Cruising with very young unvaccinated kids

[PumpkinPatches]

Yes, I know this is going to be an unpopular topic.  And I completely understand what most of you will be thinking.  Please please be kind in your comments.  I am just a Mom looking for advice.

 

We're a family of 4 (kids ages 2 & 4) from BC Canada.  We booked a dream cruise to the Greek Isles on NCL Escape a VERY long time ago.  The cruise is for May 31, 2022... still 7 months away.  However final payment is getting closer on Jan 31, 2022.

 

While we totally get the decision from NCL to offer fully vaxxed cruises, we are struggling with the latest news to extend this "indefinitely".  What does that mean?  til Jan, Feb, March, September, maybe into 2024?  Basically, we're not sure if this means we need to be worried about our own cruise or not (even though we're totally stressing out).  We have our flights, hotels, and many amazing once-in-a-lifetime excursions booked.  We need to know what's up before we start cancelling everything, which is the last thing we want to do. 

 

We're planning to hold off on making any big decisions until it's time, whenever final payment will be.  Maybe they'll extend it past January? That's my hope, so the gap between final payment and cruise day can be as small as possible.  I would hate to cancel in January, just for the pandemic to be over by April and our cruise is perfectly fine for us to go on, except for the fact that we cancelled. 

 

Anyways, I just want to get a sense for what the community thinks.  Please comment below (and please be respectful.  This will be our 6th cancelled cruise since the shutdown and we are tired of going between planning and getting super excited for our vacation to un-planning everything and being very disappointed while we erase yet another amazing holiday off our calendar).  

 

We would love to know if you think a cruise on May 31 is out of the question for us, or if we should still have hope.  We have no idea what to think and would love your feedback.

[lepidoptera]

Sorry, I think there is almost no chance that the children will be allowed to go. It seems unlikely that things will that much better. Also I doubt NCL will change its policy from 100% vaccination. The only hope would be vaccines are approved for younger children at least 5 weeks precruise, in time to get both shots of pfizer and the the 2 week wait period to be considered fully vaccinated. 

[JC5240]

I definitely sympathize with you. I had to cancel an entire honeymoon because of the pandemic basically twice (in hindsight it was a blessing, as we decided to dissolve our relationship). 
 

Assuming you’re okay with vaccinating your children if/when the time comes vaccines are available for their age group, I’d “wait and see” how the world looks in January, and if they’d be eligible for vaccinations. I think we can safely say that indefinitely means exactly that. Could be 5 months. Could be 5 years. Could be our lifetime. 
 

if you’re hesitant about vaccinations, I’d think about canceling with NCL and perhaps seeing if another cruise line is sailing around the same time/region that you booked so you don’t have to scrap the entire trip altogether. 
 

Either way, I think I’d wait until final payment before making any real decisions. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by JC5240
Spelling

[BirdTravels]

We are very happy with NCL's decision to continue with 100% vaccinated cruises while pandemic levels of infection continue worldwide. They are taking all possible precautions to mitigate the risk of having COVID outbreaks on the ships. Will it still happen? Sure, even with 100% vaccination and testing at check-in, there will still be isolated cases of COVID on NCL ships. But until worldwide COVID infection rates drop, mitigating the risk is what should be done.

 

And, there are other major cruise lines who are happy to have unvaccinated kids onboard. 

[julig22]

Highly unlikely that NCL will lift the vaccination ban anytime soon.  So that leaves vaccinations if available or leaving your kids at home for this one if you still want to go.  Not being critical but having just come back from a cruise to Italy & Greece, I wouldn't put it on my list as a kid oriented itinerary.

Hard to say if payment deadlines will change.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, PumpkinPatches said:

We're a family of 4 (kids ages 2 & 4) from BC Canada.  We booked a dream cruise to the Greek Isles on NCL Escape a VERY long time ago.  

With kids those ages, there are likely much more enjoyable vacation options.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Indefinitely means just that. Until NCL announce an end date to vaccine mandates you need to expect them to be in place.  I fully anticipate they will last at least through the 1st half, if not all, of 2022 - especially for international travel. They continue to monitor the situation and are taking a VERY cautious course.  2023 Europe on NCL is fully published and they offer most of the same itineraries and have many good promos.  I would highly consider moving the trip until then.

[glennmartin]

kids will not be allowed to travel until fully vaccinated, and really no un vaccinated people should be allowed to cruise or fly 

[hallux]

5 hours ago, lepidoptera said:

The only hope would be vaccines are approved for younger children at least 5 weeks precruise, in time to get both shots of pfizer and the the 2 week wait period to be considered fully vaccinated. 

