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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/22/2020 in all areas

  1. jticarruthers

    CDC guidance

    Problem is there may very well never be a vaccine and even if there is it may not "eliminate the problem" ... common cold has been around a while - no vaccine ... flu has been around a while, there is a vaccine but we still get flu outbreaks and even people who get the vaccine can get the flue if they get the wrong strain ... so saying its fair to wait on a vaccine is just a way of kicking the can down the road indefinitely.
    5 points
  2. This pandemic has made for a lot of changes in the cruising world from cancellations, lift and shifts, FCCs and everyone’s least favorite topic … REFUNDS! It definitely has made a lot of people take a new look at life and that is exactly what a few agents at MEI-Travel have done. Danette LeBlanc after 7 years with Mei-Travel is stepping away to spend time with her family. Her father has terminal cancel and she wants to spend all the time she can with him and the family at this time. Prayers to her and her family as they navigate this incredibly hard time. Also, Stephanie Hudson after 15 years has decided to take some time to step away and enjoy her new home on the coast of NC. While this is not her retirement home, I am sure after all this time a little break to put her toes in the sand is what she needs at this time. Wishing her all the best (and a little jealous). MEI-Travel is working over the next week to contact their clients with a new agent that is stepping into very big sets of shoes to fill, but the new agents can do it. It does take a little time to ensure that the new agent has everything and both Danette and Stephanie will be working thru June 30th to help with the transition of their clients. To say that this was a very hard decision for both of them is an understatement. Also, I want to thank all of you for allowing me to work with you all. Being able to chat with your guys almost daily for the past 5 years or more has helped me grow in knowledge of Royal and cruising. There is no way I can think of this group without thinking about all the group cruises – the laughter, the tears, the burning bus, the exploding toilet, the first stop at Perfect Day, St Patrick’s Day and the most expensive Guinness beer or two I have ever paid for… and the memories go on and on….. SHOTS! How could I not mention the SHOTS! But more importantly, Matt. The countless hours of planning for group events, looking up changes and many possible group cruises that never happened, there is just not enough time for me to write up how special my relationship with Matt and his family is. All of this made it very hard for me to make this change, but I am stepping away from MEI-Travel to pursue a new opportunity. This new opportunity will come with new challenges and a chance to spread my wings a little. I hope our paths cross on a cruise some day or maybe in the Orlando area some time (This time without my suitcase with me!). MEI-Travel has a team of agents that work with Matt and they work together to provide great service to you all. I know with cancellations coming in the very near future you might be concerned with all this change, but the team is there to help you all. See you on a cruise! Annette Jackson
    4 points
  3. Pooch

    CDC guidance

    And if I get quaratined on the ship, we're in an Owners Suite!!
    4 points
  4. It's never easy to say goodbye to a friend, let alone three amazingly talented friends. I know I speak for everyone here when I say we will miss your guidance, hard work, and positivity. For years I've advocated using "a good travel agent", and if there were a dictionary definition of that, it would have either of your three photos as examples. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors and hope you remain part of our community here, and hopefully we will get to cruise again together soon.
    4 points
  5. FionaMG

    B2B same itinerary

    We met two couples on the Harmony inaugural in Europe who did precisely that, their reasoning being it would be impossible to fully enjoy the ship and the ports in a one-week sailing. They planned their time so that they visited half of the ports the first week and the other half during the second week and got to enjoy a largely empty ship on the days they stayed on board. They were really pleased wih their decision.
    3 points
  6. I got another great pic last night of the skyline. I went on a fathers day ride on the quads with the guys.
    3 points
  7. Yes, of course. And the Air Force has its own spirited cry which can mean anything positive. Here are some examples: Hooah - Army; Hoorah - Navy; Oorah - Marine Corps; Nice Putt - Airforce.
    3 points
  8. I was checking pricing on some of my short term cruises and noticed that some of them have a nice, big military discount. It seems that they are showing up only on the really short term ones, but if you wanted to book now, get the military discount and L&S....well...could work. My Dec 6 Oasis cruise has a $675 military discount but the one the very next week (second half of my B2B) does not. Go figure. BTW, it seems that they are allowing the military discount AND the C&A balcony discount so that's a nice discount when stacked together.
    2 points
  9. Only if you were one of the many millions dying or one of the many nurses doctors required to work 24 hours a day.
    2 points
  10. JeffB

