DARK_MAGIC

Let’s say for the 2022 Mediterranean cruise season (or anywhere really) you’re on a cruise ship that mandates the vaccine. I assume they would do testing before and after the cruise like they just did on the celebrity millennium fully vaccinated cruise. The problem here is you and your family can be fully vaccinated, and you spend $6,000 in flights to Europe and right before you board the ship 1 family member tests positive. So there goes your vacation down the tubes, and you just paid all that money for a transatlantic flight. And you already “used” the flight so you can’t get your money back and COVID-19 is a known threat so I doubt travel insurance will do anything since where COVID-19 is concerned it’s “buyer beware.” You might get your money back for the cruise but your money for that flight to nowhere is gone!! Am I looking at this wrong or is this going to be a valid concern to many families looking to cruise in the near future???

thursdaysd

You're going to need to read a LOT of fine print. For instance, some travel insurance policies are now covering Covid-19, but you'd better make sure exactly what they cover. Also, Celebrity flew the couple who tested positive home on a private plane. Whether that will still happen next year, or for cruises in the Med, is anyone's guess.

If you're not feeling lucky, maybe you should look into a different kind of vacation.

Sassafrass

You are posing some interesting “what if” questions. I do a lot of research and planning, but tend to book last minute, so not even thinking about booking yet for next year. I am in kind of a “wait and see” mode. I am not even thinking of a real vacation yet here in the US. I want to go to the Caribbean, specifically, St Kitts, but there is a big outbreak there, so no go on that now for a long time. I do think things will be better by next year, but COVID is still a big issue in much of the world, so all travel may be affected for awhile longer. I am not averse to risks with money or inconvenience, but do not want to get sick someplace and have no control of options.

DARK_MAGIC

Sassafrass,
thank you. You make some vaild points.

mlgb

There have been a number of passengers flown home on private transportation from the current cruises when they presented early in the cruise with symptoms and tested positive. Some also tested positive after being contact-traced and were isolated (since the cruises are short I think they stayed on until the end of cruise). Many if not most of those testing positive were fully vaccinated, by the way. Some cruise lines were not requiring a negative test pre-boarding or masking, and had children on board.

Expect masking and pre-cruise testing to be reimposed by the cruise lines (Celebrity just updated their requirements yesterday due to an outbreak on the Edge).

thursdaysd

Also expect to be financially responsible for the flight home soon. The cruise lines are currently footing the bill, but have already published dates when that will stop.