NY Times Article

[Julma]

Richard Lewis is the gentleman I mentioned who had just got off the Apex after being quarantined.  He was posting his story on the Apex FB page, but admins. were deleting them quick.  It an interesting article.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/travel/coronavirus-cruise-ships-omicron.html?smid=em-share&fbclid=IwAR2pOm8Pb5JjkB_C0jViFPIghE1eR7iahbeUZOCsPS-qDBEHJz-WhifM9MQ

 

[Bo1953]

Well, just well, he was very much enjoying his sailing until contracting C-19 and had to move from his Concierge Cabin to a port hole with no fresh air. By no fresh air I take it he wanted an IV where the window opens.

 

While possible at his point of purchase, I have yet to hear any travel provider hawking a larger cabin 'just in case' one contracts C-19 for the larger space to quarantine/isolate...

 

His experience is so vastly different than what others have posted here.... not that I doubt him, overall, but find it difficult to agree on all points written about, based on other reports.

 

But be that as it may, it is good that he was not convinced to take the Iconic Suite, can you imagine the horror of being relegated to a port hole cabin to quarantine/isolate??? 😁

 

bon voyage

[sakigemcam]

Finally someone posted about this! I am so angry at the article, and we are NYT subscribers. 

 

The first image of a communal hibachi table is frustrating - people sitting plate to plate, as one does at those.  From reading these boards we know our options on Celebrity - we are studying them to prepare for our March trip.

And the comments! If I had a dollar for every time Petri dish is mentioned!

And again, the lack of knowledge and judgement.

I started replying to comments and realized it wasn't worth it.

Bo is much calmer than I am about this piece 😆

[padgman1]

1 hour ago, sakigemcam said:

Finally someone posted about this! I am so angry at the article, and we are NYT subscribers. 

 

The first image of a communal hibachi table is frustrating - people sitting plate to plate, as one does at those.  From reading these boards we know our options on Celebrity - we are studying them to prepare for our March trip.

And the comments! If I had a dollar for every time Petri dish is mentioned!

And again, the lack of knowledge and judgement.

I started replying to comments and realized it wasn't worth it.

Bo is much calmer than I am about this piece 😆

I had the same reaction. I also realized it wasn't worth it to respond....

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The article is behind a paywall and I am certainly not going to pay for a subscription to the NYTimes given their current abysmal level of journalism.  A former NYT subscriber.

[phoenix_dream]

23 minutes ago, padgman1 said:

I had the same reaction. I also realized it wasn't worth it to respond....

And me three.  I wanted so much to respond but knew it wasn't worth it.  I hate the whole 'petri dish' thing.  The only reason cruise ships got tagged with that is because the reporting level to CDC is so very, very low (for both noro and Covid).  If one single darn crew member gets sick with Covid they move up a level in security watch or whatever it's called.  I would like to see any other institution (school, church, office building) or entertainment venue (concerts, bars, restaurants) or airlines get anywhere near the publicity one Covid case on a cruise ship gets, even though the cruise ship numbers percentage wise are way, way, way below the outbreaks in the above mentioned areas.

[phoenix_dream]

4 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

The article is behind a paywall and I am certainly not going to pay for a subscription to the NYTimes given their current abysmal level of journalism.  A former NYT subscriber.

If you happen to be interested in reading it, I found the information on a cruising/travel  website - sorry, I can't remember the name.

[Jeremiah1212]

There is not a trace online of anyone by that name being tied to the company where he claims he is CEO and Chairman. Was the guy even on the ship or just bored with his holiday down time?

 

7 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

If you happen to be interested in reading it, I found the information on a cruising/travel  website - sorry, I can't remember the name.

 

 

If you are on a Mac just use the reader view and it will bypass the paywall.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Jeremiah1212

[JamieLogical]

As a NYT subscriber, I was VERY disappointed in this article. I am honestly considering canceling my subscription. This is what is passing for "journalism"?

