12thman

Cruising is the only place I know of where you dine and don't have to worry about tipping, which made me feel strange and uncomfortable. Our waiter was excellent and so at the end or the cruise we gave him a couple hundred dollars. TIPS has always been the acronym "To In sure Prompt Service" at least that's what was taught in hospitality courses way back when.

Could it just mean that you get the same suite attendant for the cruise? That's what we had on Allure. Never seen that listed before? Doesn't say butler or genie so I'm thinking it's just the person who cleans the suite.

Can't imagine any of the performers who are stuck on board wanting to do another contract after seeing how cruise companies "take care" of them. Doesn't matter who is to blame for being stuck on board. The level of frustration and anxiety must be difficult. Read stories of other performers stuck on other ships and technical their contract is over so are they getting paid or not?

Interesting story from Motley Fool about crewmembers: The leading cruise line operators aren't doing right by their current crews, and that could cost them in the future. A lot of the questions surrounding the turnaround for cruise lines are based on the passenger perspective. Will Carnival (NYSE:CCL) (NYSE:CUK), Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE:NCLH) be able to fill their ships again at the other end of this pandemic crisis? How will the experience change? How deep will the discounts be to woo new and former customers as the negative fallout plays out? But a side of the story that really isn't being discussed is the crew issue. Did you know that there are roughly 100,000 crew members stuck on cruise ships that are still sailing just outside of U.S. ports? They remain largely confined to their small cabins as the cruise lines negotiate the terms of returning the largely international workforce to their respective homes. It's been that way since the industry shut down in mid-March. They are stuck, and in a handful of cases dying from COVID-19. Your bullish turnaround thesis has likely centered on how long it will take for cruise lines to get back to full ships with passengers paying full fares. It's time to start asking who will be working these ships and how much will they cost. A couple enjoying breakfast on the upper deck of a Royal Caribbean ship. Will future cruise passengers have to be their own waiters? Image source: Royal Caribbean. Uncharted waters Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are in a standoff with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to repatriate the 100,000 crew members who can't leave their ships. The CDC is requiring costly private transportation to return the trapped hires to their respective countries, and cruise lines have refused to be accountable for the process, according to Thursday's Miami Herald. The matter will be resolved one way or another. The cruise lines eventually need to get these ships cleared out, cleaned up, and put back into service at some point later this year. But how many of these crew members do you think will be eager to get back on these floating petri dishes? If you think the horror stories and percolating class-action lawsuits were bad among the passengers who disembarked more than a month ago, can you imagine what the fallout will be for the crew members still stuck at sea? The turnover is going to be pretty colossal, and then the question becomes who will take their place. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian basically operate out of Miami, but they are registered in different countries for the kinder taxation rates. Roughly 95% of the crew members are not U.S. citizens, since the industry relies on the cheaper labor it can score in countries with weak economic opportunities. The recruiting narrative is pretty consistent. Foreigners sign at least a six-month contract to provide for their families better than they could back home. Traveling and meeting people from all over the world make it an adventure with a paycheck. Crew members have been through weather disruptions and short-lived illness outbreaks, but they have never been through a situation as prolonged as this, where the cruise lines themselves have mishandled the outcome. Working on a cruise ship is not going to have the same opportunistic appeal that it had before the industry shut down seven weeks ago, and the horror stories will trickle back to the countries that the cruise lines lean on for crew members. One can argue that the industry is trying to do right by its displaced passengers, but it's a lot harder to justify the situation with 100,000 hires on what are essentially floating prisons at this point. Shares of Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have started to come back, and eventually some passengers (if not most) will do the same once the recessionary concerns and negative headlines subside. Staffing future cruises will be the real challenge, and it may prove to be more challenging and expensive after everything that the industry is going through right now. If you're only looking at the top line of the industry's turnaround, you may want to be more vigilant on the turmoil taking place on the lower decks of this story. 10 stocks that could be the biggest winners of the stock market crash When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Royal Caribbean wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 16, 2020 LINK HERE: read://https_www.fool.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Finvesting%2F2020%2F04%2F30%2Fcarnival-royal-caribbean-and-norwegian-cruise-line.aspx

@WannaCruise if you wannacruise just do it. By the time people can start cruising the virus should be way down. Don't think the cruise industry would risk it's reputation by having more news stories about more people getting the virus. The thing that concerns me is if there's a vaccine by next year. If not then this could happen all over again according to a medical report I was reading. The virus could mutate that would be bad for everyone. But If I had a cruise this year I'd go and enjoy myself, life is too short to worry about everything, use common sense and you should be fine. Happy cruising!!

