untailored bostonian

Hey! I'm 72 and it sounds good to me. 🤷‍♂️

3 hours ago, bdever said:

Based on my experience on the Panorama you do not have a reason to be concerned about social distancing in the MDR. On any given night the dining room was 25% occupancy. MDR staff extremely accommodating with my request for social distancing and it was never an issue for them or me. Lots of tables to choose from.

I saw recently that, I think it was CCL quarterly report, that even at these low passenger capacity they are doing better than break even.

On 10/13/2021 at 7:31 AM, rtrtx2 said:

[...]  however I did not know about the app at that point, and hostess actually helped , so she may had indicated to share table. 

I've installed the app. Thanks for the advice. I leave in a week.

It will be so odd to be by myself.

On 10/12/2021 at 5:14 PM, bdever said:

I sail solo and always get assigned to a table alone that seats 2 people. I do request a socially distanced table and sometimes to accommodate that request they will seat me at a table that seats 4 people.

I am concerned by "social distancing" in the main dining room.  I am full vaxes, 3rd dose 15 days before cruise, and I mask up everywhere here at home.

I hope my experience on the Freedom will reflect my concerns.

In two weeks I will be going for my first solo cruise. I wonder how seating in the main dining room is handled?

I selected anytime dining and I wonder how common a table for one is. If there are fellow cruisers  who have sailed solo, how does this worked for you? 

Your own table? Do you find another solo cruiser and share a table?  Or do you just get a random seat with others at a larger table?

With covid protocols and concerns this may all be a new procedure.

On 8/15/2021 at 4:44 PM, ridethetide said:

We took a repositioning cruise on the Wind Star many years ago from Colon, Panama to Bermuda. It was supposed to be 10 sea days and ended up being 11 1/2 days due to 10-14 foot seas the entire cruise. Fortunately, we both had patches and were not sea sick.  It was actually fun. There were only 55 passengers and we had many laughs about chairs sliding across the lounge and the Veranda. 

A day or 2 would be fine but I am looking forward to mostly gentler seas.

On 8/16/2021 at 12:50 PM, Strenz said:

We have done 2 trans Atlantic's and one trans Pacific with WS. Atlantic you never know we have had flat as ice, and nice seas, wavy, never a storm. There is motion most of the time especially when are midway. We are fortunate we do not get sea sick, most likely due to  a life spent sailing. We love the trans ocean crossings. The Pacific was beyond calm because we were close to the equator " the doldrums ". All I can say is all three heavenly. Enjoy. Happy Sailing

Motion is what we hope to get.  Lake Atlantic would be a disappointment!

4 hours ago, Pudgesmom said:

We've done 4 Eastbound Transatlantics on the Windsurf, twice from Barbados and twice from St Maarten each time landing in Lisbon. On our crossings, the weather was mostly mild with very little wave action, maybe a couple of days of 5-7' seas and slight rolling. That's probably almost two months of sailing days in the spring, and we've had 2 days of rain overall. Of course, YMMV.

 

Our craziest time was in the North Sea on one of the motor yachts. The captain RAN from Norway to a leeward position in the British Isles area (actually leaving port several hours early), where we anchored down amongst tankers and rode out 24 hours of 20-25' seas. Every single item on the entire ship was tied down.

24 hours of that would be fine, but 25 feet mid ocean might be a bit more mother nature than is good for the soul.  Beside, in the open ocean it would take several days to build then receed.

On 8/21/2021 at 5:25 PM, SailingSteve77 said:

We have sailed on the Wind Surf TA both ways across the pond.  Our first was in 2019 and we talked with fellow passengers who sailed on the same cruise the year prior and were hit by a rouge wave in the middle of the night.  The bolted down Grand Piano flipped over and a bit other damage on board.  Luckily no one was hurt, since most everyone was in their cabins asleep.  

 

We've had a few rough sea days, but my wife and I are both sailors (inland lakes mostly) and we love the rocking you to sleep each night.

 

Cheers!

I assume many that cruisers on windstar have sailed themselves.

I am looking forward to the feel of the oceans.  Not sure I'd actually enjoy piano flipping seas, but a day of bow spray would be an experience.  We are not sailers nor boaters but the open ocean is our love.

July 2022 we are doing a 21 day double transatlantic on the QM2 that includes a 7 day Norway segment in between. That is 15 or 16 sea days out of 21.  But on the QE2 we will not get the feel of the sea I'm sure will define the Wind Star's 15 sea days.

We booked the 2023 repositioning cruise from Barbados to Lisbon on the Wind Star.  We would like to hear about how much ocean you feel in mid-ocean. 