[Chippytoes]

I'm in that APEX FB group. I could be TOTALLY wrong but I'm not 100% the admins were the ones that removed his posts. I think he didn't get the reaction he wanted (people on his side). This group could be different, but normally it says "Post removed by Admin". Anywho...he got what he wanted and his name out on the public eye now. 

[t18c97]

2 minutes ago, Chippytoes said:

I'm in that APEX FB group. I could be TOTALLY wrong but I'm not 100% the admins were the ones that removed his posts. I think he didn't get the reaction he wanted (people on his side). This group could be different, but normally it says "Post removed by Admin". Anywho...he got what he wanted and his name out on the public eye now. 

The admins for that group posted yesterday that due to all the news/post about COVID they couldn't keep up with removing the bogus info ones so they've just decided to ban all COVID talks for awhile. 

[Chippytoes]

Good idea! I'm glad the admins are still around 🙂

 

[klflote]

I read this article earlier today and had to revisit it after seeing the complaints on this thread. Still not sure where the complaints are coming from.... Yeah, there's a picture of the hibachi grill on Carnival which is clearly identified as being from, um, Carnival. Are we upset that it's not Celebrity? In the big picture, the Carnival experience is more reflective of what's going on.

 

The words "petri dish" do not appear and in fact are never alluded to in the article.

 

The Apex cruiser may not be legitimate? Maybe, but his experiences (especially the quarantining in an inside cabin) jive with other experiences I've read about, including on the first page of this forum with someone presently in quarantine on the Millennium. And last week's live report of quarantining on the Equinox didn't exactly inspire confidence that Celebrity was handling this surge without issues. They're doing their best I'm sure, but let's not pretend it isn't hard for them, nor that things are a bed of roses in general right now.

 

But of course bashing the NYT is a favorite pastime for some subscribers, so...

[Islandhop9]

40 minutes ago, klflote said:

I read this article earlier today and had to revisit it after seeing the complaints on this thread. Still not sure where the complaints are coming from.... Yeah, there's a picture of the hibachi grill on Carnival which is clearly identified as being from, um, Carnival. Are we upset that it's not Celebrity? In the big picture, the Carnival experience is more reflective of what's going on.

 

The words "petri dish" do not appear and in fact are never alluded to in the article.

 

The Apex cruiser may not be legitimate? Maybe, but his experiences (especially the quarantining in an inside cabin) jive with other experiences I've read about, including on the first page of this forum with someone presently in quarantine on the Millennium. And last week's live report of quarantining on the Equinox didn't exactly inspire confidence that Celebrity was handling this surge without issues. They're doing their best I'm sure, but let's not pretend it isn't hard for them, nor that things are a bed of roses in general right now.

 

But of course bashing the NYT is a favorite pastime for some subscribers, so...

"Cases Rise, Criticism Mounts," could be applied to lots of things "New Year's celebrations", "NFL games", etc. 

 

That breakfast doesn't look "horrible" to me.  There are several reports on here that service has been below Celebrity standards for those quarantined. Waiting 10 minutes to get through to order food isn't acceptable. 

 

Hopefully Celebrity improves their processes, I think they are overwhelmed like a lot of others across the country. 

Quarantine to inside rooms shouldn't be allowed. That possibility is making me question my upcoming cruise... 

[miaminative0853]

1 hour ago, klflote said:

I read this article earlier today and had to revisit it after seeing the complaints on this thread. Still not sure where the complaints are coming from.... Yeah, there's a picture of the hibachi grill on Carnival which is clearly identified as being from, um, Carnival. Are we upset that it's not Celebrity? In the big picture, the Carnival experience is more reflective of what's going on.

 

The words "petri dish" do not appear and in fact are never alluded to in the article.

 

The Apex cruiser may not be legitimate? Maybe, but his experiences (especially the quarantining in an inside cabin) jive with other experiences I've read about, including on the first page of this forum with someone presently in quarantine on the Millennium. And last week's live report of quarantining on the Equinox didn't exactly inspire confidence that Celebrity was handling this surge without issues. They're doing their best I'm sure, but let's not pretend it isn't hard for them, nor that things are a bed of roses in general right now.

