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Alaska 2021 - Maybe NOT a total loss? (topic edit as of 2021-05-21)


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1 hour ago, emmef said:

You wil never see the number of people who have RECOVERED from Coronavirus reported on the news, as that doesn't fit their narrative.

Exaggeration, I see it frequently from various news sources.  The problem is the word "recovered".  It typically means "no longer needing isolation - no longer infectious".  It does not count the many long-haulers who still suffer physical problems weeks and months post-infection.

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8 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I read this morning that the number of COVID cases has dropped 40% in one week in the US and 30% worldwide in the past 3 weeks.  Do you think you will hear that in the news ?  Nope.

Did you read that in the news?

 

Maybe it's just a US thing but if you read the news here there are plenty of stories on how effective the vaccine is.

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4 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

It does not count the many long-haulers who still suffer physical problems weeks and months post-infection.

True,  my best friend is a "long-hauler". She works in the medical field. She was sick for four months and unable to work. She is now (thankfully) turning a corner and starting to feel somewhat normal, but it has been 9 months since her positive test. Sorry about the exaggeration, it is just too easy to get frustrated by all of the gloom and doom. Yes, there are terrible cases, but it is also up to us as a people to persevere and look toward better days. 

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15 hours ago, emmef said:

True,  my best friend is a "long-hauler". She works in the medical field. She was sick for four months and unable to work. She is now (thankfully) turning a corner and starting to feel somewhat normal, but it has been 9 months since her positive test. Sorry about the exaggeration, it is just too easy to get frustrated by all of the gloom and doom. Yes, there are terrible cases, but it is also up to us as a people to persevere and look toward better days. 

One of my colleagues had COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. He still suffers from insomnia and 'brain fog'. 

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On 2/4/2021 at 5:30 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

We're not going to book anymore, either, for now.  I doubt the Norway GC will go, and I have doubts about my October Allure sailing.  I'm really hoping for next January's Odyssey sailing, because that's the one that we got the Owner's Suite for under $3700, and I'll never be able to afford one at a normal price.  At this point we're just putting money away for when we retire in 3 1/2 years and build our new house in Washington State.

I'm in the same boat (pun intended), not booking anymore until there is an actual plan to sail. Hopefully some of what I have booked goes but I'm tired of finding something interesting, getting it all setup and then watching it cancel again.

Not feeling like sailings are imminent the way I was in May and June and July and ...

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On 2/4/2021 at 4:30 PM, SpeedNoodles said:

We're not going to book anymore, either, for now.  I doubt the Norway GC will go, and I have doubts about my October Allure sailing. 

I'm more optimistic about my October Allure sailing.  It has 2 private island stops and I don't really care too much about the other stops.  I have never been to CocoCay and that surely will be open by October I would think. 

I have no optimism for the October 2021 Panama Canal cruise on Radiance though.  It is booked refundable so I'm just waiting to see what a Panama Canal cruise in 2022 will look like.  In a way ... still optimistic.

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2 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

I'm more optimistic about my October Allure sailing.  It has 2 private island stops and I don't really care too much about the other stops.  I have never been to CocoCay and that surely will be open by October I would think. 

I have no optimism for the 2021 Panama Canal cruise on Radiance though.  It is booked refundable so I'm just waiting to see what a Panama Canal cruise in 2022 will look like.  In a way ... still optimistic.

We may be on the same sailing (2 private island stops).  We're sailing Oct. 24 on Allure.

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4 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

We may be on the same sailing (2 private island stops).  We're sailing Oct. 24 on Allure.

 

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We will be on Allure (hopefully !) on Oct 3-17.

Allure October 17 and 24 B2B here.  Big Ten football and everything will be normal is my prediction. 

I still don't think the October 1-15 Panama Canal cruise on Radiance will happen.  I probably should just cancel it now.

Allure is my back-up plan because I doubt things will be THAT normal on October 1st --- I decided to give it 2 more weeks. However, spending almost the whole month of October 2021 on a cruise ship sounds good at the moment. 

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12 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

 

Allure October 17 and 24 B2B here.  Big Ten football and everything will be normal is my prediction. 

I still don't think the October 1-15 Panama Canal cruise on Radiance will happen.  I probably should just cancel it now.

Allure is my back-up plan because I doubt things will be THAT normal on October 1st --- I decided to give it 2 more weeks. However, spending almost the whole month of October 2021 on a cruise ship sounds good at the moment. 