    CDC guidance

    Ampurp85, you bring up some good points ..... you are correct about Hotels/Resorts, etc. not being like a cruise ship. TBF I think the fundamental or base risk of becoming infected by SARS-CoV-2 is probably higher, perhaps the highest of all conveyances or venues. I also think that because of the scrutiny cruise lines receive and esp. that received during the early phases of the pandemic, risk reduction is a higher priority within the cruise industry than it is within other venues. Of course how effective those risk reduction measures might be remains to be seen. Its hard to objectively evaluate this process. So, I'm just going to say, all things considered, there is a high probability that infection risk aboard ship is going to be less than or equal to the risk of infection on an aircraft, hotel, resort or theme park where similar dining and entertainment venues are present and distancing and masking requirements are already in place. You may have a different opinion on this and I respect that. My opinion that the CDC's No-Sail-Order is foolish (inappropriate is a less emotionally charged word to describe it) is based on the comparative risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection between similar venues. It is also based on the likelihood that the cruise lines know all the costs of handling a passenger or crew member testing positive for C-19 and have experience with and protocols in place to do that where other venues we've discussed don't and may be ill-prepared to do so. I suspect our discussion about this will be moot in a matter of days but it nevertheless is an outlet for the frustration I'm experiencing over the lack of necessity, the arbitrariness of it, inherent in the CDC's actions that amount to an unjustifiable and nearly complete shut down of the cruise lines. We know that the virus has a high rate of transmission. We know that transmission can be mitigated by various measures. I have a high degree of confidence that while the cruise lines can not completely eliminate the risk of transmission, they can substantially reduce it and reduce it more effectively than any comparable venue. As well, they are better prepared to deal with infections that do occur while sailing, limit additional exposures and deal with all of that better than anyone else. JMO, YMMV.
    2 points
  11. If it helps, we got our refund back within 2 weeks for our deposit on the Brilliance Group Cruise. I'm holding out hope for the Anthem GC. It's too soon for me to know about next summer.
    2 points
  12. twangster

    CDC guidance

    It's possible there may be no vaccine but there is the possibility that society will reach a herd immunity eventually if a vaccine is never realized. That's not guaranteed either. At some point there will likely be some level of balance reached where life can more closely resemble what it was like before CV-19. Until then the CDC is unfortunately doing the right thing with cruise ships from a perspective of containing virus spread. Theme parks are probably best to remain closed right now. Sporting events with large audiences in close proximity are probably best to remain closed right now. Music concerts and movie theaters are probably best to remain closed right now. Even if some areas are opening these items back up right now there is a lot of evidence to suggest that is not the best course of action from a public health perspective. So while cruise ships in North America are being kept from sailing by the CDC there is a part of me that acknowledges that is probably the right thing to do right now.
    2 points
  13. Hagar

    B2B same itinerary

    Been there and cruised that ? The older I get the more I enjoy just watching y'all have fun while I mostly hang out on the ship.
    2 points
  14. My guess is that the Royal CS reps will not know (or can't confirm) for sure until Royal makes their official announcement (tomorrow I believe) either way in response to the CLIA announcement. I know, the waiting stinks! Everything is pointing toward further cancellations, but it's not official until it's official... is that a Yogism?
    2 points
  15. The new TA"s should be encouraged to be a part of this group........ The relationships built here are second to none. @AnnetteJackson, take care of yourself. Thank You for everything that you've done for so many. You will surely be missed.
    2 points
  16. ptod

    Goodbye from some friends

    As did I. I saw the email from David in my inbox, mentioning that Beth is taking over our reservations and it was signed by Beci. I like the team effort from MEI.
    2 points
  17. FionaMG

    Lift and shift ?

