K.T.B.

4 hours ago, mnocket said:

The Airbus spokesperson recently said that they don't expect airline travel to return to pre-Covid levels until 2023 at the earliest, maybe even 2025.  Does anyone really expect that cruise lines will fare significantly better?

That's extremely pessimistic. Granted, they may never return to pre-Covid levels even when it's under control and the majority of the people are vaccinated.  (Yeah, a pipe dream.)  People for the next few years, for most part, will probably quite reluctant to fly.  Who knows?

As far as the original question:  I'm not giving up.  I have a cruise booked for next October.  My final payment is due on July 29th, so we should definitely know by then if there's a viable vaccine or not.  If no vaccine, I cancel.  It's that simple.  I'll re-evaluate from there then.

In all honesty, I doubt that cruise goes this year.  IMO, cruising isn't happening until, at the earliest, March 2021.  That's based on the assumption of the vaccine is out by late December (which is what many doctors, including Fauci, have guessed it to be).  Either you cancel it on your own (if you can get a full refund right now) or wait it out to see what happens.

Maybe I missed it, but I found this to be interesting:  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dr-fauci-says-heres-normality-111021867.html

Especially this quote:

"I feel cautiously optimistic… given the preliminary data we had in the early phase of the trial and some of the animal studies, that we will have a vaccine that is effective," Fauci told ITV News on Friday.

"How effective it is going to be, is totally an open question but we believe we'll have some kind of an effective vaccine by November or December, we're hoping.

"But we have to say for honesty and transparency that's not a guarantee, but I think it's a reasonable projection."

I'll take that reasonable projection, especially since it's from Fauci.

1 hour ago, D C said:

Oh isn't cruising going to be fun going forward! 

 Yes it will be!  Because by then things will be set in place to make sure it is.

39 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Try population of US x 70% contract CV-19 for herd immunity x 2.8% case mortality rate (as published by Johns Hopkins for USA).

 

So.... 330,000,000 x 0.7 x 0.028 = 6,468,000 deaths.  Close enough I think.

 The last mortality rate percentage I saw was 2.95%.  

23 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

When we cruise I always place a piece of paper inside each suitcase. Printed on it is our itinerary, from start to finish, with where we would be on each day/date.

It also includes our names, address, cell phone number, and a message that if the bag is found to please return it to our address.
Perhaps going forward this would help solve this problem since even if the outside tags are lost, the airline staff would know where to send your bag.

 

I have luggage tags for that.  However, to get that info you need to pull out the name card to read it.  It's not facing forward for all to see.

20 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Easy to get upset at so many things these days🙂.  I honestly don't think its an oversight though.  If I take all my emotions out of the picture, as well as what seems fair or not, and look only at what will get us to herd immunity the fastest, then one could argue that it makes logical sense for healthy, procedure following seniors to be last.  If most of us are already doing what is expected by wearing masks, distancing, and not hanging out in bars and so on, then we are not the ones spreading the virus.  We also are not essential to the economy in the sense of keeping people employed, as most (I know not all) are retired.  And as retirees, even if we don't like being stuck in our houses we have the ability to do that without losing our livelihoods. 

 

We are certainly more at risk of death or complications if we do get sick, but I would hazard an educated guess that the vast majority of senior deaths are those in nursing homes and other senior living facilities.  So as much as I would hate the fact of being last, and as much as I resent the fact that killers, rapists, and child molesters may get priority over me,  I think that could very well happen.

I agree with so much of what you've said, but herd immunity will never occur with this virus.  About 70% of the population needs to be infected for that to happen (opinions differ on that percentage, but it's generally held that 50-90% needs to be infected). Then we're talking approximately 6.8 million people dead in the US to achieve it.  Not worth the cost, IMO.  

We desperately need a viable vaccine (or two or three...) to be used by the majority of the population.  We need to keep wearing masks, maintain that distancing, act responsibly (not only for yourself, but for others you live with).  I freakin' hate not being able to go anywhere, being able to go out to grab a bite to eat whenever I feel like it.  I miss going on vacation.  I miss seeing my friends.  Hell, I even miss going into the office now.  But, in order to get past all of this, this is the sacrifice that needs to be made.  It's a shame that far too many other people do not feel this way.  They decided to make the mask a political issue, when it's actually a health issue.  SMH.

I agree with you about prisoners getting priority over the general populace, they should be last, IMO.  Those who work there, however, should be among the first.

5 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

I just got the rabies vaccine last month. I wonder if that helps protect against Ovid. 

 

Laura

No, but it will help if you bite someone during a political argument.

