Jill

I agree with @SpeedNoodles The new 100 day no sail order puts it into July. Agree Caribbean will come back first with Oasis class ships getting the first nod. I doubt Europe/exotic itineraries come back in 2020. Canada/Alaska also pretty much no.

Well I was already awarded points when CAS was re-vamped back in the early 2000’s. Cruises used to be awarded a single point, was not based on nights. We were awarded several extra points during the changeover to the current program. It’ll be interesting to see if I get my points for my cancelled Symphony. I did take the 125% FCC. It was for a JS suite too.

So glad my cancelled Symphony is with MEI! Hopefully no issue with my FCC when I get it but if so, I’ll sic Sharla on them!

I think you’ll be on land unfortunately. I asked a friend of mine who was Hotel Director on Oasis and he felt the Fall should be ok and that RC will probably bring Oasis class back first. Those 4 ships each had over $400 million in revenue last year. Makes sense to bring your big money makers back first. Generate some cash flow.

I really think this could be a viable option. A great way to ease back into business. Maybe I’ll “float” the idea on their social media ?

the only ports were CocoCay and Labadee? Wondering if this could possibly be an early option if/when cruises start up again. Obviously not the entire RC Caribbean fleet but I would be open to 4 sea days and 2 private island stops on an Oasis class. What about you? ?

I was speaking to a friend of mine who was a former Hotel Director on Oasis. He’s taking a break after 20 years at sea and is now on a river boat in the PNW. Anyhoo, Carnival came up in conversation as they are the line (well princess) that really started this mess. He told me they were transferring crew from infected ships to other ships in the fleet. Incredibly negligent. Add this to the others mentioned in the article and it makes you wonder about the integrity of the line. How many times in this forum have Carnival ships come up mentioning the lack of maintance on their ships? We were ported next to one in October in Nassau. It was full of rust. The ship looked so old and unkept. I looked up the ship on Wikipedia and the ship was newer than Mariner. We have a Carnival ship here out of Jacksonville and it just looks tired and worn out. So the question remains: are they too big to fail? I guess time will tell. I’ve never sailed them and have no desire to ever.

Mostly about Carnival but talks about the Big 3: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/05/carnivals-struggle-to-survive-the-coronavirus-as-outbreak-wipes-out-the-cruise-industry.html

Yes I have kept up with them as well. Song of America is a beautiful ship. Monarch and Sovereign as well. They’re all so tiny now! Lol My heart is with Oasis class now. Freedom class doesn’t even cut it! Will be trying my first Quantum class (Odyssey) October of 2021.

I heard on the news this morning from a passenger that they were bussed to the tarmac at FLL but he said once they landed in Atlanta to make their connections, they all just went right into the terminal and mixed with the general population. So all this strict disembarkation and they all end up mixing with everyone in the Atlanta airport. ?

You still smell it on the promenade on Oasis class. It comes up the stairway.

The Holland America ship (Zaandamn) was supposed to disembark in Chile. Chile refused them. Not sure about the Rotterdam. The ones out there trying to port in Florida I believe were all refused at their end points. According to Bloomberg, there are still 5 ships out there. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-where-are-the-cruise-ships/

We’ve got $65 for deluxe on our replacement Symphony cruise in October. Had it for $60 on our May that was cancelled. Our October 2021 Odyssey is $72! We actually weren’t considering it for this cruise as it’s Italy/Greece and so port intensive. I’ll bring 2 bottles of wine or prosecco on board and use our Diamond freebie drinks/happy hour.

I can just about guarantee most Illness that breaks out on ships (norovirus) comes from people being exposed on the airplanes they flew in on. Most norovirus on ships seems to occur during the winter season. Airplanes IMO are absolutely filthy.

Regarding pre-boarding testing, there apparently is a 15 minute test. No idea what that costs but if they can get the test down to $10, just pass that along to the passenger. I’d pay $10 to get tested prior to boarding. Until they come up with protocols to deal with outbreaks onboard, I think many will still be concerned about coming home to a mandatory 14 day quarantine or god forbid a scenario that just happened where no country will let you port. 6,000 people are stranded on cruise ships right now. The 2 Holland America ships are porting today in Fort Lauderdale at a massive cost to the line (Carnival). These type issues will need a concrete plan before Johnny and Suzy Public feel comfortable getting on a cruise ship. I’ve got 2 reservations. October 2020 to replace my cancelled May 2 Symphony and October 2021. I sure hope a plan to deal with outbreaks comes about soon.

This morning we heard cruise reservations for 2021 are up 9% over last year.

Your southern Caribbean is likely st kitts, st Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, st Maarten. St Maarten is the most northern and might be chilly water. I’ve been there in March and it was ever so slightly chilly. Last year I was there early April and got in the ocean. Barbados is the most southern and in my opinion always very warm. Similar to Aruba as both about same distance from the equator. You’ll definitely have some ocean time.

We enjoyed our corner aft balcony on Mariner last October. We booked kind of last minute so did a guaranteed balcony and that’s what we got.

I assumed since they were told 125% that it meant 125% of fare only. Moral of the story.....never cancel. Make the cruise line cancel first.

I think you misunderstood. You will get credit back to your card for taxes, port fees and prepaid gratuities (if you had that). You should receive 125% FCC for the base fare only.

I will be able to apply my 125% FCC to cover my replacement Symphony cruise AND I can then apply the leftover balance towards my Odyssey 2021 cruise! Also took the 125% OBC and will most likely use it all as what I booked for my cancelled Symphony is all more expensive in my replacement cruise.

This is what my email says from 2 days ago. Here it says taxes, port fees and gratuities will be refunded. So I’m assuming those fees will have to be paid separately when using a FCC. I don’t know why though. If I pay my entire cruise in one payment, why can’t I use my FCC to pay for everything?

I put a deposit down last weekend on a replacement cruise in anticipation of these new cancellations. Already transferred it to Sharla at MEI. I had a few questions regarding the 125% FCC and 125% OBC for cruise planner purchases and Sharla got back to me within an hour. Great service! Have been very happy with MEI and Sharla.

I put a deposit down on a replacement cruise several days ago anticipating this cancellation. Can you not go ahead and put a deposit down then use your FCC for the balance. I also chose the 125% OBC for cruise planner purchases. As soon as it shows up, I’ll use it to book my drink package, dining etc.

Agree with twangster. Our paid fares are likely being used to refund this last group of cruises or sitting earning interest. Why let go of money before they have to? They are not going to cancel until the last possible moment.