PurdueFlyer

their attorney is still Michael Winkleman. that tells you all you need to know.

not sure where I fall on the spectrum here. months ago I was squarely in the "I won't wear the mask on my vacation" camp but now that it's part of the daily regimen, its not a deal breaker for me. most likely I'll have to actually take a cruise in the beginning, restrictions and all, see how bad it sucks firsthand, and then decide if I want to make future bookings as long as XYZ restrictions are in place. (sidebar- I dont actually know the answer to this, but does the CDC technically have jurisdiction on a foreign-flagged vessel once it is sailing in INTL waters? I understand they may require testing / masks / distancing to board, but beyond that? @Twangster? lol)

yes I'm aware of the difference between domestic and International. The point was "COVID is COVID" whether you caught it abroad or at your local grocery store. Why is a negative test required to board a 40 minute flight just because its international, but its not for a 10 hour domestic flight? In either situation, if I'm infected and asymptomatic, I put people on the plane around me at risk, and people I interact with when I get home. I guess I'm of the mindset that the CDC shouldn't be making a distinction, but they do.

booked Grandeur for December, they have almost 11 months to figure it out. I'm cautiously optimistic. I still doubt the constitutionality of the requirement by the US govt to bar US citizens from returning home if they test positive. It makes no sense that you have to have a negative COVID test for a 40 minute flight from Nassau to Miami on American, but you can get on a 10 hour Honolulu-Newark longhaul on United without proof of anything. Its widely assumed that transmissibility on airplanes is very low, and if it wasn't, then why don't we require proof of a negative COVID test for domestic flights? ? Maybe I shouldn't have typed that, someone from the CDC might be reading this and get an idea. There are some countries (Costa Rica) that require travel insurance for COVID treatments AND accommodation while you're in the country. Its the "accommodation" piece that gets very expensive so you have to be careful. Conversely, you have resorts in some countries right now that are offering free 10 days of hotel stay if you test positive before your flight back to the US. That's a deal! Currently, Barbados does not have this proof of insurance requirement, but it would be interesting to see if they ultimately change requirements (or if any of the countries Grandeur ports at require something different). if you get a rapid COVID test in the Miami airport enroute to Bridgetown, would countries Grandeur calls at near the end of the sailing require a more recent, fresher COVID test? Would Royal perform that onboard? I ultimately think a vaccine passport will become the norm and you won't have to continually prove your "COVID-negative" status (which is already effectively useless because nobody forces you to quarantine or tracks your movements for the 72 hours after you took the test) I may see how the lay of the land is when my final payment is due, and make a decision then. There's a lot variables between now and then, but ultimately the only thing I can control is getting the vaccine when its available to me.

it will be interesting (irritating) if the CDC ultimately requires a vaccine as a condition to board a cruise but then WON'T accept the same vaccine to allow you to board a flight home without an accompanying negative covid test. ? I get that asymptomatic spread is what is driving all of this, but eventually we need to move this past "presumed positive until your rapid test shows otherwise" phase. that didn't stop me from booking 4 cruises in 2021 already, but after this weeks announcement, I'll get the vaccine and opt-out of any travel that requires a test until things loosen up. I dont enjoy getting my brain tickled with a q-tip enough to jump through the hoops solely for the love of travel (and I do love travel!)

I'm slumming it solo in an inside on Deck 8 so I guess the party is in your room. lol. now just gotta figure out the plane tickets.

Do you think Trudeau will let you off your leashes by then? ?

I am debating doing a lift and shift of my May 16th 6-nighter on Independence to this Dec sailing on Grandeur. I have no faith the May cruises will go at this point but can't decide if I should wait for them to whack it, or just go ahead and move it now. this Grandeur sailing is cheaper and its 7 nights, so I'd bag 28 cruise points as a solo traveler. although probably need a hotel going down there and more expensive airfare too. some neat destinations though and I've never sailed on Grandeur, either!

I thought the CDC can only make recommendations, they can't "require" anything. The only reason masks are required in your grocery store, office building, or on an airplane, is because of local / state government ordinances (or because the individual business decided to require it). Heck, airlines & the travel industry basically begged for a national mask mandate, to back up the safety measures that they introduced ON THEIR OWN, and were told "NO." All of this Healthy Sail Panel and SCO is just hoops to jump through, the veracity of which I fully expect will eventually be challenged in court. But I think its likely that individual countries WILL require the vaccine thus rendering most of the discussion moot. I'm ready to get the jab when its available to me!

the Majesty was my first ever cruise back in 1997. disappointing. Never got to sail on Empress though. I wonder what will replace MJ out of New Orleans?

yes ... hopefully you have a solo sailing booked departing 1/1/21 so you can tell us all sooner ? I guess I need to book 2 7-night solo sailings in a suite to get to D+. I'd loan royal a few grand in the interim to make that deal happen.

yes yes and yes.

