Mrs. Thomas

That sounds good. We have to be careful in Minnesota (baby daddy issues), but I would love to take one or two in a year after all of this insanity is over.

Which is why I live in the country. LOL

@Dad2Cue That sounds like a blast! I got to go to Gettysburg with my band class, but didn't see what all I wanted to. I want to go back in order to take more of it in. I've seen a documentary about state fairs and Iowa was definitely one that made the list of needing to go to. I haven't been able to travel much out west, so I would love to go. I'm all about family history so at some point I'm going to do some traveling for it as well.

Those cases are not surprising when you see what is going on in Washington state. That is not something that I would be using as a measuring stick. The rest of the country isn't having the same things going on. There's been a rise in cases in Oregon and Minnesota which doesn't surprise me either, as they are having the same situations in large cities. BC has less per square mile than just about every state in the US. That makes a difference.

First, thank you for your service sir! I grew up broke (broke means no money, poor is a mindset) , so travel was always very limited. I was in high school when I got to start traveling more, because I worked for the money to go. I also went places with band class. In the past 10 years I have been able to go on my first cruise, go to Pennsylvania, DC (3 times), Texas, Niagara Falls, Tennessee and multiple times to the SC and NC coast. A couple of my trips were with 8 Days of Hope to help with damage from natural disasters. I miss cruising, but I also have a huge bucket list to see right around me. It's amazing the things you find in the little places. One day I want to go to different state fairs and local festivals around the country. There are a few in NC I still haven't been able to go to. We have an Old Soldier's Reunion festival that lasts a week here and it's been canceled this year for the first time in about 60 years.

@crisgold52 You have been blessed to have the funds to do such traveling. Many have not been as blessed as those of us who can travel. I haven't done as much as I would like, but I have been to a few places. I see you went to big cities. Have you ever been to the little towns in places like the NC coast or parts of Louisiana? They have a culture and even language all their own. Big cities are all the same. Little towns, like where I live, are, or can be, a completely different experience. They are often dismissed, but are rich with history. I never said people shouldn't travel outside the US or that Americans don't because they dislike the idea. All I'm saying is that there are many things that most Americans are trying to see first. We want to see what is in our own backyard. This country is falling apart (partly, and please let's NOT go into politics. I hate it.) because many don't go out and meet people that live in the same country and have meaningful conversations. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." ― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing It

YES! This is why I decided to try and book a cruise during February! BTW, I love the meme. It's so true for NC too.

There can be a bit of culture shock if you take a person out of a city and put them in the country and vice versa, but no, not as much as putting them in a different country. However, the wonderful things I was talking about seeing had nothing to do with cities or towns. The US has mountains, deserts, canyons, geysers, and so much more to see that is completely awesome. I am not opposed to world travel at all, but there are facets of it that make me nervous to go to certain places, such as crime (mostly petty crime) and cleanliness. If anyone wants to go to another country, and I plan on going to Italy before I die, I advise that a person does lots of research. No one wants to be caned for spitting out their gum (Singapore). Also, we may technically be free to fly or even drive to other states right now, being told that you have to quarantine for 2 weeks (depending on where you go) makes it a no go 98% of the time. Many states are telling people to NOT travel to other states or to even leave their towns, again it depends on the state. Legally we can go where we want, but there are things that stop most from traveling.

I highly doubt they ever cruised. It sounds like one of those people who have gotten caught up in an extreme environmental conservation group that doesn't really do it's research. They watch all the negative things but never the positive. Sounds like their glass is never half empty, just empty without looking at the glass. If they would just do the research and learn to truly love the nature around them, they would be much happier and could enjoy life.

That is why I say that you can love your country but hate your government. LOL We are blessed with a beautiful nation that has a lot to offer. Many people from other countries think that Americans don't travel to other countries because we are arrogant. I think for many of us, we just have so much to see here that we don't get a chance to do worldwide travel. I hope that this virus stuff gets taken care of soon so we can travel freely in our own country again.

You may be right. The CDC can say we are good to cruise anytime it wants, but if ports are closed we still aren't going anywhere.

LOL Maybe we are all just walking in a circle. Sure feels that way with the bookings. I am determined to get my family on a cruise. Hopefully our first one will be Navigator in Feb.

I sure hope so. I'm waiting on cruise planner funds. A good bit of them.

Are you following me? LOL I decided to forego the Oct. sailing and book for the end of May as well. I'm just waiting for my credits to hit. We may all have to sit and have a celebratory drink.

