bhageerah

You are 100 percent correct and have to agree with both of you!!! While I may not be a mother, I usually am the one that is the chef, I also take care of the yard, home repairs, and vehicle repairs. I work 240 hours a month at my full time job (24 hour shifts) and then work about 64 hours a month part time. I can tell you that for me cruising is peace of mind, it is comfort, and mental stability. Being home just isn't cutting it either, with the twin 14 year olds that constantly argue, and are in need of time away from each other due to them being isolated since mid March a cruise is EXACTLY the therapy that all of us in this house need at the moment! Like you have said @Lovetocruise2002 a cruise vacation represents quite a few things that you just can not explain to those that have not gone on one or gotten hooked on cruising. For me right now it is almost as if I have lost the comfort of a close friend.

All I am going to say is that I am so ready for a cruise that I do not care what the requirements are as long as they are within reason. I would be perfectly happy spending time on the balcony watching the waves roll by, spending time with the wife, going to the gym, and just spending the time relaxing. Meeting others would be nice but it is not a deal breaker for me, just being able to get away from home and go on a much deserved vacation is what I desire the most!

We have done one over Christmas, we were not on Anthem but on a MUCH smaller ship and I can tell you that even though the ship was at capacity and much smaller there wasn't a big crowd feel whatsoever. To be honest I was actually impressed, I got onboard with the expectation that it was going to be absolutely insane and did not expect much at all, and by the time we were done we all agreed that the service that we received and the whole experience was one of the best cruises we have ever had. The ship we were on was Majesty of the Seas, and like I stated earlier I came onboard expecting the worst and it turned out being one of the best we have had. So my advice? Book the cruise and get onboard with a good attitude and I almost guarantee you that by the time you get back you will have had a great time! ?

My GOD yes!!! Skeeters were HUGE! We are in an area that has more than enough water around us, and thus have a major issue with skeeters, that being said I have not seen ones as BIG as they have up in AK! Get a couple of them on you and your are going to have to get a blood infusion!!?

A. Yes B. Yes C. No

I am with you @S0nny, there is a cruise out of Baltimore that I am heavily considering getting, 8 days, as long as I have a balcony I would be happy ordering room service and sitting out there and watching the waves roll by. Just give me access to the gym, and maybe a few shows during that 8 days and I am happy! The mask is not a deal breaker and would be more than happy to wear it at certain times when it is appropriate, at this point of time even though I am essential personnel and am able to get out, I still need to get away for awhile and recharge my batteries for a bit!

I am not a big fan of the Windjammer, PLEASE do not get me wrong, I do enjoy eating there but I am not a fan of how absolutely disgusting some people are that go in there. I mainly eat breakfast in there as well as stop in to get a plateful of their delectable oatmeal raisin cookies to munch on throughout the day. I would gladly go without the WJ for awhile in order to keep everyone safe, I must say that I will miss getting onboard and having lunch and and debarkation breakfast but I am sure that they will have something else set up. I also wonder what they will do to feed people on places like CocoCay and Labadee since its basically a buffet day. I hope that they have something suitable that is going to be able to handle the masses without having to wait too long. But either way, it is DEFINITELY better than being at home and cooking myself!!??

I have to agree, for me wearing a cloth mask and being able to walk around in shorts, t-shirt and flip flops and relax is absolutely NOTHING like wearing this all shift and being uncomfortable . I would not wear it the entire time but mainly when I was in public places, which is why having a balcony would be important since I would be able to order breakfast or another meal through room service and sit out there and enjoy it and watch the waves roll by.

I know that I may be a bit "touched" but as crazy as things are out here I would love to be on a ship with people that you know do not have the disease, have a lighter work schedule and have the run of the ship. I know that the routine would get old but it is also getting old here in Virginia only being able to go to places that have been deemed necessary. At least on the ship I would not have to head out and look high and low searching for hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and disinfectant!! I will say that I understand that they can be a bit angry at the moment but they also need to look at the big picture and realize how hard it is for RCCL to get them home during this worldwide crisis. I can understand their anger if they have loved ones at home that are dying but if everyone is ok and life at home is fine then relax a bit and stay safe.

