Tracking Cruising Restart: News and Updates

[anjuan]

My 9 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy has been removed from my booked cruises list, as it has for others on the cruise so I'm pretty sure it's going to be cancelled. I was so looking forward to this one.

 

[NC State]

My 9 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy has been removed from my booked cruises list, as it has for others on the cruise so I'm pretty sure it's going to be cancelled. I was so looking forward to this one.

What was your date? DCD is not allowing any cruises over 7 nights. Some cruise lines have shorted their long cruises so they are not completely canceled.

 

[anjuan]

What was your date? DCD is not allowing any cruises over 7 nights. Some cruise lines have shorted their long cruises so they are not completely canceled.

We were on the July 22 Fantasy cruise. Two people from our social media group called DCL today and were told that there is going to be an announcement today about all cruises over 7 days.

 

[Intr3pid]

My 9 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy has been removed from my booked cruises list, as it has for others on the cruise so I'm pretty sure it's going to be cancelled. I was so looking forward to this one.

That's us too.

A standard 7-nighter in its place just won't be the same in July/August.

On a per-night basis, this one was more expensive anyways, so I don't know how they will handle the pricing for one with reduced length. A cancellation seems more likely.

 

[Intr3pid]

That's us too.

A standard 7-nighter in its place just won't be the same in July/August.

On a per-night basis, this one was more expensive anyways, so I don't know how they will handle the pricing for one with reduced length. A cancellation seems more likely.

Just got the cancellation email. 125% FCC/full refund, plus a 10% discount on the two replacement sailings (3 + 6 nighters).

 

[DisneYE]

We were on the July 22 Fantasy cruise. Two people from our social media group called DCL today and were told that there is going to be an announcement today about all cruises over 7 days.

Damn. This is devastating. We're on the same cruise and was really looking forward to it.
Although I had a slight suspicion they would cancel it. It hurts.

 

[monkeydawn]

Just got the cancellation email. 125% FCC/full refund, plus a 10% discount on the two replacement sailings (3 + 6 nighters).

Can you stack those two discounts?

Also, if they let you do a B2B I am not certain that is abiding by the spirit of the order?

 

[Intr3pid]

Can you stack those two discounts?

Also, if they let you do a B2B I am not certain that is abiding by the spirit of the order?

125% FCC plus the 10% on the cruise? I believe so. With just 7 months to go, they will have a hard time finding new guests to entirely fill the ship. Its easier to convince those already scheduled to sail in those dates with a small discount.

If they test you in between the two, I suppose they can justify allowing a B2B. They are definitely not preventing you from booking them both.

 

[BartmanLA]

125% FCC plus the 10% on the cruise? I believe so. With just 7 months to go, they will have a hard time finding new guests to entirely fill the ship. Its easier to convince those already scheduled to sail in those dates with a small discount.

If they test you in between the two, I suppose they can justify allowing a B2B. They are definitely not preventing you from booking them both.

I highly doubt DCL will have trouble booking full ships once they resume operations (This is after they lift the capacity limit of course) after the vaccination levels reach levels that they can open borders and allow free travel again. I was booked on the 2021 WBPC, that got cancelled but I expected it to be, so I also booked the 2022 WBPC as soon as it opened, I'm admin of a social media group (won't say which) for the 2022 WBPC with well over 500 members, and listing over 25% of the Wonder's staterooms occupied just from our group.. And there's NOTHING left to book except inside GTY rooms. Booking won't be an issue for DCL

 

[Intr3pid]

I highly doubt DCL will have trouble booking full ships once they resume operations (This is after they lift the capacity limit of course) after the vaccination levels reach levels that they can open borders and allow free travel again. I was booked on the 2021 WBPC, that got cancelled but I expected it to be, so I also booked the 2022 WBPC as soon as it opened, I'm admin of a social media group (won't say which) for the 2022 WBPC with well over 500 members, and listing over 25% of the Wonder's staterooms occupied just from our group.. And there's NOTHING left to book except inside GTY rooms. Booking won't be an issue for DCL

There are 16 months between now and the 2022 WBPC, and there are guests from soon-to-be-three cancelled EBPC/WBPC cruises booked into one WBPC cruise - including us. There is really nothing comparable between the PC situation and the one being described above.

