Australia/NZ Cruising News

[Vanessa77]

Was in a forum discussion on another site where a topic came up about P&O cancelling 'Select' cruises through December this year. 

I did some snooping and it appears that they have cancelled any cruises that go to international destinations (i.e. South Pacific and New Zealand). All Australian based cruises and NZ cruises that only visit Australian and NZ ports respectively are still available on the site to book. 

What do you reckon the odds are that this is a sign that there might be a resumption of local cruises second half of the year, with a goal of resuming 'International' cruises from December/Jan? (Next available SP P&O cruise I could see is mid-November, and next available NZ cruise is for NYE).

And if this is the case, do you think RC will still come for the season if they have to wait until December/Jan to launch most of their itineraries?

[ChessE4]

I think Royal is motivated to cruise wherever it is legally permissable, so that would be the driver, I think.  They need revenue!

[CruisingOz]

Royal is doing such a great job in Singapore, and considering our COVID levels and the current bubble with NZ, I still see cruising going ahead in October. I am booked on a transpacific to Sydney late September and a NZ cruise for October so I feel very confident about the NZ cruise.

There is talk of a bubble with Singapore and should that be the case we could cruise Royal from Singapore.

Vaccine rollout is slow but ramping up; we have had our first one. 

Even if a long NZ cruise is off the cards, there is no reason why short three and four days cruises to nowhere couldn't take place. Unlike P&O, Royal has lead the pack with protocols, technology and real life results; so daily there is less and less reasons that cruising won't happen in Australia come our summer season.  

[mattymay]

78,000 at ANZAC day football game yesterday. I believe that is the biggest crowd anywhere in the world since COVID began. There is no reason the local cruises can't start another than politics. 

[mattymay]

P&O have just extended pause until 17-Sep.

Expect the government to announce a 3 month extension of the 17-Jun cruise ban soon.

Getting very close to the Royal Caribbean season now. 

[Vanessa77]

Yep. 

Very close indeed! I wonder if they'll expect incoming cruise lines to do local test cruises as well?

Also, one argument against cruise ships returning to Aus that I keep seeing is 'where are we going to quarantine 1400 crew members!?!?!? We can't give them HQ space over stranded Australians!!!'

 Like, maybe on the floating hotel they've brought with them....?

[mattymay]

1 hour ago, Vanessa77 said:

Yep. 

Very close indeed! I wonder if they'll expect incoming cruise lines to do local test cruises as well?

Also, one argument against cruise ships returning to Aus that I keep seeing is 'where are we going to quarantine 1400 crew members!?!?!? We can't give them HQ space over stranded Australians!!!'

 Like, maybe on the floating hotel they've brought with them....?

We're locking our own Australian citizens out returning from India now. There is no way we are letting a ship full of foreigners in. Imagine the backlash? 

Vaccine rollout has also been botched. Supposed to be finished by October, be lucky to be over 50% by then and that's being kind.

2021/22 season is in serious trouble!

[mattymay]

Australian Health Protection and Principal Committee (AHPPC) - looks like these guys are to blame!

 

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/revealed-the-extraordinary-fight-to-save-australias-2021-cruise-season/

 

Almost every fortnight, five senior members of the industry – representatives from Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, the Australian Cruise Association , CLIA and Ponant – are on a conference call with officials from the Australian Health Protection and Principal Committee (AHPPC), Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, and officials from the Departments of Health, Transport, Agriculture, the Australian Border Force and Austrade.

 

The surprising line up of departments is evidence of the level of complexity of the issues they discuss. In the words of Joel Katz, MD of CLIA and who leads the negotiations, the “many moving parts” that are the backcloth to the negotiations.

 

But the stumbling block is the AHPCC – perhaps Australia’s equivalent of America’s feared Center for Disease Control or CDC.  While working group members from the cruise side of what is known as the “working group” acknowledge “goodwill” and say some politicians support a resumption, the AHPCC is understandably “risk averse”, with the spectre of the Ruby Princess, which is often cited as the cause of numerous COVID cases and deaths, sometimes raised.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, mattymay said:

Australian Health Protection and Principal Committee (AHPPC) - looks like these guys are to blame!

 

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/revealed-the-extraordinary-fight-to-save-australias-2021-cruise-season/

 

Almost every fortnight, five senior members of the industry – representatives from Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, the Australian Cruise Association , CLIA and Ponant – are on a conference call with officials from the Australian Health Protection and Principal Committee (AHPPC), Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, and officials from the Departments of Health, Transport, Agriculture, the Australian Border Force and Austrade.

