florida eagle

7 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I could be misunderstanding your pt. While we dont have exact figures, it does look like immunity lasts longer with vaccines than with having covid. Of course they are taking measurements of antigens. How else would they be able to say immunity lasts longer if shots are 12 weeks apart. Actually I'm curious if immunity lasts longer at 12 weeks apart why are some other countries like the UK and others doing 12 weeks apart and we arent?

 

I'm sure in the next year more exact studies will be published and I'm sure doctors already have access to much of the data you and I dont have yet.  Like how long on average does immunity last with having had covid. If this wasnt shorter in duration we wouldnt be giving those who recovered the vaccine. I'm backing the doctor here.

On cruises there are people who do not pay a dime on gratuities to anyone for anything. There are people who fake disabilities and get greater cabins. There are people who even bring animals on board because of laws passed. This goes on top of people getting special treatment. And there is more. I do not care about the doctor. For the cruise lines charges premium prices for them in their history when someone has a problem.

14 hours ago, chocolate melting cake said:

 

Actually we did book an MSC cruise. Couldn't pass up the "WE WILL MATCH YOUR STATUS" come-on. They did match our diamond level and we boarded as their top level. Some of the things they did (preregister for shows - so never overbooked, free steakhouse dinner, beautiful halls with Swavorski crystal stairways, etc) were nice, BUT the dining room food did not interest us or our Italian companions at all. It really wasn't Italian food---but European cuisine. When we ordered the shrimp dinner and it came with the heads, eyes and antenna attached we vowed never again to cruise MSC.

Your avatar name brings my response. The first cruise we took was on the Sensation over Christmas. It was not cheap. The first night I ordered the Chocolate Melting Cake after dinner in the MDR. Never got it. Waited a long time. We left the MDR and moved on to other things to do. I have eaten on cruises at MDR's on Carnival and Royal. Never have tasted the Chocolate Melting Cake and even ordered it again on Carnival.

8 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

There are many places on the planet where driving a personal car, flying in planes, and cruising on ships for pleasure isn't considered critical. Drop the mic if you want but it doesn't change the fact that you are polluting also. You have a good night as well. I need to go dig through my humidor for a premium cigar to enjoy this evening. 😉

As a former smoker how can I tell others not to? I would be a hypocrite. But a reformed smoker. And that means telling others what to do on that issue if I go that way. Smoking is real but artificial. An era thing that lasted from a major war onward to an end of a century with huge numbers of people doing it. And before WW1 not many. And in the last few decades a massive reduction. The issue is smoke. Legalizing weed in areas is the same. I live next door to a person who has a doctor authorized prescription to weed. Skunk weed. I smell it. Inside my dwelling at times. He has three kids. This is not a condemnation of him. We all do what we have to. But you see what it is.

We are talking protocols. Include in the protocols the gratuities. No more optioning out and lowering those costs if all are required to pay for it. Carnival must own up to this. And with all of you who enjoy cruising, good luck.

53 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I understand that but I would be going to consider the my big beef - which is hawking.  The last times I sailed on Carnival I took my teenage nieces so I know about the parties

People can be a bit frazzled when embarking on a cruise. The photographers are there from the beginning and for some a bit unnerving. The price for the packages can be high. On the Lido deck on embarkation there is also a push for drinks with the special commemorative glass or coconut holding the drink which may not be explained for the extra cost.  A poster made a statement about upsells in the main dining room. That is excessive. It reduces a bit from there but as another poster said there is announcements all the time and the cabin TV is constant. A lot of stuff is good to know though. 

Fronts usually between the Georgia/Florida border... between Jacksonville/Central Florida.... between Central Florida/South Florida. I have taken cruises from Port Canaveral where it was cold when we left but warm when we arrived at Bahamas ports.  Coco Cay is parallel with Miami. Most fronts are curved also. It should be comfortable there and will definitely be comfortable in the rest of the itinerary.

8 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We were in the Keys in October.  Mask law in effect then.  Even then we only wore them to the beach and not on the beach when we were in our chairs.  Sorry but that’s crazy.  Fresh air is good for you.  We avoided the bars which had just opened and opted for eating outside only, hanging out by the pool or beach.  It was a nice get away.

Politics is part of us everywhere. Fresh air is good for you and getting some Sun with Vitamin D 3 is good for you against the virus. 

