When will things start back up?

[clo]

2 hours ago, RJB said:

Would have no  interest in flying to these places in the Carib. to start and end a cruise.  It we were going to fly it would be to someplace much more interesting than the Carib. 

I was telling my husband about this at lunch. We pretty much said in unison "been there, done that."

[pinotlover]

The mass market lines will have no problem filling those ships. People are ready to vacation and party. 70+ year olds are probably not the target demographic for these cruises. 

[chloemonkey]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

The mass market lines will have no problem filling those ships. People are ready to vacation and party. 70+ year olds are probably not the target demographic for these cruises. 

Loved your reference to the "demographic!".....but have to admit that we are half in/half close to that number and are NOT too proud to do yet another Caribbean cruise!  Miss cruising, miss the casinos onboard....miss the OCEAN!  Both while onboard and in port.  So we are willing to spend money to repeat some of our favorite Caribbean ports/memories!

[clo]

15 minutes ago, chloemonkey said:

Loved your reference to the "demographic!".....but have to admit that we are half in/half close to that number and are NOT too proud to do yet another Caribbean cruise!  Miss cruising, miss the casinos onboard....miss the OCEAN!  Both while onboard and in port.  So we are willing to spend money to repeat some of our favorite Caribbean ports/memories!

So is it the Caribbean that's appealing or cruising?

[RJB]

10 hours ago, clo said:

So is it the Caribbean that's appealing or cruising?

Mostly miss cruising.  Been to the Carib so many times I can't count that much.   Do miss cruising, but not to the extent it is hard to get to the ship. Those islands have tiny airports and to get thousands of people in and out will be a big mess.  Not for us.  

[pinotlover]

19 minutes ago, RJB said:

Mostly miss cruising.  Been to the Carib so many times I can't count that much.   Do miss cruising, but not to the extent it is hard to get to the ship. Those islands have tiny airports and to get thousands of people in and out will be a big mess.  Not for us.  

I’m guessing it’ll be made easy. The charter flights will be scheduled in, extra immigration officials will be on duty and people will be whisked through to waiting buses to take them to the dock. The flights may not be scheduled to arrive until noontime thus giving the ship plenty of turn around time. Also gives those Disembarking time to get to the airport and get checked in. 
 

It’s not my thing, but I regularly meet fellow Oceania passengers that never or rarely get off the ship. If you never/ rarely get off the ship, does it matter where one never gets off the ship at?

 

There are people that are tired of being locked up and just want to GO. Those cruises will easily sell out very quickly. 

[LHT28]

Great news  for those that just want to go on a ship  & be in the heat

 Enjoy

 Not for me

[Kate-AHF]

8 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Great news  for those that just want to go on a ship  & be in the heat

 Enjoy

 Not for me

 

90% of the time, we cruise to see and experience the world.  But that last 10%, sometimes we just want to get warm in the winter, and really could care less about where the ship goes in the Caribbean.  We may get off in port, we may not.  

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, Kate-AHF said:

 

90% of the time, we cruise to see and experience the world.  But that last 10%, sometimes we just want to get warm in the winter, and really could care less about where the ship goes in the Caribbean.  We may get off in port, we may not.  

Sure  I have done the Caribbean in our winter months  but  summer in the heat & humidity  no thanks

 Been to Virginia beach in the summer    it was 100F  when we were there    we no longer go to the USA in the summer either LOL

I can suffer here at  home for less $$

YMMV

Enjoy

[Nashna]

I am restricted to cruise from the US for the forseeable future.  I had a detached retina in my left eye last summer and the doctor is concerned about the same thing happening to the right eye.  If I get a detached retina, flying with it untreated, could blind me in that eye.  So, if I want to cruise, it is from a US port.  Interestingly, had Covid not occured, I would have been on a Viking Northern European cruise when the retina detached.  I currently have three different cruises booked out of Florida.  I'm happy to go anywhere at this point. 

