Canadians - What to do - Cruise from US or All Inclusive?

[LuCruise]

We have a Royal cruise out of NJ in December and torn of what to do. Our final payment is coming up in September so need to make a decision soon.

 

Our family is fully vaccinated with same doses (kids got Pfizer, DH and I got Moderna).

 

From a cruise experience, we are fine with masks, glad that NJ will have 12+ vaccination rule.  A plus is that it most likely will not be a full ship. Minus is that some venues as of now are not running (one of the shows, rollerblading, escape room, etc), but that can change by December...and I know there is still lots to do.  The cruise has one stop at their private island so we would get off.  We would stay on the ship for the other two ports.

 

If we go, Dh would like to drive (...if border opens) as he feels it'll be easier to return in the chance that one of tests positive.  And perhaps it'll be safer being in our own car vs in an airport with lots of people (but there are rest stops, additional hotel, etc with driving). It's about an 8-10hr drive vs 1.5 hour flight (and I have issues with sitting for long periods of time).

 

But currently Royal is flying anyone back home that tests positive....so perhaps flying is better as our car would be stuck in NJ in the chance that this happens?

 

We also have a refundable booking at a reputable resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  The hotel tests for you to return to your home country.  But..if you test positive, then I believe you need to stay there for 10-14 days.

 

Option 1

Pay it off and decide closer to the date, leaning to Mexico but keeping cruise booking just in case.  If we pick the resort, the cruise money will go to FCC which we can use for March (same cruise booked - but Dec booking is about $500 more than March so we would lose money)

 

Option 2

Cancel the December cruise and go to the all inclusive

 

Option 3

Pay it off and continue with plan to go (drive or fly). 

 

It's a bit stressful though if one of us tests positive leading up to vacation.  We are all vaccinated and we would keep things low key leading up to the trip (no playdates or family get togethers), but kids go to school and DH and I could be back in the office by then.

 

What are other Canadians doing?  Are you planning on cruising, and if so, from where?  Or are you skipping cruising and doing all inclusive (or skipping vacation all together)?  In one sense, I almost feel like cruises are safer as they have strict protocols to board.  But the ship is indoors and so everyone together. And who knows if March will be any better.  Really torn....

[K_e_short]

I have more confidence that my March Break all inclusive to Mexico will go smoothly then any cruising right now.

 

The hotel I have booked in Mexico does free PCR testing and will make arrangements if you have to quarantine.

 

Based on what I'm seeing from every cruise line, it seems that it is a hassle to cruise.

 

The fact that the hotel I've booked knows I need a PCR test to get back to Canada and will do that for free shows that they:

1 - want Canadian business and will help us out

2 - know they need to be competitive

[iancal]

We are not considering considering cruises. 

 

 Looking at several destinations.  We do not plan to book anything until very close to our departure date.  Easy for us.  We are retired, no family or time issues.  Pre covid most of our travel was last minute and/or spontaneous.   Looking at land travels plus some AI time.

 

[LuCruise]

2 hours ago, K_e_short said:

I have more confidence that my March Break all inclusive to Mexico will go smoothly then any cruising right now.

 

The hotel I have booked in Mexico does free PCR testing and will make arrangements if you have to quarantine.

 

Based on what I'm seeing from every cruise line, it seems that it is a hassle to cruise.

 

The fact that the hotel I've booked knows I need a PCR test to get back to Canada and will do that for free shows that they:

1 - want Canadian business and will help us out

2 - know they need to be competitive

Thanks.  Our hotel does free PCR testing for 2 guests...so need to pay for other two.

They also currently seem to offer free stay in the case of needing quarantine....but that expires Sept 30.  Not sure if they will extend it or not.

[LuCruise]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

We are not considering considering cruises. 

 

 Looking at several destinations.  We do not plan to book anything until very close to our departure date.  Easy for us.  We are retired, no family or time issues.  Pre covid most of our travel was last minute and/or spontaneous.   Looking at land travels plus some AI time.

