Live from the first cruise in the Pandemic

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Not sure where Germancruiser lives either.  I lived in Augsburg many, many years ago.

 

Thanks, Germancruiser for sharing your cruise with all the rest of us who are deprived at the moment.  Tonight I should have been in Newark, preparing to board the Summit tomorrow for 28 nights on an Iceland/Greenland cruise.  Sigh.

[jotjot]

About time we get great news, thanks for sharing . I drink to that , Gemütlichkeit, 

[Germancruiser]

On 7/29/2020 at 1:54 AM, TeaBag said:

Me too.  We always have hand sanitizer with us (yes, before COVID) and we use it after handling the menu and offer it to anyone else beside us who wants it.

I think German cruiser is enjoying his cruise and I hope he waits till he gets home to answer all the questions as it would take up all his time from enjoying sailing again.  German cruiser, I think we were on a cabin crawl with you once.

Sorry it took  me so long to respond- but the ships internet was quite bumby at times- so I had a hard time to get anything posted or to catch up on the re´s! Was this cabin crawl on board Silhouette ( 2019) or on board the Constellation (2010)? That´s the only ones I have taken part of!

[Germancruiser]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

I'm not sure where Germancruiser is actually from. I can generally get by, not as well as when I lived there George, but...

 

Ich spreche kein Deutsch, aber ich spreche ein bisschen Bayerisch! Oder Schwäbisch!  (My Goethe instructor in Augsburg was Schwäbisch. She hated Bavarians almost as much as she hated Prussians. Maybe more!) I get by in the south, but no such luck in the north. And forget about Austria!

Wonderful news- markeb- if you can manage Bayrisch oder Schwäbisch- we both will come along admiarbly- since that is excatly where I come from. The call us here " the Bavarian Swabians"- die bayrischen Schwaben. I live right in between Stuttgart and Munich- in a not so big town called Ulm.

[Germancruiser]

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Not sure where Germancruiser lives either.  I lived in Augsburg many, many years ago.

 

Thanks, Germancruiser for sharing your cruise with all the rest of us who are deprived at the moment.  Tonight I should have been in Newark, preparing to board the Summit tomorrow for 28 nights on an Iceland/Greenland cruise.  Sigh.

I am with you Happy Cruiser- my two cruises- one on boad QM2 - New York to Hamburg and the other Apex- Italy and France where - of course- both canceld!

This little interlude cruise satisfied my cruise withdrawl. ( For the time beeing anyway)

Augsburg is about 75 km ( about 47 miles)  away from Ulm/ Neu- Ulm- I am sure you know both towns- having lived so close to them.

[Germancruiser]

I will try to this little review in parts- otherwise it get´s to long- I tend to go into to many details. LOL.

 

Before I begin I have to say how greatfull I am that I got the chance to board a ship in these troubled times and enjoy what I like most about cruising- days at sea- looking out to the water and relax.

Whenever cruises will restart in the US and all other countries who currently have banned cruising and you love days at sea- are willing to handle masks and social distancing - GO FOR IT! 

 

Since TUI Cruises is half owned by RCI ( and Aida half by Carnival) I suppose the offices in Miami kept and keep a close eye on how it is beeing handled and if people like that " Pandemic- Style - Cruising" . When they reopen in the US- I suppose it is done in a similar fashion than here.

I have no idea if and how many profit the cruise lines make with ships are filled with only 40% capacity- but somehow they have to reastart.

 

Overall experience with TUI- Cruises:

 

This was- i mentioned it- my first experience on board a German ship- since 1990 - which was on board Deilmanns old flagship " The Berlin"- facinated and a big fan of ships,  at the age of 21 it was an unforgetable experienc of which i have still fond memories- it was the last cruise taken with my parents and my brother- after that we all took our vacations seperatley. Even after three decades  I still remember the constant bickering and complaining of my fellow country men- about every little glitch- " that meat was to tough" - " the waiter to slow- to fast- and so and so fort"!

