Board_Shorts

On 3/29/2022 at 2:17 AM, BubbaD123 said:

What's that in freedom dollars?

Google is your friend: https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=AUD+-+USD

Don't worry, what you had was not Covid. At that time the virus hadn't reached far enough around the world, China hadn't even had many cases at that point and it was being contained within the country.

The main symptoms of Covid variant 'Alpha' (the first Covid) were an extreme uncontrollable cough, respiratory system - difficulty breathing with a very tight chest, low blood oxygen levels and a very high fever that lasts at least three days. Did you have a fever?

A sore throat, sneezing, the ability to consume a daily Cognac and still get out of bed to enjoy the activities on the ship tell me that you had a common cold.

Nose running, sneezing, etc are not symptoms of Covid, but of a common cold.

I'm glad you recovered quickly and have had all of the vaccines - Thank you! 😁

With all these promotions, double points, extra points per night, etc etc, I'm sad to say that I've actually lost track.

Can anyone tell me just how many C&A points I'll get for 7 nights SOLO in a Junior Suite at the moment?

Many thanks to those in the know.

On 8/20/2021 at 8:08 PM, Oxo said:

Who took drinks out of the DL/CL? 

Many many people, many many times, over many many years. 🍷🍷

1 hour ago, Bobal said:

 

Yes, please don't quote him/her, as this is completely wrong 😁

I'm beginning to see this, thank you for the final push. I'm happy to say I've just cancelled the cruise.

Yes, honestly. Happy!

There's no pleasure or excitement or anticipation when it's all so confusing and stressful, my final payment is 10 days away, but I book with a US travel agent so I'll get my deposit back too, meaning no loss at all.

My Barcelona hotel and UK-BCN flights are also fully refundable until 24 hours before travel. It's always worth paying that little bit extra for flexible tickets.

I suddenly wondered why I was putting myself through this stress.

I'm back at work in the next few weeks. I'm TUI Airways Cabin Crew, so I'll be getting my fair share of Caribbean sunshine on my trips now that so many islands are opening up again and passengers are flocking to book!

All's well that ends well. Harmony, I'll see you soon, but possibly after Symphony as I LOVE Hairspray!

Happy cruising and good luck everyone! 😊

5 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

Is there any indication of what restrictions onboard will be like in Europe?

I'm not definite on this, but I don't think EU/UK citizens can leave their own country unless they're fully vaccinated or officially exempt, and they definitely can't enter another EU country.

So European cruises should therefore be 100% vaccinated, whether that includes kids or not, I'm not sure.

By late summer, the Digital Vaccine Passport system will have been all set up and running for a few months and we'll be travelling within Europe/UK as we always have before. There will only be a tiny amount of unvaccinated people left by then.

So in answer to your question, I don't predict many, if any, extra protocols will be in force on European cruises. Don't quote me though, everything can change by the hour at the moment!

To add, with the UK and EU Digital Vaccine Passport systems about to be linked up, things are looking even better!

Get your QR Codes ready! 😂

Things are starting to look a lot more hopeful for my Harmony Mediterranean from Barcelona in October. Still keeping fingers crossed though.

Once we land in Spain, we'd then be under Spanish travel rules at the time. Ports of call are all in France, Italy, and Spain. So let's hope the EU has sorted their Europe wide open zone for the fully vaccinated by then.

Anyone else got the sensational prices and double points for Harmony in the Med this summer?

On 6/26/2021 at 4:30 AM, kevanmia said:

What does that make Edge then? 😉

Talking of the similarities between Celebrity Solstice Class and Quantum Class, I'm reminded of a trip report someone did on the what he called the "Celebrity Quantum" a few years ago. A good read if I remember. One of those really good trip reporters.

On 6/26/2021 at 3:18 AM, zekekelso said:

Pool tables on a cruise ship???

 

Note - I’m appreciating all the posts even if not commenting. But this one has me scarring my head. 

Indeed - The only automatic self-leveling pool tables. They made a pretty big deal of them when Radiance Class launched.

On 6/24/2021 at 1:32 AM, Ocean Boy said:

I actually agree with everything that you wrote here. I, too, appreciate the responses.

Me too! Definitely a Voyager/Freedom Class guy. The vast majority of my cruises have been on these classes, and because both are so similar it almost feels like coming home when stepping on board. I love that feeling. I don't have to learn my way around, I'm just 'home,' I know where everything is, know tricks and tips that others wouldn't, even get occasional "wow hi!" from crew members.

Oasis Class is cool and yes, has the WOW, my next cruise is Harmony, but there's just something that always pulls be back to those 'old' (am I really calling Voyager and Freedom Classes "OLD"??) ships.