 

That's good you can wait and see.  We're tied to school holidays.  Only thing is how long we chance it by waiting in terms of the flight cost.

[ALD18]

We are not considering any type of sailing until late spring, at the earliest, of 2022.  The picture is continuously changing and only by baby steps.  I think by summer 2022 the dust will be pretty much settled or all the rules/guidelines internationally will be far more defined.  Right now anything until spring 2022 would cause me to much stress and work to confirm it is even going. 

[Alberta Quilter]

I'm vacationing within Canada.  The Canadian tourist companies need our help right now and I'm happy to support them.  With the Level 4 advisory against cruising, and the difficulty in getting insurance coverage, there is no way I would consider cruising until that is resolved.  Our next potential cruise is in one year and, as always, we'll evaluate whether we go as we approach final payment.

 

I'm going on the Rocky Mountaineer next week and, in early October, going to a place we've never been in Alberta but have always wanted to go.  Now is the time to do those types of things.  And we're supporting local (Canadian) businesses.

 

 

[Mud_Shark]

We have not yet given up on our November '21 cruises.  I can't say we are optimistic, but we remain open to the chance that we will be vacationing in Florida and cruising from Fort Lauderdale.  Have made final payment on two cruises, spaced out by a 4 day interval in between, so would need several COVID tests (4 in total times 2 people = 8 tests -- we are flying in 5 days before our fist cruise so this flight plus the two cruises plus the return = 4 each)).  This is a considerable added expense but if it works, and if insurance is satisfactory, and if the ships sail, and if the ports receive passengers, we might still sail.

 

Don

Edited August 25, 2021 by Mud_Shark

[Evilmuffin]

I have trips planned about every six months until 2023:

5 - 15 Dec 2021 - 10 day Panama Canal on Eurodam (originally Dec 2020 but cancelled)

15 - 22 Dec 2021 - 7 Day Tropical Caribbean on Eurodam (booked last week)

21 Jun - 17 Jul 2022 - 14 days to Kenya (Giraffe Hotel) and then two weeks in Germany

20 Jan - 9 Feb 2023 - Ocean Endeavour - Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia

13 - 25 Jul 203 - Ocean Endeavour - Iceland to Greenland (originally Jul 2020 but rescheduled)

 

It will be interesting to see which trips I will actually get to go on.   The first two trips on the Eurodam, HAL has a great program for cruises before 31 December.   If not, I don’t think I would go.   I hope by the time June comes around, things are more settled.    What I like about having the trips booked so far ahead, I figure once things get back to kinda normal (if ever), there will be a high demand for them and prices will be jacked up.   Plus now if a trip gets cancelled, I only have to wait around 6 months for the next one.

[jojal]

We normally go on a cruise, with a longer land vacation, and to all-inclusive resorts too.  Unfortunately, we've had our 2021/2022 Australian/New Zealand/TP cruises cancelled and have now rescheduled to 2023!  Seems like forever!  We are desperately missing our AI vacations too; we've gone one to three times a year, just to escape the cold, dark winter.  Right now, we simply don't feel comfortable flying anywhere or being on a cruise ship, even though we are fully vaccinated and healthy.  We have decided to try a different route (literally) and hope to drive down to the southern States for a holiday in January and February.  We are discouraged by the huge surges in cases here and in the US, though, so we are not optimistic.  Put it this way - cancellation policies have become VERY IMPORTANT.

[jojal]

Btw, just to add to the stress of wondering whether the US border will open to Canadian travellers,  all four of us (husband and me, brother and sister in law) have doses more than 42 days apart.  Who knows if they'll be accepted?  Our province is giving out 3rd doses for travel, so my BIL, who received AZ and Pfizer, will be able to get a 2nd Pfizer shot, thank goodness. 

