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RC “could be” banned from US waters through July


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50 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Whew the pessimism persists in here. Wow I'm quite surprised at how strong the pessimism is. I thought there would be some but not this much. I'm extremely confident we will be sailing away on Oasis in Sept. Will be watching land disappear on our way to Port Canaveral. Then the beautiful Coco Cay. 

I am booked in September as well so i'm hoping for the best but honestly expecting the worst. The issue is going to be around 2nd/3rd waves of infections ... once we relax the restrictions the virus will start spreading again. 

With all the backlash against cruises i don't think they are going to let them start again until the virus is "done" which isn't happening anytime soon.

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19 minutes ago, jticarruthers said:

I am booked in September as well so i'm hoping for the best but honestly expecting the worst. The issue is going to be around 2nd/3rd waves of infections ... once we relax the restrictions the virus will start spreading again. 

With all the backlash against cruises i don't think they are going to let them start again until the virus is "done" which isn't happening anytime soon.

Ok, so Disney World can't reopen in your mind as well then? Come on this is ridiculous. 

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I don't think another 100 days is out of the question. I don't think Royal does either based on the offers they are sending to their casino member list. They are sending offers to fill cruises starting on 7/14. Aside from not cruising right now, the cruise industries biggest problem would be to have a nasty outbreak on a ship because they rushed back to cruising. Waiting an extra week, two weeks or a month after this dies down would probably be better than having to suspend operations again because they tried to open up to soon. 

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Sadly, I believe an additional delay is possible also. My concern is that it could be based more on perception than reality. The media seems to be determined to make the cruise industry a scapegoat in all of this. Perhaps it is an easy target, and will upset an acceptable subset of society from their perspective. I would expect that if 85% of the population cruised regularly, the media would find a different target. 

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I got a flu and pneumonia shot before fall cruise to Bermuda in 2018, Md told me no worries you will be fine. Very bad decision, I got sicker than a dog, for 3 days,  fever, nausea my arm was red and swollen. Still enjoyed the cruise and Bermuda. Quite a memory. When we got back I called Md, said it was probably the pneumonia shot. Never again within a couple of weeks of cruising will I get a shot. We are lucky we have a 11/30 cruise. Last year we had a cruise to Bermuda April 27 and Coco Key Dec 1, we looked at doing the same this year but we couldn´t get away this spring .We have 1 booked for Dec of 21, and are looking at a spring cruise in 21. I think all will be squared away by Sept. Hopefully 

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On 4/11/2020 at 7:35 AM, tonyfsu21 said:

Another thought. “If” RC went bust and changed names (Royal Caribbean Voyages International) it seems as if

1. any earned status for the former company is gone.

2. FCC or and money in a future cruise will be forfeited.

I really hope this doesn’t happen but truthfully I don’t see how it couldn’t. 

Entirely possible but for every airline that went into bankruptcy they didn't abandon their frequent flier program because they knew that would be a disaster.  

Bankruptcy is certainly on the table for them to consider but I think it would be tremendously foolish to eliminate the loyal fan base in the process.  

There is a cost to CAS but it has proven to be good for the business otherwise they would have gutted the beast long ago.  The fact that they feared the cost of modifying CAS during the good times indicates they are all too well aware how valuable the fan base is. 

Modify CAS benefits perhaps such as unlimited happy hour drinks but to wipe out CAS could prove to be near fatal for any post-bankruptcy recovery.  The fan base could flock to the competition since it would be an even playing field and from a sense of abandonment.  Even if that mass migration was short lived for a year or two that would buoy up the competition while wreaking havoc on their own results during the time they need it the most.

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I also believe that if there was ever going to be a time to remodel some of the thresholds (points’ requirements and levels’ requirements) it is now.  I won’t be at all surprised to see a few tweaks come out of this hiatus.

If it does, what would your expectations be? I was guessing any kind of tweaking would be something like the below, curious to hear what other people think.

  • It becomes a smidge harder to get to Diamond (say 90 or even 100 points instead of the current 80)
  • Diamond Plus gets replaced by a true distinct tier, also with a higher point threshold (Maybe even 350 as the mid-point to Pinnacle?) -- and it's given a benefits level to match the rise in points; people already at Diamond Plus stay grandfathered in.
  • Emerald maybe goes away for new C&A members (I've lost count of how many times @Matt has said it's more of a vanity level than anything useful)

Hopefully they don't increase Platinum, or alter the benefits too much. That still needs at least 5 sailings to reach and all accounts say the benefits compared to other cruise lines' first "real" benefits are a lot better. I'm at 23 points, and just need one more 7-night sailing to hit that level; would stink if they raised it to a point where I'd need a lot more than that after getting this close.

