COVID Port Excursion Rules?

[eweiss1979]

Is Carnival restricting excursions to only Carnival bought excursions when they reopen? Just read a news story about MSC denying reboarding to guests who went on their own excursion and broke their policy of only participating in MSC's "virus safe" excursions.

[ontheweb]

They might, but that is not something any of us as of now knows.

[stellarose]

I have only used carnival excursions. I did a not cruise ship sponsored one when I was docked in Bermuda for 3 days.  other than that- I want to ensure I get back on the boat.

[MeganGC1983]

That’s a great way for them to get you to spend that OBC.😐🙄

[TNcruising02]

There is no telling what rules will be in place once Carnival resumes cruising.  Anyone with a cruise booked, myself included, needs to be ready for restrictions of all types.  I really don't have a problem with booking only Carnival excursions, covid testing, monitoring, temperature checks, or social distancing.  My biggest issue is the possible requirement for masks while watching shows and on deck because I find them extremely uncomfortable.  I do have a balcony booked for my next cruise. It will probably be awhile before I will feel comfortable booking an inside. 

[MeganGC1983]

4 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

There is no telling what rules will be in place once Carnival resumes cruising.  Anyone with a cruise booked, myself included, needs to be ready for restrictions of all types.  I really don't have a problem with booking only Carnival excursions, covid testing, monitoring, temperature checks, or social distancing.  My biggest issue is the possible requirement for masks while watching shows and on deck because I find them extremely uncomfortable.  I do have a balcony booked for my next cruise. It will probably be awhile before I will feel comfortable booking an inside. 

We have a cove balcony booked in January. When we cruised the first week of March, and GT denied us, rumors ran amok and I realized then... I never wanna be stuck in an inside just Incase. 
 

[teknoge3k]

I hope that's just a rumor and that isn't the way things go. We never do Carnival excursions and I don't really plan to. :\ 

[MsTabbyKats]

11 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

We have a cove balcony booked in January. When we cruised the first week of March, and GT denied us, rumors ran amok and I realized then... I never wanna be stuck in an inside just Incase. 
 

Yes...us too.  The last time we had an inside it was a guarantee on NCL (BA).  It was cable of "holding 4"...but honestly, that cabin was too small for 2, and we are light packers (one carry-on each).  During March 2020, when people were quarantined to their cabins...DH and I vowed never to have an inside again, no matter how good the price.

 

We're booked for a Lido Balcony (9/2021) on the Magic. If things go right, I'm gonna upgrade to a suite.  But, "right" includes being allowed off the ship by ourselves in ports.  If not....unlike "the old days"....port days will be very crowded on board.

[firefly333]

As most threads, no one knows, just another thread for guesses and speculation.

 

I often do carnival excursions as I'm solo and many of the others want 2 or more for better prices. 

[MsTabbyKats]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

As most threads, no one knows, just another thread for guesses and speculation.

 

I often do carnival excursions as I'm solo and many of the others want 2 or more for better prices. 

Of course I don't know the rules....but if they want to keep people in "the bubble" they'd have to keep you on the vehicle.  Once they let you off where "others roam" you could get infected (think museums, statues and other historic sites, markets, snacks, elevated points for views of the city). 

So, when most people opt "not to take this tour" everyone crowds on the lido.  Ship casino and ship shops will be closed.

 

[ontheweb]

3 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Of course I don't know the rules....but if they want to keep people in "the bubble" they'd have to keep you on the vehicle.  Once they let you off where "others roam" you could get infected (think museums, statues and other historic sites, markets, snacks, elevated points for views of the city). 

So, when most people opt "not to take this tour" everyone crowds on the lido.  Ship casino and ship shops will be closed.

 

That is called the law of unintended consequences.

 

And I agree that the only way they can make their excursions a bubble is to have no one ever get off the tour bus.

[firefly333]

12 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Of course I don't know the rules....but if they want to keep people in "the bubble" they'd have to keep you on the vehicle.  Once they let you off where "others roam" you could get infected (think museums, statues and other historic sites, markets, snacks, elevated points for views of the city). 

So, when most people opt "not to take this tour" everyone crowds on the lido.  Ship casino and ship shops will be closed.

 

Who knows they will opt to do this bubble stuff once vaccines start coming out. JnJ says they think their vaccine will be available starting this November.  Moderna says early 2021 for theirs. 

 

I'm not ready to assume what carnival will do. 

[chipmaster]

21 hours ago, eweiss1979 said:

Is Carnival restricting excursions to only Carnival bought excursions when they reopen? Just read a news story about MSC denying reboarding to guests who went on their own excursion and broke their policy of only participating in MSC's "virus safe" excursionsif.

 

What works in Italy is one big experiment, who knows what will happen and what state testing/outbreaks will be if and when cruising starts in other parts of the world and what the risk acceptance will be from the ports/countries.   A fine line between tourist dollars and a renewed pandemic.   Just look at Sturgis and all the outbreaks at Universities as to what happens when you bring groups of people together in a country totally out of control that can't follow simply rules for their own self good.

[sanger727]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Of course I don't know the rules....but if they want to keep people in "the bubble" they'd have to keep you on the vehicle.  Once they let you off where "others roam" you could get infected (think museums, statues and other historic sites, markets, snacks, elevated points for views of the city). 

So, when most people opt "not to take this tour" everyone crowds on the lido.  Ship casino and ship shops will be closed.