[wetcoast]

I have the Pfizer/Moderna mix. I have an NCL cruise booked for November. Only 2 weeks left until final payment, hoping for a miracle- either BC allowing a 3rd dose or an announcement the US border will reopen Sept 21st so i can get a dose of J and J. I also have a deposit for an all inclusive in Cancun for the same dates as a backup-which seems  the most likely outcome. My next cruise booking is in March, hopefully things are sorted by then

[xcell]

I'm in a similar boat(ship) for Dec but only my kids are "properly" vaccinated with the USA specific protocols. I wish I had a back up plan with an AI but never looked into that, since I have always been a cruiser.

 

Everything is so up in the air this is like gambling.

 

As per the FCC, RCCL said they need to be used before April 2022 for a cruise before Sept 2022 which I think is unfair.

[LuCruise]

21 hours ago, K_e_short said:

I have more confidence that my March Break all inclusive to Mexico will go smoothly then any cruising right now.

 

The hotel I have booked in Mexico does free PCR testing and will make arrangements if you have to quarantine.

 

Based on what I'm seeing from every cruise line, it seems that it is a hassle to cruise.

 

The fact that the hotel I've booked knows I need a PCR test to get back to Canada and will do that for free shows that they:

1 - want Canadian business and will help us out

2 - know they need to be competitive

Can I ask what hotel you are staying at?  I just looked closer at the one we have booked (one of the Iberostar ones) and they only offer antigen tests for free.  There is a charge for PCR tests, which we need for Canada.  I just calculated it and it adds another $680 when converted to CAD.

[LuCruise]

6 hours ago, wetcoast said:

I have the Pfizer/Moderna mix. I have an NCL cruise booked for November. Only 2 weeks left until final payment, hoping for a miracle- either BC allowing a 3rd dose or an announcement the US border will reopen Sept 21st so i can get a dose of J and J. I also have a deposit for an all inclusive in Cancun for the same dates as a backup-which seems  the most likely outcome. My next cruise booking is in March, hopefully things are sorted by then

Exactly what we did...Before we never would have had more than one booking, but now, we have all these refundable bookings (cruise and AI for Dec, 2 cruise options for March 2022)

[nbsjcruiser]

We had 3 cruises booked up until about a month ago. Two Caribbean for the fall have been cancelled and we cancelled our British Isles for Spring 2022. I suspect that the next time we're on a ship will be because we happened to be in Florida and decided to pick up a last minute. That way we can see if the precautions in place are appropriate, that there will not be PCR tests required and that our vaccine regimen will be acceptable. Until I can get those 3 caveats covered, we wont be cruising anytime soon. Our next "planned" cruise is February 2023 10 day Southern Caribbean. I'd say that surely things will be back to normal by then but then again, who thought they'd see the Yanks making such a mess out of their situation. I put nothing by them at this point.

[ALD18]

8 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

We had 3 cruises booked up until about a month ago. Two Caribbean for the fall have been cancelled and we cancelled our British Isles for Spring 2022. I suspect that the next time we're on a ship will be because we happened to be in Florida and decided to pick up a last minute. That way we can see if the precautions in place are appropriate, that there will not be PCR tests required and that our vaccine regimen will be acceptable. Until I can get those 3 caveats covered, we wont be cruising anytime soon. Our next "planned" cruise is February 2023 10 day Southern Caribbean. I'd say that surely things will be back to normal by then but then again, who thought they'd see the Yanks making such a mess out of their situation. I put nothing by them at this point.

Spot on!!!!  Our philosophy as well, mid 2022 at the earliest.  Only change would be to expand Yanks to Global community.  Everywhere is struggling to get things figured and straightened out.

[mabt]

The risks around cruising right now are less about catching COVID itself, and more about your travel plans being disrupted because of shifting COVID protocols.

 

If you are uncomfortable with the idea that almost anything could change, without warning, possibly forcing you to cancel your cruise, then a land vacation might be a better bet for you.  Although it's worth pointing out that even with land vacations, nothing is certain.

 

We are leaving for our cruise tomorrow.  In the six weeks since I booked it, we have had to deal with one of us magically becoming "unvaccinated" (that is, I was vaccinated according to their policy at the time I booked, and then suddenly I wasn't), uncertainty around the border reopening (we also planned to drive to New Jersey "if the border reopened" - it didn't), and a significant change in on-board protocols (we booked with the understanding that the cruise would be mask-free; there is now an indoor mask mandate).