 

What I'd really like to see, though, is a realignment of Celebrity's Captain's Club levels. I'm not saying it should be as easy as Royal's, but good lord do they make it near-impossible for someone to get to Elite or even Select the "hard way"! Unless you do every sailing in Aqua class or higher, you have to sail far more times on X to get to an equivalent level. They've said they're trying to move their demographic younger (i.e., non-retirees), and to me that means adjusting CC to reflect that younger people don't cruise as often as retirees can and do, especially when spending the extra money it costs to sail with them.

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Truly, I have no idea....but I think that if there are any changes it will be to the higher tier levels making it harder to get to P.  I can see them moving P from 700 to 1000 and then moving D and D+ up from their current levels. Who knows.  There will be gnashing of teeth and rending of cloth over any changes but I think that many are distracted right now and the very fact that cruising will be returning (when/if it does !) that the outcry would not be as loud as it would during "the salad days" [extra points if you know what film that one comes from].

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IF......Royal were to ever modify the Crown and Anchor again ( and keep in mind the last time they messed with the system it was a cluster) I think they would use the Celebrity model.

You receive points for each night of sailing and you also receive points for money spent while onboard such as an excursion, a drink at a bar, renting a cabana, or picture form the photo gallery.

That being said,  each level would require thousands of points if not tens of thousands.

And the levels would need to be changed. Changed in name and more of them; particularly beyond todays D Plus.

 

A "financial re-organization"/bankruptcy would be the opportune time to implement such a system. I would expect my new, imaginary system to sound favorable to passengers and the marketing to be spiffy but in reality would greatly favor Royal.

Even with that bad news, Royal has traditionally has been cautious about taking away status. So who knows???

 

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35 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

If it does, what would your expectations be? I was guessing any kind of tweaking would be something like the below, curious to hear what other people think.

  • It becomes a smidge harder to get to Diamond (say 90 or even 100 points instead of the current 80)
  • Diamond Plus gets replaced by a true distinct tier, also with a higher point threshold (Maybe even 350 as the mid-point to Pinnacle?) -- and it's given a benefits level to match the rise in points; people already at Diamond Plus stay grandfathered in.
  • Emerald maybe goes away for new C&A members (I've lost count of how many times @Matt has said it's more of a vanity level than anything useful)

Hopefully they don't increase Platinum, or alter the benefits too much. That still needs at least 5 sailings to reach and all accounts say the benefits compared to other cruise lines' first "real" benefits are a lot better. I'm at 23 points, and just need one more 7-night sailing to hit that level; would stink if they raised it to a point where I'd need a lot more than that after getting this close.

 

What I'd really like to see, though, is a realignment of Celebrity's Captain's Club levels. I'm not saying it should be as easy as Royal's, but good lord do they make it near-impossible for someone to get to Elite or even Select the "hard way"! Unless you do every sailing in Aqua class or higher, you have to sail far more times on X to get to an equivalent level. They've said they're trying to move their demographic younger (i.e., non-retirees), and to me that means adjusting CC to reflect that younger people don't cruise as often as retirees can and do, especially when spending the extra money it costs to sail with them.

 

5 minutes ago, bobroo said:

IF......Royal were to ever modify the Crown and Anchor again ( and keep in mind the last time they messed with the system it was a cluster) I think they would use the Celebrity model.

You receive points for each night of sailing and you also receive points for money spent while onboard such as an excursion, a drink at a bar, renting a cabana, or picture form the photo gallery.

That being said,  each level would require thousands of points if not tens of thousands.

And the levels would need to be changed. Changed in name and more of them; particularly beyond todays D Plus.

 

A "financial re-organization"/bankruptcy would be the opportune time to implement such a system. I would expect my new, imaginary system to sound favorable to passengers and the marketing to be spiffy but in reality would greatly favor Royal.

Even with that bad news, Royal has traditionally has been cautious about taking away status. So who knows???

 

I think this like many other things will be very different on the other side of this craziness. We will all have to get used to a new norm.

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On 4/11/2020 at 1:14 PM, RCIfan1912 said:

Ok, so Disney World can't reopen in your mind as well then? Come on this is ridiculous. 

Not my preference/idea, if you guaranteed me i wouldn't get stranded on the boat i would be willing to get on a cruise ship today.

But looking at the "news" I think its going to be a lot longer than we all hope.

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Well, funny to see people here talking about Royal potentially going bankrupt, another 3-6 months of cruising etc......I seem to remember not that long ago when I said that Covid was a bigger deal then ppl here were making it, and that it was going to become much more serious for Royal and the cruise industry than anyone thought.......now it seems that I was even being naïve in how bad it was going to get...….

 

I really have no idea where this is going to go....here in Canada and in my home province, its been 6 weeks of shut downs.....only 3 ppl in the whole province in ICU from this and more cases recovered then currently fighting it...and yet there is NO talk or indication of anything going back to normal. Vancouver is on the edge of bankruptcy (3rd biggest city in Canada)...this is far from over and the financial devastation is going to be unimaginable and the effects felt for years.

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33 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

.this is far from over and the financial devastation is going to be unimaginable and the effects felt for years.

in light of this situation perpetuating itself, I hope all of us google those in our respective governments on all levels and send messages asking for the lockdowns to be ceased.

