Which Cruise?

[katmigordon]

Ok, here is my situation. We currently have a b2b both concierge on the wish in October. We really want to do the Wish, I've been looking forward to the Wish. I live in Phoenix. I live in constant fear of getting there and getting tested positive if not on the first leg of our trip, then the second. Being stranded out there without the money or means to stay there until our flight home... so thinking of changing the trip, but what if by the time we go in October they aren't testing anymore?

The other option I'm looking at is a five day on the wonder out of San Diego, we don't really care about the ship - we've been on it and we're kind of over it. BUT, it would be a Christmas trip as in actually over the Christmas Holiday which would be cool. And the logistics if we tested positive would be so much easier in this situation. So, in a pre covid world we would absolutely be going on the Wish... but reality is that it is what it is... we are not in pre covid and if we test posotive in Port Canaveral it will be a nightmare. That said, should I make the switch and they stop testing - I will be so disappointed with my situation... help?

 

[Lillebelle]

That's tough...I wonder if you are able to wait another month or two to decide? It's so hard to predict what things will look like by October but it does feel like things are changing pretty frequently.

One option which may not be an option but I'll throw it out there anyway because this is how my Disney-warped brain works - if you're feeling really anxious, you could put a deposit down for the Christmas cruise but keep the Wish booked, and then whichever one you don't use, you could change to something else in the future. That only really works if you think you'd want to take another cruise next year regardless, and if you have the funds available now for the deposit.

Curious though, if you have a B2B booked, do you need to move both legs to separate cruises or can you somehow combine them? Or is the cancellation policy more generous for concierge right now than it used to be?

 

[katmigordon]

I was under the impression that I could move the money to any cruise I wished - I just can't have it back.
I think for the moment you might be right, keeping things as is for now and making a choice in a month or so might be for the best.

That's tough...I wonder if you are able to wait another month or two to decide? It's so hard to predict what things will look like by October but it does feel like things are changing pretty frequently.

One option which may not be an option but I'll throw it out there anyway because this is how my Disney-warped brain works - if you're feeling really anxious, you could put a deposit down for the Christmas cruise but keep the Wish booked, and then whichever one you don't use, you could change to something else in the future. That only really works if you think you'd want to take another cruise next year regardless, and if you have the funds available now for the deposit.

Curious though, if you have a B2B booked, do you need to move both legs to separate cruises or can you somehow combine them? Or is the cancellation policy more generous for concierge right now than it used to be?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Does trip insurance cover the costs of quarantine if necessary? I know it's super stressful during the months leading up to a cruise, and that time sitting at the port waiting for results is torture but we've cruised 3x post covid and still find the cruise itself to be so worth it once we board. Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. As a pp mentioned, you can wait until FPDD to make that decision.

 

[cvjw]

If I was very anxious about testing positive between cruises, I would just do one longer cruise - no extra testing. You can easily pick up covid, no matter how careful you are. We caught it in the Key West airport waiting for a flight home. If you caught it on the way to Orlando, you would be positive when tested between the cruises.

 

[Sykes]

It seems like you would benefit from an itinerary where you could test before leaving home, so at least if you do have to quarantine you can just do it at home. You could do that for your first sailing on the Wish, but you're still at risk in-between trips on the back-to-back.

A couple of ideas I have:
1) Do the first Wish cruise you have booked. Hope to do the second cruise in your B2B if they eliminate the testing requirement, but if they don't by your PIF date then cancel the second one and do a WDW visit after your first Wish cruise instead.

2) Consider a longer cruise on a different ship so you don't have to worry about B2B testing. You don't really need to constrain yourself to the Wonder/San Diego because you can test at home before just about any sailing as long as you arrange your arrival timing correctly.

 

[katmigordon]

That sounded like a good idea at first, a really good idea. But, the whole reason I'm going b2b in the first place is that 4 days is not enough time to explore a new ship.

I will think about doing the fantasy instead though to avoid the b2b.

It seems like you would benefit from an itinerary where you could test before leaving home, so at least if you do have to quarantine you can just do it at home. You could do that for your first sailing on the Wish, but you're still at risk in-between trips on the back-to-back.

A couple of ideas I have:
1) Do the first Wish cruise you have booked. Hope to do the second cruise in your B2B if they eliminate the testing requirement, but if they don't by your PIF date then cancel the second one and do a WDW visit after your first Wish cruise instead.

2) Consider a longer cruise on a different ship so you don't have to worry about B2B testing. You don't really need to constrain yourself to the Wonder/San Diego because you can test at home before just about any sailing as long as you arrange your arrival timing correctly.

 

[Marthasor]

Personally, I would wait it out and make your decision closer to your Wish PIF date. I know that may put you in jeopardy of not getting the stateroom you would want on the Wonder, but, personally, I would be more inclined to move the Wish sailing into 2023, than go on a ship you aren't terribly excited about. FYI, if you are going to switch, be prepared for DCL not allowing you to combine two Wish deposits for one Wonder cruise. We have a cruise booked for summer 2023 and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the testing requirements are gone by then as I, too, am hesitant to fly somewhere for a cruise and risk testing positive before we board.

 

[Sykes]

That sounded like a good idea at first, a really good idea. But, the whole reason I'm going b2b in the first place is that 4 days is not enough time to explore a new ship.

I definitely understand that--I'm super excited about the Wish but probably won't see it for a while because the short itineraries are a bit of a drag for me.

 

[MomOTwins]

Doing the 3-night before the 4-night night slightly reduce the risk of testing positive on the turnaround day, since you will have less time on board before testing.

 

[Cheburashka]

I'd love for testing to stop, but you shouldn't make any decisions based on the assumption that testing will stop.

 

[Sakura1017]

Just remember your concierge deposit is non refundable so you would need to change the itinerary so you don't lose the funds. Maybe move the second leg to the Christmas trip. Otherwise if any of your members test positive you could get a full refund.

I would probably wait a little longer to see what DCL does because October is still a long way to go.