Cruising With JT

Just booked Oasis! Mask or no mask lol.. going to experience this amazing ship!

Stealing a gif that @Mattuses all the time lol, but so appropriate

Nice! We always go with Balcony or higher...nothing like waking up to that view and having breakfast on your own private balcony without the madness of the buffet etc!

My wife and I were talking about masks and cruising yesterday. 
 
We have a week on Freedom in November.  We’ve been mask free since may 24th and are both vaccinated.   I really am not looking forward to having to wear one again, even for the flight to Florida  
We won’t cancel if masks are still a requirement in November, but we will rethink our stateroom category. 
 
In the past, we have been perfectly content staying in an Inside Cabin.  A mask regulation will have us considering an upgrade to a larger room with a large balcony.  

I am most likely keeping my Ovation cruise from Alaska even with masks, just to see what the experience is like. I am in the process of booking Oasis in September and even if they have masks so be it I guess. Not really sure when Royal will get rid of them. That or I could book the Carnival Mardi Gras around the same time. That ship does look amazing as well...decisions decisions...

You may be onto something.  There are hornets and there are murder hornets.  I'll take a plain hornet sting any day over the other.  

I am most likely keeping my Ovation cruise from Alaska even with masks, just to see what the experience is like. I am in the process of booking Oasis in September and even if they have masks so be it I guess. Not really sure when Royal will get rid of them. That or I could book the Carnival Mardi Gras around the same time. That ship does look amazing as well...decisions decisions...

We are all vaccinated for our August Allure cruise. If the mask protocols are still in effect, we have no plans to cancel our cruise. If I have to wear a mask for a short time to go from one place to another and when I get there I'm not required to wear a mask, I'm fine with that. I certainly understand where everyone is coming from on this point. As others have said it is a personal preference. This is the last cruise for my in-laws as their health is not that great, and we are all looking for forward to it. 

100% agree!  And we are still masked in Ontario anyway, so I would rather be on a ship lol

A masked day on a cruise ship is better than an unmasked day at home ?

I owe you an apology, you were right.
I've traded Odyssey for Mardi Gras.  It checked all of my boxes.

This post didn't age well, I just wish Royal stuck with doing the right thing and not requiring masks onboard for the vaccinated -- makes no sense to me. PS I have glasses so wearing a mask is even more annoying.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/05/24/royal-caribbean-group-ceo-we-will-not-need-be-wearing-masks-cruise-ships

Does anyone believe that Royal will actually change their announced health protocols around masks? They just announced their mask requirement for Alaska in August and now I am looking at Norwegian due to their 100% vaccinated / no masks or social distancing policy. Dang it, Royal!

Does anyone believe that Royal will actually change their announced health protocols around masks? They just announced their mask requirement for Alaska in August and now I am looking at Norwegian due to their 100% vaccinated / no masks or social distancing policy. Dang it, Royal!

I am hearing that things may change after July 18th? Lol...that is when the CSO may "go away"...and then Royal can do whatever they want. Who knows. Going to go make another batch of popcorn.

Exactly. This is why we have rules here to stop this sort of "discussion". It just angers everyone (even the person writes it is probably jacked up).
At this point, it is what it is. Let's let it leave be.

I don’t care about chair hogs because I don’t go to the pool deck on cruises.
But I need to know where I can get masks to match my proper attire.

Are the chairhogs in the vaccinated or unvaccinated area? ? 

Can I just say how TIRED I am of the debate?  Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, vaccinate, don’t vaccinate.  We aren’t convincing anyone to change their stance here. Can’t we talk about chair hogs and proper attire????

Why do you think they are making vaccinated people still wear masks? Are they following CDC or making it up themselves because of the fact that unvaccinated will be on? Is this RC making these rules? I do not want to wear a mask going around the ship. This is insane 

You mean like the masks that worked so well in Japan with a society that has a much higher mask compliance than the US? Japan, who is seeing a surge in Covid cases so much so that no spectators are now going to be allowed at olympics? 
 
The CDC just released their new school guidelines that are saying that unvaccinated children should wear masks. CDC continues to be a joke. 
There will always be new strains of viruses just look at seasonal flu. Covid is well in the way to being endemic. Mass testing needs to end just like they ended testing of H1N1 in 2009-2010. Caseademic at this point. 
 
The variants are now just more panic porn. The Delta variant is no more deadly than original despite what media pushes. 
 
I get that the US wants more people to get vaccinated but fear is not the way to accomplish it
Royal needs to drop masking because masking is just theater at this point and their customers are going to continue to cancel cruises if they continue these masking protocols 

Well I know what cruise I am booking in Fall 2023...

I am ready and can’t wait.  

The cruiselines don't want to mess this up. They want and need to show they are very very serious about this.
If, for the first cruise back, they want to enforce masks, I'm OK with that. I'm scheduled for December 2021, and going into that cruise with the expectation that masks might be required even for vaxpax. If no mask is required, it's a bonus.

Didn't the Fla lawsuit require the CDC to establish new "within their boundaries" guidelines by 2 July?  I'm anxious to see @Matt posts when he gets on the Freedom today.  I am going on the Freedom on the 5th and was hoping the numbers landed at 95% and they would allow no masks, but that might be wishful thinking.  Either way I agree after not cruising for soooooo long, something is better than nothing ?