All time fave - Navigator (8 times)

On 6/26/2021 at 2:02 PM, molly361 said:

Guessing in the next couple of weeks the next round of cancellations should be coming up.  I forgot the date of the last ones.

You seem almost eager in your anticipation.

8 minutes ago, DudeFromVA said:

That sounds pretty neat! 🙂 Wish I could just watch that at home. 😄  As a former Navy brat, that would take me back to my childhood of watching the ships come in and out of Norfolk....and that time I got to be on one when we had a Family Cruise.

Anyway, I'll definitely check that one out.  First cruise, first flight, and first time to Seattle and Alaska, so many firsts. 😄  I'll be doing much more than watchin' TV. 🙂Thanks!

Wow! Go you! Enjoy all those firsts 😊

I'm a flight attendant and it's so awesome when we see first time fliers boarding looking apprehensive, or maybe a little scared, or sometimes absolutely terrified! But to see their total opposite when we're saying goodbye and seeing them SO happy that they did it and really enjoyed the experience. Even the terrified ones! 😂

I found you a YouTube video of a Carnival TV Map. I think this is VERY old but it gives you an idea of what to expect. Don't worry, the Royal version is waaaaaay better! 😁

If you need to be "sold on" a particular ship or class then that ones not for you. Find one you LOVE the look of, and can't possibly wait to cruise on!

You'll be far more excited in the lead up rather than possibly dreading the fact you might not like the ship.

17 hours ago, DudeFromVA said:

Hi, is there a channel list one can look at?  I'll be on the Ovation 9/3 to 9/10.  I know there is far more to do than watch TV, I'm just wondering what I'll be fallin' asleep to. 🙂

Every ship is different, it varies greatly on where the ship is located in the world, the position of the satellites, whether the ship has the most modern equipment to receive those signals, weather conditions, etc.

There are some channels which are 'piped' to your stateroom TV from inside the ship. Most larger ships have a TV studio onboard.

You'll find documentaries about the building of Royal's ships, kids movies on repeat, other movies, replays of the 'Love & Marriage' competition from the night before or whatever the night before was, or even live footage of the belly flop contest!

As you can tell, it varies greatly.

The channel I love is the moving map, it shows the location of the ship, wind speeds, compass heading, arrival time, sunrise/sunset times, and very often a live view looking forward from the bridge.

We keep that channel on in the background while getting ready etc, great background music too.. The most eclectic mix of genres you've ever experienced! 😂

The Central Parks on Oasis Class ships actually play the sounds of Cicadas from mini speakers hidden amongst the plants during the evening hours. They also play the same sound in some areas of the pool decks during this time too.

In daytime hours the Central Park speakers play bird song. The parks also attract the occasional real bird or two!

I agree it's nice not to hear it in bed though. 😊

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

He we have a brit whose only cruise options to date are sailing around in circles without ever leaving U.K. waters, or trying to figure out which countries are green, amber, or red so he can travel somewhere without having to quarantine when he comes back. He still can't fly to the U.S. to board a cruise, so in order to stop thinking about cruises that are currently out of his reach, he rationalizes that those cruises must be unsafe anyway.

What a story! I will say that I'm impressed by your knowledge of our protocols here though.

But your deductions were not quite right. I am desperate to get back to Florida and cruise again. I usually do so twice every winter, usually B2B, and the Med from Barcelona or Rome every summer, and I have missed it all like crazy of course.

In case you're wondering how; I'm an international flight attendant for a British Airline, so I get a few little perks when it comes to flights. (Which ARE actually operating btw.) Aircrew are exempt from quarantine laws but must take regular tests of course.

And of course, I'm fully vaccinated, not only against Covid, but all vaccines required for all areas of the world that I visit with my job.

You're right, I'm not interested in sailing in circles around the UK, I can't imagine anything more boring! So trying to plan my next wonderful cruises is proving difficult. I want them to be as close to normal as possible, but since I've heard that masks will be required if more than 5% of guests are un-vaccinated, it puts a huge obstacle in the way. 

I won't cruise if I have to wear a mask but I want to sail from Florida. I have good friends in Miami to visit when I'm next in town. (Those visits cancelled three times so far along with the cruises.)

The reason I asked the question is that I really am interested in what percentage of guests could be unvaccinated due to the recent decision by DeSantis.

I suppose what we all need to know is how to find out which sailings are in the no more than 5% group, and which are not. I've seen mention of particular ships being 100%, and others with no requirement (but lots of extra costs, processes, testing, and masks.)

There are some fabulous prices out there for late summer and I'm desperate to book.

This percentage thing is my only worry due to the chances of the unexpected occurring.

Happy Cruising Everyone!

