Mrs. Thomas

16 hours ago, Pooch said:

Wow, are you really suggesting the the CDC (the people who worked to stop the spread of Ebola, SARS, Swine Flu, Measles, Aids) are ENJOYING THIS?????  I'm sorry but I cannot believe any human being would accuse them of such a horrible thing.  

I'm not saying that it is all of those that work there. I also don't mean that they necessarily want people to be sick. What I am saying is that those who are in the most powerful of positions  are enjoying the ability they now have to control people, even if they don't say it out loud. If you think that some people don't  ever think that way then you truly don't understand the human condition and I would love to live with your rose colored glasses. You should look up the Stanford prison experiment. There is more going on with all of this than what most see on the surface. I've done my own research and there are things that aren't adding up. Anyway, yes, I believe the cruise industry is getting a raw deal. We see how RCCL and others are doing their best to do what is needed and then the rules change just as it is getting done, kind of like when Cinderella is trying to go to the ball (Disney version).

49 minutes ago, steverk said:

The CDC may never declare cruising safe, because nothing in the world is completely risk free.  Therefore the  bureaucratic mindset says "don't declare it safe because someone  somewhere will get hurt or sick"

 

Of course cdc only controls us ports...anyone up for a cruise OUT of the Bahamas? 

I am honestly looking at a destination vacation to St. Thomas or St. Martin with my family if they decide to extend the no sail order. If we have to cancel through August and then again through October after I have rebooked to then, my kids will have completely lost out on having a vacation this year. This has been such a horrid year for kids, they need the vacation just as much if not more than we adults do. Their lives have been turned upside down. Plus, they end up hearing about all of the craziness going on in other places (especially in the US) and it adds to the stress. I would gladly fly to catch a ship at this point.

3 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

...and guess who will swoop in and buy up the cruise lines ?  CHINER !  They caused the plague in the first place and then they will be able to get the cruise lines for a song once they go down.

Then the quality will go way down just like everything you buy at Walmart.

21 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Why in the hell would they be enjoying this? Cmon. Was the CDC running better when you were in charge of it?

Because they are finally in charge of something. It's bureaucratic crap. This is the only time they are relevant and "important" and they are making the best of it. When else does anyone pay attention to them? It sounds like you are in a sarcastic and smart axx mood today. Maybe you should take a cruise and distress....oh wait...nevermind.

18 hours ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Pretty sure that the CDC has more important things to do, than answer your personal question of when you can drink a labadoozie again...

It's about more than just when we will sail again. If the CDC continues to be like this they can successfully mortally wound if not kill the cruising industry. Let's just say that they stop cruising for an entire year, which is possible, then a good few of the cruise line will go belly up, Virgin probably being one of the first. If that happens it will effect many other travel industries and the economies of other countries that depend on the tourism. Many of us are tired of being told what to do by a group of people who don't seem to completely know what is going on as they keep changing their statements and their numbers always seem to just not add up completely. The CDC thrives on panic and confusion and (IMO) they are enjoying this sudden rush of power.

28 minutes ago, Kcusack89 said:

I'm with you wish they wait till end of July and see what the CDC says and what the world looks like then. I know Florida seems to jsut be peaking now so I wouldn't be shocked if fall cruising is the start. My cruise is October 26 and I just pray it will happen

They need to cancel August before July though. That way people can get their FCC and refunds in time to rebook. I plan on rebooking in October if my August cruise is cancelled, which now looks like is very possible. If October is cancelled then I will have to see about next year. My kids are looking forward to a week's vacation, though they don't know what we are supposed to be doing. If they cancel our vacation, I may just send a picture of my children crying to the CDC with a note at how they are destroying the ability of kids to have any fun or family time right now. They have chosen to be a bully to this industry and are ruining people's lives in the process, and I'm talking about owners, employees, etc.

2 hours ago, Jill said:

Here’s what I posted in @DunwoodyDad’s thread: 

 

At what point do we passengers grab our torches and pitchforks? I’m about ready to start making some noise. 

If you can sit in a movie theater on land, you should be able to sit in a theater on a ship. 

If you can sit in a restaurant on land, you should be able to sit in a restaurant on a ship. 

