Mask through Jan 31st?

[CrzN4Info]

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

[aubreyc1988]

6 minutes ago, CrzN4Info said:

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

Assume they will be strict and you will be fine. Think about the safety of our beloved crew members and fellow passengers ❤️  Happy Cruising! 

[CrzN4Info]

4 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Assume they will be strict and you will be fine. Think about the safety of our beloved crew members and fellow passengers ❤️  Happy Cruising! 

True, just don't want to wear a mask. 🙂  The best part about a cruise is that it's the only place you can go to vacation where 100% of the people are vaccinated. Heck, it's safer than going to Wal-Mart but I do understand what you are saying.

Edited January 3, 2022 by CrzN4Info

[DwayneG]

If NCL rules say masks are required many on the cruise have chosen that cruise specifically because they expect those around them to be doing just that.  Since the rules are clearly spelled out and cancellations are offered it's probably best to choose another time if you don't want to wear one so that you don't offend others.  Kind of like the no smoking rule: lots of folks would RATHER smoke on their balconies or by the pool, but the rules say you can't do it so they don't (hopefully).  I personally feel pretty safe with my vaccine and booster because I'm pretty healthy, but I'll follow the rules to help protect those who might be more vulnerable.  Maybe some day this will all be over!

[aubreyc1988]

10 minutes ago, CrzN4Info said:

True, just don't want to wear a mask. 🙂  The best part about a cruise is that it's the only place you can go to vacation where 100% of the people are vaccinated. Heck, it's safer than going to Wal-Mart but I do understand what you are saying.

 It's best to be respectful and follow the rules the cruiseline has in place. I would just plan on having a mask rule in place for your sail date. If that isn't something you can or want to follow, just cancel 🙂

[tallnthensome]

28 minutes ago, CrzN4Info said:

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

You'll be wearing a respirator soon on board let alone the requirement to wear a mask with the way things are going at this point. That policy will be in place for months if not all of next year, 

[BirdTravels]

30 minutes ago, CrzN4Info said:

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

Assume that the mask requirement will be extended. 

Assume that you have to have a mask on when you are inside and not actively eating. 

Assume that there will be a level of enforcement (maybe not as strict as flight attendants, but you should and will have a mask on during your cruise). 

[TNcruising02]

I booked my cruise when Norwegian had no mask mandate and now they do.  Thankfully, we are given the opportunity of a full FCC, although I would have preferred a refund.  We decided to just go on the cruise and follow the rules.  We will not go on another cruise after this one until the mask mandates are completely over. Even if you book when you don't think they will require masks, they could change the rules at any time.

If wearing a mask is a deal breaker, my advice is to not schedule anything until this next wave of the virus goes through and things get better.  I don't see them lifting the mask mandate at the end of January.

[barbatkins]

I was on Breakaway in December and they certainly did enforce the mask requirement unless you were seated in a restaurant.  
 

it is…..what it is….  
 

if you dont want to wear a mask…..don’t go…

[MichiganBound]

The mask policy on NCL was instituted very recently as a reaction to the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID which spreads very easily.   It is believed that Omicron will pass through the population fairly quickly.  As long as Omicron is not followed by something worse, we may see NCL lift it's mask policy relatively soon...like maybe March or April 2022.   Just conjecture on my part though.

 

Meanwhile, as long as the masking policy is in place, all passengers should follow the rules.

[UKstages]

i hope they don't lift the mask requirement.

 

covid, schmovid... i haven't had a cold in nearly two years!

[Gimmiethebeach]

I was on the Encore Christmas week and masks were required while inside.  Once you were at your table or at the bar, you could take the mask off.  Outside was pretty much a free for all.  The casino was probably 50/50, although the pit boss would tell people periodically to put their mask on.  I would guess if numbers on Norwegian ships rise they will become stricter.  I have to wear a mask for work so I was looking forward to a week without them, but honestly it was not a big deal.

[Tralfie]

The fact that you're asking "are they strict?" says to me that you should NOT be cruising right now. Even if they are not strict today, that could change tomorrow. This situation is evolving week by week. Asking "are they strict" also very strongly implies that you will be one of the folks who doesn't follow the rule unless forced. 

 

Simply put: If you don't want to wear a mask, you should NOT be cruising until this crisis is over. Don't cruise for your own sake if you think you will be uncomfortable, and for the love of heaven, don't cruise for the sake of everyone else on board if you're going to try and skirt the rules unless they're strict and "force" you to comply. 

