Kata

So at the local market this afternoon, I saw a customer pick an item from the shelf, read something on the label, then put it back.  A nearby customer went bonkers:  "you touched that!!!  You can't just put that back on the shelf!!"  I'm saying to myself, lady, you're the reason that there's no bread or  toilet paper left in the store....
I didn't realize until now how similar shopping was to eating at the Windjammer.

Need to start passing this out!

A decision had to be made between beer and toilet paper......

I guess the beer won!!

You know it's getting bad when the homeless folks don't for spare change anymore and ask for spare toilet paper instead. 

I'm sure your doctor will do so after this blows over.  If not, find a new doctor.
I had an annual physical appointment scheduled for this Friday.  My doctor's office cancelled it because they are too busy and too concerned with sick patients.

RCL will not go bankrupt. This isn't a lengthy enough issue and the cruise industry is booming. They'll cut some costs to get through this and be fine. 

I think many people would be shocked at how close to the line many large corporations operate. The assumption is that because they have millions (or even billions) in assets they are well off and secure. (I used to be one of those people who made this assumption). That is not always the case. A lot of time more assets just mean more debt and overhead and just like the average American with their nice house and nice cars (and all their debt) missing a couple paychecks could break them. I don't know if that is the case with RC (and I hope it isn't) but its always a possibility.

My GOD I can not believe how cheap it is now ??........after watching it for a few days I am going to have to do the same!  You KNOW that it is going to start to go through the roof after this whole mess is over! 

Interestingly enough, I just bought our travel insurance policy on our cruise planned this fall, figuring rates may skyrocket soon. There was an add-on option for coverage in case of insolvency. I opted to add it on.

I think NCL is in real trouble more so than Royal.

I really don't think bankruptcy of Royal, Carnival or Disney is likely.  If it does happen (to them or someone else) the customers would be at the end of the line of creditors, and would have a very weak "legal" claim to a refund.
However, the company would probably reorganize out of bankruptcy or be sold.  Either way, the court, and creditors, would probably see value in keeping the customer base happy and would honor your tickets and other purchases.  

The smaller cruise lines will be more exposed to bankruptcy compared to the big players like Royal and Carnival.  
Just to answer the OP's question, customers who have FCC/monies paid to Royal will most likely SOL.  Other creditors will have priority.  There are some travel insurance plans that will cover those type of loss.  Some credit cards may even cover that.  The premium ones may just credit you out of "goodwill". 

I just bought some RCL stock at $28 a share...Coronavirus is just a short-term blip creating a terrific price point for long-term investors to build a position.

It's complicated.  Just like the big automakers being multinational corporations is complicated.  While the asset value of a ship maybe carry a flag of convenience there are domestic taxation for certain aspects of the business just like with any American company that does business internationally.  
One thing to consider are the spin off jobs and supply chain of the cruise industry.  When the big automakers were bailed out it wasn't just because they were American companies, the fear was the impact to the supply chain that feeds the automakers.  That is what would hit so many Americans.  
Just like our own president is proud to pay no tax and calls that being "smart" many American companies work the tax code to their benefit to minimize tax burden.  All American companies do this, the bigger ones have more opportunity to do it better.

Royal currently has enough money to operate for quite some time.  They have just uncreased their line of credit by $500 million.  The US government will be there to help if it came to that
As well they many ships that if they had to they could sell a ship or two.  If everyone booking was to be refunded, then it may cause a major cash flow issue for all the cruise lines.  They are not currently operating so the expenses for the ships are drastically lower at the moment as well.

I called and after a hour in a half on hold, they said because I canceled with the  Extended “Cruise with Confidence” program.  They will only honor the offer to the people who did not cancel. Mine falls under the Cruise with Confidence offer so no extra 25% for me. 

Do not think that is a worry at this point - but I get why people would be concerned !  they are a great and very supportive company

Doubt RCCI will go bankrupt for several reasons. The main being that the government will bail out, to a certain extent, at least Carnival and Royal. Cruising is good for the economy and a favorite among the older more well-off traveler. While millennial's mostly prefer to "gram" experiences, those with  actual sense want a vacation that provides a good time and value.
In the infinitesimal case of RCCi filing bankruptcy they may choose to do a few combined bon voyage cruises to appease those with FCC or current bookings.......or yes you will lose the money.  This is an unprecedented time, who knows how many businesses will have to restructure.

Great topic for people to respond to.
When do you all think the cruise lines will be back up and running, "business as usual"?  Once the suspension ends, it will probably take some time for the itineraries to be rescheduled and the destinations to clean up from this mess before they welcome tourist back into their countries. 
I suspect this is going to hurt the industry for at least 3-6 months. 
I'm doing my best to get "real" people's opinions and not pay any attention to the circus my husband is watching on tv.  LOL!  

I was thinking about the fact prices are jumping up for 2021 and '22, and I'm honestly trying to figure out if this is because (a) despite all the bad press against the cruise industry, there are still a ton of people who are sold on cruising and immediately rebooked for next year and beyond, causing the spike as supply rapidly dwindles; or (b) Royal is not fully thinking this through long-term and is trying to get a short-term financial shot in the arm to offset the losses hammering them right now.
I'm guessing that it's more A than B, though still a mix, and certainly hope that's the case. Every cruise line has a big black eye after this, even if they've done nothing to warrant it up to this point, simply because the media has decided to dog-pile on the industry as a whole and continue to refer to ships as petri dishes and floating incubators and the like. I seem to recall statements here and quoted from quarterly financial calls noting the high percentage of first-time cruisers that make up Royal's annual booking numbers each year; if they expect to continue to draw in new cruisers and grow their customer base, they can't go and do things like spike prices at a time when people may be looking nervously at whether they should book or not. Thinking of this image that my wife sent me a few days ago:

 

I hear you.?

Same here. My excitement about going on the 12 day Transatlantic April 12, isn't the same. 

Yes, I noticed
They are trying to figure it out how to recover for all the money they have lost, I guess. ?

Just booked Oasis in July in a 1 bedroom Aquatheater Suite!!! Got a really good price. Deposit + FCC and the cruise will be paid for!!!
First Oasis class ship as well.