New appreciation for NCL

[Cruiseaholic07]

So like most of us, I've had my cruising hoped and dreams dashed along the way this year. However, after watching their embark series, I feel comfortable that NCL is doing everything possible to not be the site of an outbreak, which I appreciate greatly.  

 

Side note,  the cruise lines have really been held to a BS standard. We traveled over to Cape Canaveral to see family at the holiday inn resort, and it looked like covid never existed. Tons of people crammed at the pool, at restaurants, no mask wearing, and no one cleaning anything up.  It was a first hand experience for me at seeing the frustration that NCL must be feeling. However, it does make me feel better about a fully vaccinated cruise minimizing risk of infections. 

[mpdog42]

45 minutes ago, jcu1210 said:

So like most of us, I've had my cruising hoped and dreams dashed along the way this year. However, after watching their embark series, I feel comfortable that NCL is doing everything possible to not be the site of an outbreak, which I appreciate greatly.  

 

Side note,  the cruise lines have really been held to a BS standard. We traveled over to Cape Canaveral to see family at the holiday inn resort, and it looked like covid never existed. Tons of people crammed at the pool, at restaurants, no mask wearing, and no one cleaning anything up.  It was a first hand experience for me at seeing the frustration that NCL must be feeling. However, it does make me feel better about a fully vaccinated cruise minimizing risk of infections. 

I guess you weren't part of the Gem/Joy group🙄

Edited June 1, 2021 by mpdog42
correct

[Old & Retired]

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

[harkinmr]

1 hour ago, jcu1210 said:

So like most of us, I've had my cruising hoped and dreams dashed along the way this year. However, after watching their embark series, I feel comfortable that NCL is doing everything possible to not be the site of an outbreak, which I appreciate greatly.  

 

Side note,  the cruise lines have really been held to a BS standard. We traveled over to Cape Canaveral to see family at the holiday inn resort, and it looked like covid never existed. Tons of people crammed at the pool, at restaurants, no mask wearing, and no one cleaning anything up.  It was a first hand experience for me at seeing the frustration that NCL must be feeling. However, it does make me feel better about a fully vaccinated cruise minimizing risk of infections. 

What’s happening at Cape Canaveral, or anywhere in Florida for that matter, is not an indication that the cruise lines are being held to a BS standard. As a resident of Florida, I can assure you that the approach taken by the state throughout this pandemic is not representative of common sense or good COVID-19 health protocols and practices. Thank goodness NCL is taking a more safer approach to cruising. 

[Cruiseaholic07]

I agree, I'm a FL resident. But just was saying I am appreciative of what they are doing for is

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, jcu1210 said:

So like most of us, I've had my cruising hoped and dreams dashed along the way this year. However, after watching their embark series, I feel comfortable that NCL is doing everything possible to not be the site of an outbreak, which I appreciate greatly.

Yes. Really appreciated! And hopefully it keeps everyone safe until the COVID case counts worldwide (which is where passengers come from) drops way down. 

 

And I was part of the Gem/Joy group that got cancelled last week and still really appreciate NCL. We have over a dozen cancelled cruises and one more doesn't bother us a bit if it improves the chance of a smooth restart. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

Because the shot does not prevent you from catching the virus. It only prevents you from getting seriously ill when you catch the virus from being careless.

[SSFun]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Yes. Really appreciated! And hopefully it keeps everyone safe until the COVID case counts worldwide (which is where passengers come from) drops way down. 

 

And I was part of the Gem/Joy group that got cancelled last week and still really appreciate NCL. We have over a dozen cancelled cruises and one more doesn't bother us a bit if it improves the chance of a smooth restart. 

Well said! We too were a part of the Joy/Gem group. I can't say I wasn't disappointed, however, I do understand. We jumped right back on and booked 2 more cruises. We will keep trying until NCL has things ready for us to return safely. Can't even begin to imagine how much work this is for them!

[saltsandknit]

We did the same, when the Gem was canceled we booked the Sky for September and the Bliss for December. I prefer to cruise on a fully vaccinated ship  I want less chances of an outbreak on my cruise and the need to quarantine or to have my cruises cut short. I am sticking with NCL. If these cruises don’t go I have 2 booked in 2022. Something will sail. 