 

The surprising line up of departments is evidence of the level of complexity of the issues they discuss. In the words of Joel Katz, MD of CLIA and who leads the negotiations, the “many moving parts” that are the backcloth to the negotiations.

 

But the stumbling block is the AHPCC – perhaps Australia’s equivalent of America’s feared Center for Disease Control or CDC.  While working group members from the cruise side of what is known as the “working group” acknowledge “goodwill” and say some politicians support a resumption, the AHPCC is understandably “risk averse”, with the spectre of the Ruby Princess, which is often cited as the cause of numerous COVID cases and deaths, sometimes raised.

"Australia's version of the CDC".

[mattymay]

Borders likely to be closed until Mid-2022, doubt there will be a 21/22 cruise season anymore.

[twangster]

17 minutes ago, mattymay said:

Borders likely to be closed until Mid-2022, doubt there will be a 21/22 cruise season anymore.

Alaska may be on up here.  Can we keep your ships a while?   

[mattymay]

37 minutes ago, twangster said:

Alaska may be on up here.  Can we keep your ships a while?   

All yours. Send back some new ones around 2025.

[KWofPerth]

1 hour ago, mattymay said:

Borders likely to be closed until Mid-2022, doubt there will be a 21/22 cruise season anymore.

The vaccine rollout has been super slow. Only now has the Govt secured some Moderna shots.

You had one job ScoMo!

[mattymay]

Anyone looking for a job?

The little guys can't even get going, the big guys have no chance!

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/exclusive-home-affairs-says-all-foreign-flagged-cruise-ships-must-employ-aussie-staff/

Flying in plane loads from India but can't bring a ship of vaccinated, quarantined crew.

[twangster]

Looks like they are applying US style immigration regulations for domestic Australia cruises.  With no foreign stops crew must be Australian or the ship can't sail.  

Who was it that said the US has crazy cruise laws?  Welcome to crazyville Australia.  

[smokeybandit]

I thought I read somewhere that many countries have a PVSA-style law

[FionaMG]

Similar situation, I remember when we did a TA from Lisbon to Brazil on Splendour a good few years ago they took on a large number of Brazilian crew prior to the sailing because the ship was going to be doing the winter season there and Brazilian law required a large percentage of the crew to be Brazilians. 

[twangster]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

I thought I read somewhere that many countries have a PVSA-style law

They do.  However we often see users from other countries questioning why only the US has "crazy cruise ships laws".  

[mattymay]

8 hours ago, twangster said:

They do.  However we often see users from other countries questioning why only the US has "crazy cruise ships laws".  

 

10 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I thought I read somewhere that many countries have a PVSA-style law

Yes, and before COVID there were many cruises to nowhere without this rule, or at least it was never enforced.

That's going to put a big spanner in the works as RC had reconfigured the 21-22 season to be heavy on the Australia only itineraries.

[mattymay]

[smokeybandit]

They probably have a better chance at their reps caring about emails than here.

[twangster]

Looks like I better push another trip there out a few years.

[mattymay]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Looks like I better push another trip there out a few years.

I doubt you'll get in before 2023. 

I have Oasis of the Seas in Jan 2023. Hopefully we can get out.

[Vanessa77]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

Looks like I better push another trip there out a few years.

I live here, but am actually considering whether I need to change my plans. I’ve got a Jan 2022 booked and I’m becoming more and more skeptical that it will go ahead! I want to reserve a place in a Dec 2022 sailing just in case and to lock in a decent price, but also not sure if I can spare the deposit money right now, or if I could convince the fiancé to let me book a back up cruise

Don’t know what’s to do! 

[mattymay]

27 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said:

I live here, but am actually considering whether I need to change my plans. I’ve got a Jan 2022 booked and I’m becoming more and more skeptical that it will go ahead! I want to reserve a place in a Dec 2022 sailing just in case and to lock in a decent price, but also not sure if I can spare the deposit money right now, or if I could convince the fiancé to let me book a back up cruise

Don’t know what’s to do! 

I've got Quantum Nov 21, Ovation Jan 22 and Quantum Feb 22. I reckon the Nov 21 is gone. Slim chance of the other 2. 

Also depends on the itinerary. Anything with overseas ports is done. P&O have cancelled all theirs until next year.

 

Oasis Jan 23 is my backup! 

