Pima1988

@Chadster 2 yrs ago this exact week that was where I was on vacation. I too would be soooo upset if that vacation was cancelled because Australia had always been one item on my bucket list. Thankfully I got to check it off.

It is funny bc people will fly into NJ and get that lovely odor on the NJTPKE and the 1st thing they say is how is this the GARDEN STATE? They just never have driven 30 minutes in anyone direction off the NJTPKE or the Parkway. FYI, if you have never flown into NJ, the odor comes from the oil refineries.

I think it actually will be until there is an effective vaccine. They are already showing that people can get it a 2nd time unlike the chickenpox, thus the vaccine is going to be the only route impo.

That was last month when nobody was flying and it was pretty big news of these passengers being released. Airlines were flying empty. Passengers were the talk. Not hard to put 2 and 2 together. If you are saying you will have to say if you were on a cruise, than I think the airlines have no leg to stand on. Passengers will just say nope. They can just say they were on vacation. Plus, there is an argument that could be made are they going to stop people from Europe getting on any airplane after they spent a week at Disney? I have friends that live in the UK. They come every other yr. They could come in from the UK not knowing they have the virus, spend a week going to Cape Cavernal, Universal and Disney driving around in a rental car. Go back home and than find out they have the virus. The damage has been done. Do you actually think that rental car companies are going to steam clean every car after renting it? Not me. They will wipe it down, and vaccum, but that is it. Those germs will be there. Same with things they have touched at the hotels or amusement parks. Finally, I think the airlines will be willing and won't try to rock the boat. South West has never in its 50+ yr history furloughed any employee, even after 9/11. They are telling their staff to get ready to be furloughed by Sept. I am sure other airlines, such as American and Delta will beat them to furloughing. IOWS, they need people to get back on ships. Do the math. Let's say 25K passengers sail out of Miami on RCL per week (Nav, Mariner, Oasis, Symphony) now add in Carnival, NCL, Disney and Princess. You have about 100K per week sailing. Assume 50% fly in. That is 50K passengers per week that will be on a plane. Those gates at the airports cost $$$ for airlines. They cannot afford to lose that many airfares. Additionally, every airline would have to agree to this idea. If SWA says nope, and Delta says yeap, don't you think people will just fly on Delta even if it costs them more? SWA knows this and they are going to be in financial trouble. The only way for the idea of not allowing cruisers to fly after sailing would be if the govt came down with a regulation to tie their hands.

I doubt she could just walk off the ship. I am sure she had to go through security just like passengers. She would obviously have to have at the very least her passport scanned, and most likely hand in her work i.d. If that is the case it will beep and they would pull her aside because she is not on the list. Think about when you debark and go through immigration with your passport. I know for my sister in law last July when we went through, they looked up your name on a list. She was selected for further inspection. Her name was on the list, it wasn't a biggie, but the point is they know who is debarking. From the articles I read it wasn't as if they could make their way back home on their own dime. RCL had to prove to the CDC that they would be in charge of getting her back to Illinois. The CDC wanted RCL to only use charters. RCL was stating that because she was the only crew member that lived in Illinois it was too expensive to charter anything to get her home. My question is now that RCL is repatriating many of their crew members, I wonder is her BF being repatriated? I also wonder if there is an aspect that is not being stated. Her BF. She admits that RCL was allowing them to live together in a cabin. Could that also be reason? The CDC may say that she has not really been self-quarantined due to living with him in a small cabin, and he is not American.

I wonder too. My husband bc of his military career, we moved to areas that were hurricane prone (NC), tornado prone (KS) and earthquake prone (AK). For our home owners insurance it always had the caveat of ACT OF GOD. IOWS, they would not cover my home, belongings, etc. if my house was destroyed since nobody could predict it. I truly believe that since this is the same attorney he is trying to make more money off of the backs of these crew members and destroying their ability to make money in the future. Than again, maybe he hopes to throw dirt on RCL for his lawsuit against them regarding the Freedom of the Seas fatality. Telling a jury, look at what they did to their crew members during the pandemic! Look at this Miami Herald article regarding how they live in fear from retaliation. How can you trust this cruise line? Now FFWD. Tell these crew members, look I got a settlement out of court for the Freedom of Seas fatality. I can win this for you. AMBULANCE CHASERS that is what this firm is from any direction you look at.

