jticarruthers

As long as the CDC does not attempt to once again over step their authority and do something drastic I think the industry will be okay.  The cruise lines have demonstrated they can operate safely during a pandemic.  They were scapegoated early on in this pandemic, shut down, held to a higher standard than any form of land based vacation yet this industry has risen to meet the challenge.  At this point the CDC needs to just leave the cruise industry alone and let people enjoy their cruise vacation.

Agreed. I fully expect more CDC guidance, and I'm perfectly fine with it, as long as cruising can continue safely. Small price to pay to be back on board.

There's no way the CDC is ready to let go like the virus isn't still with us.

Which probably means the CSO gets extended through Feb 2022

https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-extends-protocols-through-february-2022/57511
 
Will be interesting to see if Royal and Norwegian follow suit, or if they choose to keep evaluating and updating more frequently as the year draws to a close.

I still wish the fight over how much power a Federal agency has was being decided over a more important activity and a much less polarizing issue than the COVID vaccine.  We would have a chance for a less result oriented decision.

I'm semi-solo on the Harmony RCL Blog cruise on the 21st. Technically my parents are along for the ride but i gave them their own cabin 😉
 
 

Just off Mariner last weekend and back on next weekend.
Mask wearing is "required" in indoor spaces while moving around but then not required in most areas once you sit and settle.
"Required" seems to be very much in the eye of the beholder, we sat and watched people meandering around without masks and no one said a word ... wouldnt count on that being true either way in the future but I would sum it up as "everyone took advantage of every opportunity to be unmasked".

Two cruises post covid so far, both on Royal so Royal gets both the best and worst experience awards !!
Freedom out of Miami was awesome. Arrived 10 mins early for our appt, made to wait in car in parking garage for 10 mins and then straight through the terminal and straight onto the ship. Showed paperwork (vax cards, passports, boarding passes one time and done).
Mariner out of Canaveral was awful. Arrived 5 mins into our appt window, joined a line of almost the entire ship that was already standing waiting (no question ever asked of what time anyones appt was). Had to show vax card and test results 5 times just to get into the terminal, then again to get onto the ship. 2+ hours from arrival to finally on board.

Two cruises post covid so far, both on Royal so Royal gets both the best and worst experience awards !!
Freedom out of Miami was awesome. Arrived 10 mins early for our appt, made to wait in car in parking garage for 10 mins and then straight through the terminal and straight onto the ship. Showed paperwork (vax cards, passports, boarding passes one time and done).
Mariner out of Canaveral was awful. Arrived 5 mins into our appt window, joined a line of almost the entire ship that was already standing waiting (no question ever asked of what time anyones appt was). Had to show vax card and test results 5 times just to get into the terminal, then again to get onto the ship. 2+ hours from arrival to finally on board.

Judging by Chris Wong's posts on Odyssey guest counts they aren't trending up. Hard to take a simplistic view though since we are moving out of summer and into school season so guest counts are usually down I would think.
 
 

Quiet weekend on Mariner, didn't hear an announced # but it had to be under 1/3 capacity.

Which port is Allure out of at the moment?
I have had two very different experiences with the "strict boarding times" so far.
Freedom in Miami they were giving us a hard time about even pulling into the parking garage 15 minutes before our scheduled "time" and had us sit in the car for a few minutes before allowing us to join the line at the terminal.
Mariner in Canaveral was the opposite experience, we showed up at our scheduled time like good children and spent almost two hours in line as apparently every other passenger just showed up. Talked to several people on board who confirmed that Canaveral does not seem to pay any attention to the boarding time slots and just took anyone that showed up, when they showed up. Needless to say, going to arrive a little earlier in two weeks when we go back 😉
 

Judging by Chris Wong's posts on Odyssey guest counts they aren't trending up. Hard to take a simplistic view though since we are moving out of summer and into school season so guest counts are usually down I would think.
 
 

Judging by Chris Wong's posts on Odyssey guest counts they aren't trending up. Hard to take a simplistic view though since we are moving out of summer and into school season so guest counts are usually down I would think.
 
 

Glad to see Florida doing the right thing and standing up for peoples rights.  

756 passengers onboard Odyssey this week.

Interesting study in the dynamics of safety protocols being strict enough to encourage more people to sail vs so strict that it discourages people.
I have a couple of medium (20+ people) groups that are probably going to cancel based on the requirement that kids 12+ have to be vaccinated for example.
My sailing on Freedom was fun, the mask mandate on board got old fast .. combine that with 100% vaccination and having to chase around jumping through hoops for pre-cruise testing and I am really struggling with whether its worth it for a quick weekend getaway.  
Certainly not all Royal's decision and not their issue alone.

Coming out of Florida its some of the opposite reaction when I try and convince others to go ... why would I want to pay money to deal with more protocols (testing, masking, restricting access to areas of the ship) than we have in place on land.

Coming out of Florida its some of the opposite reaction when I try and convince others to go ... why would I want to pay money to deal with more protocols (testing, masking, restricting access to areas of the ship) than we have in place on land.

Coming out of Florida its some of the opposite reaction when I try and convince others to go ... why would I want to pay money to deal with more protocols (testing, masking, restricting access to areas of the ship) than we have in place on land.

No question about it. 

I fully expect the CSO to  be extended through the spring

Yeah I think he means the sales will be blah, no point in trying very hard to get people top book in 2021 with all the testing and restrictions. Instead focus all their energy and resources on improving bookings for 2022. I also think he has given up on the CDC being "fair"

I've been trying to get away from responsible behavior as part of my "mid life redirection" (not a crisis) ... is there an irresponsible version of booking that i can sign up for please ?