Anyone else given up?

[KashasMom]

Even without the CDC, I would expect significant changes in onboard offerings and rules.

I agree 100%. Disney won't be taking ANY risks!

 

[Cheburashka]

To correct this statistic: COVID-19's death toll in the US is at 341,199 as of New Years' Eve 2020, with 19.6 million cases. So the survival rate is actually 98.3%. Only heart disease and cancer are claiming more lives this year than COVID.

It is known that a large percentage of Covid cases are asymptomatic, meaning that millions of cases in the US have never been reported and incorporated into that statistic. That increases the actual survival rate for Covid above the 98% that you listed.

 

[sethschroeder]

To correct this statistic: COVID-19's death toll in the US is at 341,199 as of New Years' Eve 2020, with 19.6 million cases. So the survival rate is actually 98.3%. Only heart disease and cancer are claiming more lives this year than COVID.

It is known that a large percentage of Covid cases are asymptomatic, meaning that millions of cases in the US have never been reported and incorporated into that statistic. That increases the actual survival rate for Covid above the 98% that you listed.

Not only asymptomatic but in our immediate family we had 8 people with COVID19 of which only 2 were tested. Because of a shortage of tests (even in November) the rest were told NOT to be tested and to act as if they have COVID19.

Lets also not forget the severe lack of testing earlier this year as well. The death rate lowered as soon as testing was more widely available. Everyone should absolutely be taking this seriously but you really need to look at more recent data to get a better handle on this.

 

[nursejackie]

Well, this is a new normal. Masks and social distancing - at varying levels and in different forms - will still be a part of our lives.

Wow that's a very depressing thought, I do hope not.

I've only been on one cruise (Caribbean with Celebrity) but I can remember the narrow corridors would not be conducive to social distancing, and lots of time spent indoors on the ship would mean wearing masks for most of the trip. Not a trip I'd enjoy nowadays.

 

[Intr3pid]

To correct this statistic: COVID-19's death toll in the US is at 341,199 as of New Years' Eve 2020, with 19.6 million cases. So the survival rate is actually 98.3%. Only heart disease and cancer are claiming more lives this year than COVID.

And that's only because COVID had a slower start:

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201206/covid-passes-heart-disease-as-top-u-s-killer
The CFR and survival rates at this point are not really useful given how contagious this virus is and how the differences in testing regimes change the numbers.

The number of excess deaths is the real story.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Do we have to go down the rabbit hole of "survivability" again? Really?

https://news.yahoo.com/ohio-state-study-finds-student-182158708.html

 

[jane01jp]

I am watching the college football playoffs. There are strikingly few adds that feature people in masks. There is a clear inflection point.

I expect to see lots more "chrysalis" ads in the near future (similar to the Ford ad), in which masks are shown at the beginning of the commercial (possibly accompanied by shades of gray or very little color) and no masks at the end of the commercial (accompanied by vivid color and upbeat music). After 9 months of "stick," I would expect to see more "carrot." IMHO, neither is really appropriate for a free people.

 

[pumpkinqueen93]

I'm reaching a similar conclusion and just wait to get back on a cruise ship when all the restrictions die down. I feel like I'll be okay at the theme parks, as I work at one and went to one and I still felt like I had fun. Also waiting on more detail for what a Disney Cruise will be. I'd rather hear someone else's experience and see if that would be something that I am okay with and feel like I could still really enjoy myself for the price of it.

 

[mmackeymouse]

It's definitely a struggle. Every day that goes by, I feel less and less hope.

The restrictions don't bother me. Required vaccine? Bring it on. Masks? Fine. Distancing? Sure.

But...loss of offerings might be an issue. No character meets would be a huge, HUGE hit. Traveling with a 6 and 4 year old, the character meets, specifically the Princess meet and Frozen meet were one of our top reasons for going with DCL. Losing those very well could be a dealbreaker. No shows would be disappointing, maybe not a dealbreaker but disappointing. I think they'll figure out a way to make dining work. But, if the Flo's Cafe food stations are closed up, and the only way to get food would be at the restaurants....that would be tough. Scheduling pool time would be tough.

 

[Cheburashka]

No character meets would be a huge, HUGE hit. Traveling with a 6 and 4 year old, the character meets, specifically the Princess meet and Frozen meet were one of our top reasons for going with DCL. Losing those very well could be a dealbreaker.

There is no way they will have character meets until this Covid mess is over.

 

[mmackeymouse]

We are currently scheduled for Nov 21, a re-scheduled cruise from Sept 20.

This cruise we are scheduled for is kind of a double dream cruise (or even triple), as we've always wanted to do a Double Dip to Castaway. And we are super excited to do the Very Merrytime cruise. Getting to do both in the same cruise is pretty exciting. AND, on top of that, we get to sail on the Fantasy for the first time.

We already have plans for a big family vacation in 2022; so my guess is that if 21 doesn't happen, we'll probably just take a refund, and who knows when we'll sail again. Part of what makes a Double Dip within our reach is the extra credit we received from DCL for a re-booking. So, yeah if 21 gets cancelled, I will feel very defeated, and ready to give up.

Something else that is in the back of my mind is that DCL is (unconscionably in my opinion) raising prices on cruises with each release that they put out. Full well knowing they will probably have to scale back what they offer. That really, really bothers me. If severe restrictions come out without some sort of reimbursement or incentive....I'll be disappointed in them. I think there is also something to be said that....the cruise industry is in real trouble right now. It's going to take passengers, willing to take a chance, willing to be guinea pigs in a sense, to keep the industry, DCL specifically afloat (no pun intended). Raising prices on those people really rubs me the wrong way.

