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Hope it all works out for you! I've been booking cruises with Princess. When I was checking Australia/NZ for 2023, the circle Australia one I checked was all booked. I then realized it was part of a world cruise, those are booking up fast.
I booked a Med + transatlantic on the new Enchanted Princess for Nov. so it will be interesting to see if it happens or if they are extending cancellations. I have Baltic plus transatlantic for Summer 2022 and Australia/NZ plus transpacific to San Fran for Spring 2023.
I'm just trying to be optimistic that cruising will start up again, plus $100. deposit to hold cruises, not a problem. I had 4 cancelled, they doubled usual $100. when crediting the deposit so I don't feel like I'm out a great deal holding 8 cruises. Considering what I pay to sail single, the deposit is no biggie.
It doesn't make sense to me that Crystal isn't arranging to get crew vaccinated if they are unable to get vaccinated in their home countries. I mean, if they require passengers to be vaccinated, WHY not crew?
(The same comment applies to all cruise companies.)
I've been thinking about this. First of all, from my research it's apparently illegal in the US to require employees of any company to be vaccinated. (Ask me how I feel about that now that Dad's LTC facility in SC has had to postpone opening up another 2 weeks because a non-vaccinated employee tested positive for COVID. )
Cruise ships are generally chartered outside the US, with the notable exceptions of UnCruise and Delta Queen. They choose jurisdictions with more "flexible" regulations and then hire people from developing countries and pay them less than they'd pay if they were US-flagged, and they have fewer rules to follow. According to Wikipedia the Serenity has room for 655 crew members. I suppose it's cheaper to just exclude crew members who test positive (and probably not pay them wages since they don't sail) than to vaccinate all of them. I'm also not sure if the jurisdictions where the ships are flagged would allow them to require vaccinations.
I booked a Med + transatlantic on the new Enchanted Princess for Nov. so it will be interesting to see if it happens or if they are extending cancellations. I have Baltic plus transatlantic for Summer 2022 and Australia/NZ plus transpacific to San Fran for Spring 2023.
Those all sound great!
I'm hoping for transatlantic in 2023. It'll be 23 years since I was last in the U.K. We have not been on a Cunard ocean liner since QE2 retired. It's something we promised ourselves we would do long before now. I miss England and I've never been to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Wales.
I've been thinking about this. First of all, from my research it's apparently illegal in the US to require employees of any company to be vaccinated. (Ask me how I feel about that now that Dad's LTC facility in SC has had to postpone opening up another 2 weeks because a non-vaccinated employee tested positive for COVID. )
Cruise ships are generally chartered outside the US, with the notable exceptions of UnCruise and Delta Queen. They choose jurisdictions with more "flexible" regulations and then hire people from developing countries and pay them less than they'd pay if they were US-flagged, and they have fewer rules to follow. According to Wikipedia the Serenity has room for 655 crew members. I suppose it's cheaper to just exclude crew members who test positive (and probably not pay them wages since they don't sail) than to vaccinate all of them. I'm also not sure if the jurisdictions where the ships are flagged would allow them to require vaccinations.
Vaccines that are in the experimental phase and operating with a EUA cant not be required by employers but once its FDA approved they can force employees to get it to keep their jobs. Lots of back and forth right now. So by 2023 youll start seeing mandatory vaccines for at will employees.
I feel like if they have such stringent guest policies they should have equally stringent employee policies. For the price of these cruises they should be vaccinating anyone who wants to be vaccinated. They may not be able to make it mandatory but I wonder if they can make it a requisite for hiring. Like we can only hire people who have received their vaccine and we are offering to pay for the vaccine for the unvaccinated. Like they arent forcing them, they just arent offering them a position unless they are vaccinated?
I book early because I like to be in a certain deck area. It works for me, if a price changes later, my TA gives it to me.
Right now I've noticed some cruises with Princess for 2023 are booking up, as people are anxious to get back to cruising. I would start checking for what you're interested in, check often. There's pro and cons to both ways, early or waiting.
I'm going to sail with Cunard one day I think, just for the heck of it!
I just pulled the trigger on airfare for my Belize/Guatemala cruise in October. To me, the biggest risk is UnCruise staying in business and I sincerely hope they do. I've got a $750 deposit and the rest isn't due till late August. But- I feel like waiting to book flights is a game of "chicken"- as more people are vaccinated the demand for flights will go up and so will prices.
I did a quick search and if, heaven forbid, the cruise line goes belly-up there are plenty of all-inclusives and other places to stay in Belize City and I'm sure I can book independent excursions for things that interest me such as snorkeling. No change fees on the airfare I booked but I suspect that's only if I keep the same destination. I'm REALLY hoping that the original cruise goes as planned.
But- I feel like waiting to book flights is a game of "chicken"- as more people are vaccinated the demand for flights will go up and so will prices.
Not just flights. I think the demand for everything travel-related will go up, availability will become scarce and yes, prices will go up. There were only 3 cabins left (they said) when I booked the world cruise. I'm not crazy about guarantees but it was all we could get.
In the USA, an employer can require a drug test before an applicant is hired. If that applicant fails the drug test, the employer is legally allowed to not hire that employee. AND background checks are required by many (most?) employers with prettu wife ranging reasons they can refuse employment.
I'm at a loss why the cruisr ship employers can't require a vaccine.
I'm at a loss why the cruise ship employers can't require a vaccine.
From what I've read, employers in the US can't require a COVID vaccine as a condition of employment because it's still considered "experimental"- hasn't been approved by the FDA except for emergency use. It's one of the reasons they were able to deploy it so quickly. Not sure about laws in other countries.
I agree, though, that they should be offered to all employees. If you think in terms of cold, hard profits, it might encourage more people to book cruises.
I'm at a loss why the cruisr ship employers can't require a vaccine.
Since they don't really follow US employment rules they should be able to do what they want. There are several articles that Royal Caribbean is requiring the vaccine for their crew members. It would be the US flagged vessels like UnCruise where it may be difficult to enforce mandatory vaccines for crew. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2...s-crew-members
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