Is it bonkers to think that this is a prime time to go on a cruise?

Depends. Do you have to pay extra for the days or weeks you spend on the ship in mandatory quarantine?

https://imgur.com/a/5TUP5bq

This is inching closer to reality.

I guess it depends on your propensity for risk. I mean you only live once, if you have to go out, there are worse ways. :)

If you can find one that has not been cancelled, I would bet there will be great deals in both cruise prices and particularly hotel rooms in Mexico. The great risk, I should think is in being quarantined in Mexico.
Trapped on the boat would probably be preferable, with most popular cruise lines exceeding the Mexican government in competence and resources.

We went on a cruise to Alaska in September, and yeah there some beautiful sites but we found it more of a eating, shopping trip.
And there were plenty of shows and things to do in the evening on board, found the days a little lax maybe because they expected you to be in a town spending to your cards catch fire.
Also picture the town of Skag way it has around 600 full time residents, so can we say SMALL, now four cruise ships pull into town and dump 10,000 people into the streets like walking in down town New York.
But the cruise itself was nice just not going to sign up for another one any time soon.

@ragingloli Is correct. It’s probably okay, but a cruise ship is a petri dish. If one person gets sick, then the whole ship could be quarantined. Personally, I wouldn’t right now.

As a person who buys clothes out of season to get a deal, some things are not worth doing for a discount.

We are sitting pretty so far in this country. We have things in place all the time which some countries don’t have until major emergency hits. This week my local news station announced what hospitals have quarantine space always at the ready.

In China there are no sporting events, all theaters are closed, people are not allowed to congregate into groups. Most of Asia has shut down. All necessary measures because there is already spreading out of control many places.

If you were on a ship an a breakout occurred, you could end up not allowed to make port anywhere. That would not be optimum conditions for extending one’s vaca.
Check this.

I want to say go for it! But as @caravanfan points out, a ship is a huge Petri dish. Your immune system has been compromised so it probably isn’t a great idea at this time.

I wouldn’t travel now..

I try to stay away from hospitals, too.

I think I could survive, a pandemic. But. I am not betting on it…

Going on a big cruise ship would be torcher for me anytime. The closest that I came was a cruise around the Galápagos Islands on a relatively small boat. There were lots of stops, hikes and snorkeling. Pretty fun.

Hikes on Galápagos Islands???

Great time to grab a deal. I was thinking about it myself. I think Florida to the Caribbean is probably relatively safe and I was thinking of maybe just doing one of those quick cruises. It depends on how much time my husband can take off from work.

I think off of the west coast of America it might be more risky since those cruise ships tend to have a lot of people from Asia, and I don’t know how controlled all the Asian countries are now regrading travel. I don’t think America is doing anything extreme yet to evaluate passengers on ships that dock in America.

The flu usually goes from Asia onto Australia, North America, Europe, and then later into South America, so if this coronavirus follows a similar pattern (I have not idea if it will) then you might be relatively ok going to Mexico, but off course there are no guarantees. Flipping cruiseships get norovirus! Ugh, the worst. I’ve never become sick on ship though, thank goodness.

When I sailed with Holland America, the first 48 hours we could not serve ourselves from the buffet, the employees did all of the serving to curb the possibility of illness spreading, not all cruise lines do that.

When the health organizations track the flu every year they watch it come across on the cruise ships from Asia. I think only go last minute, don’t plan ahead, because restrictions might change without much notice with what is going on now.

You couldn’t make me take a cruise for free…..ever. But I have family leaving Sunday for a two week cruise. So, that’s all I got.

I think it’s bonkers any time of the year. I don’t understand the appeal of being stuck with the same people on a large ship. This is one reason why I quit being a travel agent. Everyone wanted to cruise or go to Cancun. It’s hard for me to sell something I’m not enthusiastic about.

Cruising is great because it’s mindless. You unpack once. You won’t wind up fighting with your spouse about getting lost while trying to drive to the restaurant. You can see multiple cities and inbetween cities you are entertained rather than focusing on driving or changing planes.

^Never going to convince me. I don’t like crowds. My kind of entertainment is sitting on a beach with just my family and a campfire. :)

It’s far from mindless. You have to follow a set schedule, for everything. And you better get back to the ship on time. They won’t wait for you.
I prefer to relax, on a vacation. I’ve been on multiple cruises, and what I remember most, is worrying about getting back to the ship on time, and if they’ll find all the many bottles I just bought.

Cruises have there pros. Great way to get some one night stands. Food available, basically whenever you want. More safety, than traditional traveling.

But. I’d rather do things, on my own schedule. And, I wouldn’t be pleased to be quarantined on a ship. That would piss me off….

@Jonsblond Not trying to convince you, just telling you the mindset. I like quiet solitude also. I like both. I can’t compare a campfire in the woods to a ship full of people, but you can compare cruising to cities vs flying or driving. If you cruise to Bermuda it’s usually cheaper than flying and paying for a hotel there. You can cruise to Europe or from Asia cheaper than flying some times of the year, especially last minute.

You’ll be fine, go have fun JP!
Look for a 5 day cruise, ships start to smell like locker rooms after about 6 days.

@cheebdragon Excellent advice! I never considered that factor. With this scare maybe the rooms and public areas will be wiped down and cleaned more frequently with bleach wipes.

Just to weigh in, I think with your compromised immune system, this is not the time to go on a cruise. Plus if the ship is not allowed to land or debark at certain stops as has been happening, it could be a PIA.

Once the scare is over, cruise lines will still be fighting to rebuild client confidence and you may get a bargain then.

I would not go on a cruise now and I am as healthy as a (somewhat lame) horse.

How about a luxury cabin in the woods vacation? Or even a nice B and B in Cannon Beach?

But obviously, we all take the risks we want to and its your choice.