5 hours ago, BritsAbroad said:

Damn site more people dying without it. Plus the extra mutations spreading and increasing in strength because people believe 'opinion' over science. Look at Brazil today. Low vaccinations & the virus left to run in the population has meant the latest mutation has Hospitals overflowing & having to leave people to die in corridoors untreated. Increasing mutations causing even more pain to their economy and community. Thats everyones (ever worsening) future unless we get a grip on this. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/13/brazil-covid-coronavirus-deaths-cases-bolsonaro-lula?CMP=share_btn_tw  And on Astra Zeneca. People get ill everyday. If they get ill after a vaccination....doesn't mean its the vaccination. It'll get peer reviewed by 'many' different countries to verify its not the vaccine. Theres a lot of politics in this because Astra's vaccination is by far the cheapest....and many companies would rather their 10x more expensive doses be used.... Stay safe!

 

If this was a bio release, then it was science that created it. Trust is difficult in a nation that professional news people have become surrogates of the National Enquirer. Putting their thumbs in the air using their political views as the truth.

8 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I wouldnt say we are so open down here, only that each place can make rules. For instance tom thumb grocery said they will quit policing... a few days later they "had been convinced to walk it back and masks still required". 

 

Today a older lady walked into a bank in Galveston or maybe it was yesterday. Wasnt wearing a mask. Police called. She yelled about elderly abuse and everything else but got arrested. Even got her on resisting arrest. .. I think she thought she was free to go maskless lololol. I watched the take down. Hilarious. We are a long way from open to me until I can grocery shop without wearing a mask.

Local areas politics can be different and/or rules or laws also. Where does public safety and tyranny come into play. Galveston is a cruise port as you know. One other thing. Cruise lines are adding more surveillance cameras on their ships as part of their changes. I will tell you. Surveillance is abused and with social media we see people destroyed by other people for any reason. 

If anything we have learned in the past dozen years and more is trust is a difficult thing. We want the best but we are not in control. This virus has been here for more then a year at least and there seems to be a sluggish response with  a ping pong game of changes of what to do with it. The real reason is political. And everything else based on it is what is pushed on us and forced on us. So you either trust or do not trust the CDC, Fauci and the politicians. With the media in tow. To those who love cruising. Let the cruise companies control as much as they can and they use safe practices that develops. Do not let government interfere. The cost of everything will double for a several per cent more increase in safety above what the cruise lines will do at the start. We take cruises because they are more affordable. Don't blow it. 

1 hour ago, Doggielover68 said:

This is the ultimate list of first world problems. "I'm going on a luxury vacation that many people would never be able to afford and I have to wear a piece of cloth on my face. Poor me."

 

I get it, masks and restrictions are annoying. My glasses fog up, my ears hurt, I have acne, etc. However, I would gladly deal with those minor inconveniences to be able to look at something other than my house. For the past year, I leave my house only to get groceries. In 2019, I spent 4 weeks out of the country on vacation. I'm ready to go just about anywhere at this point.

Close quarters and close contact is more prevalent on cruises. We take a lot of things for granted.  What you say is not practical from a mass consumer cruise way of doing business. It seems specialized. Very specialized. And brings economic class levels into question. 

Part of everything is hygiene. Because of Covid, more people are practicing cleaner ways. That in itself would be a benefit on ships.

The mobility of cruisers is an issue. Going from the lower decks to the upper decks on an elevator that may take 20 minutes or so is not convenient at all. There are older people on these ships who may not be able to walk up ten decks. There are 25 year old people who can not do it. This is something that needs to be resolved.

This from Tampa. Not Miami or Port Canaveral or Jacksonville. It is 5 Days. There can be partying 5 day cruises. It is Royal and not Carnival. The cost of the cruise is much more expensive.  And the price for drinking, gratuities and extra tips and more.. is more. I took one cruise form Tampa on the Carnival Paradise. A 5 day and the passengers were not 20 year olds for the most part.  There are 5 days like that. Also ask the person you call whether the ship has that reputation. I am willing to bet that the Brilliance is mostly people who have sewed their wild oats but still have a lot of life in them. That looks like a magnificent ship. 

29 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

After all why should we pay for all the stuff we dumped into the atmosphere last century?

As long as you lived well right. The rest of the world has to get on board. If they don't we will never compete again. And transitions of power from one nation to another most times ends up in nasty conflicts. In this age that can be terminal for the world.

57 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

They do it because of the smog and air pollution in Asia with the cars. And the air pollution is really bad in Asia, far worse than in London or Berlin or Paris.

Which brings us to the Paris Accords. We will be taxed to the hilt while Asia does nothing.