So, with that said, like I said, if major restrictions come out, without some sort of adjustment, whether that's a refund, or an OBC, or maybe a free Shutters package, some sort of goodwill gesture. OR, if 21 is cancelled, and 22 comes out with price increases....I will probably feel like giving up, just from a personal code standpoint.

 

[mmackeymouse]

There is no way they will have character meets until this Covid mess is over.

You're probably right. But, please don't put a pin in what small balloon of hope I have left. Lol.

 

[jane01jp]

You're probably right. But, please don't put a pin in what small balloon of hope I have left. Lol.

When my daughter was 5, she was a huge collector of character autographs, but otherwise had no interest in the characters.

 

[goofystitch]

Do we have to go down the rabbit hole of "survivability" again? Really?

https://news.yahoo.com/ohio-state-study-finds-student-182158708.html

Yes, we can go down that "rabbit hole" because there is more than one point of view and science is not exact. Who is to say that these athletes did not have undiagnosed heart conditions - that has happened with seemingly healthy young people dying on the field way before COVID.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Yes, we can go down that "rabbit hole" because there is more than one point of view and science is not exact. Who is to say that these athletes did not have undiagnosed heart conditions - that has happened with seemingly healthy young people dying on the field way before COVID.

My point is that "survival" is a start but that COVID is by its nature a pre-existing condition that we have no way to know the long term impacts. Polio had obvious immediate disability in many cases, but there are also conditions like HPV that took years to correlate to cancer.

COVID is fundamentally a circulatory illness. Observational impacts are emerging. Those who survive may face a variety of lifestyle impacts and medical expense.

 

[Joe Brig]

Do we have to go down the rabbit hole of "survivability" again? Really?

https://news.yahoo.com/ohio-state-study-finds-student-182158708.html

No one should use click bait media as a source for medical information. This is a better source for this story:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88487

 

[jane01jp]

My point is that "survival" is a start but that COVID is by its nature a pre-existing condition that we have no way to know the long term impacts. Polio had obvious immediate disability in many cases, but there are also conditions like HPV that took years to correlate to cancer.

COVID is fundamentally a circulatory illness. Observational impacts are emerging. Those who survive may face a variety of lifestyle impacts and medical expense.

We also don't know the long term impacts of the vaccines.

And, whatever happened at Ohio State, they whupped up on Clemson last night!

 

[Kevin Liu]

Thanks for the tip, moved our March 2022 concierge sailing to April 2021 and will wait for the inevitable cancel to get the full refund on our deposit.

I felt uneasy as it is spending the money on concierge not knowing what the post-covid experience was going to look like, and not knowing what I was paying the premium for.

 

[andyman8]

To be honest, these threads kind of frustrate me because they seem to gravitate towards the extremes. No, COVID-19 is not something that is being “overblown” or “overhyped.” To describe it as such is callous, selfish, and not routed in reality. Just because you haven’t personally experienced severe complications doesn’t mean that it isn’t something that has affected others in such a way. It should be taken very seriously, even if that has implications on a vacation. At the same time, this doom and gloom of a permanent new normal and that everything is going to be awful forever is both premature and myopic. Masks are not going to be with us into perpetuity (likely through most - if not all - of 2021 but not forever), people will travel and congregate in crowded places again, and the cruise experience will return mostly to it’s pre-pandemic normal. Just because it likely won’t happen this calendar year doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some permanent, long-term changes but those will likely result more from public demand (for example, an increased public interest in health and cleaning measures) and/or business efficiency discoveries but the sizable alterations to experiences we’re seeing now (and will see once cruising resumes) will likely fade away as 2021 fades into 2022. Yes, the virus will mutate and we may potentially have to receive more rounds of vaccinations way down the road, but the incredible technology that gave us these vaccines so quickly will expedite those processes. We just need to be patient, which I know is not easy (especially nine months in) but I think six months from now, we’ll be in a better place. Though very rare, the world has had pandemics before and while we’ve learned certain things from them, many other precautions faded away when they became unnecessary (and they will become unnecessary again, even if it takes time).

As for when cruising resume, I’m still guessing April, assuming that vaccines are available from a good number of members of the general public by then. The experience will definitely be hugely different but I think that those measures will eventually be relaxed next year as the pandemic subsides and DCL recovers

 

[npatellye]

We gave up and cancelled our May 2021 cruise (rescheduled from November 2020, which was rescheduled from May 2020) a few weeks ago. I can’t justify spending that kind of money for what will likely be a reduced experience, if they’re even sailing then. I was also not really comfortable with the idea of the potential multiple Covid tests for my children since CT insists on PCR tests for most things. Vaccination guidelines in our state should have both my husband and I fully vaccinated by the end of February. However, the rollout has been slower than expected so we fully expect it to change.

While I have no issues with masks and testing, I can’t put my kids through that. My husband and I get tested regularly for work and it’s fine for us. But, for us, the joy of a Disney Cruise is the characters, BBB, the tea party, etc. And I just couldn’t justify the full price without that. Instead, our land and sea trip is now just a WDW land trip and we are looking forward to it.

We look forward to returning to DCL in 2022!