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33 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Well, funny to see people here talking about Royal potentially going bankrupt, another 3-6 months of cruising etc......I seem to remember not that long ago when I said that Covid was a bigger deal then ppl here were making it, and that it was going to become much more serious for Royal and the cruise industry than anyone thought.......now it seems that I was even being naïve in how bad it was going to get...….

 

I really have no idea where this is going to go....here in Canada and in my home province, its been 6 weeks of shut downs.....only 3 ppl in the whole province in ICU from this and more cases recovered then currently fighting it...and yet there is NO talk or indication of anything going back to normal. Vancouver is on the edge of bankruptcy (3rd biggest city in Canada)...this is far from over and the financial devastation is going to be unimaginable and the effects felt for years.

I will acknowledge I never though the collective governments of the world would react as strongly as they have and continue to do .... at this point i agree the financial devastation is going to be unimaginable.

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22 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

So just as the curve is bending down, and the number of deaths is going down and as the hospitals will be able to catch up you want to open up everything all at once. Thank goodness people like this aren't in charge and we have adults in most states running things. 

I don't wish to have a debate about opinions when there are deleterious and passive aggressive judgments in them even when I respect yours, however, from my view, I see a disproportionate response, and I ask you to respect the opinions of others.

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Ok, never mind. I'll just move on. I think in another 3-4 weeks things will loosen up and things will start to open up again. I think cruises possibly will start in June but seems July is a better bet. Definitely August but there just my opinion. If you look at the numbers coming in things are starting to level off and fall. In NJ and NY by May it's down to a very low level and the healthcare system can breath again. 

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34 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Ok, never mind. I'll just move on. I think in another 3-4 weeks things will loosen up and things will start to open up again. I think cruises possibly will start in June but seems July is a better bet. Definitely August but there just my opinion. If you look at the numbers coming in things are starting to level off and fall. In NJ and NY by May it's down to a very low level and the healthcare system can breath again. 

I really hope so....there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel to give us all some hope....

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1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

Well, funny to see people here talking about Royal potentially going bankrupt, another 3-6 months of cruising etc......I seem to remember not that long ago when I said that Covid was a bigger deal then ppl here were making it, and that it was going to become much more serious for Royal and the cruise industry than anyone thought.......now it seems that I was even being naïve in how bad it was going to get...….

 

I really have no idea where this is going to go....here in Canada and in my home province, its been 6 weeks of shut downs.....only 3 ppl in the whole province in ICU from this and more cases recovered then currently fighting it...and yet there is NO talk or indication of anything going back to normal. Vancouver is on the edge of bankruptcy (3rd biggest city in Canada)...this is far from over and the financial devastation is going to be unimaginable and the effects felt for years.

We can always look to Canadians (and Canadiens) to keep both feet on the ground and give factual, balanced perspective. We appreciate your views and they are always welcome here.

Don't let us Yanks get you down, you know how we can be...<wink>

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Well it looks like the pessimistic view was the was justified and my optimism lost. Carnival cancelled all sailings till late June. All sailings from NY cancelled for the rest of 2020. I would imagine Royal will do the same so our Oasis Sept sailing, which is a replacement for May is in serious jeopardy. I tried to be optimistic but it seems that is slipping away. Hopefully these companies can all weather the storm here. 

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33 minutes ago, ehw51 said:

I sure hope you are wrong, hopefully Port Liberty is not considered NYC, we have a 11/30 to Nassau, Canaveral and Coco Key

Ditto...we have Anthem end of December....so hope Royal doesn't follow or Port Liberty doesn't count (as new jersey).

It looks like Carnival port is out of Manhattan?

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I think it’s tough to remain positive with all the negative news lately involving the cruise industry. I just don’t see quick resolution here. At least we have a great community here on the RC Blog to remember the good times we all have had. I’m thankful for everyone that has blogged their cruise experience in the past because it’s a great way to relive the experience. With that being said, I predict 2020 is a total washout and at least 2 of the big 3 cruise companies go bust and will need bankruptcy protection. Especially with the unlikelihood of a government bailout. In any case, cruising will rebound in some TBD form and we will all be enjoying our great family vacations once again!

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5 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Ok, never mind. I'll just move on. I think in another 3-4 weeks things will loosen up and things will start to open up again. I think cruises possibly will start in June but seems July is a better bet. Definitely August but there just my opinion. If you look at the numbers coming in things are starting to level off and fall. In NJ and NY by May it's down to a very low level and the healthcare system can breath again. 

Unfortunately i think the problem is going to be the concept of "multiple waves" that is now starting to get spoken of more widely.

That's where i think the cruise industry getting tarred and feathered by the media is going to really hurt them .. why would they try and start up again (and who is going to book one) when they are going to get threatened with another shutdown every time there is another blip on the virus tracker.

Again, I would book and go in a heartbeat but i think we are the minority ?

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