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Since we are keeping track of Covid after cruising........... Who has gotten Covid after the grocery store? The movies? The ball game? Theme park? The mall? The family reunion? We criticize the CDC and mainstream media for unfair scrutiny of the cruise ship industry and then we give them nice threads like this on a public message board to fuel the fire.

I heard that nobody panicked until the violin player moved to the pool deck.

You can fit 35 people in a suite and have enough booze for them!? Jesus Christ, how big are the suites? Also, are any of you fancy pants suite people cruising on Oddessy of the Seas in September... me and my wife are great fun at parties when invited

Cruising withdrawal is the real illness I want and need to avoid!

The difference is obvious. Kid online friends, you never know what kind of person is behind that screen name. Cruise blog online friends, well you know for sure they're going to be strange people. It's like that old joke about the guy picking up a hitchhiker. Driver - "well I know you couldn't possibly be a serial killer" Hitchhiker - "How could you know that?" Driver - "because the odds of there being two serial killers in this car is astronomical"

They frown upon bears in the suite. No pets allowed unless registered service animals.

I am behind on food pictures again, so here’s a bunch!

47,000 people tested positive in the US this past Saturday, June 25. Just saying, being on a ship or on land makes no difference. I choose to just live my life

I have cruised three times since the restart. No masks, social distancing or other behavioral changes unless directed to do so. None in my travel party acquired Covid on any of these amazing cruises. I share this experience for those who think that unless they are hyper vigilant with all the alleged Covid reducing behaviors, they will catch Covid. Only guaranteed way I know to not get Covid on a cruise is to not go on a cruise. Same for avoiding shark attacks by not going near the ocean….or aquarium.

Much like colds and the flu, some people are much more prone to getting airborne viruses than others.

Day three of the land package. Our room never really cooled off, even with the window open, so no one slept well. The other side of the hotel faced a river, and some people on our tour said they were cold on that side of the building. We were all pretty tired, but today was the day we try to see Denali. Only 30% of the people that go to see the mountain get to see it without cloud cover. We boarded the bus and headed into the park. According to the Royal Caribbean materials, we should have been able to extend the drive into the park; however, there had been a landslide, and they were not offering that upgrade. This was probably a blessing in disguise as I don't think DS would have done well on a longer bus journey. We were greeted by Alaska's state bird, the Ptarmigan. And became members of the 30% Club. We drove a little farther into the park and spotted a moose in the distance. Fortunately the road took us a little closer. We stopped for photos again just before we turned around to come out of the park. Clouds had begun to form around Denali's peak. From there, we headed to the visitor's center in the park. Along the way, another moose ventured into the road and stopped traffic for a bit. Then we spotted another eating in the woods. At the visitor's center, there was a restaurant - burgers, chicken strips, pre-made sandwiches, etc. We had lunch and then walked a short trail. The wildlife in Denali is crazy! We boarded our bus and headed to Talkeetna which was about 3 hours away. We wanted to take an optional fishing excursion, but it wasn't being offered on our tour. They had just had a ton of rain, and the rivers were really full. We instead went with plan b, a jet boat tour. There was some confusion with this excursion as there are two lobbies in the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge and we were supposed to meet in the secondary lobby at 6:30pm. Our bus pulled up to the hotel about 5:30pm and about 6pm we finally got off the bus (not all of the rooms were ready). The tour director walked us to the secondary lobby so we knew where to go, and the excursion was already about to leave. Apparently the 6:30 time told to the tour director was when the boat pulled away from the dock, we were actually supposed to meet the shuttle at 6pm. A little stressful, but we made it to the Talkeetna Princess. Both the kids enjoyed this excursion. DS especially liked that we could stand at the back of the boat while it was moving. DD was not so adventurous and waited for the vessel to stop. We spotted an eagle's nest and were able to see both adult birds. Towards the end of our river ride, we disembarked and took a short hike to a trapper's cabin complete with storage building on stilts to keep the bears out. Now I swear that I saw a bear on the way back to the dock, but I didn't get a picture and no one else saw it. So the catch phrase for the rest of the trip was a sarcastic, "Yeah, Mom saw a bear." We got back to the hotel around 8:30 and headed to the restaurant in lobby. The views from the lobby and restaurant are of Denali, and even at 10:30pm when we finished dinner the sun was still up. Bags had to be out at 9am, and the bus was to leave at 10am the next day.