 

But of course bashing the NYT is a favorite pastime for some subscribers, so...

If the fellow is not "legitimate", why would you then give any of his comments any weight? One would think the "chairman and chief executive" of a named "travel group" would have some presence somewhere on the web, but the only travel group with that name is UK based and lists no such executive. Moreover, what executive in a travel agency would want to be quoted in the NYT bashing a cruise line, particularly when his biggest complaint is that they delivered what looked like an okay breakfast under the circumstances in a styrafoam container, which is actually the right thing for them to do. This isn't about protecting Celebrity. It is about good journalism and as a NYT subscriber I expect better than this article delivered. 

[Redtravel]

 Nobody goes on a cruise really thinking that they will get sick. However, it happens.  There are lots of news coming out about how guests are being treated by cruise lines while quarantined.  The news may be disturbing.  It should be.  Wake up. The reality is that every ship sailing to US ports has reported covid.  Omicron spreads quickly.  Hotels near ports are being booked by cruise lines to quarantine guests.  The NYTimes article was scary, but totally believable. The picture of the breakfast looked like garbage.  

[Cruising89143]

20 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

There is not a trace online of anyone by that name being tied to the company where he claims he is CEO and Chairman. Was the guy even on the ship or just bored with his holiday down time?

 

 

 

If you are on a Mac just use the reader view and it will bypass the paywall.

After reading your post, I googled this person and came up with what looks to be an independent travel agency in Columbus, Ohio named after him. Looks as though he’s trying to portray that his agency caters to the high end. No mention of the agency named in the article that I could see. 

[sakigemcam]

16 hours ago, klflote said:

I read this article earlier today and had to revisit it after seeing the complaints on this thread. Still not sure where the complaints are coming from.... Yeah, there's a picture of the hibachi grill on Carnival which is clearly identified as being from, um, Carnival. Are we upset that it's not Celebrity? In the big picture, the Carnival experience is more reflective of what's going on.

 

The words "petri dish" do not appear and in fact are never alluded to in the article.

 

The Apex cruiser may not be legitimate? Maybe, but his experiences (especially the quarantining in an inside cabin) jive with other experiences I've read about, including on the first page of this forum with someone presently in quarantine on the Millennium. And last week's live report of quarantining on the Equinox didn't exactly inspire confidence that Celebrity was handling this surge without issues. They're doing their best I'm sure, but let's not pretend it isn't hard for them, nor that things are a bed of roses in general right now.

 

But of course bashing the NYT is a favorite pastime for some subscribers, so...

Just to set the record straight, "Petri dish" is in every third comment. And I don't NYT bash normally.

[FrederickPIII]

You should be able to access this link:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cruise-ships-are-still-sailing-as-cases-rise-and-criticism-mounts/ar-AASuudc?li=BBnb7Kz

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Savile Row Travel makes no mention of a Richard Lewis.  Great fact checking by NY Times.  NOT!

 

[JeanieC,Aston]

Don’t shoot the messenger!!

[Redtravel]

NYTimes doesn't publish without carefully checking out sources.  Believe what you want.  Being on a cruise ship in covid quarantine isn't the cruise experience that anyone imagined.   There are other postings that detail other experiences on this forum.  Some are better than others. None are good.  Hope you don't get sick. If you do, write your own story.

[hcat]

5 minutes ago, rjrpar said:

If you are interested in journalism and the truth, why would you ever subscribe to the NYT?

Journalism  as we knew it died  quite awhile ago.

"Bad"  alleged facts, poor spelling and grammar, often  biased.

Better off with headline news blurbs...which of course can also be wrong.

[redjetz]

3 hours ago, sakigemcam said:

Just to set the record straight, "Petri dish" is in every third comment. And I don't NYT bash normally.

That is not the NYT’s fault, though, is it? I am darned tired of the phrase, too, but let’s not blame the media source.

[marieps]

On 1/6/2022 at 3:42 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

The article is behind a paywall and I am certainly not going to pay for a subscription to the NYTimes given their current abysmal level of journalism.  A former NYT subscriber.

Oh man I so want to meet you!!!