Vacations

Captain Sandy says people shouldn't be afraid of taking cruises or chartering yachts in the age of COVID-19 ... because she thinks a trip to the grocery store is just as risky.

The "Below Deck" sea captain tells TMZ ... life isn't worth living in fear, so if you've got no problems making essential trips to the supermarket you shouldn't be worried about getting back onboard a cruise ship or yacht.

Sandy says people should be smart about their next cruise and take the proper precautions to guard against COVID-19 ... but she says the fear of being infected shouldn't keep us stranded on land.

The way Sandy sees it ... cruises and yachts are following the same protocols as other businesses in the fight against the deadly and contagious virus, so there's no need to cower in fear and avoid an ocean vacay.

She might have her head just a bit in the sand -- the reality is some of the biggest cruise lines in the world are worried about weathering the COVID-19 storm. Yes, they're taking new precautions, but it remains to be seen if travelers feel safe enough to return.

Sandy also thinks it's full steam ahead for the next season of "Below Deck" ... she thinks they'll be able to shoot like normal in September and October -- but that's only because she's extremely optimistic about one key thing.

A bit too optimistic ... at least according to peeps like Dr. Anthony Fauci.

There's a new kind of tunnel at the U.S.-Mexico border, and it's got nothing to do with drug traffickers ... but rather, a fresh new approach to warding off the novel coronavirus.

Travelers crossing the border from Arizona into Nogales, Sonora are being greeted with a "sanitizing tunnel" ... which looks and operates like a human car wash for COVID-19.

As you can see ... after going through a port of entry, drivers and passengers are ordered out of their cars so they can walk through inflatable tunnels on the side of the road, erected by the local government.

Mexican officials call them "sanitizing tunnels" ... and they operate by spraying people with disinfectant. After the germ-killing gauntlet, drivers and passengers climb back in their cars and continue on their merry way.

The process takes less than a minute for each person and the spray uses something called Biozinc, which according to Mexican health officials, protects against infection for up to 24 hours.

So, why the new tunnels ... Nogales mayor Jesus Antonio Pujol Irastorza says many local cases of COVID-19 were discovered in Mexican citizens returning to Mexico after traveling to the U.S.

Arizona has at least 11,300 coronavirus cases and 542 deaths ... so Mexico's taking no chances at the border.

This is kinda shocking, but Carnival Cruise enthusiasts aren't letting the pandemic scare 'em away from boarding ships with hundreds of passengers.

A rep with Cruise Planners, an American Express​ Travel Representative, travel franchise, tells TMZ ... after Carnival announced this week it would resume some cruises in August, its clients immediately began reaching out to book their reservations first and nab the most premium deals.

We're told in the 3 days after Carnival's announcement ... Cruise Planners' Carnival bookings shot up 600 percent compared to the previous 3 days before the news. That makes sense, but more interestingly, it's a 200 percent increase over the same time period in 2019 -- when folks traveled without fear of the novel coronavirus.

The travel company tells us those booking Carnival cruises were "not a bit concerned about traveling at this time" because many stated they are young and healthy, and just looking to have some fun after being cooped up for so long.

Though Carnival's plan is to resume some of its cruises on August 1, it's made it clear there's no guarantee, saying ... "We continue to work with various government agencies, including the CDC, as we introduce new onboard protocols, but there is no assurance of a return on August 1."

Jacksonville, FL Beachgoers Don't seem at all concerned with the number of coronavirus deaths and cases on the rise ... because they hit the sand Friday and packed in like sardines.

It's a crazy sight, as the sun worshipers took their chances by getting in close contact with other beachgoers.

Jacksonville's mayor, Lenny Curry, celebrated the trek to the beach saying, "This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life."

President Trump is clearly encouraging people to break quarantine, with Tweets like, "LIBERATE MICHIGAN," "LIBERATE VIRGINIA," and "LIBERATE MINNESOTA."

He's clearly dog-whistling, because he threw in this ... "And save your great 2nd Amendment."

Not hard to read between the lines ... he's telling his stalwarts to ignore the advice of doctors, scientists, their governor and mayor, because they're Americans dammit.

Princess Cruise Lines is being sued by a woman who claims her husband died from COVID-19 after contracting the virus on one of its cruises.

Juishan Hsu and her daughter just filed docs against Princess Cruise Lines, claiming the company exposed passengers aboard the Ruby Princess to the novel coronavirus ... which eventually killed her husband, Chung Chen.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Juishan says she and her husband set sail out of Sydney on March 8. She claims PCL was aware of a COVID-19 outbreak on the ship, but proceeded with the cruise without warning passengers.

Juishan claims they would not have boarded if they knew about the outbreak, and would have immediately taken the first flight home. In the docs, she and her daughter claim PCL still sent out ships after 3 major outbreaks on its cruises, including one a week before on the Ruby Princess.

Princess Cruise Lines only took minimal precautions, according to the suit, including delaying boarding for the Ruby Princess by 6 hours and handing out lunch vouchers to passengers while crews tried to disinfect the ship.

But, the family claims the cruise line failed to quarantine onboard and didn't even notify passengers of the outbreak, "allowing the sailing to continue as if it were a normal cruise"

Juishan says her husband died April 4 from COVID-19 complications. She's going after the cruise line for more than $1 million in damages.