We booked it because it is 15 days all sea days.  Now the DH loves the idea of big seas. We both want to feel the ocean. He want the perfect storm. 😱

Does anyone have an ocean tale to tell.

As cruises resume there already have been stories of passengers being removed from a ship mid-cruise because of covid.

Is there a cruise insurance that covers all costs of an onshore quarentine, over seas health care, and transportation home?

I have Cunard travel protection but I don't think it covers all that.

11 hours ago, MichiganBound said:

I was thinking exactly the same thing.  Wouldn't it be ironic if it turns out the two passengers gained access to the ship using fake vax cards.  Probably not the case but time will tell.

Being vaccinated does not make you immune.  We recently saw that multiple, 9 I think, members of the New York Yankees tested positive although they were fully vaccinated.

Their work place requires nearly daily PCR testing. 99% plus of fully vaccinated individuals never get tested for covid. However, if they were we would find a significant number do catch covid and maybe multiple times.

Most post vaccination cases of covid are asymptomatic and those with symptoms are only mildly ill. They may be contagious but that is still unclear.

On 6/10/2021 at 8:10 PM, oteixeira said:

So what you are saying is, they took the vaccine, and they tested positive but have no symptoms, aren't sick, and didn't pass it to anyone else on the ship based on all the others testing negative?  Sounds like everything (including the vaccine) is working as designed.  This is a win, people are going to test positive if you test everyone all the time.

The only point, we lack data on how infections vaccinated but asymptomaticly ill with covid are.

10 minutes ago, forgotmyCCname said:

When I was dealing with NCL they required a test prior to boarding as well as proof of vaccine; as we were to be cruising out of Jamaica we would also receive a test on board 

3 days prior to the end of the cruise. This would be at NCL expense.

 

It sounds like a reasonable plan. One of my college kids had Covid tests sent to him at home prior to the start of the semester. 

I mentioned an MSC cruise on YT and they may have required a precruise test, but one of the YT got tested dockside.

We don't know what covid protocols will be required by the CDC and what additional protocols a cruise line will impose.  But I don't think the unvacinated cruisers are going to be happy cruisers.

12 minutes ago, pinnacleking2021 said:

IMAGINE YOU ARE VACCINATED AND YOUR ABOUT TO BOARD THE SHIP AND YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE NO SYMPTOMS..NIGHTMARE

 

SAY NO TO ANY TESTING ON CRUISES GET RID OF MASK RULES VACCINE REQUIREMENTS AND TESTING

 

I AM VACCINATED BUT I AM AGAISNT FORCING PEOPLE TO GET THE VACCINE I AM AGAISNT TESTING AND I AM VERY MUCH AGAISNT MASK WEARING 

Imnho.

I think only unvaccinated cruisers will be tested dockside because of the logistics of boarding on time.  I also expect the unvaccinated to get retested at least once more.

Every cruise will have covid cases. Contact tracing may require you to quarantine in your cabin even if you have been vacinated.

There is 4 to 6 weeks before we know all the new Cruise Covid Protocols.

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

I think it's a given, unvaccinated cruise's are going to require masks at time's in and around the ship during certain times.

I think all cruisers will be required to wear contact tracing bracelets that also act as your contact less cruise card. A recent YT video of a cruise on the MSC Virtusos had to wear them.

If so I would expect color coding that shows you vaccination status.

Also I expect pre-bording dockside testing for those unable to prove vaccination status, plus follow up testing onboard.

10 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Yes, and I expect to win the lottery this week. 😉

I know. 😆  There is some qualifications by age, but all unvcinated including children will be wearing masks all cruise.

The contact tracing bracelets will set off the anti vaxers too.

43 minutes ago, FOXTROT said:

Do your research & prove me wrong. As long as it is an experimental drug, it is illegal to require people to get it. If the vaccines are so good, what difference does it make if I have it or not? 

OMG!  A real Q-Brain commitment.

These vaccines are not a drug.

These vaccines are not unproven. Quite the opposite they have been rigorously studied and PROVEN safe ad effective.

There are cicles of people in this country sadly misinformed by the disinformation generated by the likes of the followers of QAnon and the delusional politicians of a once great party.

"Prove me wrong"?  I don't think you know enough science to know the truth and just believe the lies of a Carlson or ONA.

21 hours ago, cruiserking said:

Thoroughly disgusted by Royal Caribbean's latest decision not to require vaccinations. Just curious how many people Royal can expect to cancel their cruises in the near future if the this dangerous policy stays in place. 