Since I'm cheap when it comes to onboard expenditures, I shy away from cruise line shore excursions. Any itinerary that has more than, say, 3 ports or greater on a sailing is gonna be viewed unfavorably by me if I can't get off the boat for an hour without buying an excursion. St Peterburg is probably a good (or bad)? example because most nationalities can't get off the ship without a Russian VISA unless they are on an excursion booked via the cruise line. Cuba was the same before the feds put the kibosh on those sailings.

I'm curious what the latest boarding time available for your sailing was? It seems like eons ago that I cruised ? Can't remember what the normal first / latest times were. 11a-3p seems approximate. If the new normal is something like 1p-5p, then I don't think the purpose is for increased social distancing in the boarding terminal. It would seem like they just need more hours in the morning to sanitize the ship before guests can be let on. If we are still seeing 11a boarding times that now extend until 5 or 6p, then it may have something to do with social distancing throughput. I typically check in online, but much closer to my sail date. This will definitely have me checking in earlier now to get a better boarding time.

I rent from AVIS and there is a location in downtown Miami that has a free shuttle to the cruise port. You have to be picking the car up or dropping it off at that location to use the shuttle. Try pricing a one-way rental from FLL to Q8M (thats the code for the downtown Miami location to use the cruise shuttle) this allows me to A. accommodate multiple people. B. have my own wheels for the day, so I can go where I want, and C. I can now shop around for hotels further afield, to save some money that way also. Downtown hotels can be pricey and once you're there you either walk around in the Florida heat, or you just end up taking more ubers to get dinner that night. I dont really have to be super close to the port for the morning of departure since I've already paid for the transport essentially. just make sure the car is gassed up and drop it in downtown Miami and get on the shuttle. last time I actually did this, I flew to Key West and drove route 1 (something I've always wanted to do) and stayed in Coconut Grove that night. easy peasy. 50 bucks for the car plus petrol. You could also repeat this process in reverse for your return. anything under 24 hours for the car rental should price the same.

IMO, the CDC absolutely IS part of the problem, and its not just in the arena of cruising. I work for an airline in the US that implemented (and still has) 60% seat caps on our airplanes to maintain "social distance." Within the past month, United and American dropped their 60% seatcap and will now sell their airplanes to 100% capacity. It took that announcement that they were returning to 100% capacity for Fauci to come out and say "I'm not sure thats a good idea." But, the CDC never issued a recommendation for the 60% seatcap restriction in the first place. Individual airlines were left to their own devices. There wasn't a decree issued that said "airlines must do X,Y,Z in order to be airworthy during this pandemic." Things we are doing, like handing out purel wipes as each passenger gets onboard, and serving snacks and water in a ziploc bag to minimize touching, were things we came up with on our own. The airlines were never shutdown and have been operating continually through the pandemic. Why is Royal / Norwegian's "healthy sail panel" comprised of former CDC employees? Why isn't the ACTUAL CDC just telling the cruise lines "here is what you have to do to sail again."? Seems rather lazy to me. Have an independent panel come up with their own recommendations, and then the CDC may or may not give that document the papal blessing? Hmmmm. But, this is part of the larger problem in the US that those abroad tend to forget ... We are actually 50 little independent countries here. Day to day, you don't really notice it except for things like speed limits and booze laws. We have had to wade through a daily bombardment of voices during this pandemic. Trump. Fauci. Brix. Redfield. 50 governors, each with their own agenda. Mayors of big towns with clout (NY, LA) that get extra air-time. Etc. Etc. The CDC doesn't really do anything besides issue guidelines. The regulations need to come from 1 place, 1 voice, but that isn't how the US is politically designed, and IMO is a huge part of why we aren't getting ourselves out of this hole anytime soon. Rant over. I can't wait to get back to cruising with you all soon, and that'll be when it is safe to do so! Carry on!

How long until you can go online and get a fake COVID-19 test result printed, just like those fake Emotional Support Animal documents for the airlines? ? A 3-day old test proves nothing, and protects no one. Just another piece in the puzzle of this health-theater charade. This too shall pass.

