Cruising after Covid?

[SusanKey]

We have booked our first Disney Cruise. I know nothing is known for sure, but I have heard that many cruise lines have said they will only book passengers in veranda rooms so that each room can have exterior ventilation. Pending this is the case, how will Disney handle those who have booked either an ocean view or interior room? I booked an ocean view, and now all rooms on my cruise are showing unavailable, aside from concierge. Would Disney cancel the reservations of passengers who booked inside or ocean view, or would they move everyone to veranda rooms? I realize everyone is just guessing at this point.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have booked our first Disney Cruise. I know nothing is known for sure, but I have heard that many cruise lines have said they will only book passengers in veranda rooms so that each room can have exterior ventilation. Pending this is the case, how will Disney handle those who have booked either an ocean view or interior room? I booked an ocean view, and now all rooms on my cruise are showing unavailable, aside from concierge. Would Disney cancel the reservations of passengers who booked inside or ocean view, or would they move everyone to veranda rooms? I realize everyone is just guessing at this point.

Purely speculation at this point. As no one know for sure what cruising will be like when/if it returns anytime soon.

It appears that many of the lower category rooms (inside/oceanview) are not available on upcoming cruises. The guess is that DCL may be using them to aide in their required distancing protocols for crew. Anyone already holding a reservation in either of those categories may wind up being upgraded to a verandah room. My guess, of course.

 

[choirfarm]

Honestly, I just do not see how they will even resume until there is a vaccine. They just had an new outbreak on a cruise ship. It just isn't safe right now. I hope your cruise is refundable.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have booked our first Disney Cruise. I know nothing is known for sure, but I have heard that many cruise lines have said they will only book passengers in veranda rooms so that each room can have exterior ventilation. Pending this is the case, how will Disney handle those who have booked either an ocean view or interior room? I booked an ocean view, and now all rooms on my cruise are showing unavailable, aside from concierge. Would Disney cancel the reservations of passengers who booked inside or ocean view, or would they move everyone to veranda rooms? I realize everyone is just guessing at this point.

Our Feb 2021 PC sailing allows people to book inside and oceanview cabins. One thing I thought was peculiar is that no category allows us to see cabin availability. Every category is GTY. This means it's either extremely full with very few cabins available, or lots of people have cancelled and they don't want us to see a huge glut of available cabins, possibly tempting more booked passengers to cancel.

 

[T & R]

Honestly, I just do not see how they will even resume until there is a vaccine.

So what if a vaccine never comes? There was never a vaccine for the 1918 pandemic either. The world worked through it. Still waiting on that vaccine for AIDS, MS, Cancer, Zika, etc. Still waiting. This is an honest question and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do we just scrap the world's fleets? I've seen many people post on here that we will not cruise unless there is a vaccine. So just curious what happens when we set a condition on something that has a possibility of never being? That's like an 18 year old saying he/she is not getting married till they're 35. There's no way to know if he/she will even make it to 35. I really hope we are not dependent on a vaccine because even if we had one (which we don't) it may take years to know if it worked.

 

[BartmanLA]

Our Feb 2021 PC sailing allows people to book inside and oceanview cabins. One thing I thought was peculiar is that no category allows us to see cabin availability. Every category is GTY. This means it's either extremely full with very few cabins available, or lots of people have cancelled and they don't want us to see a huge glut of available cabins, possibly tempting more booked passengers to cancel.

I'm admin'ing a "group" for the 21 WBPC cruise, this week with the release of the Fall 2021 itineraries and we've had a plethora of folks jumping ship for the EBTA and EBPC itineraries, our group size went from over 500 member to below 400 in the past month or so. So there's a lot of cancelled staterooms, DCL is probably only offering GTY so they can allocate guests into available cancelled rooms.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

So what if a vaccine never comes? There was never a vaccine for the 1918 pandemic either. The world worked through it. Still waiting on that vaccine for AIDS, MS, Cancer, Zika, etc. Still waiting. This is an honest question and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do we just scrap the world's fleets? I've seen many people post on here that we will not cruise unless there is a vaccine. So just curious what happens when we set a condition on something that has a possibility of never being? That's like an 18 year old saying he/she is not getting married till they're 35. There's no way to know if he/she will even make it to 35. I really hope we are not dependent on a vaccine because even if we had one (which we don't) it may take years to know if it worked.

Clearly, you haven't been following any news on vaccines. I've been watching this one go through Phase 1, 2 and now 3. I've signed up to volunteer but health care workers are excluded.
https://apnews.com/e4d5259bfc6c74fcb090d885737c55a6

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'm admin'ing a "group" for the 21 WBPC cruise, this week with the release of the Fall 2021 itineraries and we've had a plethora of folks jumping ship for the EBTA and EBPC itineraries, our group size went from over 500 member to below 400 in the past month or so. So there's a lot of cancelled staterooms, DCL is probably only offering GTY so they can allocate guests into available cancelled rooms.

