Should we or shouldn’t we?

[stevenr597]

Please don’t flame me for bringing up this question….but

My wife and I are scheduled to sail on Celebrity in early January.  When we first booked several months ago, we were told that, in respect to the virus, that, “everything should be over by the end of the year.”

As we all know that is certainly not the case.  

In fact over the last week, we seem to be moving steadily backward.  The cruise lines are now drastically increasing restrictions, not only with vaccines (which we agree), but making it mandatory that unless you are eating or outdoors you absolutely have to wear a mask.  

We are also seeing countries beginning to close down. 

One of our worries is that the islands will only permit individuals to go ashore only with organized tour groups.

We are seriously considering cancelling our cruise, and hopefully getting a credit.

I am in my early 70’s.  I am a physician who has worked from day 1 since the Pandemic.  Many of my patient have become ill, and some have died. 

I am fairy well read up and educated in respect to Covid. We are fully vaccinated, in fact I received my 3rd Pfizer vaccine several months ago.  

But we are in fear of either becoming ill on board, being ill and stranded on one of the islands, and in an even wors case, having a epidemic on the ship.  

I, as a physician, do understand that there is no right or wrong.  But what are one’s feelings in respect to this.  

Would one put off cruising for the next several months. 

[Torfamm]

1 minute ago, stevenr597 said:

Please don’t flame me for bringing up this question….but

My wife and I are scheduled to sail on Celebrity in early January.  When we first booked several months ago, we were told that, in respect to the virus, that, “everything should be over by the end of the year.”

As we all know that is certainly not the case.  

In fact over the last week, we seem to be moving steadily backward.  The cruise lines are now drastically increasing restrictions, not only with vaccines (which we agree), but making it mandatory that unless you are eating or outdoors you absolutely have to wear a mask.  

We are also seeing countries beginning to close down. 

One of our worries is that the islands will only permit individuals to go ashore only with organized tour groups.

We are seriously considering cancelling our cruise, and hopefully getting a credit.

I am in my early 70’s.  I am a physician who has worked from day 1 since the Pandemic.  Many of my patient have become ill, and some have died. 

I am fairy well read up and educated in respect to Covid. We are fully vaccinated, in fact I received my 3rd Pfizer vaccine several months ago.  

But we are in fear of either becoming ill on board, being ill and stranded on one of the islands, and in an even wors case, having a epidemic on the ship.  

I, as a physician, do understand that there is no right or wrong.  But what are one’s feelings in respect to this.  

Would one put off cruising for the next several months. 

We are going forward but planning to limit time off the ship, especially if it involves closed spaces like a bus or van. We also are happy to spend the vast majority of our time on the ship outdoors instead of staying home. For example, I would be willing to skip the MDR and only go in casinos if everyone is wearing a mask. For now we are limiting our cruises to ones that are not bucket list destinations or leaving from foreign ports.

[kathynorth]

Based on similar posts on this board over the past day, I'd say that people are responding a bit panicky about the current COVID situation. There are so many unknowns about this virus that it has people conflicted. The biggest concern is that there's a strong possibility that this will go on for a very long time. Given all that, only you know the answer to your question.

[wrk2cruise]

We have sailed 5 cruises since the restart in June in the Caribbean.  We have more scheduled in January, March, April.   We sail for the ship experience and have not been off in any port on any of these 5 sailings.   If you would be worried about any changes in ports or protocols I would suggest this is not the time to cruise.  We had ports changed on every one of the sailings and protocols can change at any time.

 

Our biggest worry as you say is to be put off the ship either from testing positive, or not being able to continue on a B2B from being a close contact.   For those reason we have been quite careful to maintain our physical space and wear masks in areas that we feel are risky and will continue to do so.

[BigAl94]

If it were me, I would cancel. As a physician you know the risks.

[PTC DAWG]

All of the type posts give me a sad face.  
 

 

[papaflamingo]

Familiarize yourself with Celebrity's "Cruise with Confidence" program.  You can cancel up to 48 hours prior to the cruise and receive 100% cruise credit.  If you are already into Final Payment, then just wait and see how it goes. We leave on Sun. Dec.26 (next week) and are watching day to day regarding tightening of mask restrictions.  No need to panic, see what happens and based on that, choose to cruise or choose to cancel.  Everyone seems to be in full panic mode regarding new rules, vaccinations, and possibility of positive tests.  Celebrity has made it really easy to wait until the last minute to decide.  

[Travelexpert35]

With you living in Florida and close to cruise ports, you could cancel this cruise and take a last minute cruise later when you feel more comfortable.

