Donald

Most people who work on cruise ships must give their passports to the crew purser, who holds them as long as the crewmember is working onboard. When the crewmembers do go ashore, they use their crew ID card as legal ID. This system works in every country and every port on planet earth - except Maui County, Hawaii.

The local government officials there are convinced that alcohol is the devil’s tool. Anyone desiring to purchase alcohol on Maui - regardless of how old they might look - must produce a valid government-issued ID to purchase alcohol. I sailed in Hawaii from age 55 to 60, but was never able to buy a drink ashore on Maui.

Thank you for the suggestions.

You may be surprised to learn that the cruise industry has been working on ideas like this (and many others) for quite some time. 

International airlines have led the way on this, as they are still operating. On every flight I have taken over the past 6 months, I received a special package with masks, gloves, sanitizer, and instructions for proper use.

The cruise lines are planning a similar program - replenished each day of the cruise.

Sending re-usable face masks to the laundry is not recommended.

The temperatures and chemicals required to kill any residual viral spores on a face mask are not used on regular laundry machines, as they would damage your clothing.

Face masks would need to be sent to the Code Red laundry machines, further risking contamination of the mask before it is returned to you. That's probably not going to happen.

But you can always take advantage of the free disposable masks available at many locations around the ship you are on.

There will be quite a few Trans-Atlantic cruises in 2021. But they will not start or end in a US port.

Some ships that will sail in the Med this summer will cross over to the Caribbean for the winter. Barbados will be a prime terminus on the North American side.

The title of this thread was misleading.

Perhaps it should have been, “Why the big mass market cruise lines that sail from American ports with mostly American passengers are in trouble with the CDC”.

A growing number of cruise lines around the world are re-starting and doing very nicely, thank you. They do not have to deal with the CDC. They do not call at US ports, and they carry few - if any - Americans.

Why does Starbucks coffee cost so much more than Hills Brothers coffee?

Why does a BMW cost more than a Cadillac?

Why does an international flight on Delta cost more than the same flight on American?

There is a multitude of factors that determine the selling price of anything. Most far too complex for us to discuss here.

But the biggest factors - that are relatively easy to grasp - are:

1. perceived value

and

2. supply and demand

Many companies are very skilled at selling their products at the highest possible price. If enough of the public - for whatever reason - are willing to pay more, the price goes up. If not, the price goes down.

This (partially) explains why middle America nearly riots in the streets when petrol goes up to $4 per gallon, but is very happy to stand in long lines at Starbucks (with no service and paper cups) to pay $32 per gallon for mediocre coffee.

If you are still posting daily on CC:

1) You have waaaay too much time on your hands.

or

2) You have no real life.

or

3) You work for a cruise line.

The best side for this voyage is the OUTside.

A few other details that might be of interest.

The man who previously developed many of the current dining programs at Princess is now in charge of all Hotel Operations - including Food and Beverage - at Windstar. You will recognize his style on many of the new offerings.

The new Star Grill will also feature soft serve ice cream all day.

The new Windstar Entertainment lineup includes 2 Duos and 1 Trio, as well as an Entertainment Manager who also performs several times each week.

All of the entertainment that was offered before will still be there, in addition to many new concepts.

The new Veranda Restaurant in the aft section also includes a new specialty coffee bar. You will still be able to get specialty coffees and great snacks at the Yacht Club in the forward section as well.

On 2/18/2006 at 10:16 PM, tvaud said:

When I was a little girl, my grandparents sailed on the Michelangelo and I was fortunate enough to see them off on board. I remember the cabin being very tiny. Lots of people walking throughout the ship. In one of the main lounges, I remember looking around mesmorized...it was wonderful. When I strolled the deck with my family, I knew I didn't want to get off. My memories are so vivid for that long ago, but I was definitely smitten. I remember saying to my sister that day, "Maybe someday if I am very very lucky, I'll get to go on a cruise" Sadly, I never sailed on the Italian line, but later was able to enjoy cruises on Costa and SITMAR. By the way, that was the historic day, so I was told later by the son of an Italian Line executive, that the Michelangelo and Raphaelo were in port together....berthed right next to each other.