I've considered switching to Nov 2021 as well but Nov is traditionally a busy time for me. Besides getting ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, add to that we're up to our knees in raking leaves. I suppose we could just pay a lawn care service but what I'm saying is I don't feel like I need a vacation in late autumn. By late Feb, oh yes, I do crave a warm, sunny destination, even if only for 2 days. By then I'm desperate and I'd really appreciate it more.

 

[Jen81NYC]

So what if a vaccine never comes? There was never a vaccine for the 1918 pandemic either. The world worked through it. Still waiting on that vaccine for AIDS, MS, Cancer, Zika, etc. Still waiting. This is an honest question and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do we just scrap the world's fleets? I've seen many people post on here that we will not cruise unless there is a vaccine. So just curious what happens when we set a condition on something that has a possibility of never being? That's like an 18 year old saying he/she is not getting married till they're 35. There's no way to know if he/she will even make it to 35. I really hope we are not dependent on a vaccine because even if we had one (which we don't) it may take years to know if it worked.

If there is no successful vaccine, eventually there will be better treatments (like with HIV) or there will be some sort of herd immunity. May take several years though of course. And yes, until a vaccine or much better treatments are developed, the cruising industry may stall out or fail. Entire industries have been eliminated for much less! When I was growing up, every other commercial was for long distance carriers and we rented videos every weekend! IMO, until this disease is much more manageable with either a vaccine or treatment, it’s pretty reasonable to avoid going on cruises.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, vaccines rely on mass delivery. Distribution and cost are going to be big issues, as will be the willingness of people to get one. Surveys suggest a large number of Americans will not.

 

[T & R]

Clearly, you haven't been following any news on vaccines. I've been watching this one go through Phase 1, 2 and now 3. I've signed up to volunteer but health care workers are excluded.

I have been following the news and have read that article. So does the vaccine work? Oh, that's right, that news article posted doesn't say. The news article does say "experimental", "no guarantee", "awaiting findings" "hopes to have results" "assumes everything is working right" and only a "first step". Hardly what I would call a break through. Also, this one is supposed to boost the immune system which will cause serious problems for those with auto-immune issues and possibly cause the body to attack itself. The 1918 pandemic usually killed those with strong immune systems because the immune system over responded, I wouldn't want to boost that. I'll pass on putting something "experimental" into my child's body. This is being rushed through testing and we will not know side effects until years later.

 

[DisneYE]

So what if a vaccine never comes? There was never a vaccine for the 1918 pandemic either. The world worked through it. Still waiting on that vaccine for AIDS, MS, Cancer, Zika, etc. Still waiting. This is an honest question and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do we just scrap the world's fleets? I've seen many people post on here that we will not cruise unless there is a vaccine. So just curious what happens when we set a condition on something that has a possibility of never being? That's like an 18 year old saying he/she is not getting married till they're 35. There's no way to know if he/she will even make it to 35. I really hope we are not dependent on a vaccine because even if we had one (which we don't) it may take years to know if it worked.

Those are not easily transmissible diseases, like CV.
Nobody, not one person, boards a ship thinking "aww, I hope I don't contract AIDS or cancer on here.."
Totally different with CV... there's gotta be at least a vaccine or (better yet) a treatment for it or cruises will never sail safely...I'm 100% sure DCL is thinking this.

 

[T & R]

If there is no successful vaccine, eventually there will be better treatments (like with HIV) or there will be some sort of herd immunity.

I also believe in heard immunity, that's how we beat the 1918 pandemic. The problem is that we didn't social distance back then and the Spanish Flu still took about 2 to 3 years to die out. Today with the way we are slow rolling this, we could drag this thing out for decades which should have been over in months. If we had 70% positive tomorrow, then this thing would be over in 2 weeks. I understand it is dangerous up to 5% of the people but it's dangerous to those same 5% whether they get it tomorrow or trickle it and they get it over the next few years.

 

[T & R]

Those are not easily transmissible diseases, like CV.
Nobody, not one person, boards a ship thinking "aww, I hope I don't contract AIDS or cancer on here.."
Totally different with CV... there's gotta be at least a vaccine or (better yet) a treatment for it or cruises will never sail safely...I'm 100% sure DCL is thinking this.

Those were my examples of diseases that are much more deadly and more prevalent than Covid that we still have not found a vaccine for. My example was for pinning hopes on vaccines and not which was easier to catch on a cruise. Just saying it's very possible that vaccines just don't come right away like many are hoping.

