Symphony - terrible / no shows / Covid ?

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

For anyone onboard, we just noticed this afternoon that all movies are now free on the TV. This wasn’t the case when we boarded.

 

seems like a missed opportunity not to promote this to guests (unless I missed the memo?) 

An incentive to try to get people to stay in their cabins? It wouldn't work for me. I never watch TV on while on a ship.

[sailor05]

On 12/25/2021 at 7:48 AM, jasongoldberg said:

I’m also on board. I’d say that the issues are 1) total lack of programming onboard, 2) lack of transparency, 3) lack of / dysfunctional communication, and 4) lack of protocol following. 
I haven’t experienced the same lines but I also booked all of my dining in advance. 
In terms of communications — there is zero. Not what’s going on. For example - app showed formal nights 2, 4, 7. Cruise compass showed casual for night 2. An excursion was listed in the app with a 715am meeting time but the tickets showed 730. We cleared from the dock at 740. Even though I know it from past cruises, zero mention of need to bring towels and a lot of people showed up without — for a beach excursion. Its truly amateur hour. 
There is zero — I mean zero social distancing going on. Packed elevators and the stairwell by the gangway is shoulder to shoulder. I saw a handful of people with masks pulled down. Not good. No crew to be seen. 
 

This is all in stark contrast to our August cruise on Adventure. 
 

On a positive note, food at specialty restaurants has been excellent, our day at CocoCay (beach club) was terrific and staff was attentive (also didn’t feel ‘crowded’), and we haven’t experienced lines in excess of what we had on pre Covid cruises. 
 

As we’re waiting to depart for our shore excursion I sure am curious whether the late departure will still return on schedule. Let’s see. 

 

This is why the ships keep coming back with high numbers of positives. At this rate they'll stop cruising within 2-4 weeks at most. Be prepared....

[sherylc]

On 12/27/2021 at 3:39 PM, cured said:

It is not so easy to reduce capacity by bumping people within a 2-3 week window.  There are many other factors to consider like paid airline flights, especially those from across the pond, non-refundable hotels and all the other expenses people laid out months in advance. It is not like an airline where you can volunteer to get on a flight a couple of hours later. There is no cruise a few hours later. The company did shut down bookings to keep capacity at what was already booked.

 

 

 

 

While I agree that bumping people is not a great option to reduce capacity, there were other options. If RCCL had emailed those on this cruise as soon as they knew that entertainment would be canceled, they could have offered a refund (or other option) to those that found this new information a deal-breaker for them. This is exactly what they did in July when masks first became required. We got that information along with the option for a full refund (which we used and then switched to a Celebrity cruise a week later that didn't require masks). Different things are important to different people, but most if not all would prefer to know what they are getting into BEFORE they board especially if they were given the option to either reschedule or get a refund. 

[danny6514]

I'm not sure if I can agree just because OP booked a Christmas cruise he should have expected a cruise to turn the way it did. I just got off a Christmas cruise from NCL Bliss and it's quite a stark contrast compared to this one, no specialty restaurants raised prices, all programs ran with the exception of Jersey Boys (since 2 cast member tested positive) but was replaced with a magic show. It also wasn't crowded (capacity-controlled) even though our Christmas sailing had way more people than the previous. RCL might not have had total control over the situation, but to say they are not at fault for any of this isn't exactly fair.

[DrSea]

On 12/25/2021 at 11:16 AM, blueslily said:

Man, I feel bad for front line staff this week. Especially the Guest Services staff. They are listening to complaint after complaint about decisions that they did not make and have no control over and overall a very fluid situation that seems to have changes moment by moment. Anyone who has worked or does work in customer service can relate to that experience.  I'm sure they won't know every change in real time as they are talking to passengers moment to moment. I hope people are considerate, even when sharing frustrations to these staff members around the ship that really don't have the power to make decisions about everything passengers are experiencing or not experiencing.

 

I enjoy Symphony and look forward to my next sailing on her. 🙂

The flip side is that they are literally getting paid to listen to people complain. It's their literal job. I am not saying that they should be abused. I am just saying that it comes with the territory and job description.

