BermudaBound2014

Prices are likely going to drop more. The Alaskan market is over saturated this year.

I do not believe so, BUT.... you will need to triple verify that a) the shuttles are running post-covid (they aren't from Detroit to Windsor) b) covid test isn't required to entre the USA via said shuttle (it is not required in a car). My sister just went to Niagra Falls via Windsor and a test was not required as long as you were vaccinated. However; I just checked and the buses normally running from Windsor to Detroit are still mia, so they may not be running from Vancouver to SeaTac either. Option c) possibly rent a car? Such a hassle. I feel for you. Edit to add: I just checked for you and the busses do appear to be running from the Vancouver cruise terminal to SeaTac. This site may help you: https://www.ridebooker.com/transfers/vancouver-cruise-ships/seatac/quick-shuttle Still need to triple check that you aren't required to have a negative test since this is public transportation.

Cruising is a cost effective way to see all the islands. Believe it or not, it's not that expensive considering this is Hawaii. I just spend $6 for a gallon of milk. $5 for a loaf of bread and$8 for four sticks of butter on Maui. Gas is $5.50 (and that has come down). Inexpensive hotels on Kaanapali beach are running $800 a night and a room at the ritz is going to cost 2,000 a night once you add in the 18% tax and additional fees. Paradise has a price-tag. If you want Hawaii, be prepared to dig deep.

If I were in your situation, I would also be very nervous about taking a test and making a noon flight. Any chance you can change your flight to leave out of Seattle? No testing required at the border if you drive in and there are lots of shuttles running from Vancouver cruise terminal to SeaTac (at least there were pre-covid). Or maybe leave later from Vancouver?

Seriously, it's killing me not to take advantage of some of these prices!!! I've spent 8 of the last 16 months in Maui because I just don't want to jump through the hoops and then have a risk of quarantine and Maui is much more expensive than cruising, but it's packed!! Unlike cruising, Maui tourism has fully rebounded and the pricing has skyrocketed. And I'm a major cruise lover who hasn't wanted to jump through the current hoops. Think of the people who just 'like' cruises as opposed to 'love' them. They are headed to land resorts and our national parks (which also have record high attendance). We spent October in Yellowstone, and that is normally major off season, yet finding accommodations was extremely difficult (and pricy). Glacier National Park has had to resort to timed admission to drive Going to the Sun road due to over crowding. Currently Winnebago and Thor have enough RV's on order to fill the next 5 years. People are traveling, they just aren't cruising. The industry is a mess.

Unfortunately, I think post-pandemic is much different. I think the way that a great geal of the general public approaches any virus is different now and will likely be different for the remainder of my lifetime. Before covid, virtually no one had heard about forced quarantine on cruise ships. It was rare, today it's in the news almost daily. Take mask wearing for example. Very few people wore masks (at least in the uSA). I think mask wearing by some is here to stay, furthering my belief that we have become much more cautious of 'catching' a virus. This extra caution will likely push people away from cruising where population density is an issue. Of course, this is just my belief. I could be wrong 🙂

Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. BUT......... let's say the testing and quarantining are removed, we still have to overcome image of cruising in a petri dish. This image pushed hard at the onset of the pandemic and, unfortunately, may take decades to erase.

I like this site which shows both Core Inflation rate and 'regular' inflation rate, but this chart is also extremely misleading because it's a 12 month average and inflation really hit the last 4 months. Look at the core inflation rate (inflation rate minus food and energy) is posted as less than regular inflation and we all know that is total BS. I suspect core inflation rates over the last 3-4 months are double what this chart shows. This is more media manipulation to support the current administration. Had Republicans been in control I believe the spin would be similar. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/united-states-core-inflation-rates/