Dr. Fauci needs to go. And does anyone think of any potential negative long term affects of the vaccines? People love cruising. Forums on this issue are all over these boards for different cruise lines.

In all the brouhaha about taking the Covid  19 Vaccination has anyone considered that there may be long term affects that are not very good? Perhaps a few months to 15 months after the shots as an example. I know people on these boards love cruising. There is something about it. And there are people negative about it who never tried it. Thus everyone should try it at least once.  Lets face it. Cruising is close quarters in many ways.  And a good thing is the ventilation systems and other upgrades will be made for our safety.

Before the pandemic, I read on a forum that Carnival also eliminated butter patties. For the reason there may have been a plastic piece between them. I do not remember if they did. On the forum. at the time they said butter was put in a big piece on a bowl and each person took a knife to cut a piece off. There were toast crumbs all over the butter in the bowl. So then there was a thread saying they put butter in a squeeze bottle. If this is true I do not know. However we are in a newer era of sanitized ways.

4 hours ago, Vagabondvoyager said:

I think this whole incident was a tragic accident.  That poor grandfather did nothing wrong.  It was an accident.  The cruise line did nothing wrong.  It was an accident.  I can't believe charges were brought against that grandfather.  That family had gone through enough misery.

Lost in this is what is the man like? Is he an arrogant obnoxious person? His background in employment and other things could be a clue. Self entitlement is strong these days. The man is experienced in life. There could be a relationship to his way of living.

1 hour ago, cruzysuzy said:

Doesn't anyone remember the ship security camera's film in which he sticks his head out the window first and then grabs and dangles his step granddaughter out the window?  This civil lawsuit is sheer extortion.  His lies are to appease the family, giving them a windfall in return for his actions.

 

RCI had better not back down on this one or it will never end.  I'm sure the parents saw the film, too, and they deserve nothing but scorn for blaming it on the cruise line.

Another issue is if Royal will make changes to the windows and not for the better. Open windows can add ventilation and make it more comfortable on the Lido deck. What possessed him to hang his granddaughter out the window in the first place is mind boggling. 11 stories up! There are people in buildings on land that get lambasted when caught doing that.

We all like cruises. Cruises are humans concentrated in a smaller area. There are people with dubious hygiene practices before the virus. The vaccines came quickly. With no liability to the pharma companies. This is the first time in human history where mRNA is rewritten in our systems with the vaccine. If we go on a cruise, pandemic practices must be minimized in some ways as well as practiced in others. We are having fun. Not being in a prison. Spray the cabins. Spray the hallways. Spray the open areas around the people. Lido deck and open areas no mask enforcement, leaving it up to the passenger while having all passengers holding a mask on their personal belongings. Bathrooms be careful and set the system up with all the precautions needed. Indoor public spaces using sense and not stupidity. Again, spraying the areas in a constant way without aggravating the passenger. Dinging rooms with less enforcements. Elevators to have attention paid to. The big thing is sanitizing sprays. Sprays that do not make passengers sick also. Just an idea.

1 hour ago, kids1stcruise said:

Thanks...4j is booked. I will take Dramamine regardless 👍🏻 I never booked forward. Always stayed in balcony mid or back

I booked a 4j on the Destiny. On that ship, it had no pullman bunks, but had a trundle bed. We went with three. When making reservations at times, it is for two and some people are unaware when they look up cruises that you may bring one more to a cabin not designed for it. There may be no chairs outside when you go. So if there is your desk chair, bring it if you stay there for a while. Many Carnival ships only have ocean views on the first and second decks. Being in between the lower public decks and the top public decks makes it easier if you need to walk down some decks as opposed to walking up some decks or taking the elevators all the time.

Can the issue of tips be different for different cruises? I hear stories of different cruises from different ports to be so different. Cruises where gratuities are removed by customers in big numbers. And the staff reacts that way in not a good way.

33 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

I mean, I don't know what it's like in Florida, but here I've been wearing a mask anytime I'm outdoors except eating and drinking for the last year, so it's nothing new!

 

I'd happily do this to be back onboard 😄

Masks needs to be optional on many parts of the ship. With mask stations available with hand sanitizer stations. Public bathrooms having both available. Covid derived responses to spray the ship  constant in hallways, cabins, public spaces with abilities to not threaten health of people in other ways. Spray where people are not. Even in populated areas. The affect will spread several time over. The ships will be many times cleaner then ever. And things could still happen. But here is the problem. A small percentage of people are filthy.