I wouldn't make final payment and hope that the vaccine is approved in time for the kids to sail.  See this recent thread about the headache someone had when doing just that.  Note that once the vaccine received the go-ahead from the proper authorities the OP relied on the 'grace period' to get the second shot a few days early so they could meet the 2 week waiting period after the second shot, which NCL may not account for - 

 

[CruizinKittie40]

2 hours ago, glennmartin said:

kids will not be allowed to travel until fully vaccinated, and really no un vaccinated people should be allowed to cruise or fly 

Agreed!!!

Just take your kids to Disney

[glennmartin]

1 minute ago, CruizinKittie40 said:

Agreed!!!

Just take your kids to Disney

once everyone has been vaccinated there will be no problems but the kids can catch and transmit to others 

 

we have no disney in the UK so we need to fly everywhere

[glennmartin]

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

I wouldn't make final payment and hope that the vaccine is approved in time for the kids to sail.  See this recent thread about the headache someone had when doing just that.  Note that once the vaccine received the go-ahead from the proper authorities the OP relied on the 'grace period' to get the second shot a few days early so they could meet the 2 week waiting period after the second shot, which NCL may not account for - 

 

cannot do this if coming from the UK the time between first and 2nd jab can be up to 12 weeks and then its 6 months for your 3rd shot

[Oakman58]

All you can really do is wait and see.  With so many people refusing to get vaccinated I don't think this virus will be going away any time soon.  Just be sure to keep track of all the dates that allow you to cancel the hotel, airline, and cruise without losing money.

[ontheweb]

The first thing I would do in your situation is to see if you can get the final payment deadline extended explaining that you really have to wait until there is approval for children as young as yours to get vaccinated before you can make a final decision. Hopefully, they will work with you on this. It would seem that you would not be the only ones with this dilemma. I hope this works out for you.

[Laszlo]

8 hours ago, PumpkinPatches said:

Yes, I know this is going to be an unpopular topic.  And I completely understand what most of you will be thinking.  Please please be kind in your comments.  I am just a Mom looking for advice.

 

We're a family of 4 (kids ages 2 & 4) from BC Canada.  We booked a dream cruise to the Greek Isles on NCL Escape a VERY long time ago.  The cruise is for May 31, 2022... still 7 months away.  However final payment is getting closer on Jan 31, 2022.

 

While we totally get the decision from NCL to offer fully vaxxed cruises, we are struggling with the latest news to extend this "indefinitely".  What does that mean?  til Jan, Feb, March, September, maybe into 2024?  Basically, we're not sure if this means we need to be worried about our own cruise or not (even though we're totally stressing out).  We have our flights, hotels, and many amazing once-in-a-lifetime excursions booked.  We need to know what's up before we start cancelling everything, which is the last thing we want to do. 

 

We're planning to hold off on making any big decisions until it's time, whenever final payment will be.  Maybe they'll extend it past January? That's my hope, so the gap between final payment and cruise day can be as small as possible.  I would hate to cancel in January, just for the pandemic to be over by April and our cruise is perfectly fine for us to go on, except for the fact that we cancelled. 

 

Anyways, I just want to get a sense for what the community thinks.  Please comment below (and please be respectful.  This will be our 6th cancelled cruise since the shutdown and we are tired of going between planning and getting super excited for our vacation to un-planning everything and being very disappointed while we erase yet another amazing holiday off our calendar).  

 

We would love to know if you think a cruise on May 31 is out of the question for us, or if we should still have hope.  We have no idea what to think and would love your feedback.

Personally I would cancel the cruise and look into a different trip. Their is very little chance the rules will be changing in the next 2 years

[goldmom]

I have an odd question about this.  What if you make final payment and then NCL cancels your booking because there are unvaccinated children on your reservation?  Would NCL then refund the cruise fare or only issue a FCC?

The other thread mentioned that NCL was the one who originally cancelled their booking because they had children under 12 on their reservation.

I understand you don't want to cancel and you could wait and see what happens, but it would also be very stressful to possibly not know if the vacation will happen until the last minute and be stressing for the next several months.  Personally, I don't see NCL changing their policy any time soon. 

Good luck whatever you decide.

[roger001]

Since this is nothing but people guessing, and your guess is just as good as theirs, I'll toss mine in and say no, the vaccination requirement will not be cancelled.  But just a guess.  

 

[Sthrngary]

The reason you posted this topic is because you did what we all have done.  You booked a dream cruise.  You did it well be for the Pandemic.  You did it when the rules were different.  Over the years, you thought about it, dreamed about it.  Now it is in a place where quite frankly, you are confused.

 

Here are my thoughts and opinions.  NCL is unusual with the way that have approached this pandemic.  They took a hard stand on Vaccinated Only Cruises.  So much so that they went to court in FL and looks like even in that state, they can do fully vaccinated cruises.  This tells you something.  This policy is a foundation of NCL and how they want to do business. 

