Discouraged

[Petoonya]

Want to walk in my big girl pants but feeling uneasy about our cruise all the way in August. Feeling nervous for us all. RemPuck's experience really gave food for thought. When COVID started cancelling cruises 2 years ago, I'm guessing that most of us expected that by now we'd be well beyond this. And here we are. Many of us were toying with the idea of a cruise this winter/spring and now what. What will this do to the beloved WS?

[agkinmd]

 Petoonya, I am right there with you, feeling a loss now. Our last cruise was Feb. 2020, Wind Surf's first trip through the Panama Canal. Luckily we returned home just before lock down and the industry closed. I just replied to RemPuck's post not knowing what we will do since we are scheduled for a March crossing on the Legend.   

[basenji56]

3 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Want to walk in my big girl pants but feeling uneasy about our cruise all the way in August. Feeling nervous for us all. RemPuck's experience really gave food for thought. When COVID started cancelling cruises 2 years ago, I'm guessing that most of us expected that by now we'd be well beyond this. And here we are. Many of us were toying with the idea of a cruise this winter/spring and now what. What will this do to the beloved WS?

I wouldn't do anything until final payment.  I have a suspicion this new outburst will burn itself out within a month or two.  Even if it lasts six months, that is well before August.

[RemPuck]

From the front lines: watch what happens with the Legend sailing on the 28th. The Surf cruise was canceled and passengers were offered a transfer to Legend (from St Maarten and similar itinerary). 
 

Do they have a clean sailing? Mark one up for bad luck for us. Do they have more issues? Mark one up for “oh oh”. 
 

August is an eternity from now. We booked this trip in May when everyone was getting vaccinated and life was getting back to normal. Delta, and now Omicron, show things can change quickly. 
 

If I had a trip on Windstar later in 2022, I wouldn’t change it. And if I had a trip on any cruise in early 2022, I’d really consider canceling. Operate with a 2-3 month mindset. 
 

FWIW, we booked Alaska 2023 while on board. I just hope we aren’t having this conversation then!

[Petoonya]

50 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

I wouldn't do anything until final payment.  I have a suspicion this new outburst will burn itself out within a month or two.  Even if it lasts six months, that is well before August.

Not worried quite as much about omicron being around in August as I am the next variant. This parade seems like it's here for the duration.

 

@RemPuck

August is an eternity but again appears as if COVID is going to keep occupied cooking up it's next best thing. It's good to stay positive but also realistic. I'd NEVER cancel my August cruise but not so sure it's going to happen as I was 3-4 months ago.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Petoonya

[basenji56]

3 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Not worried quite as much about omicron being around in August as I am the next variant. This parade seems like it's here for the duration.

I get that.  I really do.  But if each variant is milder than the one before, sooner or later, we will stop treating each covid case like it is the black plague with 14 day quarantines and hazmat suits.

 

[Petoonya]

@basenji56

I think you're right. In the meantime we do everything we've been doing to minimize health consequences and learn to live with COVID in the long term- hopefully in continuing milder forms. Thanks for the positive thoughts.

[CynthiaP]

Our last trip ended on March 15, 2020. We were in the Indian Ocean on another cruise line. We're supposed to do a Wind Breeze cruise in Tahiti on January 16 - and I'm doing nothing but agonizing about it. We said that since we're vaxed and boosted and have N95s that we'd go unless someone closed their border. I don't think the U.S. will do that because of the political climate, but I think it's a real prospect that Tahiti would. Tahiti just changed its testing requirement on December 24 that is effective December 28. I haven't seen any mention of this on the websites of the companies that regularly cruise in Tahiti. It's the holiday season, and what if people (passengers and travel agents) aren't paying attention to the CC boards where it has been mentioned? There are no at-home tests available because of the holidays, but will it be better in January? There's rarely an appointment available at the CVS/Walgreens. Windstar is now recommending a PCR test before a cruise. It's taking 5 days to get PCR results. And on and on and on. At this point we'd have to take a future cruise credit. If Tahiti doesn't pull the plug, we'll probably make a final decision about 10 days before we leave on January 13. Until then, I'll be here fretting!

[Nearpost345]

We are on the Wind Spirit and the Star Breeze in Tahiti in March and still

feel somewhat confident that Omicron will have moved thru FP by then. Sorry about your much more difficult timing

CynthiaP

[sb44]

1 hour ago, RemPuck said:

From the front lines: watch what happens with the Legend sailing on the 28th. The Surf cruise was canceled and passengers were offered a transfer to Legend (from St Maarten and similar itinerary). 
 

