BlueRiband

Sailing solo is not for me until shared dining tables can return - that and other restrictions can be lifted.

At this point anybody who books as to presume 1) there is a good chance that Cunard will cancel the cruise and 2) the onboard covid restrictions will still be in place.

It's in the "10-K" report that Carnival has to file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Carnival Corporation 10-K January 26, 2021

17 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

I have a supply of traveler's checks and have been able to cash them at the Front Office on a ship during a cruise.  I have started to cash them at my bank and have been able to do so without issue.  Interestingly, trying to do at a Chase branch in Fort Lauderdale, the teller had to get the Branch Manager's assistance to do so, which he approved once I provided identification (I provided a Chase branded credit card, my driver's license, and my Passport).  Locally, once the teller checked her computer as to the bank's requirements, the checks were cashed without question.  (Maybe my past relationship and/or my account balances had something to do with this?)  

 

 

 

Cunard stopped accepting them a few years ago.  Two major banks in New York, Chase and Wells Fargo, stopped selling them as well.  Amex closed their storefront offices in 2012.   I would say go to the issuer's website and find out where they can currently be cashed.  

21 hours ago, gisnered said:

As I understand it, the requirement for masks is limited to the first 100 days of the new president's term. That takes us to the end of April (the 30th to be exact).

 

I seriously doubt that that any of the major lines will be ready to operate their currently published itineraries by May 1.  Not to worry, at this point.

In another three months the rollout of covid vaccinations should have a noticable impact on the new infection rate.  As for me, I'll not do anything other than necessary travel until all masks mandates are lifted.  

19 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

Well, if couples are also being isolated by themselves, and not just solo passengers, that is fair, although not fun .  While I would like to have people to talk to during meals it isnt going to ruin the trip for me. I dont do much socializing outside of the dining room.   I thought I was going to have to eat alone the first night  in 2013(I new they assigned seats but not the first night). The host was in the process of finding me a table when two single women jumped up and said "sit with us!"  So, whatever. However, I cant see this working in the King's Court. Are they actually going to go around to the tables making sure the people sitting there  are traveling together. Will they make people move their seats and tray if not. OR do they plan to take out the King's Court. That would be the deal breaker for me.  That option is necessary. One night I slept through dinner lol!  I needed to have the buffet option. 

It would likely be enforced as it is in New York under "reduced capacity" indoor dining: Every other table removed or marked off as closed.  Cunard might even have a host/hostess to escort passengers to a table rather than let people sit where they please as had been the case.   They will be highly motivated to enforce this or cell phone videos of passengers dining together just like the "good old days" will be all over social media and tort lawyer's web pages. 

6 minutes ago, steve4031 said:

My take on this is that I would bring a book to read when I eat.  It would be impossible to prevent single travelers from interacting with other passengers in public areas on the ship.  There would be plenty of opportunities to make friends.  Does Cunard have anytime dining in their dining rooms like other cruise lines?  If so, singles can make friends during the day and just show up as a group to be seated at dinner.  It would be next to impossible for the staff to enforce this.  

Gook luck.  One, Cunard claims that they will enforce social distancing.  Hard to do with 6ft or 2m of distance.

Two, Cunard has not as yet had "anytime" dining at dinner except for Britinnia Club and Grills passengers. These people are assigned a table for the entire voyage.

Three,  a group of solos who show up at breakfast or lunch in the main dining room will be questioned by the Maitre D'.  

If you decide to mail a box to the hotel make sure to check the Customs Declaration requirements of the USPS.  Previously worn clothing and shoes are not assessed any duty.  That's why White Star, and now Luggage Forward, state no toiletries, jewelry, electronics, etc. can be in the bag.  You don't want to go through this expense to have your box held up in customs or returned to your home address.

Yes, isolation applies to everyone.  Cunard explicitly states that only passengers who are traveling together will be allowed to dine together.  To be considered "together" the group must have their bookings linked.  

It's a very isolating experience for solo travelers but anyone who books under the current situation at least knows that to expect.  Or should know what to expect if they did their homework.  