Here you go regarding why I think those on the class action lawsuit that crew members have fears of retaliation. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242380421.html “We are prisoners right now,” said a crew member on the Carnival Freedom, who has not received any information about when he will be sent home. The Herald is not using his name because he fears retaliation from the company. This from an NCL crew member. “I’m so scared for my life and so many others here,” said the crew member, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. “They treating us bad and no one answering our questions we have properly, especially concerning social distancing,” Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242380421.html#storylink=cpy Do you actually think that this person is going to sign on for a class action lawsuit? Two different cruise lines, both crew members speaking in anonymity fear retaliation. They know sign on to that lawsuit and it is a risk financially for their family in the future. They are basically rolling the dice since they must place their name on that lawsuit. Now for: Julia Whitcomb, 24, from Illinois, is one of three American crew members, among 954 total, stuck on the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. She worked as a singer on the ship. She has stated she will never work on a cruise ship again. She is the ideal candidate for the attorneys. She does not fear retaliation. I wonder if her Argentinian boyfriend will also sue or will he live in fear of retaliation? Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242380421.html#storylink=cpy Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242380421.html#storylink=Julia Whitcomb, 24, from Illinois, is one of three American crew members, among 954 total, stuck on the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. She worked as a singer on the ship Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242380421.html#storylink=cpy cpy

I am not sure why either. When I look at the thread, it shows both of them. Than again, I am not that computer literate...I just save and copy.

My bad for confusion. I was tieing this to retail companies, not customers. I was not speaking about customers. I was talking about the cashiers. I went into the store about a month ago, last week of March, way after VA had already shut down retail stores, movie theaters and schools, even the Pentagon was on essential staff at that time. We were being told to stay 6 feet apart, but no stamps on the floor. These employees did not have the shields or masks. Went in around Easter and they still did not have masks or shields by the registers. Went in yesterday to pick up stuff to make mint Juleps for the virtual Kentucky Derby that is today. That is when I noticed them wearing masks and register shields, but still not adhering to the rec. no more than 10 people in the store. And yes, they have tape lines outside of the store measuring 6 feet, but obviously the mgr is not adhering to that rec. Hence, do these employees have the right to sue due to work conditions? VA has classified the ABC as ESSENTIAL. They use to be open 10-9 (M-S) 11-7 on Sunday. Now it is 12-7 7 days a week. They changed those hrs back on the last week of Mar. I have lived in this area and shopped at that store for yrs and yrs. It has had the same employees for eons/years, i.e. very low turn over. However, since the last week of Mar. only the mgr is still at this ABC store. The rest of the staff has left....the building....oops I meant store. I wonder if they left because of the working conditions.

Unfortunately, I agree. As I stated, I work for a national retailer that furloughed their retail staff. Our doors have been shuttered since March 17th. We were suppose to reopen May 1st, than it was May 15th, than May 26th. We are now looking at June 1st. During this same period, you are starting to see national companies like Niemans and J Crew announce that they will most likely file bankruptcy in the next week or so. Part of me thinks that they are also doing this to cover their butts from any future lawsuit. Lawyers aren't going to take on a class action lawsuit knowing that the company has officially filed for bankruptcy protection. They would be so far down the pile that it would not make it worth the legal work just to try and get enough people to agree to the class action. Not an attorney, but I am curious if someone knows this answer. In VA all liquor stores are run by the state. They have remained open 7 days a week. I noticed last week when I went in that they just recently placed the shields up by the registers. There were more than 10 of us in the store which might be 400 sqft. The cashiers were wearing masks, but many customers were not. Can they sue the state?

Yes, but I hardly think RCL is going to pay out 40-50 Million. Doing the math. 30K multiplied by 1000 = 30 Million. Typically in cases like this they (lawyers) take 30% off the top. That puts it at @45 Million for the recipients to get 30K. Now I don't know about other countries and the tax implication, they probably would end up with even less. I think if Royal pays out, it would be maybe 10 Million. 7 million net for recipients, or maybe 7000 pp. We typically tip on top of the automatic grat. 10 per day to our cabin steward. They usually have 8 -10 cabins to take care of during that 7 day period. Assume they avg 50 per cabin per 7 days. That is 400-500 a week, PURE CASH on top of the grats that RCL charges passengers. Multiply by 36 weeks. If my math is correct it would take them 2 contracts to make back what they were awarded with 30K, 1/2 of a contract for 7K.

