Jill

I’m so glad that I went with MEI back last October. I had always booked direct but we’re doing a bucket list cruise next year to the Med and I needed an experienced TA for all that it entails. I use Sharla and she’s been great. We had a symphony cancelled in May and took the FCC and OBC. Rebooked for October which is now cancelled. She got our OBC reissued and FCC applied to next May symphony. Highly recommend!

There ya go! Taking one for the team! ?

I think TA’s should have the option of sailing on these “test” cruises so they can let all their customers know how the protocols work and what to expect. I mean they are the ones helping to sell these cabins! @Sharlaaren’t you ready for a free cruise?

Vaccines are not 100%. There are people who will never mount a response to a vaccine. They will show no titer. Vaccines can be useful in many cases but they are never a guarantee against disease. I fear too many don’t realize that efficacy can not be guaranteed. False sense of security.

Here’s another installment from a passenger on TUI regarding the buffet: Hi again!?? One question about our recent cruise onboard TUI Cruises - Mein Schiff 6 came up quite often: Is the buffet restaurant open and how is it handled? Therefore I made a video to show you the Health and Safety Measures: Before entering the buffet restaurant, which is called Anckelmannsplatz onboard TUI Cruises, you have to wash your hands. Afterwards you need to sanitize your hands. You have to wear a proper mouth and nose mask. Staff is overwatching it. After you‘re finished with washing and sanitizing your hands, a crew member will show you to a table (you can request a special table - for example by the window). You will be seated at a table with silverware, which is sealed in an envelope. The crew member will ask for your stateroom number and type it in his tablet-PC. So the cruiseline knows, where you were seated and who could be a contact person in case of an outbreak of COVID-19 onboard. Tables without placed silverware on top are „closed“ - they have a sign on it. At the buffet counters you will find markings on the floor, which show you, how near you are allowed to stand in front of the counters. If there are other people waiting, you’ll have to wait with a social distance next to them. At the buffet counters crew members will serve your food. You just tell them what kind of dish and how much you would like to have. At each counter you‘ll receive a new plate- crew won’t put the food on the plate you‘ve already had in your hands. So you‘ll end up with many plates, if you want different kinds of food. Drinks are served by the crew at the fountain station. You just let them know what kind of drink you‘d like and they will place the glass on a table. If you want a refill, you‘ll receive a new glass! As soon as you will sit down at your table you can take off your mask. I personally hope that this measures will stay post COVID-19. I always avoided the Windjammer, due to many people not washing their hands and touching things. Also it will help to decrease food wasting! I am aware that there are a few more questions, which I will happily answer tomorrow. video here:

I saw on Facebook that everything cancelled through November 30.

Just saw the news. ? I’m not sailing until May but I feel for all of you with Holiday cruises.

Just saw cancelled through November 30.

A few questions answered by a TUI passenger: Hi again! Today I read through your questions about our recent cruise onboard TUI Cruises - Mein Schiff 6! I will start to provide answers to 9 questions: What did we have to do before the cruise? - informed about travel cancellation and health insurance with corona protection - reserved excursion - reserved seats on the plane - reserved on-board entertainment - completed the Greece entry form for the QR code - filled out the Helios Hospital data protection form and made an appointment for the test - filled out the TUI Cruises health questionnaires before driving to Munich Airport Did you have to do a COVID-19 test? ?? TUI Cruises is requiring that all passengers test negative for COVID-19 before boarding. The test could be taken at one of 86 Helios Hospital locations in Germany. The test's cost was included in the cruise fare. We had to drive 1,5 hours to the next Helios Hospital. They did a nose and throat swab test. Our results were sent directly to TUI Cruises. How was the flight?? To get to the cruise ship was only possible with a chartered flight by TUIfly from 6 German airports (Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Dusseldorf, Munich, Frankfurt). No individual arrivals. No public flights! Only access to the plane with negative COVID-19 Test. How was the boarding procedure?? At the check-in counter of TUIfly we had to show the TUI Cruises health questionnaires and the valid QR Code for entry to Greece (received at 11pm the day before). After arriving at Crete we had to show the QR Code to the Greek authorities at the airport. Randomly other flight passengers were chosen for another nose and throat swab test - but not us. We got our bags and were then shown to the TUI Cruises Bus and driven to the cruise ship. To decrease the amount of people inside the cruise terminal we had to wait for ~30minutes inside the bus, until we were allowed to proceed to the cruise terminal. First we had to present our health questionnaires form, then we got our temperature measured with a digital thermal imaging camera. After the security check we went directly to one of the check-in counters, which were fitted with plexiglass screens. We had to show our set sail pass and passports through the plexiglass screen. The employee made a picture of our passports, then we were allowed to take shortly off our mask for our „ship picture“. Afterwards we could walk straight to the ships gangway, where we had to show our set sail pass for entry and for a short moment our face without mask. How was the Muster Drill? Onboard we went straight to our stateroom, where our sea pass cards were in a sealed envelope at the door. We put our hand luggage inside the stateroom and walked straight to Deck 5, where the muster drill took place. We were shown to our designated area. By that time we were the only ones there. So the two employees made a „private muster drill“ just for us. We could ask questions and were finished within 5 minutes. How many people were onboard? TUI Cruises operates their ships at just 60% of their regular capacity. Mein Schiff 6 regular capacity is 2534 passengers - on our cruise we were in total 922 passengers. TUI cruises canceled all their cruises until end of October - the Greek Isles cruise was released on August 13 with the new regulations. TUI is only selling balcony staterooms and suites at the moment! No inside or window cabins are sold! Did you have to wear masks?? Yes! All guests and crew members are required to practice social distance of at least 1.5 meters in the public areas of the ship. Wherever this distance cannot be maintained without hesitation, wearing a proper mouth and nose mask (masks NOT allowed you will find on the picture) was compulsory. This applied to elevators, stairwells and cabin corridors, for example. Whenever we were talking to crew (guest services, bars, towel station) - we wore masks. Also on the Pool Deck, when we couldn’t keep the social distance - we wore masks. As soon as we sat on our sun lounger/chair - we didn’t have to wear a mask. At the restaurants we wore a mask until we sat down at the table. When we stood up to get more food - we wore a mask! By arrival at our stateroom we found 5 masks per person on the bed - in a sealed package. You could get more from housekeeping. How many people were inside the elevators? Inside the elevators were allowed 4 people! On the floor of the elevator were marked spaces, where one was allowed to stand. If the elevator was full, we had to wait for another one. Thankfully everyone respected these rules! Before the elevators were placed hand sanitizer - so after touching buttons, we could easily sanitize our hands before and after our elevator ride. Did you get a temperature check??? Everyone had to have their temperature measured with a digital thermal imaging camera. This was repeated every morning between 9-12 inside the disco (which was closed anyways). We had to sanitize our hands and then walk in front of the camera. It took less than 2 minutes. I am aware that there are many many more questions, which I will happily answer tomorrow!???? https://youtu.be/3lIxj6iFH68

