Will You Still Cruise with Social Distancing?

[Mrs. Thomas]

After reading the new post, I was wondering how many people will actually have a problem with social distancing on a cruise. I know many people have a problem with masks (PLEASE LETS AVOID ANY CONVO ABOUT THIS), but as I have found in my area, social distancing is an ok if not welcomed idea. I am a pretty social person, but I actually don't mind the idea of having to social distance. I know this will mean less people in the theater to watch the shows and dining may be more of a hassle. I'm not sure how this will work in the pool area though. Let's face it, pools aren't the best places for social distancing and kids (especially my youngest) aren't very good at it. I wonder what will happen with Adventure Ocean as well. I hope they keep it open because many parents use it to have an hour or two to themselves. So is social distancing a "no go" for anyone or is it a "no problem"?

[TheJones]

I don't think that will be an issue for us.

[CruisinForABruisin]

I'm all for it, and anyone who gets caught ignoring new health standards should get a warning, and then if there is another violation should be confined to their room or dropped off at the next port.

[JohnK6404]

Social distancing would not be an issue for us if that's what it takes. 

 

[Cruise Pirate]

So no one has mentioned the elephant in the room, these ships are booking to 100% occupancy right now, who get to decide on what percent of us are not going?

Edited July 7, 2020 by Justwanttocruise
wrong wording

[Mrs. Thomas]

21 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

I'm all for it, and anyone who gets caught ignoring new health standards should get a warning, and then if there is another violation should be confined to their room or dropped off at the next port.

Legally I don't think they can drop someone off at a port with no way home. That seems a bit intense too. However, people are "quarantined" to their rooms for sickness as a basic policy. I hope that fellow cruisers remember to continue to be kind through all of this. It will take some extra effort for some and as I said in my OP, kids don't always understand due to age or mental/behavioral conditions.

[Mike.s]

32 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

I'm all for it, and anyone who gets caught ignoring new health standards should get a warning, and then if there is another violation should be confined to their room or dropped off at the next port.

Totally agree, too many people in the UK seem to ignore social distancing on land, I would worry that some would also on a ship, it's hard enough to get them to sanitise their hands before entering the buffet!!

[Ogilthorpe]

In many ways, I would welcome "Social Distancing" (Odd term, should be considered an oxymoron  ... but I digress ....) in some venues that are currently a bit crowded. Others are already set up that way, or mostly set up that way. Coastal kitchen on Oasis class, 270 tables on Quantum class, Specialty restaurants all are close to having 6 ft separation already. In the MDR, it would be a welcome change on those that are packed a bit too tight currently. Theatre seating could be a challenge, but it would be nice to have some elbow room!

[CruisinForABruisin]

22 minutes ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Legally I don't think they can drop someone off at a port with no way home. That seems a bit intense too. However, people are "quarantined" to their rooms for sickness as a basic policy. I hope that fellow cruisers remember to continue to be kind through all of this. It will take some extra effort for some and as I said in my OP, kids don't always understand due to age or mental/behavioral conditions.

They can remove passengers from ships for a variety of reasons. If an ignorant passenger puts literal thousands of peoples safety at risk, they are well within their rights to boot said passenger . If parents can't get their kids to follow protocol due to behavioral problems or mental diffencies, maybe this isn't the right time for them to travel. 

[timm804]

I would question the willingness of the lines to enforce any "requirements" as well as the lack of respect they will command.   

[CruisinForABruisin]

2 minutes ago, timm804 said:

I would question the willingness of the lines to enforce any "requirements" as well as the lack of respect they will command.   

I actually think they will enforce it. They have far too much to lose, and their lack of enforcement would likely negate any sort of health waiver signed by passengers.

[Marlena]

I would definitely be ok with it. Hate big crowds to begin with so if it stops that I'm good!

[Snotarni]

I'd be okay with it;  no worries here.

[Jolly Ogre]

Who is going to enforce this as they dont even enforce the time or capacity limits on the hot tubs now?

