Expected changes when cruises resume

[Miffy]

Expected changes? I expect the biggest change will be that cruising won't be happening at all for months, and certainly not until the pandemic is truly over. Those of you who cruise are optimistic because you want cruising to start up again and are thinking of ways that that could happen. I get it. I love WDW and can't stand it that they're closed. But I find it almost impossible to believe that any cruise company is thinking about starting up again, even with restrictions, at this point.

Something is known now that wasn't known several months ago: that it's basically impossible to stop the spread of covid-19 on a cruise ship. Therefore, any cruise line that would reinstate operations while the pandemic is still ongoing--assuming people would be willing to cruise, which apparently they are--would be opening themselves up to massive lawsuits after people started getting infected on their ships. This would bankrupt these companies even more effectively than simply being out of operation until the crisis is over.

Would they force passengers to sign waivers, to get tested, to [fill in the blank]? Quite possible. But would that stop people from suing after there's another massive outbreak on a cruise ship that, this time around, won't be able to find any port to let them disembark? I don't think so.

Does that mean it'll happen this way? I have no crystal ball, so I don't know. Neither does anyone else.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I’m one of those who like sitting with strangers hearing about others lives. But I’m a Chatty Cathy type who walks up to strangers all the time and introduces myself or talk to other people waiting in a line. I hope thst doesnt go away on cruise ships. Lots of my friends have said they wil never take a cruise again after seeing thousands stuck on ships from hell. I can’t wait to cruise again.

 

[Sherrilatte]

They know the alternative is to possibly die without them.

Even more incentive to stay at home until masks are not needed on a cruise ship.

 

[iZon]

Thinking out loud. If these quick tests become readily available and cost effective I could see them testing everyone before boarding. Test positive and you fall through a trap door! Also, I could see Castaway Cay as the only port for a while. They can control that environment and know that passengers haven’t been exploring an island and coming into contact with who knows who.

 

[slatterie]

Thinking out loud. If these quick tests become readily available and cost effective I could see them testing everyone before boarding. Test positive and you fall through a trap door! Also, I could see Castaway Cay as the only port for a while. They can control that environment and know that passengers haven’t been exploring an island and coming into contact with who knows who.

I just wonder how the islands/destinations are going to handle it. Temp checks prior to entry? How will social distancing work on buses, cabs, tours, shopping, etc? Until virus for sure is nipped in the bud I don't see the ships going anywhere.

 

[iZon]

Right. The islands may not want people but they need the business. And ships might test you again when you return from an excursion.

 

[eva]

I must be more optimistic than most. We just booked a November 1 cruise on the Dream. And I really believe things will be “back to normal” by then. I say back to normal in quotes because I am sure that personal hygiene, cleaning of the ships, and other major changes may still be in place. We may never be quite the same, but I believe we will have overcome the majority of this by summertime.

 

[Lilsia]

I must be more optimistic than most. We just booked a November 1 cruise on the Dream. And I really believe things will be “back to normal” by then. I say back to normal in quotes because I am sure that personal hygiene, cleaning of the ships, and other major changes may still be in place. We may never be quite the same, but I believe we will have overcome the majority of this by summertime.

I think that people have short memories and will go back to their disgusting ways pretty fast. After all, we all know it is gross to be touching everything and then pick up food and eat but it seems like most people do that anyway. We always felt that we were one of the very few families that washed our hands before we ate anything. We also take our shoes off right when we get in the house and wash our hands before going further into the house to not bring all of that in with us. Humans are gross.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I keep seeing people on Facebook talking about how DCL would never have an outbreak because they're sooooo clean. But then you have the situation on the Wonder.

Not to mention, although different ship/scenario, the aircraft carrier Roosevelt. When you have crew in such close quarters it becomes a real challenge. This is also why the Navy has tried to avoid having the hospital ships used for COVID patients - there is just no practical way to limit spread on ships.

I get wanting everything back to before. I want a vacation badly, actually; had a big one planned this summer, and a ton of awesome summer camp for my kids that is 99% likely to be cancelled. This homeschooling fiasco makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs with sporks.

But I don't think we're getting before back, and I don't think they can realistically set sail until there are better tests (because of the long incubation time, there are people who have been tested, come up negative, then been positive on re-tests within the week), and an effective vaccine.

