jaredhamburg

4 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Yupp, those anti maskers can go pound sand, and find their own cruise line 

I will be curious to see what Royal Caribbean releases.  Neither of us are on the health panel, and I doubt that anyone of the panel could give a care to either of our opinions. 

I am just hoping for some sanity and for this to be over as soon as possible.  That way, people can possibly go back to being somewhat civil (fingers crossed against all odds).

4 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Stay home if you have health issues than ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

 

or a more comedic example 

 

Oh, I agree.  People with health issues should stay home if they feel at risk.  The world should not shut down for a small subset.

22 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Masks don't inhibit oxygen consumption, that has been debunked. Bring on the masks!

Actually, anyone with a breathing issue / trouble breathing is told not to wear masks (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html#:~:text=CDC recommends all people 2,know that they are infected.).  Why would that be if they do not inhibit breathing?  I know where you are coming from with much of MSM telling us masks are good and all, but they must inhibit breathing to a large enough degree to tell people like that not to wear them.

11 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

They said, "just as on land", when in public areas while on board, protective masks must be worn.  Luckily, masks will be required at all times except for dining and in your room.

I hope this is clarified by Royal Caribbean if they require masks.  Costa's site seems to be vague about the Lido deck and being in a gym in relations to mask usage (places where masks would inhibit oxygen consumption when needed by your body).  I really hope it is not that inclusive.

This is a deal breaker for many people (both ways) for many vacationers, so I hope there is good clarity no matter which way it falls (fingers crossed for the least masking possible).

On 8/26/2020 at 5:54 PM, DocLC said:

I think the primary benefit of them forcing passengers to use one of their excursions in contact tracing. Because they can control who you've been in contact with both on the ship and on the tours, if anyone test positive for COVID or experiences symptoms, they can determine where to focus intervention first. MSC also claims that their providers are tested and screened regularly and that all vehicles are sanitized and have been set up to allow proper social distancing.

When my wife heard of this, she said "Hell, no!" She says it's too much like a prison sentence.

My wife would agree with yours, I fear.  We may be doing lots of state parks instead of cruises for some time....

13 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Unfortunately not.  The Passenger Vessel Service Act requires that a foreign-flagged vessel stop at a foreign port.  The only way to do this is to sail on an American vessel.

Well, Norwegian has one vessel (Pride of America) that is American flagged.......this may work in their favor.  I am hoping this law can at least be temporarily changed......

I know this is very little and a long shot, but a person can dream!

5 minutes ago, Matt said:

Proving this point, I have read reviews that Allure, Explorer and a bunch of other big, new ships are "tired" or "in desperate need of a refurb".

I am taking a cruise on Explorer in October 2021 out of Galveston (things had better be resolved by then).  The reviews I saw about it being old and tired were worrying me a bit, but I heard goods things about the ship from my TA and saw videos where it looked good on YouTube.  

30 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Everyone's on board, or no one goes on board. That's what it's gonna take.

But he never said he would board and not follow a mask mandate.  He said he would not take a cruise if a mask was required.  How would this slow down the re-emergence of cruising other than having one less cruise passenger (for now or ever)?

8 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

"Alexa, why won't we be cruising until 2022?"

Not due to anything Jolly Ogre does......There are many other reasons why like fear mongering and bad data that is much larger contributing factors to the widespread fear and regulatory situation we are in.  His point is valid when he says that he does not want to go on a vacation with a mask on.  It would suck the fun out of my vacation as well.  He never said he would be going on on without it, just that he would forgo.  Thus, he could not be causing any problems to extend into 2022....unless it is from lack of vacation spending from him and like-minded souls.

45 minutes ago, CrznTxn said:

Sit 6 seats apart in the center of the theater "reserving" them for friends and family who never show up or do AFTER the show has started and have to chat and catch up during the show.

Play through your putt-putt game while your ball is still on the green, no "excuse me" or anything. And then complain about it within earshot. And no I am not a slow player, they seem to be trying to set a speed record.

The whole seat crap is a major selling point of the Key as we need Internet.....

44 minutes ago, ehw51 said:

the elevator rush thing is a classic, especially when it is a person on a scooter. 

That happened to me on the Disney Wonder where some people tried to push through my 8 YO daughter.  I had to get grouchy and say we were part of a group as I was getting on to have them let her on as well.  I would never dream of shoving a kid out of the way to get on.  Especially as she was walking right behind me.  Ugh.  I had a stroller and needed to ride it.  I don't ever get perfectly healthy people trying to shove ahead of strollers and scooters at all costs.   Hello?  You just had a huge meal in the dining room and do not look like you have any mobility issues.  A few stairs would probably do you some good to work it off and think about properly queuing. 

Our next cruise will not really need strollers, so taking the stairs will make things much easier.....

Rant over.  Maybe.....

Depending on the amount, I would maybe keep the refund.  FCCs have multiple restrictions, so please be aware.

17 minutes ago, FManke said:

Black Friday sales have been good in the past to get great deals on Cruise Planner items, but who knows what this year will bring.

My sailing is not until October 2021, so I will see what Labor Day, Black Friday, and (insert made-up holiday here) sales bring.  We have two rooms and two people who drink, so we can bring up to 4 bottles of wine if it stays too expensive (based on my estimation of value).

No matter what, I am having a Grey Goose screwdriver during the much delayed sail away!  I think once cruising starts up again, there will be so many happy, happy people!

Sounds like an awesome price.  I keep hoping it goes down for my 9 night on Explorer of the Seas ($57/day).  Not a bad deal, but there are three non-private island port days, and I worry about drink fatigue....I would jump on it though if it was that cheap for my sailing!

