Looking for some advice on cruising

[scorpsfan]

Hi everyone,

We are thinking about doing our first cruise. This is totally new to us and add on all the covid-y things as well it seems a little overwhelming. I'm just looking for any advice on cruising in general during covid at the moment. This cruise wouldn't be until Dec so maybe some things might change by then (for the better hopefully!) Some of the things we are wondering about are:

How is flying at the moment? We would be going out of Toronto to Orlando and then onto Port Canaveral. How's the Orlando airport? Is it busy? Are people crowding? How easy is it to get to your port?
How is all the testing and has anyone encountered anyone who tests positive at any point in the cruise- and what happens then?
Do you feel safe? I've heard it's not busy on the cruises right now. How do you find it?
Any hiccups during the cruise? Like you can't get off at the scheduled destination (maybe because of covid?)
I read that the Caribbean should be avoided at the moment for all US travellers because of covid. So how is that?? Can you actually get off the ship, then? lol (Of course, you must be able to)


Thanks so much for any insight to anything. I'm looking for any advice. We are totally on the fence about actually booking it. We've found a great deal and are wondering if we should go for it or not. We've always wanted to go on a cruise. I know a lot of people might say we are crazy to consider a cruise right now during covid. Are we crazy?? LOL

 

[Miffy]

I can't answer most of your questions, but I can answer one of them. The Orlando airport (MCO) is insanely busy and crowded. Also, my experience there in May was that mask compliance in the airport was maybe 50% and social distancing was nonexistent.

There are lots of regular cruisers here, so people will be along shortly, I'm sure, to answer your other questions.

 

[RedHead0186]

I can second that the Orlando airport has been very busy/crowded. There are many options to get to port, some easier than others (though depends on your definition of easy). You can rent a car and drive (it's about an hour), get a private car/shuttle, or take DCL transportation. Those vary in terms of cost/convenience/etc.

I can't speak personally, but others on this board have shared their experience. If you test positive at the port you don't get on the ship (neither does anyone else in your travel party, although the definition of what a 'travel party' is seems a bit nebulous). Again, based on accounts, you'll get a voucher/credit for a future cruise based on what you paid for that cruise. Some accounts say that they'll help you get back to the airport/WDW/wherever you need to go (if you didn't rent your own car).

Right now DCL is only going to Castaway Cay (thought that will change soon) so there shouldn't be hiccups in getting off there, though again someone who has cruised can likely share more.

Yes, you can get off the ship, DCL isn't sailing to any ports where you cannot get off (and actually has adjusted some itineraries to avoid certain ports). It's totally up to you if you think you should based on travel warnings.

You are not crazy to want to cruise, and there are some good deals right now. With it being your first cruise, it's a toss up. You have nothing to compare to so you might not 'notice' the things onboard that have been changed due to COVID. On the other hand, you will get a somewhat 'diminished' experience from a normal DCL cruise so your first one might not be what you think it will be. In non COVID times DCL cruises are amazing. You'll have to decide if it's worth the price to you, and worth the risk. Me personally, I'm vaccinated so I feel relatively safe; however, I'm not comfortable cruising at the moment (though I would LOVE to get back on a ship and the deals are quite tempting!). My biggest concern (again, personally), is contracting COVID and then passing it along to others, especially those who are not vaccinated. Since I work in medicine I'm hyper aware of that and for me that's too high a risk.

You'll see lots of people who have loved the recent cruise experiences, and lots of people who were not fans (or who are waiting until they can get their full money's worth for a normal experience). Everyone has to decide for themselves what's worth it to them and how much risk they are willing to take on.

 

[Dalgard]

We took our first cruise in the COVID era just recently in September and we have been on 5 cruises before that.

MCO is crowded and you likely have to take a within airport tram to get from terminals the main area and that ride is dense with passengers. That being said, it is very unlikely you will have transmission as you are not in contact with the same individual for a prolonged period of time.

It is easy to get to port. We always fly in the day before and we either rent a car for one day (if we plan to go to the beach or Disney waterpark) or we take an Uber for the single direction (if we are just making it to the Cocoa Beach hotel). Either way, it is just a simple one direction transportation.

Testing was rapid at the port. We only had to have our daughter tested as she is under 12. The line was rapid and the test was rapid. We did have to wait in the staging area for about 30 minutes, but we were having fun family time, so the wait went fast. The good thing is that the embarkation process is more rapid with less lines as groups are being taken as waves. Before, the embarkation process was very crowded and we would just play cards until our group number was called.

We felt very safe. Our cruise had 1,300 passengers and we were distanced from other parties at all sit down meals, movies, the theater shows and especially Castaway Cay! We had a double dip at CC, and my daughter had a whole section of the beach to herself. It was really low density on CC.