This is one of my favorite threads. I love chatting stock and appreciate how those of us on both sides of the coin are respectful and truly believe we wish each other the best. It's refreshing. Few comments on your post @At Sea At Peace - You wrote: "Bookings for 2022-2023 season 'record days sales' and 'record weekly sales.' For one week at the end of March." .... I just want to restate that this PR headline was grossly misleading. CCL had a record week because their FCC's were expiring and everyone was pigeon holed into booking that week or lose the FCC. Seriously, the 'news' just isn't what it was a decade ago. The whole truth is rarely portrayed. - I absolutely agree that this summer is going to be the best cruise lines do for awhile. There is pent up travel demand, but the problem is that many have excluded cruising due to the 'petri dish' reputation. If that didn't kill off consumer demand, the current news about increasing quarantine measures is bound to have an effect. Why would Johnny Public want to risk all the pretesting and then being quarantined when they can choose a land vacation and avoid all that risk (by Johnny Public I mean 'regular' folks who don't have a deep love of the sea). My rational for staying short: At first people were claiming that cruising was the safest way to travel, but that has been completely debunked with current outbreaks. What we know now is that the current protocols are failing to keep covid off ships. In addition, the measures that cruise ships are forced to take (all the testing and quarantining) is driving (and will continue to drive) people away from choosing to cruise. Until the protocols are changed, my outlook remains bleak. Here are a few headlines from this week: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/passengers-say-covid-overwhelmed-carnival-cruise-ship-docked-in-seattle/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10777169/Covid-outbreak-cruise-Coral-Geographer-Darwin-isolation.html https://www.khon2.com/coronavirus/covid-in-hawaii-we-are-in-princess-cruise-jail-now/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/04/27/ruby-princess-coronavirus-outbreaks/ The final straw for Genting bankruptcy was the inability to pay on a ship currently being built. Considering all the future builds that are under construction contract (which can't be cancelled) and there is a tremendous saturation of the market. Demand low. Supply high. Cruise ships are still operating at a negative. Doesn't matter how many ships return to sail if they can't fill them the balance sheet stays red. And the debt! Whoa!!! Add to all rising interest rates and inflation at a record pace...... I still betting short for the win.

Moral of the story, if you pay rack for the cruise you can get Have it all for $45, but if you get a “free” cruise you pay $50? Sign me up for the casino cruise please 🙂

irrelevant. The discussion is a about Hal’s policy.

I can’t make any sense of this response either. I guess I just don’t see a need for all the drama and irrelevant garble since Hal’s policy is straightforward. Nothing is left to interpretation. Nothing is up for debate. Wearing masks onboard HAL is recommended AND optional.

that is not what florida gal said. She said…”masks are recommended not optional”… which seems like a direct contradiction lol. I can’t make heads or tails of that ^ This I ageee with 🙂

I believe you are incorrect. Directly from the Hal webpage- I’d say this is pretty straightforward- even spells out the areas where masks may be required. Masks: Masks are recommended on board but not required. However, masks may be required in certain venues and events. Masks are required during the embarkation and debarkation process and on transportation during shore excursions and to/from the ship. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/travel-well.html recommended - advise or suggest optional- available to be chosen but not obligatory. required- mandatory not required- not Mandatory

I'm not coming to the same conclusion. If you are noticing a price jump in the Caribbean I believe that has to do with supply and demand but I'm still seeing multiple 7 night cruises in a balcony for less than $700. And look at this interior, CCL is giving it away. When was the list time you saw a 7 night cruise go for less than $200 pp? I'm not monitoring the Caribbean much, but many ships have moved to Alaska and I am monitoring Alaska. The Last minute deals in Alaska are still phenomenal. Actually, NCL is more expensive than many. You can do 7 nights in an interior for a $250 on several RCL ships and under $500 in a balcony. Here is one from HAL that typically doesn't discount Alaska too terribly much: And our NCL girls.... I don't track Europe prices, so I'm useless in that market. What am I missing?

It's not just you. The market was oversold. Gas prices. War with Russia. Interest rate hike. You know what they say, if it walks like a duck.... I'm doing extremely well in every single one of my shorts, but that's kinda sad :(. I've done twice as good as the DJ, but that is still sucky. The energy sector and my shorts have held me up in 2022, but over all I sit with less today than I did January 1st. You are not alone. I think the housing market is going to turn. Having cash on hand to take advantage of that opportunity allowed me to sail through the last recession, so I'm leaving that door open. I keep seeing cruise lines manipulating things to make the future appear bright. Just today rumors emerged about NCL buying more ships. It's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but it makes people think NCL must be fine. I'm still not buying it.

I agree. If this really is a deal in the works it will be addressed on May 10th, if nothing else, this news will inflate the forward looking statement.