15 hours ago, LGW59 said:

TA May 1, 2021, APEX, come aboard, I will buy you a drink!!!!

Maybe I'll sneak away in your luggage....

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

I have 2 scheduled, in 2021, I have to get COVID test priort to boarding, I will.  If I have to wear a mask everywhere on the ship, I will.  If I have to look at the crew wearing masks (YAY) I will.    

I'd cruise with you any day!  

3 hours ago, kkid said:

I have two X cruises booked in 2021.  If I have to get Covid tested prior to boarding, I will cancel.  If I have to wear a mask anywhere on the ship, I will cancel my cruises.  If I have to look at crew wearing masks, I will cancel.  I'm not especially concerned about getting Covid.  I am concerned the cruising with Covid restrictions and policies will not be an enjoyable experience.

Then you might as well cancel now.  IMO, it'll be a guarantee that you'll be required to wear a mask part of the time at bare minimum.

And you really should be concerned about catching it if you refuse to wear a mask.  Ask Herman Cain how that went for him...

No idea if anyone saw this article, but it's quite interesting:

https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/09/21/scitranslmed.abd5487

The "dumbed down" version (which I found quite helpful! ):

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/kids-better-immune-response-covid19-compared-adults-study-173710433.html

15 hours ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

There is no doubt that masks will be required on future cruises for awhile. Whether it'll be enforced to alevel that some are satisfied is another issue. So to those that continue to project the mantra No Mask = No Cruise you'll get your wish. The question is will you actually go knowing the struggle of enforcement. But there are more issues than just masks....

 

1. Contact tracing -  Are you prepared to have your cruise canceled due to contact tracing after arriving to the port? Once on the ship, are you prepared to be quarantined because of contact tracing? 

 

2. Quarantine cabins - Are you prepared to be moved out of your balcony or suite and be held in another cabin w/ bunk beds and no space due to contact tracing? 

 

3. Ship's Excursions - are you prepared to pay double the price non-ship excursion costs?

 

4. Social Distancing - due to space needed, the number of cabins occupied will be reduced and as a result the cost of the cabins to be occupied will increase dramatically. Are you prepared to pay an increased price?

 

No Mask = No Cruise. OK...then what?  

 

 

In answer to your questions:

1. Yes. BUT I'd have myself checked out prior to leaving for my cruise to make sure.  As everyone should do nowadays, for your safety and others'.  To not do so would be inconsiderate and possibly dangerous.  (Odds are, though, you'd be fine.)

2.  Nope.  Nor could they without your permission.  Because in doing so, that could put you at greater risk.  IF they forced it, I'd want all sorts of assurances that me and my wife would be safe wherever they moved us and that we'd be WELL compensated for the inconvenience.

3. They're going to charge double.  Please provide proof (legitimate proof, not hearsay) that this has happened.  Besides, I already only book excursions through the ship when I do take them.

4.  As always, I'd book a cruise I could handle financially.  If they increase the prices, so be it.  They're like any other business and have the right to charge what they feel they can get from the consumer.  

Finally, if people don't want to wear a mask, then don't cruise.  Don't be selfish.  This isn't about you, it's to make sure everyone is protected.  (Even IF it may not be needed eventually, why take the chance?)

1 hour ago, Germancruiser said:

The poster means if they just recommend mask and not enforce them he will not go. Same here by they way.

Yeah, I see that now.

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

If masks are only recommended or optional, count me out.

Ok, but why?  Especially if it helps to ensure people are safe.

15 hours ago, RICCruisers said:

I’m ready to get flamed, but here is my opinion about what I have read about the CLIA/CDC Mask policy. They state that everyone is required to wear masks indoors where social distancing is not possible. UNLESS they have some type of medical condition that either creates a breathing issue or they are not able to wear a mask.  

 

I ask - Why should those people be allowed on a ship in the first place. A condition of sailing should be that everyone allowed to cruise must have the ability to wear a mask. If you have a condition that inhibits you from wearing a mask you shouldn’t be on a ship. 

There is no medical condition (I have a caveat that follows) that creates a breathing issue when one wears a mask.  It's all in their head.  My neurosurgeon is asthmatic and he has zero issues in wearing a mask when he operates.  A friend of mine has COPD, they have zero issues in wearing a mask.  And if there IS some magical medical condition that supposedly prevents that person from wearing a mask, they better have proof of it from a doctor before boarding a ship.

The only legitimate reasons for someone not wearing a mask is that they're under 2 years old and someone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.  People with chronic pulmonary diseases shouldn't avoid wearing a mask, if anything that's more of a reason to wear one!