 

[iZon]

Here’s my other silly idea. If the Europe and Alaska seasons were canceled. Maybe they would have the Magic and Wonder mimic the Fantasy and Dream and have all the ships half full for the rest of the year. Just throwing out ideas. There’s this idea that we may all develop agoraphobia and be very uncomfortable around other people in close quarters. At least for some time.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Here’s my other silly idea. If the Europe and Alaska seasons were canceled. Maybe they would have the Magic and Wonder mimic the Fantasy and Dream and have all the ships half full for the rest of the year. Just throwing out ideas. There’s this idea that we may all develop agoraphobia and be very uncomfortable around other people in close quarters. At least for some time.

I'm already nearing the agoraphobia phase. The grocery store had me on edge all day, both before and after the trip.

 

[eva]

I think that people have short memories and will go back to their disgusting ways pretty fast. After all, we all know it is gross to be touching everything and then pick up food and eat but it seems like most people do that anyway. We always felt that we were one of the very few families that washed our hands before we ate anything. We also take our shoes off right when we get in the house and wash our hands before going further into the house to not bring all of that in with us. Humans are gross.

I agree. We don’t wear shoes in our house either, only house shoes that never go outside. I am a bit OCD And wash my hands constantly since I was little. While on a cruise we always hit the restroom prior to any meal and wash our hands, always have. It is a rule to ALWAYS put the lid down before flushing at my house, even guests. In a public restroom I am the one that opens the door and sprints out as I flush. I bring wet wipes on every trip and use them to clean pretty much every surface in the room, especially remotes, light switches, door handles, etc. Everone waits by the door while I do this. (And often makes fun of me. LOL)

 

[iZon]

The flush and dash!

 

[undertheradar]

Due to all of the cancelled cruises, it will be almost impossible to book concierge. There are too many cruisers with deep discount offers who will book concierge at the heavily discounted rates.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Due to all of the cancelled cruises, it will be almost impossible to book concierge. There are too many cruisers with deep discount offers who will book concierge at the heavily discounted rates.

I don't know. We had the best offer and still couldn't afford concierge for the same sailing a year out.

 

[mmackeymouse]

At the bare minimum, there will be no more self-serve at buffets/ice cream stations for a long time. DCL was already on top of people using hand sanitizer/washing before entering the restaurants/kids clubs/getting onboard, so I'm not sure what more they could do to encourage hygiene in that respect. I could see them suspending shows in the theaters for a prolonged period, or limiting the audience size for shows by say, having only one production per sailing that repeats every night, giving out free "tickets" so everyone has a chance to see the show once, and having people space themselves out in the theatre. Also, I think character greetings could be suspended for a long time, definitely no hugging anymore. It's heartbreaking, but necessary. There was a moment on our cruise when my son was crying about something, and Cinderella, who had been on her way somewhere, stopped and called him a little prince and hugged him and cheered him right up. It's such a sweet memory.

I'm not saying you are wrong. All of it makes sense.

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.

 

[cgolf]

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.

 

[BartmanLA]

Wow with so many here making characterizations of fellow cruisers make me wonder WHY do you even book a cruise of so many of you feel that many of the other guests on board are so "disgusting", "gross" "nasty"? I mean if you are so anti social I would think that taking a cruise would be the anthisis of what you feel is acceptable social distancing.

 

[jlwhitney]

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.

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.

 

[MomOTwins]

I don't know. We had the best offer and still couldn't afford concierge for the same sailing a year out.

What we did was switch to concierge on a shorter cruise. If we kept the same cruise type on our new dates, we would have had to pay more, but if we dropped a night, we could do concierge.

I'm not saying you are wrong. All of it makes sense.

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.

Well its all relative; other cruise lines will have cuts too so the bar will be lower everywhere. If cruise ships cut back to one show per sailing repeated to allow distancing, I’d prefer one disney show to a one of shows on another line. No buffet on Disney just means we’ll eat at MDRs which we enjoy. And from the sound of what they are doing in Shanghai, you still get character interaction with a but of social distancing just no individual photos up close (we never got photo packages anyway; we just did it for the memories not the photos. My kids will still love learning pirate sword moved from Captain Jack and how to open a portal feom Dr strange even if they have stand a little further away.