Macross

There are seven ships docked off the port now. They take turns coming into dock for fuel and supplies. Very strange. I think the port holds 6. I feel bad for the crews since they aren't getting off. They normally come into Cocoa Beach and head to Merritt Island for Walmart. It is hurting all the locals that do cruise business from rental cars, hotels, shuttle drivers, parking, food, flowers etc.
All the port restaurants are out of business. It is a huge industry and our economy does benefit. I still would think about a Baltic cruise maybe. My husband thinks the inside cabins are great being a sub sailor. Never again.

bigtyke

If it sails, I will be on a Hawaii to Tahiti cruise in Sept.

Sassafrass

No apology necessary. Everyone has different responses based on their experiences. It could not be otherwise. Most of our friends had never cruised and had only second hand opinions, or done only a Spring break to the Bahamas, so limited experience and mostly negative. We finally decided we had to experience a cruise once for ourselves. With only a bit of advice from experienced Fodor’s people, we threw caution to the wind and booked a cheap, Inside, last minute offer on Caribbean Princess to the Southern Caribbean, departing from San Juan. Two weeks later we boarded our first ship.
To say we lucked out would be an understatement. We did not realize it was a nearly new ship, with all kinds of extras for that itinerary. We were greeted with flutes of champagne and violins playing in the most beautiful atrium I have yet seen, and upgraded to a huge cabin. DH and I looked at each other and instantly decided we never wanted to get off the ship. Of course, we did to see all the beautiful islands. In a way, while starting with such a high standard made us fall in love with cruising, it also made us more critical. Not many are that standard now-a-days, but we still enjoy a week or so on the sea, especially in winter, in the Caribbean.
As we have gotten older, taking our Granddaughter on cruises has been a highlight each year. Seeing her snorkel, build sand castles, try new foods, meet other kids, etc. has given her and us great joy. We are really, really missing her and having a vacation with her this Spring.

Sassafrass

I hope, for your sake, it sails and all goes well.

More than going on a cruise, flying worries me. Planes always seem nasty to me, and lots of people do not look to clean either. OTOH, trains aren’t that great, I hate buses and DH and I are too old to do long drives anymore, so planes are the only choice if we want to travel or to go on a cruise.

mlgb

Cruise people might be interested in this part of an email I got this morning from Vacations To Go

"Most of the oceangoing cruise suspensions are currently set to extend into May with a few stretching into the summer. Alaska sailings are suspended until July at the earliest.
Last week, the CDC extended indefinitely their warning against oceangoing cruise ship travel while the virus rages and I believe that more suspensions of service are inevitable.
Some tour operators and river cruise companies have only announced suspensions into May at this point, while others have suspended operations through June.
Many health professionals believe that new cases of COVID-19 will peak in the U.S. in the coming four to five weeks, with the peak week dependent on location. I've looked for projections for the peak week in Canada but haven't seen anything that looked official yet."

Sassafrass

Mlgb, Thanks for posting that. Surprised I have not gotten an email from them, since I buy through them, but I may have overlooked it. I was hoping for better news, but being realistic, did not expect better.

justineparis

I live in a very busy seasonal cruise port.. Victoria BC, many Alaskan cruises stop here.

Our port is completely closed to all cruise ships until July the 1st , but we all believe the closing will likely be extended beyond that date. And yes.. we have many many businesses that will die .. but better them than actual people.

schmerl

I had a Baltic cruise booked for this July. I was really looking forward to it. Visiting St. Petersburg is on my bucket list and the ship would spend two full days there. We cancelled the trip in March.
There is no way I will even think of getting on a plane or a ship until there is a vaccine or effective treatment for this virus.

millie2112

I have never been on a cruise. every time I mention a cruise to my husband he tells me "no" as we are not cruise people
I have decided I will probably never go on a cruise.
Watching the cruise ships trying to find a port in this crisis and countries rejecting them have really put me off. The idea of a floating petri dish is not a good idea.
There are a lot of people in the world with bad hygiene. So if you are a cruiser, wait until there is a vaccine otherwise you will end up floating around trying to get off somewhere.
I was also surprised to find that when a cruise you need to still pay for a lot of things, including anything medical.

thursdaysd

That's why the mass market cruises are so cheap (and the ships keep getting bigger). They make their money off the extras - drinks, specialty restaurants, gambling, spas, excursions, photographs, on-board shopping, and did I mention gambling? If you resist the extras on board and plan your own excursions you can have a really cheap trip. And don't forget you're paying part of the crew's wages with required tips.