    I would hazard a guess the price reduction is down to port fees being less on the Harmony sailing since it has fewer stops than your original Allure TA. Anyway, now that it's sorted you have something to look forward without a constantly niggling worry in the back of your mind.
    2 points
  18. FWIW, it always appeared to me that Pullmantur was never financially great, even before COVID.
    2 points
  19. Dad2Cue

    Lift and shift ?

    Hopefully they pick up some crew members before returning. I suspect they will need to be retrained before the Caribbean season starts. I plan to call today and reschedule my Allure TA to Alaska in Aug-Sept 2021. I made a preliminary call yesterday and was told there was not a problem with rescheduling since it was booked refundable. Everything will be carried over to the Alaska cruise ... even the OBC. My cruise planner purchases will be refunded. The wait for that refund is the only downside.
    2 points
  20. Jason12

    Lift and shift ?

    Wow my lift and shift was done over night after I filled the online form in yesterday ? a quick call to get cabins next to each other and all done and they seem to have reduced the price in my favour ?
    2 points
  21. push me ^^^^^ and all will change!!!!
    2 points
  22. Having done the 5 day to Bermuda out of Bayonne a lot and the 9 day out of Bayonne to Caribbean once, I wouldn't mind combining them both for a two week adventure. @ehw51 As far as same itinerary, never have (never any B2B), but would without question, especially if it's a ship we have never sailed before as you cannot do it all in 7 days. One of the cons to cruising is you're at port for a few hours, knowing you're coming back the next week allows you to see a little bit more.
    2 points
  23. Because there is no benefit to be gained by anyone higher up to apply pressure.
    2 points
  24. @JeffB @Ampurp85 As a reader I've thoroughly enjoyed your posts - you've disagreed respectfully and intelligently. I've said before I'm tired of the Covid 19 back and forth but I realize I was tired of people not being respectful in their back and forth.
    2 points
  25. I'm sadder to read this than I am about canceled cruises ?
    2 points
  26. Nice Putt....love it. 91st Security Police Squadron stationed at Minot. I took every TDY I could and saw the world 2 weeks at a time...lol.
    2 points
  27. My thought is book the cruise and hope for the best. Let's say it gets cancelled, there's usually enough warning you could do a vacation home rental or something a little more local.
    2 points
  28. Yes, you would be able to cancel. However, you would need to book before August 1st as that is currently the date the program ends. Concerned about traveling? Looking for flexibility in your plans? As of May 6, 2020, our enhanced Cruise with Confidence program gives you even more flexibility. Whether you’re already booked on a cruise, or are thinking about it, we want you to Cruise with Confidence. That’s why Royal Caribbean will let you cancel any cruise that sets sail from now through April 30, 2022. Whether it’s a booking you already have or one you make right now through August 1, 2020, you’re covered. As long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your sail date, you’ll receive a Future Cruise Credit. The credit is valid through December 31, 2021 or 12 months from your original canceled sail date (whichever is longer) and can be used for any open sailings at the time of booking. As of May 6, 2020 we have also added the new "Best Price Guarantee" and "Lift and Shift" options outlined below. If you opted into our Cruise with Confidence program before May 6, please learn more about that program here.
    2 points
  29. Wait to use the FCC until the due date, or at least close to it. Once you apply a FCC, it becomes hard/impossible to reprice the itinerary
    1 point
  30. September 2021 sailing on Oasis seems to be about 25% higher than price I got it at, so obvious choice would be to Lift & Shift prior to final payment.
    1 point
  31. @RCIfan1912 John is my TA and he hasn't said anything about leaving.
    1 point
  32. WAAAYTOOO