If you can fly on an airplane that can have upwards of 1,000 passengers in a day, all smooshed together breathing recirculated air, why not a cruise ship? 

So if we all did start being squeaky wheels, WHO do we complain too?Senators/Representatives/Governors of port states? 

Inundate the CDC phone lines and socialmedia? 

I think it’s time they hear from US! 

•  

Love this! I agree. Maybe it is time to be a squeaky wheel.

Warning: This is mostly rant.

I want to say that I'm not upset at RCCL. It isn't their or any of the cruise lines fault as to how they are being treated. They are doing their best to roll with the punches. The media was all too happy to make them look like "floating petri dishes" as if they are the ones that brought this mess over to the US in the first place. HOWEVER, the CDC is starting wear on my patience. They don't have power over much of anything except the cruise industry. They are saying one thing one day and something different the next about this virus. I'm not trying to downplay the virus, I have seen the numbers. But I also know that this is something that will be a part of us from now on. We are going to have to start learning how to live with it in our world as we did the flu in the early 1900s. I understand that getting things ready to go isn't easy, but how is it that everything else seems to be on a one way track to normalcy and the cruise lines are being told to just "hurry up and wait"? Most, if not all, of the cruise companies are trying their best to do what the CDC wants and yet they are still told that they must continue to lose money on a daily basis and the rest of us are stuck at home. If they cancel to many more cruises a few of these companies may never recover. There are small businesses in my area closing for good due to all of this. I'm usually a pretty perky and optimistic person, but all this is starting to get to me. It ticks me off when people try give others the run around.

They may not have to "bump" too many people if any at all from the first sailings as to be at less than max capacity. I'm sure there are people cancelling their cruises in advance as to not get caught up in the delay of refunds. I would hope that RCCL would be honest with people, but they could easily say to guests that they are running at a certain percentage of capacity and be lying about it. The guests wouldn't really know the difference between 75% and 60% as the Oasis class (which is thought to be the first ships to run) are so big. I honestly wish that if the idea is to run at a certain capacity that they stop letting certain cruises be booked after reaching that percentage. I don't know if they are doing this, but there are lots of cruises still on the site that I would think is at a high capacity already. However, they may surprise us and sail at 80%+ capacity and just say that people need to wash their hands and wear a mask.

5 minutes ago, stevendom57 said:

@DunkelBierJay Oh, my bad. Then it's even better. Now to see if they are closed because of COVID or because of damage.

According to Trip Advisor it says that it is closed due to a natural disaster. It may still have hurricane damage from last year. I will say that, from the photos, my son still may enjoy it. He loves looking at anything having to do with pirates. He's 7 so it doesn't have to be too in depth. LOL

17 minutes ago, DunkelBierJay said:

It may not be what you are thinking it is. It is more of a historical site with a small restaurant, bar and pool...

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147405-d148109-Reviews-Blackbeard_s_Castle-Charlotte_Amalie_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

Thanks!

I didn't know there was one. I'll have to check that out at some point. My son LOVES pirates!

4 hours ago, jaredhamburg said:

Our son is five, and we are still in the stage of figuring things out.  We know he has severe ADHD, but he has been going to speech, occupation, and physical therapy due to developmental delays.  We are left trying to figure things out and treat symptoms for now; but we are very blessed that he has made progress and can now go get more therapy in our state because the COVID-19 lockdown measures have lessened.  Like you said, life is just hard.  We have four kids.  Our oldest is a type one diabetic, then we have our son, and two kids with no known issues at all.  People with a child or children with no issues usually have no idea how blessed they truly are.

My son is 7 and we are behind with the therapies but he has been going to speech, occupational for this school year. The "school at home" stuff really made that hard on us as his therapies were then being done at home over the computer. My husband wants us to exhaust non-medication helps before looking at giving him medications. He doesn't want him to think that medicine will cure everything and that he doesn't have to try or take responsibility for his decisions in the future. In other words, outside play is our friend!  The cruise we have planned for August will be a great week for him energy wise. It is a time that he can just be a kid not in a classroom for a little longer. I truly hope that we can all get back to cruising very soon and that our kids can start truly having fun again!

