Breaking News: No Sail order lifted replaced by conditional sail order

[Husker Mike]

I find it curious that Royal Caribbean told their shareholders that they wouldn't be able to START testing their processes until 2021 and would start to slowly bring passengers back on board in the spring. And yet, they haven't cancelled any 2021 cruises to this point.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/10/29/royal-caribbean-shares-prediction-early-2021-cruises
Perhaps it's more beneficial to keep booking those cruises that they know won't sail to capture those customers for the future...but there seems to be a disconnect. Perhaps if they come out and cancel into March, it'll dismay some of their customers. But the opposite is stringing people along who think they'll be able to cruise, when there really isn't a chance.

To me, saying cancelled until New Years with these policies doesn't seem like we're getting the truth...but if they came out and said "cancelled until mid February or March", I could take that as - hey, I think they know they can get this all done by then.

 

[tee11]

DCL will cancel though, and I would have no hope for anything booked Jan-Mar. I think the provisions for test cruises to begin will take months.

It's likely most of these posts are moot, or will be TODAY, NCL, RCCL, Carnival and MSC have ALL cancelled or removed all sailings from their websites through the end of this year, Disney is the only cruise line that hasn't suspended 2020 itineraries YET, but with the Framework limitations, time it will take to get the ships returned from Europe, re-crewed, provisioned and ready to sail, then apply for the Conditional certificates to conduct test cruises on each ship, we're probably looking that to get any passengers on board it will be well into 2021 now. AND with the 7 night or shorter itinerary limitation, that will likely involve cancellations of a number of DCL itineraries, especially the WBPC.

 

[Intr3pid]

I find it curious that Royal Caribbean told their shareholders that they wouldn't be able to START testing their processes until 2021 and would start to slowly bring passengers back on board in the spring. And yet, they haven't cancelled any 2021 cruises to this point.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/10/29/royal-caribbean-shares-prediction-early-2021-cruises
Perhaps it's more beneficial to keep booking those cruises that they know won't sail to capture those customers for the future...but there seems to be a disconnect. Perhaps if they come out and cancel into March, it'll dismay some of their customers. But the opposite is stringing people along who think they'll be able to cruise, when there really isn't a chance.

To me, saying cancelled until New Years with these policies doesn't seem like we're getting the truth...but if they came out and said "cancelled until mid February or March", I could take that as - hey, I think they know they can get this all done by then.

The primary reason for keep selling those cruises is cash flow. You cancel all those cruises today and you have to process all those refunds right now. And, right now, the number one issue dogging the travel business is survival. No cash means end of the line. And without any certainty over the time to normalcy, they need to preserve as much cash as they can today.

Plus, as you say, there is the issue of customer engagement. Carnival's Cunard brand is going through this exact problem. They cancelled their cruises until May, and the customers have largely disappeared. Bringing them back will require a sizable marketing effort next year.

 

[Intr3pid]

Agree that seems like really the only option if you test positive upon return, but what I want to know is what are they going to do if you test positive during the cruise. Being quarantined on the ship and then released to drive home at the end wouldn't be so bad, but if they make you disembark at the nearest foreign port, that'd be awful--no way to drive home from Nassau.

The new conditional sail order requires cruise lines to have agreements with the port to set up and use a shoreside testing and quarantine facility.

If you contract the virus during the voyage, you are quarantined on board until the ship returns to its embarkation port. From there, you are transferred to the shoreside facility or, if your condition worsens, to a hospital.

If enough passengers contract the virus - beyond what they call a threshold - the cruise ends and the ship has to return to the port immediately (plus cancel the next few voyages). The shoreside facility will then take over for all passengers.

The testing, quarantine, and care costs should be insurable, and I expect the cruise lines to bundle the costs into the cruise fare.

 

[bcwife76]

It's likely most of these posts are moot, or will be TODAY, NCL, RCCL, Carnival and MSC have ALL cancelled or removed all sailings from their websites through the end of this year, Disney is the only cruise line that hasn't suspended 2020 itineraries YET, but with the Framework limitations, time it will take to get the ships returned from Europe, re-crewed, provisioned and ready to sail, then apply for the Conditional certificates to conduct test cruises on each ship, we're probably looking that to get any passengers on board it will be well into 2021 now. AND with the 7 night or shorter itinerary limitation, that will likely involve cancellations of a number of DCL itineraries, especially the WBPC.

DCL has now removed all remaining December 2020 cruises from the website.

 

[pumpkinqueen93]

DCL has now removed all remaining December 2020 cruises from the website.

And here comes the cancellation announcement within the week.

 

[ArielRae]

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...ngs-removed-from-disney-cruise-lines-website/

 

[TestingH2O]

And here comes the cancellation announcement within the week.

And people with December bookings are reporting that they are gone from their account. (I was originally scheduled to sail in Late December, and I’m still in the FB group.)

 

[tvguy]

And people with December bookings are reporting that they are gone from their account. (I was originally scheduled to sail in Late December, and I’m still in the FB group.)

The conditional sail order requires 60 days notice before test cruises. So it is mathmatically impossible for any cruise line to sail this year. And no idea how many test cruises they will need to do before getting approval for carrying passengers.

 

[TestingH2O]

The conditional sail order requires 60 days notice before test cruises. So it is mathmatically impossible for any cruise line to sail this year. And no idea how many test cruises they will need to do before getting approval for carrying passengers.

Agree. But the removal of sailings from accounts would suggest the official acknowledgment will come today.

 

[FLPrincessMom]

I got my DCL email cancelling my cruises on the fantasy 12/12 and 12/19

 

[Starwind]

"CLIA Ocean-Going Cruise Line Members - Reaffirming Commitment to Stringent Protocols - Voluntarily Extend Suspension of U.S. Operations" through 31 December 2020. DCL is a CLIA member.

See: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...of-us-operations-through-31-dec-2020.3817479/

 

[DisneyMusicMan]

Pretty accurate, and we have two booked. The only one we have booked for 2021 goes from our own local port, so that helps A LOT! No flights to cancel or change. No hotel needed the night before. If it doesn't happen, we just stay home.

Same as us. And our 2021 cruise is out in October, so hopefully enough time for better visibility.

 

[Roughians_satchel]

Not feeling very confident about our Alaska cruise in May 2021. Assuming paying customers won't cruise until late spring - there's no way Canada is going to open their ports two months later.

 

[o&smom]

I NEVER thought that I would be worried about a Mexico cruise in Oct, 2021!!! Originally booked for April 2021, and not sure about that one, so moved to Oct. feeling very confident. Now, not so much!

 

[bcwife76]

So I wonder how long it will be before we get DCL-specific restrictions? Beyond the whole mask-wearing, social distancing etc. Kids clubs? Shows?