No one thought Covid would still be here, yet no one but Covid knows when it will be done. The tale of how I became the Pandemic Traveler!
So let me start and be clear, I don’t care about your politics and I don’t care how well you studied science on the Internet these last couple of years. If the people who studied Virology over their life (when no one cared about it) aren’t sure than I sure as hell can’t tell you what will happen, and you can’t either!
So what is happening internationally right now. Well I was supposed to wake up In Prague this morning, instead of this view, I woke up at home!
So what happened. COVID, Laura and I were planning on cruising on the AmaMagna on the Danube for Christmas Markets. A 3 Day stay in Prague with Ama a week long cruise and 2 days in Budapest.
First Austria goes into Lock Down, Germany cancels its Christmas Markets and Hungry is somewhere in between still kind of open.
Ama usually one of my most recommended River Cruise lines fumbles badly at the line of Scrimmage. No communications, Adequate phone support and no real advice on what the best options are.
Ama has decided to continue their Christmas Market cruise without stopping in Austria, The Magna spent most of last week in Hungry, with a lot of bus tours to events that were open. Those who chose to Cruise got 50% credit for days they could not go to Austria! I get to travel on something called a FAM (cruise familiarization), A discounted fare where I can familiarise myself on the Cruise Line and it’s ships. I decided the cruise they are now offering would not be a good representation of this cruise or Ama in general so I cancelled, I also had bought as you should too, travel insurance. The Cruise is still scheduled to leave and the pre stay in a shut down Prague is going on now.
I have been traveling during most of this Pandemic. In December 2019 We were in Italy when Covid was first discovered.
Look at all the people, Covid was making its first appearance in Milan, coming over from Hunan. No one had any idea what was to happen next. It didn’t start shutting things down till Feb 2020 but when it hit it hit good. From Feb of 2020 to July we stayed at home. Our son Fr. Peter came home from Italy in March planning on being in the US for a few weeks. He got to go back to Italy in September.
March 2020 the Cruise lines, Disney/Universal, Las Vegas, All shut. July of 2020 the start of reopening. Florida jumps to the lead of reopening and becomes America’s petri dish.
We took our first trip to Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom, during the parks shutdown and the slow reopening thinking (correctly) that Disney would put safety first and that we would not get into a crowded situation.
As you can see things were very different early July from being passed on World Drive when I was doing 80, to actually going off property to a restaurant and a winery. Disney was empty and the parks still closed, Disney Springs was slowly coming back to life. Jock Lindsey’s reopened while we were there, got to have anniversary dinner at STK basically by ourselves.
Cast members returning talking about the animals born during the closure. Sitting by yourself on the boardwalk. The entrance to the Animal Kingdom and the Polynesian empty of people and cars. It was great to travel again.
This tale will continue. I’m relaying this so you will let me help you plan trips during a changing time. Flexibility is key and I (at no cost to you) can help you plan for Uncertainty.
