I Guess Alaska Cruises Will Be Cancelled Soon

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Barbados. 

Can't do Barbados in 7 nights from NJ

[Yorkvillain]

17 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Can't do Barbados in 7 nights from NJ

Just have to drive faster 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Yorkvillain

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, NancyIL said:

Airfare to Alaska (Anchorage and Fairbanks) is pretty reasonable this summer. Now that there won't be land tours operated by cruise ships - hotel prices may drop, too.  Rent a car and plan a land trip!

That's exactly what we are doing!  Husband is going to adjust airline tickets to round trip to Anchorage.  I like this better.  I can hike and explore on my time rather than an excursion.

[jean87510]

Alaska cruises for 2021 already off the web page.  

[kccrzr]

18 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

That's exactly what we are doing!  Husband is going to adjust airline tickets to round trip to Anchorage.  I like this better.  I can hike and explore on my time rather than an excursion.

 

We will probably do this too.  Just wish I wasn't "losing" cabin 1100.

[Blizzard54]

This in not a surprise at all.  The only question is how long it will take for Royal to announce the options and open up L&S.

I have 2 sailings that I have already shifted once and will probably shift again.  

[reallyitsmema]

39 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

That's exactly what we are doing!  Husband is going to adjust airline tickets to round trip to Anchorage.  I like this better.  I can hike and explore on my time rather than an excursion.

 

Great choice!  We did three days on our own in the Anchorage area prior to our cruisetour out of Fairbanks a few years ago.  We loved all the stops along the Turnagain Arm along on the Seward Highway.  We found this link with all the mile markers very helpful.

 

https://www.alaska.org/guide/seward-highway

[sgk2000]

Lift and Shift

We are on Aug 31, 2021 10 Night PreTour cruise on Radiance.  Can we still Lift and Shift to cruise in 2022 or has that ended?

[RFerrington]

7 minutes ago, sgk2000 said:

Lift and Shift

We are on Aug 31, 2021 10 Night PreTour cruise on Radiance.  Can we still Lift and Shift to cruise in 2022 or has that ended?

Nobody knows yet but if they follow the same process that they did for the QN AK cancellations, they will offer you a L&S to the same ship +1 year +/- 1 week.

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Nobody knows yet but if they follow the same process that they did for the QN AK cancellations, they will offer you a L&S to the same ship +1 year +/- 1 week.

On Celebrity no L&S extension.  I would think RCL will not offer L&S.  They already did 2020 to 2021 and are mostly booked for 2022.  Me thinks a refund or rebook is likely.

[jean87510]

57 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Great choice!  We did three days on our own in the Anchorage area prior to our cruisetour out of Fairbanks a few years ago.  We loved all the stops along the Turnagain Arm along on the Seward Highway.  We found this link with all the mile markers very helpful.

 

https://www.alaska.org/guide/seward-highway

Thank you!  We are looking at Denali for 3 days from Anchorage then either leave out of Fairbanks or back to Anchorage.  We decided just to do a week in Alaska.  Very excited about it as this has been on the bucket list forever.  Luckily we love nature and hiking and this is right up our alley.  Yes its sad, not unexpected but I have discovered other ways to vacation in freedom until these restrictions are loosened.  Ive been to Arizona, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee during this.  Always social distancing and careful.  Walking with masks herded like sheep on a ship excursion is NOT how I wanted my 1st time in Alaska to be.  Will of course wear the mask even with the vaccine 🙄 where required but will have more flexibility and freedom on my own.  

[reallyitsmema]

12 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Thank you!  We are looking at Denali for 3 days from Anchorage then either leave out of Fairbanks or back to Anchorage.  We decided just to do a week in Alaska.  Very excited about it as this has been on the bucket list forever.  Luckily we love nature and hiking and this is right up our alley.  Yes its sad, not unexpected but I have discovered other ways to vacation in freedom until these restrictions are loosened.  Ive been to Arizona, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee during this.  Always social distancing and careful.  Walking with masks herded like sheep on a ship excursion is NOT how I wanted my 1st time in Alaska to be.  Will of course wear the mask even with the vaccine 🙄 where required but will have more flexibility and freedom on my own.  

 

We flew into Anchorage and spent three days in that area, getting used to the time change and exploring on our own.  We flew from ANC to FAI to meet our cruisetour that included two days in Denali.  Cruisetour then came down to Seward by bus for a southbound Radiance cruise.  We were glad we had done the days we did stopping at our leisure and exploring as we didn't stop on the Seward highway at all on the cruisetour.  We want to visit Alaska again and spend a couple weeks but DH can't take that much time off right now.  We were settling for a Quantum sailing this May, but we were already cancelled and have lifted and shifted to 2022.  

 

The only thing we regret is not going to see the bore tide when we were in Anchorage.  We were lucky enough to have one while we were there but we had flown all day from the east coast and were exhausted, so we didn't want to drive that windy highway.  If there is a bore tide while you are there, they are supposed to be really cool to see.  We were there when there was going to be one of the few high ones.

 

https://www.anchorage.net/blog/alaska-bore-tide-viewing/

Edited February 4, 2021 by reallyitsmema

[AtlantaCruiser72]

RCG sunsetted the Lift & Shift Program on 1/31/21 and stated they would not be resuming it in future.  So anyone hoping to L&S 2021 AK sailings to 2022 is most likely out of luck.  It looks likely that it will either be refund or FCC at this point and rebooking at prevailing (sky-high!) fares.

