Jump to content

Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How are things where YOU are?


Recommended Posts

17 hours ago, sgmn said:

It's so difficult to stick to the rules 100%.  My brother gave me a hug yesterday and I felt guilty! Who would of thought that would have happened two years ago. 

I think you have to use common sense. We've had our first jab, second one due in a couple of weeks. 

When we visit our first grandchild we'll do the lateral flow covid test first as an extra safe guard 

Stocks are sent out free on request from the NHS. Ours arrived the day after ordering online 

My mom and I are healthcare workers and my Dad is over 65.  I live with them both.  I was the first to get completely vaccinated with Pfizer (Dad also got Pfizer last month), Mom got fully vaccinated the day after I got my final shot.

 

Now that we're all completely vaccinated, we're able to see my niece and nephew without fear of passing COVID on to anyone (mom works in a hospital while I work in a nursing home).  I was able to hug my niece for the first time in over a year two weeks ago!  A few weeks before that, I got to hug my nephew for the first time in almost a year!

 

Two weeks ago, we had a "Born Again Birthday Party" to celebrate everyone in the house being fully vaccinated.  Of course, we invited my niece (she's 8).  We got a cake and everything!

 

But of course, it wouldn't be a birthday party without PRESENTS!  We booked a cruise on Anthem for Fall 2021 and gave my niece the cruise as her gift, with the stipulation that it may be cancelled due to COVID (which she is well-aware of and adopts the CDC recommendations pretty well).  I have her reaction on video!

 

It's such a relief to get those well-deserved hugs!

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continued elevated numbers of new virus cases here in Berks County, PA. Frustrating to read that the newest significant problem is the number of people who don't want the vaccine. I know this is a contentious issue, but it's so sad to see vaccine doses go to waste when you think about all the countries that do not have as ready access as the US. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Continued elevated numbers of new virus cases here in Berks County, PA. Frustrating to read that the newest significant problem is the number of people who don't want the vaccine. I know this is a contentious issue, but it's so sad to see vaccine doses go to waste when you think about all the countries that do not have as ready access as the US. 

So sad that some Americans don’t trust science.  Over four hundred million people worldwide have received the vaccine with minor side effects. Yes 6-7 people out of these millions may have had more serious side effects, but home many who got covid died, suffered and are disabled.  I don’t get it

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

So sad that some Americans don’t trust science.  Over four hundred million people worldwide have received the vaccine with minor side effects. Yes 6-7 people out of these millions may have had more serious side effects, but home many who got covid died, suffered and are disabled.  I don’t get it

Plus 1

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/23/2021 at 3:58 PM, Cruise a holic said:

So sad that some Americans don’t trust science.  

Yeah, well...that's the way it is. Spent 20 minutes after church this morning listening to one of our 'non masker' parishioners spout off all kinds of crap about the number of covid casualties being inflated well beyond what they truly are, and also some guy on Fox News referring to some doctor - an "expert"on all things covid, etc. that downplayed the severity of it (so that makes it the truth of course), and of course, how we should have opened up all the states long ago.. yada yada...you get where I'm going. The church guy said it's "important to go right to the source"....uh huh.....I had to also hear that the public has been deliberately misinformed about covid numbers, etc. cause so many people are "not intelligent enough" to seek out and deal with the true facts, etc. I mean, most of that theory has been debunked.. It just rambled on..finally told him you can probably find other "expert" physicians with totally opposing views. Didn't want to say too much (especially in church) cause ultimately you can't win those arguments. There was more but not worth trying to recall it. All the time I'm trying to stand at least 6 feet away from him. I have no doubt he doesn't believe in getting the vaccine. OH...there was something else he said - about 1% of those who had covid and then also get the shot wind up dying...couldn't wait to get out of there. 