 

[T & R]

I am worried that cruising is going to be banned until next year for the following reason. It's possible we have a second big wave and more shutdowns once schools starts back up. The same reasons that make cruising not safe make schools not safe. You are packing millions of kids/teachers/staff into the same buildings where they work, eat and play together for months. There are districts in Indiana that have already started in person classes and the positive cases for kids and staff have already begun. Many say that Covid is not as dangerous to kids and that may be true but in my area we have a large percentage of students being raised by their grandparents or have multi generations of family living in the same home. What is going to happen when across the country many thousands or more of positive asymptomatic kids return home from school with the virus?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/i...id-19-on-first-day-back-to-school/ar-BB17qne9.

 

[monkeydawn]

So what if a vaccine never comes? There was never a vaccine for the 1918 pandemic either. The world worked through it. Still waiting on that vaccine for AIDS, MS, Cancer, Zika, etc. Still waiting. This is an honest question and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do we just scrap the world's fleets? I've seen many people post on here that we will not cruise unless there is a vaccine. So just curious what happens when we set a condition on something that has a possibility of never being? That's like an 18 year old saying he/she is not getting married till they're 35. There's no way to know if he/she will even make it to 35. I really hope we are not dependent on a vaccine because even if we had one (which we don't) it may take years to know if it worked.

There also isnt a vaccine against car accidents, which is about as relevant as the diseases you posted. The problem with Covid is the mode of transmission. Especially when you have loads of people doing communal activities, many that would require masks removed (eating, drinking, swimming), in a relatively tight area.

I dont see a way for ships to sail before a vaccine or more reliable treatment options become available. The capacity that the ship would have to sail to even give an appearance of safe would be too low be profitable for the cruise lines.

 

[T & R]

There also isnt a vaccine against car accidents, which is about as relevant as the diseases you posted. The problem with Covid is the mode of transmission. Especially when you have loads of people doing communal activities, many that would require masks removed (eating, drinking, swimming), in a relatively tight area.

I was giving examples of more prevalent and deadly diseases than Covid that we still do not have a vaccine for. It was meant to be an example for those who think a vaccine for Covid is only months away. Nothing to do with how communicable it is on a cruise ship.

 

[monkeydawn]

I also believe in heard immunity, that's how we beat the 1918 pandemic. The problem is that we didn't social distance back then and the Spanish Flu still took about 2 to 3 years to die out. Today with the way we are slow rolling this, we could drag this thing out for decades which should have been over in months. If we had 70% positive tomorrow, then this thing would be over in 2 weeks. I understand it is dangerous up to 5% of the people but it's dangerous to those same 5% whether they get it tomorrow or trickle it and they get it over the next few years.

If we had 70% positive tomorrow the hospitals would be maxed out and people would be dying at much higher rates, from COVID and from lack of available treatment for anything since hospitals would be over run.

Far more than 5% of our population has co mobidities that make Covid dangerous. I know our longevity is higher now than in 1918 but in a lot of ways that is because we can save sick people better now. As a population, I'd say we are probably far more unhealthy now and certainly in ways that will affect our susceptibility to Covid (obesity, diabetics, cancer).

And, again for those in the cheap seats that may not have heard, you can get this more than once. Some are left with lung scarring, kidney or heart issues after "recovering" from Covid. Which puts those people at exceptional risks from a second or third round of Covid. Its also going to be real fun for healthcare in general as these people age. So its probably not the worst idea to limit the amount of people that recover from Covid with lifelong implications.

 

[monkeydawn]

I was giving examples of more prevalent and deadly diseases than Covid that we still do not have a vaccine for. It was meant to be an example for those who think a vaccine for Covid is only months away. Nothing to do with how communicable it is on a cruise ship.

Yes, see relevancy. Lots of things dont have a vaccine. Some are quite deadly. None really have the same implications to cruising that Covid does.

It doesnt matter if a vaccine is months, years or never away. Cruising without a vaccine or more reliable treatment options is irresponsible to the point where many governments will refuse to participate and that's what will kill cruising if no vaccine or treatment options become available.

I love cruising. I want to see it come back. But too many false starts where uncontrolled outbreaks occur will also likely have a huge negative impact and may kill the industry.

 

[randumb0]

Oh cruising will definitely not restart until next year. If not a vaccine, then we at least need a viable treatment at first diagnosis. With that being said, we will have a vaccine as there is too much money being poured into research to not have one. However, we will not know the efficacy for a while. Some people like to mention that we don't have a vaccine for AIDS. AIDS is a different beast due to its mutation rate and the money for Zika dried up.