How many cancellations today, or will?

[sunshine113]

45 minutes ago, Javajitterz said:

We will be cancelling but I'm going to wait until after the January 3rd cruises go out and the new rules for the USVI and PR go into effect. My feeling is if enough people cancel that NCL might cancel this cruise entirely if there aren't enough people booked to make it cost effective for them to sail, upon which time they will most likely give OBC as well as FCC. I plan on cancelling closer to January 5th for our January 8th cruise.

We, too, are leaving on the 8th.  We are going back and forth about trying to get the FCC or wait for NCL or the CDD to make the choice for us.  We are Vaccinated and boosted, so we don't fear Covid, but we do fear closed ports, cancelled shows, and activities like the rope course not being open.  We are traveling with our preteen grandchildren.  We need things for them to do!!!!

[Javajitterz]

3 minutes ago, sunshine113 said:

We, too, are leaving on the 8th.  We are going back and forth about trying to get the FCC or wait for NCL or the CDD to make the choice for us.  We are Vaccinated and boosted, so we don't fear Covid, but we do fear closed ports, cancelled shows, and activities like the rope course not being open.  We are traveling with our preteen grandchildren.  We need things for them to do!!!!

We have cruised during covid and were actually out at sea on the Escape when the pandemic was called and we were out on the Gem in October of this year. We are vaccinated and boosted, my husband had a mild breakthrough infection and I wear a KN95 or N95 mask wherever I go. I'm not afraid of cruising, I am afraid someone will sneeze on me in line to the buffet and I'll get thrown into quarantine and miss my entire trip. I worry that we will miss all our ports and the onboard entertainment will be limited or nonexistent because the crew has covid. The ropes course, mini golf etc is already gone. We won't be making the DR or USVI, Bahamas has turned away ships so if our positivity rate gets to a high enough level we may just float around aimlessly for 7 days. I'm not willing to chance that, especially since we are bringing first time cruisers with us. I don't want their first experience to be a crappy one. CDC recommends against cruising and then this morning the State Department basically said to make sure you're insured and can get yourself home if you're overseas. Nope. Not a good time to cruise. I will reschedule for April, this wave should be over soon

[RRSeeker]

I am on the fence. February 13th cruise on the Encore. I am vaccinated , had a breakthrough in October then boosted. I feel pretty safe that even if I get sick it would be mild since I should have antibodies.

 

My sister who is going with me on the other hand is pressuring me to cancel.  The issue is my cruise is through an annual land based casino certificate that expired the end of January and they will not extend it. It would cost me about $3000 more to change the date.

[RRSeeker]

4 minutes ago, RRSeeker said:

I am on the fence. February 13th cruise on the Encore. I am vaccinated , had a breakthrough in October then boosted. I feel pretty safe that even if I get sick it would be mild since I should have antibodies.

 

My sister who is going with me on the other hand is pressuring me to cancel.  The issue is my cruise is through an annual land based casino certificate that expired the end of January and they will not extend it. It would cost me about $3000 more to change the date.

I should have said have to sail by the end of January. Yes I am sailing in February because when I booked they said they extended to April but have since told me that is was never extended and I shouldn’t even been allowed to book February.

[Double Jack]

Not cancelling because I don't have one booked and have zero plans to book a cruise with this nonsense.  If this is the new normal, then my cruising days are over.

 

Too many other reliable vacation options for my money.

[Photoc]

33 minutes ago, Double Jack said:

Not cancelling because I don't have one booked and have zero plans to book a cruise with this nonsense.  If this is the new normal, then my cruising days are over.

 

Too many other reliable vacation options for my money.

Thank you for your insightful input.  😅🤣

[luckyinpa]

10 hours ago, Trimone said:

People worried about the prices in the Haven being more expensive later in the year should not worry, the trip you cancel now will not resemble any cruise you have previously been on before Covid attacked us, I would definitely cancel until things are better, going on a cruise in September has tarnished my enjoyment of cruising, things are different, my main complaint is staff are not more strict with offenders, who basically think they on holiday and can ignore the rules, this causes friction.

Don't take risks 

 

what were the rules with ncl in sept and offenses you saw? i know i booked oct specifically for no mask no rules and it was much more 'freeing' experience than the royal cruise with masks i did 2 weeks before. 

[stephenandrew]

16 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

We were also scheduled for the Jan 9 Bliss like the OP. We canceled today and are quite relieved. I work in health care and we see what is hitting us. Doubling times are unbelievable. This variant is so contagious. I learned in a meeting today that with previous versions of COVID, the average person infected 3-5 people. With Omicron each person infects an average of 18 people. We are about to get hit by a wave and cruising in this environment is not optimal - it is a risky proposition. I will happily wait for a safer window where I can actually enjoy my vacation. 