Edited by OnTheJourney
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/25/2021 at 4:06 PM, OnTheJourney said:

Yeah, well...that's the way it is. Spent 20 minutes after church this morning listening to one of our 'non masker' parishioners spout off all kinds of crap about the number of covid casualties being inflated well beyond what they truly are, and also some guy on Fox News referring to some doctor - an "expert"on all things covid, etc. that downplayed the severity of it (so that makes it the truth of course), and of course, how we should have opened up all the states long ago.. yada yada...you get where I'm going. The church guy said it's "important to go right to the source"....uh huh.....I had to also hear that the public has been deliberately misinformed about covid numbers, etc. cause so many people are "not intelligent enough" to seek out and deal with the true facts, etc. I mean, most of that theory has been debunked.. It just rambled on..finally told him you can probably find other "expert" physicians with totally opposing views. Didn't want to say too much (especially in church) cause ultimately you can't win those arguments. There was more but not worth trying to recall it. All the time I'm trying to stand at least 6 feet away from him. I have no doubt he doesn't believe in getting the vaccine. OH...there was something else he said - about 1% of those who had covid and then also get the shot wind up dying...couldn't wait to get out of there. 

And then... my coworker in India, who is in his 30’s just died.  Not fake news. 😞. He really died 😞

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things are looking up.  Mississippi casinos will lift the mask mandate and other covid restrictions as of tonight.  My son and I go ever once in awhile and this will make it so much nicer.  The Florida Surgeon General has signed a resolution stating that fully vaccinated individuals should no longer be advised to wear face coverings or avoid social or recreational gatherings except in limited circumstances.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/30/2021 at 9:55 AM, Keksie said:

Things are looking up.  Mississippi casinos will lift the mask mandate and other covid restrictions as of tonight.  My son and I go ever once in awhile and this will make it so much nicer.  The Florida Surgeon General has signed a resolution stating that fully vaccinated individuals should no longer be advised to wear face coverings or avoid social or recreational gatherings except in limited circumstances.

My wife and I used to go to casinos 4-5 times a month prior to the pandemic.We will never go again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

We will never go again.

Been reading that they are starting to fill up again - at least in my area. Admittedly, this (visiting casinos) is something that I never really got into, except for our earliest trips to Vegas (when you could still play craps for like .50 in small, out-of-the-way places!)  One reason we liked our cruise with Viking...NO casino onboard. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Been reading that they are starting to fill up again - at least in my area. Admittedly, this (visiting casinos) is something that I never really got into, except for our earliest trips to Vegas (when you could still play craps for like .50 in small, out-of-the-way places!)  One reason we liked our cruise with Viking...NO casino onboard. 

We only went to Vegas once,it was 1996.I was playing a slot machine.I put in $20 and told my wife I would play it out and leave.At 2 AM I was up $400.00 and took it home.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Things are going better were I'm at numbers are down and we have over 51% vaccinated that are eligible. That is 16 years old and up. Still required to wear a mask at most businesses but not mandated and we are open 100% without restrictions.  A lot of young people are not getting vaccinated they just believe it will not be that big of deal if they catch COVID. You can't fix stupid.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, LonW said:

  A lot of young people are not getting vaccinated they just believe it will not be that big of deal if they catch COVID. You can't fix stupid.

And yet, I've been reading that the percentage of young adults getting covid has increased over time. In my area people just aren't signing up for vaccines as much as was the case. We must get an email every other day announcing all sorts of clinics. The doses are now readily available, but people just aren't going for them. Just came across this on NPR  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/04/07/984697573/vaccine-refusal-may-put-herd-immunity-at-risk-researchers-warn

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/30/2021 at 9:55 AM, Keksie said:

The Florida Surgeon General has signed a resolution stating that fully vaccinated individuals should no longer be advised to wear face coverings or avoid social or recreational gatherings except in limited circumstances.

I don't understand that reasoning at all, given that less than 30% of FL is fully vaccinated. People are no longer signing up for doses like they did over the past few months. Without a higher vaccination percentage, I won't set foot in any restaurant for indoor dining yet. Vaccinated coming in contact with non-vaccinated still invites additional covid spread. This is all a grand experiment in my opinion.

