evergrn

Decided we're going to Jpn.
I have some concerns, but Hokkaido is calling us.
Still only 28 cases in Jpn, and we're only gone a week so I just think it's very unlikely US will add Jpn to its restrictions (they haven't even added HKG yet).
Got masks and hand sanitizers ready.

Annalisa12

My insurance says it won't cover corona virus. I'm not sure how a doctor's note would cover it. Everyone would easily be able to get a doctor's note like that.

weero

The LH group is really difficult on this one.

We had through travel into WUH booked for the New Year. Tried to cancel when the domestic portion was already not operating anymore - agents could not find any advisory on the matter. Still awaiting a decision on the refund. Ticket was semiflex for most segments.

evergrn

In a complete about-face, we have cancelled.

Lot has happened in Jpn in the past couple days. We could no longer accept the risks.
Someone died with virus diagnosis made posthumously, which is clear evidence of many undiagnosed people in Jpn.
String of cases involving people with no recent contact with Chinese, meaning unclear source and community transmission.
Jpn instituting policies that enable officials to detain and deny entry to anyone on board a plane carrying someone suspected of having the virus.
Countries starting to add Jpn to their alert list.

None of this had happened as of 2-3 days ago. By the time we're slated to return to US a week from now, who knows where things stand.

Carnforth

Same here, for the last few days was considering cancelling 3 week holiday in Japan but the first death was the trigger point, especially as there was a taxi driver connection so went ahead and cancelled.
I don't have a great worry about being infected (but of course it's a consideration) but as I as an obvious outsider, don't want to place taxi-drivers, fellow train passengers or hotel employees in an awkward position. And of course, should either of us have a heavy cold or flu, then there's no telling whether we would be placed in quarantine.
I think I shall have to write off about £700 which is small compared to the cost of the trip. I'm hoping to get a full refund less £500 on my Lufthansa P class tickets LHR - Haneda. Hotels are cancellable.
Have 2x single domestic flights on JAL 'Experience Japan' which are non-refund but that's the deal I accepted, so will write that cost off.
However if JAL start refunding non-refundable tickets, it would be nice, but I'm not expecting them to.
Fortunately, I tend to leave buying my travel insurance near departure time as my main concern is not baggage or cancellation but medical. It's extremely unlikely that my normal travel insurers would have paid out for elective cancellation so fortunately I have saved a large outlay there. Likewise, glad I delayed purchase of rail-cards.
I'm happy with our decision to cancel; we will think about a post-Olympic visit

WestCoastPDX

Arrived in Taiwan yesterday via Tokyo, about to spend the entire day wondering around Taipei.

Aside from wearing a mask, I’m not sure what the mass hysteria is about.
It’s like canceling a trip to NYC because someone in Kansas got the plague.

*shrug*. To each their own, but, we’re having a delightful time here already.

jeffpdx

It's not played up in the news but that town that is quarantined is about 5 miles from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi. I don't have any air travel cities that will get a me a refund as there is no China travel. I will lose $300 to reinstate the miles. I'm sitting on the two one way tickets as the airlines say they can't waive the fees. I dislike doing it as the tickets could potentially be sold but at this point I guess they think the $300 is a better bet. I'd love to go, booked the vacation in Nov of last year. I wish I knew if the infection statistics were accurate at 16 people. At some point I'll just quit being cheap and pay the reinstatement fees.

bobbytables

I’ve been in Hanoi since the start of the week. Life is normal here, plenty of people around including foreigners, and the Bia Hoi is still cold. No signs of a covered up mass epidemic... Vietnam is actually refreshingly free of fear compared to a few other countries I’ve been to in the region recently.

jeffpdx

. that’s great! I’m glad to hear that!

bobbytables

just thought you might want some more realistic perspective than whatever the news is spewing today, apologies if it was unwelcome...

jeffpdx

its totally welcome! I really hope to visit someday. Enjoy.

evergrn

Cancellation policy on our particular EVA fare class was more generous than I'd expected.
In all, we ended up eating between $2000-2500 for cancelling our trip to Jpn (air, couple of hotel nights), less than i'd initially feared.

Desirees

We leave for Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reip and Bangkok on April 1. Would be out about 3k which included prepaid hotel (Sofitel in Saigon who won’t refund money for one of the 2 rooms), and internal flights between countries. Still not decided if we will
cancel. Will wait and watch and decide probably around the 20th of March.

evergrn

It generally makes sense to wait till as late as possible. That’s what we did with our trip. But last minute cancellation was costly in that airfares to our alternate ski destination had skyrocketed. So I think I would be thinking about alternative option and keeping an eye on related airfares/costs.

Polytonic

Out of curiosity, is there anyone here who (knowing what they know now) decided to go for it? I see WestCoastPDX went.

Getting a lot of pushback from family, but just from a statistics standpoint, even if I do transit NRT/ICN as part of a SIN itinerary, if it were really all that bad, I would expect more cases popping up in secondary destinations.