Goodtime Cruizin

4 minutes ago, riredsox said:

I guess we didn’t realize how so very special he is!   Perhaps one of the ships will have a cruise where nobody cares about the other and they can all wait on themselves and have a grand old time!

It isn't me or just me, it's thousands upon thousands of cruisers. I'm just throwing this out there. You need fully understand this. You're wanting to cruise again so bad that you're expecting a certain protocal to be in place and then expecting it to be enforced. And in doing so, you're betting YOUR LIFE that it will be. Good luck with that.  

5 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Wow.  Just WOW!  That is some of the most insensitive justification for not wearing a mask that I've ever heard.  Kind of like sitting on a death panel - you will decide who has the right to be protected and who does not, based on your evaluation of their worthiness based on their vacation choices.  So basically you are saying that if one chooses to vacation, then they have no right to expect others to exercise any precautions at all - they should just be prepared to get seriously sick or die because vacationing is not a need.  So instead of being considerate of others which in turns then allows many people to be able to get out of their homes and enjoy themselves safely, cruising should be restricted to just those who don't give a darn about dying, or about infecting others.   Got it.  

Pretty much. I know it sounds hard... but it's real. Neither of us need to cruise.  If you think a mask is going to save your life you should not place your life in a situation that depends on others to follow guidelines they do not believe in. Again, it's hard, but it's real.  How bad do you want to cruise? How much do you believe a mask will save you? These are two questions that only you can answer. 

9 minutes ago, riredsox said:

There won’t be cruising with an option to wear a mask for the foreseeable future.  You then have the choice to stay home so the rest of us can finally get back to cruising.  If you choose to cruise you will also need to follow rules or nobody will be cruising.  

I can't wait until cruising starts. Soon enough we'll all be reading & posting in threads about people not wearing masks. The  threads about people not dressing formal on formal nights will be a thought of the past. We all know this is coming.  

By the way.... the curve has been flattened and deaths are back to almost exact numbers of pre-Covid days.   I do believe we are on the way to much better days ahead. Cruising included. 

The new and must have for Cruising...

43 minutes ago, riredsox said:

Why should you wear a mask to protect someone else?  Maybe because it is the decent thing to do?  I do hope they make us sign something that says we will mask up when appropriate.  Think of the free entertainment watching those that don’t mask up (even when they know it is a condition of cruising) getting booted off the ship!  Fun times!

I do wear my mask to protect others while grocery shopping because others NEED to buy groceries. I do the same when buying my prescriptions because others do need theirs as well. I understand their plight and therefore I respect their presence because they may have no other choice.  I don't feel I NEED to protect you or anyone while vactioning on a cruise ship. You do not NEED a cruise. One chooses to be on a cruise. There is not a need. And when one chooses to be with others in the midst of a pandemic for no other reason than their pure enjoyment and self satisfaction, then one should also understand & accept the consequences & results of their choice. 

31 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

It is really an easy decidion, what ever they determine the rules to be, we can follow them as required, or if one does not like them, stay home

I agree. And it's if the industry deems it necessary to mask up all the time & to take excursions that are sponsored by the ship only.... the cruise industry will never fully recover.  Both of these two things will be the deal breaker for most cruisers. 

I think becuase Petra's review stated that some passengers were not wearing their masks properly and the crew, including officers did nothing. I think this is the way it's going to go down on most cruises. They'll be tough for a few months once cruising starts up again, but eventually will back down a bit. A staff/crew is not going to be able to enforce this constantly. As a result, there will be times when the unmasking and/or improperly worn face coverings are going to happen. My statement is for those that believes that a Cruise ship has potential of be a Life or Death situation without a facemask. If they truly believe this, which I don't believe most do, then they need to put their life in the safest environment possible and that would most likely be their homes. 

2 minutes ago, denatravels said:

I don’t think you understand how this works. I’m not telling you to stay off the ship (although you’ve now said it to me twice, so I wouldn’t go as far as saying you are either “polite or respectful”). If you cannot wear a mask properly or follow the rules, the cruiseline will do that for me. There isn’t any reason for you to suggest that I shouldn’t cruise if I expect other passengers to follow the rules. This will be enforced on their end.


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I think you're failing in this thread. A couple of times. First, there are no said rules in place. You're only hoping that the industry will place a mask rule in place so you can cruise. Second, you're hoping that if a said rule of a required mask will be enforced by the cruiseline so your life will be protected. Third. It won't happen. Now I don't doubt for a minute that if some cruiser blatantly refuses to wear a mask, they'll be dealt with, then spotlighted in the media and in a cruise critic thread as well in an effort to set an example and a tone for future cruises. But after a few months of cruises around various spots of the world enforcement will grow lax. Fourth... who are you to tell me or anyone how a mask should be worn?  

