misty57

I personally could handle all the restrictions but DH would not. I wear a mask for 12 hours a day at work ( hospital nurse) so I am used to it. One problem I see happening which happens now is people not wearing their mask, taking it off, wearing it below their nose etc.. I could imagine sitting in the theater with the light down and numerous people doing this. The crew has a hard time dealing with chair hogs so I can’t see them being able or willing to enforce the mask restrictions. I think I’d have to bring my n95 and face shield which is what I wear when visitors refuse to wear their masks properly😡.

On 8/1/2020 at 11:40 AM, telebax51 said:

If it is cruise related it will be difficult to not mention covid

Yes it affects just about everything we do. Not too many things are operating in the same way. Even grocery shopping isn’t the same. Retirement plans could be changed for some due to the economic impact as well. My retirement Alaskan cruise tour may still happen in 2022 but we will see. Most likely DH and I would accept a vaccine if possible, but I’d probably wait a hot minute before being the first to do so 😳.

Thank you, ! We have deposits that need to be applied by March so that will be perfect if they release the dates then🙂

I’m just wondering if anyone has a guess as to when 2022 Alaskan itineraries will be posted. I’m a planner, and since we won’t be cursing until then I need some things to think about and research🙂.

On 2/13/2020 at 6:24 AM, cruiselvr04 said:

You are fortunate.   I work the same number of holiday shifts as a new grad, work 8 weekend shifts in 8 weeks, get my schedule changed on their whim and take call 4 times in 8 weeks. We float to newborn about 4 times a year.

 

I'm also in a level 3 that's very busy and stressful.  I'm so done.   I have to coach myself up every morning to go in. 

 

Good luck to you and hope you can retire as you've planned. 3 more years....

I have to say that our unit tries very hard to honor the “senior” staff. I got an unexpected call this morning before my alarm that I was  being placed on standby today! Nice but always waiting for the phone to ring since it’s usually one admission or one internal,agency nurse being pulled  to make them have to call me in😝. 
 

On 2/7/2020 at 12:07 PM, cruiselvr04 said:

Hey thanks for idea about an app.  I downloaded one on my phone today....3 years, 2 months, 27 days to go. ( Best guess).  I do want to go part time 2 years prior but that remains to be seen.  I’m ready tomorrow.  I’ve been a hospital nurse for 40+ years and am so done.  I’m trying all kinds of things to stay positive including using all my vacation time for cruising or seeing Grand-babies,  but as some have said here, I’m burned out. I actually still love caring for my patients ( newborn intensive care) but the rest of it ( vacation rules, schedule rules, taking call shifts, floating to other units, getting up at 4:30 a.m. for a long commute and self centered parents) have taken all the fun out of it. 

On 2/7/2020 at 12:07 PM, cruiselvr04 said:

Hey thanks for idea about an app.  I downloaded one on my phone today....3 years, 2 months, 27 days to go. ( Best guess).  I do want to go part time 2 years prior but that remains to be seen.  I’m ready tomorrow.  I’ve been a hospital nurse for 40+ years and am so done.  I’m trying all kinds of things to stay positive including using all my vacation time for cruising or seeing Grand-babies,  but as some have said here, I’m burned out. I actually still love caring for my patients ( newborn intensive care) but the rest of it ( vacation rules, schedule rules, taking call shifts, floating to other units, getting up at 4:30 a.m. for a long commute and self centered parents) have taken all the fun out of it. 

I had to look twice to make sure this wasn’t one of my posts! I’ve been a nurse for42 years and feel the same way about a lot of things. I’m in a level 3 NICU but since I’ve been there so long I don’t have to float, they don’t change my schedule and I only have to work 4 weekend shifts in a 6 week schedule. I get to choose one holiday from my rotation to take off. We don’t take call anymore. Honestly the no float perk is the best. I’d trade everything else for that if I had to. I hope to retire in 2 years 4 months, Lord willing.

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We usually stay overnight at an airport hotel the night before our flight which is the day before the cruise. We usually book early flights to allow more chances to get to our destination in case of delays. I shudder remembering the times we flew in the day of the cruise and didn’t take out travel insurance either!!

I'm at a loss. You've sailed on most of the mainline choices. If you don't  care about itinerary or ship size but want the best food, entertainment, and glitzy decor, the price may not be to your liking. I think it may help you to visit a travel agent that can give you a break down of the remaining cruise lines for you to try. I guess you could look at the least expensive cabin on lines like Azamara, Regent and Crystal. There probably would be fewer children especially for a longer cruise during school months. We also do not rock climb, zip line, play CD games or take adventurous excursions, but we like to,people watch and walk around enjoying the ambience of all the activity. We find that entertainment is unpredictable. We are finding that it is going the way of the food quality. It wouldn't surprise us if the lines starting making the entertainment an added cost one day. 

4 hours ago, mayleeman said:

@Ocean Boy

My own comment was about the overuse of antibiotics by doctors in general because the description mentioned testing for other issues but no diagnosis except noro.  As an example, the CDC suggests that 90% of "strep" cases treated with antibiotics do not require, or benefit from, antibiotics because they are colds, flu, or the viral variant similar to strep. But I did allow for the possible prophylactic use for a weakened 83 year old who would likely be exposed to many more germs.