I think you are being incredibly sensible and very considerate.   I am troubled by the number of people who seem to be willing to cruise in what appears to be a rapidly ‘“deteriorating” environment just as you described in your post.  I can’t help but wonder how many folks will contract Covid on-board and either (a) show no or very minor symptoms but will unknowingly pass the virus on to others, or (b) be aware they have contracted the virus and decide to hide their situation so they can “vacation as planned” and then pass the virus on to others.  I would agree these sorts of behaviors could occur on-shore, but being on-board a cruise ship (which is traditionally pretty conducive to the spread of contagious conditions such as the norovirus because of the close quarters) just seems to be a place where things could go bad very quickly.  Obviously, others may not share my opinion, and I don’t expect that my thoughts are going to change anybody’s mind.  So the best I can do is control what I can control, which means electing to sit out cruising for the time being.  For those who choose to cruise, get boosted, mask up, distance yourselves from others, and just be careful.  I will be thrilled if my concern is completely misplaced.    

[stephenandrew]

3 hours ago, RRSeeker said:

I am on the fence. February 13th cruise on the Encore. I am vaccinated , had a breakthrough in October then boosted. I feel pretty safe that even if I get sick it would be mild since I should have antibodies.

 

My sister who is going with me on the other hand is pressuring me to cancel.  The issue is my cruise is through an annual land based casino certificate that expired the end of January and they will not extend it. It would cost me about $3000 more to change the date.

There is a lot of information out there right now, but thought you might want to be aware of this recent study released just about 10 days ago.  Be careful how much certainty/weight you give to the benefits of past Covid infections in terms of protecting you from Omicron.  From the study:  

 

 “The protection afforded by past infection against reinfection with Omicron may be as low as 19%, Imperial College (ICL)”

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-five-times-more-likely-reinfect-than-delta-study-says-2021-12-17/

 

Just wanted to give you some of the current thinking on this matter so you can make your own informed decision.  Be careful and be safe.

[CptBoatface]

Now people are so afraid that they are flooding the hospitals when they have very mild symptoms when they test positive. 20+ months of relentless fear  has a way of messing you up.   

[stephenandrew]

7 minutes ago, CptBoatface said:

Now people are so afraid that they are flooding the hospitals when they have very mild symptoms when they test positive. 20+ months of relentless fear  has a way of messing you up.   

Possibly true, but if you look at the national data on hospitalizations, they are up from about 63,000 on 12/18 to 76,000 as of 12/30 (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/current-covid-patients-hospital?country=USA), so up about 21% in a 12 day period.  I don’t think the increased hospitalizations are just due to fear.

[TNcruising02]

43 minutes ago, stephenandrew said:

Possibly true, but if you look at the national data on hospitalizations, they are up from about 63,000 on 12/18 to 76,000 as of 12/30 (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/current-covid-patients-hospital?country=USA), so up about 21% in a 12 day period.  I don’t think the increased hospitalizations are just due to fear.

Hospitalizations might be up because the government cut off the darn supply of the antibody treatment that the states used to be able to order directly.   Many of the increased hospitalizations could be because people can't readily get the medication that their doctor wants them to get.  I know several people whose doctors wanted them to get the medication, but they can't.

Edited January 1, 2022 by TNcruising02

[stephenandrew]

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

Hospitalizations might be up because the government cut off the darn supply of the antibody treatment that the states used to be able to order directly.   Many of the increased hospitalizations could be because people can't readily get the medication that their doctor wants them to get.  I know several people whose doctors wanted them to get the medication, but they can't.

Again, there is some truth to this. The lack of therapeutics, however, is most likely not because the government "cut off the supply"...it is because the local healthcare providers have simply run out of the therapeutics as the demand for them has exceeded supply.  Certainly it will be helpful when more of these therapeutic drugs are available, and I'm sure having them available will, in fact, decrease hospitalizations.  But either way, the point I was making before was that Covid is causing people to get physically sick, and that sickness require treatment.  People are not just going to the ER in increasing number because of fear.  I'll end my responses to this here....I don't want to get any further off topic from the original post than I already have.  I hope your friends who contracted Covid will be ok.

[TNcruising02]

17 minutes ago, stephenandrew said:

Again, there is some truth to this. The lack of therapeutics, however, is most likely not because the government "cut off the supply"...it is because the local healthcare providers have simply run out of the therapeutics as the demand for them has exceeded supply.  Certainly it will be helpful when more of these therapeutic drugs are available, and I'm sure having them available will, in fact, decrease hospitalizations.  But either way, the point I was making before was that Covid is causing people to get physically sick, and that sickness require treatment.  People are not just going to the ER in increasing number because of fear.  I'll end my responses to this here....I don't want to get any further off topic from the original post than I already have.  I hope your friends who contracted Covid will be ok.