Yes. One can credit or blame the EU “Healthy Gateways” protocol for the restrictions.  I saw what this meant for solo travelers and decided to take the refunds.  I won’t spend that kind of money until the “old normal” can return to  Cunard .  Nobody is forcing you to  book.  Cancel if the on board restrictions are unacceptable.

No, and won't book until shared dining tables can return.  I was to be embarking on an EB TA tomorrow and to sail on the QE for Alaska in August but both were cancelled.  For me cancellation was a good thing because I would otherwise be financially committed to sailing under restrictions that are unacceptable to me.

OP, you have been on these boards since 2006.  This is a tough crowd if you were hoping for agreement and sympathy. 
 

Why are you doing business with companies that you believe to be running Ponzi schemes?  Check the T&Cs of your active bookings,  take whatever refunds you can get and.be done with it.

I would go if the covid restrictions were over.   But one has to book with the anticipation that the first sailing to return to service will encounter a lot of problems.   Who knows how many crew members familiar with the ship will return.    The sailing out of Hamburg following the  "Remastering" refit was a shakedown run.  I didn't have bathroom towels until after dinner - in PG.  Even the waiters who had been on board pre-refit had to learn the new dining room configurations. 

A cruise industry insider who posts here from time to time did have a recommendation for the best island to purchase a diamond: Manhattan.

A point to remember about clinical trials is that everyone is pre-screened in some way prior to getting inoculated.   Once mass distribution begins those with previously unknown sensitivity will emerge.   What is the alternative?  Wait the typical 3-5 years for additional testing  while lives are destroyed by the virus directly or by collapsing businesses indirectly?
 

All of us have to make our own risk/ benefit decisions.  

Under the current circumstances the new medical restrictions make sense as a person with impaired lung function or undergoing peritoneal dialysis is at high risk for needing hospitalization should they get infected.  Unfortunately for them once the pandemic fades they may remain excluded.  

In reply to canoncruiser, I too sail solo and won't book until the "old normal" can return.  Dining alone and being unable to socialize is no fun for me.  Until the situation changes all of us have to assume that our sailing will be cancelled or the on board restrictions will make the experience substantially different from what we encountered before.

Any news on the refit?

23 hours ago, ew101 said:

While I don't actually have a paid deposit in, I do think Cunard has the best chances of re-opening cruising of any line.   A reasonably effective vaccine looks semi promising at this point.  But two facts remain- the vaccine is not, so far, 100% effective, and we will still need to control airbone droplet transmission. 

 

This will require rules and rule following.  Cunard passengers, who willingly give up their right to wear gym shorts or sweat pants to dinner in the main dining room, can probably be persuded to follow a few regulations. 

 

Masks will be required.  We wear masks on some formal nights, we can do this.  I know I personally feel afraid indoors in public spaces without a mask.   

 

The MDR and pubs will be spaced out.  Sitting indoors maskless at the bar- probably a no.  The extra tables can go in a warehouse - we won't need them.  

 

The buffet is back- there is no data at all proving fomitic (surface) transmission.  Take out half the tables - done.  Take-out and room service seem safe enough.  

 

Lines are bad.  

 

Full cabin occupancy (3-4) is probably a no.  The customary double crew cabins (hated by the CDC) are a no.  The crew bar is a problem.  Packed crew dining rooms are a problem.  

 

We can skip the "Hygiene Theater" (Atlantic Magazine) - the toxic disinfectants sprayed everywhere by persons in hazmat suits don't stop droplet transmission.  

 

Housekeeping can clean your room as long as you are not in it

 

The virus spreads very poorly outdoors.  So the tent dining area under the funnel seems safe.   Drinks served on the outdoor decks- fine.  The aft deck- fine.  

 

Given the lack of ports open to cruise ships, cruises to nowhere seem more interesting.  Going at 12 knots reduces wind over the decks.  