There is a cruise leaving Baltimore Dec 10th unfortunately none of the family would be able to go and I would have to go solo, given the price point that they are offering it is making it hard for me to resist. I honestly would isolate myself and wash my hands more regularly and be very conscious of what I touch but I would gladly sail before there is a vaccine. I am not downplaying the seriousness of the illness but I have seen patients that have some serious comorbidities such as being diabetic, having hypertension and weighing over 500 pounds and the only symptom that they had of being COVID positive was that they lost their sense of smell for two weeks. To the opposite end of the spectrum where people are being intubated, and placed on the vent. I understand the choice I am making and feel that if I am able to use the same common sense that I use when I go out anyway that I should be fine, wear a mask in certain places, washy-washy, sanitize like its going out of style and just relax and enjoy the cruise!

As most have stated, if it means that I can watch the drill elsewhere I DEFINITELY agree with it. I do not mind the muster when we get to go inside to a restaurant or other venue on the ship. But it gets rather aggravating when you are on the deck in the hot sun packed in like sardines and waiting for everyone to show up. Longest one that I have participated in lasted over 30 minutes due to there being quite a few people that decided to show up late. Being able to view my station in my room and not have to be shoulder to shoulder with everyone on deck in the hot sun would be a welcome change!

I know that you will disagree, but its my humble opinion that for the good of all onboard that yes, performing hand hygiene is harmless. And washing often does you no harm and benefits you as well everyone else onboard. I would say that in your case the use of hand sanitizer would suffice, but my issue is that I see those that freely walk into the Windjammer and not wash or sanitize. I have seen people pick their nose in line while they are waiting and grab a spoon, I have seen people scratch their personal areas and grab spoons, cough or sneeze into their hands and grab the same spoon that you are about to grab. I will leave it right here there is someone on this board that says" I wash my hands 50 times a day and it is not hard since I only have two." That is a @twangster quote that I firmly believe in, its less than 45 seconds from applying soap to drying, and is a proven defense agains the spread of germs and keeping yourself as well as everyone else safe onboard.

How I wish!! I’ve seen things like that too often which is why I really don’t care to eat in there much anymore.

I will say that I am not a huge fan of the older smaller ships as well, we had a 7 day cruise on VOS going to Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel, and Belize. We were surprised at how small the ship was but I will also have to say that we had a great time. While it was DEFINITELY not Oasis or Anthem we still had a great time, they had plenty of things to do and the staff was great. I do believe that we would have had a better time had it been a larger ship but we did have a great time ( we are in our mid 40's if that makes a difference). Depending on where is sailed I would gladly book another cruise on her again, although now that I am thinking about it I did have one complaint....the beds were the hardest that I have ever had on a ship! At the time we were fairly new to cruising and had not discovered this board with all the wonderful information! Lets just say that we are side sleepers and were taking Benadryl every night to help us fall asleep, I do know that the bed thing is somewhat personal but that was our opinion!

I can approve of the changes, although one thing that I do not care for is the fact that they have not made hand washing mandatory in the one area that I think that it should be....in the buffet! I do believe that if you walk through the doors then you should be washing your hands PERIOD. I have seen too many folks that come from the buffet, go to the bathroom and walk back in without ever touching the hand sanitizer or washing their hands. ?

I saw it last year on embarkation day on Anthem in the Windjammer, did not get it on the first pass, and when I went back to grab some since I have heard so much about it, I discovered that they ran out. Maybe I will get to try it on the next cruise! If I remember correctly it is served typically on embarkation day only IF you are lucky to find it at all, I also remember seeing a post on here that actually had the recipe.

I can tell you that at this point it has been over a year since my last cruise and I am starting to get rather stir crazy! I do not care if they would do a cruise to nowhere! If I was off I would be on it! DISCLAIMER.... yes I know that they are illegal and the cruise lines are unable to do them I am just saying that I am so desperate at this point that I do not care where it went I would gladly go! I do not care what ship, what stateroom type or the destination!

