Coronavirus and DCL Megathread - Suspension of Departures for the fleet until early November. Booking only available from early December.

[JM23457]

Peoples right to decline the vaccine is going to take somebody’s right to cruise.

Cruising is a right? Well, I suppose it is one's right to travel. Even if so, it is a much less important right than the right to one's bodily autonomy, the right to choose which medicines you are injected with.

 

[DCLMP]

Cruise ships not sailing or even going out of business doesn't mean the world has stopped spinning. We can do without cruise ships and theme parks.

If cruiselines and theme parks go out of business then so will airlines, hotel chains, construction company’s, restaurants,....the list just goes on and on. The world may not stop spinning, but who would want to live in it.

 

[choirfarm]

nm

 

[JM23457]

But we are all going to have to pivot and change. The travel industry cannot survive until the virus is gone. We are going to have a Depression that makes the one from the 30's look mild. Our way of life as we knew it is over.

Only if we let it happen. There is no reason why the world has to destroy itself, because of a virus.

 

[T & R]

So the CDC will regulate what is within its purvue to do

Almost all businesses fall under the interstate commerce clause, thus within CDC jurisdiction.

 

[T & R]

But we are all going to have to pivot and change. The travel industry cannot survive until the virus is gone. We are going to have a Depression that makes the one from the 30's look mild. Our way of life as we knew it is over.

I’m sure those who went through the Spanish Flu thought life as they knew it would be over too. They were somewhat right, we became the most powerful nation the earth has ever known.

The travel industry will be fine when we come to the realization that you have to treat all businesses equally if you’re fighting a virus. The virus doesn’t stop and say wait a minute, this business is different, exempt, special, essential or whatever. Having a higher standard for any lone industry, like travel, only allows the virus to run rampant in industries with the lesser standards (exhibit A, today’s positive test results).

I also doubt 98% of the world will voluntarily go into a Great Depression just to save 2%. Then you get into a scenario that the prevention is more devastating than the virus itself. People won’t starve their children and voluntarily go into unemployment poverty and endure the increase in crime just to save 2% of the population that will be at risk whether we have Covid, flu or whatever.

(note: I think the mortality rate is closer to less than 1%. Most people who get Covid have no symptoms so they do not get tested. The rate of infection is way higher than the Official positive cases reported. If you look at the number of Covid deaths Vs. the true unknown number of those who’ve had Covid, prolly fatal to less than 1%.

 

[nancipants]

I also doubt 98% of the world will voluntarily go into a Great Depression just to save 2%.

This mindset still boggles me. Disregarding this...If 2% of the world’s population dies from COVID, and even more people suffer long-term effects (people survived polio all the time!), that will also depress the economy.

 

[T & R]

This mindset still boggles me. Disregarding this...If 2% of the world’s population dies from COVID, and even more people suffer long-term effects (people survived polio all the time!), that will also depress the economy.

The U.S. is the worlds largest exporter of food. How much of the world would you like to starve with a depression in order to save the 2% that have co-morbidity and will die whether it’s Covid, flu or any other disease?

 

[DCLMP]

But we are all going to have to pivot and change. The travel industry cannot survive until the virus is gone. We are going to have a Depression that makes the one from the 30's look mild. Our way of life as we knew it is over.

Well that’s as doom and gloom as it gets. We might as well jump off the nearest overpass. I’m in Orlando for 12 days having a great time along with thousands of other people. Nobody can say what the future holds, but life as we knew it is only over if we let it be.

 

[Starwind]

The U.S. is the worlds largest exporter of food. How much of the world would you like to starve with a depression in order to save the 2% that have co-morbidity and will die whether it’s Covid, flu or any other disease?

Not so simple... among other things, just 10 countries make up 70% of the recipients of that export.



And its not just the whatever percent die. Its the somewhere in the 30-50% who survive but have long-lasting harm to various body systems like the lungs, heart, cardiovascular system, brain, etc etc. Some of which are life altering. They don't know yet how much of that is going to be permanent, though they know for some it likely will be. And some of that 30-50% are people who were asymtomatic -- because they are finding that even people who are asymtomatic can have lung and cardiovascular and other damage [fortunately a lower % than those who did have noticeable symptoms]. There is still much to be learned about covid and the toll it takes on the human body.

 

[Starwind]

Bringing this thread back on something like topic...

I have read elsewhere that the Dream may soon be headed over to the same shipyard in France that the Fantasy is at...

If this is the case, any word on why ? Are they going to check it out for vibration issues too ? Use it to compare to the Fantasy as a "this ship works right" ?

And, have we heard word for any of the 4 about any covid-related "renovations" that they may be undergoing during any scheduled dry docks or the "downtime" they have right now ?

SW

 

[TFM1980]

I see a ton of pessimism here about economic depressions and the death of Disney/the travel industry. I'm pretty sure people are panicking a bit too much. We will have at least one vaccine starting distribution in October in the US (only ebough for vulnerable and front line workers) and enough for everyone else in the first quarter of 2021. If you read up on Oxford's vaccine, Astra Zeneca has been producing it since June in mass quantities anticipating an October clearance to go/phase 3 completion.

Once the vulnerable and front line workers have the vaccine, you will see travel begin to ramp up. The economy will be in a recession, but we probably can still dig out of this one.

 

[bcwife76]

Bringing this thread back on something like topic...

I have read elsewhere that the Dream may soon be headed over to the same shipyard in France that the Fantasy is at...