[sverigecruiser]

6 hours ago, CrzN4Info said:

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

 

We have a cruise booked for July but will cancel that because most likely masks will still be required then. The money we have paid, around $1500, will be lost but it's still better than paying for an experience we won't enjoy.

[SpainAlien]

We cruised on Carnival at the end of November then NCL at the beginning of December. Carnival required a mask and (at that time) NCL did not. Both cruises were thoroughly enjoyable irrespective of the masking requirement. 

 

[craig01020]

I was on the Gem in October with no masks and it was wonderful...it felt like 2019!

 

I booked a Jan. 9 cruise on the Bliss back when NCL was promoting "no masks required". That policy wasn't changed until after final payment date, or I would've cancelled. I don't want FCC, so I'll just suck it up and wear a mask when I need to.   😷

 

[CrzN4Info]

8 hours ago, Tralfie said:

The fact that you're asking "are they strict?" says to me that you should NOT be cruising right now. Even if they are not strict today, that could change tomorrow. This situation is evolving week by week. Asking "are they strict" also very strongly implies that you will be one of the folks who doesn't follow the rule unless forced. 

 

Simply put: If you don't want to wear a mask, you should NOT be cruising until this crisis is over. Don't cruise for your own sake if you think you will be uncomfortable, and for the love of heaven, don't cruise for the sake of everyone else on board if you're going to try and skirt the rules unless they're strict and "force" you to comply. 

You assumed incorrectly.  I actually follow ALL mask rules put in place anywhere I go and always have!  What I mean by "are they strict" was if they would require them all over the ship, inside and out, only at dinner, etc.  I was asking people who would be cruising within the next few months to see how it goes.  The other reason I was asking is because we just got off a 11 night Celebrity cruise where mask are optional.

Simply put:  I was just asking a question to fellow cruises, no need for you to assume what kind of person I am.  We were just trying to find out more information as we were thinking of booking a cruise this March and want to be prepared.

[RocketMan275]

12 hours ago, CrzN4Info said:

We were thinking of booking a spring cruise but don't to wear a mask.  The current policy reads that a mask is required through Jan 31, 2022.  Has anyone been on a cruise lately and are they strict about the mask policy?  Thanks.

We had a March Haven cruise scheduled to celebrate our 30th.  We cancelled since we did not wan to wear a mask.  No one can predict the NCL masking policy will be in place or how strict the enforcement.  We did not want to gamble, we cancelled.  

We do not believe a cruise wearing a mask would be enjoyable.

It makes no sense to wear a mask for the 10 minutes it takes to walk to the dining area and then remove the mask for the 90 minutes the meal takes.

We do have another cruise on the books for March 2023.  

Edited January 3, 2022 by RocketMan275

[CrzN4Info]

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

We have a cruise booked for July but will cancel that because most likely masks will still be required then. The money we have paid, around $1500, will be lost but it's still better than paying for an experience we won't enjoy.

Agree, that's why I was asking. We were thinking about a March cruise.  I know they put the mask policy in place but was trying to find out how strict they were before we booked.  Some cruises require all the time, even outside.  I don't blame you but hate you may loose your money.  I understand why the cruise lines do it, just hate it at the same time. :-)

[bassmaster150]

So I will chime in here as we get ready to debark from the Escape after an 11 day cruise.  We chose NCL because of vax policy as well as no masks required.  One week prior to sailing the mask mandate was added so we were totally bummed….but made the decision to go anyways.  Did wearing a mask inside ruin our cruise or make it less fun??  Honestly…it did not.  As a matter of fact we had an amazing time.  Sailing on a ship at like 60% capacity is really nice because there are always seats and it is easy to get into the shows and stuff.  Yes, when you leave your room you put your mask on.  When you get to the bar or restaurant, you take it off for the duration of your time there.  If you go to the outside decks, you take it off for the duration that you are out there.  On excursions, you have to wear them in port…but if your excursion has a boat ride, or you are outside the bus, you can take them off.  Is it a little different experience?  Yes.  Did we have an awesome time?  Yes.  We’re we initially bummed that we had to wear masks?  Yes.  Did it ruin our cruise?  Absolutely not.  

 

Each individual has to make their own decision…but would we cruise again even if we have to wear a mask?  Absolutely yes we would…

 

oh, and on a side note, we are from Texas where we have more freedoms on wearing or not wearing masks, and yes we absolutely hate wearing masks…but we wanted to cruise so we simply followed the policy.