[cruisingguy007]

On 12/27/2021 at 9:50 PM, livingonthebeach said:

 

True, I've survived through this pandemic but not by cheating the system. 

 

I'll bet your not a billion dollar corporation who's struggling to survive. Thanks for playing though. Carnival isn't cheating, surviving isn't cheating anyway. I'm 100% behind the lines! 

[cruisingguy007]

On 12/29/2021 at 6:51 PM, sailor05 said:

This is why the ships keep coming back with high numbers of positives. At this rate they'll stop cruising within 2-4 weeks at most. Be prepared....

Never! The lines would be smart to ignore anyone who is agreeing to a shutdown. They may never recover and ceding power to your destruction is silly. Sorry. Not sorry! I hope they (the cruise lines) kick their pearly white teeth in and keep cruising! Get some backbone and you might get some sponsors! Big donors is what we need!  

[MrMarc]

5 hours ago, danny6514 said:

I'm not sure if I can agree just because OP booked a Christmas cruise he should have expected a cruise to turn the way it did. I just got off a Christmas cruise from NCL Bliss and it's quite a stark contrast compared to this one, no specialty restaurants raised prices, all programs ran with the exception of Jersey Boys (since 2 cast member tested positive) but was replaced with a magic show. It also wasn't crowded (capacity-controlled) even though our Christmas sailing had way more people than the previous. RCL might not have had total control over the situation, but to say they are not at fault for any of this isn't exactly fair.

Except for the capacity, what that happened was in RCCL's control?  I think we all agree it was not good, but to most of us not really surprising.  And a recurring theam is stay calm and try to make the best of it while onboard.

[BND]

7 hours ago, DrSea said:

The flip side is that they are literally getting paid to listen to people complain. It's their literal job. I am not saying that they should be abused. I am just saying that it comes with the territory and job description.

I'm guessing you've never worked in Customer Service.  Yes, they are there to help but they aren't there to just listen to complaining all day long.  They're there to answer questions, correct mistakes (accounts), make new sign and sail cards, etc.  It may come with the territory but the things people complain about sometimes are ludicrous and their expectations can be outlandish.    I've seen people yelling at customer service because a port was skipped due to weather and other things completely out of the cruise line's control.  Standing in line to complain to Guest Services just to complain has always struck me as odd.  Some people want them to change policy right then and there.

[DrSea]

1 hour ago, BND said:

I'm guessing you've never worked in Customer Service.  Yes, they are there to help but they aren't there to just listen to complaining all day long.  They're there to answer questions, correct mistakes (accounts), make new sign and sail cards, etc.  It may come with the territory but the things people complain about sometimes are ludicrous and their expectations can be outlandish.    I've seen people yelling at customer service because a port was skipped due to weather and other things completely out of the cruise line's control.  Standing in line to complain to Guest Services just to complain has always struck me as odd.  Some people want them to change policy right then and there.

I do work customer service currently. My reimbursement is directly tied to surveys on how patients feel they were treated during their appointment. So doctors can get penalized for not doing something that would medically harm the patient just because the patient felt they were entitled to get. Everyone thinks Dr. Google is right. Just look at the COVID responses here on this board. Imagine that in your office and you will get penalized if you say one wrong thing about COVID that they disagree with, even if you publish papers on COVID, which I do. COVID has been politicized. It's like a minefield sometime and you have to tread lightly.

 

I listen to people complain all day long about how other doctors are rude or don't care or how expensive everything is. I cannot control what another doctor does at another health care system or what other hospital charged for some scan while they were hospitalized. I wasn't there. But I listen to their complaints. It's part of the job. Along with hours of documenting in the chart, but that's a conversation for another day.

[DirtyDawg]

I've always thought customer service reps were very much like proctologists.

They have to deal with the same thing.  😊

[DrSea]

On 12/29/2021 at 7:07 AM, rich_cathybrock said:

I wonder how many complaints you'd see here if they closed the bars. 

 

If we have learned nothing else from this pandemic, we all ought to try to be kinder to one another.  Cruises offer so many things:  fine entertainment, numerous music and drinking venues, quiet nooks to read and decompress, excellent activities for young and old alike and a wide variety of excellent dining options to name only a few. 