Airline carriers, cruise ships and hotels are pissing off would-be travelers seeking refunds in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic ... and most folks are s*** outta luck!!!

Here's the deal ... folks who had domestic and international vacations planned for March, April and May are running into the same problem ... they're asking for refunds from the airlines, cruises and hotels, but are mostly being told the only remedy is credits for future travel.

Our sources tell us Kenya Airways is NOT refunding anyone ... instead, we're told the airline is only offering travel credit good for one year from the date the original flight was booked.

It's bad news for a group of wanderlust women in Los Angeles who tell us they booked flights to Seychelles and Nairobi and lodging at Kenya's exclusive Giraffe Manor, which is also only offering credit good for up to a year.

The group says they booked their $3,000 roundtrip, multi-stop flights last August and were supposed to travel in March and April, but the virus' spread makes it impossible to keep the dates and reservations.

If they want to use the airline credit -- no refunds, remember -- the group must book and complete a new trip by August 2020. As for staying at Giraffe Manor -- a super-popular haunt for celebs -- the 1-year credit means they must compete with all the other people who also had trips canceled this year and those with reservations still in play.

Meanwhile, Priceline is so swamped with calls the travel agency is only handling inquiries on flights that are within the next 72 hours. For almost every major airline, it's taking at least 2 hours to get on the phone with a real person, and in some cases it's taking 2 days.

Oh and get this ... Carnival Cruises made a California grandpa fight and claw for a refund for a $7,500 family vacation with his wife, children and grandkids ... this after the 71-year-old man warned the cruise line he couldn't risk it with his health only to be offered credit for a future cruise.

The fam was supposed to set sail from Long Beach April 11, but Craig Morris wasn't about to set foot on the ship. Until this week, Carnival reportedly insisted Craig would not be refunded for the cost of the tickets and he fought the cruise line for 2 weeks trying to get his money back.

In the end, Carnival suspended all voyages until May 11 and the cruise line is finally telling Morris and other travelers they can opt for full refunds, but only after they pissed a bunch of customers off by only offering credits for future trips.

Coronavirus isn't having nearly the same impact on our neighbors to the South -- namely, Mexico -- and as such, one company is cool with shipping college kids off for Spring Break.

A rep for STS Travel -- a touring company that sells vacation and party packages -- tells TMZ ... it does NOT have any plans to cancel scheduled trips for the time being. Instead, they're moving forward ... despite a majority of their customers pulling the plug themselves.

When we spoke to STS on Monday, they said about 1,500 students were already in places like Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Nassau -- and just 10% of their clientele from that batch had canceled over coronavirus. Now, about a week later, and right before they ship out another group this weekend, they're telling us a vast majority of customers are calling to cancel their Spring Break packages. Makes sense ... lot's changed in the past few days.

In any case, whether they're canceling now or later ... STS says none of these young bucks are automatically entitled to cash refunds, at least not outright. They tell us they are trying to reschedule people for trips down the line, but it sounds like they're hesitant to give everyone's money back. STS is putting some of that burden on the hotels and airlines they partner with, telling us some of those companies are offering credit to the kids.

It's a weird situation for sure -- STS says it's already got a bunch of people down in these tropical destinations who are supposed to be flying back soon, so they're not gonna hold up those travel arrangements, or halt those already set to take place in the coming days.

Besides that, Mexico itself is one of the few countries that's caught flak of late for allegedly taking a somewhat lackadaisical approach to the coronavirus -- with the government there allowing certain public events to move forward and not implementing hard bans like here.

There aren't nearly as many confirmed cases in Mexico yet, so it seems Americans -- and this company who'll sponsor them -- are trying to get in their last licks while they still can. And, hey, flights are dirt cheap right now ... even if it doesn't look all that poppin' this year.

A top cruise line is taking new measures to keep coronavirus off its ships and to keep passengers happy -- but even sick guests and those who have traveled in impacted countries are encouraged to return ... once they've recovered, of course.

Carnival Cruise Line -- one of the 9 cruise brands under the Carnival Corp. umbrella -- tells TMZ ... it's implemented an enhanced screening process due to concerns over coronavirus, and guests who are deemed unable to board at the terminal will get all their money back.

On top of that, we're told the sick guests will be reimbursed for transportation, and bonus -- they'll also get a 20 percent credit for a future cruise. A pretty decent consolation.

As for other safety precautions ... CCL says it's worked with the CDC and the World Health Organization to update screening procedures. Additionally, anyone who's traveled to China, Hong Kong, South Korea or Macau within 14 days of their cruise's scheduled departure will not be allowed to set sail.

Meanwhile, Crystal Cruises are also offering ill or restricted passengers an option plan -- 100 percent refund or a 125 percent future cruise credit -- but ONLY if they notify Crystal within 7 days of departure. Otherwise, we're told there could be cancelation fees.

The cruise industry, in particular, is taking coronavirus very seriously after a Princess Cruise liner was quarantined for 2 weeks earlier this month with 3,700 passengers on board. The ship was isolated in Japan's Yokohama Bay when at least 700 guests were reportedly diagnosed with the virus. They were eventually evacuated, but 4 of them have died.