You'll be sailing out on my birthday. I haven't been on many sailings, but I remember being nervous about my first one. You will be pleasantly surprised about how nice it is and how little you feel the ship moving. Knowledge is power and there are many on here that can give you lots of it. I applaud you for being brave and facing your fears! Take a look at all of Matt's videos on YouTube. He has lots of knowledge there. If you don't have a travel agent, I recommend that you get one if you still can. Go ahead and plan everything you need and if cruises are canceled you will get your money back. If not then you will have a great time!

You can tell by the last paragraph of their post that they have never cruised and where they stand on it. "Part of capitalism is that some industries and companies don't make it and other innovations and businesses rise up in their place. That may just be the fate of the cruise industry as well, and for the poor treatment they have notoriously shown to their crew and the environment, I'd say it was about time!Think of all of the human rights atrocities that you will save from occurring if you continue to block their cruel industry." They obviously have a strong opinion and would enjoy the fact of the cruise industry going under all together. I wonder what happened to make them hate it so much. Opinions like those should be taken with more than a grain of salt. They truly have no idea of the different policies the cruise lines take to ensure the safety of the environment and those on board. Their suggestions made it sound more like a stay jail than a vacation.

Those are the "cruise ships are petri dishes" people. Because of whatever reason, they are against cruising (from germs to jealousy) and don't think others should go either. I hope the opinions from those people are fully ignored.

The CDC is wanting our feedback about what we think should happen. Personally, I think this means two things. 1) They are truly wanting a solution to get things moving. They are under a lot of pressure to get the cruise lines up and running. 2) They don't have a CLUE about what steps the companies take to clean on a regular basis nor do they have a clue as to what to do. This means that the Blue Ribbon Panel was a wonderful idea on the part of RCL and NCL. They will be able to give the CDC much of the answers that they are looking for. Many (not all) of the people that will be commenting to the CDC will be normal people who have no medical experience. They will just be going by what they have heard or seen on the media, no matter which they listen to. This is all well and good, but I trust that they will take into consideration that most of us are just concerned people and not doctors or nurses. I hope they truly listen to the BRP and utilize their suggestions that way people can get moving again. Sitting in our homes and not being a part of society isn't good for a person either. If it was then my FIL wouldn't be in the shape he is in.

If we get canceled again, then I'm keeping the money and not rebooking. I willingly shifted my October rebooking to May because it would just work out better for our schedules and I'm not so sure about October sailings right now. However, I don't think that this will go on too much past October. The cruise lines can't handle that much loss, especially with the holiday season being big business for them usually. I still think we are making a mountain out of a molehill (that is my opinion, please don't try and fight me because I'm done fighting), however, we still have to deal with the situation at hand. Which is when will vacations be ok again?

I actually like this idea. I'm a bit claustrophobic and when I had to do it on my honeymoon it was all I could do to stay calm. Being packed like Vienna sausages isn't my idea of a good time. This also lets a person read at their own pace when they could easily miss something during the talk. I hope they keep this.

Not be a downer, but not really anything to do anymore unless you want to just sit and do nothing. Most attractions are closed in many states. We have opted for a hotel at Oak Island, NC, because as long as we have the water, we're good. We also have some friends and family in the area we plan on seeing as well. You may look into Pigeon Forge, TN. I know a lot of people who love that place. Mountain air is good for you too. I hope you find something.

@JohnK6404 Here's the Baked Alaska I had on my honeymoon in 2013. It was so good!

The date is wrong. This is from Aug. 2013

Which makes testing 48hrs before you go pointless or even temp checks. Temp check before boarding? Sure! However, if a person is in the middle of incubation period (asymptomatic or not) then you won't know if they are sick. There still isn't enough data to know how contagious a person could be at that point. If they are, then they don't know it. Quarantine the most vulnerable and the sick. If the rest of us get it then we should be fine. @PattiHere I agree. We need more good news. Unfortunately, the media (and some in this forum) only want to talk about the negative or pour out any glasses that are half full. It is horrid that they padded the numbers so bad in Florida. I wonder if those will be taken out of the total number of national cases. There is proof that numbers in other states are padded too. I know going state to state can be a problem, but seeing as how flying isn't being demonized, I may just be able to fly somewhere. However, I'm probably better off driving. I have family in other states that I wouldn't mind seeing. All of this is getting very heavy, but I don't think those in power (at least not many of them) actually care. We must continue to search out the unbiased truth and lift others up.

Even though cases have went up, the death rate continues to go down. Which I think is fabulous. I don't know about Canada, but in the US we don't ever look at flu cases. We look at flu deaths (well that's what the media reports on). Is this different because it is new? I understand that this can be really bad, but why are we confining the healthy in fear instead of quarantining the sick? I have a Feb. sailing booked. If it is canceled due to all of this, then I will get a full refund and not cruise again until I know that this insanity is over. That means I may never cruise again, which is sad. I will adjust though. There are plenty of beautiful places in the US that I haven't seen yet.