COVID/Mask Update from QM2 eastbound crossing. Good news and bad news!

[ace2542]

Onboard now as you have read from my testing thread questions. Just thought I would a throw little update around. Not doing a blog as on the PC's they are very slow. As of day 4 evening or is it day 5 I have lost track of the time but is Thursday and we left Sunday afternoon. There are NO KNOWN Covid cases onboard although the word is never mentioned so there could be but to my knowledge there is not. And maybe one or two people coughing a little bit but not like they are ill and have come into work. And test is NOT required for the next leg of our B2B section to the fijords.

 

As to the Masks some of the crew are not wearing them correctly over there noises some even wearing them round there chins. Passenger wearing about 30% maybe more. DJ Chris who is onboard reckons the staff will wear them for years to come because if Covid gets into the entertainment staff it would shut the entertainment down like it did at christmas and they would have to stop the operation. His words not mine

 

Just thought I would issue the update.

[moses0]

Time to drop all restrictions 

[BklynBoy8]

1 minute ago, moses0 said:

Time to drop all restrictions 

 

As a Retired Healthcare Worker, I prefer dealing with the inconvenience of wearing the KN-95 Mask.

 

I expect to wear a Mask in all the proper venues and time it's right and proper to protect ourselves and those around us and the upcoming sailing. As I have heard on these boards. to each is own. At certain venues staff will most likely remind sailing passengers of their responsibilities.  

[TheOldBear]

And a bit off topic [topic drift is standard procedure for forums] has Britannia late seating reverted to normal? [assigned tables?]

....

We now rejoin your covid/mask thread - already in progress 😉

[moses0]

12 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

As a Retired Healthcare Worker, I prefer dealing with the inconvenience of wearing the KN-95 Mask.

 

I expect to wear a Mask in all the proper venues and time it's right and proper to protect ourselves and those around us and the upcoming sailing. As I have heard on these boards. to each is own. At certain venues staff will most likely remind sailing passengers of their responsibilities.  

I wear a mask when and where required or expected to respect the beliefs of those who are convinced they work not for myself. 

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for your update from the crossing, I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[ace2542]

9 hours ago, TheOldBear said:

And a bit off topic [topic drift is standard procedure for forums] has Britannia late seating reverted to normal? [assigned tables?]

....

We now rejoin your covid/mask thread - already in progress 😉

I don't think so we have had different tables for the 8.30pm seating so I can't be sure.

[ace2542]

9 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

As a Retired Healthcare Worker, I prefer dealing with the inconvenience of wearing the KN-95 Mask.

 

I expect to wear a Mask in all the proper venues and time it's right and proper to protect ourselves and those around us and the upcoming sailing. As I have heard on these boards. to each is own. At certain venues staff will most likely remind sailing passengers of their responsibilities.  

Masks are "strongly encouraged" in the show, queens room dance floor G32 dance floor etc that is what the program says "strongly encouraged" or strongly  recommended" one of those words but not "required". And no staff member has said anything to any customer or to each other so far as I am aware.

[ace2542]

And FWIW QM2 is sailing with the highest number of passengers since the restart close to 2200 they said. Amanda Reed is cruise director since Paul Loughlan retired before Covid started.

Edited September 1, 2022 by ace2542

[BklynBoy8]

27 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Masks are "strongly encouraged" in the show, queens room dance floor G32 dance floor etc that is what the program says "strongly encouraged" or strongly  recommended" one of those words but not "required". And no staff member has said anything to any customer or to each other so far as I am aware.

 

I have had programs shared with me from past cruise critics and saw all the protocols.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?

[3rdGenCunarder]

further boarding question. Does Brooklyn have a priority line for grills/diamond passengers? 

[BklynBoy8]

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

further boarding question. Does Brooklyn have a priority line for grills/diamond passengers? 

 

I spoke to Cunard this week and they stated there is (priority line) but need to go thru the initial check in before getting to that part. She seemed to be quite clear about than.

[frankp01]

5 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

need to go thru the initial check in before getting to that part.

I believe that is the case. In December there were four 'stations': The first where our testing paperwork was verified, then the luggage xray queue, the third was verifying that the responses to the health questionnaire had not changed, and the final/fourth queue was the actual check-in process: Validating the onboard credit card, taking photos (if required), etc. That final queue had a separate line for grills. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, frankp01 said:

I believe that is the case. In December there were four 'stations': The first where our testing paperwork was verified, then the luggage xray queue, the third was verifying that the responses to the health questionnaire had not changed, and the final/fourth queue was the actual check-in process: Validating the onboard credit card, taking photos (if required), etc. That final queue had a separate line for grills. 

 

Thanks for that info. 

 

Does Brooklyn still have the separate priority lounge? The last time I boarded in Brooklyn (maybe 5 years ago) it was crowded because they held the in-transit people there as well as embarking grills/diamonds.

 

[frankp01]

I was in steerage the last time, so I can't say for sure. But I think I saw those in the grills line proceeding to a different lounge, separate from steerage. Later that afternoon we boarded the ship through the same waiting room. It was identical to the one we had been held in, albeit smaller.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Does Brooklyn still have the separate priority lounge? The last time I boarded in Brooklyn (maybe 5 years ago) it was crowded because they held the in-transit people there as well as embarking grills/diamonds.

 

The last time we sailed the Diamond/Grill Lounge to the left was there. A small room then the larger room which led to the doors when opened to the elevator or escalator to the Gangway. The small room offered water and coffee and cookies & morning pastry.

 

With the multitude of Diamond members now I think Brooklyn needs a larger lounge. Last time we spoke on the cruise we discussed how Cunard should develop another level above Diamond. There are so many repeaters now that another level is in dire need.  

