unvaxxed kids?

The ships haven’t been crowded in the Caribbean since they started sailing. 

We had 490 pax on our 11/14th Divina cruise. It was like having the ship to ourselves. We’ll be on Seashore 01/08 hoping for more than 490 lol. 
 

[jamesboat]

I am willing to go but I think theres a 40% chance it wont happen.

 

With omicron overwhelming NYC/NJ I expect we will hear about a "covid cruise" (likely the 12 day cruises which will allow spread+symptoms) which in turn will mean islands will start closing the doors.

 

Cabo turned a ship away today and many of the small islands will not tolerate the risk.

[hamrag]

9 hours ago, styles27 said:

The ships haven’t been crowded in the Caribbean since they started sailing. 

We had 490 pax on our 11/14th Divina cruise. It was like having the ship to ourselves. We’ll be on Seashore 01/08 hoping for more than 490 lol. 
 

Same on Seaview, we did the 18 night repositioning from Barcelona and there were around 1250 onboard. We stayed on for the first 7 night cruise in the Caribbean, from St Maarten and that cruise had only 850....full ship capacity is 5429.

 

In the evenings, from about 9.30 it resembled a ghost town on the 7 nighter....not so much on the repositioning cruise!

[kernow]

On 12/14/2021 at 8:16 PM, ConnieTact said:

We are booked to fly to Spain from U.K. and sail on Grandiosa for a week on Jan 8th. 
I’m getting increasingly concerned as I don’t think we can risk testing positive and having to isolate in some hotel abroad.  (We’re both double jabbed & had the booster one too). 
This new variant is doubling fast in U.K. and when I booked the cruise things had started to look improved. We’ve gone on a few U.K. local cruises this year but are now and doubting my choice to fly. 
I think we can request to swap to another cruise (if I do it soon!) and have paid in full. 
Does anyone have experience of doing this?

In answer to the OP question ‘will countries ban international travel?’
We don’t know but it would make our decisions much easier if they did! 😅

I have been waiting for that to happen.

As you may remember we were booked on Magnifica 8th Feb sailing already paid in full. Last week we decided it was looking too uncertain and rang our TA to ask if we could change to Virtuosa in May. Heard back a couple of days ago and have now transferred the booking to 13th May Virtuosa (back in YC too☺️). 

We're sorry to be missing Magnifica but just couldn't seem to be able to look forward to it at the moment. I believe you can change up to 15 days before for cruise only, 21 days for fly cruise.