The cruise line suspended cruise operations on March 13 but threw St. Patrick’s Day parties on March 17 that were attended by more than 1,000 crew members, according to Winkleman. My last day at work for a national retailer was March 17th. Should I sue my employer? Please note by the time my company decided to close their doors other retailers had closed or at least shortened their hours. This is absolutely ridiculous. That attorney should be ashamed of himself and his law firm because they are nothing more than ambulance chasers. They did not force these people to attend the party. At that time if memory serves me correctly nowhere in the US on the 17th of March were there the regs of standing 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Additionally, of course they have to do mandated drills. That is not an option for any ship at sea. It is mandated by the Coast Guard. With attorneys like this, cruise lines are screwed because they lose either way. If they don't do the mandatory drills, some crew members will sue saying that RCL was negligent and flagrantly ignoring sea regulations, thus putting their lives in jeopardy. There are stories in the news of crew members being stuck in their cabin 21 out of 24 hrs a day. I am sure that there will be a lawsuit to follow, for the exact opposite of this law suit where they were not allowed to go to the dining areas to eat. The girl from Illinois comes quickly to mind. I am sure she or her family are in contact with an attorney. She is an American citizen, but can't disembark due to CDC regs and cruise line issue. Finally, I feel for those people that are part of the class action lawsuit. I hope they get a lot of money. Why? Because in the end this will become the end of their career with any cruise line. Do they actually think that RCL is going to offer them another contract? I wouldn't be shocked if the list of names on the class action against RCL does not somehow find its way over to the Carnival and NCL attorneys and than that list somehow finds it way to the HR dept for a DO NOT HIRE list. Thus, these people signing up for this lawsuit believing in this attorney and not realizing what may occur in the long run.

@TXcruzer You and I are on the same page. I just don't understand how people think that they will stay away. Look at many of the countries that these crew members come from. If I said to you: You can make 5-10X the amount your peers make in your state/country if you sign on the dotted line for 6-9 months at sea. Wouldn't you do it, especially if the unemployment rate is 20%+ ? I know I would risk the chance. OBTW, in the US we have many military members that do this, and not at a 5-10X larger salary. Look at the Navy, those ships are also floating petri dishes too and have been for forever. Yet, they are still meeting recruitment numbers. I would add, as I stated before, they too have financial obligations at home. Due to the fact that they have made a nice penny compared to their peers in their nation that do not work for cruise lines, they now have higher bills. They have become accustomed to a certain life style. That lifestyle, whatever it is, is going to cost $$$. They may not want to return, but sure as the sun rises in the east, they will need to make money to keep paying their bills. They will return and for those that don't there will be 50 people applying for that 1 slot.. We also did a Galley tour during one of our cruises. Again, just like our head waiter, it was true for the galley. It takes them yrs to rise through the ranks. I can't recall the colors they wore, but each color represented basically their rank. JMPO, but if you were at the bottom, and the top person opts not to return, why wouldn't you sign on? Chances are you now will be promoted to a higher position faster than it was before CoVID. That means ==== more money. I am not a risk taker, but I will do everything I can within reason to give the best life for my family. Anyone that sails knows you are safer on a cruise ship than in an airport or your local mall. I think getting 1st time cruisers on a ship will be much harder. Think of the couple booking their honeymoon. They can go to Sandals all inclusive for 7 days on a cruise for the same price. Think of families with young children, they can go to Disney. Think of the families that do family reunions, they can rent an Air B & B in Key West on the beach for the same price as multiple cabins. ALL of them will go on vacation if their finances allow it. However, they may say let's book a beach house where we can drive to and limited contact over that cruise. That to me is going to be the cruise lines biggest hurdle. I can drive to the Outer Banks and spend that same amount of money, and it is maybe a 5 hr drive. I can drive to Boston late summer and do a mini-vacay. I am fortunate due to where I live, but I am also a customer that RCL needs to keep, along with getting new customers. I have been furloughed, my husband has not. My paycheck was gravy. This summer I will be RCL's fears. I will be renting a beach house in NC for a week. Not bc I fear sailing, but because we have on the books a sailing May 2021, and we are just not going to play the book/re-book, just take the FCC and move on with a new vacation. That impo is going to be the biggest problem.

I disagree You just proved why I disagree. These crew members fight to get on ships like RCL. They are able to give their families a much better life. I can't recall the name of the crew member that died on Symphony, however if you read what family members said about him, you will easily see he was the bread earner to the point he was paying for family members homes, buying atvs, etc. I remember when I was on Adventure last summer and our waiter in the MDR said it took him 5 yrs to just get hired on by RCL (he started with smaller cruise lines). It than took him 5 more yrs to work his way up to waiter. His cousin just got recently hired on and was an assistant waiter, and it took him the same amount of time. They will be back and the fact is for big cruise lines like RCL if they have fewer coming back, they have a pool of smaller cruise lines that they can take them from.

Plus, if you read the latest news these airlines are requesting to be let out of their gate leases for some airports. That means they are now forcing more people to fly out of fewer airports. They are shutting down smaller airports like Flint/Lansing and saying that passengers can fly out of Detroit. Hence, more people in Detroit.

I can beat that. My brother and sister in law live in central NJ. Their garden center is operating on the HONESTY program and appointment times. There is no person to meet, and they allow no more than 6 people in the garden at a time. You pick out your flowers/planters take a pic send it over the phone. They call you back and take your CC over the phone. I am sure they have cameras everywhere to see if the customer is truly honest, but still that is amazing.

