In retrospect, maybe buying a cruise wasn't the best choice for a stress-free vacation this year.
Don't be too hard on yourself. When you decided a year ago to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a cruise, you had no way of knowing that coronavirus would become such a major health concern.
And you certainly couldn't have foreseen the horror story that unfolded aboard Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess ship. What started with 10 confirmed cases of the virus on Feb. 4 grew into more than 700 cases over two weeks the ship was quarantined off the coast of Japan.
Historians will forever debate whether quarantining vulnerable passengers aboard a ship was the right response in the outbreak's early days.
But you've got these tickets now and you're wondering whether you should go as planned. Most cruisers booked on voyages to Asian countries hit hard by the virus already have their answer _ in February, their cruise lines canceled those trips and refunded their money.
So far, the cruise lines aren't canceling voyages to other destinations, including the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe. Except for the few who spent money on "Cancel For Any Reason" travel insurance, you'll forfeit the money you spent on your cruise if you decide not to go on a trip the cruise line does not cancel.
To go or not to go? This dilemma plays out in the social media section of the consumer-focused cruise information website cruisecritic.com, which features a separate "roll call" forum for every cruise scheduled by the major cruise lines.
On a roll call for Carnival Cruise Line's March 15 seven-day trip to the Caribbean and Mexico aboard Carnival Horizon, a woman named Brenda confided, "I know the Coronavirus is real bad and I have so many friends that are trying to TELL ME that the 8 of us should not do our cruise. I know it is still about 5 weeks away, so I'm praying that things will get better over this time period."
Another member, TeresaJ, posted, "I am hoping the Coronavirus will be died down by the time we cruise. It seems to (be) mostly overseas so I think we will be OK."
Brenda responded, "Yes Teresa, I hope you're right."
