Are You A Goer or Have You Bailed?

[zekekelso]

15 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My plan is to not go on a cruise until zero people are wearing masks .

So wait, it won’t be enough that masks aren’t required, you need to know that no one will voluntarily choose to wear one? Your choice, but I suspect your cruising days are over. I don’t see that ever happening. 

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

So wait, it won’t be enough that masks aren’t required, you need to know that no one will voluntarily choose to wear one? Your choice, but I suspect your cruising days are over. I don’t see that ever happening. 

Maybe yes,maybe no.My wife’s favorite expression.

[zekekelso]

I *think* I’m a goer. Masks don’t bother me much, nor does testing. Though I wish the world would get its act together and standardize testing and vax requirements and documentation. 
 

The one thing that may keep me  away is bubble excursion requirements. I really want to get out and explore on my own. I’ve got until 5 days before my December cruise to cancel. I’ll see what the requirements are then and what my gut tells me to do. 

Edited September 20, 2021 by zekekelso

[Joebucks]

3 hours ago, Keksie said:

To you it might seem like a minor inconvenience but to others it might take all the enjoyment of the event away.  When I go someplace that requires a mask I spend the entire time adjusting, looking to see if anyone is around and I can pull it down for a bit, holding a drink to my lips the entire time, going as fast as possible so I can rip it off as I am walking out the door.  I am not wasting my life because I can pick activities and places that don't require masks.  Different vacations for different people.  

 

As someone who would never put on another mask in my life if it was up to me, I get it. It's not ideal. However, your scenario is ridiculously over-the-top.

 

I know too many people who have not done much in the past year and a half because of either fear, or the reasons you state. Waiting for tomorrow. Well tomorrow may never come. Masks may never go away. A life may end early for multiple reasons. Anything can happen. Enjoy today vs getting in your own head. If putting on a mask overrides the enjoyment you would get, I feel sorry you think that way.

 

I've taken somewhere around 10 trips since COVID has started. Has there been some times where things weren't the same as before? Yup. Were there some restrictions? Yup. Is it as bad as it is made out to be? Nope. Do we regret going? Not even on one trip 

[zekekelso]

13 hours ago, clo said:

I read The Points Guy today or yesterday. They were discouraging people from intl. travel. Saying there are too many things that can happen at the last minute, either at the beginning or the end. And that's a site that's all about flying around the world! We're looking at 9/22.

Advice columnist are always going to recommend the safe option. Avoiding international travel these days is the sensible thing to do. Sometimes you gotta say eff that to the sensible option and take the adventurous option instead. 

[ilikeanswers]

40 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

Though I wish the world would get its act together and standardize testing and vax requirements and documentation. 

 

Yes please, that would make things so much easier 😬. Should be as standard as passports. 

[happy cruzer]

Live in an area where we (and probably 90%) have not worn a mask in the last 3 months.  The county is 95% vac over 60 years of age and 75% total that can be; these are rough numbers from memory.  In most places very easy to social distance.  So yeah, having to deal with lots of protocols that are constantly changing does factor into where we will vacation.  Everyone is different and even in their own way stupid or smart.  Next up, ski trips with some masking required.  Then cruising maybe....

[lenquixote66]

My father ,who was in his 20’s in 1918 never once spoke to me about the pandemic.I wonder if young people today will speak about the current pandemic in years to come ?

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My father ,who was in his 20’s in 1918 never once spoke to me about the pandemic.I wonder if young people today will speak about the current pandemic in years to come ?

 

People in their 20s recorded the pandemic on social media😂, they will be able to show their tick tock videos to their kids. 

[lissie]

8 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My father ,who was in his 20’s in 1918 never once spoke to me about the pandemic.I wonder if young people today will speak about the current pandemic in years to come ?

My father talked about helping his mother stop his father trying to gas himself in the gas stove ( shell shock from WW1), but he never mentioned the 1918 pandemic either. I guess it depends on much it affected you. 

 

Personally I'm hoping to never speak of it again - its a wasted 18 months of my life I'll never get back 

[lenquixote66]

11 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

People in their 20s recorded the pandemic on social media😂, they will be able to show their tick tock videos to their kids. 

Correct,I did not think of that.

[navybankerteacher]

18 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My father ,who was in his 20’s in 1918 never once spoke to me about the pandemic.I wonder if young people today will speak about the current pandemic in years to come ?

My father (born 1897) spent more than a week in early 1919 in a Navy emergency ward with hundreds of others being processed for demobilization .  He often spoke of it - wondering when (not if) another such plague would come.

[lenquixote66]

3 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

My father (born 1897) spent more than a week in early 1919 in a Navy emergency ward with hundreds of others being processed for demobilization .  He often spoke of it - wondering when (not if) another such plague would come.

My father was born in 1895.He spoke to me about his childhood and his early employment but that was it as far as that time period.

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

 

Honestly, I don't care what people do. Sometimes, it's a little chuckle. I've been in enough homes for work to see how bizarre some people are. In this thread I learned I could put underwear on my head while I drive, and no one can judge me either.

It would depend on whether the underwear was new or a pair of old, used, tattered underwear. This IS cruise critic! We always reserve the right to judge! 😁

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by DirtyDawg

[Sea Hag]

On 9/18/2021 at 2:14 PM, pris993 said:

Our cruise is for Jan 31st, so next year.   Even so, I am hoping by then we will not need to get tested prior to boarding.  We are vaccinated and that is good enough for us.  Anticipating that testing may be  required I went by a local CVS to check out tests available etc., yesterday.  Was told to knock on the kiosk outside, which was a large  wooden box size office, no windows.  Knocked no answer, can't even see if anyone in side.   Not even easy to check out facilities in advance, does not give one much comfort.   Tried checking another facility by calling, referred to on line appointments.  I do hope cruise lines drop the testing requirement in 2022.  Let's make it easier not harder.  I would not attempt to fly and get a cruise in Europe at this point.  Too complicated and too much money involved  for me to risk it.   I am booked to go to Mexico round trip out of San Francisco and to Hawaii also out of San Francisco round trip.  All I need to do is take a taxi to the ship.   