 

And then there's the paperwork.  I have an entire duotang filled with printed travel documents for my family: travel attestation forms for our flight to New York, vaccination records, negative test results, Bahamian Health Visas.  Not to mention the mild anxiety over test results; I was fully confident that none of us actually have COVID, but false positives on antigen tests have been known to happen, and the consequences for our cruise if it did were not good.  (Luckily, all negative.)

 

Point is, I am stubborn and determined enough to roll with the changes and find a way to make it work - although I'm not sure I'll really believe we're going until we're actually on the ship!  But for most people, the stress is probably not worth it.

 

[K_e_short]

2 hours ago, LuCruise said:

Can I ask what hotel you are staying at?  I just looked closer at the one we have booked (one of the Iberostar ones) and they only offer antigen tests for free.  There is a charge for PCR tests, which we need for Canada.  I just calculated it and it adds another $680 when converted to CAD.

 

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. The website link below shows where they state the free tests.

I am part of a Facebook group and the members there said a few resorts in Cancun/Playa del Carmen were doing free tests, but I have no idea which other ones.

 

https://www.sandos.com/travel-updates

[LuCruise]

36 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

 

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. The website link below shows where they state the free tests.

I am part of a Facebook group and the members there said a few resorts in Cancun/Playa del Carmen were doing free tests, but I have no idea which other ones.

 

https://www.sandos.com/travel-updates

Lol...we actually had that resort initially booked....then we switched to the Iberostar Lindo. 

Our booking is only 5 nights though so it wouldn't cover us.  Really great though that they offer this for 7+ nights.

[MamatoJack]

I'm looking at AI's as well. My next cruise is March break 2022 and I am mixed vac so hoping it's settled by then, but since PIF is in December I kind of need to know by then. I hope it all works out. At least my son will be vaccinated (he was finally able to get his first dose when Ontario opened them to all kids born in 2009), he'll be done by end of September and within the proper time lines.

 

I have read that a number of the AI's offer the US anitgen test free, but the one we need is not free. That applies to Punta Cana and Mexico resorts. Since it's just two of us that isn't a huge deal but as you get into bigger families I can see how it really adds up. I am also hopeful that the testing requirements for fully vaxxed (by Canada standards) will go away at some point.

[jojal]

9 hours ago, wetcoast said:

I have the Pfizer/Moderna mix. I have an NCL cruise booked for November. Only 2 weeks left until final payment, hoping for a miracle- either BC allowing a 3rd dose or an announcement the US border will reopen Sept 21st so i can get a dose of J and J. I also have a deposit for an all inclusive in Cancun for the same dates as a backup-which seems  the most likely outcome. My next cruise booking is in March, hopefully things are sorted by then

I am shocked but so pleased our Conservative province is offering a 3rd dose for travel.  I hope all other areas do the same.  My brother in AB has mixed doses and really hopes this occurs.

[jojal]

I'm amazed that so many people feel comfortable on planes right now.  Last year, I made the mistake of checking the Canadian government site listing all flights with Covid cases, so possible exposures to other passengers.  It is scary.  Right now, there are 253 domestic flights listed with exposures for August 11 - 22.  International flights - 266 (August 11 - 23).  Wow!!! 

[K_e_short]

9 minutes ago, jojal said:

I'm amazed that so many people feel comfortable on planes right now.  Last year, I made the mistake of checking the Canadian government site listing all flights with Covid cases, so possible exposures to other passengers.  It is scary.  Right now, there are 253 domestic flights listed with exposures for August 11 - 22.  International flights - 266 (August 11 - 23).  Wow!!! 

 

Eventually that will not be as much of a concern as everyone will need to be vaccinated on a plane in Canada.

 

[jojal]

I can't wait for the day it's required.  However, it needs to be mandatory everywhere:  planes within Canada, leaving Canada, and coming into Canada.