It's Texas. He's taking his long horn steer.

Exactly, it's the new Flu. We need to treat it as such and go cruising!

Day 8 - Alesund This is a very picturesque town, much more what you think of when you think of Norway. Our weather was not as good as it had been, but still decent. We got sprinkled on a bit and there were more clouds. We did the Stranda Mountain Explorer excursion. Our guide was a French woman, again excellent. This tour is more bus and less active than we like, but still enjoyable. Alesund on arrival. The port where we docked is tucked inside a little inlet, so there were some interesting gyrations getting us in. While this was a bus tour, we had to take two ferries to get around. They just put the whole bus on the ferry, which was fun. Also, some of the ferries are electric and get charged for a few minutes each time durning unloading and loading. See the white shed on the right, that’s the charging station. Stranda Mountain is a ski resort that tries to have year round activities. They can ski here until the beginning of June usually. We took the gondola to the top and got some nice views. There was also a waffle, of course! The church from the 1800s in the town a Stranda. The older church was destroyed by a tsunami caused by an avalanche into the fjord: Various scenes from the trip:

I’m on Oasis this week. I think there were 8 buses of 48 people who went on this excursion. keep checking to see if it opens and worst case check at the shore excursuses on boarding day. (There are cancellations when people test positive for their pre cruise testing) my hints for this excursion: be sure to have your photo ID for 18 and up. Also bring cash/card, bottle of water. there is some walking in the sun/weather so do what you need in regards. Onboard don’t rush to the theater to wait. We were seated in the second row (being pretty early) to wait. Then the late comers were seated in the back of the auditorium, sure enough they took the back rows out first so we were one of the last buses to leave the port. (Last to arrive at KSC) try to sit at the front of the bus so you can be one of the first off there is a pamphlet on the seat, download the app to check things out/read the pamphlet. when you arrive to KSC go immediately to the bus tour that drives out to the furthest point and check that out, then tackle the locations at the initial drop off point ;main area) so you are close enough to catch the cruise bus back to the ship. there was an astronaut doing photos, autographs of items (up to 3 per party) at the souvenir shop (I forget which one) it either started at 5 or ended by 5-sorry didn’t pay close attention. . Have a plan of attack so you maximize your time . There was so much to see I would go back

Not to derail the thread, but I have a hard time articulating how much I love cruising. It’s like an amusement park for adults is the best way I can describe it. I don’t see how anyone could be ambivalent About it.

Day four of the land tour. We appreciated being able to sleep in a little after our late excursion, and we opened the window as soon as we got to the room, so it was a comfortable temperature. We had a leisurely breakfast at the buffet, and waited in the lobby for the bus to arrive. And we waited... And. We. Waited. About 10:30 the tour director said there was a delay and she was not allowed to give us any details. We thought maybe the bus driver tested positive for covid since she kept saying she wasn't allowed to give any more information. DH and the kids killed some time playing cards, and I read and took more pictures of the mountain and helicopter/plane tours. After all, we were not going to be seeing Denali again. About noon, the tour director finally told us that there was a problem with the bus, not the driver. Her husband, who is a driver with the same company, was bringing his bus to our hotel so we could continue our trip. We finally left Talkeetna about 1:30pm and our next stop was Anchorage. The original plan was to stop for 2 hours in the city for lunch and for those who did not bring emed tests to go to a testing center to take their test to be able to board the cruise ship. The delay threw that off a little, and we didn't get to Anchorage until almost 4pm. The covid policies for the company were changing with every tour and instead of testing at the hotel this evening as most of us planned, the tour company required everyone to get off the bus at the convention center to test. If you had your emed test, you were brought to a big open room with several tables to complete the video call. This meant the driver had to pull the luggage off the bus in the middle of downtown Anchorage as some people had theirs packed. The process seemed extremely disorganized, and you could tell the tour director was frustrated with the changes. They have only been back to cruise tours for 4 weeks since being shut down so I'm sure it all felt new. Plus they kept changing where and when they wanted us to test on her. To get everyone's results took about 2 hours, but in the end, I think this worked out the best. 1. The entire group tested all at once so no one could accidentally forget or not be able to test because of poor internet connection at the hotel. You had to show your negative results to get back onto the bus and continue the tour. 2. A couple people had invalid emed tests and they were able to get tested at the convention center while we were still there. The test at the convention center was $89, but at least they had an alternative. 3. Fortunately everyone in the tour tested negative, but if there was a positive test, you were not allowed to continue with the tour. Had we waited until we were at the hotel that night, or if we had tested the night before and tested positive, we would be stuck in rural Alaska with few options for hotel or transportation. As I said, everyone was negative though so it was back on the bus to Alyeska which was about an hour away. We arrived about 7pm, got to our room, opened the window and went to dinner at the hotel. This was the nicest hotel as it is a ski resort in the winter. The day seemed a little of a waste because of the mechanical problem with the bus, but we didn't really have anything planned. We could have taken the aerial tram to the top of the mountain, but it closed before we arrived. We were ok with the way the day turned out - the kids were tired because of the long bus rides, and tomorrow we have two included excursion before boarding Radiance of the Seas! Bags in the hall by 8:30am, and the bus leaves the hotel at 10.