    B2B same itinerary

    Yes. We did a B2B out of Bayonne in 2019 that had the same itinerary. We didn’t mind at all, but we don’t care much about itineraries most of the time. We don’t care where we go.
    1 point
  33. KristiZ

    B2B same itinerary

    I have not done one with the same itinerary, but I would absolutely consider it! You'd have the option to explore a different area at the stop the second time, or (even better!) just stay onboard the ship when most other people are on shore.
    1 point
  34. FManke

    Goodbye from some friends

    There are more important things in life, dare I say, than cruising. The last 3 months have showed us all. Good luck and God bless to all of you in your future endeavors! Happy Cruising!
    1 point
  35. FManke

    Port change

    Just saw this. As far as RC is concerned, our cruise leaving Venice on 10/3/20, is still a go. Not for us though. Too many uncertainties still. We are going to move it till next year, which brings us to the Ravenna situation. I have asked myself, if the original cruise was leaving from Ravenna and not Venice, would we still be excited? Hell yes! It's still a cruise! Depending on the shuttle situation we might keep our original plan of spending two nights in Venice on the front end and taking the shuttle from the airport to the port in Ravenna. Lots to think about, but we now have another year to plan. Things could be worse and have been for so many others. Happy cruising!
    1 point
  36. I believe that most of us avid cruisers who have developed an insatiable taste for it are letting the media’s view on COVID and the chaos in America's cities create a reality that is quite different from that of the cruise industry - especially RCL and its brands. I want to change your view to coincide more closely to how I think RCL sees things. Warning: This is a long post but nevertheless something to consider. Apologies in advance. if TLTR then stop here and don't. I'm a retired USMC pilot and later an EM Physician Assistant with 22 years of practice, now retired. I'm a consumer of abundant COVID (C-19) data, medical journals and scientific research. I live in Fort Lauderdale so I am being constantly bombarded by very negative C-19 national and local news that often fails to include context. It's hard to remain positive in light of that. But the medical and scientific facts paint a more hopeful circumstance for this C-19 pandemic than the social, print, and broadcast media paint. I’m an optimist! Certainly, reopening is causing more social contact and more new C-19 cases; that was anticipated by FL's public health and other government officials including Governor Desantis. I suspect that's the case in other regions and states. Despite the hand-wringing of Governor Desantis' political opponents, such hand-wringing being augmented by a politically hostile FL press, It's pretty clear that FL officials have decided that the benefits of getting residents of this state back to work outweigh the risks (so far) of more C-19 infections. State and local officials have apparently also decided that they can deflect the "blood on your hands" harangue from the press over reopening too soon or too fast. Other states are following similar paths in reopening and suffering similar backlash and doubts. Don't get me wrong. SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it produces, C-19, is serious stuff. But here are some things we've learned about it: It's a virus with the same natural pathogenesis (the way it evolves in terms of what we see in a human host with no immunity) as past pandemics like the 1918 Spanish Flu. It has a steep growth rate, plateaus then declines (the shape and length of plateaus and slope of the decrease will vary by region and be affected by controllable factors). It’s highly transmissible and therefore hard to contain – more so than anything virologists have seen in the past. COVID-19 deaths are dropping as states protect vulnerable populations and those that are vulnerable to serious illness alter their behaviors. See chart of FL's COVID deaths below. Global death rates are declining. Death rates tend to be one of the best indicators of the severity and decline or accelerations of a pandemic. The proportion of new infections since US reopening is dominated by the under 45 age cohort. This cohort, on balance, suffers only minor symptoms. Despite alarm bells being sounded in press rooms about hospital capacity "close to or at limits,” the facts don't support that headline. See your own state’s Public Health Dashboards US testing and contact tracing have improved over time, esp. in FL. It is likely that this will have a salutary effect on the spread of the disease in states that were early adapters. While the medical community won't categorically state that masks and social distancing reduce the spread of the virus because of a lack of controlled studies to confirm that hypothesis, the anecdotal evidence that these simple mitigation measures work v. the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is overwhelming. With that as a back-drop, back to my point - RCL is a business that depends on income and profits to survive. They unemotionally assess risks to their business model all the time and the impact of C-19, while unprecedented, is just one of them. There are things that are in their control - operating expenses v. income - and things that aren't - CDC's No Sail Order, Home Port and Port of Call openings, the pathogenesis of C-19 in regions where RCL has operating interests. Nevertheless, the need to generate income is going to be a primary driver in decisions to start operating. In my view, sooner rather than later. I also believe that the various ports that RCL and CLIA have to deal with will do the same kind or risk/benefit analysis our states are doing and conclude that for the sake of their economies, esp. the tourism industries, they have to open to cruise ships and deal with the downside potentials if and when they happen. To that end, Port Everglades is open and, according to an update on their web page yesterday is, "ready to welcome the cruise industry back and are prepared to welcome back guests with enhanced sanitation and social distancing measures in our terminals." Certainly, early returning cruisers are going to find potentially inconvenient mitigation measures in place, for example, strictly enforced and