Do not Board - Currently on the Symphony of the Seas 8 day Holiday Cruise

[FishOn55]

14 hours ago, Plum Happy said:

Is that why you are cruising?  The shows?  Not the get away from everything at home and chill?  No beds to be made, no food to prepare or the cleanup?  Tropical sun hitting your face or body?  Time away to read that book you always wanted?

 

The full production shows is why you chose to cruise?

Yes, I am one of those who  choose to cruise partly because of the shows. I don't have the chance at home to see a production show, ice show, Aqua Theater show, live comedy show, etc. during a weeks time. I read at home and live in Florida so have the advantage of tropical sun almost every day. On board, I would certainly enjoy not having to make beds, cook and cleanup. While I understand why those shows were cancelled, I would be very bored every evening on board with no scheduled entertainment and would be disappointed had I found that out once onboard.

[uvadover]

1 hour ago, FishOn55 said:

Yes, I am one of those who  choose to cruise partly because of the shows. I don't have the chance at home to see a production show, ice show, Aqua Theater show, live comedy show, etc. during a weeks time. I read at home and live in Florida so have the advantage of tropical sun almost every day. On board, I would certainly enjoy not having to make beds, cook and cleanup. While I understand why those shows were cancelled, I would be very bored every evening on board with no scheduled entertainment and would be disappointed had I found that out once onboard.

 

I feel the same way, and am shocked at some of the vitriol in this thread along the lines of "at least you are on a boat in the Carribbean."  Cruising, especially on a huge ship like Oasis Class, is the whole experience - it's big shows, nightclubs, shopping on board, huge casino, grabbing pizza at Sorrento's, Flo Rider, etc.  Not only are those activities fun on their own, but they spread people out across the ship - which is especially critical during a holiday sailing.  Without a majority of these activities, it could absolutely be "boring" for a family.

 

I don't think anyone is saying this is Royal's fault per se, but to dismiss someone's disappointment, frustration, and even anger is completely absurd.  And "you chose a holiday week, so it's supposed to be a cluster" is not an answer either.  My family sailed on Oasis for New Year's 2020 and, while super packed, it was a tremendous experience.

[tinkerbell1984]

We were on Dec 18.
No ice skating. 
No Escape Room. 
No archery. 
No lazer tag. 
Limited hrs in kids clubs. 
They've also stopped Bingo, tournaments, and clubs. 
2.5 hr boarding delay
Left Miami 6 hrs or so late.
People are being turned away from shows and restaurants.
Half the arcade games are broke or closed.
They keep running out of food items and changed their menus last minute.
Staff seem miserable.
The little things open were only open a couple hrs a day making the lines super long, like over an hour just to slide or rock climb.
RC put WAY to many ppl on this ship and with the very little open and for a short time we have to wait in long lines bc there's nothing else to spread everyone out! I've cruised this class at 100% cap and never saw lines and crowds like we did last week.

 

Also.....even with the enhanced cleaning before we boarded....tons of people in our FB group are testing positive after debarking. So definitely get tested once off that ship.

[Interestedcruisefan]

25 minutes ago, tinkerbell1984 said:

We were on Dec 18.
No ice skating. 
No Escape Room. 
No archery. 
No lazer tag. 
Limited hrs in kids clubs. 
They've also stopped Bingo, tournaments, and clubs. 
2.5 hr boarding delay
Left Miami 6 hrs or so late.
People are being turned away from shows and restaurants.
Half the arcade games are broke or closed.
They keep running out of food items and changed their menus last minute.
Staff seem miserable.
The little things open were only open a couple hrs a day making the lines super long, like over an hour just to slide or rock climb.
RC put WAY to many ppl on this ship and with the very little open and for a short time we have to wait in long lines bc there's nothing else to spread everyone out! I've cruised this class at 100% cap and never saw lines and crowds like we did last week.

 

Also.....even with the enhanced cleaning before we boarded....tons of people in our FB group are testing positive after debarking. So definitely get tested once off that ship.

Apart from the above everything is going exactly to plan!