 

It is the unquestioned overprescribing of antibiotics by doctors that has helped create treatment resistant superbacteria, after all. Cautions against unnecessary prescriptions always seem in order.

In addition to inappropriate treatment with abtibioitics, a contributing factor to development of resistant bacteria is sharing of prescriptions and also not completing a proper course of appropriately prescribed antibiotics. Once you've seen a death or two from this you will never take antibiotic stewardship lightly! 

Like you, I am only guessing, but assuming there were other factors for the treatment given. The facility may have specific protocols for such things but won't necessarily be what you would find in a clinic here.

We came off Symphony over a week ago. While we did not become ill on the ship we did see some poor food handling practices. DH noted someone ( I think itwas in Jamie's Italian but it could have been Chops) using their cell phone and then proceeding to prepare food without hand washing and no gloves. I know it happens all the time, but it's hard to see. If OP hadn't seen the food handling that way she may not have made the connection. Hopefully Royal will step up and increase their training and compliance.

8 hours ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

 

Why would you want to know?  It happens more than you probably realize. It’s sad, and of no interest to anyone other than the friends and family of the person concerned.  Media reports possible suicides, accidents and crimes, not deaths of people on vacation.  Again, not sure why you would be interested.

It's just human nature to want to know. Do you ever read the obituaries in the newspaper ? I don't always, but when  I  do I look at names to see if I know the person, and then I look at the age and hints as to cause of death. If I'm going on a. cruise and I know that someone has died I might want to know if it was related to an avoidable event such as the zip line or falling down a. certain staircase or excursion related. I don't think there is reason to scold someone for asking a question Grandma.

It makes it easier to get to the early seating for shows. We pull up the sidewalk by 10-11pm so that works for us. 

We're on Symphony right now. DH did not want to bring any dress clothes so we are going sort of dressy casual every evening. I'll report back on the degree of formality as tonight is the first formal night. If it were up to me we would dress to the nines but oh well.

Follow up... Consensus applies.  I saw no tux but quite a few jackets shirt and tie... Most in kaki and shirt. A few in shorts and tee. Wear what you want.. No one will care.

We're on Symphony right now. DH did not want to bring any dress clothes so we are going sort of dressy casual every evening. I'll report back on the degree of formality as tonight is the first formal night. If it were up to me we would dress to the nines but oh well.

Thanks for the recommendations! I've ordered them and look forward to having an easier way to attach the tags. 

Since different cruise lines have different sized luggage tags I was wondering... which clear tag holders have others used? Looking on line I found some specific for royal but some of the reviews claimed they were too narrow. I need something that is easy to attach too. Arthritic hands don't work as well as they used to . I'm done with using packing tape and borrowing a stapler from the hotel on embarkation day.

Wonderful review! We've cruised over 20 times and find it to be one of the best types of vacation for us "old farts". The loud conversations bother us as well, but I am especially sensitive since I work in an area where we speak only just above a whisper. We take noise canceling earphones to the solarium but that doesn't help in other venues. We're on Symphony in Februrary and we are eagerly anticipating ! The quantum class is really nice too, but Oasis class is our favorite.

We've booked .Central Park balcony staterooms for the past several years. Our muster station was right by guest services. Get there early and you can find cushioned seating. Wait until,the crowd disperses before leaving. 

Migraines are the worst! Feel better :)

We're on Symphony in a few months. Has anyone had experience with accessing Prime Video or DirectTV Now from an app on their Apple device using the Vroom onboard?

How do most of you book your cruises? Travel agent? Directly with the cruise line?

Thank you.

If it's a Caribbean I book it myself. If we ever do a Mediterranean I'd go,with an agent. I'm sure there are some great agents who give great service and perks, but I quit using one when I do all the footwork and she just raked in the commission with no perks and no follow up.

We're hoping for the best of course, but if he's having problems close to final payment we will just forfeit our deposit and plan for next year. I don't want to,take any chances and he won't either. We hear from so many people that they have done so well after surgery, but even the surgeon doesn't know for sure what he will find when he gets in there. :eek:

Looking forward to it as much as he is:)

When you have hip surgery you are usually up with a walker the same day. Typically at least when I had a hip surgery 5+ years ago, the "standard" rehabilitation time" for a hip surgery was 6 weeks, but it might be less now. Honestly, I would give it 10 weeks before a cruise. You won't be dancing around then, but you should be walking fine, maybe with a cane.

It'll be from the first week in Nov to the last day of Feb so he should be ok if all goes well. We have until the end of Nov before final payment. DH just wants the pain gone, and will not be taking any crazy risks with activities. We'll be in the solarium most of the time but hope he can get some pain free walking in:)

I'm counting weeks instead of days or years, although I know what those numbers are as well. 210 weeks to go. I'll fit vacation hours in there too. As they say, the days are long but the years are short. I'm looking forward to no weekend shifts and no holiday shifts. No more staff meetings and no required continuing education. No committees and no scrubs to launder. No mid year evaluations and no performance evaluations with peer reviews. No accreditation visits, and no calls begging for me to work extra, and no call offs with standby status. No ridiculous assignment configurations and no restrictions on when I can take vacation or how much I can take. My schedule will be my own choosing, not someone else's . No having to travel in bad weather or staying overnight in case I can't get there because of the weather 45 miles away. I might be able to find some decent health insurance. The only thing I will miss is the work that matters and the pay!