 

Regardless of which of these activities are the reason(s) we cruise, it is wrong to be dismissive of someone else's disappointment predicated solely on the fact that it would not be an issue for you.  I don't drink, haven't in 30 years and counting, and I would never disregard someone else's disappointment if their favorite beverage ran out.  Ultimately, it is the value we get for the "whole package" that makes cruising an attractive option.  I agree with OP that this fell far below expectations for him, and I would have been equally dissatisfied.

 

We have now rolled 5 cancellations over 2 years into a kings' ransom worth of certificates.  I have to use by May and sail by December 2022 or lose them and as my son is getting married later this year, options are limited.  I was thinking of rolling it onto a May Oasis out of Bayonne, and if there is no Aquatheater or limited Casino access on our first cruise on Aqua Class ship, we would be very disappointed indeed. 

 

It seems they overbooked, and it was a mistake.  Now let's see how they handle lessons learned, and hopefully they will do better in future.

You summarize very well how I feel about this situation. I rarely drink too, and your example really hit home for me.

 

Sorry for the FCC about to expire. I appreciate you sharing that with everyone on this board because I now know not to take those offers if my cruise gets cancelled.

[DrSea]

2 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

I've always thought customer service reps were very much like proctologists.

They have to deal with the same thing.  😊

I literally thought that too. Same exact thought crossed my mind. Thank you for posting it so I didn't have to.

 

You can't complain about something that is a part of the job description.

[DrSea]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:33 AM, cruiselvr04 said:

One time I asked someone “Can you please put your mask on”?  At the time we were under a mask mandate in our county, in a medical building which had signs posted, in an elevator.  Her mask was around her wrist.  I honestly just thought she forgot.  I was yelled at, called names and berated for 8 floors.  I was truly shocked someone could be so mean. I had just gotten a cancer treatment and sobbed all the way to the car, not because she hadn’t put a mask on but because of the hatred.  I’ve never said a word in public again and will not.  
 

I cruise accepting that not everyone will follow the rules.  I’m hopeful that Symphony gets its covid outbreak under control, that crew gets better quickly and the entertainment gets back on track.  I’d be disappointed but you also have to have a good attitude.  Maybe free in room movies to compensate?

@BND Please see above for your question on whether or not I work customer service.

[Maitaivegas]

9 hours ago, DrSea said:

The flip side is that they are literally getting paid to listen to people complain. It's their literal job. I am not saying that they should be abused. I am just saying that it comes with the territory and job description.

I have done c/s for 25 years, and I was not being paid to be yelled at or called racial slurs.

Working c/s effects the mental health of everyone who does this job. I have severe anxiety that only was alleviated once I quit my job. My Psoriasis even healed once I quit.

 

So please be kind to Guest Services on the ship, they are probably being paid less than min wage.

[beshears]

I have not read all the postings here, but just a few.  There are 8 of us to do the Explorer on the 9th of January.  My questions in regard to the ship you were on.  Are you saying what the app shows isn't always what it turns out to be?  If this is the case, how do you know the correct time?  Do you go to the Pursers desk and WAIT in line like everyone else to get their issues resolved? Also about the dining situation.  We are doing the MDR. Are they putting the vaccinations in one area, and the un-vacinnations in another area in the MDR, or how do they handle that?

[Maitaivegas]

16 minutes ago, beshears said:

I have not read all the postings here, but just a few.  There are 8 of us to do the Explorer on the 9th of January.  My questions in regard to the ship you were on.  Are you saying what the app shows isn't always what it turns out to be?  If this is the case, how do you know the correct time?  Do you go to the Pursers desk and WAIT in line like everyone else to get their issues resolved? Also about the dining situation.  We are doing the MDR. Are they putting the vaccinations in one area, and the un-vacinnations in another area in the MDR, or how do they handle that?

Yes most ships MDR have a vaccinated room. What I have read here is there is not social distancing in the vaccinated MDR.