I haven’t felt the need to cruise yet with all of the hoops I have to jump through travelling from Canada. You’re fortunate in that you only have to get one test to cruise and you’re so close to the ports. 

[canderson]

@stevenr597

One thing you don't have to worry about is being stranded.  For the next few months, Celebrity has you covered.  They'll even fly you back to the U.S. by private jet if need be.

 

It's a strange time to cruise.  The onboard experience for many of us has been better than it has been for several decades in terms of personal service and attention to detail.  At the same time, the shoreside experience has been very fluid, with many protocol changes, itinerary changes, and excursion options coming and going in the Caribbean.  

 

On balance, I'd say our November B2B was the most pleasurable cruise we've ever taken, all of the craziness notwithstanding.

 

If port calls are your primary focus, I'd agree that another time might be better.  If shipboard experience is a bigger factor for you, this may be your moment, especially if you catch a cruise with an absurd crew:pax ratio.  We couldn't have been more pleased.

 

 

 

 

[JFontaine]

I think a massive outbreak on a seven day cruise where almost everyone is vaccinated and tested prior to boarding is small.   It hasn't happened yet. 

 

I understand that if a passenger tests positive during the cruise, Celebrity will fly the passenger home on a private plane at their expense.   The passenger is not dumped on an island (like Crystal does).

 

Wear a mask indoors, regardless of whether it is a requirement.  And avoid indoor  crowded places if you can. 

 

 

 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I would say cancel if you're fearful.  Everyone must determine their own comfort level.

 

[Ipeeinthepools]

16 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

I think a massive outbreak on a seven day cruise where almost everyone is vaccinated and tested prior to boarding is small.   It hasn't happened yet. ...

 

 

Perhaps you need to read about numerous professional sports teams where everyone has been vaccinated and regularly tested only to have much of the team contract Covid.  I suspect that we will see many large outbreaks of Covid onboard cruise ships.

[LGW59]

I too would not cruise at the present time if I were a person that planned to get off at multiple ports. I am triple vaccinated and would easily wear a mask if required.  I could easily spend my time on board social distancing, time in my suite, meals on balcony etc.  all that said, if I HAD to make the decision right now, I’d personally cancel.  I just feel like the next few weeks will have much more information to make better decisions.  Good luck with whatever you decide!

[MustBCruzn]

I've been a critical care nurse for over 30 years and a cruise fanatic for about as long, and I understand your concern. It's a decision only you can make. For myself, I cannot currently risk not being available for my health-care team and patients. And as my preferred cruise destination is Europe, I'm willing to wait for things to open up there. This has been a long haul for many, and seeing it daily at work is rough. I've not yet had the luxury of a B2B or a TA, but they're at the top of my list when this is over. 

[Ken the cruiser]

I say go for it!! We were on the Edge in August for 21 days when Delta was having its way. We were on the Apex for 16 days when the worry about the next wave was upon us. We are currently on the Constellation for 21 days through the Holidays. On each of those cruises, as we usually have a bunch of OBC, we took Celebrity excursions at every port except for a very few, like today in St Thomas for example, and had a great time!

 

But I am lucky. I have a DW that makes me follow the fully-masked rules when we’re either off the ship or on an excursion. Remember, Celebrity is pretty much the only cruise line where you do not have to wear a mask onboard; although you’re more than welcome to if you feel the need.
 

We also sit in the back of the excursion bus, to minimize any of “those” people sitting behind us that think their “nose” doesn’t apply under the fully-masked protocol rules. As far as taking the elevator, which we only use on rare occasions, our masks come out of our pockets as soon as some decides to join us. When going to the evening show in the main theater, we seek out an out of the way location and get there 10-15 minutes early to make sure you have a “ready-shift” plan if someone decides to plop down next to us. But, above all, make it a game you two can quietly playing together.
 

Hey, you’re on vacation cruise, which you have definitely earned!! So, I say take the plunge! Book a B2B cruise, treat everyone like they have cooties and plan on having a great time!!

 

Here is a link to the Apex B2B cruise blog I posted to while on it in November to maybe wet your whistle for an Apex cruise!

 

 

Also, here’s a link to the Constellation cruise we’re currently on if you would like to cruise on a little smaller ship, with a lot less passengers especially after the Holiday cruise. Feel free to post any question you may have on either one.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2817935-dec-13-constellation-b2b-eastwest-caribbean-holiday-cruise/

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[tert333]

I think part of your decision process needs to include your risk tolerance, what you want to get out of the cruise and what you are willing to sacrifice.