widely separated boarding times, proof of recent RT-PCR (swabs) negative testing before embarking or debarking from certain ports among many others that you have heard about (masks, limited capacity in the ships and in ships venues, etc.). Early return to cruising passengers are going to have to plan for and to be flexible enough to accommodate those likely mitigation measures along with itinerary changes, the possibility of being denied entry to a port of call or even home port if a crew member or passenger comes down with C-19, ship swap outs and changes in transportation to and from embarkation/debarkation points. If you are an early cruiser, you can also expect strict control measures for preventing C-19 or dealing with single or multiple C-19 infections on board should that occur. There will most likely be protocols for cruise lines for covering the costs of disembarking/transferring and quarantining C-19 positive passengers and crew both onboard and once ashore acceptable to home ports and ports of call - a huge task but one that cruise lines will figure out. Could they require passengers to carry travel insurance? I think that is entirely possible and even likely. If you get C-19 while aboard, you'll be quarantined, and I'd expect you will be required to debark at the next port of call at your expense/covered by your travel insurance. All of this is going to affect your experience in potentially negative ways. Get your mind wrapped around these if you plan on jumping in early. Some won't want to deal with any of this and if you don't think you can, now is the time to re-think taking at risk cruises and those are probably the ones through the end of 2020 and into the 1st and second quarter of 2021 - assuming decreasing risk of having to deal with the various inconveniences over time. My take is that "normalcy" - and even then it won't be like cruising pre-C-19 - will return in the 3rd quarter of 2021 (July - a year from now) and then only if a SARS-CoV-2 preventative vaccine - or at least one that has shown to protect against the most serious complications of C-19 - is available and scalable. That's the bad news ................OTH, I believe there's good news too. I believe the CDC's release of it's color coding system that applies to the ships involved in the cruise industries repatriation efforts is a harbinger of a color-coding system for ships that will have passengers aboard. I also think the CDC is closer to green-lighting cruise ship operations out of US ports than we think, and I use the no news is good news slogan as a basis for that view. I have no doubt that CLIA and other industry lobby groups are putting polite pressure on the CDC and the Trump administration to lift the no-sail order. They must be. There are more factors and benefits weighing for restarting RCL operations, as soon as things RCL doesn't have control over start moving favorably in their direction, than the factors against or risks of a C-19 infection occurring on one of their ships. From a corporate standpoint it is a choice between insolvency or solvency; bankruptcy or operational viability. The cruise industry, in varying degrees and based on a company's cash position, is getting absolutely hammered - probably worse than any and they have a right to bitch about it and haven’t at least not publicly. Behind the scenes? Absolutely. Carnival announced today it is selling or scraping 6 of its 8 Fantasy class ships in the next 90 days - that's a big chunk of change and as the vessels are actually sold or scrapped a sizable reduction in operating costs. We'll see these kinds of measures characterizing the cruise industries attempts to remain solvent while trumpeting such actions as injurious to any US agency holding the keys to restarting the gas turbines that will listen. My view is that across the industry generating income through sailings, even on a limited basis and as soon as possible, will be at the forefront and parallel any kind of cost shedding measures like Carnival just took. What about the risk of bad PR - something that popped up very early in the pandemic and was also highly damaging to the industry's rep and continues to be damaging? Dealing with bad PR if a cruise ship is found to have even one C-19 positive passenger or crew - something you have to believe RCL is planning on even now - is small potatoes compared to dealing with insolvency and bankruptcy. Think about that for a moment. Put yourself in the shoes of RCLs' CEO, Richard Fain. Corporations, especially one with the potential to generate 10s of billions in annual revenues, tend to survive. RCL will put its survival at the top of its list of short term corporate goals. I'm an optimist, I think RCL will sail, all things out of their control assumed to trend favorably, in August and on a limited basis. I think an early, limited start in the Caribbean has potential; I think the med, again on a limited/selected basis, has potential. We already know what regions are out for an August restart. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess..... you have mine. If Fain is to be believed, when RCL starts sailing again, while the experience will be different, it's likely to be as good as RCL can make it and I have no doubt it will still be overwhelmingly good. I'll enthusiastically jump right in with my mind and travel plans adjusted appropriately - Celebrity Equinox, 8n S. Caribbean, departs Fort Lauderdale August 1st, 2020..... a west bound translant out of Barcelona in October and a Holiday Cruise at the end of December.
    1 point
  37. Yes, you can move it to any other cruise on any date precisely because it is a refundable rate. I checked this exact point with our TA before lifting and switching. If you want to protect the price, and all applicable stars align (date one year ahead plus or minus four weeks, same itinerary type, same length, same cabin category) then L&S is the way to go. If you do L&S you still keep the refundable status. Outside of L&S you pay the going rate for the new cruise and again will retain the refundable status. In this case, any promotions tied to the original booking will normally be lost but you would be entitled to promotions tied to the new cruise. I believe that Next Cruise OBC obtained from booking on board an earlier cruise is the exception to this rule and should move across to the new cruise.
    1 point
  38. RBRSKI

