Upside To Covid And The Buffet

[azgrandmax3]

Thanks for all the information.  You have answered many of my wondering.  Will be sailing in February. 

[SargassoPirate]

12 hours ago, reedprincess said:

We enjoyed the served buffet with some of the smaller items being prepacked and self service very much. Didn't enjoy the long waits for silverware so much, but do understand the staffing issues as omicron is working it's way through ships... Hate that the salt, pepper and sugar are in multi-use containers on the tables, and not sanitized after each group/person leaves a table. Potential spreader for whatever virus/bacteria right there.. Single serve, or brought out with the silverware setup would be much more sanitary..  at Slice and Trident Grill on deck - pepper flakes were sprinkled by staff, and salt/pepper, ketchup, relish, mustard were all in single use containers (cute small pots for mustard/ketchup/relish, paper packs for salt/pepper). No large dispensers for everyone to touch away, thankfully! yuck! Lol. 

 

Improvements, and still room for more improvements...

 

Regarding common use articles and surfaces, carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer and resanitize after you touch one of those surfaces.  Break the contact chain.

 

Considering this, do you resanitize after you grab the underside of your chair to pull it in?  How about after you hand the menu back to the server? How about after you use any common condiment container?

 

I have always carried a small sanitizer bottle and used it at the table if I touched a common surface.  Cruise friends used to smirk or outright laugh at me - calling me Mr. Monk.

 

Fifty some cruises and not so much as a sniffle - let alone any GI problems.

 

Those friends don't laugh at me anymore and they all carry their own little bottle of sanitizer.

 

 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Regarding common use articles and surfaces, carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer and resanitize after you touch one of those surfaces.  Break the contact chain.

 

Considering this, do you resanitize after you grab the underside of your chair to pull it in?  How about after you hand the menu back to the server? How about after you use any common condiment container?

 

I have always carried a small sanitizer bottle and used it at the table if I touched a common surface.  Cruise friends used to smirk or outright laugh at me - calling me Mr. Monk.

 

Fifty some cruises and not so much as a sniffle - let alone any GI problems.

 

Those friends don't laugh at me anymore and they all carry their own little bottle of sanitizer.

 

 

I agree with you about the use of sanitisers, but obviously that regime,  although useful in itself, does nothing to protect you from Covid.   

[SargassoPirate]

21 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I agree with you about the use of sanitisers, but obviously that regime,  although useful in itself, does nothing to protect you from Covid.   

Exactly, since science figured out the chances of spreading covid from common contact surfaces is next to nil.  Wiping down every reachable surface is theater to make people feel better. And while I appreciate a clean environment, from the days of pre-vaccine polio, I treat every surface as contaminated and wash or sanitize my hands before touching anything that's going in my mouth.

 

I guess I am Mr. Monk, but it has served me well.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by SargassoPirate

[deadzone1003]

2 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Exactly, since science figured out the chances of spreading covid from common contact surfaces is next to nil.  Wiping down every reachable surface is theater to make people feel better. And while I appreciate a clean environment, from the days of pre-vaccine polio, I treat every surface as contaminated and wash or sanitize my hands before touching anything that's going in my mouth.

 

I guess I am Mr. Monk, but it has served me well.

 

 

 

 

That may have been true with the earlier variants when patients had dry coughs & no sneezing.  Unfortunately, the Omicron variant has sneezing and wet coughs so droplets can get on surfaces.  Maybe, that is one of the reason that Omicron is spreading so quickly, people are used to their routines in avoiding earlier covid variants and forgot about touching surfaces and washing hands. However, just remember sunlight will kill the virus.  Planning to stay in areas of a ship where it is well ventilated and sunlight is hitting most surfaces.  

[fencerider54]

As we are on the Panama Canal cruise on the Emerald Princess, Feb 12 - Feb 27, 2022, we are very interested in comments regarding dining differences, selections, from pre-Covid experience. While we just experienced, for the first time, a Disney cruise on Fantasy, we left “UNDERWHELMED”! Any commentary regarding current Princess cruise line experiences would be appreciated and very helpful. Thank you

[Mike45LC]

8 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Exactly, since science figured out the chances of spreading covid from common contact surfaces is next to nil.  Wiping down every reachable surface is theater to make people feel better.

I am a compulsive hand-washer, but I think some on this thread are taking things much too far.  I will use a cup and silverware that has been out on a table.  I doubt that the wiping down of a table between shifts of diners sanitizes it at all, but I am not going to worry about it.  And a whole bunch of other "Monk"ish behavior!!

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, deadzone1003 said:

Maybe, that is one of the reason that Omicron is spreading so quickly, people are used to their routines in avoiding earlier covid variants and forgot about touching surfaces and washing hands

There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the Omnicron variant is any different from previous variants, in transmission. Surface transmission is negligible,  Omnicron is simply more infectious.

[azgrandmax3]

Welcome Fencerider54, glad to see you made it to the Boards.

[Mike45LC]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the Omnicron variant is any different from previous variants, in transmission. Surface transmission is negligible,  Omnicron is simply more infectious.

And far less serious.  Please focus on the number of hospitalizations and deaths, and forget about mild cases and asymptomatic cases.