[CrzN4Info]

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

We had a March Haven cruise scheduled to celebrate our 30th.  We cancelled since we did not wan to wear a mask.  No one can predict the NCL masking policy will be in place or how strict the enforcement.  We did not want to gamble, we cancelled.  

We do have another cruise on the books for March 2023.  

I understand, that's why I was asking before we even booked.  I know why the cruise lines do it but hate it at the same time as we are all vaccinated anyway.  I'll be glad when cruising gets back to normal. 🙂

[RocketMan275]

Just now, CrzN4Info said:

I understand, that's why I was asking before we even booked.  I know why the cruise lines do it but hate it at the same time as we are all vaccinated anyway.  I'll be glad when cruising gets back to normal. 🙂

Our outlook is this:  if a cruise is so dangerous that we have to wear a mask, then it is too dangerous to cruise.

[CrzN4Info]

1 minute ago, bassmaster150 said:

So I will chime in here as we get ready to debark from the Escape after an 11 day cruise.  We chose NCL because of vax policy as well as no masks required.  One week prior to sailing the mask mandate was added so we were totally bummed….but made the decision to go anyways.  Did wearing a mask inside ruin our cruise or make it less fun??  Honestly…it did not.  As a matter of fact we had an amazing time.  Sailing on a ship at like 60% capacity is really nice because there are always seats and it is easy to get into the shows and stuff.  Yes, when you leave your room you put your mask on.  When you get to the bar or restaurant, you take it off for the duration of your time there.  If you go to the outside decks, you take it off for the duration that you are out there.  On excursions, you have to wear them in port…but if your excursion has a boat ride, or you are outside the bus, you can take them off.  Is it a little different experience?  Yes.  Did we have an awesome time?  Yes.  We’re we initially bummed that we had to wear masks?  Yes.  Did it ruin our cruise?  Absolutely not.  

 

Each individual has to make their own decision…but would we cruise again even if we have to wear a mask?  Absolutely yes we would…

 

oh, and on a side note, we are from Texas where we have more freedoms on wearing or not wearing masks, and yes we absolutely hate wearing masks…but we wanted to cruise so we simply followed the policy.

THANK YOU!!!  This is exactly what I was looking for and you answered the questions I was wondering about.  I appreciate it. :-)

[CrzN4Info]

12 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

 It's best to be respectful and follow the rules the cruiseline has in place. I would just plan on having a mask rule in place for your sail date. If that isn't something you can or want to follow, just cancel 🙂

Thank you.  I have and always will be respectful of other passengers as well as the cruise line and I have never even thought of not following a mask rule put in place no matter where I am.  Just wanted to know how strict they were per locations on the ship and wanted to hear from people that would be sailing with them within the next few months to see how it goes. 🙂

Edited January 3, 2022 by CrzN4Info

[20165]

14 minutes ago, bassmaster150 said:

So I will chime in here as we get ready to debark from the Escape after an 11 day cruise.  We chose NCL because of vax policy as well as no masks required.  One week prior to sailing the mask mandate was added so we were totally bummed….but made the decision to go anyways.  Did wearing a mask inside ruin our cruise or make it less fun??  Honestly…it did not.  As a matter of fact we had an amazing time.  Sailing on a ship at like 60% capacity is really nice because there are always seats and it is easy to get into the shows and stuff.  Yes, when you leave your room you put your mask on.  When you get to the bar or restaurant, you take it off for the duration of your time there.  If you go to the outside decks, you take it off for the duration that you are out there.  On excursions, you have to wear them in port…but if your excursion has a boat ride, or you are outside the bus, you can take them off.  Is it a little different experience?  Yes.  Did we have an awesome time?  Yes.  We’re we initially bummed that we had to wear masks?  Yes.  Did it ruin our cruise?  Absolutely not.  

 

Each individual has to make their own decision…but would we cruise again even if we have to wear a mask?  Absolutely yes we would…

 

oh, and on a side note, we are from Texas where we have more freedoms on wearing or not wearing masks, and yes we absolutely hate wearing masks…but we wanted to cruise so we simply followed the policy.

We were on Joy dec 18 and pretty much had the same experience as the above post.  Bummed we found out we had to wear a mask the day before the cruise, but it ended up not being that big of a deal and we had a great time. I would guess the compliance was around 50/50.