Much ado about nothing- as the bard so aptly wrote!

That was the reason I never set foot on a German ship until last week!

 

The ship - Mein Schiff 2 is almost brand new- it even smells brand new still. In size it is comparable with the Solstice Class- and from the pictures i saw of X´s new Edge Class- elements are installed there, too.

 

Mein Schiff 2, even though nicely appointed and in parts very nice- never will become '" MY SHIP" , though. In style and coloring it is just not my style. Except for the famous Diamond Lounge- that is really a stunning lounge, which also occupies a Speciality Restaurant- " DAS ESSZIMMER".

My favorite ships out there are QM2 and X´s Millenium class. The video one of our members posted showed it quite well- very modern, very colorfull in parts - thanks for sharing that video, by the way.

 

Don´t get me wrong I truely enjoyed my four and half days on board- but given the chance- I would stick with X or Cunard.

Depending how long it takes for the US to reopen- I would book another cruise with TUI Cruises- before I can´t sail at all. LOL:

As expected the ship was in mint condition- everything was " shipshape and bristol fashion" - extremly clean ( of course)!

 

The food - a very important part of a cruise-  I love my food- I love a nice dinner in nice surroundings - on a ship preferably with a nice view out to the sea. The meals in the Speciality Retaurants where nicly presented and very good. My favorite - i took 3 dinners there- was the " Esszimmer".

I tried the MDR - well-  there are  in fact two of them- Atlantic and Atlantic Mediteran- once for lunch- which was quite good and three  times for breakfast. The service was great- the eggs cold and the toast stale. I did not mention it to the waiters - it would have taken to long to exchange them- and I was - as usual- hungry- LOL.

The breakfast I took in the restaurant- a better word would be a nice bistro- was at least hot- there all was buffet style- with a waiter IN FRONT OF THE BUFFET - you could point what you liked and you were handed the plate, with a cover.

I had lunch once in the Speciality Restaurant " Cucimare" - Italian food and other and one dinner in the Surf and Turf- Steakhouse- also Spec. Rest. In both the food was pretty good!

The service in ALL restaurants was impecable!

The cutlery at the buffet style restaurants is packed in seald paperbags, including a paper napkin.

I have to admit, I rather liked the new way the handle the buffets- and I hope they keep it that way even after the Pandemie! No one touches your cutlery, no one handled the disspencer of the salat dressings. Nobody makes a mess on the plates... ! That way I would return sometimes to the buffet´s- which I have given up on board X- or Cunard- Ships!

The first informations a I got from TUI where that there are no buffets allowed- I suppose they changed that just before they restarted.

 

More in the nest installment. Have a great sunday all and thanks for reading my blah blah blah! LOL.

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Germancruiser

[steamboats]

Here´s another nice report with lots of photos from the frist cruise.

 

And it answers the question regarding the cruise card: It´s in a sealed envelope outside the cabin.

 

steamboats

[trbarton]

47 minutes ago, steamboats said:

Here´s another nice report with lots of photos from the frist cruise.

 

And it answers the question regarding the cruise card: It´s in a sealed envelope outside the cabin.

 

steamboats

Anyway to translate into English?

 

Tom😀

[trbarton]

1 hour ago, Germancruiser said:

I will try to this little review in parts- otherwise it get´s to long- I tend to go into to many details. LOL.

 

Before I begin I have to say how greatfull I am that I got the chance to board a ship in these troubled times and enjoy what I like most about cruising- days at sea- looking out to the water and relax.

Whenever cruises will restart in the US and all other countries who currently have banned cruising and you love days at sea- are willing to handle masks and social distancing - GO FOR IT! 

 

Since TUI Cruises is half owned by RCI ( and Aida half by Carnival) I suppose the offices in Miami kept and keep a close eye on how it is beeing handled and if people like that " Pandemic- Style - Cruising" . When they reopen in the US- I suppose it is done in a similar fashion than here.