Very sad, these are the people who make our vacations possible, deepest sympathies to those who have passed. Many have no say if they can leave and go home. News story from Fox news: "A person aboard the Celebrity Infinity cruise liner has passed away, Celebrity Cruises confirmed on Thursday. The person’s cause of death was not specified in a statement provided to Fox News, although the ship, which is currently docked off the west coast of Florida, has been under lockdown since at least Saturday following confirmed cases of coronavirus among the remaining crew members onboard, the Miami Herald reports. A representative for Royal Caribbean, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, further confirmed that two crew members aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas ship — which currently sits off the coast of southeast Florida — were evacuated for medical reasons. The company said all guests had already departed from both ships in the last couple of weeks, according to a previous statement obtained by the Herald. Only crew members remain, and those that had exhibited “influenza-like” symptoms were asked to isolate in their cabins. As of Saturday, however, crew members aboard the Infinity told the Herald that most of them had been confined to their rooms since Saturday, and learned of a fellow employee’s death on Thursday, but not how many positive cases had been recorded on the ship. Prior to Saturday, the crew members were reportedly awaiting arrangements to repatriate to their home countries."

To be fair the stimulus package ONLY cover US flagged ships, Royal has already mentioned it doesn't qualify for any monies from the stimulus package. That's why it took out a backup loan. Guess only NCL would qualify as their one ship has been flagged under the USA since 2005.

Here's some information why vessels are flagged in another country: Working for a cruise line which is registered under a flag other than the American can be complicated, especially when there is a need to address certain rights, such as workman's compensation, discrimination, abuse and/or harassment, as well as other work related issues and problems. In the entire cruise line industry there is only one cruise line company which has its ships registered under the American flag, all others are registered in foreign countries such as Panama which are more lenient with big corporations, but not to individual employees. The Cruise Lines International Association explains the reason behind the fact that 90% of the cruise liners register their ships under a foreign flags due to the “capabilities of the flag to deliver the services needed; representation and reputation of the flag in the international shipping community; the performance of the flag state, which dictates how a ship is prioritized by port states; the pool of seafarers able to meet the need of the flag; and the flag’s fees/charges and taxes.” Many cruise line companies deem that the regulations which follow registration under the U.S. flag are unattractive, therefore they lean towards a country which has regulations and laws which benefit the company and its operation. Some claim that the corporations which sail under a foreign flag do so simply to avoid the American safety and consumer protection regulations and laws. The Federal Maritime Commission also understands and acknowledges this fact by giving the following statement “it is important to know that the Commission has no authority over: passenger line vessel operations, safety issues, amenities onboard vessels or fare levels.” NCL'S Pride of America is the only current ship that is flagged in the USA, which means it can sail directly from one US port to another and not have to port in a foreign country. Suppose that's why it's the only ship that sails around Hawaii and not have to leave the islands. Wish Royal would do this, especially for the Alaska season it could stop at an extra port in Alaska instead of going to Canada.

If I'm reading the coast guards memo correctly NO foreign flagged ship will be allowed to MEDEVAC in the seventh district (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico). Looks like the Rotterdam and Zaandam could be stuck if the governor of Florida doesn't give them and exception.

@Lovetocruise2002 so I just posted the same question on RCL's IG. Those who wish to support Sabrina could ask the same question. Everytime RCL post on SM ask the question the more that know the more likely RCL will do the right thing.

That’s not fair at all! They don’t take into account that you have another 7 sailings with them? How does that effect your future business with them? Hope you get the 125% FCC in the end.

Just my two cents, taking into consideration that RCL borrowed a considerable sum, stock price is down over $100 per share. The suspension of cruise operations, still needing to pay employees at HQ and else where, they need to conserve capital to stay liquid. Won't be surprised if more amplification's are postponed or delayed. They equipment will most likely go into storage. Any improvements to their private islands will be delayed. Just my thoughts...

Well hopefully you aren't coming for a conference or something similar. There's a ban on gatherings larger than 250 people. Hopefully this does down soon. Don't see this kind of reaction when 92,000 people died in the U.S. alone between October last year and February of influenza virus.

Good news is traffic is down severely, no lines to get a table and most restaurants are having specials. Just bring your own hand sanitizer. The city has lost it's mind and people are hoarding hand sanitizer, wipes, toilet paper why I don't get it?

As previously mentioned the Port of Seattle is cancelling sailings April 1st and 5th (https://www.portseattle.org/news/port-cancels-first-two-sailings-seattle-cruise-season) Port of Seattle has now banned Seattle as a port of call, meaning if your ship was to stop in Seattle for 1 day it will not now. (Subject to change) Many restaurants in the Seattle area are closing or reducing operating hours, one of the best know restaurateurs Tom Douglas is closing ALL 21 Restaurants except dahlia bakery for 8 to 12 weeks. ( https://www.tomdouglas.com/restaurants) If you are going to a restaurant best to call and see if they are even still in business. Restaurants that have closed permanently: Local 360 (http://www.local360.org/) and Arriba Cantina (https://arribacantina.com/) I'll post updates as they become available, anyone else feel free to add. Knowledge is power.