I really hope your cruise on Radiance happens. A Panama Canal cruise is definitely on my bucket list. I got the opportunity to see the Mira Flores locks from the land side many years ago. It's impressive what the engineers were able to accomplish so long ago.  

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4 hours ago, markinct said:

A Panama Canal cruise is definitely on my bucket list.

Yes, it is on my bucket list as well.  I just don't think it will happen in 2021.  For one thing, it isn't even listed anymore on Royal's website because the CDC won't allow cruises more that 7 days to be marketed through the end of October I believe.  Back to back cruises lasting 14 days however can be booked. 

Another problem with the Panama Canal cruise is that it stops in about 6 different countries-a logistical nightmare in the covid world.  I don't think I want to tackle those risks that soon.  Maybe in 2022.

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15 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

 

Allure October 17 and 24 B2B here.  Big Ten football and everything will be normal is my prediction. 

I still don't think the October 1-15 Panama Canal cruise on Radiance will happen.  I probably should just cancel it now.

Allure is my back-up plan because I doubt things will be THAT normal on October 1st --- I decided to give it 2 more weeks. However, spending almost the whole month of October 2021 on a cruise ship sounds good at the moment. 

Optimistically (meaning if deaths and hospitalizations continue to drop precipitously... Which I think has to happen for ships to sail anyway even with all of these restrictions), I think at the end of the CSO we would probably see the first round of relaxations. Probably not all the way back to business as usual, but maybe a meaningful point somewhere between.

Buuut, that expires 11/1. ?

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4 hours ago, LizzyBee23 said:

Optimistically (meaning if deaths and hospitalizations continue to drop precipitously... Which I think has to happen for ships to sail anyway even with all of these restrictions), I think at the end of the CSO we would probably see the first round of relaxations. Probably not all the way back to business as usual, but maybe a meaningful point somewhere between.

Buuut, that expires 11/1. ?

Yeah, to be honest ... I'm not even counting on the Allure B2B happening either.  I just think the odds are better.  I think a private island itinerary on Allure has a decent chance of happening.   The wild card is how well the vaccinations progress.  I'm hoping vaccinations will be a game changer.

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Here's an abbreviated  cut and paste from the Royal Cruise Health and Travel Update I find interesting: "Due to the announcement, we are currently evaluating our itineraries and hope to have an update for our guests and travel partners by Friday, February 12th." Perhaps Royal cruise ships in Alaska will disembark on the same/other US port from which they embark. I hope so.....?

 

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33 minutes ago, rjac said:

Here's an abbreviated  cut and paste from the Royal Cruise Health and Travel Update I find interesting: "Due to the announcement, we are currently evaluating our itineraries and hope to have an update for our guests and travel partners by Friday, February 12th." Perhaps Royal cruise ships in Alaska will disembark on the same/other US port from which they embark. I hope so.....?

 

Without the US government making major changes to both visa requirements and PVSA, the cruise lines would still need a foreign port to stop in; I am struggling to think of a non Canadian stop that would be sensible and possible.

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35 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

Without the US government making major changes to both visa requirements and PVSA, the cruise lines would still need a foreign port to stop in; I am struggling to think of a non Canadian stop that would be sensible and possible.

Our August Alaskan cruise embarks from Anchorage and disembarks in Vancouver. I'm hoping Royal can get approval, in view of the current maritime regs, to disembark either in Anchorage or Seattle. 

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1 hour ago, princevaliantus said:

Not at all.  Hasn't been in issue for the past 40 years of cruise ships sailing out of California.

No, not for the cruise ships that sail there regularly and comply. 
Royal does not have a ship that complies with the ship to shore power requirements while docked in California waters. 
 

 

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1 hour ago, TXcruzer said:

No, not for the cruise ships that sail there regularly and comply. 
Royal does not have a ship that complies with the ship to shore power requirements while docked in California waters. 
 

 

Well, there is always the Love Boat if Alaska is in your future since Ensenada is one of their popular ports. One-way to or from Alaska.

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So Royal is expecting to have an 'update' tomorrow, the 12th, regarding the Canada situation.... one would hope and wish they would just go ahead and give everyone on effected cruises the same options to cancel, refund, credit, and/or L&S just as if the cruises were officially cancelled. But I have a feeling the update is going to be just more hot air about how they are reviewing all options and will keep us up to date with more info in the future.... blah blah blah. 

