Daydreaming of new itineraries

[Ronneeaght]

So I know this is pure wishful thinking, but do you think part of the reason DCL has yet to release Fall 2021 itineraries is because they are looking into new ports to keep things more local in light of spreading disease? For example, I'd love a cruise out of Baltimore that stopped at Norfolk and Castaway. Super bonus points if it was a Merrytime cruise.

 

[dclpluto]

So I know this is pure wishful thinking, but do you think part of the reason DCL has yet to release Fall 2021 itineraries is because they are looking into new ports to keep things more local in light of spreading disease? For example, I'd love a cruise out of Baltimore that stopped at Norfolk and Castaway. Super bonus points if it was a Merrytime cruise.

no matter where they sail from it’s only going to be local for a small percentage of the passengers.

 

[spiders]

I don't think that's the reason but I also think that future cruises will see a larger percentage of locals in the short term. Besides being allowed to cruise and then getting people confident enough to travel, it will also be about how many people still have money to travel. These unemployment numbers are devastating. I guess one of the few positives is that the stock, while not fully recovered, looks a lot better today than it did at the end of March.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

DCL is not doing anything with new itineraries right now. They are postponing release because they cannot handle inbound booking for a new release.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

So I know this is pure wishful thinking, but do you think part of the reason DCL has yet to release Fall 2021 itineraries is because they are looking into new ports to keep things more local in light of spreading disease? For example, I'd love a cruise out of Baltimore that stopped at Norfolk and Castaway. Super bonus points if it was a Merrytime cruise.

As much as I'd love to be able to sail on the Magic out of Baltimore, there's no sensible reason for DCL to port the ship there instead of New York.

 

[MomOTwins]

I suspect DCL is holding off on releasing fall 2021 because they don't yet know how to price the cruises since guest demand is all uncertain right now. Sure, bookings are up for Spring/Summer 2021 because people are rebooking but DCL still doesn't know if those guests will actually sail or if they will cancel before PIF if we still don't have a vaccine, or if DCL announces what changes it will be making and that turns off guests (e.g., people have said here they won't sail if masks are required; if certain entertainment cuts are made). Plus, unclear how many of those people would have rebooked if not for the 125% incentive.

 

[Ronneeaght]

no matter where they sail from it’s only going to be local for a small percentage of the passengers.

True, although it seems like cruises out of Manhattan draw a significant number of people within driving distance, based on the questions and TR on this forum.

 

[Ronneeaght]

As much as I'd love to be able to sail on the Magic out of Baltimore, there's no sensible reason for DCL to port the ship there instead of New York.

I'd be thrilled with Manhattan, too. Just thought maybe they could use Baltimore further into the colder months.

 

[Primeval Princess]

I think DCL is going to stick with the tried and true, more than ever, as they gradually come out of this disaster.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

If they change itineraries, it will likely be because certain ports have decided to stay closed to cruise traffic or to minimize cruise traffic to avoid exposing their communities to Covid. I see a lot of CC double dips in the future and won't be surprised if they try to get the new island ready ASAP.

 

[T & R]

fall 2021 because they don't yet know how to price the cruises since guest demand is all uncertain right now.

When the fall 2021 itineraries are released, they will price them at close to 125% of the fall 2020 rates so that they will not be out money from all the re-bookings.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Honestly, If you look at the itineraries from the last few years out of New York, The sailings from there have been dramatically scaled back over the last few years.

There are no more "WDW for a Day" 7 night sailings, they only have 1 Canada sailing this year, and they have removed a lot of Bermuda sailings too. If anything, I can see them sailing out of Miami for longer, but definitely not add a new home port. That takes a lot of money to get everything set up.

Safest thing to assume is the regular 3/4 night Dream sailings, 5 night Magic Sailings, and 7 Night Fantasy Sailings and of course, the Wonder sailing out of Galveston.

That being said, I would LOVE to see some of the Southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan in January/February but I feel like that is a long shot in itself.

 

[ArielRae]

Honestly, If you look at the itineraries from the last few years out of New York, The sailings from there have been dramatically scaled back over the last few years.

There are no more "WDW for a Day" 7 night sailings, they only have 1 Canada sailing this year, and they have removed a lot of Bermuda sailings too. If anything, I can see them sailing out of Miami for longer, but definitely not add a new home port. That takes a lot of money to get everything set up.

