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

[CRUISEFAN0001]

5 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Just got back from family visit to Georgia- Covid horrible in that state- Listening to many news channels.  We were very careful and hopefully, will not come down with Covid.  However some people not wearing masks in supermarkets and other indoor venues.  Florida also a mess- lack of hospital beds.

Watching the history of things here in Georgia...everyone we know has been vaccinated but as you stated...there are plenty of unvaccinated people still "running around rampant and foolishly"  Most in stores are masked, but we still see a fair number of unmasked people there.  What we do know is that as of a week ago...97% of those hospitalized in Georgia with COVID are unvaccinated people...so one would think the rest would wake up and stop putting everyone else at risk as well. On our Florida trip last month...similar situations on both the masks or no masks and hospitalized.

 

Overall following some care in distancing, masks, and having been vaccinated...we shop, eat out, travel, and are 90% back to do what we wish - and its been that way for virtually all this year for us.  Our next cruise is coming up in a couple months...and we have every intention of getting our booster prior, and getting our testing done - life is full steam ahead.

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

there are plenty of unvaccinated people still "running around rampant and foolishly" 

They've had it...tired of it....don't believe it....aren't worried about it...whatever. As a result, without a nationwide dedication to doing all we can to get out of this mess...we very well might not. It's beyond frustrating. 

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Overall following some care in distancing, masks, and having been vaccinated...we shop, eat out, travel, and are 90% back to do what we wish - and its been that way for virtually all this year for us.  Our next cruise is coming up in a couple months...and we have every intention of getting our booster prior, and getting our testing done - life is full steam ahead.

I can respect this, and am starting to come to the realization that since this might be with us for a long time, just have to go with it and not live in fear. Life is too short for that. I'm grappling with  - for me personally - where the balance point is.  Haven't found it yet. We are not eating out. Started to back in June but now gave up on the idea again. Have a fly/drive trip booked to go out west but probably canceling that also - for the 2nd time. 

[Coralc]

I am still thinking it will be 2 years, just like Spanish Flu. I thought it would be less with all of technology and science, but that was wrong. After 2 years I think that the majority will have either had Covid or been vaccinated and the virus won't have any where to spread. The variants are not a concern IMO. 

[OnTheJourney]

23 hours ago, Coralc said:

I thought it would be less with all of technology and science,

 

I felt the same way, and was somewhat dumbfounded that this virus got us in a situation that was not dealt with more swiftly. 

 

23 hours ago, Coralc said:

The variants are not a concern IMO. 

I'd like to think so, but not sure on that. If a variant(s) comes along that is completely vaccine-resistant, we're really in the soup UNLESS we decrease the number of unvaccinated. There is a lack of commitment to the cause, fractured by political differences. I don't know how we get around that. 

[PTC DAWG]

I’m just south of ATL in Fayette County..things are fairly normal here..cases dropping rapidly…although our County has one of, it not the highest vax rate in the State. 
 

I shop, eat out etc, I feel no need to mask up. Life goes on. 
 

Flew to FLL first and boarded Celebrity Equinox for 7 day cruise the first of August…stayed a night in Fort Lauderdale,  Riverfront Hotel, no issues, ate at two different restaurants, did some window shopping…did I mention no masks at all for pax on Celebrity..kudos…crew was wearing them inside..

 

Sailing Allure with extended family this Sunday, will be driving to port Saturday and staying the night pre cruise.

Edited September 15, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[broadwaybaby123]

Cases are on the rise here, but so are vaccinations, especially with the new variant.  Those of us in healthcare or are over 65 who received Pfizer just got the clearance to receive our boosters.  I got mine Wednesday, and although not exactly a walk in the park, it wasn't nearly as intense, in terms of side effects,  as the second shot.   

[Cruise a holic]

9 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

Cases are on the rise here, but so are vaccinations, especially with the new variant.  Those of us in healthcare or are over 65 who received Pfizer just got the clearance to receive our boosters.  I got mine Wednesday, and although not exactly a walk in the park, it wasn't nearly as intense, in terms of side effects,  as the second shot.   

We got our Moderna booster two weeks ago

[cgram434]

On 10/2/2021 at 4:06 PM, Cruise a holic said:

We got our Moderna booster two weeks ago

I did not know Moderna was doing boosters as yet.  As soon as it is OKd we will get one.

[Cruise a holic]

36 minutes ago, cgram434 said:

I did not know Moderna was doing boosters as yet.  As soon as it is OKd we will get one.

In ny at our pharmacies

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, cgram434 said:

I did not know Moderna was doing boosters as yet.  As soon as it is OKd we will get one.

Here Publix is doing them.  I got mine 3 weeks ago.  On the website you can pick between Pfizer and Moderna.  The you pick which shot you want 1st, 2nd or 3rd.  So much easier to schedule then in January when I got my first one.

[JMKreno]

Part of the issue with COVID is that it is the morbid "sweet spot" for being a big enough issue that society can't ignore it, but it is just survivable enough that most people don't see its effects first hand.