[JimnKathy]

Social distancing combined with frequent hand washing should be a no-brainer for everyone considering they'll run with reduced passenger counts on the big boats while still earning a profit. I'm all in if it means I can cruise again.

[JimnKathy]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they close those small hot tubs.

2 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Who is going to enforce this as they dont even enforce the time or capacity limits on the hot tubs now?

 

[CruisinForABruisin]

Just now, JimnKathy said:

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they close those small hot tubs.

 

But where will I get my fix of dirty people soup?!

[Jolly Ogre]

34 minutes ago, JimnKathy said:

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they close those small hot tubs.

 

Even in the large ones there are always 4-5 more than should be in there and crew just keep bringing them drinks and never say a word.

[bhageerah]

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! 

[Mrs. Thomas]

6 minutes ago, bhageerah said:

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! 

I agree. I dare say that most people need some time to relax. A "staycation" at home doesn't work for Moms, just saying. I need SOMEONE ELSE doing the cooking and dishes. I will gladly have a shirt made that says to keep your distance or wear a flipping pool noodle on my head showing the proper distance to stay back if it will mean that we can all get back to enjoying the open ocean.

@Cruisin4ABruisin I don't know if you have children, but it's not easy to even keep "normal" children "under control" all the time. All I'm saying is that people need to be forgiving and understanding that kids are kids. I can only beat mine so much before people call the cops.  

[Ampurp85]

@Justwanttocruise I don't know where you are getting your info, but no ship is booked to 100% capacity....if they were they wouldn't be listed.

But anyway I am 100% all about social distancing. My pet peeve is when people crowd on me, so this will be welcomed. I actually don't know why this would be an issue in the first place. No more sitting at dinner tables with that one weird couple or person who volunteers creepy or TMI stories. No more sitting in the theater or lounge next to that person who ate raw onions and is drinking an alcoholic beverage that makes everything worse...but they also want to talk about the weather or hometowns. I know it won't last but but it will be a welcome respite.

I think with reduce capacity, it will be a little bit easier to enforce. Violators should get a warning, then be forced to lose their beverage or dining package. That will teach them to burst my tomato!

[SPS]

To answer the subject line question....

[CruisinForABruisin]

3 minutes ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

I agree. I dare say that most people need some time to relax. A "staycation" at home doesn't work for Moms, just saying. I need SOMEONE ELSE doing the cooking and dishes. I will gladly have a shirt made that says to keep your distance or wear a flipping pool noodle on my head showing the proper distance to stay back if it will mean that we can all get back to enjoying the open ocean.

@Cruisin4ABruisin I don't know if you have children, but it's not easy to even keep "normal" children "under control" all the time. All I'm saying is that people need to be forgiving and understanding that kids are kids. I can only beat mine so much before people call the cops.  

I think forgiving is normal under regular circumstances like at the grocery store, but during a pandemic, "kids will be kids" doesn’t really fly when health is at risk. At the end of the day, nobody on board asked that person to have children, and bringing them was a choice.

[Bean79]

Sign me up I hate crowds anyway. I wouldn't mind wearing a mask while I wait to pick up my margaritas from my favorite Sky Lounge/Pool Bar bartender!!

[joshgates]

I'd be perfectly fine with and possibly even prefer a social distancing enforced cruise.  I cruise solo for the most part and it's the atmosphere of fun, cheer, and lack of responsibility that keeps me coming back, the people I meet and the activities are just a happy bonus.

A good portion of my days are spent sitting in a quieter area either reading, working planning for an idea (or brainstorming a new one), or working so I can afford to keep cruising.  Long as I can continue to spend my evenings enjoying a beverage with some decent conversation and the occasional antics, I'm pretty good.

To be honest the next cruise I have booked that's still going is in December, I'm more concerned with my flights to/from Orlando than I am of the actual cruises themselves.  Depending on if it's canceled or not and the state of things I may cancel it myself for that reason.  There's a good chance that for the foreseeable future I'll be booking only ones leaving from the northeast that I can drive to.