I have no idea if and how many profit the cruise lines make with ships are filled with only 40% capacity- but somehow they have to reastart.

 

Overall experience with TUI- Cruises:

 

This was- i mentioned it- my first experience on board a German ship- since 1990 - which was on board Deilmanns old flagship " The Berlin"- facinated and a big fan of ships,  at the age of 21 it was an unforgetable experienc of which i have still fond memories- it was the last cruise taken with my parents and my brother- after that we all took our vacations seperatley. Even after three decades  I still remember the constant bickering and complaining of my fellow country men- about every little glitch- " that meat was to tough" - " the waiter to slow- to fast- and so and so fort"!

Much ado about nothing- as the bard so aptly wrote!

That was the reason I never set foot on a German ship until last week!

 

The ship - Mein Schiff 2 is almost brand new- it even smells brand new still. In size it is comparable with the Solstice Class- and from the pictures i saw of X´s new Edge Class- elements are installed there, too.

 

Mein Schiff 2, even though nicely appointed and in parts very nice- never will become '" MY SHIP" , though. In style and coloring it is just not my style. Except for the famous Diamond Lounge- that is really a stunning lounge, which also occupies a Speciality Restaurant- " DAS ESSZIMMER".

My favorite ships out there are QM2 and X´s Millenium class. The video one of our members posted showed it quite well- very modern, very colorfull in parts - thanks for sharing that video, by the way.

 

Don´t get me wrong I truely enjoyed my four and half days on board- but given the chance- I would stick with X or Cunard.

Depending how long it takes for the US to reopen- I would book another cruise with TUI Cruises- before I can´t sail at all. LOL:

As expected the ship was in mint condition- everything was " shipshape and bristol fashion" - extremly clean ( of course)!

 

The food - a very important part of a cruise-  I love my food- I love a nice dinner in nice surroundings - on a ship preferably with a nice view out to the sea. The meals in the Speciality Retaurants where nicly presented and very good. My favorite - i took 3 dinners there- was the " Esszimmer".

I tried the MDR - well-  there are  in fact two of them- Atlantic and Atlantic Mediteran- once for lunch- which was quite good and three  times for breakfast. The service was great- the eggs cold and the toast stale. I did not mention it to the waiters - it would have taken to long to exchange them- and I was - as usual- hungry- LOL.

The breakfast I took in the restaurant- a better word would be a nice bistro- was at least hot- there all was buffet style- with a waiter IN FRONT OF THE BUFFET - you could point what you liked and you were handed the plate, with a cover.

I had lunch once in the Speciality Restaurant " Cucimare" - Italian food and other and one dinner in the Surf and Turf- Steakhouse- also Spec. Rest. In both the food was pretty good!

The service in ALL restaurants was impecable!

The cutlery at the buffet style restaurants is packed in seald paperbags, including a paper napkin.

I have to admit, I rather liked the new way the handle the buffets- and I hope they keep it that way even after the Pandemie! No one touches your cutlery, no one handled the disspencer of the salat dressings. Nobody makes a mess on the plates... ! That way I would return sometimes to the buffet´s- which I have given up on board X- or Cunard- Ships!

The first informations a I got from TUI where that there are no buffets allowed- I suppose they changed that just before they restarted.

 

More in the nest installment. Have a great sunday all and thanks for reading my blah blah blah! LOL.

 

Thanks for your reports. Looking forward to your next report.
 

Tom😀 

[Host Hattie]

34 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Anyway to translate into English?

 

Tom😀

My phone did it for me automatically

[BigAl94]

1 hour ago, trbarton said:

Anyway to translate into English?

 

Tom😀

 

In Edge browser right click anywhere on the page then click "translate to English"

[steamboats]

1 hour ago, trbarton said:

Anyway to translate into English?

 

Ever tried Google Translate 😉 ? It´s not too much text anyway.

 

steamboats

[hawkesbaynz]

Thanks for the reviews. I have been on a British TUI cruise which was a very different ship to the modern looking Mein Schiffs. Likewise would always choose Celebrity.

