Automats, elevator operators, and other ideas to mitigate disease spread

[Loreni]

I Would like to know your ideas on how Princess can mitigate disease spread on the ships.  I would like to see the buffet replaced with an automat.  This would be more sanitary. Obviously no coins would be needed and the little glass doors could be opened with no-touch sensors. Passengers would only touch their own plate and they could see all their food choices before making a selection.  It could be themed to the 30s, 50s, 60s, or the 1890s or it could be futuristic.  I used one in San Francisco where you ordered with a tablet and were given a number That later appeared on the LCD glass door to your food compartment. Something like that could be an option too.  
 

Gloved Elevator Operators Or some other no touch system would also help reduce disease spread.  
 

Also, I’ve noticed that the specialty dining options are often left vacant for lunch and breakfast.  This space could be used for social distancing as these tables could be made available during the day.  People could order from the limited room service menu using the new ap and food could be delivered here.  In fact there are lots of places on the ship where food could be delivered using the new ap that might help increase social distancing.  These spaces would be needed if The tables were spaced out more in the main dining rooms and the former buffet space.
 

There has been a trend to discourage the use of room service by removing balcony dining tables, long waits, and attempts to impose fees.  This needs to be reversed so people can fully enjoy their balconies and more social distancing can occur.

 

Lining up at the dining room doors should  be discouraged.  

 

The Sanctuary could be open to everyone to relieve crowding on the open decks.

 

The cruise lines could take advantage of this downtime to improve the ventilation system.

 

[CineGraphic]

Inside cabins could be easily converted to mini private dining rooms. The room service kitchen is already hidden away on passenger decks, so it’s nearby.

[Loreni]

I like that idea of mini private dining rooms.  Maybe a nice entertainment system too so the showrooms could be avoided. On our last cruise  a 28-day that left Feb 1, we decided to skip all the shows, in part because of news of the Diamond. We usually skip most of them anyway.  Instead after dinner we often watched a movie.  The new TV system was great and with lots of entertainment options.  We didn’t miss the shows at all.

Getting an inside room across from your balcony that is set up for dining and entertainment would be very nice.  The refrigerator could be fully stocked.

 

[CineGraphic]

3 hours ago, Loreni said:

I like that idea of mini private dining rooms.  Maybe a nice entertainment system too so the showrooms could be avoided.

 

It does two things, lowers capacity, and keeps us from dining together in huge rooms.

[muffydawg]

Well they could limit elevator use to only a max of 4 people. Lol!

[muffydawg]

To discourage crowding at the entrance to the dining rooms they could require everyone form a line standing 6 feet apart. If 100 people stood in a line 6 feet apart from each other, how long would the line be?

[voljeep]

11 minutes ago, muffydawg said:

To discourage crowding at the entrance to the dining rooms they could require everyone form a line standing 6 feet apart. If 100 people stood in a line 6 feet apart from each other, how long would the line be?

594 ft ( maybe adjusting for passenger size )

[Cuedon]

16 minutes ago, muffydawg said:

To discourage crowding at the entrance to the dining rooms they could require everyone form a line standing 6 feet apart. If 100 people stood in a line 6 feet apart from each other, how long would the line be?

 

3 minutes ago, voljeep said:

594 ft ( maybe adjusting for passenger size )

 

Which, if the Princess deck plans are to scale, if you were lining up at the central MDR, up the stairs to Promenade, out the nearest door, around the front of the ship, and slightly short of the first passenger entrance on the far side.

 

Alternatively, the Grand Princess is 950 feet long, including inaccessible bits, so about 2/3rds of a ship length.

[muffydawg]

And adjusting for the time it takes to seat those 100 people, how much time would the people in the middle and the end of the line have to wait to be seated? Recalculate if the MDR seating capacity is limited to 25 or 50% to see what a nutty idea this is.

[muffydawg]

Did someone suggest limiting the numbers of passengers in an elevator or using a "white glove"-style elevator man? Ok, on embarkation, disembarkation and every day in between the elevators in the middle of the ship can hold only 4-6 passengers. The elevators in the back and front of the ship are subject to the same restrictions. So on embarkation day 4 people on those middle elevators. How many people board the ship? 2500 or more? So with 10 (estimate) elevators holding 4 people each and 2500 people boarding with luggage, how long will it take to get all the passengers on board? See what a cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs idea this is?

[Cruzin Grandma]

In the buffet, strictly enforce wash hands, provide and require passenger to put on One time use recyclable mask and recyclable (paper?) gloves before entering.  Passengers can serve themselves.  Prior to re-entering, passenger must wash hands again, no exceptions, mask and glove, etc.   

[MJSailors]

Loreni

    Addressing two of your points- 

1. I understand that an elevator operator would limit people touching the number pad to select a deck. But, how many people would be in the elevator along with the operator ,possibly three? 

      Then, how about the amount of people waiting at the elevator bank . Will they be required to keep social distance ? Where would those people stand ? On the stairs, or in the cabin corridors ? 