We WILL get back to normal... 😎

23 minutes ago, L454S said:

You might try cutting down on the daily national news media intake.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I'm British, and don't need to deal with the issues America has with their 'news media' entertainment shows.

TV channels claiming to be broadcasting news should do just that and nothing else.

That type of 'news entertainment' doesn't go down at all well over here, in fact we don't have anything similar.

We like the facts of the matter with clear explanation and deep analysis by experts in the particular field pertaining to the subject in hand.

1 hour ago, easyqueasy said:

The CDC says it’s unlikely transmission of COVID occurs from touching surfaces. And Royal says their air system filtering and exchanging air every 4 minutes makes transmission unlikely. Did you know just because you have gotten the shots you can still get COVID and test positive.

Yes I did know all of that. "Unlikely" is a rather clever word don't you think? You've used it twice and also quoted the American CDC as saying it. "Unlikely" means that something is possible.

The air exchange every four minutes refers to the staterooms. There's no way an Oasis sized Theatre, Royal Promenade, or Main Dining Room could ever achieve this. They'd need fans the size of cars blowing in filtered air and venting stale air. The wind speed would be such that it would be unpleasant, let alone blowing everything away.

And yes, I did know that even vaccinated people can still get Covid, that's why I find it even more selfish for the un-vaccinated to even be considering a cruise at this time.

Further to my original post; if there does happen to be the slightest indication that a ship is suffering an outbreak, or even worse, needing to quarantine all, or some guests, let alone more deaths...

I believe that it will be the end of the industry as we know it.

PLEASE Get Vaccinated.

With cruise ships being the perfect environment for the rapid spread of airborne pathogens (viruses which stay in the air) and with un-vaccinated guests inevitably mixing with everyone onboard, but most importantly mixing with each other; THAT being the main issue - contagions will lead to medical emergencies, medical diverts, curtailed sailings, possible ship wide quarantines for the un-vaccinated, if not for everyone, and unfortunately of course most probably more deaths.

Passing in hallways for example, sharing the same pool/hot tub, sharing a dining table?? (Nope!) just walking along the Royal Promenade, which is an enclosed space, visiting the shops, touching anything which they then put back, sharing elevators (always use a knuckle for the buttons; a good tip given to me years ago.) But who knows?

Unless Fain's latest statement mentioning the "extra processes incurring extra costs, and extra restrictions," and presumably needing to pay vast amounts for 'Royal Caribbean Brand' onboard testing, daily hopefully? Chargeable to their SeaPass account of course."

With all that the un-vaccinated will need to adhere to, I can't see many bothering with a cruise this year and hopefully going somewhere else, or preferably staying home.

Vaccinated guests are not worried about catching the virus - we're immune. What we ARE worried about though, are the un-vaccinated who still decide to cruise, despite all the dangers, extra costs and as yet unknown procedures, and the likelyhood of at least a few medical diverts and quarantines happening in the cruise industry this year.

I may be wrong but I see it as an extremely selfish thing to be doing.

All views welcome.

1 hour ago, knittinggirl said:

Did they bring back Fox News?  Do they still have movie channels?

When is your cruise? Which ship?

5 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

Uptake is very high. That is the percentage of people who are choosing to take the vaccination when it is made available to them. I don’t think the op said anything that contradicts that. 
Uptake and the percentage of the population vaccinated are two different items. 

Thank you. Yes, that's exactly what I meant. The outlook is getting better every day!

As for the fully vaccinated guy who is actually posting from a cruise right now; go out and enjoy yourself! There's no way I'd be on Cruise Critic, especially with all the unpleasantness at the moment. It would depress me!

17 minutes ago, little britain said:

I have no idea where you are getting these figures. Europe lags way behind the UK.

In France 41% have had 1 jab and 20% have had both.  In the UK the figures are 76%/53%

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to point out here? The figure is 95% where vaccines are readily available. Europe is sourcing all the vaccines they can and they're being snapped up like hotcakes. Of course, the tremendous success in the UK goes without saying.

The intra Europe Vaccine Passport for the fully vaccinated is a huge step forward. Once the UK is linked, it will be a world beating system

I'm curious to know 'Little Britain,' are you vaccinated? Do you plan to cruise within the next couple of years?

49 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Being from the Uk and having a cruise booked in late Aug from Barcelona i am extremely happy at vaccine passports for travel. Cant wait to hear what RCLs on board protocols are and what requirements are needed to cruise. At the moment its all speculation and hatred.

You and me both my friend! Let me guess... Harmony?

Awesome! 😃 If so, I'll be seeing you there.

What are your dates?

Can't wait! 😎🥰🏝️🍹🍽️🌅🌊