Anyone think Alaska will be a no go for next summer?

mommy2allyandaveri

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
I'm a little hesitant to rebook my Caribbean cruise to alaska for next summer. I really don't want to go through all this again next year. I feel like the Caribbean is pretty safe for next summer.
 
I'm thinking Alaska will be open next summer.
 
I have Alaska booked next September on NCL and have no intention of cancelling unless I am forced to! :goodvibes
 
We now have a back to back on DCL to Alaska next year. We’d already booked and paid for the last cruise next year w/ our Panama Canal discount and had to rebook this years due to cancellation. So we figured since it’s only 5 hours from home why not do a back to back. No planes just a hotel and parking.
 


I'm a little hesitant to rebook my Caribbean cruise to alaska for next summer. I really don't want to go through all this again next year. I feel like the Caribbean is pretty safe for next summer.
I think chances are higher that Canada allows cruising again and is safe to cruise in Canada, over the chance that the virus is still simmering in the Caribbean. Caribbean islands are much more dependent on tourism and will be forced to reopen, regardless if they have good control of the virus. In the Caribbean there will be a much more diverse / international audience than the Canadian coast cities.
 


None of us have a crystal ball, but I will say I am thinking of Alaska next year too and I really would be surprised if cruises are still shut down then. I do have a worry some non-Disney cruise lines that are taking a bigger hit now might be bankrupt by then, so am hesitant to book with another line,
 
We are debating 2021 or 2022 for Alaska. I do think ships will be sailing for summer 2021 but I don’t know what the experiences will look like. With 2 kids who want intimate character greetings and the kids club, I’m inclining towards 2022 to allow more time for life to maybe be slightly less restrictive. However, my parents, whom we are traveling with, are eager to vacation again and their feelings are that 2021 is giving ample time for all of that to happen.
 
I decided not to rebook AK for next year. I'm booking 2022 on a ship that carries less than 150 total (crew and passengers) sailing under a US flag, which I think increases chances.

(And yes, still cheaper than a veranda on the Wonder. :jester:)

Oooh, which line? I'm hoping to do one of those smaller ship Alaska cruises when my boys are a bit older.
 
Oooh, which line? I'm hoping to do one of those smaller ship Alaska cruises when my boys are a bit older.

I’m not the poster you asked, but my parents have sailed with Dream cruises in Alaska and enjoy the experience very much. I think the ship they were on had 25 or 30 passengers total.

https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/
I know that the ruling from Canada said that the ships can’t have more than 100 people. If that includes the crew, even the small Nat Geo ships won’t work unless they sell half empty.
 
The real unknown is Canada. For Alaska to work Canada has to allow docking, and although they make a nice amount from cruises, it’s such a small amount of their tourism that they don’t have the same pressure.

Canada has been conservative in their response, so if there’s a rough fall and winter I’m not sure what their position on 2k person cruise ships.
 
The real unknown is Canada. For Alaska to work Canada has to allow docking, and although they make a nice amount from cruises, it’s such a small amount of their tourism that they don’t have the same pressure.

Canada has been conservative in their response, so if there’s a rough fall and winter I’m not sure what their position on 2k person cruise ships.
In 2016 the cruise industry brought Canada more than $3.2 billion, I wouldn't consider that a small amount. Almost 70% of that is spent right here in Vancouver BC. Every cruise ship that docks here in Vancouver brings in close to $1.3 million. Over 23000 jobs are directly impacted by the cruise industry here in Canada. So yes it's a strange summer here in Vancouver with the cruise season cancelled, not to mention all our big seasonal events.
 
I’m not the poster you asked, but my parents have sailed with Dream cruises in Alaska and enjoy the experience very much. I think the ship they were on had 25 or 30 passengers total.
How many crew did they need for 25-30 passengers?
 
The Alaskan cruising reason will resume next year (from Canada) if and only if:
  • Major countries around the world have been able to "control" COVID-19 and as such, Canada has reopened its borders. Of most importance is the Canada-US border.
  • Within Canada, there are no longer restrictions on non-essential travel
  • An effective vaccine has been found and/or a cost effective treatments is available and/or cruise lines have a long enough track record (ie: the winter season) proving that they have been able to control COVID-19 on board.
Ultimately (and this is also in part what the CDC is trying to do with the no-sail order) is twofold
  • Not having to deal with an influx of people potentially stretching the local health care system, and associated costs
  • Containing local spread of local-19 by not having people that are transiting through an area undo these containment efforts

Canada has a lot to gain economically by allowing cruising to resume - yet it also has a lot to loose. Let's remember that the typical demographic for any cruises tend to include demographic that is more at risk of complications and is very different that the typical Disney cruiser...

All that to say, I'd be fairly confident that Alaska would come back next Summer but we won't really have a feel for this before later this year or mid-Winter
 
All I have to say is I booked an Alaska August 2021 on silver opening day and after having to cancel our Hawaii vacation for this summer I'm really hoping all is well for this cruise to go. I need a little Disney joy in my life.
 
The Alaskan cruising reason will resume next year (from Canada) if and only if:
  • Major countries around the world have been able to "control" COVID-19 and as such, Canada has reopened its borders. Of most importance is the Canada-US border.
  • Within Canada, there are no longer restrictions on non-essential travel
  • An effective vaccine has been found and/or a cost effective treatments is available and/or cruise lines have a long enough track record (ie: the winter season) proving that they have been able to control COVID-19 on board.
Ultimately (and this is also in part what the CDC is trying to do with the no-sail order) is twofold
  • Not having to deal with an influx of people potentially stretching the local health care system, and associated costs
  • Containing local spread of local-19 by not having people that are transiting through an area undo these containment efforts

Canada has a lot to gain economically by allowing cruising to resume - yet it also has a lot to loose. Let's remember that the typical demographic for any cruises tend to include demographic that is more at risk of complications and is very different that the typical Disney cruiser...

All that to say, I'd be fairly confident that Alaska would come back next Summer but we won't really have a feel for this before later this year or mid-Winter
There is virtually no chance that Canada would keep borders closed into next year and very doubtful if even beyond a few months.

Borders are beginning to open globally and countries states or provinces which remain closed will have far more negative results from that choice than from a virus.
 
There is virtually no chance that Canada would keep borders closed into next year and very doubtful if even beyond a few months.

Borders are beginning to open globally and countries states or provinces which remain closed will have far more negative results from that choice than from a virus.
This. People who depend on tourism for their livelihood are going to revolt if they are told they can’t run their businesses two years in a row.
 
This. People who depend on tourism for their livelihood are going to revolt if they are told they can’t run their businesses two years in a row.
And it isn't just tourism. Business needs to continue and countries which continue to close will lose. NGOs have had to stop programs with devastating impacts on the worlds poor.

Canada never banned flights from China and yet most foreign cases came from US, Europe and Iran. And there are still thousands of people flying daily.

And the majority of deaths in Canada occurred in care homes in two provinces.
 

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