[Tranquility Base]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

There are people that are tired of being locked up and just want to GO. Those cruises will easily sell out very quickly. 

I agree.

Plus, as has been mention perviously, if people want to see more extensive cruising start up in the later part of the year these are very important first steps.

 

It is largely irrelevant if many people aren't interested.

Having other people who are OK with going is what is important.

 

It is good to see at least some cruise lines starting to get the boilers fired up in preparation.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Tranquility Base

[Kate-AHF]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Sure  I have done the Caribbean in our winter months  but  summer in the heat & humidity  no thanks

 Been to Virginia beach in the summer    it was 100F  when we were there    we no longer go to the USA in the summer either LOL

I can suffer here at  home for less $$

YMMV

Enjoy

 

Absolutely agree.  No reason to broil in the Caribbean when I can do that at home for free.  That said, we are, thank heavens, in the mountains of Virginia and not the shore.

[pinotlover]

I’ve watched the sporting events on tv with all the cut out cardboard placards pretending to be people. Somehow, I don’t believe the millions that flock the beaches of Florida, Alabama, South Texas, and especially Hawaii every summer are cardboard placards. They may be largely a different demographic than posts here, but they are not cardboard placards. 
 

Oceania has typically ran both an O & R ship in the Carribe every Fall-Spring. Don’t know how full the ships are but someone is taking them or they wouldn’t sail.

 

The mass market lines will have no problem filling those ships with people wanting to travel and hit the beaches.

Being customers of a small niche line, our absence won’t be noticed. Last night on tv Majestic Ships, Symphony of the Seas was featured. That ship holds about as many passengers as all of Oceania’s ships combined. Look at that huge demographic and ask them how many would take a beach cruise vacation. 😂

Edited March 20, 2021 by pinotlover

[RJB]

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

I’m guessing it’ll be made easy. The charter flights will be scheduled in, extra immigration officials will be on duty and people will be whisked through to waiting buses to take them to the dock. The flights may not be scheduled to arrive until noontime thus giving the ship plenty of turn around time. Also gives those Disembarking time to get to the airport and get checked in. 
 

It’s not my thing, but I regularly meet fellow Oceania passengers that never or rarely get off the ship. If you never/ rarely get off the ship, does it matter where one never gets off the ship at?

 

There are people that are tired of being locked up and just want to GO. Those cruises will easily sell out very quickly. 

Sounds good on paper, but will not be as easy in real life.   Too many people and too little space.  Most of these airports are tiny. and can't handle all these people plus their regular tourists that come every winter.  Good luck to anyone who wants to try it.  We will wait until we can drive to Miami or FLL to take a Carib. cruise. 

[Tranquility Base]

On 3/16/2021 at 2:31 PM, Paulchili said:

When is the last time during the spring break did we have to deal with 500,000+ deaths due to an easily transmittable infectious disease that they may help to propagate?

Correct.

I see the Mayor of Miami Beach has had to declare a state of emergency and set a curfew due to the spring break crowds.

[RJB]

On 3/21/2021 at 12:21 AM, Tranquility Base said:

Correct.

I see the Mayor of Miami Beach has had to declare a state of emergency and set a curfew due to the spring break crowds.

Quite sad for Miami Beach.   Send all these kids home.

[Erndog72]

God bless Florida!!
https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6030/

 

[Tranquility Base]

China has admitted their vaccine has low effectiveness and they are considering mixing with other vaccines to increase effectiveness.

They have distributed hundreds of millions of doses to various countries around the World.

 

This, combined with AstraZeneca limitations recommended by some countries, should be a concern as to how long Covid will still be a problem for many countries.

 

Still lots of vaccine development and learning to come as we strive for high levels of Global protection.   

[GeorgesGal]

On 3/12/2021 at 1:04 PM, njhorseman said:

And for seven days solely in the Bahamas no less...not exactly where I'm looking to cruise on any cruise line.