    Goodbye from some friends

    I don't use MEI but well wishes are sent to you!!! Many kind words and advice has been give to this blog via you! Enjoy your new adventure!
    1 point
  39. JLMoran

    Goodbye from some friends

    You'll be missed, @AnnetteJackson. Best of luck to you in your new ventures!
    1 point
  40. 1 point
  41. Neesa

    Goodbye from some friends

    I know in my heart this was a difficult decision for all of you. Please know we will miss you but fully understand, best of luck in your future endeavors. I can't say I was surprised at all. I was wondering how much more anyone could take, it was much more then I could have. Please know how much you are appreciated and how much you will be missed! Thank you and be well and stay safe! Seriously, I just wish Fain and his peers would really stand up for their industry & her partners such as you! The little you tube videos seem like lip service at this point. Take a stand and believe in yourself and your product Cruise Industry, gees. You are hurting your partners you keep saying you care about, and how about our REFUNDS!!!!!!!
    1 point
  42. Seems to me CLIA and the rest of the industry needs to have some better lobbyists and PACs.
    1 point
  43. WAAAYTOOO

    Goodbye from some friends

    I don’t know what to say, Annette ! Dan and I are going to miss you so much ! The group cruises will not be the same without you ! ?? Please come around and chat with us from time-to-time. Best of luck. So sad Raye
    1 point
  44. Pima1988

    CDC guidance

    Seriously, I see this is like a ski lift ticket. It states in fine print the liabilities,. If you don't want to sail, than OK. However, I do want to sail. I remember a sociology course I took in undergrad. When does the good of 1 outweigh the means of many? You have the inevitable right not to sail, so why don't I have the right to sail? FWIW, I lost my Dad (57 yo) to Adult Leukemia. I know the difference.
    1 point
  45. Ampurp85