Not to argue, but I have first hand knowledge of this in my area.  The government most certainly did stop the supply because they claimed it wasn't effective against the new strain.  However, the two people who are battling covid right now had doctors who wanted them to have this medicine.  We called the numbers on our state's website and everyone was out.  I was told by two places that it was because they were told it wasn't effective against the new strain and would not be able to get a supply.  Anyway, this is a sore spot to me because one of my relatives is extremely high risk and three of his doctors recommended this treatment but he can't get it. However the government changed it so the states couldn't order directly from the supplier.  And then they cut off the supply.

Thankfully, he is hanging in there.  A few months ago, anyone who wanted it could get it in my area.  The high risk relative is doubled vaxed and boosted.

Edited January 1, 2022 by TNcruising02

[BarnCat1]

12 hours ago, CarolinaMamma said:

Last time this happened (March 2020) someone here on CC gave the GREAT advice to call NCL or your TA and remove all of the “optional” things (prepaid gratuities, extra specialty dining, etc.) because NCL will refund the original form of payment for those within a few days. That way, if you paid cash for your cruise, then cancel and get FCC, you won’t have as much money tied up in FCC. In the event you decide to cruise, you can always add these things back in. 

 

That's good advice. How long is the FCC good for?  

Edited January 1, 2022 by BarnCat1

[Back to school]

7 hours ago, Double Jack said:

Not cancelling because I don't have one booked and have zero plans to book a cruise with this nonsense.  If this is the new normal, then my cruising days are over.

 

Too many other reliable vacation options for my money.

I get it!  Loud and clear.

[Sailing12Away]

3 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

Hospitalizations might be up because the government cut off the darn supply of the antibody treatment that the states used to be able to order directly.   Many of the increased hospitalizations could be because people can't readily get the medication that their doctor wants them to get.  I know several people whose doctors wanted them to get the medication, but they can't.

People using the ER as a substitute for routine medical care is not new. However, people don't get admitted to the hospital unless they have actual problems that warrant an overnight stay. We want you in and out, not having a sleepover party here.

 

As for the idea of convalescent plasma.... silly question, but do you even know where it comes from? It doesn't grow on Covid antibody trees. If you know someone with a high enough antibody titer, they can always pursue the option of a directed donation (https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations/autologous-and-directed-donations.html). Just because someone has recovered from Covid doesn't mean they have antibody titers high enough to help protect others. Also, this: https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-2021-who-recommends-against-the-use-of-convalescent-plasma-to-treat-covid-19

 

If you're not talking about plasma and instead you're referring to the anti-parasitic medication I give my dog to prevent heartworm, well then this conversation is over indefinitely. 

 

Back to cruising discussions... prices for Antarctica cruises are the lowest I've seen in a while. For each person who cancels their upcoming trips, there's someone like me who's keeping track of the deals that still exist and snagging them up with fingers crossed we get to go.

[Trimone]

16 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

what were the rules with ncl in sept and offenses you saw? i know i booked oct specifically for no mask no rules and it was much more 'freeing' experience than the royal cruise with masks i did 2 weeks before. 

On September 5th in Europe all cruises had to wear masks except when sitting or socially distanced, my main complaint was intoxicated People not waiting to be served queuing at the bar unmasked, this placed staff at risk, because the so called excursion bubble didn’t exist, instead of being escorted in a bubble cruiser’s were allowed to do what they wanted leaving the coach, masked or unmasked.

This brought prospectively covid back on board, lack of discipline from NCL staff and NCL tour operators.

[Av8torcrj]

10 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

People using the ER as a substitute for routine medical care is not new. However, people don't get admitted to the hospital unless they have actual problems that warrant an overnight stay. We want you in and out, not having a sleepover party here.

 

As for the idea of convalescent plasma.... silly question, but do you even know where it comes from? It doesn't grow on Covid antibody trees. If you know someone with a high enough antibody titer, they can always pursue the option of a directed donation (https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations/autologous-and-directed-donations.html). Just because someone has recovered from Covid doesn't mean they have antibody titers high enough to help protect others. Also, this: https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-2021-who-recommends-against-the-use-of-convalescent-plasma-to-treat-covid-19

 

If you're not talking about plasma and instead you're referring to the anti-parasitic medication I give my dog to prevent heartworm, well then this conversation is over indefinitely. 

 

Back to cruising discussions... prices for Antarctica cruises are the lowest I've seen in a while. For each person who cancels their upcoming trips, there's someone like me who's keeping track of the deals that still exist and snagging them up with fingers crossed we get to go.