 

[Intr3pid]

More cold water on the summer 2021 Alaska cruises out of Vancouver. Canada is about to require a PCR test for all international air arrivals:

https://thehill.com/policy/internat...e-coronavirus-test-for-air-travelers-entering

 

[Intr3pid]

Cayman Islands is pretty much shutting the door to cruises in 2021.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/...to-cayman-islands-before-2022-government.html

 

[jane01jp]

More cold water on the summer 2021 Alaska cruises out of Vancouver. Canada is about to require a PCR test for all international air arrivals:

https://thehill.com/policy/internat...e-coronavirus-test-for-air-travelers-entering

Is the PCR test accurate for new strains?

 

[Intr3pid]

Is the PCR test accurate for new strains?

Not all PCR tests - partly why Canada still has the 14-day quarantine in effect.

A standard PCR test doesn't sequence the entire genome of the virus - which would take forever - but rather one or more short stretches. Most current tests look for the presence of three genes, and two out of three means you are positive. The new strains still have most of the genomic sequence of the wild version (the one presumably from Wuhan), but the southeast English variant (B117) completely replaces one of three genes (the S-gene). So, with one gone, if a lower viral load or sensitivity prevents the detection of a second gene, the test will come back negative.

Of course, the tests can be reconfigured to look for the replacements. (They have to re-manufactured.) The B117 variant has a whopping 23 mutations (= changes) from the original - but the mutations aren't deep enough to get past the vaccine-trained immune systems.

The South Africa variant - known as 501.V2 - is more worrisome, and there is a possibility that its mutated spike protein (called E484K) may get past the immune systems trained by the existing vaccines. There are encouraging early signs:
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-...2-variant-does-not-affect-vaccine-study-68330
But it goes on to tell you that the fightback against this virus is still in its early innings.

 

[jane01jp]

Not all PCR tests - partly why Canada still has the 14-day quarantine in effect.

A standard PCR test doesn't sequence the entire genome of the virus - which would take forever - but rather one or more short stretches. Most current tests look for the presence of three genes, and two out of three means you are positive. The new strains still have most of the genomic sequence of the wild version (the one presumably from Wuhan), but the southeast English variant (B117) completely replaces one of three genes (the S-gene). So, with one gone, if a lower viral load or sensitivity prevents the detection of a second gene, the test will come back negative.

Of course, the tests can be reconfigured to look for the replacements. (They have to re-manufactured.) The B117 variant has a whopping 23 mutations (= changes) from the original - but the mutations aren't deep enough to get past the vaccine-trained immune systems.

The South Africa variant - known as 501.V2 - is more worrisome, and there is a possibility that its mutated spike protein (called E484K) may get past the immune systems trained by the existing vaccines. There are encouraging early signs:
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-...2-variant-does-not-affect-vaccine-study-68330
But it goes on to tell you that the fightback against this virus is still in its early innings.

Very informative!

 

[Intr3pid]

Saga Cruises are the first to mandate pre-cruise vaccination requirement:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...uire-passengers-get-covid-vaccine/4233982001/
This one caters only to guests aged 50+. It may or may not be a true indicator of what larger cruise lines might do.

 

[Intr3pid]

RCL is selling its Azamara brand. Looks like they want to reposition Celebrity as a premium brand while expanding Silversea in the luxury market.

https://www.businessinsider.com/royal-caribbean-sell-azamara-cruise-brand-coronavirus-2021-1

 

[Intr3pid]

Saga Cruises are the first to mandate pre-cruise vaccination requirement:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...uire-passengers-get-covid-vaccine/4233982001/
This one caters only to guests aged 50+. It may or may not be a true indicator of what larger cruise lines might do.

Carnival hasn't made up its mind yet:

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-cruise-line-addresses-gratuity-hike-vaccine-rumors/

 

[AquaDame]

New executive order - looks like there is a suggested quarantine upon reentry into the US from foreign countries, including at sea ports of entry. It says within 14 days they will publish further info on what this all means, what negative tests are acceptable, what form of vaccination proof will be seen as legitimate, etc.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...-safety-in-domestic-and-international-travel/

 

[tidefan]

New executive order - looks like there is a suggested quarantine upon reentry into the US from foreign countries, including at sea ports of entry. It says within 14 days they will publish further info on what this all means, what negative tests are acceptable, what form of vaccination proof will be seen as legitimate, etc.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing...-safety-in-domestic-and-international-travel/

It is interesting that they have a section (5.e.) in here referring to "International Certificates of Vaccination and Prophylaxis (ICVP)" and "producing electronic versions of ICVPs".

Sounds to me like the way out of the quarantine is going to be reliant on being vaccinated. This makes me think more and more that ships may require vaccinations...