 

Maybe someday, a cruise executive will see these postings and bring back some of the style and service we once loved and now long for...

 

Cindra

Cinders,

Great news for you. Cruise Executives have indeed brought back much of the style and service we once loved and now long for. It is there for the asking - and paying - on many small elegant upscale cruise lines. Today, unfortunately, many cruisers want all the old frills at all the old prices. That’s just not going to happen.

If  you really want to cruise today - in the grand old style - you can buy that cruise today.

But don’t expect to find it at Walmart.

14 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

There may not be enough tables and chairs in two seatings, but you can't ignore the number of people that the Lido or the specialty restaurants can feed.

Well, you are going to have to ignore that idea. At full manning and with full seating (pre-COVID), the mass market chips did not have enough service staff working onboard to fully service the Main Dining Rooms, Specialty Restaurants, and Lido all at the same time. Typically we put minimum staff in Lido in order to provide full service to the Main Dining Rooms. If the Lido happened to get busy, we would pull wait staff from the Main Dining Room to cover, but then received complaints about slow service and long waits in the Dining Room. 

With our new COVID rules and manning, the service staff will be required to perform far more duties (no self-service in the Lido, and extra sanitizing everywhere, for example).

At the same time, new COVID operations will require us to have fewer cooks and service staff working onboard (single rather than double occupancy crew cabins only, and staff reductions to increase social distancing - and save labor costs).

So under the new system on mass market ships, you can certainly find somewhere to sit in the Lido or Specialty Restaurants to eat, but there may be a very long wait to find someone to cook the food and serve it to you.

On 12/5/2020 at 12:34 AM, kardut said:

We’re flying into Vancouver from the DC area, and trying to figure out how much of a layover time we’ll need since there are no direct flights. Our choices are basically to fly to the US west coast (Seattle, San Francisco, etc) then onto Vancouver, or to fly from DC into Canada then onto Vancouver. Prefer the latter, since there are far more flight choices on Air Canada. If we do that, do we clear customs/immigration leaving DC or upon arrival in Canada (or both?!). How much time is a “safe” layover, assuming no major flight delays?

This is not a very confusing concept.

Think about it a bit.

Why do most countries require people to go through immigration and customs procedures when entering the country??

1. Immigration clearance is performed by a country’s immigration officials to ensure that people entering the country are legally allowed to enter and stay for a limited time. Every international carrier (train, bus, airplane, ship) that carries people across an international border must inform the local immigration authorities and prepare the passengers to be inspected on their first port of entry into the country. Why the first port? Because the authorities are there to inspect international travel. Any onward travel is usually domestic. Most countries do not have the money, personnel, or inclination to check papers for every traveler on domestic travel inside a country.

There are exceptions, however. If you are a transit traveler (in an airport for example) many countries will not require you to go through immigration formalities if you are just changing to another international flight (within a secure area) that will take you back out of the country. In essence, you have not really officially entered the country, nor are you remaining, so there is no reason to ensure that you are legally allowed to be there.

There are also a very few places that offer / require immigration checks before you depart. Sailing from Vancouver to Alaska, you will exit Canada through Canadian Immigration and enter the USA through US Immigration at the same time in the Vancouver Terminal. This is a special service to allow Alaska Cruisers more time in Alaska once the ship gets there, and allows the cruise lines to sell more shore tours.

In some Ireland Airports, people flying to the USA exit through Irish Immigration and then go through US Immigration procedures in Ireland, saving long lines and waits upon arrival in the USA.  

Please do not confuse Customs with Immigration. Although they are operated by the same entities in many cases, Customs Officers are usually trying to prevent you bringing home duty free goods with a value above certain limits. Immigration normally takes place at the first port of entry in a different country; Customs officers typically need to see you at the first port of entry when you return to your home country. There are many exceptions to this procedure in many countries. Customs officers have the right to inspect anyone at their international borders.

Flying from the USA to Canada, you will be required to clear Canadian Immigration at your first Canadian port of entry. Canadian Customs officials will be there, but will most likely not be interested is speaking with you.

