rjrpar

30 minutes ago, Sinbadssailors said:

 

No, that's not what freedom means. 

 

I wish I could teach people to stop preaching, stereotyping and virtue-signalling on cruise boards.

Agree 100% with both your comments. 

22 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Drove through Iowa April '20 when things were really bad back east.  Was shocked to find self-serve breakfast buffets open at hotels.  Just this week Iowa turned down 50% of their vaccine allocation.  Clearly Iowa is still in denial.

Iowa is vaccinating it’s citizens at the same rate as most states and their death rate is a lot lower than most Eastern states. Don’t know your problem with Iowa. 

2 hours ago, DJLDRUMS said:

Oh no, I don't, but I do understand that if there's a buck to be made they'll make it....In this case keep selling all the ships. That's the way of big business. As another poster said GREED.

 

After 14 months of no revenue, I’m not sure it’s greed.  Maybe trying to survive so we all can continue cruising in the near future. Big business is not the enemy

20 hours ago, kayakgranny said:

anyone done this?  is it worth spending day on ferry?  8am to 6 pm?

 

Yes,  we had a memorable time on the ferry.  Good way to see the canal. 

8 hours ago, Maya_C said:

 

The way to stay in business is to offer options to guests that suit their needs. One size does not fit all. As people who drink little alcohol and no sodas or specialty coffees, we can't see paying for the drinking habits of others. OBC should be offered to those who choose not to have drinks included. 

I tend to agree although the new All Included program doesn’t bother me. I also think it will change back soon

18 hours ago, WestLakeGirl said:

 

Bunkering .... doesn’t necessarily happen at the home port, can take place anywhere along the route 

 

Provisioning ... i thought most things come by air from the US anyway, and supplies could also be loaded on at one of the port stops

Belize is not going to work as a home port

On 4/22/2021 at 1:16 PM, jedi bobs said:

Becuse of the new proposed law banniing any busness including cruise lines from requiring proof of vacinaton or reciving a $5000 fine per person per violation, will mean all cruise lines will pull out of Flordia even if CDC allows crusing.  The reason is this, the Bahamas require all cruise passangers be vacanated, and without proof they will not be able to enter the bahamas so there goes the bahamas as a destanation, if other contries follow suit the cruise lines will not be able to go anywhere.

Relax and let the adults handle this one. The cruise lines are not pulling out of Florida.

We returned on 3/29 from a 4 week vacation in the Dominican Republic. Airlines were 100% fill, even the middle seats. The resort was busy, although not at full capacity. People were cautious with mask wearing but did use reasonable judgement on beaches, golf course, restaurants, etc.  Travel is coming back  and I think the CDC doesn’t want us to know it

We had a great time, never was “scared” of the virus, and plan on returning in May.  

2 hours ago, Wordell1 said:

 

The good news here is that the White House is involved.  The CDC are a bunch of bureaucrats who will never do anything worthwhile in their lives.  If the Biden Administration wants cruises to happen, they will.  Hopefully they are seeing the political value of restarting the cruise industry.

I’m not sure this is good news. Your 2nd sentence perfectly defines Biden.

1 hour ago, sugcarol said:

This seems to be getting worse with travel than I thought it would. We are 4 adults Fully vaccinated and now we have to pay an additional 1000.00 for testing. It is obvious the CDC does not want US citizens traveling at all.

Probably true but in this case you are blaming the wrong country 

8 hours ago, vandals04 said:

We went to Great Adventure last week and it felt like what I imagine florida and Texas to be right now.  Unfortunately, until they get their own citizens under control I doubt they will open up to cruises.

If I were you, I’d worry a lot more about NJ than Florida. Look at the Covid death rates of those 2 states.  

14 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The statement about the level at which ships become profitable is probably based on normal operations with all ships taking a share of central operations overhead.  So there is no way these limited cruises can be profitable in the normal sense.  OTOH these ships have operating costs whether they cruise or not – subtract those 'sunk costs' and the numbers above might be cover the marginal costs.  And more importantly, these sailings keep the brand alive – that is 'priceless.'

Agree, I’m sure they cover variable costs of these cruises.  

2 hours ago, Iplayslots said:

My brother works for the PANYNJ. He works at Port Newark in logistics and marshaling.  He told me they were going over reopening of non public ship terminals for both NY & NJ.  Someone asked about the NYC & Port Liberty cruise ship terminals.  They were told they will remain shuttered until 2nd quarter 2022.  All sailings of passenger vessels have been cancelled until then at minimum.   They expect this to be a press release by 5/1.

I doubt anyone knows for sure when the NJ cruise port will open.  Many things are said in meetings, often personal opinions. 