We had a strange hiccup on our cruise. On one evening, they announced that a cast member had a non-COVID life threatening injury and they had to make rapid travel to Freeport for medical attention. Thus, our fireworks show was delayed to the next evening. We only had two destinations (both Castaway Cay) and thus we did not port in Nassau (we didn't miss that). As I understand it, you can depart the ship, but if you have unvaccinated family members, you must do your activities with a Port Adventures group. Really, right now for us, it is all about the two days at Castaway Cay.

Personally, knowing what I know. I would take a Disney cruise because the rates are so LOW right now. If you are doing a normal rate or holiday rate, I would likely defer for a future trip where the restrictions are lifted. But if you are okay with a Disney experience for food, themes and Castaway Cay, you can be confident you will enjoy the journey. Then do it again for a more premium experience.

 

[scorpsfan]

So do the vaccinated passengers not have to test at the port?

 

[Dalgard]

We did not for that September cruise, but the policies have changed. All passengers receive test at the port at this time.

 

[bbangel]

As a Canadian be aware that currently there is a level 4 (no travel) advisory for cruising and so travel/medical insurance won't cover a cruise, even the policies that cover US travel and Covid don't cover cruises so if having insurance is a factor for you then you may want to wait until that advisory is lifted.

 

[Darren Martin]

As a Canadian be aware that currently there is a level 4 (no travel) advisory for cruising and so travel/medical insurance won't cover a cruise, even the policies that cover US travel and Covid don't cover cruises so if having insurance is a factor for you then you may want to wait until that advisory is lifted.

Excellent point. Read your policy terms carefully. From the several I have read, none would apply based on my interpretation, so make sure you get DCL insurance directly. As an alternative, the only non DCL one that I have found in Canada that appears to cover both medical for cruises and quarantine is Goose. There is probably some others but I have seen Goose mentioned in several travel based groups I follow.

 

[CamColt]

I've flown 4 round trips and 1, 1 way trip since March 2020. The only difference I find now is wearing a mask. I am a little more aware of others now, especially if they are coughing or look sick, but that's just me being a bit crazy.

I felt safer on the ship than I do anywhere else. They went above and beyond and there was vey little close interaction with others. We only went to CC so getting off the ship was not an issue.

Our August 9th cruise went smoothly. We did not need tests at the port so I can't answer that part.

 

[Juan M]

Has anyone had experience thus far with renting a car and having to do the test at the port?

Our usual routine was to rent a car at MCO and stay somewhere in Orlando, then drive to port the next morning. We normally drop off everyone and bags with a porter, then I would go return the car and take the shuttle to port. Now with testing, i am not sure how this will change.

 

[Starwind]

Excellent point. Read your policy terms carefully. From the several I have read, none would apply based on my interpretation, so make sure you get DCL insurance directly. As an alternative, the only non DCL one that I have found in Canada that appears to cover both medical for cruises and quarantine is Goose. There is probably some others but I have seen Goose mentioned in several travel based groups I follow.

And as a Canadian, be very aware of the limits of coverage of any insurance you do get. For example, DCL's limit for emergency medical is US$10,000. However, most expert advice for Canadians is to get travel emergency medical insurance that covers CAD$5 to 10 *million*.

 

[Dalgard]

Has anyone had experience thus far with renting a car and having to do the test at the port?

Our usual routine was to rent a car at MCO and stay somewhere in Orlando, then drive to port the next morning. We normally drop off everyone and bags with a porter, then I would go return the car and take the shuttle to port. Now with testing, i am not sure how this will change.

We rented a car for our trip in September. This time, we all when to the car rental dropoff and they timed the shuttle for our port arrival time. We interpreted the rules that we could not drop off the family at the port before our designated arrival time.

 

[pktflack]

There are too many variables for a non-citizen to cruise right now. I'd go further and say if you can't conceivably stay in Florida for 2 weeks in case you test positive, don't even attempt it. To try to return home, it will be difficult (tho, not impossible) to get closer to Canada via private car, but you couldn't fly. Car rentals prices are outrageous so that adds another (conservatively) $1400 to your cruise. Add to that the fact that many of the usual ports and activities are unavailable or socially distanced. So your first cruise would not be an ideal, unless you are looking for spending time with just your group and not interacting much with the other passengers. We enjoyed our cruise earlier this month, but had a backup plan to stay in a rental house near Orlando if we turned up positive. And that was just for a three day cruise during hurricane season, low season. During December, I can't imagine the difficulty. You would regret it or it would be a fantastic adventure. I don't think it would be easy or relaxing.