Note that the USA is one of the few countries that do not require its citizens to go through Immigration when departing the country. 

When departing Canada for the USA, you will be required to go through Canadian Immigration. Once again, Canadian Customs will not be interested to speak with you. 

When entering the first USA port of entry, you will be required to go through US Immigration procedures, followed by some sort of declaration to US Customs officers. Any travel after that will most likely be domestic, with no Immigration or Customs.

25 minutes ago, Roz said:

The local restaurants I go to regularly simply put signs or tape on tables not available due to social distancing.  No need to remove tables and most restaurants don't have a place to store them.  I don't understand why a cruise line would have to unbolt tables in order to accomplish social distancing in the MDR.  What am I missing?

 

I usually sail solo and many times book an inside cabin.  Taking my meals in my cabin would be a definite turnoff and cause me to cancel or not book in the first place.

As I mentioned in my post, the mass market ships with 2 seatings already do not have enough tables and chairs to seat and feed everyone. Yes, removing tables and chairs to achieve social distancing is an easy thing to do.

Since you asked, what you are missing is the problem of seating and feeding the people who would have been sitting in those chairs that have been removed. 

Most cruisers fail to understand the logistics of mass market cruise ship dining rooms.

As the ships get bigger and bigger, they can no longer handle feeding everyone at the same time. So they resort to feeding you in shifts, like in a factory or a school. (One of many good reasons to sail on smaller ships)

Even with 2 seatings and additional specialty restaurants, many ships have challenges feeding everyone. You may have experienced this yourself when the Maitre d’ gave you a pager or suggested that you come back later.

When the mass market ships re-start, they will most likely carry fewer passengers at first, potentially making it easier. But they will also carry fewer crew, making it more challenging. Removing restaurant chairs and tables helps a bit with social distancing, but also reduces capacity, causing delays for diners. 

Moving tables is very difficult. A ship dining room floor has several layers. On top is the carpet. Below that is the carpet pad. Below that is the “Screed”, a plasticised concrete.

Below that is the steel deck, where the table posts are screwed into steel bases that are welded onto the steel deck.

To move a table, one need only unscrew the table post from the deck. Then you need to cover the steel base, cover the gap in the concrete, and cover the gaps in the carpet pad and the carpet.

To place the table somewhere else, you need to cut a hole in the carpet, then cut a hole in the carpet pad, then chip away the concrete screed, then weld a steel base onto the steel deck, then screw the table post into the steel base.

The result is better social distancing, but fewer chairs and fewer waiters. This means you will have to wait longer to be seated.

OK, I’ll bite.

You’re crazy.

On 12/13/2020 at 3:29 AM, ridethetide said:

It seems odd to sail the Caribbean in the summer.  Of course, I would take any sailing right now!

It may seem odd to sail the Caribbean in Summer, but it also seems downright foolhardy right now to visit any part of the USA for any reason. There are too many sick Americans, too many Americans who refuse to take this pandemic seriously, and too many Americans who have claimed they will refuse to take the vaccine. I love my elderly parents dearly, but I refuse to visit them in the USA, risking my life and theirs.

Isn’t it interesting that a single (now disputed) positive COVID case on a cruise ship gets everyone’s panties in a knot.

Meanwhile, there is a substantial number of cruise lines - many in Asia - that are operating very successfully, with zero COVID cases.

But nobody here seems interested in the positive news.

“If it bleeds, it leads”

There are several Japanese cruise ships successfully sailing around Japan as we speak.

Most are a bit smaller than the ones you are looking for.

Currently they are carrying only Japanese citizens.That will probably change - but we do not know when.

I was a Senior Officer on Pride of Aloha. 7-day domestic cruises around Hawaii.

We were required to file illness reports to CDC and Coast Guard between every Hawaiian Port on our itinerary. No exceptions were made for long or short distances between those ports, nor the distance from land where we sailed.

Prior to that, I served on NCL’s Norwegian Star, doing 7-day cruises around Hawaii, with a foreign stop at Fanning Island.

