Get rid of the buffets already!...

[ldubs]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

All it needs is for the buffet personnel to wear masks, then the "shedding" will be reduced to such an extent that the viral load that may land on plates, cutlery etc, will be negligible.  

 

Yes, couldn't agree more.  I guess I'm still not understanding your earlier comment but suspect I"m just missing something.    

[getting older slowly]

Will this ever end   masks or no masks  now is gloves..... what next.....  space suits........

 

CHeers Don

[jsn55]

I'm glad someone mentioned what's been on my mind for months.  What's the point of masks and gloves if they're not changed frequently?  A gloved hand full of virus is the same as a naked hand full of virus.  I do wish "they" would start THINKING and putting in measures that will allow us back our lives while still staying safe as possible.  But a politician lives for nothing more than attention, so I'm sure there's little time to actually think about solving the problems.

[donaldsc]

21 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Will this ever end   masks or no masks  now is gloves..... what next.....  space suits........

 

CHeers Don

 

I have seen some pictures of people on planes wearing hazmat suits.

 

Don (but not cheers DON)

[KnowTheScore]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I'm glad someone mentioned what's been on my mind for months.  What's the point of masks and gloves if they're not changed frequently?  A gloved hand full of virus is the same as a naked hand full of virus.  I do wish "they" would start THINKING and putting in measures that will allow us back our lives while still staying safe as possible.  But a politician lives for nothing more than attention, so I'm sure there's little time to actually think about solving the problems.

 

There are unfortunately no practical measures to keep people safe.  The 2m social distancing measure is a complete farce, pure kidology to placate the naive masses.   People wearing masks would have been great had it been mandated from the outset but instead governments and the WHO plain lied/mislead the public about the benefits of masks and once that lie was established, with it came the political obstruction to preserve the lie meaning they can never change the story now.   Hence all we now have are recommendations to wear masks rather than a forced mandate and that will never work any more than removing speed limit signs would work on the roads and asking people to drive sensibly voluntarily.

 

Social distancing is impossible on ships and impractical.  So they must either abolish it or try and maintain yet another outright lie that a 1m distance is enough (which no rational person could ever accept).

 

Wearing masks on ships is also largely pointless.   If you have infected people on the ship then the CDC protocols are going to kick in requiring all passengers to go under "cabin arrest" confined to quarters for the duration.   A cruise simply can not function if there are infected people on board under such a regime and thus wearing a mask is really a moot point.   If people are not infected then they don't need to wear a mask simple as.   If they are infected then wearing masks is frankly the least of your problems.

 

So I come back to the same conclusion which is that there is little choice but to just let things go back to normal and let people take their chances whilst properly testing people before embarkation and barring anyone with the virus from boarding.

 

In any event, given the appalling way that the government has handled the crisis from the outset, we have all effectively been forced into their original "herd immunity" approach.

 

The government:

 

- delayed the closure of schools at the outset

- delayed the closure of pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes

- delayed the lockdown, which didn't happen until a full 53 days had passed since the first UK cases appeared

- lied to the public about the benefits of wearing masks

- relaxed lockdown measures way before it was really safe to do so

- supported Cummings disgraceful breaking of his 7 day quarantine when he left the house whilst infected

- Kept UK airports open throughout and allowed some 15,000 people a day to walk into the country from hot spot countries like China, Spain and Italy without a single health check or any mandated quarantining.

 

It's been such a farce that in fact it can only have all been entirely deliberate.   They initially stated that they were aiming for a herd immunity strategy and though they later announced that they had changed their mind, every action they have taken actually suggests they have kept on with that strategy.

 

With that background the rest of us have little choice but to accept the reality of that situation.  Whether we personally choose to wear masks or not (and pat ourselves morally on the back for doing so) it makes no difference because your government has simply continued with the string of actions it has taken which effectively ensure the continual spread of the virus.