I've lost 10 lbs since my last cruise ?

face mask is probably my deal breaker unless it's required in very limited quantities. Getting a q-tip jammed up my nostril at the pier in order to get onboard is a close second. Also, the whole "guilty until proven innocent" phase alot of governments are going through (ie, 14 day quarantine when you return from XYZ whether you have symptoms or not). We don't do this for any other illness. It needs to stop.

not a WJ fan ... too many people. I dont eat a lot for brekkie, as I feel weighted down. I don't like navigating the crowds, & waiting in line for maybe just 1 or 2 items. I can grab those easier in the diamond lounge and its quieter, too. we've been doing similar at Cafe promenade & I love those early mornings when you seem to have the whole ship to yourself. I dont like to spoil that quiet with a noisy WJ. for lunch, its usually Cafe promenade or another small eatery like solarium bistro or something by the pool that's informal. I do like popping into the WJ for a burger though, if you can dodge the crowds. for dinner, it's MDR every time. i like the formality and flow of the MDR, and we usually don't have a problem coordinating other evening activities despite the 90 minutes or so you need to allocate for the MDR. that said, WJ is definitely an institution, and hopefully it remains in some form or fashion. part of what makes cruising great is that there is something for everyone, and WJ is a big part of that. crispy bacon for this guy ?

TPG is a credit-card hawking shill who is only writing about cruises because he can't fly anywhere to review a business class product at the moment. that said... although I'd get on a boat tomorrow if I could, I'm a little more pessimistic that a rebound is likely to happen quickly. This will be as easy or as hard as governments want to make it. and unfortunately I feel that cruise lines have been singled out by the CDC and other entities. I'll wear my mask to Costco, but after having it on for 30 minutes the other day, I felt there's no way I'd get on a plane until the masks aren't mandatory (and I work for an airline). if cruising regulations now include masks at all times, im out. if i have to get a q-tip jammed up my nostril at the port, I'm out. if a 1-week cruise turns into a 3-week vacation because I have to self-quarantine for 14 days when I get back, im out. unfortunately I feel based on the "FPD stigma" (which we all know is bogus), all of these things, and more, could be on the table for a return to cruising. God I hope I'm wrong.

If you read the embedded text on the Emirates video, it says they are "planning to scale up on-site testing for passengers traveling to countries that require COVID-19 test certificates" So my first question is: which little Stalin-esque countries are actually requiring this? It's not uncommon to require a certificate of immunization (yellow fever), but as @Twangster pointed out, the test is only a snapshot of your (maybe) positive status at that very second. Are we supposed to show up for our flight / cruise / high school graduation / NHL hockey game 14 days prior to the event and then quarantine in a little tent before getting our finger pricked? I think not. So what exactly would this be accomplishing? I'm already annoyed that I have to get my temperature checked when entering my place of employment. But I do it, along with washing my hands frequently, wearing the little mask, and standing 6 feet apart. Right now, that's probably as good a defense against COVID-19 as any. Eventually this will shift to more of a common "If you're sick or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, don't travel" approach instead of the charades we are seeing now.

We, as consumers, tend to view loyalty programs as solely about the rewards that we get. But, most companies' loyalty programs are run by marketing departments. And marketing is all about identifying new customers and encouraging new booking behaviors, NOT rewarding the same behaviors to the same people. Even if Royal threw everyone a few more elite nights onto their balance as a "thank you," yes, a few of us would be *at* that next level when we do get to take our next cruise, but that probably isn't going to change the booking behavior of most of us who are already in the program. What they probably are doing is looking at the rate of future new bookings, and deciding how to incentivize new cruisers to pull the trigger. As they are currently stingy with awarding nights (ie, you have to sail it, no nights for having the branded credit card, etc), my guess is extra nights per sailing probably isn't in the cards.

interesting, my April 13th sailing on Brilliance does not show "cancelled" yet on the app, but at least I know what's coming down the pike now. Thanks for posting your letter!

my issue is that the CDC at the moment considers cruise ship travel a "level 3" caution. avoid non-essential travel & a 14 day self-quarantine upon your return. As such, my company requires us to self-quarantine if we travel to a level 3 area. I'm not going to voluntarily take a 5-night cruise and then voluntarily sit on my duff for 2 weeks when I get back. I'm already bored to tears at home ? they will probably put the screws to the CDC soon to either roll back the level 3, or else extend the cancellations. If Trump says "OK cruises are good to go now" and the CDC keeps cruises at a level 3, then we have a problem.