Been emailing our TA about L&S already..... told her that if they do officially cancel... here's the option for L&S we'd like to move to. 

But we'll see what Royal has to say about it tomorrow. 

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Now that I've had a little time to let this soak in, I'm thinking about what to do instead of my Celebrity cruise to Alaska this June.  Technically, it isn't cancelled, but I don't see it actually sailing.

I'm thinking about flying to Alaska and taking the train to a national park or two.  This would be similar to the land portion of a cruise tour.

Has anyone ever done this?  What did you think of it?

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5 hours ago, steverk said:

Now that I've had a little time to let this soak in, I'm thinking about what to do instead of my Celebrity cruise to Alaska this June.  Technically, it isn't cancelled, but I don't see it actually sailing.

I'm thinking about flying to Alaska and taking the train to a national park or two.  This would be similar to the land portion of a cruise tour.

Has anyone ever done this?  What did you think of it?

After taking the Alaskan Railroad to get from Anchorage to Seward I said I would go back and just ride the train around.  I haven't done that (yet) nor have I planned how it would actually work in terms of destinations and lodging between trains.  However it is a very solid choice.

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10 hours ago, twangster said:

After taking the Alaskan Railroad to get from Anchorage to Seward I said I would go back and just ride the train around.  I haven't done that (yet) nor have I planned how it would actually work in terms of destinations and lodging between trains.  However it is a very solid choice.

We've started tossing around the idea of flying up and spending a week exploring ourselves. 

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12 hours ago, twangster said:

After taking the Alaskan Railroad to get from Anchorage to Seward I said I would go back and just ride the train around.  I haven't done that (yet) nor have I planned how it would actually work in terms of destinations and lodging between trains.  However it is a very solid choice.

My travel agent has put together a sample itinerary with a company called Railbookers. They coordinate the trip and includes hotels and rail service.  It isn't cheap, but at 9 nights it might be a good option.  Still thinking it over.

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The Latest and Greatest update from Royal's  Health and Travel Alerts ☹️

Canada Travel Restrictions

Last updated February 12th, 2021

On February 5th, 2021 the Canadian government announced continued port closures for all cruise ship travel through February 2022, which may have left you wondering what would happen with your upcoming sailing. Over the last few days, we’ve been reviewing our itineraries and discussing our options with various government agencies to determine the best plan of action for your cruise. We ask for your continued patience as we work diligently on next steps in light of this recent government mandate.

We understand that you may be eager to either book a new cruise or work on alternate vacation plans. So, we’ve emailed you and your travel partner with a breakdown of your options which include selecting one of the following:

• Wait for an Updated Itinerary or Official Cancellation

• Select a New Sailing

• Opt-in for a 125% Future Credit

• Receive a 100% Refund

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Full email for July Ovation:

 

Dear Guest,

Last week, the Canadian government announced continued port closures for all cruise ship travel through February 2022, which may have left you wondering what would happen with your upcoming sailing. Over the last few days, we've been reviewing our itineraries and discussing our options with various government agencies to determine the best plan of action for your cruise. Unfortunately, whenever changes like these need to be made, the process can take a little time - itinerary planning and logistics are a tough part of our business! So, we kindly ask for your patience as we continue to diligently work on next steps in light of this recent government mandate.

We understand that you may be eager to either book a new cruise or work on alternate vacation plans. So, we've put together a few options that will give you some flexibility as you decide what works best for you and your family.

Your Options

Option 1: Wait for an Updated Itinerary or Official Cancellation
We're currently working through this latest government update, but it may take a bit of time to finalize. We get it - you want to cruise, and we want you to cruise, too! As we have been doing with all our global suspensions, we're committed to letting you know of any changes or cancellations at least 30 days prior to your cruise. And if we know any sooner, we would let you know as soon as we do. We hope that you'll stick with us until then to see if we are able to work through alternatives. In the meantime, the final payment due date will be pushed to 45 days prior to sailing for those sail dates that reach Final Payment while we are exploring options and ironing out our path forward. But either way, if you later decide to make alternate vacation plans, we've got you - and you can still take advantage of our other 3 options below.

