Ray

42 minutes ago, AGSLC5 said:

Totally agree its two separate issues.. I personally just think smoking in casinos should be banned period not because of Masks or Covid but because its harmful to other people's health.. 

As i have said i totally agree however point i was making is that people turning up in MDR wearing the same clothes they have had on for 2 days are potentially just as harmful than 2nd hand smoke in the casino. 

And yes i have witnessed this on FOTS when a female wore the same short/top outfit 2 days running! She even did the zumba class at poolside and went onshore, in todays world who knows what bacteria would be on her outfit that could not just be harmful but could potentially be fatal 

8 hours ago, krhardy said:

If masks become required in public spaces, I would think they would almost have to eliminate smoking in the casinos.

As a smoker i have said previously on these threads that smoking in casinos should be stopped, however if we are just saying masks must be worn in all public spaces then that would include Restaurants and bars! And this is the problem finding a fine line that keeps everyone happy in this new normal. 

Ok we ban smoking in casinos ! Im ok with this but what about the guy who doesnt smoke yet he has been onshore all day not adhereing to any covid rules and turns up in Casino or MDR still wearing the same clothes from that days outing that he's been sweating into?

No masks while you eat or drink and god knows whats flying about the air but its ok cause hes not smoking! 

8 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Renewing US VISA is difficult at best with processing times as they are.  It might be more of a "do not bother trying" suggestion rather than an explicit "do not".  

Cant comment on that as we brits without drugs or terrorism charges dont need a visa lol   

In my opinion this is just a stalling tactic! Be seen to be doing something but all you are in fact doing is dragging it out longer. 

So many questions that i didnt even read them from no2 onwards, by the time they get results in then analyse all the results create charts and graphs im even worried my march cruise isnt going to go ahead  

Honestly im away to cancel my flights to new york for march while i still can. 

Been told that Aida Crew heading back to ships have been told NOT to renew US visa! 

As soon as my daughter turned 16 My wife and myself moved to middle east for my work and left daughter at home by herself

24 minutes ago, Katy H said:

But will we be allowed to fly to Europe?  We currently have a Transatlantic cruise scheduled out of Italy on Nov. 26.  We are holding out, just in case, but are fully expecting it will be cancelled.

 

Depending where you come from you may have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival

15 hours ago, princevaliantus said:

Here's an idea. Since cruising has resumed in Europe, and hopefully it continues to do so, how about cruising Europe for the Holidays?  Sounds tempting to me! Loved it when we did it a couple of years ago. Sailing from one European port to another and experiencing the different ways each country celebrates the Holidays. Was a blast and all that delicious Holiday cuisine.  Note to self: pack fat jeans!!

Dont know why they dont move ships to European ports and stagger sailing days!

In Europe we are used to vacations starting on a Tuesday,  Wednesday or whatever day! So why not say oasis from Amsterdam, freedom from Southampton,  brilliance  from Stockholm etc on a Tuesday, then on the Wednesday same ports different ships and same again on the Thursday etc etc etc 

Even 50% capacity brings in revenue until US market opens up again and right now no one can predict or say when that will be 

1 hour ago, crisgold52 said:

As a Canadian looking in it's very interesting to see how mitigation is going in many parts of Asia where it's the cultural norm to distance and mask up. It seems all asian countries mitigate better than those with western governments. Look how well Japan and South Korea and Vietnam and Singapore have done.  

Singapore did have a 2nd spike but this was down to oversees workers returning home. 

A lot of these Asian countries went into a complete lockdown( no one in or out ) but life went on as normal within their countries. Western world said the right things but didnt follow through with them, in my opinion that was down to fear of upsetting the locals! 

In the west the only time someone wore a mask when entering a shop was if they were going to rob it! Now its compulsory in many countries and those that ridiculed the idea are now seeing it maybe the right thing to do to help reduce the spread of covid.

On the brightside at least we can also look forward to the bubonic plaque and the new strain of swine flu thats emerged in China these last couple of weeks

1 hour ago, crisgold52 said:

 

As of Sunday July 12 :

Florida health officials on Sunday reported 15,300 new Covid-19 cases

 

 

Thats what happens when you go to the beach instead of staying indoors

2 hours ago, Dad2Cue said:

I did that a few times in Holland but never did land in the target area.

Belgium is a nice country though so hope you made the most of it

54 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

   I wonder if I would face 14 day quarantines coming and going!  Perhaps a quarantine in the UK as well.