[Murph269]

20 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Because the shot does not prevent you from catching the virus. It only prevents you from getting seriously ill when you catch the virus from being careless.

This is incorrect. The vaccines are highly effective at not only preventing symptoms, but at preventing infection/transmission as well.

 

Taken from the article linked below:

“According to the study, which was conducted on nearly 4,000 healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers at the frontlines in eight locations across the country, the mRNA vaccines are 90 percent effective at preventing infection. That means in addition to stopping the development of Covid-19 symptoms, they can stop the disease from spreading from one person to another, too.”

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/03/30/moderna-and-pfizer-vaccines-prevent-infection-as-well-as-disease-key-questions-remain/

Edited June 2, 2021 by Murph269

[CaptainWoody]

3 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

Because "other people" who refuse to vaccinate may get really sick and screw up my long awaited vacation.  My ship.  My rules.

[NW Pacific]

WE are fully vaccinated, but not about to throw caution in the wind, want to be around others vaccinated opposed to those who are not.  Realize nothing is 100%, so makes 100% sense to be safe as safe can be!!  Lets get cruising

[rbschultz]

13 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

 

🙄 because of several things:

 

1. You can still carry the virus with the vaccine. You may not get seriously ill, but you can still pass it on

2. They're concerned about other people because they're human beings with empathy

3. They're concerned about the future of the cruise industry. As cruises start back up there will be a ton of eyes on it. Will NCL/RCL/CCL/X/Disney etc be able to avoid mass infections and avoid quarantines at sea? The first large scale infection spread on a cruise ship will cripple the industry for years, if not permanently from the United States (if not around the world). 

[JamieLogical]

15 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

 

Because unvaccinated passengers can get seriously sick with COVID, needing to be medically evacuated, meaning a disruption to my cruise. Also, current guidelines still call for mask wearing and social distancing for unvaccinated people, meaning cruise lines that allow unvaccinated passengers will need to accommodate/enforce those guidelines. Having everyone vaccinated means cruising really can get back to normal with no need for COVID mitigation measures onboard and no fear of disruption to my sailing.

[graphicguy]

Well…here’s an opposite opinion.  Not that it matters as wrong is wrong, regardless.  But, I’ve cruised NCL so much I’m Platinum Latitudes.  I understood the 3 cancellations I previously endured….one that was supposed to be happening right now.  I was booked on the Bliss for Alaska, which I would have been in the middle of today.  I get that it had to be canceled.

 

There’s a trend here, though.  At first, they allowed for refunds.  Then, they wouldn’t.  But now, with all of their ballyhoo about ready to cruise all vaccinated, many of us here booked the first sailings out of both the D.R. And Jamaica.  We all know what happened there.  Some were canceled twice in less than a week.

 

I’ve heard all the excuses.  They didn’t have enough staff for the Caribbean cruises….. why in the world would you allow bookings?  They needed staff for Alaska and needed to pull from the other ships…really?  You’d risk alienating cruisers on two sailings to sail on one?  Now, it appears the Bliss Alaska cruise may be in jeopardy because they can’t get the ship to the port in time and staffed up, whereas they already had that running in Jamaica on the Joy and the GEM out of D.R.

 

Seriously…who’s running the ship?  You spent all this down time with NO PLAN to restart?  You spent money on some videos talking about menus, masks and how glad you are to be sailing again but, didn’t think to retain and retrain staff for the restart?

 

It reminds me of the adage…”ready, shoot, aim”.  NCL looks like a cluster right now.

 

IF they thought there was even the slightest chance they weren’t going to sail, don’t accept reservations….period.  And, where’s my refund?

[Murph269]

16 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

If you had the shot, why are you so worried about other people's personal medical information?

