Expected changes when cruises resume

[jennypenny]

Whatever they may do when they first open is all temporary. We aren't going to be living like this forever, or really even that long in the big scheme of things.

People said that after 9/11 and 7/7, and yet I still have to go through security theater at the airport. I also get my bag checked at concerts, sporting events, court houses, and obviously disney world. Some of this is going to stick. If it means fewer outbreaks of norovirus and other nasty stuff that's passed around easily on cruise ships, I'm ok with it.

 

[fdefulvio]

My mid August 2020, 7 night cruise is getting really close to the earliest re-opening window. My final payment is due within the week. My fear now is the initial changes are going to have a dramatic impact on the quality of our experience.

I can’t imagine that masks will not be a requirement, and that would be a huge negative.

There has already been plenty of discussions on dining. All I have to say on that is I agree that there will be a lot of changes for dining, mostly negative.

Shows and the theater will have to either be closed, or have reduced capacity.

Deck and lobby activities will have to be rethought. They can’t have all those people congregating in tight spaces. They will definitely eliminate half of the deck chairs available.

I also expect free movement about the ship may be compromised. They will have to control the flow of people to avoid high concentrations of people gathering in sections of the ship.

I’ve heard a lot of talk of land based buildings limiting elevator capacity. How will that impact a ship which already has an overwhelmed elevator system?

I strongly believe that the initial re-opening will be limited to 3 and 4 nights, resulting in our 7 night being cancelled or modified to a shorter duration.

Port calls will probably be an issue. Nobody knows what countries will allow ships to dock. I’m sure some countries will be looking to get their economies going again, but I doubt all ports will be allowing ships to dock, and more likely, the US will probably still have restrictions on foreign travel. We were looking forward to several shore excursions which may not be options now.

They will not initially sail at 100% capacity. I suspect that there will still be enough people still willing to cruise. I’m not sure how they will reduce existing reservations. I would assume offering discounts on future sailings, similar to what airlines do for overbooked flights. This may give me the option for a last minute cancellation if my cruise is not canceled, and we decide it’s not worth the multitude of inconveniences.

All ships will be relaunching with a crew working together for the first time after a lay-off, implementing new procedures. This will initially result in issues.

Bottom line, this isn’t looking like the cruise experience that we had in mind when we booked onboard our first Disney Cruise two years ago. As of now, I expect I’ll make my final payment and hope for the best. Unfortunately I think the best we can hope for is that we get a credit with an incentive for a future sailing. At this point, a “normal” cruise experience for August of this year seems very unlikely.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

But, I suppose my question would be: what's the point of cruising? What's the point of paying the premium to be on DCL?

Limited entertainment, no character interaction, minimal food options, no self-service options....I guess I just don't understand the appeal if all of that goes away.

As long as they won't require guests to wear masks, I'd be fine cruising on DCL even with temporary cutbacks on shows and character interaction. We've sailed 6 DCL cruises, so we have tons of character pics already. As long as they still had characters around at least for show, which I'm sure they would, that would be fine with us for a cruise or two. Since we've sailed on every ship, we've seen all the primary shows, so we don't mind missing that for a cruise or two, either.

I don't think the buffet will completely go away, as they need it for lunch & breakfast. I think it just won't be self-serve. And pool deck food and room service will still be there. So it's not like you'll have to dine in the MDRs for every meal.

The key things we love most about Disney cruises are being pampered, being on a beautiful ship, seeing the ocean, and visiting Castaway Cay. As long as DCL continues to offer that, and does not require masks, we'll be happy to sail with them.

 

[MomOTwins]

My mid August 2020, 7 night cruise is getting really close to the earliest re-opening window. My final payment is due within the week. My fear now is the initial changes are going to have a dramatic impact on the quality of our experience.

I can’t imagine that masks will not be a requirement, and that would be a huge negative.

There has already been plenty of discussions on dining. All I have to say on that is I agree that there will be a lot of changes for dining, mostly negative.

Shows and the theater will have to either be closed, or have reduced capacity.

Deck and lobby activities will have to be rethought. They can’t have all those people congregating in tight spaces. They will definitely eliminate half of the deck chairs available.

I also expect free movement about the ship may be compromised. They will have to control the flow of people to avoid high concentrations of people gathering in sections of the ship.

I’ve heard a lot of talk of land based buildings limiting elevator capacity. How will that impact a ship which already has an overwhelmed elevator system?

I strongly believe that the initial re-opening will be limited to 3 and 4 nights, resulting in our 7 night being cancelled or modified to a shorter duration.

Port calls will probably be an issue. Nobody knows what countries will allow ships to dock. I’m sure some countries will be looking to get their economies going again, but I doubt all ports will be allowing ships to dock, and more likely, the US will probably still have restrictions on foreign travel. We were looking forward to several shore excursions which may not be options now.