It's definitely not being easy to find a test. There's no CVS or Walgreen's anywhere near us that does rapid testing. I've seen one or two people here or on Facebook that had testing booked but the location canceled it. We're cruising at the end of October and currently working on plan A and plan B in case plan A falls through. We managed testing for an August cruise, back when it was three days instead of two, but the place we went to is now impossible to book.

[Lois R]

32 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

It's definitely not being easy to find a test. There's no CVS or Walgreen's anywhere near us that does rapid testing. I've seen one or two people here or on Facebook that had testing booked but the location canceled it. We're cruising at the end of October and currently working on plan A and plan B in case plan A falls through. We managed testing for an August cruise, back when it was three days instead of two, but the place we went to is now impossible to book.

Hi, here is a Rapid Covid Testing site, if you are interested----see if there is a location near you. They charge 119.00 but just thought it might be helpful.

 

https://www.covidclinic.org/

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Sea Hag said:

It's definitely not being easy to find a test. There's no CVS or Walgreen's anywhere near us that does rapid testing. I've seen one or two people here or on Facebook that had testing booked but the location canceled it. We're cruising at the end of October and currently working on plan A and plan B in case plan A falls through. We managed testing for an August cruise, back when it was three days instead of two, but the place we went to is now impossible to book.

 

Have you considered the at-home (monitored) test? Many cruise lines that require an antigen test are allowing it. Of course you'd need to check with your cruise line.

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi, here is a Rapid Covid Testing site, if you are interested----see if there is a location near you. They charge 119.00 but just thought it might be helpful.

 

https://www.covidclinic.org/

Thanks, but I've looked at that one. There's a location that's maybe an hour away from us. It's one that we're keeping in mind.

[Sea Hag]

36 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Have you considered the at-home (monitored) test? Many cruise lines that require an antigen test are allowing it. Of course you'd need to check with your cruise line.

That's our alternate plan B. We got the tests the other day, and I'm getting the ducks in a row for testing. I need to get a setup with camera/laptop/computer that will work for testing. My hubby won't consider this for plan A. He wants to go somewhere if we can pull that off at all.

[Toofarfromthesea]

For me, I am extremely unlikely to ever cruise again, very unlikely to fly to Europe again, and unlikely to visit a Mexican all-inclusive again.  I'm flying domestically, for the first time since this all started, to Tampa this week to see Eric Clapton.  We'll see how that goes before planning any other domestic flying trips.  I may look into trains to see what their restrictions and protocols are.  And I haven't seen much of AZ, where I now live, so there's lots of potential car trips to interesting places.

 

But, IAC, no regrets.  I never worry about things I don't get to do, I just enjoy the things I do get to do and the memories of the things I got to do.  Life is too short to pine about not being able to do discretionary leisure activities.  It helps that I live in a 55+ community that is like a resort.  And have my 20 month-old grandbaby (and my daughter and son-in-law) less than 2 miles away, and my other daughter 15 minutes away.

[Keksie]

2 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

For me, I am extremely unlikely to ever cruise again, very unlikely to fly to Europe again, and unlikely to visit a Mexican all-inclusive again.  I'm flying domestically, for the first time since this all started, to Tampa this week to see Eric Clapton.  We'll see how that goes before planning any other domestic flying trips.  I may look into trains to see what their restrictions and protocols are.  And I haven't seen much of AZ, where I now live, so there's lots of potential car trips to interesting places.

 

But, IAC, no regrets.  I never worry about things I don't get to do, I just enjoy the things I do get to do and the memories of the things I got to do.  Life is too short to pine about not being able to do discretionary leisure activities.  It helps that I live in a 55+ community that is like a resort.  And have my 20 month-old grandbaby (and my daughter and son-in-law) less than 2 miles away, and my other daughter 15 minutes away.

We flew this summer to South Dakota because we needed to use vouchers from a canceled trip.  We had a decent layover coming and going so we just went to a restaurant and hung out without our masks on until it was almost time to board.  Once onboard I just held my drink up to my mouth when I needed a break.  I don't think we will fly again for awhile and just drive where we want to go.  

[lissie]

I got my 2nd Pfizer jab today - in 14 days I'll be fully vaccinated. I really hope that by the end of the  year NZ will have opened up the borders to  the point that 30,000 people don't have to go into a lottery for 3000 managed  isolation hotel places. 

 

But frankly  even if that doesn't stop  we-'ll going - haven't left the country for 18 months - just done  the 3rd winter in a row (not all because of COVID) and we have wasted time to tmake up - planning on 4 months away next year 

[gerryuk]

What is the biggest dealbreaker for you?

 

Masks

Testing 

Bubble excursions 

Int travel with testing

 

If they got rid of one of the above that would get you back on a ship, which would it be? 

 

[sverigecruiser]

26 minutes ago, gerryuk said:

What is the biggest dealbreaker for you?

 

Masks

Testing 

Bubble excursions 

Int travel with testing

 

If they got rid of one of the above that would get you back on a ship, which would it be? 

 

 

Masks on the ship.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, gerryuk said:

What is the biggest dealbreaker for you?

 

Masks

Testing 

Bubble excursions 

Int travel with testing

 

If they got rid of one of the above that would get you back on a ship, which would it be? 

 

Do you really have to pick only one? I'd vote for the last 3.