I don't care if you get on a ship or not. But I hope you do. And I'll tell you again, if you're worried about Covid protocals on a ship, you shouldn't be on it. Why are you expecting a cruise ship to keep you covid free when you can catch it home going shopping? It's foolishness. #stayhome or #gocamping #avoidcrowds

1 minute ago, denatravels said:

I’m sorry you think it’s “bowing to my wishes” but I fully expect it to be mandated by the cruise line. If YOU cannot “bow to THEIR wishes”, then YOU should stay home.


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You can bet your bottom dollar.... I'll do what is necessary to get on the ship. Vaccine. Mask. Testing. But even then it sounds like you and others may not like my 'face covering' or the way it's worn. Too bad. If this bothers you... stay off the ship. I'm a nice guy. Polite and respectful as well, but do understand, I don't cruise for your enjoyment. If you can't handle it, don't cruise. 

10 hours ago, deliver42 said:

I, for one, will NOT cruise if the option is no mask, or whatever you want. A mask inside should be mandatory or I won't go.

And you shouldn't either. If you're depending on a cruise line industry to protect your life from a contagious infection by instituting a mandatory mask, then you're asking for death. If you're scared and fearful of the infection, you should not even consider a cruise. #stayhome #staysafe

4 hours ago, denatravels said:

While I totally respect someone’s right to say “I won’t cruise without a mask!” from their couch, once you’re on a ship you had better follow the guidelines. Even more so, the cruise lines had better follow through with enforcement— this isn’t an obnoxious chair hog or someone cutting in front of others to place a drink order. This is life and death. And the rules had better be followed and enforced!


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Life or death? So you are requesting a cruiseline to make that choice for you? If you truly believe this is life or death, then you shouldn't even consider a cruise. Stay home & Stay safe. Besides why should I or anyone wear a mask to protect you?  This isn't a grocery store. You don't have to be on a ship.  I think you're being selfish to want to go on a cruise and expect others to bow down to your wishes. 

Actually get up out of my chair at the Meet & Greets / Connections and go introduce myself to a few people. So many times, I go, listen, and watch.  But few if any cruisers, including me actually greet one another. 

On 9/17/2020 at 6:02 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

I certainly think it would be worthwhile if several cruise passengers were invited to sit in on the discussions and have input. Don't know how you would determine who they should be, but the several millions of cruise passengers certainly deserve representation. If we've got to do it then we need to have some say-so as to what's expected and how it will be enforced. 

 

Obviously, the most difficult issue is the wearing or not of face coverings. As I see it, optional is not an option. It is either no one wears them or everyone covers up. If the latter is the decision, there must be strict adherence, enforcement and consequences. We really don't have any do-overs here. If cruising is to once again become a viable and successful vacation choice, then cool heads must prevail and logical choices - even if unpopular - must be made. It is then up to us to stay or go. 

And if it's the option of 'no one wears them' where do you stand? Will you cruise again?

On 9/16/2020 at 4:44 PM, NMTraveller said:

 

"We saw many people everywhere going around with masks not properly worn or not worn at all, sometimes passing by an officer or supervisor meant you were asked to remedy that situation but we saw many times that be ignored by them."

 

Requote:  "Many people everywhere going around with masks not properly worn or not worn at all."

This is good news. "Many people not wearing masks..." and yet a completion of 4 to 5 cruises w/ no reports of Covid. I like where this is going. Actually, so far it's excellent news. 

Masks are required for essentials or so called necessities. Somebody says a gym isn't, a church isn't, but a home Depot is. So whatever... every state is different. But folks, do understand this, whether you think it is or not, cruising is NOT a necessity in life. Nor is it essential. What I'm saying is if you don't feel safe on a ship because of individuals not wearing a mask, you should not be on said ship. Please stop with the 'I'm saving the Cruise industry' mantra. A mask is not going to stop Covid. It may help slow it down but it is not the be all & end all of covid.  

Nobody should be allowed on a ship until a vaccine is in place. Nobody. If that means ships don't sail, then they don't. Why should I feel  safe standing next to you because you're wearing a mask? You can bet your bottom dollar that the first thing you'll sign is a waiver from potential lawsuits of the cruiseline for allowing you or me to catch the infection of Covid, masks or no masks. 

Wake up folks. Wear your mask for groceries, drugs, lumber, and even a new refridgerator from Loews... these are deemed 'necessities', cruising isn't essential in life.  

On 9/15/2020 at 1:29 PM, Pickels said:

I agree 100%, that's why I'm not going back to the office but, instead working from home.  People who ride public transportation, know the rules but, try to circumvent the rules.  Some don't care.  Same would apply to cruising; so, enforce the rules.

