Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[tgh]

We are booked on the Silver Explorer along the Japan coast in June ,including a day in Busan.
Today is our 120 day get out of jail day (cancel no charge)
The ship has gone from full to plenty of availability and I am tempted to pull the pin .
I expect that the cruise as it is will not happen but that they will take us "somewhere" if we remain booked.
Problem is that they can actually fulfil the small print t&c by embarking everyone and sailing in circles for 2 weeks….

 

[Pushka]

We are booked on the Silver Explorer along the Japan coast in June ,including a day in Busan.
Today is our 120 day get out of jail day (cancel no charge)
The ship has gone from full to plenty of availability and I am tempted to pull the pin .
I expect that the cruise as it is will not happen but that they will take us "somewhere" if we remain booked.
Problem is that they can actually fulfil the small print t&c by embarking everyone and sailing in circles for 2 weeks….

We are rethinking a little our Med cruise in July. But we are luckier. No full payment until May. We would lose our deposit though. It’s not the virus that bothers me but an awful cruise experience and isolation if needed.

 

[offshore171]

I reckon this is a no brainer. If you have the opportunity to pull out without penalty, jump at it.

 

[Dr Ralph]

'Cruising choices with an active Pandemic'



This is a non sequitur

 

[chelzmalee]

I’d pull, personally. Rather wait until you have a decent chance of a proper trip

 

[tgh]

I have asked Silversea for a no penalty cancellation extension and expect to get it.
They will be on a hiding to nothing to refuse, I opine.

 

[offshore171]

41 more on cruise ship in Yokohama test positive for coronavirus

Another 41 people on a cruise ship quarantined near Yokohama have tested positive for a new coronavirus, the health ministry says, bringing the total number of people from the vessel infected with the pneumonia-causing virus to 61

english.kyodonews.net

41 new cases on that cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, bringing the total to 61 and climbing.

 

[Himeno]

41 more on cruise ship in Yokohama test positive for coronavirus

Another 41 people on a cruise ship quarantined near Yokohama have tested positive for a new coronavirus, the health ministry says, bringing the total number of people from the vessel infected with the pneumonia-causing virus to 61

english.kyodonews.net

41 new cases on that cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, bringing the total to 61 and climbing.

All from 1 person who got off the boat in Hong Kong.
I'm not sure it is fair to count the cases from the cruise towards Japans infection total.

 

[offshore171]

I'm not sure it is fair to count the cases from the cruise towards Japans infection total.

Agreed. If anything this justifies the decision of the Japanese authorities to keep the ship offshore.

Infected cruise ships are going to be very friendless at the moment. Taiwan turned away a ship the other day due to suspected infections onboard.

With all this going on, I think it would be crazy to get on one of these things at the moment.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

We are booked on the Silver Explorer along the Japan coast in June ,including a day in Busan.
Today is our 120 day get out of jail day (cancel no charge)
The ship has gone from full to plenty of availability and I am tempted to pull the pin .
I expect that the cruise as it is will not happen but that they will take us "somewhere" if we remain booked.
Problem is that they can actually fulfil the small print t&c by embarking everyone and sailing in circles for 2 weeks….

Suspect that if you cancelled now that you would be able to book back in again later at a good discount.

 

[p--and--t]

Beginning to ponder a cruise I have booked along the Nile in April. Final payment due in a week.

Tossing up between the risks of anyone on board having it (smaller population on a river boat, none in the country reported so far) against if someone does have it, what the "isolation" and medical facilities in Egypt would be like?

 

[Pushka]

Beginning to ponder a cruise I have booked along the Nile in April. Final payment due in a week.

Tossing up between the risks of anyone on board having it (smaller population on a river boat, none in the country reported so far) against if someone does have it, what the "isolation" and medical facilities in Egypt would be like?

We have a small Greek Islands cruise of 30 people and then a larger Med cruise on a cruise ship. I have my concerns about the large ship but the small Island boat I have no concerns.
I think the risk is very very low for Egypt.

 

[Pushka]

Beginning to ponder a cruise I have booked along the Nile in April. Final payment due in a week.

Tossing up between the risks of anyone on board having it (smaller population on a river boat, none in the country reported so far) against if someone does have it, what the "isolation" and medical facilities in Egypt would be like?

Who are you travelling with? We have an Egypt Nile Cruise booked for next year.

 

[p--and--t]

Who are you travelling with? We have an Egypt Nile Cruise booked for next year.

Gate1Travel.com.au - on the A'Sara - deal too good to turn down 12days for around AUD2,200 ea including several optional tours and upgrade to middle deck. (If you decide to book any of their tours anywhere, let me know and I'll give you a referral and we will both get a bonus voucher)

 

[Pushka]

Gate1Travel.com.au - on the A'Sara - deal too good to turn down 12days for around AUD2,200 ea including several optional tours and upgrade to middle deck. (If you decide to book any of their tours anywhere, let me know and I'll give you a referral and we will both get a bonus voucher)

Nice. I’d go!

That looks awesome. If there is an optional flight to Abu Simbel just pay up and do it! Yes, I can see it’s an optional excursion on Day 10. It’s the first excursion I booked on our trip. Costs quite a bit but everyone I know who has done it rated it as the highlight.

 

[jb747]

A solo row across the Atlantic might be good. The virus thing might be over by the time you land, or alternatively, you'll be the last man standing.

 

[p--and--t]

Nice. I’d go!

That looks awesome. If there is an optional flight to Abu Simbel just pay up and do it! Yes, I can see it’s an optional excursion on Day 10. It’s the first excursion I booked on our trip. Costs quite a bit but everyone I know who has done it rated it as the highlight.

Yep, on the waitlist for Abu Simbel. Apparently the number of seats on the flight is extremely limited and they book out very early (too early for us). Hoping someone has a panic and bails and we get the seats.

 

[drron]

I hope you do get to go tgh.silversea treated us very well when a disaster overtook our cruise Tokyo to Anchorage on the Shadow.Less than two months before we were to sail in 2011 was the tsunami and Fukushima.
The departure port was switched to Incheon.The Americans cancelled en masse.So from a booked out cruise on a ship that could take 400 pax sailed with 97 pax-though some of those were Silversea staff including the Chairman of the Venetian society.It was a great cruise.

They did refund each of us ~ $US2000.

 

[Pushka]

Yep, on the waitlist for Abu Simbel. Apparently the number of seats on the flight is extremely limited and they book out very early (too early for us). Hoping someone has a panic and bails and we get the seats.

Viking had the same issue with that flight. Their means of dealing with it were to not make it available to anyone in the UK or Australia. So the Americans got the only places. Once that became known there was a bit of an outcry. Viking ended up chartering a flight now.
I think you will be overnighting in Aswan in which case you can organise your own flights on Egypt Air and on the same plane as the others.

Just read on CC that Silverseas Shadow has been denied entry into Hong Kong. Might be spirit.

 

[tgh]

Silver Spirit has changed direction after Manila refused entry.
Now returning to Ho Chi Minh City to disembark.
SS busily rearranging flights for everyone
Next few cruises are being re routed.. somewhere….
I can't think of any way they can warrant that their next load of passengers will all be clear and to that end I opine thatcruising may be about to come to a sudden stop.

My situation is wip.
As a result of my question I understand that SS International are now reviewing their cancellation t&c as they may apply to this pandemic/epidemic.