Yes you would! Or maybe you dont! 

As our prime minister said " stay at home! If you can work from home then do so but if you cant then go to work! But stay at home! If you must go to work dont use public transport unless you have to! But really stay at home unless you cant and if you cant dont travel further than 5 miles unless its necessary" 

The above will confuse you as it has us, there are quarantine rules in place but not sure what happens if you fly in on day of cruise instead of a day or 2 before 

I would not be surprised if insurance companies insert clauses relating to any new viruses that appear in the future. 

Everyone is different and there is no right or wrong answer! 

If you decide to do as above and tip $1 every round or every drink thats your choice. 

Same if you decide just to hand over $5 , $10 or even $100 to your favourite bar person at the end of cruise.

Or you may decide youve already paid the 18% gratuties so they are not getting anymore.

Its your choice and you do what you feel is right for you  

The way things are going it will probably be an Icon class sailing out of Botswana 

It was mentioned in a press article a few weeks ago that Aida would do ALL German routes with these ships first before restarting their normal schedules (Baltic, Med etc ) 

And my friend who works on AidaMar has been told they will be back on ship beginning of August.

20 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

@Ray , my grandmother had heard on a random news report that drugs had taken over and she warned me as a single woman to be extra careful. 

 

This is true! 

Cocaine is a big problem in Scotland Even small fishing towns have BIG drug problems due to people having money to waste! 

2 hours ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

@TempoGL @Ray I saw a documentary about all of the crime in Britain, not just London. I wasn't just talking about violent crime. Basically, if you want to be robbed then London is the place to go. Even with the 2 million+ 

less than 800,000 cctv cameras in london as of 2020.

Also i watched a news report last week where Donald said that the telephone was invented by America pretty sure Alexander Graham bell was Scottish 

Also watched the film U571 where it was made out that America got the Egnima code machine in WW2, 

So Just because we read or watch something doesnt mean its true. Who wants to watch a show where everything is good? Glorify the bad get people talking ( a bit like the documentary here last week about cruise industry being responsible for covid! And yes the Miami Herald was involved in the show ) 

There are far worse places than london to get robbed! Paris, Barcelona, Detroit, New York, Rio, my kitchen when i leave my wallet lying about...

Ps being scottish i cannot believe im actually defending a place i dont actually like! but i believe people should not make judgement on something unless they have true facts or sampled it themselves.

2 hours ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Thank you for posting this! The article says that it may be safer than a vacation in London. With their crime rate, I would have to agree.

You are correct with what you say, the article does state that a cruise may in fact be safer than going on a vacation to a city such as London....HOWEVER it says in a Covid environment at no point does it mention crime rate. 

My question would be have you ever been to London or are you just going by reports in newspapers. 

London is no different to any other major city in the world! It has its good and bad areas, good and bad citizens, US cities will have far worse crime rates, shootings, killings and thats just the police! 

18 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

and on every river cruise I have been on. 

Can you let me know next time you book a river cruise so i can book the same one

36 minutes ago, YOLO said:

 fireworks on the ship (thought this was against ship rules), pirate banners on balconies (thought this was against ship rules), and even sex in public!  

Is the last part allowed as you dont say its against ship Rules?  

If social distancing involves my Wife on one ship and me on another, then yeah no problem  

Fact is social distancing is for the foreseeable future part of the new normal be it in shops, bars or cruiseships, we just got to get used to it 

10 hours ago, twangster said:

The state dance in South Carolina is the Shag.  It's got a whole different meaning across the pond.

 

This is the reason i got arrested in a south Carolina Nightclub, i was carried out by 6 policemen while pleading it was a genuine mistake, as i looked for upside down pineapples to back up my case

2 hours ago, FManke said:

Kids are going to be kids, but it's the parents responsibility to protect them from themselves.

Also parents responsibility to teach them right from wrong, have respect not only for others but also themselves and to understand how they behave reflects on you as a parent. 

I would hate to have children growing up now, this generation are set examples on how to behave by idiots on reality tv and the Internet 

50 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Bunch of South American 15 year olds on our last cruise.  That mask is WAAAY bigger than the bottoms they wore.

At 15 i would have made my daughter sunbathe in nothing less than a sleeping bag  

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/fabulous/4431089/glasgow-swimsuit-fail-vagina-upside-down-viral/

Even more embarrassing  if you write a complaint to swimsuit manufacturer