If this is the case, any word on why ? Are they going to check it out for vibration issues too ? Use it to compare to the Fantasy as a "this ship works right" ?

And, have we heard word for any of the 4 about any covid-related "renovations" that they may be undergoing during any scheduled dry docks or the "downtime" they have right now ?

SW

The Dream was already scheduled for a dry dock this Fall (though I'm not sure of the location). I know they are supposed to be changing more rooms into concierge, but apart from that, nothing else has really been mentioned.

 

[T & R]

The Dream was already scheduled for a dry dock this Fall (though I'm not sure of the location). I know they are supposed to be changing more rooms into concierge,

More concierge?? Only reason we book concierge is for a cabana on CC. Now with more concierge rooms, even that won’t be a sure thing. That’s going to be bad paying all that extra and then getting to PIF and finding out no cabana.

 

[allashore]

More concierge?? Only reason we book concierge is for a cabana on CC. Now with more concierge rooms, even that won’t be a sure thing. That’s going to be bad paying all that extra and then getting to PIF and finding out no cabana.

maybe this concierge/cabana discussion should be a new thread?
I had read somewhere they are adding addl concierge rooms to both Fantasy & Dream on deck 10, and expanding the lounge on deck 13, this was before the pandemic.
Maybe they will change the way they assign cabanas, some ideas: lock in on PIF? then DCL would have more $ earlier, priority by who books their cabins first? prioritize by Royal, 2bdrm, T then V ? why should we have to submit at 12:00am when they been holding our $ since opening day vs someone that booked more recent? Has anyone in a Royal ever not had a cabana that requested one.

 

[FigmentSpark]

maybe this concierge/cabana discussion should be a new thread?
I had read somewhere they are adding addl concierge rooms to both Fantasy & Dream on deck 10, and expanding the lounge on deck 13, this was before the pandemic.
Maybe they will change the way they assign cabanas, some ideas: lock in on PIF? then DCL would have more $ earlier, priority by who books their cabins first? prioritize by Royal, 2bdrm, T then V ? why should we have to submit at 12:00am when they been holding our $ since opening day vs someone that booked more recent? Has anyone in a Royal ever not had a cabana that requested one.

Considering deck 10 is the last of the 4As to be booked, I wonder if that had anything to do with the strategy?

I agree about those PIF'ing sooner and being higher luxury room should get first priority. My guess is the more expensive rooms already get priority, so if you are booking a CAT V for a cabana, that may not happen any more.

 

[T & R]

adding addl concierge rooms to both Fantasy & Dream on deck 10

That would be a horrible concierge room. We always get across the hall from the lounge on Deck 12 so we can just pop in and get food and drinks. Picking off some breakfast items from the lounge and taking it back to the room is much easier than having to go all the way back and forth to the front of the ship every morning. I wouldn't pay concierge and then have to be down at deck 10 waiting on elevators or taking 2 flights of stairs every time I wanted to get something out of the lounge. Not trying to be snobbish but to me you are really paying a premium for concierge and being down on deck 10 would not be the experience that we paid a premium for.

 

[T & R]

Maybe they will change the way they assign cabanas,

I see what's going on. The cabanas are clearly in high demand and profitable. I don't see how they can add more cabana's on CC with the current configuration. Then it dawned on me that DCL is building a new semi private island at lighthouse point. I guarantee lighthouse point will have more cabana's than CC to accommodate the increase in concierge rooms. If they do go this route I hope they do some over water cabanas like I've seen in photos at Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay. I've never been to Coco Cay but if you google the over water cabanas at Coco cay, they look awesome.

 

[allashore]

That would be a horrible concierge room. We always get across the hall from the lounge on Deck 12 so we can just pop in and get food and drinks. Picking off some breakfast items from the lounge and taking it back to the room is much easier than having to go all the way back and forth to the front of the ship every morning. I wouldn't pay concierge and then have to be down at deck 10 waiting on elevators or taking 2 flights of stairs every time I wanted to get something out of the lounge. Not trying to be snobbish but to me you are really paying a premium for concierge and being down on deck 10 would not be the experience that we paid a premium for.

on the classic ships the concierge cabins are scattered on deck 8 and the lounge is on deck 10, not convenient at all, but then the lounges on these 2 ships were an after thought. We had a HA cabin aft on the Wonder, it is a very long walk to get to the lounge. Wonder does have the best lounge especially for Alaska, Fantasy is no comparison.

 

[monkeydawn]

That would be a horrible concierge room. We always get across the hall from the lounge on Deck 12 so we can just pop in and get food and drinks. Picking off some breakfast items from the lounge and taking it back to the room is much easier than having to go all the way back and forth to the front of the ship every morning. I wouldn't pay concierge and then have to be down at deck 10 waiting on elevators or taking 2 flights of stairs every time I wanted to get something out of the lounge. Not trying to be snobbish but to me you are really paying a premium for concierge and being down on deck 10 would not be the experience that we paid a premium for.

I dont have a problem with just going to Cabanas for food but I dont have kids that Im bringing food back to and we are usually up early and have exercised before breakfast on cruises so its obviously a different experience for us. Id be more bothered by having to travel for happy hour snacks (whilst getting ready for show/ dinner). But what you are discribing sounds horrible. I hope at least its not at the same premium pricing, maybe somewhere in between regular and concierge. MSC has similar set ups on one style ship and people really do complain about that. They charge their regular pricing structure for these rooms (but it isnt nearly the hike DCL charges)