 

Jonathan

I have not read the full thread, so excuse any overlap.

Imnho and based off what I saw on a YT video of MCS protocols, I expect mandatory for ALL cruisers contact tracing bracelets that also act as a touchless cruise cards. I would expect then to come in two colors, vacinated, unvacinated. 

I then would expect mandated mask use for unvacinated cruiser. I would hope repeated violation would result in being removed at the next port, or at least mandated quarentine in you cabin. There may be required pre-bording RCL covid testing and repeated covid testing for unvacinated cruisers.

I also expect that there would be certian activities banned for unvacinated cruisers. Specialty dining. Shows, or at least being seated in an unvacinated section. Casino. Certain enclosed bars or eating venues.

Todate RCL says the "expect" cruisers will be 95% fully vacinated.

2 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

You do know don't you that "self financed" UK Quarantine will probably be more expensive then the cost on travelling across on the QM2. Unless you take a grills suite maybe.

Exactly.  But if you are willing to pay the price you can do it.  Same costs if you fly in.

Maybe if you are visiting family for an extended period or a long business trip you might be willing to eat the pain.

19 hours ago, ace2542 said:

So they must think the U.S travel ban and UK quarantine situation will be lifted by June 23rd. Perhaps they know something we don't. The UK has a roadmap laid out but we have heard nothing further from the Biden administration regarding the opening of borders.

The CDC will make changes, imnho,  by early summer. I think Cunnard us holding out hope that the UK will lift mandatory quarentines on all non UK citizens if they have a completed vaccinations.  The UK should do that but bureaucracies have a unique inertia to change.

As of now any American is allowed to take that TA if they are willing to pay the price of mandated self financed UK quarentine.

10 hours ago, IB2 said:

No, you’re exhibiting the same tendency to project the current state of the world forward, and to not realise how dramatically things can sometimes change, that those posters did who exclaimed in surprise (*surprise* being the polite responses) when I suggested all cruising was about to be cancelled back in March 2020.

 

The pandemic will recede, and we will get back to a point when it seems as if everything has returned to normal (I say “seems” because there are usually longer term changes triggered by major crisis events that take years to play out - as we now see with the 2008/9 financial crisis).  That may well be as early as this summer, if the warmer northern hemisphere weather proves as effective at driving case numbers down as last year. More likely, however, with new variants and patchy progress of vaccination around the world, we are talking 2022.

You are dead wrong.  Covid is NEVER going away. Mutations, that we now know occur more rapidly than any viroligist thought, will make covid an ever present danger.

Covid is less seasonal than the flu as we discovered last summer with the surge that exceed the initial springtime surge.  The current vaccines, as we already know, are less effective against the UK, South African, and the two Brazilian variants.  I have not seen data on the Californian or NY variants yet, but the specific mutation sights are inline with the first 3.  There is also an Oregon variant that has been this past week discovered, and is believed to be in community spread, that has mutations in specific genetic location that could make it even more virulent and more resistant to current vaccines.

Yes, as we get vaccinated we will see less serious disease, but understand that at least 25% of those vacinated will STILL get covid.  People who have had covid will catch covid again even after vaccinations.  Now the best estimates of the experts based on post vaccinated cases show that nearly none get ill enough to become critically ill. In fact many are asymptomatic or mild "stay at home" cases. BUT  they are still infectious and still can spread the virus after vaccination.

Certainly the pandemic is going to become endemic.  Yes endemic covid after 2020 will seem more normal. However, public heath experts will still advise mask use in public.  Of courses that will be ignored by the "I have my rights you can't take away my freedoms" simpletons, putting all of us at risk.

How can you possibly with any credibility say "That may well be as early as this summer, if the warmer northern hemisphere weather proves as effective at driving case numbers down as last year."  Just look at the surge last summer, and that surge was driven by just 4 states, TX, FL, AZ, and sourhern CA which are extremely hot at that time of the year.  We don't know what we don't know, but we do know the warm weather does not reduce the risk of community spread. Frankly your statement is disinformation and not correlated with the data.

Most of the 3rd world will not get vaccinated until late 2022, more likely 2023, because the first world nations are going to hoard vaccines.  Countries like the UK and the US will be able to vaccinate their entire populations by mid-june.  In England they are using the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as a single shot with a second shot several months later. As of now they already have a third of their citizens protected by their first jab.  The US regime and vaccine-types are different.  Only about 10% are fully vaccinated and 20% have had at least 1 jab.