Option 2: Select a New Sailing
If you prefer to change your sailing to one in 2022, we're happy to move you! We will price protect the original pricing and/or promotion on the same ship, itinerary, length, product, and stateroom category as your original sailing within 1 week (before or after) of your original sail date the following year. For example, if you are moving from an Ovation of the Seas May 21st, 2021 sailing, you can move to another Ovation sailing that is the same itinerary, length, product, and stateroom category, and has a sail date between May 14th, 2022 - May 28th, 2022.
• Please know, price protection covers your cruise fare/promotion on an applicable sailing only and excludes taxes and fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items, as these may change.
• Complimentary Casino offers are not eligible for this option.

Option 3: Select a 125% Future Cruise Credit
If you decide to move forward with alternate vacation plans, we're happy to provide you with a 125% Future Cruise Credit to book a new cruise by April 30th, 2022.
• This amount is based on your total cruise fare paid, and we're giving you a little extra knowing that this is such a unique circumstance.
• Your certificate can be used on any Royal Caribbean International sailing that departs on or before September 30th, 2022 and gives you more flexibility to choose a sailing that's right for you!
• Please contact us to select this option, and we'll send your Future Cruise Credit via email by April 16, 2021.
• Taxes & fees and any RoyalUp upgrades will be automatically refunded. Current refund processing is around 45 days. We are working as quickly as possible, and we appreciate your patience.
• Please note:
o If you opted into the Cruise with Confidence 100% Future Cruise Credit, this offer does not apply.
o If you previously used a Future Cruise Credit (including previous Global Suspension FCCs), you'll receive a new Future Cruise Credit. This will be for 125% of any new monies paid on this sailing, plus the value of your original credit at 100% of its value, with an expiration date of April 30th, 2022 and a sail by date of September 30th, 2022.
o If you were already impacted by a sailing that was previously cancelled due to a global suspension and paid additional monies on a new booking within this extended suspension period, and you opt in for a refund via the process below, it will be for both bookings.

Option 4: Select a 100% Refund
If you prefer a full refund, we're happy to process this for you. Given how fluid this situation is, you have until June 30th, 2021 to request a refund.
• Please contact us to start the refund process, or to avoid waiting on the phone to cancel, click here • We'll then process your refund to your original form(s) of payment, which will include any non-refundable deposits.
o Note: Please know, once we receive your refund request, we unfortunately won't be able to reverse the request if you change your mind.
• You can expect to receive your refund 45 days after you submit your refund request.
• Please note: If you used a Cruise with Confidence certificate on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we'll reinstate your original Cruise with Confidence certificate.

Air/Hotel
• Refundable air or hotel accommodations purchased through Royal Caribbean will be automatically refunded to you within 45 days after we process the cancellation.
• If you booked non-refundable air through Royal Caribbean or booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them.
If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately.

We appreciate your understanding and remain optimistic that every day is a step closer to a healthy and safe return to service. Stay healthy and safe. We miss our guests, and we'll be ready to welcome you back soon.

Sincerely,

Michael Bayley
President & CEO
Royal Caribbean International

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14 hours ago, GaryAA said:

I’m glad now that I booked another Alaskan cruise in August 2022. I will keep my August 2021 booking active in hopes there is a new itinerary at some point.

We skipped 2021 entirely and booked an Alaskan Cruise in July 2022.   For the Celebrity Solstice,  there is an evening, token stop at Victoria, BC.   Would love to get a waiver for the foreign port stop and make it a pure US cruise.  I know, wishful thinking.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
34 minutes ago, twangster said:

This article mentions conducting a "technical stop".  I thought the technical stop did not satisfy the requirements of PVSA or Jones Act or whatever it is that makes them need to stop at a foreign port.

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I do find it interesting that Congress is going to Canada to ask them to allow something that has previously been ruled in a formal hearing to violate the laws of the United States.  ?

Also, Congress must have determined this to be the path of least resistance rather than amending the actual laws, both the PVSA and immigration law. 

It's kind of funny actually, unless it's just for show and they know it isn't going to happen. 

Time will tell.  

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The government will never allow that...even though no tourists would come ashore..ppl here would be in an outrage at the thoughts of that...

Ppl here are so brainwashed about Covid, that the vandalize cars of fellow Canadians if the license plate is from not around here......that should tell you all you need to know.

 

Why doesn't the US change their own stupid law and solve the problem...like really?......

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