I have 2 forms of an auto immune disease, and I recommend if anybody in your group has any health problems to limit time in the MDR.

i am vaccinated and just got the booster and I am doing all speciality dining and the solarium for my meals. I also plan to eat at the Mexican quick place when possible.

I really don’t think the food in the MDR looks appetizing in my opinion.

[Rosy Season]

On 12/24/2021 at 11:36 PM, danielwje1 said:

Cruising with my girlfriend for the first time. I am a long time Royal cruise but my gf’s first time on a cruise ship. 

 

we’re onboard Symphony for Christmas. It appears that there’s no production or water shows all cruise (although they haven’t been very transparent about this), just not in the schedules. 
 

we also could only book anytime dining for 8:15pm. Turned up last night and had to wait in line for 25 minutes before being seated. Extremely crowded. We were seated next to a family with about 10cm between the tables. It felt awkwardly close and not very private. My girlfriend says it’s like a zoo onboard. 
 

im so disappointed since we paid quite a price premium for symphony and can’t even see any of the shows. My girlfriend also wonders why I’ve been saying I enjoy cruises. If you were in my position, what would you do? Should I complain? 

 

We also had Vision OTS pull up next to us at Coco Cay and transfer around 100 crew members to Symphony. I can only assume many of the crew have Covid and they’re understaffed? 
 

I wish Royal Caribbean and the cruise Director would be more honest about what’s going on onboard. If many of the cast have Covid and many of the waiter have Covid, I think being transparent and open would create more trust. 

Vision is back today transferring crew from Harmony.  Harmony is a floating infectious disease right now.

[Rosy Season]

On 12/29/2021 at 9:05 AM, Ride-The-Waves said:

RCCL is fully to blame.  They set the capacity levels.  They set how protocols will be monitored.  They set how crew must behave/react to non-maskers and protocol violators.  Bumping these huge ships, which are over-crowded on a normal cruise, up to full capacity to make $$$ during the Christmas/New Years period is a policy decision that flaunts safety.  There will always be a few non-vaxxers/non-maskers in the crowd just as there are at the local supermarket.  Those people must be dealt with quickly and efficiently.  These huge ships have large security staffs.  Just a couple of security responses to corral those who flaunt the protocols is sufficient to "correct" passenger behavior.  If you want too cruise, follow the rules.  Just like driving a car on the highway:  follow the rules.

THIS!  As I sit here on harmony quarantined with a positive 7 year old.  I know that I must be positive and they didn't even test me.  The covid hallways are full and on at least 3 different floors at this point.  Vision is out there transferring infected crew.  The second time this has happened this week.

 

This is an epic failure.  

[Rosy Season]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:13 PM, nocl said:

The cases are being found in the crew because they are tested every 7 days.

 

There might be more cases among the passengers but unless they show symptoms, or have to test to fly back to a non-US country or doing a back to back they are not tested.  From other discussions if one person shows symptoms and tests positive they do not even test the other family members.

With on a very small percentage of passengers being tested no way to know how many cases there are.

This.  All of this.  I am one of the family members that wasn't tested even though I'm with my 7 year old who is positive.  

 

They are artificially keeping numbers down.  Passengers don't have to test unless they voluntarily come down to test. With the vast number of passengers on now in covid quarantine with us I am terrified to know how many of them are walking around on the ship.  Either asymptomatic or with symptoms and not reporting them.

[DrSea]

41 minutes ago, Maitaivegas said:

I have done c/s for 25 years, and I was not being paid to be yelled at or called racial slurs.

Working c/s effects the mental health of everyone who does this job. I have severe anxiety that only was alleviated once I quit my job. My Psoriasis even healed once I quit.

 

So please be kind to Guest Services on the ship, they are probably being paid less than min wage.

I think there is confusion here. I do agree with being nice to C/S.

 

I get called every name and racial slur in the book by all kinds of patients. I see people at their worst (floridly psychotic, withdrawing from drugs, etc.). Some threaten to kill me, my family, my pets, etc. Patients have thrown punches and other things at me. Thankfully no feces or urine thrown at me yet, but it has happened to my nurses (bless their heart). It doesn't bother me now because it happens so often. It's a part of my job.