If COVID had a 10-20% IFR while maintaining its initial R0 of 2-3, the world would have done a hard lockdown like China. The national guard would have been ordered to enforce restrictions (possibly augmented by the military under the epidemic authorizations allowed for domestic military use in H.R. 5122). If things were not under control, even supply chain essential businesses would have been shut down - likely electricity restrictions, water restrictions, and other wartime-like controls would be put in place to limit the amount of people required to "keep the world turning".

But with an IFR of .5-.1% (Delta is likely closer to that 1% figure in immuno-naive individuals, although new treatments are helping) and heavily biased towards the elderly? It's just deadly enough that it's a big deal for society (and also is a severe enough disease to overrun medical systems), but not deadly enough that people see and feel the danger day to day. It allows denialism to fester, and allows people to rationalize the absurdity of not getting a safe and effective vaccine.

If COVID had an IFR of 10-20%, there would be no noise on vaccines being mandated. We wouldn't be having these conversations. If the disease was not controlled entirely by the hard lockdown mentioned earlier, the national guard would have had to secure distribution of the vaccine because people would have been so desperate to get it.

Unfortunately here we are with the IFR just under 1%, and so we're having a bunch of political and social drama about having to force people to do the right thing. Because it's necessary to protect the many, but it's not so dangerous that an individual can't roll the dice and end up ahead most of the time even without the vaccine.

Edited October 13, 2021 by JMKreno

[DD]

Cases on the rise here in PA according to what I hear on the news. We're vaccinated, boostered, wear masks, social distance, and do our best to be vigilant. Lately, "add to cart" has become my super power since I try to avoid going out and being around unmasked people spewing opinions about it being a hoax. We have 3 cruises on the books. I'm probably going to back out of the first one as that involves flying. I'm looking forward to one on Royal and one on Celeb. We have an immunocompromised parent living with us, so we are super cautious. If/When we do cruise, we will definitely quarantine from her. DH has had to fly a couple times for business - he quarantines when he comes home. I don't want to bring this home to my Mom, and we're not all that young either, lol. 

 

Edited - the reason I don't want to fly, but I'm ok with my husband flying is that, pre-covid, I got a sinus infection almost every time I flew. I have allergy/sinus issues and flying just seems to bring out the worst in me. So, I'm leery about resuming it.

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by DD
Clarity

[Cruise a holic]

34 minutes ago, DD said:

Cases on the rise here in PA according to what I hear on the news. We're vaccinated, boostered, wear masks, social distance, and do our best to be vigilant. Lately, "add to cart" has become my super power since I try to avoid going out and being around unmasked people spewing opinions about it being a hoax. We have 3 cruises on the books. I'm probably going to back out of the first one as that involves flying. I'm looking forward to one on Royal and one on Celeb. We have an immunocompromised parent living with us, so we are super cautious. If/When we do cruise, we will definitely quarantine from her. DH has had to fly a couple times for business - he quarantines when he comes home. I don't want to bring this home to my Mom, and we're not all that young either, lol. 

 

Edited - the reason I don't want to fly, but I'm ok with my husband flying is that, pre-covid, I got a sinus infection almost every time I flew. I have allergy/sinus issues and flying just seems to bring out the worst in me. So, I'm leery about resuming it.

 

I also had problems but  with my ears flying.  I would suggest you visit your ENT for tips on how to help prevent a sinus infections.  My Drs. tips helped me.

[Keksie]

Cases in my area are so low that they don't even report on them anymore.  There is only one place I have to wear a mask (my vet).  Restaurants are busy, stores are busy although they are all short handed.  I noticed the last two times we went out to dinner there were more servers so I think that is getting better.  There are random empty shelves at the grocery store depending on which truck has not shown up yet.  I already have my turkey and non-perishables for the big day.  We have two trips being planned for next year where we can drive and masks don't seem to be required.  Maybe by then gas prices will have at least stabilized.  It is going to be cold this weekend so I need to go move my potted plants around to be able to cover them.

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/13/2021 at 2:00 PM, JMKreno said:

Part of the issue with COVID is that it is the morbid "sweet spot" for being a big enough issue that society can't ignore it, but it is just survivable enough that most people don't see its effects first hand.

If COVID had a 10-20% IFR while maintaining its initial R0 of 2-3, the world would have done a hard lockdown like China. The national guard would have been ordered to enforce restrictions (possibly augmented by the military under the epidemic authorizations allowed for domestic military use in H.R. 5122). If things were not under control, even supply chain essential businesses would have been shut down - likely electricity restrictions, water restrictions, and other wartime-like controls would be put in place to limit the amount of people required to "keep the world turning".

But with an IFR of .5-.1% (Delta is likely closer to that 1% figure in immuno-naive individuals, although new treatments are helping) and heavily biased towards the elderly? It's just deadly enough that it's a big deal for society (and also is a severe enough disease to overrun medical systems), but not deadly enough that people see and feel the danger day to day. It allows denialism to fester, and allows people to rationalize the absurdity of not getting a safe and effective vaccine.