Safest thing to assume is the regular 3/4 night Dream sailings, 5 night Magic Sailings, and 7 Night Fantasy Sailings and of course, the Wonder sailing out of Galveston.

That being said, I would LOVE to see some of the Southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan in January/February but I feel like that is a long shot in itself.

They only scaled back the NYC port cruises this year compared to last year is because of the dry dock the Magic is doing this year. We have done the 7 night with the WDW port stop the past couple years and really miss them not doing it this year. We are hoping when they release 2021 sailings they have these back again.

 

[FightingIrishman]

Honestly, If you look at the itineraries from the last few years out of New York, The sailings from there have been dramatically scaled back over the last few years.

There are no more "WDW for a Day" 7 night sailings, they only have 1 Canada sailing this year, and they have removed a lot of Bermuda sailings too. If anything, I can see them sailing out of Miami for longer, but definitely not add a new home port. That takes a lot of money to get everything set up.

Safest thing to assume is the regular 3/4 night Dream sailings, 5 night Magic Sailings, and 7 Night Fantasy Sailings and of course, the Wonder sailing out of Galveston.

That being said, I would LOVE to see some of the Southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan in January/February but I feel like that is a long shot in itself.

Our Southern Carribean on the Magic out of San Juan was our all time favorite a few years ago. We loved the small islands and frequent stops.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

They only scaled back the NYC port cruises this year compared to last year is because of the dry dock the Magic is doing this year. We have done the 7 night with the WDW port stop the past couple years and really miss them not doing it this year. We are hoping when they release 2021 sailings they have these back again.

I wouldn't count on the Magic dry dock affecting the length of the season sailing from NYC. In 2018 we sailed on the Magic from San Juan to Miami. This was 11/30 - 12/5. Same sailing in 2019 was 11/15 - 20. This year the sailing is 11/7 - 12. I am curious to see how that goes moving forward but of course, we will know with the next release of dates.

Our Southern Carribean on the Magic out of San Juan was our all time favorite a few years ago. We loved the small islands and frequent stops.

I was hoping to do one of these sailings in 2020. It seems as though the people who have done them LOVE them. I have read lots of trip reports for the sailings on here and people rave about them. It seems as though they want to extend out the NOLA sailings as much as possible because they have taken the place of the San Juan sailings.

 

[Ronneeaght]

They only scaled back the NYC port cruises this year compared to last year is because of the dry dock the Magic is doing this year. We have done the 7 night with the WDW port stop the past couple years and really miss them not doing it this year. We are hoping when they release 2021 sailings they have these back again.

I'd love to do the 7 night with WDW out of Manhattan. If they don't bring it back for 2021, hopefully they do in 2022. Fingers crossed new ship means more Magic in NYC?

 

[MomOTwins]

When the fall 2021 itineraries are released, they will price them at close to 125% of the fall 2020 rates so that they will not be out money from all the re-bookings.

To date, a big chunk of the fall cruises will be outside the 15 month window for 125% rebookings. Now if they don't reopen in August, that's another story. Maybe that is what they are waiting to figure out before releasing fall 2021 prices.

 

[T & R]

Maybe that is what they are waiting to figure out before releasing fall 2021 prices.

Yes, next round of cancelations will be within the 15 months re-booking window for the upcoming itinerary release.

I would like to think they'll start cruising again at the end of July but the fact that they went through so much trouble to send all the CM's to their home countries makes me think not. Why would you sail your ships around the world to repatriate crew if you were just going to recall them in a couple of weeks? Also, even if they were able to recall all the staff from the four corners of the globe, they would have to quarantine them all for a few weeks prior to exposing them to the guests because you have no idea where they've been or who they've come into contact with. So up and running by July 28th doesn't look reasonable to me based on how they're conducting their business right now.

 

[Primeval Princess]

When the fall 2021 itineraries are released, they will price them at close to 125% of the fall 2020 rates so that they will not be out money from all the re-bookings.

Given that cruising is going to take a massive hit for both health and economic reasons, I don't think there is a chance in the world that DCL is going to raise their already high rates by 25% next year.

 

[T & R]

I don't think there is a chance in the world that DCL is going to raise their already high rates by 25% next year

Why not when you have tens of thousands of cruisers re-booking at 125%? So set it at 124% so both sides feel like their getting a deal. Everything I've read says cruise industry next year bookings are up compared to previous year. UBS and NYPost wrote that new bookings were up almost 10 percent from this time last year. Generally when you have increased demand you have increased price. Guess we'll see.