31 minutes ago, Matt said:

Not all media sites are the same, and some have no issues reporting on rumors without any confirmation or research.

What I post on RoyalCaribbeanBlog reflects on me and my reputation, and I wont post rumors until there is strong evidence behind it. 

The rumors of Empress may end up being right at some point, but I need more to run on than "unnamed sources" by the same website that said Cunard and Seabourn were sold last month when they were not.

I think a lot of cruise sites are publishing anything to get views and keep going.  I like your posts lately that keep cruise interest going through history and other information, without publishing vague rumors.  Your work is appreciated!

Hi, all!  I am going to be on Explorer of the Seas in October 2021.  I know it is not being amplified, but I was wondering which specialty restaurant people would recommend for a date lunch?

Thanks!

J

42 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

My closest ports are Baltimore, New Orleans and Galveston - all of which take 19 hours to get to (and none of which I'm usually interested in sailing out of, lol)

I would like to fly to a port with more choices, but plane tickets for a family of six take a big dent out of a vacation budget......We had to go on Explorer of the Seas instead of Liberty of the Seas in order to make the Bahamas happen again.

It is going to be so exciting when cruising starts up again!!!!!

16 minutes ago, crisgold52 said:

Yep your guess is as good as mine. I'm starting to lose faith in my first backup for FEB 2021  4nighter as well which I transplanted my FCC from November to. My secondary backup is April 3nighter if February folds. Both involve the perfect day product. My final retaining wall is a 7 night Alaska In May out of my home port in BC instead (a 15 minute drive haha) without flying 4300 km to FL.  Then I'm flat out of backups. Hope at least one of those goes ahead. 

I would adore having a 15 minute drive to a port.  The closest I have is around 11 hours....(Galveston, Texas).

On 8/7/2020 at 5:12 PM, crisgold52 said:

Waivers are there as a formality but generally if one is intent on pursuing something there's always a way of doing so. Even locally at one of our gyms despite signing a waiver, a person who knowingly got injured pursued litigation and there was even an article about it as well so it become a semi-media event over personal injury. Waivers or not, if there's a will, there's a way.

True, waivers cannot 100% stop litigation; but they are a tool to help reduce risk.  Any time a business opens its doors, there is an element of risk.  Risk waivers are used for surgeries quite often in the USA.  Doctors still get sued, but the risk/cost has to be built into their business model.

I think waivers will be present, but I think the big cruise lines are watching what is happening with the smaller ones first to help fine tune their procedures.  I think the holdup will be building public trust in the safety of cruising and having CDC and port of calls buying into the procedures.

I also do not think much if any 2020 will happen (maybe some small activity to test the waters) but due to regulatory barriers, not demand or legal risk.  That is why I went with October 2021 for my second re-booking and am still keeping my fingers crossed.

On 7/31/2020 at 1:52 PM, crisgold52 said:

In a place as litigious as our stateside friends honestly theres no feasible way for anything to depart in 2020. Whereas in Asia very good probability. The last thing any cruise line wants is to have more litigation from people saying "lets cruise already everything is open" aka planes restaurants etc. What people forget is a cruise ship can take a few days to reach port not a few hours low a flight pr like an hour in a restaurant, and some countries and ports will deny a ship with cases. This will lead to a repeat of what we saw in the spring. And rest assured there will be litigation as a result from passengers. Guaranteed so it's a big picture not an immediate one. As a Canadian looking in... it's always the case. 

I think having people sign wavers and having approved protocols (CDC sign off needed) would help mitigate litigation risk.  I know that cruises have the issues of port admission, but I truly believe that planes and restaurants have risks that are not hunted down like they are against cruise lines.  I just hope we can see this whole crisis in the rear view mirror soon.

8 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

An opportunity for the US government to "look good" to us as constituents.

"Hey, WE'RE not the ones keeping you from travelling!"

Politics aside, it is one less potential hurdle when traveling does commence......

9 minutes ago, deep1 said:

Go ahead... Laugh... One of these extensions will be the last and there will be a first new sailing. Nobody knows when that is...

I checked in for my September 2020 cruise even though the odds of sailing back then were quite small.  Like you, I hope for the best in these situations.  Soon, we will all be on the water again.

Honestly, the state of affairs and fighting to get all my money back and tracked, etc., was a hassle and half.  I am now using Sharla with MEI based on interactions on this board, and she made it easy to get things re-booked and planned out.  I love the easy button and having someone to bounce ideas off of.  I can so see myself using her services for all my trips in the future.    

Plus, I really want to avoid the RC ads you listen to over and over again on hold.....

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

They are now suggesting it could be 2-3 years in Canada before they allow us to be normal again..insane!

 

Now, not even a vaccine is good enough for the Canadian government to allow its citizens to move about and live freely......something has got to give at some point..its beyond ridiculous

I am scared of this approach being used in the US.  The cost of the pandemic on people with special needs, learning differences, and a myriad other issues has been staggering.  I am desperately trying to keep my son with learning differences going, but we lost so much in terms of help , resources, church events, and even preschool (cannot find enough staff now to help him) when this shutdown started.  But...if I mention this, I am told we are looking out for the greater good.  Hate to break it people, but the greater good is a pretty loose term.  Rant over.  Sorry.

32 minutes ago, LizzyBee23 said:

And how many home depot customers have to be airlifted back to hospitals from locations unknown?

Truly, do we have good numbers for the societal cost of retail being open?