JimnKathy

Yep, that's definitely a $10 handshake opportunity. 🙂

While we don't really enjoy the buffets, the one best thing I can suggest to anyone is to always use a knife, fork and spoon to eat...don't eat anything with your fingers unless you wash your hands after bringing your plate to the table.

One bit of encouraging news is that the latest findings are that the virus doesn't seem to survive nearly as long as originally feared on public surfaces (tables, chairs, handrails, door handles, etc.). This could be a huge difference-maker for estimated sailing restart dates.

I would suggest keeping originals (Passports) in your room's safe and always keep a copy on your smartphone while also saving a copy to the Cloud (Google Drive, for example) in case you lose everything. You will only be a few Internet clicks away from accessing your key documents anywhere in the world.

We're sailing Symphony for 2 weeks starting September 19...fingers crossed.

What I've heard works pretty well is to make sure your shy kid attends AO at the outset of the first day so that they're on equal footing in regards to meeting all the other new kids. I think it would be more difficult if they show up after all the other kids have already broken the ice the day before. Good Luck. 🙂

It would be interesting to know if there are any published case studies on P&L analysis of operating a cruise ship...not something I ran into during MBA school years ago.

Prayers and good vibes sent your way! 🙂

We're sailing a B2B in late September/early October on Symphony...our cruise planner is offering discounts on almost everything (shore excursions, Coco Beach Club, onboard dining, etc.). Needless to say, I've saved several hundred bucks just cancelling and rebooking like a madman! What a fun day! 🙂

Never tried Rumple, but during my college nights we would drink Bud Light chased down with shots of Peppermint Schnapps...thank goodness social media wasn't around back in the 80s! 🙂

More fun in Wonderland!

Likely some sort of force majeure clause would kick in given the uncontrollable aspect of the virus crisis perhaps?

The cruise industry will be fine no matter the length of the delay. There are MANY private equity firms with billions in cash waiting to capitalize on opportunities everywhere. While the big players may encounter cash flow hurdles requiring additional debt and/or equity financing to shore up capital needs, the industry itself is quite viable.

We love the Solarium Bar on Symphony.