tiny blonde

Thanks, YOLO, and others who have extended condolences. It's appreciated, but not necessary - I've learned to live with it. Because "It" doesn't go away. That's the thing, we don't 
"get over it," we learn to live with it. I hope the family of Chloe Weigand will find a way to live with the pain, and go on to live full and even happy lives, as I have. I'm happy with my new husband and surviving daughter, and still miss my "baby." I'm sure there are many more grieving parents among us who still enjoy life, especially cruising!! And carry our pain along for the cruise, and think about it only at certain times.

You aren't wrong but maybe a glimmer of hope for ya. Prices shot upwards due to the crush created by cancellations, "lift & shift," and being able to reschedule so many runs. But with the new deployments out and a bunch of us having moved some our cruises out of the line of fire (hopefully), I am starting to see things level out somewhat. During this past week 2 of my customers got price drops as well as a couple of my personal bookings dropped. This leaves many of my Royal bookings unchanged but wanted to throw my 2 cents in the mix. 
 
Fortunately my franchise run of fifteen years is coming to an end next year but what a rollercoaster ending!
 
 

Our cruise (same ship, same itinerary) was scheduled for April 9 and we cancelled, since the CDC's recommendations are very clear: no cruise ships, especially if you're over 60. We're in our 80's and there was no question that we're at risk. I had no problem cancelling and didn't lose a penny (only the cancellation fee of $100). We're getting a cash refund for part of the cost and future cruise credits (FCC's) for the rest, and are already talking to our TA to schedule an identical cruise at a later date.
I really don't mind dying, I just don't want to suffer – and being confined to a cabin for 2 weeks and having a fatal pneumonia both strike me as suffering. So, why opt for it, when there's a choice? Wouldn't you rather go later?

Well, I'm sure other people have other concerns, but for me I wouldn't mind being stuck on a cruise ship for a longer time than I paid for (I paid for only a 4-night cruise), and I don't have to fly to the departure point because I live only an hour's drive away. If I'm denied boarding, I'll just go out for breakfast and then return home. And face masks serve the purpose of preventing me from touching my face (the average person touches their face 23 times/hour without realizing it). And I already have a box of face masks and a box of gloves left over from my cancer treatment 2 years ago. So the decision is easier for me.

Thanks, Shari3.

Thanks, @AnetteJackson.

@AnnetteJackson
It turns out I was mistaken about Stephanie having helped me before, it was Michelle, so I want to reach out to her. But there are two Michelles at MEI – Michelle Cunningham and Michelle McKnight. Which is the Michelle you all are raving about, and is there any way I can check which one was helpful to me previously?

Thanks, PRebecca!! I'll stick with her, then.

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed to hear!

Does anyone have experience with Stephanie at MEI? She was helpful to me once and I'm thinking of booking with her, but I hear a lot about how great Michelle is.

The "Cruise with Confidence" plan updated just a couple of days ago in response to the coronavirus emergency states (as I was given to understand) that the cruise using FCC must be booked within a year, but can be departing anytime before 12/31/2021. I have cancelled my cruise in April because I am a risk (82 with COPD) and I plan to book a new cruise for next year ASAP. Which means I need to stay alive another year.

Well, I'm sure other people have other concerns, but for me I wouldn't mind being stuck on a cruise ship for a longer time than I paid for (I paid for only a 4-night cruise), and I don't have to fly to the departure point because I live only an hour's drive away. If I'm denied boarding, I'll just go out for breakfast and then return home. And face masks serve the purpose of preventing me from touching my face (the average person touches their face 23 times/hour without realizing it). And I already have a box of face masks and a box of gloves left over from my cancer treatment 2 years ago. So the decision is easier for me.

You haven't said when the cruise is scheduled. I'm booked for a cruise in April, when the virus is predicted to peak, and I'm waiting to see what RCCL will do. 
I suggest you decide what YOU want to do (i.e., cancel or proceed with plans), and if you want to cancel, call your travel agent. Chances are that RCCL will allow cancellations with a doctor's note (which should be easy to get). At this point, I'm planning to go ahead on my cruise, although my daughter is trying to talk me out of it.

You haven't said when the cruise is scheduled. I'm booked for a cruise in April, when the virus is predicted to peak, and I'm waiting to see what RCCL will do. 
I suggest you decide what YOU want to do (i.e., cancel or proceed with plans), and if you want to cancel, call your travel agent. Chances are that RCCL will allow cancellations with a doctor's note (which should be easy to get). At this point, I'm planning to go ahead on my cruise, although my daughter is trying to talk me out of it.

He is not admitting to the facts, but he is accepting the guilty plea, which means he is saying, "Guilty."

He is not admitting to the facts, but he is accepting the guilty plea, which means he is saying, "Guilty."

Aha! I knew it. 'Remember the old-style "ambulance chaser" lawyer? This guy's a cruise ship chaser.

He is not admitting to the facts, but he is accepting the guilty plea, which means he is saying, "Guilty."

He is not admitting to the facts, but he is accepting the guilty plea, which means he is saying, "Guilty."

Aha! I knew it. 'Remember the old-style "ambulance chaser" lawyer? This guy's a cruise ship chaser.

No, I think there's still something YOU don't get . . . . it's not the family pushing this for profit, it's the LAWYER!!! HE is the one who stands to make a lot of money from this, for no good reason except that RCCL may want to protect their good name. I do NOT believe that the family should be awarded any damages, I just think that they should not be blamed for this circus going on. Blame the person who in all likelihood was the one who initiated it, namely the lawyer. That's all I'm saying.
I was approached by a lawyer, too, and I was advised to engage him and was prepared to initiate a lawsuit following my daughter's death, but the law firm reconsidered and advised me that they changed their minds and would not go forward, because the defendant (who in that case WAS clearly at fault) didn't have any money for us to go after. I was so brain-numbed that I would have gone along with anything they said. I'm glad it worked out the way it did, because money wouldn't have brought her back, but I couldn't think straight then.
Now do you understand? I am NOT in favor of RCCL being sued. I AM in favor of the lawyer being strung up and tarred and feathered and disbarred. I just hate to see the family being manipulated and criticized, when they need to be left alone to grieve.
I'm through. This is as clear as I can be.
 

Aha! I knew it. 'Remember the old-style "ambulance chaser" lawyer? This guy's a cruise ship chaser.

This is excellent!! It would be great if someone could post it to Facebook or Twitter where it might go viral.

I hope so – I love Dateline! One of the things I love about it is the guilty party is always found out and pays the penalty.

I'm reading an essay in The New Yorker by Atul Gawande about brain function, and it says, ". . . visual perception is more than ninety per cent memory and less than ten per cent sensory nerve signals." Also, "The mind integrates scattered, weak, rudimentary signals from a variety of sensory channels, information from past experiences, and hard-wired processes, and produces a sensory experience full of brain-provided color, sound, texture, and meaning." and the bottom line, "Perception is inference."
We know this to be true. "Green" is only what our brains tell us, not necessarily what's out there. Maybe Grandpa really thought there was glass there, because of a defect in his neuro-perception or the information stored in his brain. 
Still, that's not RCCL's fault. RC cannot know what defects of thinking a passenger might have. So maybe it was just an unavoidable tragedy that's no one's fault. In time the family will catch on to the fact that Grandpa often doesn't know what's in front of him.
Poor Grandpa. Poor Chloe. Poor family. It's just sad all around. But certainly not RCCL's fault!!!!!!!!!!!