We were required to submit illness reports every day between all ports, domestic and international.

Were all these reports legally required?

Both the CDC and Coast Guard told us that they were.

There are several cruise ships operating around Japan.

Japanese passengers only.

So far, no COVID problems.

Japan has the 11th largest population (126 million) in the world.

They are currently 48th in the world for corona virus cases; just a few less than the state of Nevada, which has 3 million people.

Japan has done almost no corona virus testing.

It is illegal for the Japanese government to close businesses during a pandemic. Everything is open.

Nobody in Japan thinks the pandemic is a hoax. They take it very seriously.

Everybody in Japan wears masks ALWAYS - even though there is no official requirement to do so.

Japan has an excellent Socialized Health Care system that is one of the best in the world, paid for almost entirely by the Japanese Government.

What lesson could your country learn from this?

Several Asian cruise lines have been sailing around Asia quite successfully - with zero COVID cases onboard.

Perhaps the real problem is not the cruise lines sacrificing health safety to make money.

Maybe they need to market their cruises to countries that take the COVID Pandemic a bit more seriously, and are more careful and considerate for the health of others.

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

If you call an "OK" the ability to haul only Japanese citizens on 6-9 day cruises then I guess that is your opinion.  With the exception of a few folks in Japan who might book these cruises they would have little interest to the rest of the world.  Japan is considering opening up to a few tourists by April, but it would be under very controlled circumstances (including being tracked by a phone app and needing to provide daily health reports).  The reality is that Japan will stay closed (for just about everyone) until the Olympic (if it happens) as that is the priority of their government.  I suspect Japan will follow much of the world in opening only to tourists who have proof of a COVID vaccination.  Cruises are a low priority for this country.  And we must remember that the Diamond Princess caused a lot of negative publicity in Japan and will be difficult to overcome.

 

Hank

You can add Dream Cruises, Crystal Cruises, NYK Cruises, Mitsui OSK, and Japan Cruise Line to the companies re-starting cruises in Japan. Passengers on those cruises will be from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and a few European countries. A number of these itineraries will also call at South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.

It is unlikely that Americans will be able to get tourist visas anytime soon, to allow them to take these cruises.

Part of my job as Hotel Manager on Cruise Ships is crew morale.

I like to use humor to help keep the crew "up".

Nothing works better than reading some of the crazy CC postings at my morning meetings.

During the COVID Pandemic, it seems that quite a few CC Posters have decided to forego seeing a therapist and are utilising CruiseCritic instead. It does save a lot of money for them, and provides endless material for me.

Underwhelming for me:

Boston

Philadelphia

New York

Miami

San Diego 

LA

All of them dirty, dangerous, expensive, unfriendly, boring.

On 10/12/2020 at 2:10 AM, susiesan said:

So is Windstar signing onto this? If so, I will be cancelling Tahiti in January. I will not cruise with a mask and wil not be limited in going ashore. This would be the end of curing for me if all cruise lines adopt these ridiculous rules.

Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have many things in common - including their proximity to the original source of the COVID Virus.

They also have high density populations, elevating the risk of infection.

Yet, these 3 countries have surprisingly low infection and death rates from COVID.

They also have cruise ships currently calling at their ports - with zero infections onboard.

How is this possible?

Easy answer. Good manners and social responsibility.

People in those countries understand that masks are primarily not protection for you, but protection for those around you.

Wearing masks demonstrates respect and care for the health of people in your vicinity.

Unfortunately there are some countries that do not share these important values.

The results are painfully obvious to everyone.

If some pax do not have a vaccine, it increases the chance of an outbreak onboard the ship. If just one passenger has COVID, the chances are very great that the cruise will be cancelled and everyone sent home.

We saw how badly this was handled in the past - by the cruise lines and the local governments.

Is there any reason to believe that it would be better in the future?

Refusing to get a vaccine before a cruise (if it is even allowed by the cruise line and the destination ports) puts all other pax in danger of having their vacation ruined and losing a lot of money. It also endangers the crews’ health and their jobs. It is NOT all about you; it is all about US.