 

Lol

Edited December 26, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[RoyalC]

32 minutes ago, tinkerbell1984 said:

We were on Dec 18.
No ice skating. 
No Escape Room. 
No archery. 
No lazer tag. 
Limited hrs in kids clubs. 
They've also stopped Bingo, tournaments, and clubs. 
2.5 hr boarding delay
Left Miami 6 hrs or so late.
People are being turned away from shows and restaurants.
Half the arcade games are broke or closed.
They keep running out of food items and changed their menus last minute.
Staff seem miserable.
The little things open were only open a couple hrs a day making the lines super long, like over an hour just to slide or rock climb.
RC put WAY to many ppl on this ship and with the very little open and for a short time we have to wait in long lines bc there's nothing else to spread everyone out! I've cruised this class at 100% cap and never saw lines and crowds like we did last week.

 

Also.....even with the enhanced cleaning before we boarded....tons of people in our FB group are testing positive after debarking. So definitely get tested once off that ship.

Unfortunately the enhanced cleaning is almost useless. The virus effectively spreads through the air. They do fog at night sometimes.  Also useless at that point. 

[Danor71]

Just read through this whole thread.  OP I feel for you as I'm on the ship as well.  I like the shows for sure and that's a big miss for us but I'm also trying to make the best of the situation. 

 

I'm enjoying the food, the sights  the excursions and the drinks.  I am also enjoying the fact that the ship overall feels quieter.  Christmas cruises are normally so packed.  The one thing I hope was less busy are the flowriders.   They've been pretty busy.  Today is a sea day. Not looking forward to those lines. 

 

Everyone is different. I'm happy I'm  back on board  a ship after 2 years.  Already looking forward to next one.  

 

[Gissi6]

15 hours ago, cindyscruise said:

I do appreciate your posting this.  You are giving your opinion and no one should critize that.  You are also stating facts that may influence a person who is on the fence about cancelling.  

Thank you for your kind reply. I never post on this forum and I’m reconsider ever posting again. 😕 There are strong fans of Royal in this forum that are ok with having a very thin cruise planner, but my post is for those still weighing their options. I must add, the cruise planner you see online is not accurate, multiple things have been removed or cancelled once I show up to the venue. I’m definitely making the most of it with specialty dining and unlimited drink package.  Also, the staff has been as great as always, however I don’t see it  worth the price I paid for a Holiday cruise.
 

I came on the cruise to have a relaxed vacation, but not to be reading a book. So many of you recommended this, but I can read a book at home by my pool without having to deal with all the Covid protocols. 
 

Quick positive update: things are looking up (a bit) last night On Air was opened. They had Karaoke but I was late and couldn’t enter.  They hosted a Family game show right after and we were able to participate. We met 3 other couples all in their early 30’s like us, and we’ve been working on creating our own entertainment. 
 

[Gissi6]

10 minutes ago, Danor71 said:

Just read through this whole thread.  OP I feel for you as I'm on the ship as well.  I like the shows for sure and that's a big miss for us but I'm also trying to make the best of the situation. 

 

I'm enjoying the food, the sights  the excursions and the drinks.  I am also enjoying the fact that the ship overall feels quieter.  Christmas cruises are normally so packed.  The one thing I hope was less busy are the flowriders.   They've been pretty busy.  Today is a sea day. Not looking forward to those lines. 

 

Everyone is different. I'm happy I'm  back on board  a ship after 2 years.  Already looking forward to next one.  

 

I’m glad you are enjoying the cruise! I have switched my mindset to be highly focused on daylight activities that get me tired a enough I go to bed early. Beach, pool, and other sports. 

[Gissi6]

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

You and @Gissi6 should meet up for drinks. If it makes you feel any better, it's 30 degrees, windy and a chance for snow later. Have a peaceful Christmas. 🎅🍻

Ha, that definitely put things in perspective. Hope you are having a beautiful White Christmas. 
 

I moved to FL a month ago, so weather is similar and not a big factor for us. 

[Gissi6]

20 hours ago, afcgirl said:

I saw the cruise planner for this sailing and I thought it still had the Red Party and Silent Party on there.  Unless that has changed, I would consider that nightclub entertainment.  Our favorite show on Symphony was the ice skating show which I believe is still taking place.  Hiro was great too though.  When I saw the extreme title of this thread I thought for sure there was a covid outbreak so I am happy to see that wasn't the case.

Yeah, no outbreak that I know of. But, I highly doubt they’ll let people know and create panic.

 
I’ll keep you posted on the nightclub entertainment Red is no longer in the schedule. And Hush is on day 6, so not so sure they’ll move forward with it. They’ve had no dancing all week, maybe on purpose 🤔.