Surfergirl

It may be some time for the very large cruise ships to set sail again, but I don't think it will be the same for very small ones. We last cruised the Greek islands on a tiny ship -- "mega yacht" I think they called it -- with no more than 50 passengers. I could see doing something like that again soon. But there was minimal indoor sitting . . . most of the time out on the deck or snorkeling off the boat, or visiting an island. I don't see for these types of cruises it being a bigger petri dish than hazmatting it up in mask and gloves and spending 45 minutes at the grocery store.

Sassafrass

We have done a good bit of cruising, and I was a teacher for many years.
I will not claim ships are germ free. Of course they are not, and an outbreak of anything is a problem if people cannot leave the ship for care. There are also always some people who know they are sick and still board the ship. Really irresponsible.
However, if you want to look at something as a Petri dish, look at school classrooms, school cafeterias and school gymnasiums. Talk about nasty. Yes, floors are cleaned and tables wiped down, but desks are rarely cleaned and kids are sitting nose to nose. Plus, kids are often sent to school sick because parents need to work. I started sprayIng the desks and chairs between each class and giving each child a paper towel as they came through the door. It helped a lot. I loved the kids, and loved being with them, but when I taught elementary school, I felt like a sticky mess every day. I came home and immediately showered and tossed clothes into the laundry.
Public movie theaters and enclosed sports arenas where people are eating and drinking and talking are as bad as theaters on any ship. Just yucky.
Church where a lot of people are singing is now considered one of the perfect ways to spread a virus.
Buffet restaurants do not seem as clean to me as those on ships.
The next, and worst, thing for me is planes. The only time I get sick now is when I fly. It is not just a Petri dish. It is sardines in a can with shared sauce.
So for me, a ship is probably as safe as any public place and safer than most, except for the possibility of being detained if something does happen. That is the issue that will prevent me from cruising until there is a vaccine or reasonable solution that would have facilities for passengers to be quarantined on land.

mlgb

Some of the cruise lines are now requiring a doctor's signature on a "fitness to travel" form. If you have diabetes, cancer, or other specified chronic illnesses you likely will not be cruising again.

physician-fit-to-sail-form.pdf

Sassafrass

Probably true, and some kind of insurance will be a requirement, not just a suggestion. It may not be affordable for me again, but travel by air may not be either, and we can’t do long distance drives anymore. We need to re-think how to have the best quality of life we can at this point. DH says if I can figure a way to keep critters out, he will let me cover our little back yard with sand and put a palm tree and a kiddie pool out for me. 🌴🌞🌴

mlgb

I got an email linking to this content from Norwegian regarding their current plan to address the Corona.

NCLH includes Norwegian, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. I don't know whether Oceania and Seven Seas have the same measures.

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwe...Y060220#safety

thursdaysd

Well, that photo of the officers standing shoulder to shoulder, unmasked, hardly inspires confidence. And temperature checks are in no way conclusive.

Also, nothing about what they are going to do about buffets, or about wearing masks on board.

mlgb

That is not the final operational plan. It isn't even clear if over-65s and those with health conditions will be allowed to sail.

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwe...ce/health-faqs

Sassafrass

If Holland America cut people 65 and over, they would lose probably 20-30% of their business, I think, because in the past, 50% of their passengers was over 55 with an average age of 57. I guess they could expand their kids program and compete with Carnival, Norwegian and Disney. Princess, and Celebrity, too, skewed older on many cruises. The fact is, until covid19, the percentage of deaths in an older age range was much, much lower on cruises than at home on land, probably because most older people who travel by themselves are still in reasonably good health, or health issues were well managed. A couple of years ago, my best friend, at age 83, flew, by herself, from NZ to the US, then flew to Puerto Rico with us to take a week long cruise to the Southern Caribbean, back to Washington, DC and two weeks later, home to NZ. As long as I can pull my own luggage, I hope there are no age restrictions on travel.

As to medical expenses, if you are staying in a hotel and get sick, unless the hotel caused the illness or accident, would you expect the hotel to pay for your hospital or Doctor? if you catch a cold or the flu or get shingles, the hotel is not responsible. Neither is a cruise ship.