I just spent 9 days on a vacay in Cali including 4 days on navigator and 3 days at Disneyland jammed into lines and rides. Ate out multiple times. never wore a mask once. Paid it no mind like the old days. Was certain we’d get something at some point. Didn’t care. Never got the ‘Rona. Lucky sure, but also vaxxed and living La vida loca. Man I love cruising!!

I have cruised 5 times since the restart, including about 15 nights on 3 different ships consecutively during the height of omicron. Haven't tested positive and I attribute that to me personally. Even before covid I was an active handwasher and social distance practicing person, I also took the stairs mostly. I haven't had to change most of my routine with the exception of following mask guidelines when required. You can get sick anywhere, from anything, at any time if you aren't careful. The amount of people I see who would come to the buffet and try to ignore the handwashing station or who don't use sanitizer is astounding. Covid is everywhere, there is no way to be 100% on when you got and who exposed you to it.

If you like your meat soaked in mayo, yes.

Someday soon the stigma of covid on a cruise ship will disappear. But of course not until the CDC relinquishes its grip

As long as Jack and Rose are OK.

I don't think anyone isn't living their life, heck we're all going on cruises. I think the comment was to just be smart and respectful of others in crowded spaces. On my recent Oasis sailing over Memorial Day, it seemed like about 25% of the group's Facebook page (over 700 ppl) reported getting sick/testing positive within a week of getting home. I tested twice post cruise (Tuesday after, and Friday After) and both were negative. I did not have symptoms, but I tested myself because I knew It was running around the ship but wanted to (try and) make sure I wasn't giving COVID to my family, who are high risk but vaxxed and boosted.

Day two of the land tour. We met in the lobby at 7:30am and got on the bus with the 40 other people on tour 3B to head to the train station. Our train left at 8:15am. We boarded a double decker, domed rail car. The dining car and restrooms were on the bottom level, and the seating area was on the top level. There was a narrow spiral staircase to get between the two decks, but they did also have a small elevator. I didn't get a great shot of the train, but on the back it said it was 18 feet 1 inch tall. Everyone started upstairs in the main seating area, and shortly after we left the station, they started seating people for breakfast. We thought the kids would enjoy eating on the train, so we opted to skip the buffet at the hotel. The kids both ordered the Miner's Breakfast and the Blueberry pancakes, and both tried the reindeer sausage. DH And I both got the Denali Scramble thinking we would get to try some of the kids' pancakes...we were wrong. Did I mention the bar? DH and I also had Bloody Marys with breakfast which I guess made up for the kids not sharing their pancakes. The train made a couple of stops along the way to pick up people in small towns, but the main stop on our 7.5 hour journey was Talkeetna. Our tour stops here on the way back. Everyone stayed onboard and we continued to Denali. Because we took both legs of the journey, we could also order lunch. This is a partial menu from the Wilderness Express website - they also had a vegetarian and kids menu. I didn't get any good food pictures from lunch, but the birch syrup ice cream was really good. The views from the train were stunning, and you could go out onto the platforms on the bottom level. Here are a few shots from our trek north. We departed the train at 3:40pm and boarded a bus to take us to Denali Park Village. The rooms in this hotel are teeny tiny, and when you're traveling with 4 people and your land and cruise luggage, it's a really tight fit. You know what else they don't tell you in the brochure? Most hotels in the interior don't have air conditioning. It makes sense when the highs only get to the 70s or 80s, but it was pretty warm when we arrived. Our room faced the sun, and with only a fan that we found hidden in the armoire, it was a pretty miserable night. There aren't a lot of dining options at this resort - the dinner buffet and the bar were the only two venues open when we got there, and the buffet was $55 per person. One of the optional excursions we wanted to do was the Husky Homestead which is in Denali. It started at 7pm and was about a 30 minute bus ride to get to the Dog Gone It Kennels in Cantwell. We had about 10 minutes to hold puppies, which would have been ok (let's face it, that's the real reason we came), but a second bus load of people pulled up behind us. There were about 100 people on this tour (45-50 per bus), and those other people cut into our fur baby time! We also got to see, but not hold of course, pups that were just born the day before. So small! Then we were walked around to where the older dogs were kept and they hooked some of the dogs up to a 4 wheeler for summer training. The next 1.5-2 hours was a very well put together slideshow and presentation about the Iditarod - how they train for and run the race. It was about 15 minutes too long for me, and about 30-45 minutes too long for the kids. They just wanted more time with the dogs. It was really well run, and a lot of interesting information. It was 10pm by the time we got back to the hot hotel, so we got ready for bed. Bags had to be out by 7:30 in the morning.