    CDC guidance

    Ummmm can I just say germs and the virus are different. Unless that bag of chips, carton of eggs and handrail is covered in spit or mucus, the odds of catching COVID from it is extremely low. Things should be kept clean in regards to other bacteria and germs. I am reminded of the stylist who cut 140 peoples hair with COVID but nobody was infected......because she washed her hands and they all kept their mask on. I see people who have gloves on the store and I laugh. They dig in their bag, adjust their mask and touch all sorts of things like their hair and face. What is the point?? My brother goes to the store 2/3 a week because he needs fresh fruit; he has incurable stomach cancer, so his immune system is compromised. He wears his mask only, does all his shopping and washes his hands when he gets home. We share a home and he hasn't been sick because we do our part. Oct was supposed to be his first RCCI cruise but we collectedly decided to wait. Not because we don't trust that RCCI will do their part and be clean. But because people will not. This is a social disease, how can you comfortably vacation knowing that its a possibility that the person next to you: at the bar, sitting by you on deck, or sitting in front of you at a show, has COVID. People are not inherently good and are always self-serving. They don't want to cancel their vacation, especially if it took some time to get there and/or cost them a decent amount of money. I don't think people or RCCI can afford to have to quarantine right now...regardless of how nice the room may be.
    1 point
  46. Fair points Ampur85. I'll respond....... On Protocols and the time it takes to design and implement them: I find it hard to imagine that the CDC and RCL have been sitting on their hands over the last 3 months. I trust the Trump administration and HHS have the best interests of companies hurt by C-19 in concert with considerations for the public health of the cruising US public. Certainly the Trump administration is pro-business, pro-reopening to bring the US economy back up to speed. While technically RCL is not a US registered business the US jobs it's operations support in the travel and leisure industry are no drop in the bucket. I can't cite the numbers but they cannot be insignificant. I'm going to assume that RCL has contingency plans recently designed to support a re-start of operations in August. Did those contingency plans get developed in the dark? I doubt it. and here's my reasoning why: This is a company that employs hundreds of thousands of workers within their operational supply chain and is capable of producing multi-billion dollar annual revenues. Will the US via the HHS/DHS/CDC machinery keep them shuttered? My magic eight ball says decidedly NO! I think these agencies run by Trump people want them to survive and thrive and to that end, they are talking to them privately if not secretly about what needs to be done to allow them to lift the no-sail order. We got a glimpse of it already with the color code system for ships repatriating crew despite denials from CDC spokespersons that it had nothing to do with stipulations the CDC will come up with for passenger carriage on those same ships. We'll see about that. I'd add that CLIA was already on to designing and implementing safety and health protocols for COVID before the CDC no-sail-order got dropped. On other countries not welcoming cruise ships with primarily Americans on board regardless of the benefits to their economies: I think this issue is the one most likely to scuttle an August restart. This is especially true if new C-19 cases continue to surge in the US as they appear to be now, notwithstanding my view that new case numbers without qualifying context are about worthless. That won't make any difference. High new US case numbers and associated growth rates may be used as a means to prohibit cruise ships from entering their ports of call regardless of any mandated CDC protocols and promises of adherence to them that RCL will offer. On a positive note, I could see RCL doing some arm twisting here, or call it incentivizing officials with either withholding further infrastructure development or offering more of it including additional head taxes. I'd add that unlike NCL and probably Carnival, RCL is in a much better cash position to take the risks associated with a first to dive in to the darkened pool of the unknown. Don't think for a moment that RCL does not have on its list of things to do to grab market share. Early bird gets the worm and all that. This is a highly competitive industry and the fittest and boldest will survive and thrive; weak sisters will take a back seat. That is a powerful motivator to get this thing done and if things they can't directly control fall into place, and I've provided reason to believe they will, RCL will be sailing by August. On the bad PR issue: I believe I addressed