17 minutes ago, jaredhamburg said:

My son has severe ADHD, and it would be a nightmare to try to manage him with a mask...The vacation would have a lot of fun sucked right out of it.....I am glad someone else understands that "just make him/her wear a mask" can be different across the population of people....

I'm glad that I'm not the only one as well. People who don't have kids with ADHD don't understand how challenging it is in just a normal day, let alone something like this. He has sensory issues as well which can just make things even worse. If they really want to see a parent look like a tyrant then have them make my son wear one and me trying to keep it on him or not mess with it constantly. It'll suck the fun out of more than just OUR vacation.

Due to anxiety issues, we wouldn't be able to wear them either. My son has ADHD and they would be a big issue for him as well. I just hope that we will be back cruising soon!

12 hours ago, bretts173 said:

You say the large population is a reason for things not getting better? That may be an excuse for things being bigger at their peak but no excuse for not turning things around. New York have at least turned the corner with a large and dense population. What is the excuse for places like Arizona? I am all for going cruising again and making our own choices, but our choice doesnt just affect us. 

I'm not saying that a larger population is the reason things aren't getting better. I'm saying that it is why things look worse than they are when you look at just numbers and not percentages in ratio with our total population. I just saw where 1 million people are said to have gotten the virus. While that is a lot of people, it is also about half of the population of New York CITY. The US has a population of about 328.2 million people, which makes only about 0.3% of the population getting the virus. However, if 1,000,000 people get sick in Italy, who has a population of about 60 million, that is almost 2% of the population. IMO, there is too much doomsday speaking with all of this. There is a recovery rate of about 98%, (in people w/o underlying conditions) but you don't hear about that. Yes, our choices can effect others, but knowing what choices to make isn't that easy when the CDC keeps changing the information.

17 hours ago, Jmccaffrey said:

I just wish all the post got together to make one plan

The problem with that is they all belong to different countries. You know how it goes when different countries try to come together. It doesn't always work.

55 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

 

@Mrs. Thomas Businesses need rules to protect themselves. Some leisure activities may be able to get away with wear a mask at your own risk. But stores, businesses, restaurants, etc  can be sued. American is king when it comes to frivolous lawsuits.

Yes, unfortunately people have become "sue happy" in America. I believe that if a company wants to make them mandatory then that is their freedom as a company. Then we as consumers can choose what we wish to do based on the rules. If a person doesn't plan on obeying the rules, then they should wait until the rules change to their liking before cruising or whatever.

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Mrs. Thomas I don't think it WAS about not getting anyone sick, just curbing the infection rate given the circumstances.The main problem is the news cycle with political, fearmongering, and bias reporting; so it all optics. I cannot stress this enough but all the other pandemics in the history books were not over in mere months. From when it became an issue to now, has not been six months. Cases may have occurred as early as Dec but it wasn't until March that things progressed. I have never advocated continued shelter in place, jut restrictions. Should the CDC allow cruising asap, yes, but this early it needs to be at your own risk sort of thing. Caribbeans Islands rely on tourism, but they don't have the infrastructure to handle outbreaks. Just think about how ships of 1000s of pax each day might affect them....no wonder some ports haven't opened.

Unfortunately we are seeing the economic damage from all of this as well. There are multiple small businesses in my area that have had to close permanently. I don't understand how things in other countries are getting better but not in the US. However, the do have a much smaller population (most of them). I personally think that people need to be allowed to choose for themselves what they want to do. Yes, have some regulations like checking temps and hand washing (which people should be doing anyways), but let people decided to wear masks or not. Also, for those who feel it is too risky to sail, then by all means wait, but let the rest of us go. The stress of everything going on now is just too much for some of us and we need to get away. Stress kills too and at a much higher rate.

14 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Mrs. Thomas There is no way the US will have zero cases by the end of the year. Right now numbers are dipping but will surge again as more things open up. I read an article on HuffPo that stated over half of America feel like COVID is done, they wished it away or the numbers were lies. All these careless people are going to increase the numbers, look at Vegas; the workers are protecting themselves but people are like "meh its vacation/leisure." People want to get back to normal asap, all it take is one person to mess up on a cruise line. A hundred(s) sailing went on during the same time as the Princess ships, yet they focus on the 2 or 3 with COVID cases.....never mind the fact that millions of people caught COVID without even being near a cruise ship.