 

However if you are mad keen on a cruise I would not be put off by the German orientation of the cruise. I have been the only English speaker on dive boats and dive orientated maldivian islands with no problem at all. The Germans know what they want and know what they have paid for and that is no bad thing. A lot of Germans speak good English and are very amenable.

 

I love Austrian cooking but I imagine there was little on the ship (have rarely been to Germany proper).

[Germancruiser]

Great report- thanks for posting the Link. Great pictures , too, i haven t sorted through mine tough, but I dońt need to add any pictures- he did a great job. I , almost- agree with everything he mentioned. My cabin looked exactly the same, the only difference, we did not get masks on the second voyage- or my cabin steward forgot them to hand out- that is still a possibility. The bow section was great indeed- everyone could walk there and enjoy it. ( Weather permitting, of course) If one so chooses ( not advisable though) would could relive the famous ( or infamous) Titanic- Pose. 

[Miaminice]

4 hours ago, trbarton said:

Anyway to translate into English?

 

Tom😀

If you use Chrome you can automatically translate the website.

In order to find out how, enter “translate website“ into google.

You will find an instruction which settings to use...

[zalipuli]

On 7/29/2020 at 5:44 PM, TeeRick said:

Hi Germancruiser.  You are getting so many questions!  We are all here feeding from a fire hose!😄  Here is one more.  Can you comment on the crew members?  Do they seem ok?  Happy?  Overworked?  They are of course a large and very important part of the return to cruising operations.  Thank you!

Hi! Thanks, we are fine 🙂

[TeeRick]

34 minutes ago, zalipuli said:

Hi! Thanks, we are fine 🙂

zalipuli- Are you a crew member?  Nice to hear from you and it is great that you are fine!  

[zalipuli]

10 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

zalipuli- Are you a crew member?  

I am! thanks for your interest!

[C-Dragons]

10 minutes ago, zalipuli said:

I am! thanks for your interest!

Welcome to CC! 

[bones774]

hi Germancruiser, 

I skimmed thru the many posts here and I didn't see anything about the cost of cruise. Was the cost in line with pre-covid, much higher or deep discount?

danke

[Germancruiser]

I did not write about the cost- no- depending on the location it was from 450 to 628 Euros for the four nights in balcony cabin. I tried to get into a Junior Suite- but they were all taken. So I opted for the highest balcony's- on deck 10. 

The price for me- as solo traveler was then about 1100,- Euros. 

Siince I took all my meals in Spec. Restaurant- the fare for that is extra. 

[bones774]

13 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

I did not write about the cost- no- depending on the location it was from 450 to 628 Euros for the four nights in balcony cabin. I tried to get into a Junior Suite- but they were all taken. So I opted for the highest balcony's- on deck 10. 

The price for me- as solo traveler was then about 1100,- Euros. 

Siince I took all my meals in Spec. Restaurant- the fare for that is extra. 

Relative to your departure port and itinerary  and your economy, was that a normal fare?

Edited August 2, 2020 by bones774

[helen haywood]

Maybe I missed it, how was the Muster Drill handled?  And thanks again for the review.  Sadly here in the USA I don’t expect cruising to start again for some time so I loved walking in your shoes.

[Germancruiser]

I think it was a rather reduced price- they advertised them as Premium All inclusive- the drinks in the Spec. Restaurants were not included. 

[Germancruiser]

Oh yes- sorry forgot about the Muster Drill. You could to your muster station anytime you wished, The did it in groups of max. 15 persons. 

I almost forgot to go and went- as soon I came to my mind. There was nobody around- so got a „ Solo Muster Drill“, with just me in attendance. Also a once in a lifetime experience, which was over in about 4 minutes. They gave their little talk showed me how to get my west on and that was about it. 

Later on - shortly before we took to the sea there was the Alarm sounded - just that we hear how it sound and what it means.