They will not initially sail at 100% capacity. I suspect that there will still be enough people still willing to cruise. I’m not sure how they will reduce existing reservations. I would assume offering discounts on future sailings, similar to what airlines do for overbooked flights. This may give me the option for a last minute cancellation if my cruise is not canceled, and we decide it’s not worth the multitude of inconveniences.

All ships will be relaunching with a crew working together for the first time after a lay-off, implementing new procedures. This will initially result in issues.

Bottom line, this isn’t looking like the cruise experience that we had in mind when we booked onboard our first Disney Cruise two years ago. As of now, I expect I’ll make my final payment and hope for the best. Unfortunately I think the best we can hope for is that we get a credit with an incentive for a future sailing. At this point, a “normal” cruise experience for August of this year seems very unlikely.

I hear you, we have an August cruise and are expecting a very modified experience. I guess I can only tell you what we did, and why. We were refugees from May and rebooked to a 3-night Dream cruise in August and in doing so upgraded the room to concierge with the cost savings from switching to a shorter cruise. I also think the shorter cruises will be the first to go, so fingers crossed that will increase our odds of actually getting to sail. Our thinking is that splurging on concierge (which we've never done before) will also be our best bet for a great experience even with all the social distancing, since we'll be able to lounge on the concierge sun deck if the pool deck is full, will have the less crowded concierge check-in at the port and priority disembarkation, and if they switch to a ticket system for shows or character meets, our hosts can presumably help with sorting all that out for us. Also, the idea of a cabana at CC is especially appealing to me given the social distancing aspect.

I fully expect that elevators will be reserved for people with special needs and we will just plan on using the stairs. Won't be super fun, but we'll survive.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I don't know that pool deck food can be assumed. If they mostly want masks and distancing, they need to discourage eating on the pool deck.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I don't know that pool deck food can be assumed. If they mostly want masks and distancing, they need to discourage eating on the pool deck.

Nothing can be assumed. That they will "mostly want masks and distancing" is an assumption.

 

[Husker Mike]

I can’t imagine that masks will not be a requirement, and that would be a huge negative.

Safe bet. Almost assured until we have a medical solution.

Shows and the theater will have to either be closed, or have reduced capacity.

Closing shows completely would be one of those things that would raise the question as to why even bother to restart cruises.

Deck and lobby activities will have to be rethought. They can’t have all those people congregating in tight spaces. They will definitely eliminate half of the deck chairs available.

I also expect free movement about the ship may be compromised. They will have to control the flow of people to avoid high concentrations of people gathering in sections of the ship.

I’ve heard a lot of talk of land based buildings limiting elevator capacity. How will that impact a ship which already has an overwhelmed elevator system?

Yep. Going to go more in depth below.

I strongly believe that the initial re-opening will be limited to 3 and 4 nights, resulting in our 7 night being cancelled or modified to a shorter duration.

This I do NOT believe. Turning 7 night cruises into 3 and 4 night cruises only serves to expose the crew to more people. I just don't see it.

Port calls will probably be an issue. Nobody knows what countries will allow ships to dock. I’m sure some countries will be looking to get their economies going again, but I doubt all ports will be allowing ships to dock, and more likely, the US will probably still have restrictions on foreign travel. We were looking forward to several shore excursions which may not be options now.

If ports won't accept boats, there's not much point in resuming cruises. Ports may change, but you'll still have port days. In fact, I kind of expect that sea days will be reduced - especially on the 4 night Dream cruises potentially becoming double-dip Castaway Cay trips (if not occupied by another Disney ship) to help with social distancing. (You can spread out more on the beach than on the deck.)

They will not initially sail at 100% capacity. I suspect that there will still be enough people still willing to cruise. I’m not sure how they will reduce existing reservations. I would assume offering discounts on future sailings, similar to what airlines do for overbooked flights. This may give me the option for a last minute cancellation if my cruise is not canceled, and we decide it’s not worth the multitude of inconveniences.
.

This is the biggest no-brainer here. Some people can't/won't cruise now. They'll get refunds or might reschedule. But they have to have fewer people on board to enforce social distancing. Some lower decks might have to become additional crew quarters to allow the crew to spread out as well. And some people will show up to the port and fail a test.

There won't be "deals", because Disney probably needs to get people off the cruises they have scheduled. If it's cheaper to idle the boats than run them at 40%-50% capacity, cruising won't resume for a LONG time

 

[MomOTwins]

This I do NOT believe. Turning 7 night cruises into 3 and 4 night cruises only serves to expose the crew to more people. I just don't see it.