Don't know if POA has ever docked there, but with all that work that is going on in the harbor it wouldn't surprise me to see more ships calling here instead of Kahului which is nothing more than an industrial port. It would be infinitely better. Maybe the catamarans aren't sailing to Molokini from Lahaina? You are right, that would be a long sail. Most recently the snorkeling I've taken from Lahaina has gone to Lanai and Honolua, so maybe the op can't even get to Molokini from Lahaina via catamaran. I would think someone would be offering Molokini from Lahania though, as it would be a really lovely full day excursion. OP, double check and let us know please 🙂

Ok friends, here we go. RCL will announce their earnings before the bell this Thursday and NCL will release Thursday, May 10th. Zacks estimated RCL losing $4.65 per share and missing their target. The stock has been beaten up the last two days in preparation. All the lines are really stretching the forward looking statements. I just don't trust the market manipulators.

I'll just add to Bruce's good suggestions..., 45 minutes on a good day. As tourism (and traffic) return to Maui, the stretch of the Pali getting from Kahalui to Lahaina is often a slow crawl. This is virtually the only way to cross the island. One fender bumper and it's game over. Mama's fish house is booking 6 full months in advance. It's the best restaurant on that side of the island. They do allow for some walk up bar seating if you can't get reservations. Enjoy!

Assuming you are docking in Kahului, you will want to leave from Maalaea Harbor. This way you don't have to cross the Pali, which is the only way to get from the west side of the island to the east and it has a mind of it's own. It's about 20 minutes from Kahului. Trilogy and Pacific Whale both have multiple trips to Molokini from Maalaea. Pacific Whale will be on a 3 decker catamaran type hull boat. Trilogy is a regular catamaran. Take a look at the photos on the web page and pick the tour that speaks to you, you can't go wrong with either. I've been on both. If the POA is docking in Lahaina, then you will want to select a boat from Lahaina harbor (or possibly Mala Harbor). Trilogy and Pac Whale both have regular catamarans leaving from there. There are also many zodiac companies leaving from Lahaina. I like ultimate or hawaiian adventures. Captain steves leaves from the Mala ramp. Just depends on what you want. I love them all. I do want to give you a heads up to maybe adjust your expectations about the snorkeling at Molokini. The reef is very damaged from so many people (and their sunscreen). It's a lovely trip, and there is stuff to see, but like many over-snorkeled reefs, the damage is visible.

That is a very interesting question. Travel insurance has gotten so complicated since Covid. Common sense would say no, that if you cancelled the cruise for any reason HAL should refund additional purchases (like shore excursions and the drink package), BUT I don't trust the insurance industry. They have all types of little niggles and clauses added. I'd make a call to my insurance co and have them show me their answer in writing. Let us know what you find out because I'm curious.

The future of Holland America is still far too fluid to put any plan in print just yet. Hopefully the atlas will return for 2024. I have cruise brochures dating back to 1987 on various cruise lines (many long gone). It's quite interesting to look at the changes over time and I do hope that a print version becomes available again. If even for a nominal charge.

@Cate1 How are you doing? I hope this message finds you well on your way to recovery. As often happens, this post got a bit off track and I apologize for my part in that. When you are feeling up to it, perhaps you can share how you were treated at disembarkation and what happened post cruise. What I am most curious about is... what would it take for you to cruise again? Again, thank you for this thread and sharing your experiences and I hope you are feeling much better.

To the OP: Are you asking if crew members wear masks in front of guests? The answer is yes. This is still required on most cruise lines that crew mask up when fronting guests. However; what happens off duty is a different matter. One of the many reasons that cruise ships are having difficulty staffing ships is the strict Covid protocols. In an attempt to attract more crew, cruise lines have eased many of the stipulations for crew, including mandatory mask wearing when off duty. In addition, fun things like below deck crew bars and social parties have reopened. It is unrealistic to expect lines to attract crew but require them to be masked 24/7 with no social life for months on end. If you follow any of the crew social media pages, you will quickly note that an overwhelming number of crew want the mask mandated lifted entirely, especially since they already undergo continuous testing. Many complain that mandatory mask wearing in front of guests is theater only.