[Gissi6]

18 hours ago, gracia98 said:

FWIW, the current cruise on the Odyssey is running out of booze.  Vodka was low yesterday and completely out of drink mixers.  This is per some people I know currently on board. Not completely Royal’s fault. They were not allowed to dock in Curacao to replenish.

I guess you have bigger issues than me. Lol

Edited December 26, 2021 by Gissi6

[Gissi6]

21 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Be best to just spend the money and fly to some island if you can and enjoy a week there. Less people, larger room, and you can still go out and explore the island you are on.

I have family in Puerto Rico, so I specially agree with this… I can just spend time in the island with family, but was looking for some fun plus relaxation fully unplugged. I am definitely getting the latter. 🙂

[bouhunter]

2 hours ago, RoyalC said:

Unfortunately the enhanced cleaning is almost useless. The virus effectively spreads through the air. They do fog at night sometimes.  Also useless at that point. 

Exactly.

[JsMom2]

I’ve been on 4 cruises this year.  And have enjoyed all of them.  I’m sorry that the entertainment was cancelled at the last minute.  But if the entertainers were quarantined for safety reasons, I can’t see that there was any alternative. 
 

Go to Guest Services and politely ask for a Future Cruise Credit due to the inconvenience.  

[petuniaflower]

Hello, hoping to be on the Harmony (first time on RCI) in a couple weeks, was this situation due to crew being close contacts on that particular ship or are they shutting down these things due to covid spread and this will be across all ships?

[afcgirl]

5 hours ago, Gissi6 said:

Yeah, no outbreak that I know of. But, I highly doubt they’ll let people know and create panic.

 
I’ll keep you posted on the nightclub entertainment Red is no longer in the schedule. And Hush is on day 6, so not so sure they’ll move forward with it. They’ve had no dancing all week, maybe on purpose 🤔.

Bummer about the Red Party, it was fun!  What about Boleros?  Do they kick you out if you start dancing? 😬 So weird, they allow dancing on the other ships sailing now, I don't get it.

[emory2001]

On 12/25/2021 at 8:21 AM, Plum Happy said:

I know this is your opinion, but you gotta chill.

 

You do realize that many people don't care about all that, it's the getting away and being at sea.  Many go away to beaches just to relax and not have a carry in the world to deal with for a week.  If they only went away because of shows, they would be in a world of trouble years ago when there weren't all those activities.

 

Most of the people who were infected will probably be released from quarantine after 10 days, so, things will be looking up since this is a mild infection.

It costs $0 to keep scrolling if it’s not the kind of information you’re looking for. Some of us do appreciate informed updates so we can make our own informed decisions. If I were cruising between now and the end of January, I’d be rescheduling, in part based on the reports of people on board. My next cruise is March, which I suspect will be post-omicron wave, but I appreciate staying up to date regardless.

[alfaeric]

Going to come back to the question- what actually would have helped not cause this problem?  Is there a grace period where you can still postpone the cruise (isn't the CwC program a cruise credit?)- how much time does one have to postpone?

 

And for that, what information would have been known early enough?  

 

IMHO, how RCI deals with crew isn't really negotiable- I don't think one can ask that the crew works when they are infected, especially when they are part of the crew that can't mask- like the performers.  And since they are stuck on the ship, there's pretty much no way a ship can deal with any crew that needs hospitalization- so taking the most conservative route has to be done.

 

Which leads to the only path- information.  Are things changing so fast that there's no way to inform oncoming passengers?  

 

One suggestion from another thread- the ships should not be anywhere near sailing full at this point.  Given the ability of the crew of getting off the ship, it seems pretty clear to me that if a crew is getting infected, it's coming from a passenger.  Who probably got it travelling to the port (best odds considering you interact with so many other people).  By lowering the passenger count- keeps things spread out easier....  

 

But back to the "transparency" thing- just not clear what that really would look like.

[Starry Eyes]

1 minute ago, emory2001 said:

It costs $0 to keep scrolling if it’s not the kind of information you’re looking for. Some of us do appreciate informed updates so we can make our own informed decisions. If I were cruising between now and the end of January, I’d be rescheduling, in part based on the reports of people on board. My next cruise is March, which I suspect will be post-omicron wave, but I appreciate staying up to date regardless.