Do they have a clean sailing? Mark one up for bad luck for us. Do they have more issues? Mark one up for “oh oh”. 
 

August is an eternity from now. We booked this trip in May when everyone was getting vaccinated and life was getting back to normal. Delta, and now Omicron, show things can change quickly. 
 

If I had a trip on Windstar later in 2022, I wouldn’t change it. And if I had a trip on any cruise in early 2022, I’d really consider canceling. Operate with a 2-3 month mindset. 
 

FWIW, we booked Alaska 2023 while on board. I just hope we aren’t having this conversation then!

Hi RemPuck and agkinmd,

 

We also were on that Surf Panama Canal cruise and first time we saw masks was in the Panama Airport. Wondered why! Then it got nuts!

RemPuck, our friends are on with you. The three sisters and their husband's. No names mentioned for their privacy. I applaud all of you for.your positive attitudes. I am reading everything I can and believe in 3 or 4 months covid outbreaks will be behind us. Omicron has taken over Delta rapidly. It is highly contagious but not as deadly for the general population.  According to what I have read, the 1918 pandemic morphed into the modern day flu. We have a vaccine that keeps people from dying from flu if they regularly get vaccinated.  Same thing is going to happen with this. An annual shot should keep us relatively safe and able to resume life as it was.  We will definitely cruise Windstar again and I would say by mid March things will settle down once again. Right now we are on Crystal heading back to Florida. We wish you all well. I think Windstar did everything right and got caught up in some really bad luck. 

 

[TakingFlight]

Oh Petoonya, don’t give up the good fight! God willing we will meet on the Spirit in August. We just got back from the Galapagos where it was mask wearing almost 24/7, even outdoors on the zodiacs. We endured, in spite of continuous fogging of my glasses, and saw some amazing sights. Covid testing requirements changed less than a week before our flights yet we managed to get it all done.

[new_cruiser]

5 hours ago, agkinmd said:

 Petoonya, I am right there with you, feeling a loss now. Our last cruise was Feb. 2020, Wind Surf's first trip through the Panama Canal. Luckily we returned home just before lock down and the industry closed. I just replied to RemPuck's post not knowing what we will do since we are scheduled for a March crossing on the Legend.   

 

We were on the Panama Canal cruise too, part of 31-days on Wind Surf from Barbados to Cozumel for us. I'm also scheduled on the March Legend crossing too - my husband isn't interested in doing a crossing.

 

We did get in a cruise between Delta and Omicron waves. 18 days on Star Legend Athens to Barcelona. 

 

I guess my thinking is like Basenji56 - COVID will become like the flu. It might not have if it had been contained much earlier but it's had too much chance to adapt now. So, I've gotten my booster, I'm wearing a mask in any public indoor spaces and getting on with life. And I'll be watching following cruises to see what happens.  But I think I'll go on the cruise if cruising doesn't get shut down.

 

My husband and I have cruises scheduled on Windstar for August 2022 and January 2023 too so I really hope COVID either dies out or settles down to be a less serious infection.

 

 

[Petoonya]

@TakingFlight

What a holiday treat- the Galapagos. Was it fantastic? You are a trooper to be wearing your mask on zodiacs, Did you do it with a cruise line or on your own?

 

I'm not giving up the good fight. Just taking my head out of the sand and realizing it's a possibility even for a cruise so far down the line. When it was almost 2 years away it was easier to accept COVID would wear itself out, but now not so certain. Canceled another cruise for spring as have several other friends, and will keep fingers crossed that by final payment, August is looking pretty good. Hope for all of us our next booked cruises are looking pretty good.

 

Fingers especially crossed for Rempuck- what a mess. And what a difficult decision to have to leave your spouse behind. Look forward to the final review of the experience.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Petoonya

[Babr]

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

@TakingFlight

What a holiday treat- the Galapagos. Was it fantastic? You are a trooper to be wearing your mask on zodiacs, Did you do it with a cruise line or on your own?