[sk8erguy1978]

The short answer is, sure, it's part of my daily life anyway. Here in NY it's rare to find a store (especially a big box like Home Depot or a supermarket) without markers on the floor indicating where to wait in line. Our grocery stores (and other types of stores too) have one way isles (not that everyone listens) and for the most part people try and keep clear of one another.

That kind of stuff wouldn't be too bad at a reduced capacity sailing. 

[Ian T]

 

At the start I was one of those setting conditions before I was prepared to cruise again, but after two cancelled sailings I have got over myself and am more than happy to waive them if it means getting back on board... So sign me up! 

 

1 hour ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

I will gladly have a shirt made that says to keep your distance or wear a flipping pool noodle on my head showing the proper distance to stay back if it will mean that we can all get back to enjoying the open ocean.

You may well have alerted RCCL to a much needed revenue opportunity here... if only all guests can be trusted not to clamber over each other to bag a "I social distanced on Oasis and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" during the $10 sale 

[YOLO]

8 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

The short answer is, sure, it's part of my daily life anyway. Here in NY it's rare to find a store (especially a big box like Home Depot or a supermarket) without markers on the floor indicating where to wait in line. Our grocery stores (and other types of stores too) have one way isles (not that everyone listens) and for the most part people try and keep clear of one another.

Same.  After awhile you become comfortably numb to it all and now it is just a way of life if you want to enter any public space around here in New England...

[Rene Desmarais]

with Physical distancing .....maybe..  

[Ray]

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 

[sk8erguy1978]

3 minutes ago, Ray said:

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

When looking at suites, we stumbled across the 2 Bedroom Grand Suite - wife's reaction - "YES, SEPARATE BEDROOMS" ... LOL

[YOLO]

4 hours ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Legally I don't think they can drop someone off at a port with no way home. That seems a bit intense too. However, people are "quarantined" to their rooms for sickness as a basic policy. I hope that fellow cruisers remember to continue to be kind through all of this. It will take some extra effort for some and as I said in my OP, kids don't always understand due to age or mental/behavioral conditions.

If you violate RCL's policy you can be dropped off at a port with no way home - it happened to me...

[CruisinForABruisin]

1 minute ago, YOLO said:

If you violate RCL's policy you can be dropped off at a port with no way home - it happened to me...

Sounds like story time to me

[Mrs. Thomas]

1 hour ago, Ian T said:

You may well have alerted RCCL to a much needed revenue opportunity here... if only all guests can be trusted not to clamber over each other to bag a "I social distanced on Oasis and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" during the $10 sale 

I would totally buy a shirt like that! Or even one that says I survived the first sailing after Covid.

For the most part I am a very social person. I enjoy meeting people and learning new things. I'm not a fan of the suspicion all this has caused. Everyone is looking at everyone else like they are a ticking time-bomb of death. I'll be glad when all of this is behind us and it will be treated the same way as other "every day sicknesses" are.

[Mrs. Thomas]

3 minutes ago, YOLO said:

If you violate RCL's policy you can be dropped off at a port with no way home - it happened to me...

Oh my! I didn't know they could do that. What in the world did you do!? LOL

[Lovetocruise2002]

2 hours ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

A "staycation" at home doesn't work for Moms, just saying. I need SOMEONE ELSE doing the cooking and dishes.

^^^^This!  is exactly why I love cruising so much.  It's about the only vacation that I can truly unwind and step back.  Saddens me even more that there is no start date in sight.  I tried to explain to my family the other night that for me, it's not just a lost vacation.  Cruising represents something far greater for me.