The tradeoff is that shorter cruises reduce the odds of passenger-to-passenger infection because the guests each come into contact with fewer other guests. This is probably partly why the Wonder's 14 night cruise saw so many guest infections while prior cruises (even one from New Orleans with a subsequently confirmed case) did not. The crew is more easily monitored for symptoms than guests because they can do temperature checks multiple times daily, or even rapid testing if that is available. A crew member's illness is also less likely to go undetected than a guest's, because guests have incentive to hide illness to avoid quarantine or denied embarkation (again, given the lack of any reported illness on the Wonder, this could be what explains the outbreak there as well).

 

[KMack]

I think one of the other big changes you will see is not allowing you to use your own refillable cup the drink stations. When we cruised I watched someone dump their drink in the bottom it splashed all over and then refilled their cup just grossed me out. We had brought a bunch of bottled water on board so we were good with not going to the drink stations. Another thing I think that will change is how they handle refillable popcorn buckets. I also think they will be more diligent with sanitizing the pens.

On the Wonder’s WBPC in March, there was a new pen given out for every signature. Used pens went in a container and were sterilized before being used again. This was at the popcorn station as well as throughout the ship.

 

[Lilsia]

I don't know that pool deck food can be assumed. If they mostly want masks and distancing, they need to discourage eating on the pool deck.

How is eating on the pool deck any different then eating at Cabanas or the main dining room? People NEED to eat somewhere. Unless you think that all meals will be served to everyone's stateroom.

 

[gotomu212]

I hear you, we have an August cruise and are expecting a very modified experience. I guess I can only tell you what we did, and why. We were refugees from May and rebooked to a 3-night Dream cruise in August and in doing so upgraded the room to concierge with the cost savings from switching to a shorter cruise.

I fully expect that elevators will be reserved for people with special needs and we will just plan on using the stairs. Won't be super fun, but we'll survive.

I don’t think reserving elevators for special needs is feasible. It’s one thing for us to take the stairs between 2 or so decks, but theres no way I can easily carry a toddler from our room on Deck 2 up 10 decks (stories) to the pool. Heaven forbid we forgot the sunscreen and I have to run down and back up. People returning from port on Deck 1 might walk up to 4 or 5, but if you’re on Deck 9 or 10?? It’s also one thing for me to walk up from muster to the sail away one time, but If I thought I have a 5 or 10 deck climb every few hours as I move around I wouldn’t consider that a luxury cruise experience... and I’m not at peak fitness, but I’m still more fit than half the typical folks.

 

[Karin1984]

How is eating on the pool deck any different then eating at Cabanas or the main dining room? People NEED to eat somewhere. Unless you think that all meals will be served to everyone's stateroom.

It's a more controlled space during a controlled time period to eat at Cabanas or the MDR. If someone sits down for a few minutes to eat on deck, cleans up after himself and then leaves, it can be that it goes unnoticed by the crew. In Cabanas there are people walking around constantly and spot an empty table as soon as you leave. On deck there is less staff.

With restarting the cruises it will all be about controlling where people go and where they can clean, reducing risk. There will be these kind of constrictions to make restarting possible.

 

[mevelandry]

I haven’t read all the posts so I may have missed this, but I bet the free soda will be no more. It will be either buy as you go or a drink package. Same with tea and coffee. If true for coffee they better upgrade, because the only drinkable coffee was in the concierge lounge.

On Royal, they don't have free pop but they have different kind of juices and there are people behind the counter preparing glasses.

I think pop could still be included but you might have someone who pours it for you. Same for ice cream.

 

[Lilsia]

It's a more controlled space during a controlled time period to eat at Cabanas or the MDR. If someone sits down for a few minutes to eat on deck, cleans up after himself and then leaves, it can be that it goes unnoticed by the crew. In Cabanas there are people walking around constantly and spot an empty table as soon as you leave. On deck there is less staff.

With restarting the cruises it will all be about controlling where people go and where they can clean, reducing risk. There will be these kind of constrictions to make restarting possible.

That is a pretty weak reason to limit food on the pool deck. They can schedule a couple of extra staff to clean up. If we they opening up cruising, people are just going to have to know that you could possibly be exposed to some germs. If anyone feels uncomfortable being close to others, then they should stay off of the ship. Take responsibility for your own health.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

That is a pretty weak reason to limit food on the pool deck. They can schedule a couple of extra staff to clean up. If we they opening up cruising, people are just going to have to know that you could possibly be exposed to some germs. If anyone feels uncomfortable being close to others, then they should stay off of the ship. Take responsibility for your own health.

More staff is a bit of an issue because the greatest hazard is staff exposure given tightness of crew quarters.

 

[mmackeymouse]

My mid August 2020, 7 night cruise is getting really close to the earliest re-opening window. My final payment is due within the week. My fear now is the initial changes are going to have a dramatic impact on the quality of our experience.

