(Art by Bandaid Bliss)
Unfortunately with the spread of coronavirus around the globe this year conventions everywhere have had to postpone their festivities in the name of keeping attendees safe and keeping the virus from spreading further. The latest casualty of the pandemic would appear to be SeaBronies who have put out a presser confirming the cancelation of Expedition 5.
Get the full details after the break!
It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the cancellation of SeaBronies Expedition 5, originally scheduled for September 2020. This cruise is being canceled outright and will not, as previously intended, be rescheduled. It is our hope that we will be able to return to cruising in 2022, but at this point, we have no guarantees.
We had previously announced internally that Expedition 5 was being rescheduled until September of 2021. However, due to human error on the part of the cruise line, we were later notified that the September 2021 itinerary is actually too full to accommodate our group, and that it would be significantly more expensive than our original plans. The only suitable replacement voyages would have been in May of 2021.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we do not believe it is prudent to plan a cruise voyage in early to mid-2021 at this time. We will outline our reasons below.
First and foremost, we are concerned about the risk of this disease for our cruisers and staffers. SeaBronies’s attendance has always skewed significantly older than most other “brony” targeted events, with the average cruiser in their 30s or 40s. Additionally, many of us have pre-existing conditions that put us in a high-risk group. Should a coronavirus outbreak occur on a SeaBronies cruise, a number of us will be in grave danger.
Second, we are concerned about the high probability of a 2021 cancellation being forced by the cruise line. While the number of new cases per day in the US has been slowly declining for months, that was under a regimen of lockdowns, social distancing, and business closures. As more states “open up”, we are witnessing increases in infection rates, some alarmingly quick. The anticipated “second wave” is materializing even before the “first wave” had a chance to fully dissipate. It is unlikely that Americans are going to be willing to commit to a second round of lockdowns once states have “opened up”, and accordingly there is a significant chance of infection rates going back up, possibly well into 2021. This will almost certainly lead to additional cruise cancellations. A number of 2021 voyages have already been canceled across multiple cruise operators, and we anticipate this number to increase.
Third, we are concerned about additional logistical issues being put into place which may compromise the cruise experience, and possibly lead to cruisers being held in quarantine even without displaying symptoms. Some states are requiring negative COVID-19 tests for anyone who enters and/or for anyone about to board a cruise, with any positive test leading to a mandatory two-week quarantine. Therefore, it’s possible that one or more of our cruisers might be quarantined before or after their voyage, and kept from traveling home. Additionally, multiple cruise lines are instituting strict new social distancing policies, eliminating traditional cruise buffets, and otherwise taking measures which will make cruising less fun and more stressful.
We are cruisers first and foremost. We love the sea, and we miss oceangoing travel dearly. But we pride ourselves on being willing to do what’s right, even if it is personally painful for us. We are not willing to risk the health of our cruisers in this uncertain environment. The high seas are not going anywhere, and we hope to be able to return to them in 2022 or 2023. But for now, we choose the side of caution out of respect for the health and well-being of all of our SeaBronies family.
There is some good news here. We are presently planning a “land excursion” across the extended July 4 weekend in 2021. This will be an East Coast excursion to Virginia, incorporating three different theme parks, fireworks on the beach, and a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. The full date range will be July 1–9, but if you can’t make such a lengthy trip, we will accommodate people attending only a few of these days. Further details will be announced soon.
If you have any questions about the cruise cancellation, feel free to reach out to us at SeaBronies@gmail.com.
ABOUT SEABRONIES:
SeaBronies, established in 2015, is a meetup group that holds all of its main events on commercially available cruises rather than in conventional meetup venues. Not a “brony cruise provider”, but rather a facilitator of brony meetups and events ON pre-existing cruises, SeaBronies aims to provide and curate fun experiences on cruises around the world for bronies, pegasisters and pony fans. Well-traveled staffers bring to the table their expertise from over 60 individual cruises. SeaBronies has presently hosted five cruises, including four featuring VIP guests.
