crowded?

[ctnjcruiser]

I am going on the Anthem of the Seas in a couple of weeks out of NJ.  What is the crowd like on cruises these days? I am watching some traveler's recent reviews on youtube and the boat looks empty, so wondered if that was accurate or just for show/good editing? I know this particular boat is huge, so I want to know what to expect. 

[wordell1]

Recent sailings have not been crowded.  I would expect that with Covid waning and the recent lightening of mask protocols, that you will see capacity increase over the next month.

[steverk]

I'm on adventure right now. Looking around the theater it looks less than 1/2 full

[Swar]

6 cruises since December - @50% full. 

[BrianB]

@ctnjcruiser My Anthem cruises final counts…

Nov 8…1740.   
Nov 14…2616.  
Nov 28…2444. 
Dec 12…2700. 
Dec 31…2033 (Omicron)
Jan 20…1826. (Omicron)
Feb 11…2152.

I’m boarding today for a b2b and I’ll post those final counts when I get them.

[smokeybandit]

As we enter spring break season I would think counts will go up some

[Pooch]

I agree. I just hope not a LOT!  2 weeks til Harmony!!

[twangster]

Numbers are quickly recovering the wake of Omicron.  The cruise lines need high March break numbers if they are to survive.  No business can survive being shutdown for 18 months then operating at a loss with low numbers for the next 9 months.  

The sun is up and cruise lines need to make hay while the sun is shining.  It's great to see numbers climbing.  The ships feel more alive and energetic.  

[Matt]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Numbers are quickly recovering the wake of Omicron.  The cruise lines need high March break numbers if they are to survive.  No business can survive being shutdown for 18 months then operating at a loss with low numbers for the next 9 months.  

Agreed.

We should all expect capacity to quickly go up again. Might be a respite in May when Spring break ends but summer vacation hasn't started yet, but the days of 50-60% capacity are going to quickly be a memory.

[RCARD]

Increased capacity might lead to buying opportunities - - more promos!

[Pooch]

6 hours ago, twangster said:

Numbers are quickly recovering the wake of Omicron.  The cruise lines need high March break numbers if they are to survive.  No business can survive being shutdown for 18 months then operating at a loss with low numbers for the next 9 months.  

The sun is up and cruise lines need to make hay while the sun is shining.  It's great to see numbers climbing.  The ships feel more alive and energetic.  

Ok so what might we realistically be looking at for our Harmony cruise?  FYI Sabor day 3 4ish!

[twangster]

54 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Ok so what might we realistically be looking at for our Harmony cruise?  FYI Sabor day 3 4ish!

No idea but I'd expect 60% at a minimum up to 80% capacity.

[mathbees]

My mock bookings for my upcoming B2B on the Indy, show sold out for inside, balcony and suites. Only OV appears to be available. These are spring break cruises (Mar 11 and 14), so we were expecting it. I doubt the ship has all cabins booked, but whatever the cap is has been met (80% seems a reasonable assumption).  

[druppert]

On 2/27/2022 at 3:18 PM, Pooch said:

Ok so what might we realistically be looking at for our Harmony cruise?  FYI Sabor day 3 4ish!

We just finished our cruise on Harmony on 2/27. We were told that it was the busiest of the season with just under 4,000 which is apparently their limit at the moment. I think the increased number for this cruise may have been due to the unique itinerary (Labadee + Coco Cay). Everyone we talked to said the numbers have been ~3k. Even with 4k it rarely felt busy. We spent several nights at dinner in Central Park as the only ones on the terrace & during dinner at windjammer on 2 nights we had the back of the restaurant to ourselves. It was pretty fantastic. I hope you have a blast. We sure did!

[BrianB]

Other than the phenomenally successful new muster drill on the app (no more herding like cattle in designated venues and waiting for latecomers before watching a quick video), one of the benefits of cruising during these changing times is the reduced capacity onboard. I’m on cruise number twelve since September, all out of Port Liberty.

However, having less passengers can not be sustained and still turn enough of a profit for the company. It was unique in the beginning with no crowds or lines…but, it didn’t seem like a real cruise. Watching performers in the bars singing to two, three, or sometimes no guests was weird. Having smaller audiences in the theater made every show and headliner performance feel like a matinee. Pretty much everything was open and available, except dinner in the Windjammer as there weren’t enough guests to justify it. Then there was always the uncertainty of what changes will happen during the cruise; will those ‘numbers’ go up? Will we be denied entry to ports? Will I, or someone close to me, get the virus? Will I have to be quarantined? In some faraway port? Masks, no masks…Onboard and in the ports?