[twangster]

How are vaccination efforts coming along?  That seems to be critical.  Even the CDC up here can't argue those results away. 

[Avfrattner]

1 hour ago, mattymay said:

I've got Quantum Nov 21, Ovation Jan 22 and Quantum Feb 22. I reckon the Nov 21 is gone. Slim chance of the other 2. 

Also depends on the itinerary. Anything with overseas ports is done. P&O have cancelled all theirs until next year.

 

Oasis Jan 23 is my backup! 

I re booked my voyager march 2021 to ovation jan 2022 and it seems that wont happen now. I'm thinking either ovation Dec 2022 or ovation Jan 2023.

 

Bloody sick off rebooking flights and rooms, but in saying this tho it could be absolutely much worse regarding how many people are suffering and dying in the world.

[mattymay]

27 minutes ago, twangster said:

How are vaccination efforts coming along?  That seems to be critical.  Even the CDC up here can't argue those results away. 

3.2 of 25.3 million.

 

[Avfrattner]

26 minutes ago, twangster said:

How are vaccination efforts coming along?  That seems to be critical.  Even the CDC up here can't argue those results away. 

Hahahahaha, can't even get astra cause of blood clots under 50 and pfizer is scarce for under 50. Most of the pfizer is going to Frontline and folks who need it health wise.

[twangster]

Hopefully it will ramp up as fast as it did in the US.  It seemed agonizingly slow when it started but it was just a few months before it improved.

[twangster]

 

8 minutes ago, Avfrattner said:

Hahahahaha, can't even get astra cause of blood clots under 50 and pfizer is scarce for under 50. Most of the pfizer is going to Frontline and folks who need it health wise.

Family in Canada got AZ as their first shot weeks before it was removed from the market.  Totally understand.  

[mattymay]

8 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Family in Canada got AZ as their first shot weeks before it was removed from the market.  Totally understand.  

Same, supposed to have my second next week. Do I really want to?

[KWofPerth]

Pfizer and Moderna won't have widespread availability until October, if not later (supply issues, or something). And since they are now the recommended vaccines for the under/50 population, the rollout is progressing at a glacial pace.

[Matt]

2 hours ago, KWofPerth said:

the rollout is progressing at a glacial pace.

It was like that here in the states initially as well.  It takes time for momentum to pick up. 

[Vanessa77]

On 5/19/2021 at 7:20 PM, mattymay said:

I've got Quantum Nov 21, Ovation Jan 22 and Quantum Feb 22. I reckon the Nov 21 is gone. Slim chance of the other 2. 

Also depends on the itinerary. Anything with overseas ports is done. P&O have cancelled all theirs until next year.

 

Oasis Jan 23 is my backup! 

Yeah unfortunately I don't think 2021 is gonna happen. I have a small hope of early 2022 with the recent information that we'll be receiving 2mil Pfizer per week from October, however I still think it's slim. Though I was successful in convincing my partner to let me put a deposit on a back up cruise! So now I have Ovation booked for Jan 2022, and Ovation for Christmas 2022 as the back up! Booked it as refundable as I'd much prefer the Jan 22 holiday, but if they cancel it I can roll the CC to December. Fingers crossed!

[mattymay]

Well... this latest outbreak of 26 new community transmitted cases triggering a 7 day complete lockdown is another step backwards.

Victims of our own success. Any more than a few cases is now a cause for concern and everything gets shutdown. This strategy is not good news for cruising.  With less than 2% fully vaccinated, this season is officially all but over. 

 

[Vanessa77]

@mattymay I have to agree with you. Also NCL has cancelled everything until the end of Jan 2022. The season ends ~ early April so I wouldn’t be surprised if the cancelled everything in the end. What’s the point in making the trek all the way here for 2 months? 

[KWofPerth]

On the plus side, this seems to have triggered the population out of their vaccination apathy. Vaxx rates in Victoria have more than doubled this week. Also the Commonwealth government is copping a hammering over the rollout, so surely this will get their bum into gear on that front.

[mattymay]

On 5/28/2021 at 10:50 AM, KWofPerth said:

On the plus side, this seems to have triggered the population out of their vaccination apathy. Vaxx rates in Victoria have more than doubled this week. Also the Commonwealth government is copping a hammering over the rollout, so surely this will get their bum into gear on that front.

Haha, and now so many people want it that the booking system crashed and they can't get it!

[KWofPerth]

3 hours ago, mattymay said:

Haha, and now so many people want it that the booking system crashed and they can't get it!

How very on brand