 

What is the point  of people social distancing and wearing masks if the government welcome in 15,000 people a day at airports without a single health check or quarantining?    As jsn55 said, it's all just political appeasement.   They say one thing in their broadcasts every day but their actual actions do the opposite.

 

Being realistic we have to accept that the powers that be ARE still running a herd immunity strategy.

 

They need to get at least 60% of people infected and through the virus successfully so we have that herd immunity.

 

Once you see and realise this then actually your mind set changes, or should.   If we are going for immunity then actually we need as many people as possible to get out there, mingle and spread the virus between them and to save lives those people need to be the healthiest and strongest in society.  Those that are young who eat well, don't have compromised immune systems, aren't obese and so on.   Everyone else needs to stay at home whilst that spreading goes on.   The hospitals have capacity to look after the tiny few that will need hospital treatment.

 

What other way forward is there?   There is no viable safe vaccine and won't be for years.   We have a drug that can help treat infected people and other treatments so the best route is just to get that herd immunity whilst the vulnerable stay at home.  That will get the dangers dealt with in the shortest possible time and will mean the vulnerable don't have to stay isolated for months and months more.     Maintaining any kind of lockdown strategy just prolongs the whole debacle which destroys people's lives and the economy with it.

 

Herd immunity is now the only way to go and it's what the government have been pursuing all along imho.  The cruise industry might as well accept that reality too.

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[navybankerteacher]

Do you see conspiracies in candy stores also?

[MSUjohn]

i normally do the main dining room for breakfast with the occasional trip to o'sheehan's for some variety. dinner is normally main dinning room with the asian place or moderno churrascaria.

 

i enjoy the buffets and eat at then every other day or so.

 

lunch is when i normally partake in the buffet. i can build big ass salads or sane soup and salads; there is variety and quickness too. but every now and then a themed night will pique my interest. 

 

 

 

[Ride-The-Waves]

"There are unfortunately no practical measures to keep people safe.  The 2m social distancing measure is a complete farce, pure kidology to placate the naive masses."

 

Nope.  Incorrect.  Two recent incidents in the US show masks work: 16 girls ate at a restaurant massless and they and two servers caught the virus, at a beauty parlor every was masked at no one caught the virus while nearby patrons of stores did.  masks work to stop the spread.  PERIOD.  Its duty and obligation to wear a mask.

 

The best solution is to make sure everyone eats at the same restaurant all the time.  MDR of dinner - MDR for breakfast and lunch.  Same servers.  Same table mates.  Shipboard buffets are overcrowded at breakfast and lunch and that has to stop.  You like the MDR for dinner - then eat there all the time.

[gerryuk]

5 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

The best solution is to make sure everyone eats at the same restaurant all the time.  MDR of dinner - MDR for breakfast and lunch.  Same servers.  Same table mates.  Shipboard buffets are overcrowded at breakfast and lunch and that has to stop.  You like the MDR for dinner - then eat there all the time.

This sounds utter nonsense to me. So you want the overcrowded buffets closed and move the thousands who use them to decamp to the MDR? How overcrowded do you think the MDR will be, by going down that road?, thanks but no thanks.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, gerryuk said:

This sounds utter nonsense to me. So you want the overcrowded buffets closed and move the thousands who use them to decamp to the MDR? How overcrowded do you think the MDR will be, by going down that road?, thanks but no thanks.

If you close the buffets, the space will not vanish - it can still be used for food service, just not the chaotic feeding trough approach it was on many ships pre-COVID.  

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you close the buffets, the space will not vanish - it can still be used for food service, just not the chaotic feeding trough approach it was on many ships pre-COVID.  

I still have not seen any scientific or other evidence that COVID-19 is spread via buffets.  The issue is social distancing and keeping buffets and all other venues from being too densely crowded.  Buffets can actually help in that folks can get in and out faster then with sit down diining.

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

35 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I still have not seen any scientific or other evidence that COVID-19 is spread via buffets.  The issue is social distancing and keeping buffets and all other venues from being too densely crowded.  Buffets can actually help in that folks can get in and out faster then with sit down diining.