that. This is an Occam's Razor circumstance. The simplest solution or explanation will prevail. In finding explanations for actions, in this case by RCL, the simplest thing to do is to follow the money. I contend that RCL knows exactly what they will do to counter past and future bad optics fabricated by the national media without the facts to back up their ridiculous "Petri Dish" characterization of a cruise ship (I addressed that with some facts in another post here). I feel confident that knowing how they will cope with this puts worrying about it down the list of immediate priorities. Generating revenue by operating their ships is key, top on the corporate to do list, and they will try to do that any way they can beyond pushing future bookings which has to be running out of steam. This includes implementing a step-wise approach - a few selected sailings to demonstrate their capacity to not only operate but do it safely. I believe that will start in August.... as fanciful a prediction as that might be. Follow the money. The corporate entity that is RCL is not timid and if they were before C-19 or continue to be in addressing it going forward, they would have then or in the current circumstance deserve(d) to fail. That won't happen. Lastly, I think you base a good deal of your view that RCL will not start as early as I suggest it will because they won't risk the potential cost of litigating and potentially losing a tort claim involving allegations of recklessness or negligence in a passenger's death secondary to C-19. The link provides a decent discussion of why Cruise lines are relatively immune to such tort claims to wit: "Suing a cruise line for these types of cases (C-19 illness/deaths) is extraordinarily difficult." That's because cruise lines enjoy a number of protections. They're not U.S. companies and not subject to health and safety regulations like the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)......" There's way more in the article below and all toll it adds up to, RCL is covered. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/22/840525310/even-with-covid-19-cases-suing-cruise-lines-is-extraordinarily-difficult Hope this helps to raise, in your mind, the chances of starting up in August to what I believe is a 50/50 proposition - that low of a probability resting solely on factors I mentioned that are beyond RCL's control and not trending favorably in their direction. I'll acquiesce to your outlook should I not see favorable trends in the uncontrollables I speak of by early July.
    1 point
  47. Double digit day! 99 days to go. Feeling good and worried about the date at the same time. A random post from someone in the FB group saying they called the port and said they will be good to go out of jersey in August gave me a bit of confidence. But still... the world has gone mad, and all that grouping together is likely to drum up more cases. We are on the cusp of reopening and don't think anyone is going to be willing to shut down again. I've always been a gambling man. My bet is still on things will go!!! Diet update down about 14 pound overall. Had a pretty big plateau for about a week that I finally got passed. Another 16 or so to go. Beautiful day in Jesery. Got out for a hike with the family.
    1 point
  48. Unfortunately even when there are official releases from Royal Caribbean the agents that you speak with aren't "in the know" about them. They aren't been apprised of all the changes to Terms & Conditions in a timely fashion. There are releases that go out to the Travel Agencies that outline the specifics when they make offers. I believe in the blog post about this, it's showing the letter that was sent out to Travel Agents that have customers impacted by this change. Your TA may not have gotten this email for a myriad of reasons (most of them the fault of Royal's poor IT and communications) so they didn't know about it. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/06/12/royal-caribbean-expands-options-guests-affected-cancelled-allure-of-the-seas-sailings This wasn't originally an option, but they listened to the feedback/complaints they received and some folks have reported success in escalating to get moved to a cruise that works for them. They've posted in Facebook pages and that's trickled over into messageboard posts so if you're reading the messageboards you will see the changes happen in real time. I know @Matt tries really hard to put out accurate information through the blog and not post based on rumors without substantiation or official word from Royal Caribbean.
    1 point
  49. Yep, I always check that as well as over 55, C&A member # and state. Haven't received a state discount yet. I have tried the elusive FOM discount, but to no avail (FOM=Friend of Matt). I guess you have to go on an official blog group cruise to qualify for that one.
    1 point
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