I don't believe that there will ever be zero cases. There are never zero cases of the flu. We may not hear of it as much, but that is because many people know what they have and don't go to the doctor for it. They deal with the symptoms until it's over and get on with life. It isn't like the flu says "well, it isn't flu season so I can't infect anyone yet." We hear about flu season because that is when it spikes. That also happens to be when we are all indoors more because of the weather. The flu shot is only about 20 - 40% effective. There are SO many ways to get life back going. The quarantine was supposed to be about keeping our health system from being overrun. Now it has become about no one getting sick. That is not feasible. I think that if the media stopped throwing it in our faces 24/7 everyone would realize that it isn't the bubonic plague.

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Aslan It is all optics, those of us who cruise RCCI know its clean and responsible. However other lines are not so fastidious, CCL had hand washing as a suggestion and I rarely saw people cleaning the ship like RCCI workers. So when things hit the fan on Princess, it looks bad for all cruise lines. Plus there is a lot of possible transmissions involved with cruising because of ports. None of the lines can afford any more bad optics, so even the idea of a case of COVID would shut them down.

Unfortunately you are right. None of the cruise lines can afford to lose much more money either. Back when Carnival had those ships to break down, everyone knew it was just that line. This is different. It isn't something that they can control as much. All of this is so very frustrating for us all. Eventually, one of these companies is going to have to bite the bullet and be the first one to start sailing again. I hope when it does that there are NO new cases, but I doubt that would make the media.

3 hours ago, Aslan said:

I truly feel that the Cruise Industry has taken one of the Hardest Hits of all Travel Industries and WHY? I really only know about Royal Caribbean first hand! I can truly say that their cruise ships are well-cared for and constantly being cleaned. It is a very organized cruise lines and takes much pride in keeping their fleets impeccable! Most areas of the travel industry are NOT as skilled in fighting any type of virus as a Cruise Line. Royal Caribbean has sanitation areas, large , well-equipped sinks, on entering their dining  areas and they make sure everyone uses these areas before entering to dine. The also have a catchy little hand-washing song played over their closed circuit TV in the staterooms and they really  teach and foster each passenger's responsibility to others during the sailing! There is always hand sanitizing stations available as well. The ENTIRE ship is sprayed down and sanitized between sailings. Also there is control during the sailings because the Ship is actually a city of the SAME PEOPLE during each cruise and everyone CAN BE screened before entering the ship and then there is NO ONE coming and going for the whole sailing! NO Hotel or Land Resort have these capabilities! People that call cruise ships Germ Incubators, have there nerve and meanwhile they Check into a Hotel Room that doesn't even have the capability to spray the entire hotel between guests, has guests coming and going every hour and many of these hotels just wash duvets...not the blanket inside...sleep well in your "Germ Incubator"!

I've worked in hotels and so has my Dad. Most people DON'T want to know how unclean those places actually can be. Those who bad mouth cruise ships are usually the ones who have never been on one.

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Agreed on all your points.

What I find confusing is some ports are open to travel, but other restrictions prohibit cruise ships.

I saw that too. I also saw where certain airports are opening and some aren't. French Sint Maarten is having troubles because they are being treated differently than France itself. Unfortunately all we can do is wait. I'm to the point that if they cancel I may rent a row boat!

Many of us who cruise go to the Caribbean. However, if the islands are closed it doesn't matter what RCCL decides to do. I decided to do some digging and it looks like many of them are trying to open things up starting on the 15th of this month. A few are waiting until July 1st. This is a good sign. Many of us are trying to stay optimistic about things, though I'm becoming more of a realist. Our ports of call being open is great! Now we need to see if they can start announcing the new policies and procedures for cruising again (whether we agree with them or not). We all have our views about them and I really hope that they can find a good medium. I'm also hoping that no more cruises are cancelled. We all need a vacation from the stress this has added to already stressful lives.

47 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

Just had a thought. If masks are required onboard does that mean we can all temporarily agree that shorts in the MDR are fair game. If we’re all going to look ridiculous we might as well suspend any dress code. 

I was thinking of making a mask out of fishnet stocking material. I have yet to see any mandatory mask rule say what kind of mask or what kind of material it has to be made of.