By the time of the August 22nd cruise both countries, UK and US, will be nearly fully vaccinated. But in the US the antideluvian anti-vaxer's, the antigoverment folk, and the "It has nanotechnology that will be activated by G5 that will control your mind" dimwits will refuse to take the vaccine. They will tell you it's their right and no one can steal their freedoms.  That will be about 20%+ of American adults. Children under 16 will not be vaccinated until mid to late fall.

Yes, 2022 is going to feel "normal" after 2020 and 2021. But we, and the world, are going to see a new surge in April even as we vaccinate because of the current know variants.  It hopefully won't be worse than last summer's surge levels [Remember how some one told us it would all just go away with warmer weather?]  

We will control the virus with updated covid booster shots,  maybe twice a year, for a while. But that vaccination regime will not be enough.  2022 will still have public health experts telling us we need to mask up.  They will still advise to not have mass gatherings like concerts and sporting events. Airlines will try to maintain mask requirements, as they should. [The federal mask mandates in transportation may not be lifted for a year or more.] Venues like Universal Orlando and the world wide Disney will likely not change mask standards for a year or more.  Small groups socially distancing is a permanent social standard for the foreseeable future.

Think 2023 as when we ease public health best practices.  That is dependent on continued, improved, vaccine efficacy and current antiviral treatments being developed.  Covid-19 has been a teachable moment. The mRNA vaccines will impact next generation flu vaccines and cancer treatment. There is a silver lining to sars-cov-2.

But don't fool your self, there will be other zoonotic viral outbreaks.  [Flu btw is a zoonotic virus.]  Do you know about the G4 swine flu in China the is transferring to humans and which may be like the 2009 pandemic flu?

3 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Then I don't see cruising surviving at least not the Cunard brand not the QM2. Not if cruising is the only vacation type to need mask et al. Not based on the backlash from the solo travellers on here alone - who have argued and correctly I might add - that for them is no point in going if they have to be alone the entire time. I can also imagine the LGBT market not reacting very well if they can't have their heavily attended social meetups and there have been more than 100 in attendance in the past. And we haven't even mentioned the ballroom dancing and afternoon tea. And I don't suppose there is much point to this forum anymore if that meetup too cannot take place.

 

And increased medical care will require retrofitting of the ship I imagine.

Covid has changed the world for ever. Don't expect crowds to be shoulder to shoulder at any venue. Not at NFL. NBA, MLB. No more large concerts. No crowded Vegas casinos and shows.. You can figure out the rest.

Vaccines will only change the pandemic into endemic  covid.  You may need to get vaccinated more than once a year.  Good public health standards will be to always wear masks. Covid test prior to travel will remain.

How long? Maybe forever.  We don't know what we don't know, but covid and it's variants are now a forever.

4 hours ago, majortom10 said:

P&O UK (not to be mixed up with P&O Aus different company) currently have 6 ships, 1 which is brand new and not had a maiden cruise due to pandemic Iona, Britannia 2015, Azura 2010, Ventura 2008, Arcadia 2005 and Aurora 2000 all ships built for P&O and not purchased from any other company. Iona should have sailed in 2020 and they currently have on order a new build ship for 2022.

When thigs settle down, I may book a float with them.

Btw, I canceled the August cruise and rebooted for May 2022.  A bit heart breaking since it is our 50th on that cruise.

2 hours ago, IB2 said:

Sadly I rather suspect we’re not going to see much cruising this year, except for an outside chance of the autumn.  Almost exactly a year ago I suggested cruising would likely be cancelled for the rest of 2020; no-one imagined the crisis would be ongoing a year later.

Covid, the endemic infectious sars-cov-2,  is NEVER going away.  Vaccines will, imnho based on readings in journals,  only provide "immunity level" responces in 70% or fewer vaccinated individuals. At least 25% of vacinated will still catch covid. Of those most will be asymptomatic but potential vectors of community spread.

In those vacinated and infected, almost 100% will have mild cases and not need hospital care.  This is the real value of these vaccines.

But expect mitigation onboard ships to remain in place, perhaps for ever.  Masks, Limmited sized gatherings, and I would hope increase medical care.  Ships may be required to be able to perform covid test with 2 hour results.  I would hope that some rooms be set aside as quarentine space.

What is very interesting is how sars-cov-2 has "killed off" flu viruses.  There are speculations as to the mechanisms involve, and there are recent historic cases of other viral outbreaks delaying flu outbreaks.  There is a "buzz" that R&D into this may lead to a class of vaccines intended to keep a virus from infecting humans.  Speculative to be sure but very interesting.