[reallyitsmema]

1 minute ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

RCG sunsetted the Lift & Shift Program on 1/31/21 and stated they would not be resuming it in future.  So anyone hoping to L&S 2021 AK sailings to 2022 is most likely out of luck.  It looks likely that it will either be refund or FCC at this point and rebooking at prevailing (sky-high!) fares.

 

Alaska Quantum sailings were already cancelled two weeks ago and we were allowed to lift and shift.

[h20skibum]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If they stick with the same lift and shift options as they did with Quantum you may be limited in only shifting to the same ship....or an FCC for your deposit and book at prevailing rates

Fortunately, we took the refund for our first couple cruises that were canceled in 2020, and only did a L&as for the one we had this January.  That leaves us open to book whatever port we want.  

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Just now, reallyitsmema said:

 

Alaska Quantum sailings were already cancelled two weeks ago and we were allowed to lift and shift.

 

That was BEFORE the program was ended by RCG.  The program officially ended on 1/31/21, and is no longer available for any ship/date.  It  had nothing to do with sail dates, but rather the program being discontinued based on a calendar date deadline to make the request.

[Mapleleafforever]

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Can't do Barbados in 7 nights from NJ

Ahahaha I meant Bermuda. What a brain fart.....

[reallyitsmema]

6 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

That was BEFORE the program was ended by RCG.  The program officially ended on 1/31/21, and is no longer available for any ship/date.  It  had nothing to do with sail dates, but rather the program being discontinued based on a calendar date deadline to make the request.

 

They were all cruises that did not qualify for lift and shift under the program that ended 1/31/21 because they were all sailings starting after April 30, 2021. Lift and shift was offered for the same date in 2022 +/- one week.  

[Ourusualbeach]

14 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

That was BEFORE the program was ended by RCG.  The program officially ended on 1/31/21, and is no longer available for any ship/date.  It  had nothing to do with sail dates, but rather the program being discontinued based on a calendar date deadline to make the request.

Royal has already stated that Lift and shift would be offered for future cancellations.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Ourusualbeach

[sgk2000]

20 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Royal has already stated that Lift and shift would be offered for future cancellations.

Thank You!

[mek]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Already planning a road trip to Banff, Jasper and Vancouver.  We were going to drive cross Canada but I found out that I can fly the 4 of us from Hamilton (Toronto) to Edmonton for $715 total including taxes.  from there we will rent a SUV for the week.  Saves 6 days of driving and hotels.

I was just talking to my husband about doing a trip to the Canadian rockies but it would depend on us being able to drive into Canada and I'm not sure that will be a possibility this summer.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

35 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Royal has already stated that Lift and shift would be offered for future cancellations.

 

While they certainly could do so if they wanted, they have removed the tool to request Lift & Shift from the travel agent system and consumer websites and all communications to travel agents indicate the program is done and gone.  Today was the deadline to request Quantum AK 2021 Lift & Shift requests (which had different terms to begin with), all others were due on or before 1/31 when the program was officially ended.  Additionally the Lift & Shift program had only covered sailings through 4/30/21, so (with exception to certain AK 2021 Quantum bookings) the 2021 AK season was ineligible from the get-go.

 

As with so many things right now the answers/rules can, and do, keep changing

Edited February 5, 2021 by AtlantaCruiser72

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, mek said:

I was just talking to my husband about doing a trip to the Canadian rockies but it would depend on us being able to drive into Canada and I'm not sure that will be a possibility this summer.

I don’t see the land border crossings opening either.

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

While they certainly could do so if they wanted, they have removed the tool to request Lift & Shift from the travel agent system and consumer websites and all communications to travel agents indicate the program is done and gone.  Today was the deadline to request Quantum AK 2021 Lift & Shift requests (which had different terms to begin with), all others were due on or before 1/31 when the program was officially ended.  Additionally the Lift & Shift program had only covered sailings through 4/30/21, so the 2021 AK season was ineligible from the get-go.

 

As with so many things right now the answers/rules can, and do, keep changing

Vicki Freed SVP sales announced it to around 5000 travel agents on a recent webinar that a modified version of lift and shift would be made available for sailings that Royal cancels.  They have also modified the FAQ’s to state that second lift and shifts are now allowed in the event that Royal cancels the sailings which due to when lift and shift started would only apply to sailings after April 30, 2022 which is when the original L&S ended.
 

It is inactive because the free for all lift and shift program ended

[AtlantaCruiser72]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Vicki Freed SVP sales announced it to around 5000 travel agents on a recent webinar that a modified version of lift and shift would be made available for sailings that Royal cancels.  They have also modified the FAQ’s to state that second lift and shifts are now allowed in the event that Royal cancels the sailings which due to when lift and shift started would only apply to sailings after April 30, 2022 which is when the original L&S ended.
 

It is inactive because the free for all lift and shift program ended

 

I did not attend that particular webinar and the revised T&C of the CWC program do not indicate the program may be offered on future rounds of sailing suspensions, so that is what I was going from.  I do not doubt she said it, but it is not in writing that it is a "definite" - but these days what is "definite" in any respect??!!!  LOL  The ability to L&S a 2nd time if RCG suspend a sailing that had already been voluntarily L&S is not new, but the additional language in the T&C of CWC referencing it is new.

 

The general L&S program was being HEAVILY abused by consumers with many booking the cheapest 2021 sailing they could find and then L&S to a far more expensive 2022 sailing on a different ship.  In many respects the program was designed to provide flexibility to consumers during an uncertain time, but also opened a big can of worms for consumers to game the system!

 

As with so much these days - it's available until it becomes unavailable and unavailable until it becomes available