Looking at several reports there is a rapid screening test that is intranasal vs blood, the test takes about 15 minutes for a negative result and a positive result in as soon as 5 minutes. Ok even though I work with needles all day I have been stuck with far too many diabetic lancets and know that those things hurt far worse to me than sticking me with a 16 gauge needle! My fingertips hurt for DAYS after each and every one.? I can also say that I would prefer either of the aforementioned tests vs some of the current tests that go through the nose and into the back of the throat. I have seen those things administered several times and it makes me absolutely CRINGE each and every time! It is almost a new form of torture, I am grateful that they have come out with less invasive testing! There is a black line on the swab and its hard to believe that they have to go all the way in your nose to the line.?

For me I would have to agree with anywhere on the ship because that means that I am far away from work, but if I had to rank them the top three for me would be Central Park, The Boardwalk, and my balcony in that order! I enjoy being able to grab a small morsel and people watch or watch the sea roll by and watch a sunrise or sunset!

COVID-19 is definitely airborne, when we have a patient that is a HIGH suspicion with it, they have to go into a negative pressure room, we wear a PAPR to filter the air that we breathe and must cover our hair underneath the PAPR, as well as a gown and gloves. The 6 feet between people help to cut down on the risk of the airborne particles reaching the respiratory tract and finding its next victim. It is also passed from touch as well, its a nasty virus that the CDC is learning more and more about everyday which is partly why there is so much conflicting information out there at the moment.

I COMPLETELY agree that the companies should not receive a bailout, my response is for those that are stuck onboard only. I do agree that if they pay taxes to another nation that they should seek that nations assistance vs ours.

There are quite a few things that I miss! I miss the anticipation that I always get at every stage that I get pre cruise! Usually the countdown, the drive or flight down to FL, checking into the hotel, getting to the terminal and finally getting onboard! I will also miss dinner in CK or the MDR! Waking up prior to the wife and heading up to the gym and coming back to the room and having my "pre-breakfast" out on the balcony while reading and enjoying the Vitamin-Sea! To be perfectly honest I absolutely miss EVERYTHING about cruising prior to the last evening onboard! I am SO looking forward to a vacation after all of this craziness is over!! I understand that the precaution is necessary and believe that they have made the right decision, I am just ready for this all to be over so we can go back to our new "normal" and move on.

Wow!!! I can understand but am absolutely AMAZED! I understand that they may be sailing under the flag of another nation and pay taxes to those nations but to refuse medical assistance to those in need takes is just a wee bit too far IMHO. While they do pay a bulk of taxes to other nations we also know that there are some US taxpayers onboard as well. They should not be left out at sea wondering what their future holds! Seeing what I see in the ER with those that do suffer the worst from complications from COVID-19 (most are indeed sent home to isolate without needing to be admitted ) a ship is the absolute LAST place I would want to be since I know that they are not set up to handle patients in severe respiratory distress, or the staff has limited training/knowledge of how to deal with it since it is not what they normally deal with. Its a bad situation for the companies that own the ships, as well as the crew onboard, and those infected! Definitely not a situation that I would want to be in if I were still on one of those ships left out there!!!

I know that there will be other diseases, and that things can get out of hand at any time and that there will be yet another virus that will hit us in the future. That being said I will continue to do what I have been doing. I will wash my hands, I will carry and use hand sanitizer, and be more careful about where I eat, I will do far less of the Windjammer and go to the places that I am served, that way I now that there have not been a lot of other peoples hands that have been near it. I am looking forward to going back onboard and can not wait until they start sailing again. I will have to admit that I have no desire to cruise until things calm down substantially, and am looking forward to them finding a vaccine or SOMETHING that helps to keep this thing at bay. Lord knows this thing had had us working overtime and being extra cautious at work, and I am in desperate need of a vacation!!

It is very unfortunate that it has come to this but at the same time it is a good thing that they are taking some serious precautions and attempting to stop the spread now. I also appreciate how they have moved them out of the crew rooms and into guest rooms! I know that with as small as the crew rooms are it would be torture to be cooped up in one of them until this thing is over!