So you can't go to the office but you're ok going on a ship. Got it. 

17 minutes ago, Auntiemomo said:

In my experience, if you sign up while in port, you would have to pay the VAT.   If you pay for a drink at the bar prior to getting underway, you pay for the gratuity + the VAT.  When upgrading, they usually sign you up, but don't ring in the purchase until  you leave port.  Ask to double check how they do it.   Same for leaving from a U.S. port.  They ring it up after you leave so you don't have to pay the State tax.  If you get a drink and pay for it prior to pulling out from a U.S. port, i.e. Florida, you pay the gratuity + the State tax.

 

We usually wait to sign up with our Sommelier.  The person who you sign up with gets to keep all the Gratuity of the upgrade, so he normally takes good care of us throughout the cruise, including some upgraded wines.  If you frequent the martini bar or the Sunset Bar, sign up with one of them as they will remember throughout the cruise.  

 

 

Very nice. Thank you. 

2 hours ago, Auntiemomo said:

Since you are visiting a non-EU port (Northern Ireland) you don't have to pay any VAT.  You only pay VAT if you sail out of Barcelona (Spanish) and in Barcelona waters or if you have a European cruise that visits all EU countries.  

We leave from Amsterdam... would the VAT tax apply?

Our cruise is a 12 day British Isle cruise that sails from Amsterdam. We are definitely going to upgrade our drink packages from a Classic to Premium. We're trying to figure out if we should upgrade through the Cruise Planner pre-cruise in an effort to save from paying a VAT tax if we waited to upgrade while on board.  Can anyone help w/ this?

The Drinks and More package is not available on the Cruise Planner for our 12 day cruise next summer.  Perhaps it is only offered for 7-9 day cruises.  

12 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Before the next cancellations are announced, how about a little game.

 

1. What is your next 'booked' cruise?

 

2. What is your next 'booked' cruise that you think will sail.

 

3. Of all your 'booked' cruises, which one will devastate you if it gets cancelled, or you decide not to go

 

Here are ours.

1. Mariner 12/14/20

2. Mariner 6/18/21

3. Ovation 3/11/21 (Australia/New Zealand)

 

 

 

1. British Isles, 12 days, Celebrity Reflection, July 30th, 2021

2. see above

3. Devatate? None. Our group of six has a 'Plan B' in case this one doesn't go down or go down the way we like.   

Does the app offer a mask yet?

5 hours ago, compman9 said:

 

What does "if my babies fuss" mean?

 

Is it wriggle around and be a bit of a nuisance to you, the parents?

Or is it, scream their heads off in front of other paying customers?

 

 

 

 

Paying customers? I thought all customers paid. Are you saying there are customers that go to Chops and not pay? If so, how does one got to Chops and not pay?

38 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

 

So we should not be allowed to go to a supermarket or Lowes. since they can't prove to everybody that they are safe...

 

Following the CDC rules on masks, distancing and general hygiene are fine with me and I have been out and about since April 2nd and my wife wears a mask for 40+ hours a week, gives injections and deals with dozens of patients each day.

I tend to agree w/ you. We shouldn't IF IT'S AS BAD AS THEY SAY. But.... they allow for it, They call it a necessity.  We can't go to bars on land. Not a necessity. Many places do not allow for indoor dining. Not a necessity. Many places do not allow one to even 'do' their hair unless. Not a necessity (some could argue this 😋) My point is, why do some of you think we should be allowed to do this on a cruise ship? Cruising is NOT a necessity. If it's sails then it should be safe. If it's safe, then no masks are needed. If it isn't safe, then the ship should not sail.  Some want me & others to believe that it is a necessity to sail, that it's safe only if we social distance and wear masks. Pfft. 

But oK, I'll play along. Let's say we're all on a roll csll for a cruise to the British Isles and the ship is currently booked at more than 90% at full capacity. Who on the ship should RCL cancel because of the requirement to social distance. Surely not me. Definitely not you.  Because we both agree to the whatever the rules set forth by RCL. Should RCI flip a coin? Should they cancel the last 20-25% of the reservations made? Perhaps cancel all inide cabins even those that were the first to book? It isn't easy is it?

Look I'm playing devil's advocate with some of you about the mask situation because some are being selfish about the cruising in of itself, not a mask. The mask is only a tool to basically say, "I want to cruise and I know the ship may not be safe from Covid, so just  force everyone to social distance & wear a mask. It may help and I want to go cruising. And I feel bad about those that got canceled so social distaincing could be in play. That's just the new normal. Thank God it wasn't me and my family because we deserve a break."