 

It's even hard for all to attend the World Cruise Cocktail parties on board with little available sitting.

Edited September 3, 2022 by BklynBoy8

[3rdGenCunarder]

10 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

The last time we sailed the Diamond/Grill Lounge to the left was there. A small room then the larger room which led to the doors when opened to the elevator or escalator to the Gangway. The small room offered water and coffee and cookies & morning pastry.

 

With the multitude of Diamond members now I think Brooklyn needs a larger lounge. Last time we spoke on the cruise we discussed how Cunard should develop another level above Diamond. There are so many repeaters now that another level is in dire need.  

 

It's even hard for all to attend the World Cruise Cocktail parties on board with little available sitting.

 

Yes, that's how I remember the lounge. I'm always amused looking at the huge photos showing how grand Cunard is while I sit in a partitioned section of what feels like a warehouse. Nicest terminal I've been in was QEII in Southampton. I didn't mind waiting for my number to be called when I could sit in a comfortable chair and even buy a bon voyage drink at the bar.

 

Another hijack question, if anyone on QM2 now is reading this. Is Carinthia open to serve small-plate lunch snacks? That's my usual embarkation lunch.

[BklynBoy8]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Yes, that's how I remember the lounge. I'm always amused looking at the huge photos showing how grand Cunard is while I sit in a partitioned section of what feels like a warehouse. Nicest terminal I've been in was QEII in Southampton. I didn't mind waiting for my number to be called when I could sit in a comfortable chair and even buy a bon voyage drink at the bar.

 

Another hijack question, if anyone on QM2 now is reading this. Is Carinthia open to serve small-plate lunch snacks? That's my usual embarkation lunch.

 

After losing the Winter Garden which I thought was nice but not used right, we are going to investigate it this time more. A CC friends used it a lot for their meals and enjoyed the accommodated music. Definitely must check it out. Really hope we can escape this first time terminal experience to a breeze.....Hope doing this online check-in helps.

[shippmates]

I was on the QM2 for 23 days and I wore a mask when in the crowded public areas.  I tested 5 days after getting home and I tested negative.  I heard a few passengers coughing, gaging and sneezing sitting without a mask, so I just got up an moved.  It was a great 23 days and an amazing sailing.

 

[Underwatr]

21 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

The last time we sailed the Diamond/Grill Lounge to the left was there. A small room then the larger room which led to the doors when opened to the elevator or escalator to the Gangway. The small room offered water and coffee and cookies & morning pastry.

 

With the multitude of Diamond members now I think Brooklyn needs a larger lounge.

Both the priority queue and the lounge are open to Platinum and up. I agree that the lounge is too small (and there are times that the priority queue is as long as the regular queue, although they do have the flexibility to process from that line at a higher rate).

[MrsHat]

On 9/2/2022 at 1:47 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?

Dreadful 🙂 I showed up for a 3:15 boarding time and finally boarded around 4:45. The agents were swift with each of us but there were a lot of people in line and we went through a preliminary check, then customs, then cruise check in. The back of the line was probably 75 people behind me. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 minutes ago, MrsHat said:

Dreadful 🙂 I showed up for a 3:15 boarding time and finally boarded around 4:45. The agents were swift with each of us but there were a lot of people in line and we went through a preliminary check, then customs, then cruise check in. The back of the line was probably 75 people behind me. 

 

That is WAY too long! Because of confusion over ArriveCAN, my embarkation in Vancouver on QE was an hour, and I thought that was too long.

 

Where were you going that you did customs in Brooklyn?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, MrsHat (great name!)!

[MrsHat]

Thank you 3rdGenCunarder! I was on the transatlantic to Southampton. 
 

Following on the original Q - 
 

On 9/1/2022 at 8:43 PM, ace2542 said:As of day 4 evening or is it day 5…

There are NO KNOWN Covid cases onboard although the word is never mentioned so there could be but to my knowledge there is not. 

I hate to say it but there were people in quarantine. My cabin was right next to a blocked-off corridor stretching from Stairway A halfway to Stairway B on deck 6. Before I realized it was a quarantine hallway, I cut through once and saw food trays at cabin doors. There were doors in that corridor marked “Donning” and “Doffing,” which my steward confirmed were rooms for putting on and removing PPE, in order to provide service to the people in quarantine.
 

The same section on Deck 5 was also blocked off, and about halfway through the voyage, the blocked Deck 5 section was extended all the way to Stairway B. 
 

 

[Golfwidow100]

On 9/2/2022 at 1:47 AM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?

We've just returned from a roundtrip transatlantic and it took us around 1.5 hrs to get back onboard in Brooklyn after going ashore. We were directed to the 'in transit' queue but unfortunately for us, this was also the queue that priority passengers were directed to for embarkation.  The queues were massive, a few rows deep outside of the terminal and it was packed inside.

When we eventually got to a desk and presented our ship cards and passports, the guy said he'd not seen the cards before and wanted to see proof of our covid tests. Explained we didn't have them as we'd boarded 7 days previously in Southampton, he then said he'd have to speak to a colleague so disappeared with our cards for 10 mins. He apologised when he returned and we were then allowed to proceed to security. The captain made an announcement after everyone had embarked apologising for the long queues in the morning and afternoon. It was shambolic to say the least. 

We were fortunate when going ashore though as we cleared immigration quite quickly (approx 20 mins) in comparison to others who experienced considerable delays. We left the ship just after 9am and were in the ferry queue by 9.30. Some of our fellow in transit passengers,  who left later, took a couple of hours and by that time had no option but to abandon their plans and return to the ship. According to people in the queue with us in the afternoon, they'd never seen it so bad before, so hopefully for future travellers, it won't be as bad.