Anyone want to wager a guess as to when the DCL will resume cruising? Or if? I read somewhere that the cruise line will be the last aspect to come back. Officially only cancelled until December, but with water parks closed until at least March, it seems likely the cruise line won’t start up before then either.
I know no one really has any clue, but misery loves company, so what are your thoughts?
My vote may be delusionally optimistic. We are rebooked for end of June 2021. If they aren’t sailing by then, I don’t know what we’ll do. I don’t know if I’ll continue to lend Disney my money.
I rebooked my May 2020 cruise for May 2021, but got my money back rather than taking a discount (for one thing, the cruise I wanted coats less next year, and I don’t need onboard credits). I will cancel my cruise if they haven’t resumed and had time to be proven effective by the time the final payment is due in February - I just don’t want to have uncertainty that close to the cruise. So realistically, if they haven’t announced a resumption of cruises by Thanksgiving, I will probably cancel.
I will be happy to a degree if I cancel - I will get longer in Orlando for cheaper, and at a more relaxed pace. But of course, missing out on the cruise we’ve been planning for two years will be sad.
So I am hedging my own bet: Asking our TA to cancel June 2021, get our paid in full refund back (Disney’s had our money since December 2019), and starting fresh with a new booking for 2022. We’ll lose the 125% cruise credit but gain some control of our own destiny. Here’s hoping I don’t regret it later!
This is one of the first reports of a Caribbean cruise I’ve seen. It seems they did everything right - tested everyone twice (test at home and then rapid test before boarding) - but somehow someone got COVID. They had to cut the cruise short. As long as this is the only way to handle it, I don’t foresee my May cruise happening.
We did reschedule, from June 2021 to April 2022 currently. Will see when they release summer itineraries. We currently have until May 31, 2022 to use our onboard booking discount and future cruise credit for them canceling on us. We may end up back at the end of May… just 2 years later.
It sucks/is depressing/etc., but I am convinced it was the right way to go. I just don’t see cruises being normal enough to be worth the expense by summer 2021.
Cruises are now cancelled through February. I’m trying to decide when my drop dead deadline is for cancelling. In theory I have until March when my 60-day payment window closes, but I would rather decide soon so I can firm up my alternate plans. I already have booked HRH at UOR just in case.
I really don’t want to pay until I’ve seen a cruise sail successfully. So that means a cruise would have to sail in early March. So maybe I’ll give it till this time next month and see if they cancel March cruises?
Update: I went ahead and cancelled my May 2021 cruise.
Factors that weighed into our decision:
Uncertainty about whether our cruise would even happen
Short period in March for cruises to resume and demonstrate effective COVID operation before my final payment was due
Worry about children’s youth clubs being modified or having to wear masks
DD3 still struggling to get potty trained so possibility we would need to pay for nursery
Considering that our kids may enjoy a cruise more in 3-5 years (we consider this a once-maybe-twice-in-a-lifetime extravagance)
Warming up to the idea of extended WDW / UOR vacation with slower pace over two weeks instead of 1 on land / 1 on sea
Being able to see UOR and WDW in operation makes me confident that it will be a success vs. uncertainty of what cruising will be like, if it resumes
$$$ - alternate plans will be cheaper and I’ll get an immediate (well, 7-10 days) refund
I had already booked a backup accommodations at UOR for the days of my cruise. I just need to tweak one night at WDW and extend my UOR tickets at Guest Services when I get there and I’ll be all set.
As sad as it is to cancel my cruise, I’m excited for the trip! Now I can finalize all my plans.
So, for those keeping track, I made my poor TA change our dates again. We are now booked for May 28th, 2022 on almost the exact same cruise we missed May 30th, 2020… Hopefully 2 years later we’ll be “back to normal.”
my kids’ community college updated us Tuesday that they are starting the semester a week later and ending a week later, so I had to cancel our May cruise. I don’t understand WHY the delay though as they are almost entirely remote classes for the whole school.
To be fair, I was probably going to cancel it anyway because we are extremely hopeful DH will get a new job in another state and we will be relocating this spring and a May trip may have been poor timing.
I think it is highly likely things will be back to normal by May 2022, even cruise lines. It would not surprise me, however, if proof of vaccination is required for a cruise. In fact, I think after the vaccines have full FDA approval (as opposed to emergency use), there will be many institutions/companies that require proof of a vaccine. (Hopefully everything goes smoothly with the vaccine and full FDA approval is a matter of when and not if.)
Edit to Add: I realize that a lot of people will be upset if vaccines are required.