To add to the good points that others have already shared, another good reason to have the vaccine is consideration for the areas you are visiting on your cruise. We tend to look at things through the lens of how things are operating in our home countries. However, just because you might be able to readily get the vaccine in your country if you want one, that is likely not true for a lot of the port destinations. The last thing some of these places need is for Covid to go tearing through their communities. If cruise lines can help mitigate that by requiring vaccinated passengers, I say more power to them.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Murph269

[Old & Retired]

13 hours ago, CaptainWoody said:

Because "other people" who refuse to vaccinate may get really sick and screw up my long awaited vacation.  My ship.  My rules.

So you live your life worried about how other people conduct their personal lives because it *might* have some adverse effect on your own personal life?  Methinks staying under your bed might be the best solution.

[Old & Retired]

12 hours ago, NW Pacific said:

WE are fully vaccinated, but not about to throw caution in the wind, want to be around others vaccinated opposed to those who are not.  Realize nothing is 100%, so makes 100% sense to be safe as safe can be!!  Lets get cruising

Safe as safe can be is staying home under your bed.

[Topdog52]

13 hours ago, CaptainWoody said:

Because "other people" who refuse to vaccinate may get really sick and screw up my long awaited vacation.  My ship.  My rules.

AMEN!!!!!!!!

[Topdog52]

13 hours ago, CaptainWoody said:

Because "other people" who refuse to vaccinate may get really sick and screw up my long awaited vacation.  My ship.  My rules.

EXACTLY

[PTC DAWG]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Because the shot does not prevent you from catching the virus. It only prevents you from getting seriously ill when you catch the virus from being careless.

So you get the sniffles.  Oh the humanity.  

[JamieLogical]

@Old & Retired @PTC DAWG I like how you are ignoring the posts where we explained that we don't want our cruises disrupted by sick passengers.

[DCGuy64]

And there is it, folks: yet another Cruise Critic thread derailed by the eternal Covid debate. Good grief.

Enough already. Give it a rest.

[mpdog42]

5 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Well…here’s an opposite opinion.  Not that it matters as wrong is wrong, regardless.  But, I’ve cruised NCL so much I’m Platinum Latitudes.  I understood the 3 cancellations I previously endured….one that was supposed to be happening right now.  I was booked on the Bliss for Alaska, which I would have been in the middle of today.  I get that it had to be canceled.

 

There’s a trend here, though.  At first, they allowed for refunds.  Then, they wouldn’t.  But now, with all of their ballyhoo about ready to cruise all vaccinated, many of us here booked the first sailings out of both the D.R. And Jamaica.  We all know what happened there.  Some were canceled twice in less than a week.

 

I’ve heard all the excuses.  They didn’t have enough staff for the Caribbean cruises….. why in the world would you allow bookings?  They needed staff for Alaska and needed to pull from the other ships…really?  You’d risk alienating cruisers on two sailings to sail on one?  Now, it appears the Bliss Alaska cruise may be in jeopardy because they can’t get the ship to the port in time and staffed up, whereas they already had that running in Jamaica on the Joy and the GEM out of D.R.

 

Seriously…who’s running the ship?  You spent all this down time with NO PLAN to restart?  You spent money on some videos talking about menus, masks and how glad you are to be sailing again but, didn’t think to retain and retrain staff for the restart?

 

It reminds me of the adage…”ready, shoot, aim”.  NCL looks like a cluster right now.

 

IF they thought there was even the slightest chance they weren’t going to sail, don’t accept reservations….period.  And, where’s my refund?

Mic Drop...

[aubreyc1988]

19 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Yes. Really appreciated! And hopefully it keeps everyone safe until the COVID case counts worldwide (which is where passengers come from) drops way down. 

 

And I was part of the Gem/Joy group that got cancelled last week and still really appreciate NCL. We have over a dozen cancelled cruises and one more doesn't bother us a bit if it improves the chance of a smooth restart. 

Hear hear! I am/was upset about the Joy, I think they should have kept it, but i understand it was a business decision and they have to make wise ones because they have been without revenue for so long. 

 

I appreciate they are requiring vaccines so we can all have an almost "normal" vacation. I don't want any sort of "Covid outbreak on this ship and ship had to turn around", and I appreciate NCL putting the health and safety of their guests first. Not to mention it is a great way to protect their businesses. Vaccine requirement won't be around forever, but I think it is needed for now!