I actually found a covid antibody tree on sale at Walmart the other day. Last one on the shelf. I had to jerk it out if the hands of an elderly woman on her EZ-go scooter. She was in tears but who cares. It’s all about me isn’t it? It’s a hybrid of two species only found in rural Mississippi and central Florida, just north of Orlando. It survives beautifully in total unenlightened darkness, requiring just a simple weekly fertilization with ivermectin and bleach. The foliage is typically served fried with lots of salt but can also be smoked or injected straight into the bloodstream. It’s dosing is once every thirty minutes, kinda like food on a cruise ship. While considered therapeutic, it does have some concerning side effects, namely hallucinations that a monster with the initials CDC is under your bed and is attempting to ruin your happiness out of spite. It will also increase your propensity to walk into a theater production late and to talk during the performance. It came with a coupon for 10% off a new ventilator. It’s lovely. I think I’ll name it Fauci. 

[stephenandrew]

1 hour ago, Trimone said:

On September 5th in Europe all cruises had to wear masks except when sitting or socially distanced, my main complaint was intoxicated People not waiting to be served queuing at the bar unmasked, this placed staff at risk, because the so called excursion bubble didn’t exist, instead of being escorted in a bubble cruiser’s were allowed to do what they wanted leaving the coach, masked or unmasked.

This brought prospectively covid back on board, lack of discipline from NCL staff and NCL tour operators.

I think just as on-shore, you are inevitably going to find people on board a ship who fail to follow all of the Covid mitigation protocols all of the time.  Some folks might innocently just forget, some might be intoxicated, some might believe the rules don’t apply to them or are just plain unnecessary, etc.  Regardless, I think expecting the crew to enforce the rules to ensure 100% compliance is unrealistic, just as I think medical staff can’t ensure 100% compliance in a hospital setting (per my own observations anyway). In the end, the calculus one uses to decide to cruise needs to factor in the projected risk of getting sick from those cruisers who don’t comply with the ship board rules.  For me, this is a big deal….I frankly don’t want to be stressing or worrying if others are going to be doing what is asked of them to keep everyone healthy…especially on my vacation when I am trying to relax.  But that’s me…others might be less bothered by the actions of non compliant cruisers.

[Dreamcruiser2]

We sailed the Encore on Christmas week. No problems with air travel to Miami the day before.  As we checked-in for our covid test, we where handed the new info about the mask mandate.  People lost their minds. 

We wore our masks as required.  Roughly 30% never wore a mask.  40% wore a mask incorrectly...aka the chinstrap.  The rest of us followed the mandate.  We were on the elevator with 3 other adults and one ripped off his mask complaining this is not what he paid for and promised to walk around the entire cruise with water so he could look like he was "actively" drinking. Kinky Boots and CoM were both cancelled.  People at the bar were boohooing about it. Our flights were cancelled but we were able to rebook since we walked off the boat with carry-on luggage and were back to the Miami airport by 8:45am.

Several people at the airport were not masked and were hacking all over with phlegmy coughs.

 

All in all, we still enjoyed our cruise and spent a good majority of the time relaxing/drinking in the observation deck.

 

Would we sail again anytime in the next couple of months?  Absolutely not.  Even with mandates, most people do whatever they choose and complain about their first-world-problems the entire time.  We rescheduled our next cruise to the end of May.  Hopefully, by then, life will feel a bit more normal.  If not, we will reschedule again.

 

 

[stephenandrew]

3 hours ago, Dreamcruiser2 said:

We sailed the Encore on Christmas week. No problems with air travel to Miami the day before.  As we checked-in for our covid test, we where handed the new info about the mask mandate.  People lost their minds. 

We wore our masks as required.  Roughly 30% never wore a mask.  40% wore a mask incorrectly...aka the chinstrap.  The rest of us followed the mandate.  We were on the elevator with 3 other adults and one ripped off his mask complaining this is not what he paid for and promised to walk around the entire cruise with water so he could look like he was "actively" drinking. Kinky Boots and CoM were both cancelled.  People at the bar were boohooing about it. Our flights were cancelled but we were able to rebook since we walked off the boat with carry-on luggage and were back to the Miami airport by 8:45am.

Several people at the airport were not masked and were hacking all over with phlegmy coughs.

 

All in all, we still enjoyed our cruise and spent a good majority of the time relaxing/drinking in the observation deck.

 

Would we sail again anytime in the next couple of months?  Absolutely not.  Even with mandates, most people do whatever they choose and complain about their first-world-problems the entire time.  We rescheduled our next cruise to the end of May.  Hopefully, by then, life will feel a bit more normal.  If not, we will reschedule again.

 

 

I’m sorry you had to deal with the issues you referenced.  Unfortunately, I’m not terribly surprised this is how things played out on board.  I think you are being prudent by taking a wait and see approach to cruising by postponing your next cruise until May.  If ou are going to cruise in the next few weeks, you need to have a very high tolerance for less than full compliance with the health protocols requested by the cruise companies.

[knoxfox23]

I had a cruise booked for the 13th but my wife tested positive within 14 days. Vaxxed but she didn't get the booster.

 

I submitted the required paperwork for the FCC and the Insurance I took. Has anyone had experience with how long its taking to receive the fact? I'm wanting to reschedule for a cruise in February.