 

You don't work a job that deals with the general public and expected to provide customer service without expecting to take verbal abuse from people. To me, it's just common sense that it's a part of the job, whether I like it or not. I just move on with my day bc I am busy and have a lot of clinical tasks to do.

[SheSailsFL]

On 12/28/2021 at 12:50 AM, livingonthebeach said:

 

True, I've survived through this pandemic but not by cheating the system. 

To imply Royal is “cheating” anything by offloading infected crew is ridiculous.  🙄🤦🏼‍♀️They are removing infected crew to prevent further spread since they live in such close quarters.  
Doing this will also hopefully prevent being turned away at the next ports. if they took no action, the increasing infected cases would ensure no port stops and thousands of pissed off passengers. 
How could that possibly be considered cheating in any way?!

 

[livingonthebeach]

3 hours ago, SheSailsFL said:

To imply Royal is “cheating” anything by offloading infected crew is ridiculous.  🙄🤦🏼‍♀️They are removing infected crew to prevent further spread since they live in such close quarters.  
Doing this will also hopefully prevent being turned away at the next ports. if they took no action, the increasing infected cases would ensure no port stops and thousands of pissed off passengers. 
How could that possibly be considered cheating in any way?!

 

Perhaps some see it a slightly different way.  I agree with most of what you've pointed out but the reality is that the crew being offloaded onto other ships don't have the same medical resources they would have on land.  Should an emergency arise, they are far from land and necessary medical facilities. Also, positive crew that get offloaded before reaching land don't get counted in the total positive count -- which means the numbers reported to the CDC don't represent the true reality of the situation.

[SheSailsFL]

3 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Also, positive crew that get offloaded before reaching land don't get counted in the total positive count -- which means the numbers reported to the CDC don't represent the true reality of the situation. reality is that the crew being offloaded onto other ships don't have the same medical resources they would have on land.  Should an emergency arise, they are far from land and necessary medical facilities.” 

 

There are doctors and nurses on every ship. This is a CDC requirement.  The crew members have signed on for a contracted period, usually 9-12 months and are well aware of the scope and limitations of medical care at sea.  The quarantine ships are less than an hour from an island (Nassau, St Marten) where critical care is available if needed, and evacuation protocols are in place with or without Covid. 

What you’re also not considering is that some of the crew leaving the ship may not be sick at all.  They are also using the Vision and Rhapsody to transport crew on/off ships at the beginning and end of their contract periods. 
 

 

“Also, positive crew that get offloaded before reaching land don't get counted in the total positive count -- which means the numbers reported to the CDC don't represent the true reality of the situation.”

If an infected person is not being reported on their home ship, they will be reported on the quarantine ship-another CDC requirement.  Ships are required to report infections whether or not passengers are on board.  The numbers are accurate at the time of reporting.  Unless everyone on the ship is tested every day, there is no way an accurate count is known anyway.   As I stated before, this is being done to prevent further spread and preserve any possibility of passengers being able to come ashore at ports, including their own private islands.  Two very good reasons for the strategy.  If they weren’t doing it, a shutdown would be inevitable with the case rates they are seeing.  Royal has been transparent in reporting in CEO briefings the number of cases on board their fleet.  They aren’t trying to hide anything..just mitigate the risk so cruising can continue. 
I won’t debate the topic further, it’s just rather obvious to me why this strategy is being used.

[SheSailsFL]

8 hours ago, Rosy Season said:

This.  All of this.  I am one of the family members that wasn't tested even though I'm with my 7 year old who is positive.  

 

They are artificially keeping numbers down.  Passengers don't have to test unless they voluntarily come down to test. With the vast number of passengers on now in covid quarantine with us I am terrified to know how many of them are walking around on the ship.  Either asymptomatic or with symptoms and not reporting them.

I’m sorry this is happening to you.  Since the news about omicron has been coming out for a couple weeks now, did you consider cancelling before your sailing?   Asking because I am booked in 4 days on a b2b and not even taking a child, but I’m planning to cancel.  It’s just too much right  now.  The only way for the ship to know the actual number of infections is to test everyone daily.  The supply of test kits is too limited to allow for that with omicron exploding everywhere.