 

Hank

I do not wish to appear negative but everyone I know who prefers buffets to sit down dining spends a great amount of time there because they tend to overeat .At a buffet you can eat as much as you desire.I realize that people in MDR’s can order more than one portion but they cannot move around.At a buffet one can change the location of where you sit and therefore,can eat greater amounts of food.

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I do not wish to appear negative but everyone I know who prefers buffets to sit down dining spends a great amount of time there because they tend to overeat .At a buffet you can eat as much as you desire.I realize that people in MDR’s can order more than one portion but they cannot move around.At a buffet one can change the location of where you sit and therefore,can eat greater amounts of food.

I get your point.  So you think that it is the duty of the do gooders to protect us from ourselves?  Perhaps there should be some kind of weight limit for those that cruise and they could have everyone weigh-in at the same time they get their temperature checks and have their nasal passages swabbed for any nasty virus.   Or perhaps you would like if they had scales at the entrance of the Lido and limited entrance to only those who met specific height/weight criteria.  Those that were obese would be relegated to a dedicated dining room where they only served small carefully controlled portions.  Those that were below weight would be able to go to daily "extra nourishment centers" where they would get delicious milk shakes.  (they actually did this in my sleep away camp when I was a kid).

 

Hank

[lenquixote66]

10 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I get your point.  So you think that it is the duty of the do gooders to protect us from ourselves?  Perhaps there should be some kind of weight limit for those that cruise and they could have everyone weigh-in at the same time they get their temperature checks and have their nasal passages swabbed for any nasty virus.   Or perhaps you would like if they had scales at the entrance of the Lido and limited entrance to only those who met specific height/weight criteria.  Those that were obese would be relegated to a dedicated dining room where they only served small carefully controlled portions.  Those that were below weight would be able to go to daily "extra nourishment centers" where they would get delicious milk shakes.  (they actually did this in my sleep away camp when I was a kid).

 

Hank

I did not think of that but it is a very good idea.I am 6’5 and weigh 182.8 as of this morning .

[TNcruising02]

My husband and I eat at the buffet every cruise and have never spent more than 30 minutes on a meal.  Some people eat at the buffet because they don't want to spend 1 1/2 hours for a meal, not because they want to move around the buffet eating for hours.  Geez.  LOL

Edited June 23, 2020 by TNcruising02

[jeremyosborne81]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

I did not think of that but it is a very good idea.I am 6’5 and weigh 182.8 as of this morning .

 

182.8 Kilograms is 403.005 pounds

[MSUjohn]

13 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

"There are unfortunately no practical measures to keep people safe.  The 2m social distancing measure is a complete farce, pure kidology to placate the naive masses."

 

Nope.  Incorrect.  Two recent incidents in the US show masks work: 16 girls ate at a restaurant massless and they and two servers caught the virus, at a beauty parlor every was masked at no one caught the virus while nearby patrons of stores did.  masks work to stop the spread.  PERIOD.  Its duty and obligation to wear a mask.

 

The best solution is to make sure everyone eats at the same restaurant all the time.  MDR of dinner - MDR for breakfast and lunch.  Same servers.  Same table mates.  Shipboard buffets are overcrowded at breakfast and lunch and that has to stop.  You like the MDR for dinner - then eat there all the time.

 

unless it is a n95 or greater i really dont think the mask does much of anything.

 

i work in a prison, and we set up a covid isolation unit early on (thus no proper ppe). i worked 29 hours in the first two days of said unit wearing a fabric mask the entire time. i promptly  caught covid19. 