Don't sell the Family Islands and other out-islands of The Bahamas short!  These islands are NOT Nassau or Freeport!!! Not one iota; their people are extremely warm and friendly and the islands are, for the most part, not spoiled.  Go and enjoy - you'll be very surprised and perhaps return to one of them for a week or two of what The Bahamas really are.

Donna

[GeorgesGal]

On 3/13/2021 at 8:14 AM, Redtravel said:

Bahamas.....July?  No way.  My honeymoon was there in July. It was extremely hot and very uncomfortable.  It was cheap because of the season. No sane person would go there in the summer. The humidity makes summer in Florida seem great.  Aside from the beach, casino, and some shopping, there isn’t much to see.  Many areas are not safe for tourists. I have gone back a few times with friends.  Aside from being with friends, the Bahamas is not my choice.  
while I understand the problems involved in a startup, I will not be going to an undesirable location.   

 

Sounds like your experience in The Bahamas is on Nassau or Freeport.  They are not representative of The Bahama Islands - they are the equivalent of a large city with the same problems we have here in the U.S.  Try the Abaco chain.  Try the Family Islands.  Truly a different world all together;  these are heavenly.

Donna

[Tranquility Base]

CDC & FDA have recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson  vaccine while possible blood clot issues are investigated. 

 

Australia has said they will not order the Johnson  & Johnson vaccine following their decision to recommend  restrictions on the AstraZeneca vaccine.

They are now not sure if their population will have all received their 1st dose by the end of the year. 

[Hanoverian]

IMHO, I doubt that this will change much of anything, but one never knows in the world of politics.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24765-senators-introduce-bill-allowing-to-restart-cruising-by-july-4.html

 

 

[neilrr]

Hi All:

 

Based on the CDC information below -- this appears how we will return to cruising - once the cruise lines grasp all of the rules and requirements. I found this in the Celebrity thread.

Good luck to the cruise lines meeting every requirement.😪

 

I did have a post yesterday agreeing with FDR of NCL on vaccination requirements for all, but it appears somebody (Big Brother) did not like my post in another thread (which was not at all mean or spiteful) and eliminated it. 😲

 

"The CRUISE Act also requires the CDC to issue recommendations for how mitigate the risk of COVID-19 aboard cruise ships by June 1."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/maritime/recommendations-for-ships.html

 

Happy Sailing!! Hope to see everyone soon...🛳️😁

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, neilrr said:

Hi All:

 

Based on the CDC information below -- this appears how we will return to cruising - once the cruise lines grasp all of the rules and requirements. I found this in the Celebrity thread.

Good luck to the cruise lines meeting every requirement.😪

 

I did have a post yesterday agreeing with FDR of NCL on vaccination requirements for all, but it appears somebody (Big Brother) did not like my post in another thread (which was not at all mean or spiteful) and eliminated it. 😲

 

"The CRUISE Act also requires the CDC to issue recommendations for how mitigate the risk of COVID-19 aboard cruise ships by June 1."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/maritime/recommendations-for-ships.html

 

Happy Sailing!! Hope to see everyone soon...🛳️😁

There's nothing very new or exciting in what you're citing. You may have missed the following in the cited CDC information (bold type added by me for emphasis):

• "Cruise ships[1] that are under CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO)external icon should additionally continue to follow the requirements of the CSO and the Technical Instructions for Mitigation of COVID-19 Among Cruise Ship Crew. This guidance does not constitute permission or recommendations for cruise ships under the CSO to resume boarding passengers. "

[pinotlover]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

There's nothing very new or exciting in what you're citing. You may have missed the following in the cited CDC information (bold type added by me for emphasis):

• "Cruise ships[1] that are under CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO)external icon should additionally continue to follow the requirements of the CSO and the Technical Instructions for Mitigation of COVID-19 Among Cruise Ship Crew. This guidance does not constitute permission or recommendations for cruise ships under the CSO to resume boarding passengers. "

The cruise lines need to stop wasting time and money on the CDC. Move those operations outside of US waters to countries that want tourism and get on with life.