Bottom line, this isn’t looking like the cruise experience that we had in mind when we booked onboard our first Disney Cruise two years ago. As of now, I expect I’ll make my final payment and hope for the best. Unfortunately I think the best we can hope for is that we get a credit with an incentive for a future sailing. At this point, a “normal” cruise experience for August of this year seems very unlikely.

We are in a similar position...only our cruise is in September.

My worry is that because we will be past the cancellation forgiveness window, we will be stuck. We won't get the 125% credit offer, because the cruise won't technically be cancelled. We may not even get our full refund back, because it will be after the cancellation window.

But, who knows when we will find out the extend of the restrictions and modifications. Ideally, DCL will offer some major incentives if you stay with a severely modified experience. On-board credits. 25% off a future sailing. Something pretty significant.

I also hope that DCL offers some sort of grace to people who choose to cancel their cruise, either for health reasons or because of the reductions in experience. It would be a nice gesture to not enforce some sort of cancellation penalty to people who cancel during this uncertain time frame.

I don't think the buffet will completely go away, as they need it for lunch & breakfast. I think it just won't be self-serve. And pool deck food and room service will still be there. So it's not like you'll have to dine in the MDRs for every meal.

Well, of course it's all speculation at this point, but I've seen suggestions that they would get rid of the soft drink stations, food on deck, ice cream stations....basically all of it. So, that's sort of my concern.

Cabanas going to a more cafeteria style thing temporarily.....okay that I can get. But, IF....I am saying if.....they take away pretty much all the food options on the ship beyond actual meals....that would be a pretty huge blow. I am not a glutton. But, there is something pretty great about the flexibility of getting what you want when you want.

On Royal, they don't have free pop but they have different kind of juices and there are people behind the counter preparing glasses.

I think pop could still be included but you might have someone who pours it for you. Same for ice cream.

My thought would be...why not temporarily just make all bars/lounges, open bars, for non-alcoholic drinks. This will at least alleviate the bottleneck of the drink station and especially if a CM is having to hand out drinks to each person.

 

[fdefulvio]

My worry is that because we will be past the cancellation forgiveness window, we will be stuck. We won't get the 125% credit offer, because the cruise won't technically be cancelled. We may not even get our full refund back, because it will be after the cancellation window.

But, who knows when we will find out the extend of the restrictions and modifications. Ideally, DCL will offer some major incentives if you stay with a severely modified experience. On-board credits. 25% off a future sailing. Something pretty significant.

I think for mid August I have a better chance of a cancellation, but you’re right, if they don’t cancel they have to offer some kind of compensation. The initial cruises are going to be significantly compromised.

Once I’m paid in full, I’ve committed $10K to a Disney Cruise at some point. Voluntarily canceling would cost me my 10% discount, $200 OBC and early booking price. I’m at the last week of my 2 year booking window, so I can’t move to a later date.

Something that occurred to me earlier today after watching the ships leaving port to return crew members to their home countries. How many crew members will be from countries that are still not allowed back in the US? They may have a hard time staffing ships.

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it’s going to be much longer before any cruises are back up and running. It would be nice if Disney could announce cancellations earlier than they have been.

 

[disneylove69]

I hope maritime law will change to allow cruise ships in crisis mode to dock where they need to. I find it incomprehensible that ships are not allowed to dock. People need care. They are sick. They need food. Yes, it may add to the numbers but I’d like there to be a humanitarian side to this where people come first.

I get it but countries were scared for their people so I get it. Cou tries I'd make sure ships had fiid and medicine sondidnt leave them totally stranded. I think now that countries now know what to expect things may change. There are 100k associates still on ships that cant get off

 

[4077]

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that it’s going to be much longer before any cruises are back up and running. It would be nice if Disney could announce cancellations earlier than they have been.

Longer they wait, fewer cancellation compensations they have to provide as people bug out BEFORE paid in full date (“in case cruise does not cancel”). Rather than giving out more 125% compensations, people take their 100% refunds and pay more cash for a cruise that they book for a later date. My opinion. If they cancel all the cruises too early, they lose out with both compensations and extra cash from future bookings at the annual increased prices....

 

[disneylove69]

There are thousands of crew members on ships that are not allowed to get off so ships wont be able to sail until they can get off and many cruise lines will have on deal with getting crews to work so it could be awhile before they sail again. Hugging characters and Princesses will be one and probably autograph books. How do they handle Pirates night when hundreds of people are crowding the deck? If they have to keep empty chairs at shows they would have to add a third show o some people may not get in. I have read that cruise ships could run at 50% capacity leaving every other cabin empty. It's also possible that ships dont dock in the US avoiding most of this all together. This would raise costs. I have a cruise Halloween and several families on our FB group already cancelled. I wont unless Disney boots me off.