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, jeremyosborne81 said:

 

182.8 Kilograms is 403.005 pounds

 

182.8 pounds is 2925 ounces!  😄

Edited June 23, 2020 by ldubs

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I get your point.  So you think that it is the duty of the do gooders to protect us from ourselves?  Perhaps there should be some kind of weight limit for those that cruise and they could have everyone weigh-in at the same time they get their temperature checks and have their nasal passages swabbed for any nasty virus.   Or perhaps you would like if they had scales at the entrance of the Lido and limited entrance to only those who met specific height/weight criteria.  Those that were obese would be relegated to a dedicated dining room where they only served small carefully controlled portions.  Those that were below weight would be able to go to daily "extra nourishment centers" where they would get delicious milk shakes.  (they actually did this in my sleep away camp when I was a kid).

 

Hank

 

Hmmm, maybe air & cruise fares should be based on weight.  Isn't it fair for the 120# lady to pay less than the 220# guy?  Actually I would pay more and Mrs Ldubs less, so on balance we would pay the same.  So never mind.   😄😄

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Hmmm, maybe air & cruise fares should be based on weight.  Isn't it fair for the 120# lady to pay less than the 220# guy?  Actually I would pay more and Mrs Ldubs less, so on balance we would pay the same.  So never mind.   😄😄

Don't laugh!  A few airlines (i.e. Samoa Air) have actually tried charging passengers by weight.  In some ways it does make a lot of sense.   But I do not think it would "fly" in North America.

 

Hank

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, ldubs said:

Hmmm, maybe air & cruise fares should be based on weight.  Isn't it fair for the 120# lady to pay less than the 220# guy?  Actually I would pay more and Mrs Ldubs less, so on balance we would pay the same.  So never mind.   

 

If you think about it🤔, it's not that illogical. The bigger (weight wise) the population is it does mean infrastructure has to change. Things like chairs and beds have to support their weight, lifts have to be big enough to fit the people as do doorways and hallways. Some activities like water slides and climbing walls have to be adjusted to suit a heavier population. If you have tender ports then people's weight is going to effect how those work. And if they do eat more then you obviously need more food supplies to keep up. All these things would effect the fare cost 😳. 

[pacruise804]

8 hours ago, MSUjohn said:

 

unless it is a n95 or greater i really dont think the mask does much of anything.

 

i work in a prison, and we set up a covid isolation unit early on (thus no proper ppe). i worked 29 hours in the first two days of said unit wearing a fabric mask the entire time. i promptly  caught covid19. 

I'm sorry you caught it and hope you have recovered. 

 

Was everyone else wearing masks or were only the employees?  My understanding is the n95 protect the wearer (and the ones with valves do not protect others if the wearer is positive) while cloth masks provide some measure of protection for others but minimal if any for the wearer.

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I do not wish to appear negative but everyone I know who prefers buffets to sit down dining spends a great amount of time there because they tend to overeat .At a buffet you can eat as much as you desire.I realize that people in MDR’s can order more than one portion but they cannot move around.At a buffet one can change the location of where you sit and therefore,can eat greater amounts of food.

I disagree. It's at the MDR that people end up spending hours even if they do not intend to stay that long.

[pacruise804]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

If you think about it🤔, it's not that illogical. The bigger (weight wise) the population is it does mean infrastructure has to change. Things like chairs and beds have to support their weight, lifts have to be big enough to fit the people as do doorways and hallways. Some activities like water slides and climbing walls have to be adjusted to suit a heavier population. If you have tender ports then people's weight is going to effect how those work. And if they do eat more then you obviously need more food supplies to keep up. All these things would effect the fare cost 😳. 

 

Not necessarily.  Someone with an athletic build might weigh more but take up less space than an equal weight person with more body fat.  I thought there already were height and weight limits in place for water slides.  Heavier people may or may not take more food - some like to try everything (similar to posts about drink plans) but don't intend to finish much of it (hence the many complaints about food waste).

 

Who decides how big is too big?  150#, 200, 300?  Are the weight limits the same regardless of gender and height?

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, jeremyosborne81 said:

 

182.8 Kilograms is 403.005 pounds

And even at 6'5", that is heavy. 😊