Better that people know in advance that shows can be canceled due to crew quarantines, as well as the usual reasons.  Or to realize that quarantine can result in pockets of staff shortages, such as casino dealers.  I realized this before we sailed and was willing to roll with it.  Those who are not should consider waiting until the pandemic ends.  That said, the entertainment staff on that ship should be out if quarantine pretty soon; no reason to think those shows will be quarantined again in January.

[Starry Eyes]

6 hours ago, Gissi6 said:

Yeah, no outbreak that I know of. But, I highly doubt they’ll let people know and create panic.

 
I’ll keep you posted on the nightclub entertainment Red is no longer in the schedule. And Hush is on day 6, so not so sure they’ll move forward with it. They’ve had no dancing all week, maybe on purpose 🤔.

Maybe they are concerned indoor dancing will tend to spread covid.  If so, perhaps suggest to the Cruise Director an outdoor dance party on the deck.  Or even start your own?

Edited December 26, 2021 by Starry Eyes

[jasongoldberg]

1 hour ago, afcgirl said:

Bummer about the Red Party, it was fun!  What about Boleros?  Do they kick you out if you start dancing? 😬 So weird, they allow dancing on the other ships sailing now, I don't get it.

There’s no band in Boleros this cruise 

[jasongoldberg]

24 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Going to come back to the question- what actually would have helped not cause this problem?  Is there a grace period where you can still postpone the cruise (isn't the CwC program a cruise credit?)- how much time does one have to postpone?

 

And for that, what information would have been known early enough?  

 

IMHO, how RCI deals with crew isn't really negotiable- I don't think one can ask that the crew works when they are infected, especially when they are part of the crew that can't mask- like the performers.  And since they are stuck on the ship, there's pretty much no way a ship can deal with any crew that needs hospitalization- so taking the most conservative route has to be done.

 

Which leads to the only path- information.  Are things changing so fast that there's no way to inform oncoming passengers?  

 

One suggestion from another thread- the ships should not be anywhere near sailing full at this point.  Given the ability of the crew of getting off the ship, it seems pretty clear to me that if a crew is getting infected, it's coming from a passenger.  Who probably got it travelling to the port (best odds considering you interact with so many other people).  By lowering the passenger count- keeps things spread out easier....  

 

But back to the "transparency" thing- just not clear what that really would look like.

I guess I would have appreciated a note or an announcement …. “This is what’s going on” or an email pre-cruise like the one delaying boarding. “Heres what we’re dealing with, this is what to expect, and this is what we’re doing about it.”  Be upfront and honest and people will be more understanding and accommodating. Being silent on it creates frustration even though the outcome is the same. 

Today was the first sea day and I was surprised that the band didn’t start playing until 2:45pm.  

[portseeker]

I figured a lot of people would be rough on the person posting, and this happens a lot, so let me throw some fuel on the fire.  Granted there are a lot more than shows on a cruise.  There is a good possibility that if you are cruising the southern caribbean you might not be stopping at islands originally scheduled.  Ships have been turned away from St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.  Regretfully, I think more are to come.  Beaches?  Not on your own.  A beach isn't going to happen unless you are on a RCCL excursion.  No walking around the town afterwards. Right now, masking is required inside the ship.

If I was a first- time cruiser I would definitely be turned off.  I'm not a first- time cruiser and I am cancelling for the time being.  Our next cruise will be when we stop at the islands picked, and we can go to our favorite beaches and not wear masks on the ship.  

[MrMarc]

I agree that people were way too hard on you.  Those activities are what make this class of ship work with that many people, namely lots of things to do all over the ship.  So I understand your frustration.  However, it now seems that you are concentrating on positive things, not negative things, and are having a good time.  I think there is a lesson in that.  Right now, some things are very likely to go wrong on pretty much any ship, any cruise line, any itinerary.  So if anyone gets aboard a ship, expect these things to happen and assume you will not be notified in advance.  When they happen, find something else fun to concentrate on, it's there if you look for it.  That way you will have a good time no matter what happens.  And don't expect compensation for these things anymore, fair or not, the cruise contract actually covers all of this.  The cruise lines are not going to be able to keep giving compensation to so many people that they are not required to, they have to stay in business.  I think it is all about keeping your expectations realistic, and right now, realistic is low.  I understand many people will find that unreasonable, but it is realistic.  If that is not reasonable for you, I really would suggest putting your cruise off for a while.

[orville99]

There are still shows on cruises? We haven’t gone to a show on a cruise in years. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. More fun just people watching.