 

[mevelandry]

Hi everyone,

We are thinking about doing our first cruise. This is totally new to us and add on all the covid-y things as well it seems a little overwhelming. I'm just looking for any advice on cruising in general during covid at the moment. This cruise wouldn't be until Dec so maybe some things might change by then (for the better hopefully!) Some of the things we are wondering about are:

How is flying at the moment? We would be going out of Toronto to Orlando and then onto Port Canaveral. How's the Orlando airport? Is it busy? Are people crowding? How easy is it to get to your port?
How is all the testing and has anyone encountered anyone who tests positive at any point in the cruise- and what happens then?
Do you feel safe? I've heard it's not busy on the cruises right now. How do you find it?
Any hiccups during the cruise? Like you can't get off at the scheduled destination (maybe because of covid?)
I read that the Caribbean should be avoided at the moment for all US travellers because of covid. So how is that?? Can you actually get off the ship, then? lol (Of course, you must be able to)


Thanks so much for any insight to anything. I'm looking for any advice. We are totally on the fence about actually booking it. We've found a great deal and are wondering if we should go for it or not. We've always wanted to go on a cruise. I know a lot of people might say we are crazy to consider a cruise right now during covid. Are we crazy?? LOL

Here is one advice: when you shop for your travel insurance, ask a lot of questions.

Here is what I found out recently: Right now, most travel insurance won't cover cruises (except Croix-Bleue), most travel insurance won't cover cancellations and quarantines if you test positive for COVID (except Tours+Med who will cover 50$ per day if you have to quarantine), a lot of them won't cover medical expenses if you catch COVID and need medical assistance/hospitalization.

Currently, you need to get tested before going to the USA and before coming back to Canada. In most places in Canada you cannot get tested for free when it comes to travel. Tests can go from 150 to 250$ (each time).

You will have to wear a mask at all times during your flights.

It sure looks like starting in November, everyone travelling to the USA will need to be fully vaccinated... So showing proof of vaccination might be mandatory.

That's all I have for now.

 

[mevelandry]

As a Canadian be aware that currently there is a level 4 (no travel) advisory for cruising and so travel/medical insurance won't cover a cruise, even the policies that cover US travel and Covid don't cover cruises so if having insurance is a factor for you then you may want to wait until that advisory is lifted.

Croix-Bleue still covers cruises but I believe they are the only one.

 

[Starwind]

Croix-Bleue still covers cruises but I believe they are the only one.

From their website, it looks like they cover cruises, but only for emergency medical coverage. No cancelation or interruption while the government no travel advisory is in effect. And they don't cover covid.

 

[Darren Martin]

Croix-Bleue still covers cruises but I believe they are the only one.

Goose covers cruises ($500k medical) & quarantine ($200/day) for about $120/year unlimited trips <30 days. They also have a family plan which saves you ~10-20% and a separate medical plan if need that (which you probably do not as your employer plan will cover you for non-Covid related emergencies). Blue Cross also covers cruises in some provinces - Ontario for example. Coverage does exist but I agree with pktflack - stay home, it's not worth it to cruise right now if from outside the USA, especially if your first time.

 

[lanejudy]

As a Canadian, you may need to be aware of whether the vaccines you received qualify you as "fully-vaccinated" by US terms.

In accordance with CDC guidelines:

• Guests who have received both doses of Moderna, Pfizer or AstraZeneca are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose has been administered
• Guests who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving one dose.
• Guests with both one dose of Moderna and one dose of Pfizer are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose.
• Guests who have received one single dose of a vector vaccine (e.g., AstraZeneca) and one single dose of an mRNA vaccine (e.g., Pfizer, Moderna) are not considered fully vaccinated.

Current rules are officially in place into early November. So be aware things could change, but I personally expect they'll continue the current rules (vaccinated + testing) at least through year-end.

 

[mevelandry]

From their website, it looks like they cover cruises, but only for emergency medical coverage. No cancelation or interruption while the government no travel advisory is in effect. And they don't cover covid.

I spoke with an agent and they told me that they covered cruises AND covid (medical). But not cancellations nor quarantine due to COVID.

 

[Cupcakesmum]

As a fellow Canadian that has cruised twice with Disney and LOVE it, I definitely would not recommend a Covid cruise as a first cruise. From everything I have read the experience is just so different and I personally couldn’t handle the level of stress around the travel requirements and testing for a lesser experience - especially as the first introduction to Disney cruising.

We got an unexpected notice yesterday that one of our kids is a close contact with someone who tested positive. First time in the last 18 months and an insane amount of stress - one of my first thoughts was thank goodness we didn’t have travel or special plans riding on the next 10 days he’s required to isolate. His school had one case the whole of last year.

I don’t fault anyone for booking a cruise right now ( WE ALL need a vacation!!!) but a common sentiment seems to be as soon as it is booked a stress kicks in that isn’t lifted until they make it on the boat. I think coming from Canada you can multiply that stress x 2!!

If you do decide to book I hope it all goes smoothly and you do have a wonderful time!