 

If you are looking at socializing a lot with others you do not know in a non-mask environment and take tours off the ship, you are at higher risk than if you are going to be outside by the pool enjoying the weather.

 

We were on a cruise in November, and with the lower passenger count, it was easy to social distance, but we did not go to the Martini bar when the crowds were there.

 

It is a tough decision, but we are booked for a January 3 cruise and planning on going.  However, we make the call on December 31.  We are triple vaxxed and have no problem wearing masks.  I know the covid numbers are going to be bad - the question is how bad

[lv2cruisgrl]

I feel your concern.  We felt the same way before doing Edge in October then Equinox in November.  We were afraid of even taking our masks off once on the ship. However after a few hours we were able to realize we could social distance, and we took the stairs instead of the elevators if others were on them. Since our ships were not at full capacity it was easy to do.  We loved both cruises and felt very safe the whole time.  Its all up to you however I would go again in a heart beat!  

[Denny01]

Just wondering who told the OP “everything will be over by the end of the year”. Everything I’ve seen, read, heard….thought…..didn’t lead up to such an assumption. 

 

We knew the Pandemic, the Pandemic of the Unvaccinated, would continue especially into the Fall/Winter and holidays, but we cruised this last Thanksgiving. Understood the risk, considered the ship to be safer than town, but also the risk of being enclosed with 1000+. We stepped off for one tour and spent the great majority of time enjoying the ship. 

 

But that was us and that was in November. Risk assessment is tough.  

 

Den

Edited December 19, 2021 by Denny01

[JFontaine]

37 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Perhaps you need to read about numerous professional sports teams where everyone has been vaccinated and regularly tested only to have much of the team contract Covid.  I suspect that we will see many large outbreaks of Covid onboard cruise ships.

I watch plenty of sports. Those players have intimate, continuous unmasked physical contact lasting hours and days. I don't see the connection with them and a cruise. 

[RichYak]

4 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

I watch plenty of sports. Those players have intimate, continuous unmasked physical contact lasting hours and days. I don't see the connection with them and a cruise. 

They're also being constantly tested, though the NFL is now taking steps to be more targeted with their testing. The vast majority of cruise passengers take their test prior to boarding.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

My wife and I are scheduled to sail on Celebrity in early January.  When we first booked several months ago, we were told that, in respect to the virus, that, “everything should be over by the end of the year.”

Who told you that? I'm surprised that you being a physician you would have even listened to that WAG as your guidance for booking a cruise. 

 

1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

Would one put off cruising for the next several months. 

Only you can answer that question for you. Did you book with a refundable deposit? Speaking only for my wife and I, we wouldn't cancel this late. We've also have received all three Pfizer shots. 

[TeeRick]

@stevenr597as you are a physician you are educated about the virus, the current Omicron variant scenarios, anti-viral treatments and protocols.  So you definitely understand the virus part of this.  The cruise part is covered for your January cruise if you decide to cancel last minute and you understand the on-ship rules and operations under Cruise with Confidence and Celebrity Healthy At Sea.  So you are more qualified than most here to make this decision for you and your wife.  Everybody here will be giving you their opinions and what they would do based upon their own knowledge or risk profile.  Or tell you about their safe cruising experiences since June 2021 - even though now Omicron has recently changed the game going forward.  That is what counts now- the current and the go forward situation.  If cruising at this time will make you nervous to a point of not enjoying your vacation then you know your answer.   If you feel pretty safe cruising and can deal with a little risk and still completely enjoy yourself then you also know your answer.  I personally cannot see these cycles/waves of surges going away anytime soon so we all need to figure out how comfortable we are with the virus or future variants in our lives for years.  I am hoping that the new oral specific anti-viral drugs hopefully about to be approved shift the risk equilibrium again in our favor!

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

I watch plenty of sports. Those players have intimate, continuous unmasked physical contact lasting hours and days. I don't see the connection with them and a cruise. 

True, but the 900 Covid cases in one week at Cornell University where all the students were fully vaccinated shows that the virus can be spread quickly in an insular environment.  

[Ipeeinthepools]

8 minutes ago, RichYak said:

They're also being constantly tested, though the NFL is now taking steps to be more targeted with their testing. The vast majority of cruise passengers take their test prior to boarding.

 

The NFL is taking an interesting approach, they are only testing people that have symptoms.  The result is that even more players with Covid will continue playing.  I doubt that we will see this approach for cruising because the cruise lines will need to continue to try to keep the passengers from infecting the residents of the countries they visit.

[gerelmx]

I just cancel my 32 days B2B2B on the Millennium Panama Canal + Pacific Coastal + Alaska, starting April 18.