Sorry to break the news but the Kennedy Space Center shuttle program ended in 2011, having started in 1972. This is probably why you can’t get a spot. While the program was operating, it was very difficult to get a spot on a shuttle.

Maybe it was soccer charter cruise?

I can see @twangster at the 2023 President's Cruise yelling in the back, "Gigabit internet or we riot!"

And we all know how bad the symptoms and side effects of no cruising can be

Right?!?! My wife got covid from a co-worker. People get Covid in all different types of places, not just cruises!!

Our cruise on the Harmony is in 19 days. We plan on taking plenty of small hand sanitizers and use them whenever we touch a elevator button or a door handle and etc (we do this here also). We will not be eating in the Windjammer due to everyone serving themselves without gloves. There are 8 in our party so we will fill an elevator pretty well. We are on the 14th floor so we will use the elevators more often. We cruise again in 52 days our of Amsterdam so I want to be extra diligent if light of this. We are Vax and Boosted but I know we can still possibly get it; however, we plan on getting lots of fresh air and sunshine and enjoying everything Harmony has to offer.

They sure do. But, Alabama makes the best BBQ, period!

On our May 13th cruise on the Ovation, our first Genie, Rahul, "supposedly" injured himself on day 2, then we had Dexter, supposedly" he injured himself on day 4, then we had (I can't remember her name, I think it was something like, Agustina). She took care of all the Star Class guests (that's 8 Star Class staterooms) by herself and it was her first cruise as a Genie. She did a great job. It's funny, Rahul and Dexter weren't allowed to leave their quarters/cabin, you know, kinda like quarantine. I guess stranger things have happen than 2 Genies injuring themselves within 2 days of each other. But, COVID comes to my mind.

Not to mention the reporters that look for the person with the scariest recollection. They never quote the person that says "I dunno, I didn't really notice anything"

Being as penny conscious as possible, we do 1 person, 3 devices, so each gets their to do one at a time for themselves. But, I always purchase it under me, so that I can threaten not to give them the code when we get on

As @AshleyDillo said, you can do that little trick via the app, not the website.

It's not clear that a crew member was asked specifically about their medical history or intentions going forward. It could simply be where the conversation went and what the crew member chose to share. Often when I talk with crew the conversation is interactive and a crew member chooses to share information and opinions, or not. The conversation can go places and venture into topics that all parties happily participate in. It is not an interrogation or approaching a crew member for the purpose of inquiring about their medical status. It could be as simple about talking about a contract coming to an end then the crew member offers a reason why they might not rejoin for another contract and their personal opinions. There is no harm in that.