If COVID had an IFR of 10-20%, there would be no noise on vaccines being mandated. We wouldn't be having these conversations. If the disease was not controlled entirely by the hard lockdown mentioned earlier, the national guard would have had to secure distribution of the vaccine because people would have been so desperate to get it.

Unfortunately here we are with the IFR just under 1%, and so we're having a bunch of political and social drama about having to force people to do the right thing. Because it's necessary to protect the many, but it's not so dangerous that an individual can't roll the dice and end up ahead most of the time even without the vaccine.

Excellent post.....

[OnTheJourney]

2 hours ago, DD said:

Cases on the rise here in PA according to what I hear on the news.

Yeah...we're sure not out of the woods here yet in PA. In my local county, just when it appears the numbers have stabilized (let alone decrease), it shoots back up again. Much has to do with when the numbers are accurately counted and reported. Hoping there is no winter surge following the Holidays. 

[freestuff]

NJ - cases seem to be rising again based on published statistics. Anecdotally, anytime I go shopping people have been coughing, sneezing, and sniffling significantly more but who is to say whether it is covid or something different. Triply vaccinated but I still go everywhere with a mask because vaccine resistance is high in my area. I generally live my life normally outside of that, I go out to restaurants and public events. However I'm a bit worried with the holidays coming up because I know many people attending these functions like to pretend they are never sick when they are.

[Cruise a holic]

2 hours ago, freestuff said:

NJ - cases seem to be rising again based on published statistics. Anecdotally, anytime I go shopping people have been coughing, sneezing, and sniffling significantly more but who is to say whether it is covid or something different. Triply vaccinated but I still go everywhere with a mask because vaccine resistance is high in my area. I generally live my life normally outside of that, I go out to restaurants and public events. However I'm a bit worried with the holidays coming up because I know many people attending these functions like to pretend they are never sick when they are.

We still wear masks, and have received our Moderna Boosters, along with our flu shot.  We have a January cruise coming up in Florida, but the stats in that state are awful.  Will be very careful.  

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

but the stats in that state are awful.

Compared to what/when?

 

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

We still wear masks, and have received our Moderna Boosters, along with our flu shot.  We have a January cruise coming up in Florida, but the stats in that state are awful.  Will be very careful.  

The numbers are so low in my area of Florida that they are not reporting them on the news anymore.  They closed the drive up testing site due to lack of interest.  Every time I drove by the only cars there were the people who administer the tests.  Stores and restaurants are busy and masks are not required.   You just may have to wait for a table at the restaurant or help at the store because they are all short on employees.

[Cruise a holic]

Miami, FL metro

Updated on November 16

We aim to update our data by 12 PM EST daily. Occasionally, when additional review is required, an update can be delayed by several hours. Note that certain data sources that we use (e.g., ICU hospitalizations) are only updated once per week.

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RISK LEVEL

Our COVID risk level looks at three things: daily new cases (per 100K), infection rate, and positive test rate. Each is graded on a five-color scale and the highest risk color becomes the location’s overall risk level. The one exception is that if a location's daily new cases is green, then its overall risk level is green. 

We developed our risk framework in partnership with the Harvard Global Health Institute and Harvard Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. As there is not a standardized framework for risk in the U.S., it may not match your state or county's risk level. 

Learn more about COVID risk levels. 

MEDIUM

VACCINATION PROGRESS

 

% Vaccinated

81.6%

1+ DOSE

Daily new cases

8.4

PER
100K

Infection rate

-

 

Positive test rate

3.2%

 

PAST 30 DAYS

Cases

 

 

Hospitalizations

 

 

Deaths

 

 

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Vulnerability is very high

Miami metro is more likely to experience severe physical and economic suffering from COVID, and to face harder, longer recovery.

 

% VaccinatedRisk levels

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1+ dose

50%60%70%80%

 

Counties

1 Miami-Dade Co.FL   2,700,000	10.3	---	3.0%	92%	Very High
2 Broward Co.FL   2,000,000	7.2	---	3.2%	76%	Very High
3 Palm Beach Co.FL   1,500,000	6.4	---	3.4%	70%	Very High

[bucfan2]

On 11/17/2021 at 6:24 AM, Cruise a holic said:

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by bucfan2

[OnTheJourney]

How are things where I am? In short....numbers are not good and getting worse. And yet, people go blithely on their way attending concerts, eating in restaurants, shopping, and whatever other events. Hardly anyone wearing masks anymore in my section of the county. A mid-60s gentleman who lives in my area just passed from covid-pneumonia even though he was fully vaccinated and took every precaution.

 

How about the protests in Vienna over vaccination mandates, lockdown, etc.?  Glad I'm not going anywhere near Europe right now. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[Coralc]

It is not going very well, is it? We just had our 5th booked cruise cancelled. All of those double (JS+) points are gone, just like the $18 drink package that Royal Caribbean offered. Another unusable promotion.  It is still looking more like 2 years. (at least) 

Everyone wears masks here in the SF Bay Area. It is just what we do. And the vaccination rate is pretty high...but cases keep creeping up. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Coralc