 

I have been cancelled four times from NCL for Covid.  It happens.  It was initially my 40, then 41 then 42 wedding anniversary. I know how it feels to be disappointed for a lost cruise.  The rules are clear and you have to assume that this policy will be in place for at least a year or two.  By then, you children may be vaccinated but if not, you will have to postpone.

 

Be very careful if you pay in full.  Read the rules.  I personally would pass on the trip and book when I know you can do it with the entire family.  That coming from someone that knows how disappointing it is to do that.  Hope that thought helps and sorry. Not your fault.

 

[JamieLogical]

What about leaving the kids with grandparents while you and your husband go on the cruise of a lifetime? I have incredibly fond memories of vacations from my childhood, but none as far back as when I was 2 or 4. Seems to me this is already just a vacation of a lifetime for you and your husband anyway. Your kids will have no memory of it and might enjoy time with grandparents, aunts, or uncles more.

[Joanne G.]

To the OP, I feel your pain.   Many of us have had dream cruises canceled and postponed, sometimes multiple times.   I have one booked in May of 2022, postponed from May of 2020, with final payment due in January, like yours.   I am inclined to cancel before final payment, as I would prefer to postpone further until cruising approaches normalcy.   Being hopeful, I booked a similar cruise in 2023.   And if cruising never approaches pre-2020 normalcy, well, there are other vacation options.   

 

To that point, I have planned an alternative land vacation in one of cities I would have visited on the cruise, in a country whose covid protocols are acceptable to me.   I booked no-change-fee airfare and reserved a hotel for which I won't have to pay until my stay.  Those plans give me maximum flexibility should circumstances cause me to have to cancel.   In the month since I made this decision, I have researched the area and things to do, and I became so excited about it that I used that no-change-fee feature of my flight to extend the vacation from one week to two.   The point being, OP, if you think about an alternative to a cruise and its heavy up-front financial commitment in these uncertain times, you may end up looking forward to an alternative vacation as much as you have looked forward to the cruise.    Best wishes for a wonderful vacation, whatever your choice.  

Edited November 10, 2021 by Joanne G.

[Langham1865]

I certainly understand wanting and hoping you will still be able to do this Dream Cruise.  You have a little over 2 months until probable final payment.  I doubt, like many others, that NCL will change their policy on fully vaxxed.  There is a chance that approval could be given to get you kids vaxxed in time, but If I were you, I'd start looking into plan B dream vacation.  That way if things don't change between now and final payment, it won't feel like such a blow if you have to cancel.

[KAYKAY121]

If you want to do this cruise, I would not count on taking your children in early 2022 as young as they are. I would consider another cruise line, leave them (if that is an option) or change the plan all together. I hate this for anybody with children. I think vaccination is a personal choice and I think requiring vaccination is the same. Keep those babies healthy and push the date again if you can!

[purplecow15]

I know this is stressful as you had such high hopes but I agree with Jamie on this one. Your kids won't even have memories of this cruise. If at all possible leave the kids home with grands and enjoy a fabulous vacation. You already have your flights and hotel booked anyway. 

[Homosassa]

Why are you all assuming that Grandparents don't have a life and can drop everything to babysit for an extended period of time?

 

OP, I completely understand wanting to cruise with your young children and seeing the world through their eyes.  

 

We have many fond memories of cruising with our daughter (first cruise at 18 months) and the complete delight she took in each experience on board.

 

That being said, I don't know if I would gamble that vaccinations will be available for those two and up in time for you to finalize plans.

 

Perhaps erring on the side of caution would be the best decision and coming up with a Plan B where your family can safety be together is the way to go.

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Why are you all assuming that Grandparents don't have a life and can drop everything to babysit for an extended period of time?

 

OP, I completely understand wanting to cruise with your young children and seeing the world through their eyes.  

 

We have many fond memories of cruising with our daughter (first cruise at 18 months) and the complete delight she took in each experience on board.

 

That being said, I don't know if I would gamble that vaccinations will be available for those two and up in time for you to finalize plans.

 

Perhaps erring on the side of caution would be the best decision and coming up with a Plan B where your family can safety be together is the way to go.

 

I definitely am not assuming that grandparents would be available/willing to take on the children for a prolonged period. When I was growing up, I had no grandparents on my mom's side and my Dad's father lived in Florida (we lived in Ohio) and wasn't up for handling young children anymore. However, my parents still managed to take many vacations without us. Most people have *someone* in their lives who can take on the kids for a bit. I was simply suggesting it as a potentially viable option to save this "dream cruise".