American Queen is part of CLIA, so they participated in the extension until October 31. The fact he’s back on board is promising that cruising in the US may begin in the near future. He was a HD with Royal for over 20 years with an Oasis class ship as his last assignment. He left in 2018 to fill in for a friend at American Queen and never went back. I’ll pick his brain in a few days. He still has many contacts at RC.

My friend, the hotel director, is now onboard American Countess (newest river ship). He said “wishing all my industry friends the best, we will all be back soon!” ????

I’ll just leave this here. CDC overruled by White House https://www.axios.com/scoop-white-house-overruled-cdc-cruise-ships-florida-91442136-1b8e-442e-a2a1-0b24e9a39fb6.html?fbclid=IwAR15ckHNDNUw02i4px52o_OAV_Ld-XK20Zll1XZWWJGxpWDI_H0Ieg1X1AM

I’m wondering if this is indicative of more cancellations coming OR they’re trying to reduce capacity again without having to boot people. I’ll go with option 2!

Just saw this posted on Facebook. http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/CWC_Enhanced_FAQs.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2YeZ2SP3aVFfIdNPCi9LOXegYFsUeLVPymA1YvC2dGIbuNJztnRFn3acw

This is what they did with the first TUI cruises in Europe. Sailings were canceled and then re-opened for booking. Hopefully with L&S they’ve been able to reduce capacity without having to do what was done in Europe.

Uggghhhh.........I’m not picking on you I promise but this isn’t 100% true. Businesses can still require masks. We just can no longer be fined for not wearing one. I was out most of the day today and visited 5 businesses here in North Florida. Every one still requiring masks. Chick fil A dining room still not open. When chick fil a opens their dining room you know the crisis is over! ?

So I guess it’s official now! Lol This leaked out a few days ago and then disappeared. Glad neither my symphony or odyssey are affected.

Maybe it’s already limited. Cabins showing as not available (Sold) may have been taken off the market and will remain empty. Lift and Shift may have taken care of a lot of reservations. What date are you? We’re May 29.

69 pages. Haven’t even read the whole thing yet. https://www.royalcaribbeangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Healthy-Sail-Panel_Full-Recommendations_9.21.20_FINAL.pdf

I’m just thankful NE Florida has been spared......so far. I feel so badly for the gulf coast. They’ve really taken a beating. Makes me so nervous for my October Odyssey next year in the Mediterranean. Not for storms there but a storm heading for our town. I live on a farm and my farm sitter would have to deal with battening down the hatches or the very worst, evacuating my horses. Hopefully since we’re so active this year, next year will be mild.

We did Mariner back last October. It was a spontaneous/last minute “let’s cruise” decision. We’re 2 hours to PC so we did a GTY balcony and ended up with an aft balcony. It also was the first cruise we’d taken “alone” since 1998! It was our first Diamond cruise, first on Mariner, first time to the new Perfect Day, first time taking only a roll on bag and our first booked with @Sharla It was a cruise of many firsts!

Hubby and I have been invited to be guests of a Hotel Director from American Queen who was a former hotel director for Royal. I was told the food is incredible. We plan to take the offer as soon as sailings begin. It’ll either be PNW or Mississippi. Secretly hoping for PNW. All depends the ship he’s on.

If true, it appears my May Symphony and October Odyssey in the Med will remain “as is.” I hope so because I can’t deal with anymore changes! ??

I’d like to see some sort of Cruise with Confidence stay in place. I wonder how many people continue to take their cruise knowing they are sick. I’d like to see some incentive for people to stay home when ill.

I want to get invited to @WAAAYTOOO’s next cabin crawl ?