@WannaCruise Yes the 270 has amazing windows. Actually for our sailing that was our muster point. It is also where you will find the famous Kummelwreck sandwich, unless it has changed since our 9/18 sailing. We opted to eat there over the WJ on one of our sea days. I cannot say what it would be like to sail away in the 270. I guess for myself and my husband, we always get a balcony. I think for us, we would probably get a glass of wine, bring back from the WJ (lunch) cheese, breads, etc. and sit on our balcony as we went under. That or maybe the Solarium. The Solarium is adult only, whereas, the 270 is for everyone. Maybe @WAAAYTOOO could also chime in. She sails on the Anthem in the winter.

From one Jersey girl to a Jersey guy. I disagree. You saw the new sale which is Sept-Dec 2020 drop to 45 pr night. That price is lower than I paid in 2018 and 2019. I pd 47 on Anthem in 18. 51 for my Adventure cruise in 19. My expectation if the sale is any sign of it they will do sales to bring it down around my Adventure cruise. Maybe 54-57, but not the 84 it currently is at. @HeatherP is still more than 8 months away. They are going to leave it high. Alcohol and soda are big profit makers. I have worked in the Food and Bev industry. The amount they make is insane. It probably costs than 10 cents for a soda. That Mondavi Chardonnay they charge $8 a glass, costs them that for the entire bottle which they get 4-5 glasses. What I think we might see is RCCL cutting their line of hard alcohol included in the DBP. For example: my husband and I drink Bulleit Bourbon, Makers or Gentlemen Jack. They have always been in their included list. They may say that now there is an upcharge for those brands. They may keep the DBP in the mid 50s and instead of having the daily special at 8, bring it up to 9 and only use "well" instead of "call" alcohol. "Well" is what you would get at your local store for cheap. I don't drink Rum, or Pina Coladas, but I would guess there is a level lower than Ronrico, hence they would be using that. @Big Tule I don't know when your Baltic Cruise is sailing, but maybe they are not running any sales due to the fact that it might be cancelled. Bev pkgs are not limited, like The Key. The only thing I believe that is a factor is: all pre-cruise sales must be done 72 hrs prior to sail date.

My only fear would be ….weather. The weather has been mild for several years, however, it is not uncommon for a huge snow storm to come barreling into the area. Plus, it will be cold sailing out regardless for at least the 1st 36 hrs. Figure you will not hit NC waters until the a.m. of day 2, it is still going to be cool. I am just someone that does not like packing for multiple climates. Finally, my favorite thing about sailing out of Cape Liberty is going under the Verrazano bridge. There is nothing like it....looking up under the bridge as it barely clears it and hearing the wheels of the cars whizz by. No way at 4 p.m. when it is 40 some degrees would I be up there on the pool deck.

Nothing for me for our Symphony cruise. I believe the sale is for the sail dates of Sept to Dec. My 2020 cruise was cancelled, and due to work scheduling and land vacation issues we will not be able to cruise until our May 2021 Symphony.

I agree. I honestly would have no issue getting on a cruise ship the day after they were allowed to sail. However, I have a caveat. I must be able to drive to the port. I fly often. No way do I want to travel on an airplane and it is not just about the cleanliness of the plane, it is about the airport cleanliness. Ask yourself when was the last time you saw anyone wipe down the chairs you sit on outside the gate?

Leave Disney out of the scenario because Disney is Disney. You are comparing apples to oranges. The thing for you is the question when will Canada open up for the cruise lines? If Royal is back to sailing, but Canada is closed, what will the itinerary look like? Maybe RCL will say that they will not be going to NE/Canada and instead just go to Bermuda/Bahamas/Coco Cay. This happens a lot in the late summer/early fall. We were suppose to go to Bermuda, 48 hrs prior they emailed us and said we were going to NE. The point being is....if Canada does not open up, and RCL is sailing you can see your route change at the very last moment, are you still willing to sail with whatever they decide? They may decide to still go north, but just not Canada. They may decide to go to Bahamas and Coco cay.

On the Anthem you do go through a handwashing station. There is no way to enter without going through there and they have someone watching you. I have always seen the WJ manned and makes sure they do the WASHY WASHY with hand sanitizer if they don't have the station like Anthem Where I have an issue is the MDR, it also has a buffet for breakfast and lunch. I have never seen them monitor it like they do at the WJ. On our Anthem cruise, we all remarked about how is it at 1 buffet you are forced into a handwashing station, but at another they don't enforce you to use the sanitizer right in front of them before they take you to a table.