[YOLO]

14 minutes ago, Mrs. Thomas said:

Oh my! I didn't know they could do that. What in the world did you do!? LOL

OK, I'll bite.  Here is the very short story.  My family & friends found ourselves on the 2012 Freedom charter by the High Seas Rally group - essentially a bunch of bikers.  They accounted for over 2200 passengers on that sailing.  I would have never booked that cruise had I known and now always check (as best as possible) to make sure I am not booking a partial chartered cruise.  The majority of the cruisers were smokers (muster was horrible), formal night attire was mostly leather (picture backgrounds catered to them), 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!  You get the idea.  Anyway on the way down to dinner in an elevator with my family, a drunk Rally member jumped into our elevator with his wife.  She was in a wheelchair, so he was carrying both of their glasses of red wine.  At every floor we stopped at he proceeded to invite waiting people into our elevator - even though we were pretty full.  He was drunk and having his own fun.  Anyway, a guy on the elevator (not us) tried to get him to stop, but he was not having it.  When we reached the floor above where we were having dinner, he got out with his wife AND as the door was almost closed he threw both glasses of red wine at us!   My older sister is very proper and very well dressed.  Unfortunately, she got most of the red wine on her dress.  I was pissed so chased him down, got into a fight, and the captain had us both dropped off at the next stop in Jamaica.  My mistake, I should have summoned security.  Please learn from my mistake.  So far, I have...

[CruisinForABruisin]

6 minutes ago, YOLO said:

OK, I'll bite.  Here is the very short story.  My family & friends found ourselves on the 2012 Freedom charter by the High Seas Rally group - essentially a bunch of bikers.  They accounted for over 2200 passengers on that sailing.  I would have never booked that cruise had I known and now always check (as best as possible) to make sure I am not booking a partial chartered cruise.  The majority of the cruisers were smokers (muster was horrible), formal night attire was mostly leather (picture backgrounds catered to them), 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!  You get the idea.  Anyway on the way down to dinner in an elevator with my family, a drunk Rally member jumped into our elevator with his wife.  She was in a wheelchair, so he was carrying both of their glasses of red wine.  At every floor we stopped at he proceeded to invite waiting people into our elevator - even though we were pretty full.  He was drunk and having his own fun.  Anyway, a guy on the elevator (not us) tried to get him to stop, but he was not having it.  When we reached the floor above where we were having dinner, he got out with his wife AND as the door was almost closed he threw both glasses of red wine at us!   My older sister is very proper and very well dressed.  Unfortunately, she got most of the red wine on her dress.  I was pissed so chased him down, got into a fight, and the captain had us both dropped off at the next stop in Jamaica.  My mistake, I should have summoned security.  Please learn from my mistake.  So far, I have...

Sounds to me like you did exactly what you should've, and exactly what I would've done as well. My biggest booking fear (no pandemic) is for it to be a chartered sailing that they didn't disclose. At least they dropped you off in Jamaica and not somewhere like Costa Maya 

[YOLO]

1 minute ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

Sounds to me like you did exactly what you should've, and exactly what I would've done as well. My biggest booking fear (no pandemic) is for it to be a chartered sailing that they didn't disclose. 

Yeah, I agree.  Of all the RCL policies, this one I really hate!  They do not disclose any partial charters to non-charter passengers in order to protect the privacy of charter passengers.  Really, what does that mean?  What about my privacy?  I guess it doesn't matter...

[sk8erguy1978]

26 minutes ago, YOLO said:

Yeah, I agree.  Of all the RCL policies, this one I really hate!  They do not disclose any partial charters to non-charter passengers in order to protect the privacy of charter passengers.  Really, what does that mean?  What about my privacy?  I guess it doesn't matter...

I recall reading your story in another thread, thanks for sharing again. What about your safety too! Clearly a bunch of people trying to live up to an image. I want to say I wouldn't have chased him down and went to customer service / called security / something but I'm guilty of acting first and thinking later; I'm sure my wife would have grabbed me so I didn't go running after him.

FWIW, the guy sounds like a punk who didn't expect you to confront him, why not toss the wine glasses when you had plenty of time to get out of the elevator... That's not only a cheap shot, but a cheap shot with a chance to get away. Also an idiot, I mean cruise ships are large, but not *that* large... You'd see him again.

Edited July 7, 2020 by sk8erguy1978
remove second FWIW