fla gang

So we had a family member with a 7k honeymoon Europe cruise paid in full and the sail date was cancelled so they moved it to another date and it too was cancelled , so now they are out 7K. This too does not seem fair at all! They did not cancel, the cruise line did.

Ships may just float around for a while with two random stops at CoCo! Since all we can do is guess at this point.

I got flyers from Royal and Carnival with compd cruises but I'm not signing up for anything until the ships start sailing and they can prove they have things under control. Went on the Brilliance last February because it was doing Key West. Probably won't do another ship that small again. been on a bunch with Royal and with Carnival and we prefer the big ships.Have fun on your cruises!

6 minutes ago, skridge said:

I have been saying this since May and have been shouted down by many.  I was told not to worry that Carnival had borrowed enough money to be solvent through the end of the year.  Well it looks like the cruise industry has cancelled through the end of the year.  It makes one wonder how many banks are going to be lining up to give them loans now.

And if I remember correctly Chief said ships need to operate at like 85% capacity just to break even. He is a retired chief engineer in the cruise industry!

How much longer can the cruise lines survive without filing bankruptcy? If is costing them a ton of money every day to keep those ships floating around in the Atlantic, and now with hurricane season they will need to reposition all of those ships as the hurricanes roll across. More fuel burned. I love cruises but don't want to let them hold any of my money right now.

I wouldn't give a penny to an industry that is in so much financial trouble. I would wait and see if they survive before I let them hold any of my money. I've been on 35 cruises, but as unstable as the cruise industry is right now I just don't feel it wise to send them any money that I may never get back!

We always book with club Royale, and depending on the cabin upgrade price we may do a balcony. We did Alaska last year out of Seattle and got a balcony for $1700. That was a no brainer. We love Chops, but don't book specialty dining on every cruise, and now with social distancing and masks we are not sure what we will do when cruises start back up. I don't want to give any money to an industry that is in such financial trouble right now!

My first cruise was two weeks after 911 on carnival Fantasy out of Port Canaveral. The sail away was pretty quiet. Everyone was still stunned by the events in NYC. We were escorted several miles by a helicopter gunship. We got moved from a midship cabin to the second cabin from the bow on the Riviera deck. When we were leaving Nassau the captain informed everyone that the ride back to Canaveral was gonna be rough due to a tropical depression we were trying to get around. It was so rough that night! The bow would rise way out of the water and then crash into the big waves, making a loud boom, as the ship was also rocking side to side really bad. I had sea legs for 3 days! Now 35 cruises later haven't had another cruise that bad. Love me some Oasis class ships!

Glad their not holding my money! Thank you for all of the information Chief!

Governor is shutting down Miami again starting July 15! Not good for businesses.

18 hours ago, bouhunter said:

Yep.  I'm amazed at how many people seem to be sending them money.

Me too. I'm not spending a penny until I see them up and running, and things getting better!

On 7/1/2020 at 2:46 PM, chengkp75 said:

Yes, as I said, they can swap crew between ships, but leaving the pier is actually "entering" the Bahamas, and their borders have been closed for months.

Thank you Chief for your wealth of information! How many years were you in the cruise industry? I love reading your information. Maybe you should write a book!

We just got word that the Atlantis will be closed at least until the end of July.

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Generally, a ship needs to sail at capacity to cover expenses with the fares.  Onboard revenue is the profit margin.  I would suspect that a true "break even" point would be around 80%, but that depends on the level of onboard revenue the passengers generate.

So how does the casino work, and who funds the casino? I go on quite a few compd cruises but was never sure who pays a slot jackpot. Slot manufacture or cruise line? Thanks Chief

So how full would a ship need to be to break even on a voyage? At 50% capacity could they be profitable?

21 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

My mom lives in an assisted living facility in Ballard (north of downtown) and my brother lives at the north end of Lake Washington.  They say it's business as usual except the 6 blocks on Capital Hill, which when I lived there, was just a bunch of coffee shops and hippies.  Otherwise, you wouldn't know anything was going on in Seattle.  It's not like the whole city is taken over (yet).  Lots of people live there who don't even pay attention to this stuff. If you are afraid to travel, do yourself a favor and stay home.

How close is Capital Hill to Pine street and Pike Place Marke? We stayed two days pre cruise last year and walked everywhere. We stayed downtown and walked to the Space Needle and several shops downtown and the market both days?

I'm a member of a large auto club that charged me $40 for cancelling! That only happened once. I'm a fast learner!

6 hours ago, Couple-Somerset said:

Did you mean $100 per day? Or more

 

Didnt want to hijack thread but it seems to have been answered.

Just curious - what "donation" do you need to make to receive comp drinks in the casino?

It doesnt really matter as I get the drinks package but just curious as I always donate $100 on one night per cruise and have never been given a napkin never mind the offer of a drink.

Perhaps when they scan the cruise card at the roulette table it shows drinks package so they dont need to bother?

I personally would not go on the Empress, no matter how cheap it was. I have been on the Soverign and Monarch and Rhapsody, and don't wish to go on a ship that small again. I have gotten spoiled on the big ships. The only time we have done the small ship lately was to do Key West, which is one of our favorite stops. We aren't going on any cruises until later in 2021. Hopefully things will settle down by then!

Congrats on your new status. Me and my fiancé made Diamond two years ago. We always go to the Schooner bar every evening before going to dinner and enjoy our three free drinks in there. Diamond lounge gets pretty crowded at first, plus we can drink free in the casino so usually we eat and then go to the show and then go to the casino to donate and have a couple of drinks.

Happy cruising!

Just checked mine and it is also 2022.

Just pack plenty of clothes and be prepared for a possible 14 day or longer cruise, but hope for the best!

Seems like every year I get the opportunity to do some last minute carb rebuilds for people that just let the old generator sit since last hurricane season. most are an easy fix. Please remember everyone to run your generator at least once a month for about 15 minutes and then turn off the fuel shutoff valve and just let the engine run until it shuts off. When you get ready to crank it next time just open the fuel valve and flip the choke lever on until the engine starts, then turn the choke off. They steps will save you a lot of last minute frustration !

Columbus Cove is our favorite place to relax! We have done 35 cruises and this is the best beach/relax day for us!

All we can do in Florida is make sure the generator runs and we have fuel for several days and be prepared to put up the shutters. Been here 63 years and been through some nasty weather. Summer in Florida without a/c is no fun. My generator won't pull a/c but will run my fridge and a couple of cheap box fans if needed!