 

Don't get me wrong, I want to see things get back to normal just like everyone else, but I don't see it being achieved without getting significantly closer to a suggested vaccination rate that reasonably insures herd immunity, which simply won't happen with the current vaccination rates, globally speaking. It has been said that at least 70%+ needs to be vaccinated. We have a long way to go - but not sure it'll even happen given the resistance to vaccination. 

 

The random element in all of this, of course, is the longevity of the vaccine effectiveness. Those that were first vaccinated could theoretically become more susceptible to reinfection sooner. I've always subscribed to the idea of erring on the side of caution. 

Edited by OnTheJourney
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I don't understand that reasoning at all, given that less than 30% of FL is fully vaccinated. People are no longer signing up for doses like they did over the past few months. Without a higher vaccination percentage, I won't set foot in any restaurant for indoor dining yet. Vaccinated coming in contact with non-vaccinated still invites additional covid spread. This is all a grand experiment in my opinion.

 

Don't get me wrong, I want to see things get back to normal just like everyone else, but I don't see it being achieved without getting significantly closer to a suggested vaccination rate that reasonably insures herd immunity, which simply won't happen with the current vaccination rates, globally speaking. It has been said that at least 70%+ needs to be vaccinated. We have a long way to go - but not sure it'll even happen given the resistance to vaccination. 

 

The random element in all of this, of course, is the longevity of the vaccine effectiveness. Those that were first vaccinated could theoretically become more susceptible to reinfection sooner. I've always subscribed to the idea of erring on the side of caution. 

We have been eating in restaurants since last May.  81% of people over 65 have been vaccinated in Florida and that it is the population that is especially vulnerable.  We don't need 70% of the people vaccinated.  We need 70% of the people having immunity which can be from having had covid or being vaccinated. Moderna and Pfizer are both coming up with boosters and I am sure that we will be able to get one before our immunity wanes.  I feel that being vaccinated I am not at risk for becoming seriously ill so I will take the Florida Surgeon General's advice.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Keksie said:

We have been eating in restaurants since last May

I know...you've frequently mentioned this, which leads me to wonder if you've ever entertained the possibility that you were putting yourself or others at increased risk? But then DeSantis- seemingly never far from some sort of controversy relative to the virus - was always big on keeping the restaurants open. Once again, it boils down to politically different ideologies. 

 

2 hours ago, Keksie said:

We need 70% of the people having immunity which can be from having had covid or being vaccinated.

You are correct that herd immunity can be achieved by a combination of both except there are a few unknowns. It is uncertain how long one is protected from getting sick again after recovering from covid. Even with acquired antibodies, it's possible to get reinfected. There is still much that is not known about covid - one of which is how many people truly have to be vaccinated before most can be considered protected (i.e. population immunity). Additionally, we're still learning how effective the vaccines are against new variants. 

Edited by OnTheJourney
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Keksie said:

May 8th and we went to the beach today.363675285_beachdaymay8.thumb.jpeg.4ae2f6bd4704805cf2e50db136fe014b.jpeg

I am 10 minutes from a beach and some of my neighbors go there no matter what the temperature is. I am not a beach person and have not been to a US beach since 1970.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am 10 minutes from a beach and some of my neighbors go there no matter what the temperature is. I am not a beach person and have not been to a US beach since 1970.

It has been cool and rainy lately so this is the first time since New Years (annual tradition).  We are about 45 minutes away from the closest beach.  We like to go several times a month in the warmer weather.  The water is still a little cool but should warm up nicely by next month.  I know a lot of people who are not beach people. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Keksie said:

It has been cool and rainy lately so this is the first time since New Years (annual tradition).  We are about 45 minutes away from the closest beach.  We like to go several times a month in the warmer weather.  The water is still a little cool but should warm up nicely by next month.  I know a lot of people who are not beach people. 

There are 3 outdoor pools in our condo development .I may be the only person never to have been in a pool here .I was last in a pool in 1985.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

There are 3 outdoor pools in our condo development .I may be the only person never to have been in a pool here .I was last in a pool in 1985.

Sometimes I wish we had a pool but then we would lose the view from the back patio and one of my favorite trees.  Plus we are pretty busy so I don't know how much time we would have for the pool anyway.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...