18 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes, even without taxes being considered, the annual operating cost of a US flag ship is 3 times that of a comparable foreign flag ship.  Yes, a much as I have a quixotic wish that cruise ships homeported in the US would be US flag, that will never happen, unless there is a major catastrophe on one of the ships, as it would completely crush the US cruise industry.  Think of fares 3 times what they are now, even with the same capacity.

Your last sentence is way off.  Higher fares, sure, but not 3 times, not even 2 times.  

1 hour ago, pinnacleking2021 said:

im really getting fed up with royal cancelling month by month..why string us along???? not good business practice...

Don’t blame RCCL, blame the uncertainty caused by the pandemic (and the CDC)

We are scheduled in 9/21 on the Freedom for Bermuda, from NJ

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Just priced a week on Celebrity, sailing July 10th...AI, drinks, internet, DSC etc...$3540.

 

I agree, I need a cruise too....problem is getting to St Marteen or the DR.  😞

Just vacationed in the DR.  No problems, cheap airfares - nonstop from Newark. No required incoming Covid tests. 

4 hours ago, Goldconnection said:

Just a little information I found. Not sure this is something to be proud of. I am sure the family of those who died would agree. “Compared to other states, Florida has the third-highest count of confirmed cases and the fourth-highest count of deaths.” 

Florida is the 3rd largest state by population.  Your statement is misleading, look at the rate/100000 people and you see how well Florida is doing. Plus their economy is open. 

3 hours ago, Joehult said:

Could also mean they’re running out of cash to operate. 

I doubt that very much

13 hours ago, fairweather said:

If you want to visit any place other than a private island, it's going to be hard not to have proof of a vaccine to get off. You can't get a visa already in a lot of countries around the world without proof of vaccination for a variety of diseases. Covid isn't going to be any different.

 

The CDC is working off rapidly changing medical data. New variants are developing fast and the vaccines still have not been proven to protect against them. It would be professionally irresponsible to give into the frustrations of commercial enterprises and tourists. Remember, the US has been the most infectious nation with more cases and deaths per capita.

 

This is a global crisis not an American problem. We all sail when it's safe and protocols have been tested and established from these first early cruises. It will take twice as long to get this right if the CDC is rushed into opening the floodgates without knowing it's OK to do so.

 

No matter how fast the CDC allows cruises to leave from American home ports, get ready to wear masks, socially distance and abide by the rules of the countries you visit. This thing won't go away until every poor country has vaccinated the majority of their citizens and the world reaches herd immunity.

 

We are moving a lot faster than any scientist ever thought was possible when this thing first took off. Count your blessings and go ahead and book a future cruise. It might be postponed to a later date but there isn't a penalty for having to cancel either. We are getting closer every day.

 

Patience is a virtue. Be thankful that you aren't one of the Long Haulers who may never be able to travel again.

Your second paragraph is wrong.  The US does not have the highest death rate, not even close.

35 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Now you're just making garbage up. Hawaii looks pretty good to me. Even Alaska.

Check the death rates in NY and NJ.  

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

No they did not mention cruises but it looks like they are easing restrictions for travel in general so I am hopeful that they will update cruising soon.

 

Because of the potential introduction and spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, differences in disease burden and vaccines, and vaccine coverage around the world, CDC is providing the following guidance related to international travel:

• Fully vaccinated people can travel internationally without getting a COVID-19 test before travel unless it is required by the international destination.
• Fully vaccinated people do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, unless required by a state or local jurisdiction.
• Fully vaccinated people must still have a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a flight to the United States and get a COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days after returning from international travel.
• Fully vaccinated people should continue to take COVID-19 precautions while traveling internationally.

Flew to the Dominican Republic on March 5 and returned on March 29.   Exact same rules as stated above. Just because the cdc tells us these are new rules,  doesn’t mean they are,  Remember, they are politicians that stretch the truth

2 hours ago, jetsfan58 said:

I won't be so quick to say "Normal". What will that look like if ever again? None of us know? I see a different picture of Florida where the Governor is against everything that makes safe sense. How is he adamant about getting back to Cruising (seems to be more interested in Florida revenue) but not adamant about wearing mask and the Vaccine Passport (less about citizen safety)? Is there certain proof that "Northerners" are causing the surge? Might be that people from "Everywhere Including Florida" are not following the rules as designated. Time and Actions will Tell If We Get Back to Cruising Soon.    

Why don’t you look at the results instead of blindly believing that isolation is the answer.  The deadliest states are the ones with the most government control

Great post!  Thanks

If you look at the data by state, you will see that every state is doing about the same. We are about 13 months into a pandemic and already a vaccine has been developed and distributed to about 15% of the total population. Easy to criticize but I think that the progress has been very remarkable.  The US has vaccinated about 60m people, 3-4 the rate of other major countries.