We did a JS on Symphony last month so we purchased the unlimited knowing that we were it guaranteed CK. The food, ambiance and service was beyond compare, except for CP 150 impo. We ate at Hooked for lunch 1 day with reservations for dinner 2 nights later. Ate at CK the night before. As soon as lunch was over we went to CK and cancelled our Hook dinner replacing it for CK. There is always the conversation which restaurant does the steak better....chops or CK. Purposefully we ordered the steak at CK the night before our Chops reservation. CK won hands down Ate at Jamies too. If I decide on our next cruise to eat at a specialty it would only be there over the CK. Their hand made pasta is excellent. However, I do like the atmosphere better in the CK. Atmosphere is just as important to me as the food. We avoid the mdr because the tables are so close that sometimes you feel like you could ask them to pass their salt shaker and they wouldn't even have to extend their ar!m completely. Now imagine a large group next to you and the volume of voices while you are trying to enjoy your dinner. In the CK it was never packed and we ate at 6:30 I also agree everyday we saw something on the menu that was definitely from a specialty restaurant with a variance of the side dish. Ie burrata cheese appetizer is from Jamies. Branzino is from Chops. Duck was CP 150. I think we also had the scallop cerviche which is also a 150 item. So for us, it eliminated the need to do specialty. Finally, by going every night you get to build a relationship with your waiter. Our waiter knew when we came in what drink we would have with dinner and our after dinner drink. Hubby and I drink different things. He even paid attention to the fact we didn't ever eat 1 particular type of bread so he always removed it and gave us the ones we thoroughly enjoyed. When I told him i am too full to eat dessert he came back with 2 desserts with a dome covered plate and said take it back to your cabin. He did that every night for me.

I try to drink as much alcohol as possible while on a cruise ship. I haven't had COVID post cruising. There is a moral to that story, somewhere! Seriously though, I get sick after just about every vacation, including COVID once, whether on a cruise ship or a trip to Las Vegas or...... I'm not really a big drinker other than on a cruise. I just don't worry about it. I try to be a social butterfly, I don't avoid elevators that have more than X people in it, I don't wear masks if I don't have to and I avoid activities/places that require a mask. I just don't care because it is almost a sure thing that I'm going to come down with something when I get home. I'm sure I have what they call "Long COVID", I seem to permanently have a runny nose/sniffles. I've been like that since I had COVID back in circa 2020.

I spoke with a staff member on Oasis, apparently booster shots are now required to renew contracts. The member is not happy since wanting to start a family and the unknowns with long term effects. when staffing numbers has been difficult to get back to normal, as well as other factors, it’s a-shame this is a mandate.

Update- I got the suite!!! It was only about 500 is more to get the upgrade. I cancelled the Key which covered the difference + 100 back. I will have to buy the internet for 4 currently priced at 263.88. So I for me I upgraded for 163.88.

Still go through metal detector on ship while docked at CocoCay. I walked through it, can’t verify it was on. I think this is to catch any successful secret pirate treasure hunters.

I'll be doing this hence forth! Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll be a cruise pro in no time.

Preach

We fly to Europe every few years as "stand-by" passengers. I have a relative that was a FA for American. We get passes, but you are the last to board and you get bumped frequently. So, no checked bags. We use the roll up air/storage bags to minimize space. Pack it tight and a backpack for extras. We've done several weeks like that. You learn to sink wash some stuff early in the day so it can air dry before the next morning. For Guys - If you can pack a thin set of khaki pants and a collard polo shirt, wear a sport coat on the plane, then you have formal night covered. Also, for guys - wear a t-shirt under your shirt. It keeps your outer shirt from getting sweat on it and then you can use the outer shirt several times between washes and the t-shirt is thinner material and dries quicker if washed.

We cruised Celebrity in May with friends, she got sick on the plane on the way home, she tested positive the next day. Her husband 2 days later. My hubby got sick a couple of days after the cruise but did not test positive 4 days in a row and I never got sick or tested positive. So 3 of our party of 4 got sick, 2 covid and 1 the flu and I am usually the one to get sick.

No. You are good for the entire year and they will not know whether or not you go on a trip and frankly, they don't care. The only time they will know is if you file a claim. It's super easy and soooo much better than having individual trip policies, IMO.

No offense to you or your crew member you spoke with, but in the grand scheme of crew members across the fleet and over the years, not every crew member is necessarily the best source of information on current policies. Just take everything with a grain of salt.

Hi! Our apologies for the delay. We just got the venues approved so our schedule of events should be out shortly. Appreciate your patience!

Thanks! I think we're looking at it this way so far... Aruba - Beach/Pool Resort; Bonaire - Snorkeling; Curacao - Touring, Eating, Shopping. But, we have a few months to alter our plans.

Mariner is basically back to pre-pandemic standards for crowding and precautions.