Cruising in January Should we stay or should we go? . Opinions please

Go and enjoy yourselves. A few forms and some testing will be par for the course where travel is concerned for some time to come. It seems a small price to pay for some normality. Have a wonderful time.

I would certainly go. The precautions in place will have been doubled up because of covid and, from what I hear from friends and family, the official forms and procedures are not as onerous as we seem to think. Continue to take common sense precautions naturally, of course. They're sort of inbred now for me. Good luck with whatever you decide.

A colleague of mine has recently been on a cruise, and is about to embark on another. Stringent rules and compliance made sure all were as safe as, and there were no outbreaks of Covid. Hope you enjoy if you go.

The question is - will you be able to travel to join the cruise?

Although I m quite easy about going out and about and going to work, eating out with friends etc during the pandemic I would not in a million years go on a cruise in the middle of this unknown My friend did last month and although she was fine it sounded so limited in the things they were able to do and the rules and regulations seemed to made it quite stark
I think the outings were knocked of the list too
I m sure I read this week where some cruise is stranded because of CoviD

everyone’s different I m not a cruise person anyway but you asked for opinions

The cruise itself may be cancelled

I’m not a cruise person either but I think I would be too worried to enjoy it. I have heard that the activities and excursions are greatly curtailed at present so not what you’d expect to enjoy in normal times.

If it's not Covid it'll be Noro-virus where there are large enclosed gatherings, so the choice is yours.
I'd be hanging on another year if that was me, which would give you time to " up " the accommodation to a decent cabin.

What a dilemma for you. I just think of all those people stuck in their cabins on cruise ships at the start of the pandemic. I hope you can sort it out.

No ,I wouldn't go.The biggest cruise ship "Symphony of the Seas" had 40 odd passengers with Covid when it disembarked in the USA this week,all put in quarantine. More disconcerting was that a small number of passengers had been infected previously and had been disembarked earlier during the cruise.Heaven knows were !!!

Where not were.!!

Our first ever cruise cancelled us about a week before it commenced. I think my OH was secretly relieved as it’s me that was keen to try a new experience.

Some governments drastically curtailed the numbers allowed to disembark and we were summarily dumped.

I guess my recent pancreatitis will mean higher travel insurance. As I am waiting for surgery we can’t really make any plans! Frustrating but at least I am still here to whinge!

There is no easy answer is there, personally I would not be relaxed , so therefore wouldn’t go.
If you are feeling doubtful,then perhaps cut your losses & spoil yourselves at home. Best wishes

I'm no cruise person either but from what I've heard they can be hotbeds of all sorts of infection. When SARS was first prevalent some friends of ours were confined to their cabin for hours at a time. I think I'd postpone.

I think you'd be taking a big risk. Not just covid itself but quarantining rules changing, ending up stuck on the ship etc.

I know of one Gran who's been on two cruises in the past few months. Always OK and sounds like they really enjoyed it. On smaller ships though, not those huge ones.

For what it’s worth I certainly would not go on a cruise. Even pre covid there are regular noro virus outbreaks on board which can confine passengers to their ( often very small) cabins for long periods of time.
I haven't had a holiday away fir nearly 3 years. I really want to book something but won’t risk it until things calm down. Goodness knows when that will be given today’s numbers. Over 100,000 fir the first time.

No cruise or any flights for me for the foreseeable! But as many above, I am not a Cruise person and hate the thought of being stuck on one of those massive monsters in case of any virus, etc, and in general anyhow. But 1000x less now!

You're probably as safe there as here - bar the flight out there - (if you're flying).
P&O cruises cancelled for this coming March already so you may not have a choice.
Then there is the issue of being allowed off the ship ...

February 2019 we were in the Caribbean & already the staff were very stringent with hygiene rules - adamant about hand washing, hand gels, and many staff already wearing gloves & masks.

We have a month’s holiday coming up at the end of January so like you OP we are having to consider whether we should go.
Questions such as
Will we by then be allowed to exit the U.K.?
Will our destination be allowing U.K. residents in?
What if we catch COVID while away? Where we are going they take you from your hotel to a “government facility” so no air conditioning or Netflix and institutional food. No idea if we would have to pay.
If we test positive just before coming home we won’t be allowed to board the flight so our month’s holiday will become 6 weeks minimum and that negates our home insurance.
What medical hoops will we have to jump through e.g. PCR test (say £65) before departure, evidence of 2 vaccinations and a booster. Possible PCR test on arrival (over £110). PCR test before returning home (£110). PCR test by day 2 of return (£65).
You need to factor in whether you will be allowed to disembark at your various destinations. Many countries are not allowing cruise passengers to disembark.
What restrictions will there be for day to day life onboard if everybody is well? What will happen if there is a covid outbreak on board the ship? Presumably you would be confined to your cabin, would that be an issue?
I have just about talked myself out of my holiday. We booked in January 2020 for February 2021. That was moved to 2022 due to covid. Will we decide to go? I’m still not sure. If we leave it another year the loved ones we want to see may no longer be with us.
Let us know what you decide Grammajules. If you go have a lovely time.

It's so difficult isn't it. I hope you make the right decision for you.

I want to go to New Zealand for my last long haul journey and have planned it for 2023 when I get my State Pension, but wonder if I'll be able to go even then. I worry my health might have deteriorated if I leave it any later, but saying that, there was a couple in their 80's on a quite gruelling tour of India we did and they coped as well as all of us.

I wouldn’t, my sister and her OH were due to go on the 17th, they cancelled. Covid is on board and one family were escorted off by people in hazmat suits to quarantine in Tenerife, their children were scared.

I’m hoping to go later in the year. It’s already been deferred once. I don’t know if I’d go in January, but a colleague from work went on a river cruise in late October and said it was OK, just that there were frequent reminders about spacing and hand sanitising and masks were advised and available if going off the ship.

My horror would be having to isolate in an inside cabin for days.

Hope you’ve got a balcony, if you decide to go.