 

I'm not giving up the good fight. Just taking my head out of the sand and realizing it's a possibility even for a cruise so far down the line. When it was almost 2 years away it was easier to accept COVID would wear itself out, but now not so certain. Canceled another cruise for spring as have several other friends, and will keep fingers crossed that by final payment, August is looking pretty good. Hope for all of us our next booked cruises are looking pretty good.

 

Fingers especially crossed for Rempuck- what a mess. And what a difficult decision to have to leave your spouse behind. Look forward to the final review of the experience.

Like you, I thought we’d be further along by now. I’m not willing to go into the penalty phase, which is just a few days away for me, while I wait to see how things develop. Nor am I willing to pay final payment just a month later when I have no recourse except FCC. That is of no value to me since I don’t know if or when I’ll be able to use it. 

[TakingFlight]

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

@TakingFlight

What a holiday treat- the Galapagos. Was it fantastic? You are a trooper to be wearing your mask on zodiacs, Did you do it with a cruise line or on your own?

We went with Silversea on their new ship Silver Origin. We saw some incredible things and enjoyed ourselves in spite of the masks.

[Petoonya]

Did you love Silversea? And maybe I could see some pics of the Galapagos next summer!

 

[TakingFlight]

Silversea does a great job with their expeditions-we went to Antarctica with them, too. I'm sure I'll have a few pictures for your viewing pleasure in August.

[RlyLvn]

We just arrived in Tahiti today for a 17 night on Star Breeze on the 30th. We had A PCR Test within 24 hours of leaving. They are still saying that you can take either a PCR or Antigen Test at this point.
They have changed the testing at the airport now. Until a couple of days ago it was a self antigen test. Now due to Omicron they are set up for everyone to be tested at the airport. They are doing both an Antigen and a PCR on everyone. You are not able to leave the airport until the Antigen Test result is available, 20 mins later. They put a sticker on your passport with the time you can leave. This was checked by three different people before we were released. 
Even after the mandatory 24 hour test prior to leaving, they had found 4 positive cases on our flight when we left the airport. There was still many more tests to be completed. 
SCARY!

This is just the beginning of our trip.

[jtwind]

Sounds like Tahiti is getting really serious about protecting themselves.  Good for them.  But as you said, scary for travelers.  Any idea if they contact traced the positives they found?  That would put even more people in quarantine.  Did you notice people on the flight who appeared to be sick?

[dandee2]

We are now doing a land vacation in Tahiti next July instead. Our first choice was Windstar but we have been burned badly by airlines refusing to refund our 2020 flights to Europe and can't risk buying airline tickets and be out-of-pocket if we cancel. Our lodging are all reserved, some of them paid in advance but all of them refundable (read the small print). We are staying 21 days (maybe ahahah)!

For those who think warm weather is not the virus friend, they now have 50 cases (all imported). One of their specialized testing machine was broken and parts should be arriving anytime, which will speed up testing.

https://actu.fr/societe/coronavirus/la-variant-omicron-continue-d-arriver_47550018.html

[RlyLvn]

Not sure how they are doing contact tracing. I assume they are. We were up in the front of the plane and it was very quiet. It was pretty packed in the back. 
 

We are now drinking our coffee at the Intercontinental enjoying the view and the gentle trade winds. 
 

Need to get psyched up for the test prior to boarding tomorrow. 17 more days to dodge the bug. 

 

In the meantime “Just another day in Paradise”. 

[BklynBorn47]

Just posted on the Windstar masking thread and followed a few of you over here.

I was on the Windsurf with RemPuck.  I remember meeting a couple from Chicago & telling them our daughter & family were spending the holidays there.  Could have been RemPuck. 
Omicron is discouraging but we felt safer on the Windsurf than we do at home where anti-vax/anti-mask people are in the majority.  Also on the flight home one woman in my diagonal line of sight had a big bag of chips and metal water bottle that kept her unmasked as she nibbled and sipped for 4 hours.  I am NOT making this up.  
We have booked back to back cruises with Windstar in Europe for September BECAUSE of the way they handled the situation.

[Petoonya]

On 12/30/2021 at 7:55 AM, BklynBorn47 said:

Omicron is discouraging but we felt safer on the Windsurf than we do at home where anti-vax/anti-mask people are in the majority. 

What a sad but true commentary. I'm not an aggressive lady but I'd feel like kicking the cretin who needed to snack for 4 hours unmasked.

And Windstar comes through again- exemplary.

So sorry about your cruise and hope that you are staying well. Good thoughts to you.