 

 

Other than the casino and shops being closed, how will it be different than a sea day? I don't think the casino and shops attract enough people during the day to significantly decrease the crowding in different areas of the ship. I don't think it will be a problem if more people than normal stay on the ship.  I completely agree with you about the future of the shore excursions if they are trying to create a "bubble"

[chipmaster]

4 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

Other than the casino and shops being closed, how will it be different than a sea day? I don't think the casino and shops attract enough people during the day to significantly decrease the crowding in different areas of the ship. I don't think it will be a problem if more people than normal stay on the ship.  I completely agree with you about the future of the shore excursions if they are trying to create a "bubble"

 

There is no bubble on the ship, or if you call the pod/bubble the whole set of cruisers as they will mingle everywhere and assume if one gets it that possible all will.

 

How you move that into small pods off ships is ridiculous, unless everyone social distances on the excursion ( wears masks and gloves and practices it perfectly ) they will be ripe to spread it.

 

You can assume a ship is infected ( with 1000 or more ) unless the random population is testing below .1% there will be someone infected on the ship even with pre cruising screening of negative.   Simply the law of biology, statistics and epidemiology

[MsTabbyKats]

7 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

Other than the casino and shops being closed, how will it be different than a sea day? I don't think the casino and shops attract enough people during the day to significantly decrease the crowding in different areas of the ship. I don't think it will be a problem if more people than normal stay on the ship.  I completely agree with you about the future of the shore excursions if they are trying to create a "bubble"

Many people liked to stay on the ship during port days because the ships were empty. 

With this scenario the ships would have way more than normal on a port day...but unlike a sea day....no casino...no shops.

[MsTabbyKats]

3 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

There is no bubble on the ship, or if you call the pod/bubble the whole set of cruisers as they will mingle everywhere and assume if one gets it that possible all will.

 

How you move that into small pods off ships is ridiculous, unless everyone social distances on the excursion ( wears masks and gloves and practices it perfectly ) they will be ripe to spread it.

 

You can assume a ship is infected ( with 1000 or more ) unless the random population is testing below .1% there will be someone infected on the ship even with pre cruising screening of negative.   Simply the law of biology, statistics and epidemiology

Good post....and all the more reason why I doubt there will be cruising before there is a vaccine/effective treatment.

[sanger727]

16 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

There is no bubble on the ship, or if you call the pod/bubble the whole set of cruisers as they will mingle everywhere and assume if one gets it that possible all will.

 

How you move that into small pods off ships is ridiculous, unless everyone social distances on the excursion ( wears masks and gloves and practices it perfectly ) they will be ripe to spread it.

 

You can assume a ship is infected ( with 1000 or more ) unless the random population is testing below .1% there will be someone infected on the ship even with pre cruising screening of negative.   Simply the law of biology, statistics and epidemiology

 

Oh, I completely agree. I think bubble on a ship is a complete farce. But that's how they are selling this idea.

[chipmaster]

1 minute ago, sanger727 said:

 

Oh, I completely agree. I think bubble on a ship is a complete farce. But that's how they are selling this idea.

 

The MSC cruise in Italy will be an interesting experiment where we won't know the results for another 4-6 weeks, I hope it all works out for them and us cruisers 😉

[ninjacat123]

DH and I are booked on a Jan 2021 cruise to Princess Cay.  Since it's the only port stop with day at sea on either side, I would think most everyone would want to disembark for that port stop. Then you would have your "empty ship" on a port day.  Thoughts?

[JB Books]

It may be much simpler just to fly to what would be the primary destination or two of a cruise, stay at the hotel of your choice, eat at a restaurant of your choice, and go on an excursion of your choice. Being on a cruise ship is nice, but for now, may not be worth the uncertainty and hassle. 😐

[coevan]

10 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yes...us too.  The last time we had an inside it was a guarantee on NCL (BA).  It was cable of "holding 4"...but honestly, that cabin was too small for 2, and we are light packers (one carry-on each).  During March 2020, when people were quarantined to their cabins...DH and I vowed never to have an inside again, no matter how good the price.

 

We're booked for a Lido Balcony (9/2021) on the Magic. If things go right, I'm gonna upgrade to a suite.  But, "right" includes being allowed off the ship by ourselves in ports.  If not....unlike "the old days"....port days will be very crowded on board.

 

 

Don’t waste your money on a suite. Carnival suites are not much bigger and the perks are minimal. Save your money for the Steak House and Chef’s Table

[MsTabbyKats]

34 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

Don’t waste your money on a suite. Carnival suites are not much bigger and the perks are minimal. Save your money for the Steak House and Chef’s Table

It's a splurge....and, just in case we get stranded at sea, a very nice splurge!  Our cruise budget based on "cruises not taken" is overflowing already.

 

"Food" on a cruise is wasted on us. But there are other indulgences...lol.

[coevan]

Enjoy whatever you do

[jmcancruise]

Of all of the new measures that may be put in place when cruising starts up again, this is the one that I find most concerning.  DH  and I like to enjoy the freedom of doing what we want when we want when we cruise.  Usually on a two week cruise (usually a b2b) we take maybe 2 carnival excursions and then do our own thing from there.  Many times we will head to a favorite beach and then go shopping or perhaps something else, but not real keen on being locked in to an excursion every day in order to get off the ship.

 

It is not just the lack of freedom, but also the cost.  Even if they bring the cost down, they would still have to expand their excursion options in order to accommodate  so many more cruisers.  We do have a twice cancelled cruise still booked for fall of 2021 and have chosen rooms we wouldn't find uncomfortable if we were quarantined.  DH and I have talked a lot about extra time spent on the ship, but we would really miss some of the things we had planned to do.  We have invested a lot of money on this vacation  and are trying really hard to change our mind set to the new normal.  Unfortunately we payed a nice chunk of this cruise with gift cards, otherwise we would probably just take our money and run.