 

Common area HVAC changes will be needed.  Recirculation sideways in a room is bad.   Fresh air is good.  (Do the droplets in fact remain viable after a trip though the air handlers- probably not).  This may require ductwork changes.  More floor level intakes.  The air flow needs to be downward and out.  

 

Dancing should be possible- maybe a system of colored badges or wrist bands to discourage mixing of couples- but wearing masks- it could work

 

Socialization - like the Cruise Critic meet and greet- can be safe enough outdoors.  

 

So- can we fully recapture 2019?  No.  Can we be at sea again?  Yes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In that case Cunard will have to sell QM2 for her to be turned into another hotel ship.  Weather on TAs often makes it impossible to hold any activity outdoors.  Covid protocols make the traditional TA social experiences impossible.   What's the point of keeping QM2 afloat if she cannot be used what she was built for?

Some people want to be back on board so badly that they'll tolerate anything to help make it happen.  Others won't want to pay more for a substantially diminished experience. 

You're right.  In a report to investors Carnival was to delay delivery of new ships.  For those interested here is the link: Carnival 2Q 2020 report

We're close to an effective vaccine.  What happens next is the distribution logistics and prioritization.  One plan would have the inoculation site issuing  proof of vaccination not unlike the cards issued decades ago for each strain of polio.   If it maintains efficacy and a good portion of the population is willing to be vaccinated then covid cannot spread the way it now does.

The trickiest vaccine launch in U.S. history

Just received a promo email from Cunard that included a statement regarding the new ship:

"Work continues on Cunard's new ship, and 249th in our 180 year history, with the keel of the main section (troncone) being laid in the summer. We're very much looking forward to taking delivery of Cunard's new ship, but given the impact of the current situation, we are reviewing a new timeline."

FWIW, Cunrad's Twitter page for the ship, #CUN4RD, is back up although there is nothing more recent than the October 2019 steel cutting announcement.

Not for the US election but I was on board QM2 and doing a shore excursion at Winchester the day of the BREXIT vote.  Ashore I got approached by three different groups who asked if I had yet voted.   (American I wasn't of any help to either side.)  Once the results were in it was interesting to observe the reactions of the winners and losers on board.  BREXIT appears to be as much of a hot-button issue in the UK as was the 2016 election is in the US.

1 hour ago, rsquare said:

...going to dinner was rather like showing up at a downtown restaurant on a Saturday night without reservations.  Either stand on line, or wait on some lounge chairs...

 

Lack of fixed seating means that the first 15 minutes of the meal are spent on introductions, which is a trial for someone like me who has a terrible memory for names, and even worse when I run into someone on a Thursday who was at my table on Monday and I have no recollection. 

 

On Cunard, by the second evening I've got everybody straight, and conversation builds over the duration of the trip as we get to really know each other.  Haven't had a dud table yet on Cunard.

 

I believe that Cunard and some of the HAL ships are the only ones left with fixed seating.  If and when Cunard ends this practice, I'll toss my Diamond pin and find another way to travel.

Well said.  The shared table is a highlight of my sailing and it's convenient to know that a seat is always ready and waiting for me rather than the other way around.  I won't sail NCL because they only have  "freestyle" dining.  For a solo that means searching for dining comany every day.  I've temporarily laid aside my Diamond pin until shared tables can return to Cunard. 

Reykjavik, Iceland.  Glad I went to see this part of the world but the landscape is pretty barren.  Boiling underground springs make it impossible for any vegetation with deep roots to survive.  The only trees there were Christmas tree farms and those put in by landscapers.

8 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

They may make the bans permanent you know.

Possible.  Although it would also end the tourist industry for good.  But it's their country and their choice.  

Not likely that today one would be able to get fresh oysters on board.  Unfortunately QM2 cannot send somebody to the Fulton Fish Market to pick up a case anymore than they could pick up some fresh melons from a Brooklyn farmer's market.  Perhaps upscale market small ships can manage a delivery but large ships have to maintain a documented chain of custody for every provision coming on board.  I'm afraid some things have gone the way of Bon Voyage parties.