Just off Odyssey Xmas cruise... honest review from Diamond plus member with 324 nights.

[topnole]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

Thanks I thought so as well, glad you agree 

Glad you agree it is the vaccinated causing the spread onboard.  
 

Kids aren’t the issue.  It is the testing process and the poor ability of the vaccines to stop spread.  Blame the vaccines, the virus, and the adults.  Don’t blame kids.  

 

You remind me of the old lady down the street who yell at the kids when their ball accidentally rolled in her yard.  

[Ocean Boy]

13 minutes ago, topnole said:

So just cancel anyone with kids?  Yeah, that would be great for their bottom line.  
 

How exactly do you implement that and when do expect those customers to return after you disallowed  them traveling with their kids?  
 

In practice what you are suggesting is a no go and a quick way to destroy their business.   

Of course you can't just cancel them. I just not sure this is the time to cater to them. From what I understand Disney had no problem saying vaccinate your kids or they don't come. Families are their business. They will survive I'm sure. Somehow RCI doing the same would be their death knell? RCI needs boozed up gambling adults on board.😄

[JoelinSedona]

13 minutes ago, topnole said:

You said entertainment was slashed due to understaffing.  They only ever have one guy play in the pub.  One in schooner.  One cast in shows.  Etc.  

 

They may be understaffed in other areas, but I seriously doubt they were understaffed on entertainment crew.  Sounds like Covid kept some from being able to work. It sucks, but that doesn’t mean understaffed.  

Here's a few that were reduced or eliminated in no particular order....

Abyss slide

Water slides

Flow Rider

On Air Karaoke

Bingo

Rock Climbing wall

No Laser tag

No Escape room

No Ice skating

Adventure Ocean 

Zipline

Organized Sports Court Activities

Greatly reduced seating at shows resulting in many people not being able to secure a reservation

 

All of the above resulted in massively overcrowded hot tubs and pools (or shooting baskets with 50 of your closest new friends).

 

 

 

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, alwaysflyin said:

It won't make a bit of difference since vaccinated and boosted adults easily catch and spread Omicron covid.

 

My point: everyone keeps saying "oh, if Royal only does _________ then no one onboard will get covid".  Everything suggested, from masks to lower capacity to only vaccinated allowed to sail, will not stop the spread of covid.  Royal is doing everything that they reasonably can and we all need to approach cruising with the concept that it is not Royal's job to keep us "safe" (oh how I have come to loathe that word).  It is our job to understand that Omicron is super infectious and that if you engage in normal life at all you have a chance to get it, whether that be in normal life or on a ship.  Then proceed accordingly based on your risk profile should you catch covid.

 

As for me, I'd go on a ship tomorrow if I could book one!

Exactly.  Kids being on board isn’t going to stop situations like the Symphony.  Why people are acting like kids are super spreading is beyond me.  

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, JoelinSedona said:

Here's a few that were reduced or eliminated in no particular order....

Abyss slide

Water slides

Flow Rider

On Air Karaoke

Bingo

Rock Climbing wall

No Laser tag

No Escape room

No Ice skating

Adventure Ocean 

Zipline

Organized Sports Court Activities

Greatly reduced seating at shows resulting in many people not being able to secure a reservation

 

All of the above resulted in massively overcrowded hot tubs and pools (or shooting baskets with 50 of your closest new friends).

 

 

 

I was only referring to shows as you stated that was due to understaffing.  

[Ocean Boy]

4 minutes ago, JoelinSedona said:

Here's a few that were reduced or eliminated in no particular order....

Abyss slide

Water slides

Flow Rider

On Air Karaoke

Bingo

Rock Climbing wall

No Laser tag

No Escape room

No Ice skating

Adventure Ocean 

Zipline

Organized Sports Court Activities

Greatly reduced seating at shows resulting in many people not being able to secure a reservation

 

All of the above resulted in massively overcrowded hot tubs and pools (or shooting baskets with 50 of your closest new friends).

 

 

 

Wow.

[alwaysflyin]

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Of course you can't just cancel them. I just not sure this is the time to cater to them. From what I understand Disney had no problem saying vaccinate your kids or they don't come. Families are their business. They will survive I'm sure. Somehow RCI doing the same would be their death knell?

There were a lot of very angry families posting on Facebook when Disney made that policy switch, and Royal may have picked up the business of the families with unvaccinated kids.  A fairly small minority of kids 5-11 are vaccinated and Royal would lose all that family business.  Disney may reverse at some point; heck, Celebrity reversed.

Edited December 27, 2021 by alwaysflyin

[alwaysflyin]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

Well not the old lady down the street, just the old man.  Vax em all up or keep them off the ship, no matter the age or the reason, stay home and if your ball rolls into my yard, you can retrieve it if you show your vaccine card.

Serious question: why?  You think that unvaccinated kids age 5-11 are the only ones bringing covid onto ships?

