Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[tgh]

IMnsHO , the key to something resembling normal cruising is a vaccinated world ; to that end todays numbers of 21% ( one in five sounds better) with at least one shot seems to me pretty fair progress.
I don't see much joy rocking into an already poor country to view their pain from my vaccinated sanctuary.

 

[love_the_life]

This was in the email sent:

We are delighted to see the world gradually open up, as vaccine programmes and other effective measures to manage Covid-19 take effect. However, based on the latest guidance from countries we visit, we unfortunately need to make some additional changes to our published itineraries involving international ports of call.

After completing her series of UK staycation sailings in October, Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to return to Australia for a prolonged series of voyages. However, with the current forecasts for the lifting of restrictions in Australia, this will not be feasible. Therefore, we have made the decision to cancel all sailings on Queen Elizabeth between 18 October 2021 and 9 March 2022

Australia is being left behind. This makes five cruises that we have had booked but now cancelled by the cruiseline.

Yep, my short December QE cruise was cancelled. Have a Princess one in October which I am sure will not go ahead either, Oh well, I managed to book 3 nights at Saffire Freycinet again in December.

 

[Pushka]

Yep, my short December QE cruise was cancelled. Have a Princess one in October which I am sure will not go ahead either, Oh well, I managed to book 3 nights at Saffire Freycinet again in December.

So here's the story. I had secretly booked your cruise too in Grills with partner and was going to surprise you onboard. C'est la vie.

 

[love_the_life]

So here's the story. I had secretly booked your cruise too in Grills with partner and was going to surprise you onboard. C'est la vie.

Bummer! That would have been a blast! You're so sweet. Grills were really cheap too so was looking forward to trying them out.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So here's the story. I had secretly booked your cruise too in Grills with partner and was going to surprise you onboard. C'est la vie.

IIRC that's the one I was booked on too!

 

[drron]

Silversea now has pulled out of Kimberly cruising this year.

Silversea has cancelled its heavily booked Kimberley 2021 season of 10 cruises in Western Australia, joining the growing number of international lines ditching planned local bubble cruises this year because of the ongoing border closure.

Over the past month, Scenic, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, Seabourn and Cunard have pulled their local itineraries for the second half of this year, where the busy southern hemisphere cruise season (September to April) used to deliver $5 billion to Australia’s GDP, spread among hundreds of regional and city ports.

Another cruise line pulls out of Australia

After months of negotiations with the federal government going nowhere, the cruise industry is giving up on Australian bubble cruises this year.

www.afr.com

 

[Pushka]

IIRC that's the one I was booked on too!

Such a shame! We could have had an AFF do onboard

 

[drron]

The CDC has lowered it's travel alert for cruising but advises non vaccinated people not to cruise.

Welcome to Precision Vaccinations News

Precision Vaccinations News publishes vaccine news patients can trust to make informed immunization decisions in partnership with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

www.coronavirustoday.com

 

[drron]

Cruising has started out of Florida.Though the Celebrity Edge only carried 40% of it's usual passenger numbers.

Cruising was a Covid disaster. Now it claims to be the 'safest vacation available'

Now in Florida they have made it illegal to insist on Vaccination passports.They have however been able to use the CDC guidelines and have only 5% unvaccinated passengers.However they are making it much more expensive for the unvaccinated to cruise by insisting that unvaccinated passengers have an insurance policy covering covid plus having up to 3 covid tests on board at their own cost -an average of $US150 per test.

Royal Caribbean is making it even more expensive for unvaccinated travelers to take its Florida cruises

 

[drron]

And another cruise line cancelling their Australian cruises this year.

Cruise operator Carnival's units cancel Australian voyages through mid-December

Australia banned the entry of cruise ships in March 2020 when they were the source of most of the country's early Covid-19 cases.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Pushka]

Cruising has started out of Florida.Though the Celebrity Edge only carried 40% of it's usual passenger numbers.

Cruising was a Covid disaster. Now it claims to be the 'safest vacation available'

Now in Florida they have made it illegal to insist on Vaccination passports.They have however been able to use the CDC guidelines and have only 5% unvaccinated passengers.However they are making it much more expensive for the unvaccinated to cruise by insisting that unvaccinated passengers have an insurance policy covering covid plus having up to 3 covid tests on board at their own cost -an average of $US150 per test.

Royal Caribbean is making it even more expensive for unvaccinated travelers to take its Florida cruises

I was supposed to be on Celebrity Edge last July. That was transferred to this July. Two weeks time. In the Med. So celebrity cancelled it. So they could cruise in Florida. First time we'd ever booked a suite and we'd got such a great deal .

 

[Port Power]

Azamara has cancelled all Journey's cruises too. No official announcement yet but when I went into my planner there was a big yellow banner which went to a list of cruises cancelled. When I rang TA, they seemed to have just been informed and are starting the process of contacting clients. FCC 125% of deposit paid, swap to same cruise next year at same price, or refund. I am so glad I have some Coral Expedition cruises booked as they will definitely go ahead.

 

[drron]

Norwegian is now taking legal action against the State of Florida for it's vaccine passport bans.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings sues Florida over vaccine passport ban - The Points Guy

The parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises plans to require all passengers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to sail when it restarts cruises in August.

thepointsguy.com

 

[love_the_life]

I was supposed to be on Celebrity Edge last July. That was transferred to this July. Two weeks time. In the Med. So celebrity cancelled it. So they could cruise in Florida. First time we'd ever booked a suite and we'd got such a great deal .

Perhaps fortuitous in a way though, as you wouldn't be allowed out of the country anyway and would have had to cancel. Still a huge disappointment though

 

[Gogo65]

I was just reading a live blog of someone on a Viking cruise around Iceland, all vaccinated, they were on a bus tour and they were stopped by the police and ordered to return to ship, someone has tested positive, is now in quarantine, but they are unsure now what will happen.

 

[VPS]

My Carnival Cruise line shares aren't going well at the moment after a big rise - still way ahead though

 

[Tiki]

Princess cancelled through Dec 2021 and offered a choice of rebooking on the same cruise one year later (Nov 2022 for us) with fare and OBC protected, refund in FCC or normal refund. We took the Nov 2022 cruise, hoping that finally something sets sail!

 

[Port Power]

Ponant still seem to be hanging in there. Australian cruises in October are still up for sale and their COVID site is in real time. I have my fingers crossed their Australian cruises on Le Soleal will actually go ahead, but I am being honest and not calling confirmed.

 

[Gogo65]

We moved our Ponant august cruise to a Ross sea Antarctica cruise in January leaving from Dunedin.
Ponant advised us when they cancelled they are cancelling cruises 2 months out.
Final payment is not due to 30 days out so at least they don’t have the majority of our money for the next 6 months.
Now to see whether it will actually go ahead. Thinking about 30-40% chance it will go. We have no ports, all must be vaccinated and now we need a negative test to enter NZ.

 

[drron]

An appeal's court has ruled that Florida can't override CDC rules.

Appeals court sides with CDC, Norwegian Cruise Lines over DeSantis on vaccination rules

Canada has brought forward the date allowing cruising to start to November.Problem is though no major cruising occurs between November and March so the previously advised date of cruising being able to restart of April 1st is still the most likely date that it does.

Why cruisers shouldn’t get too excited about Canada’s just-announced plan to reopen to cruise ships