Now then, for that caveat, there are people with autism who could find that wearing a mask intolerable, even for a short period of time.  But that's not a breathing issue.

There is medical proof that wearing a mask does absolutely nothing to impede one's breathing and oxygenation of the blood.

22 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

So, 199,000 known deaths in the US must mean that there have been 663 million cases here? 

 

Interesting math....

It's simple math.

The current number of deaths stands at 204,115 out of 7,000,612 cases.  That's 2.92%.

It's 204115/7000612 = X/100.  You need to figure out what the X is.  To get get X you multiply 204115 by 100.  Giving you 20411500.  Then you divide 20411500 by 7000612.  The full percentage is actually 2.915673658245879%, but I rounded up.

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

o Rapid result testing is a “game changer” allowing testing at the pier and not requiring passengers to get tested on their own several days before the cruise.  Since, at least for the USA, there is expected to be a number of people who will not get a vaccination once it is available, this on-site testing might allow the cruise lines to not require proof of vaccination in order to cruise, but it is too soon to know for sure.

That bolded part really bothers me as a future cruiser.  I'd rather they require vaccinations in order for people to cruise, if only for people's saftety.

This is not a political post, though some might think it is.

With that said, tonight on MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes, there was a great Dr. Fauci interview.  A lot of positivity, especially for things to most likely be back to semi-normal by 3rd quarter of next year.  This is based on when he expects a vaccine to be ready.

I'm sure the interview will be up on MSNBC's website of Friday, though there might be some snippets on there right now.

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

I think if, from embarkation, those that refuse to follow the rules are disembarked after a warning ( really how many times have you gotten out of your car and headed to a store or restaurant and realized you didn’t have your mask, for me about once a week)  then very quickly people will comply.  
I have sailed on some cruise lines where flaunting the rules , being drunk and obnoxious is not uncommon but IME that’s not what what we have encountered on X.  
I believe if you communicate what is required, treat passengers as adults who want to cruise, and enforce the rules for those who believe they don’t apply to them the word will spread quickly and The jerks will quickly be gone.  

I usually forget when I leave the house, which is why I now have a box of masks in my car.  It DOES happen, but it's easily resolved by having a sign on the inside of your door in your cabin reminding you the measures.

41 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Always enjoy reading good news about the development of the COVID vaccine. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/15/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-positive-update/5808960002

Some real good news.

IF everything plays out as the article says, there's a very good possibility that by 1st quarter of 2021 that vaccine with be available.

4 hours ago, Pinboy said:

This whole idea is excellent , however, there is one " obstacle " ----- PEOPLE's behavior .

 

 

When people are being kicked off ships and left behind at ports, people will start following the rules.

If they're "locked away" in their cabin for the remainder of the cruise, people will start following the rules.

If you hit them in the pocketbook, people will start following the rules.

The cruise lines will need to be extremely tough of their passengers.  If they catch you breaking a rule, you get one more chance.  They take your info by scanning your card and if anyone else in your group, whether it's one other or 10 other people, breaks the rules, everyone suffers.  Everyone is either forced to remain in their cabins or they're booted from the ship.

However, I can see the final night of cruises being a "free for all" and obstinate people giving the middle finger to the rules.  So those people should be met at the port and the cruise line will need to determine what penalty can be assessed then.

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Sounds great to us, with one caveat. If you choose not to sign the form at either embarkation or anytime prior to that point after final payment, you will receive a full refund in FCC. 

I'd say 75% FCC, especially if it's unambiguous.

But I wholeheartedly agree with what the OP said!

15 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Aqua, yes.

Concierge, no.

 

With Aqua, you have and good room location and dinners nightly in the small Blu restaurant. Also use of some spa facilities without paying more.
 

With Concierge, other than a good room location, there’s not much beef IMHO.

Completely the opposite for me.

I hated Blu.  I much prefer the main dining room.  And while the spa facilities are nice, we weren't able to take full advantage of them because, on our cruise, it was always crowded.  It was not an enjoyable experience for us.

I really like Concierge, I do like the perks, plus location, location, location.

I'd rather spend less money for the perks minus the spa and separate dining room.  IMO, rather than make Blu the only option, they should give people the choice when booking where they want to dine.  Then I might reconsider.  We had to "jump through some hoops" to go to the main dining room and get away from Blu.  We ended up making it any time dining then.

18 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I can't seem to find where he said this in the article you referenced. 

It's an assumption.  And you know what they say when you assume...