[topnole]

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Of course you can't just cancel them. I just not sure this is the time to cater to them. From what I understand Disney had no problem saying vaccinate your kids or they don't come. Families are their business. They will survive I'm sure. Somehow RCI doing the same would be their death knell? RCI needs boozed up gambling adults on board.😄

How many ships does Disney have?   How much of their revenue is from their cruise line?   I can tell you it is a small fraction.   Disney can run their cruises indefinitely at a loss and be fine.  Royal can’t.  It is their only revenue.  It isn’t even a remotely comparable situation.  

[Ocean Boy]

2 minutes ago, alwaysflyin said:

There were a lot of very angry families posting on Facebook when Disney made that policy switch, and Royal may have picked up the business.  A fairly small minority of kids 5-11 are vaccinated and Royal would lose all that business.  Disney may reverse at some point; heck, Celebrity reversed.

I hadn't heard about Celebrity reversing. Interesting.

[topnole]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Well not the old lady down the street, just the old man.  Vax em all up or keep them off the ship, no matter the age or the reason, stay home and if your ball rolls into my yard, you can retrieve it if you show your vaccine card.

You realize if the ships only sailed with young healthy people Covid wouldn’t even be a concern. So in principle, you want to ban young kids so that older high risk individuals can feel safer while they cruise?  Even though you kids don’t spread Covid like adults do?   
 

The entire reaction of the world and the US on Covid is to protect the old and unhealthy.  But yeah, let’s ban young healthy kids from joining their family on vacation.  I’m certain the world has gone crazy.  If the vaccines work, why ban kids.  If they don’t, why ban kids?  

[topnole]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I hadn't heard about Celebrity reversing. Interesting.

Well, it is the same company.  

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, topnole said:

Well, it is the same company.  

So what? They have had two different policies up until whenever this reversal occured.

[Cel_cruise]

Wow - that’s a huge cancellation list ….we would be gutted if all of those things were down….

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

No I do not think they are the only ones, but they can certainly do so just as I can potentially.  I simply believe in the enclosed environment of a ship, all must be vaccinated. My employer requires all of us to be vaccinated in order to come to our office, they have also reopened the on site daycare center, to only kids that have been vaccinated, I support this 100%.  Does it exclude some, sure it does, but I believe it is the prudent thing to do.  Just like I won’t change any minds here, not that I care to, I feel how I feel and am perfectly fine with that.

Plenty of colleges and universities also have vaccine mandates. Talk about populations of mostly young healthy people.

[topnole]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

So what? They have had two different policies up until whenever this reversal occured.

I’m saying corporate probably makes the decision and lord knows they need more revenue to stem the losses.  Not crazy that the same corporation would move toward the same policy eventually.  

[alwaysflyin]

2 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

No I do not think they are the only ones, but they can certainly do so just as I can potentially.  I simply believe in the enclosed environment of a ship, all must be vaccinated. My employer requires all of us to be vaccinated in order to come to our office, they have also reopened the on site daycare center, to only kids that have been vaccinated, I support this 100%.  Does it exclude some, sure it does, but I believe it is the prudent thing to do.  Just like I won’t change any minds here, not that I care to, I feel how I feel and am perfectly fine with that.

It's fine to feel the way you feel, but without a more logical case as to why unvaccinated children are dangerous to the ship environment there is no reason to forbid them.  

[Cel_cruise]

BC Football has 100% vax rate and has 40 players out for covid.   
 

Over the summer - the rules of the game changed and we learned that the vaccinated were in fact getting covid and just did not feel it….and now, again the game is changed…

 

just need to find out the new rules….so we can all play along….

[CPT Trips]

11 minutes ago, topnole said:

You realize if the ships only sailed with young healthy people Covid wouldn’t even be a concern. 

That statement is absolutely incorrect. 

[Cel_cruise]

2 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

What I realize is that I believe all that board a ship should be vaccinated, full stop.

sure / but that won’t stop people (passengers or crew) from getting covid…

 

I don’t really have much disagreement with you though - but my family (including my 11 year old and my 8yo niece) are fully vaxed… 

Edited December 27, 2021 by Cel_cruise

[topnole]

1 minute ago, CPT Trips said:

That statement is absolutely incorrect. 

It is correct.  Covid is concerning when it causes serious outcomes like death or long term illness.  That doesn’t happen often with young and healthy people.  If everyone in the world was 20 and very healthy when Covid hit it would’ve been treated differently from the get go.  

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, Cel_cruise said:

sure / but that won’t stop people (passengers or crew) from getting covid…

It doesn't matter though IF all it ends up turning into is a cold.

[topnole]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It doesn't matter though IF all it ends up turning into is a cold.

It hopefully does.  But older and unhealthy are having worse outcomes from omicron.   So if it is milder, it is still going to hit vaccinated folks harder who are of advanced age or unhealthy.  There are already omicron deaths of this type     

[bigeagle12]

As grown adults .. KNOW THE RISKS .. and either go or cancel. 

[topnole]

58 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Maybe. I do know, at least from when the Travel Channel actually had something to do with travel, that the casino and alcohol sales were huge profit centers for the cruise lines.

True, but the newer ships are built to extract money from parents for their kids.  There is much more to the ships now than bars and a casino.