      2. The use of the Sanctuary to relieve crowding on the open decks would not give much relief. Given the limited amount of chaise loungers available in the Sanctuary , the number of people on the open decks would not be greatly accommodated. Then,how about social distancing between those loungers ? The Sanctuary is limited in space.Also, the Sanctuary is a source of income for Princess. Would they give that income up to accommodate some passengers who would otherwise want to find a place to sit on the open deck ? 

    I do agree that the cruise lines could use this time to improve ventilation and housekeeping procedures to improve conditions on the ships.

      I am not certain of what the cruising experience will be when the cruise lines put procedures in place once cruise ships ,in fact, begin to sail worldwide.

     One thing that cruise lines need to do is to create confidence in traveling by cruise ships. How this confidence building will be accomplished is something to be noted going forward.

 

 

 

 

[Daniel A]

I kind of liked the 'Automat' idea.  It would be very nostalgic.  Maybe they could serve Horn & Hardart Mac & Cheese too!  Yum....🥣

[Thrak]

I dislike the stupid design where you have to either go up or down to avoid passing through the buffet or else just walk through to get where you want to go. I hate having to walk through the buffet to get to where I'm going and it's annoying to have to stop and wash my hands (that I just washed in my cabin) so I can simply walk through without touching a darn thing on my way to the aft pool or bar (or when returning from those venues).

[d9704011]

7 hours ago, voljeep said:

594 ft ( maybe adjusting for passenger size )

Well, most of the hundred are likely to be in pairs and they’ll be able to stand side-by-side together.  However, as you rightly noted there is the wildcard girth issue that needs to be factored in so the line may very well remain at about 594 feet... let’s call it 99 fathoms to retain a nautical flavour!

[CineGraphic]

8 hours ago, muffydawg said:

ow many people board the ship? 2500 or more? So with 10 (estimate) elevators holding 4 people each and 2500 people boarding with luggage, how long will it take to get all the passengers on board? See what a cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs idea this is?

 

That's when you reduce the number of passengers

[brisalta]

11 hours ago, muffydawg said:

Did someone suggest limiting the numbers of passengers in an elevator or using a "white glove"-style elevator man?

 

Only if you get rid of the buttons and bring back a lever over a fancy brass plaque for the operator to use! 😉

Edited May 15, 2020 by brisalta

[wheezedr]

I am going to go back to 600 feet as you also need the 6 feet between the first person and the hostess.  Geez I am so glad I have decided to return to auto travel for a while.  Cruises are a long way off for me if ever

[wheezedr]

Elevators are easy as they can be programmed to open at every floor so no need to touch the buttons.  But won’t that be a fun ride every time from 5 to 14.

[d9704011]

8 hours ago, wheezedr said:

I am going to go back to 600 feet as you also need the 6 feet between the first person and the hostess.  Geez I am so glad I have decided to return to auto travel for a while.  Cruises are a long way off for me if ever

I stand corrected.  The ultimate objective is to pass the gatekeeper/hostess who is, for all practical purposes, the ‘head of the line’.

[Daniel A]

9 hours ago, wheezedr said:

Elevators are easy as they can be programmed to open at every floor so no need to touch the buttons.  But won’t that be a fun ride every time from 5 to 14.

What could help mitigate that is what they do in the Empire State Building.  Specific elevators skip blocks of floors and only travel to a specific set of floors.  There are enough elevators on the average ship to be able to do this.

[d9704011]

40 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

What could help mitigate that is what they do in the Empire State Building.  Specific elevators skip blocks of floors and only travel to a specific set of floors.  There are enough elevators on the average ship to be able to do this.

I have a sense that the elevator puzzle is more complex than it may appear and I, for one, don’t have the expertise to analyze it.  The floor skipping (or block floor assignment if you wish) means that a whole bunch of folks will have to congregrate on the ground floor while waiting for their elevator.  Not so bad I guess if they can use the lobby of the ESB or line up on the streets of Manhattan but it may not be so great on the embarkation/disembarkation deck of a cruise ship when passengers are coming back from a shore excursion.... especially by tender; oh yeah, that’s another challenge!  Suffice to say that my opinion is that as long as a requirement for personal distancing exists, there won’t be much cruising taking place.

[Bwana Tom]

22 hours ago, muffydawg said:

Did someone suggest limiting the numbers of passengers in an elevator or using a "white glove"-style elevator man? Ok, on embarkation, disembarkation and every day in between the elevators in the middle of the ship can hold only 4-6 passengers. The elevators in the back and front of the ship are subject to the same restrictions. So on embarkation day 4 people on those middle elevators. How many people board the ship? 2500 or more? So with 10 (estimate) elevators holding 4 people each and 2500 people boarding with luggage, how long will it take to get all the passengers on board? See what a cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs idea this is?

Ideas like these will solve the whole problem; they will likely be responsible for eliminating 90 plus percent of the cruisers. I for one will be looking at other ways to vacation.

[CineGraphic]

Poker anyone!?

 

[c-boy]

🤣 roflmao