To be honest, I’m really looking forward to the return to normal cruising…more capacity, more excitement, more energy and many more happy cruisers! Cheers!

[BrianB]

On 2/27/2022 at 7:50 AM, BrianB said:

@ctnjcruiser My Anthem cruises final counts…

Nov 8…1740.   
Nov 14…2616.  
Nov 28…2444. 
Dec 12…2700. 
Dec 31…2033 (Omicron)
Jan 20…1826. (Omicron)
Feb 11…2152.

I’m boarding today for a b2b and I’ll post those final counts when I get them.

@ctnjcruiser Feb 27...2425

[jticarruthers]

Agreed, no lines is nice but the experience isnt quite the same and certainly not sustainable for the cruise lines.

[WAYNO]

As we speak, I'm on Odyssey.  3800 passengers.  The theatre was 90 percent full for the Tap show.  I'll bet a better show, it would have been packed.

[Writergina]

Just did a mock booking on our 4/17 (Easter week) Oasis cruise to get a reprice, and there were more than 3 dozen Boardwalk balcony cabins still available. Out of curiosity I checked a few other categories and while there were only a handful of CP balconies left, there were dozens of OV balconies available all over the ship. A few suite categories also still available. Not a lot of interior and/or outside view with no balcony left, though some of these may be blocked off by Royal, I suppose. 

[jeffmw]

Sounds like you're going during Spring Breaks, so I anticipate it will be more crowded than some of the anecdotes above. It's important to remember that the crowd on a cruise in the middle of the school year (as in the past month) vs. during a popular vacation time is an apples to oranges comparison. The same ship for the same itinerary could be 50% full one week and 100% full the next if it's during breaks from schools. 

One thing I will say is that I'm going on Mariner on March 22 and looking recently, there appear to be a ton of rooms available. On top of that, they're currently restricting new bookings to 2 people per room (not allowing bookings of 3 or 4 in a room). They do this to cap the number of children on a ship, which likely helps assure the 95% vaccination rate they need. So not only are there a lot of rooms available, but anything that's filled from here forward is likely going to be only double occupancy in a room.

I'd check your cruise to see if the same is the case. Go on the RC website. Choose different stateroom types for 2 people and see what's available, then look for 4 people and see if it even says there are rooms available.

That'll give you a good general idea.  

[Colombia20102018]

On 3/1/2022 at 9:23 AM, WAYNO said:

As we speak, I'm on Odyssey.  3800 passengers.  The theatre was 90 percent full for the Tap show.  I'll bet a better show, it would have been packed.

Hello Wayno,

It is awesome that you are on Odyssey right. I bet you are having a great time. I will be on Odyssey in ten days. Would you mind sharing some details with me? I am traveling with little kids and any info helps.

1. How long was the check in process?

2. Did you have any issues reserving complimentary slots for activities such as North Star?

3. I heard last week there was only one show running. Are all the shows back? Showgirl, the book, the defectors? How long were the lines before the show starts and how long was the wait? Are those shows good for kids?

4. Attire. Are they very strict with the attire at the MDR nowadays?

5. Any other recommendations, tips?

Thanks

 

[WAYNO]

3 hours ago, Colombia20102018 said:

Hello Wayno,

It is awesome that you are on Odyssey right. I bet you are having a great time. I will be on Odyssey in ten days. Would you mind sharing some details with me? I am traveling with little kids and any info helps.

1. How long was the check in process?

2. Did you have any issues reserving complimentary slots for activities such as North Star?

3. I heard last week there was only one show running. Are all the shows back? Showgirl, the book, the defectors? How long were the lines before the show starts and how long was the wait? Are those shows good for kids?

4. Attire. Are they very strict with the attire at the MDR nowadays?

5. Any other recommendations, tips?

Thanks

 

Check-in was crowded but we were done in a half hour.

I've not used any complimentary reservations on this cruise.

There are multiple shows happening.  Finis Henderson was by far the best.  We also saw Tap and was told to pass up The Book.  For Tap, we were there right when the show started.  There was no waiting.  We got to the Finis Henderson show early and not only was there no line, the theatre was empty.  15 minutes later the place was close to full.  Still never saw a line while the place was filling up.  Finis is kid friendly but kids wouldn't  likely appreciate such wonderful music, dance and comedy.  Tap would be more enjoyed by a younger crowd.  Even kids.

The Passing Zone is still playing.  I've not seen it. Any other shows, I will only know they are playing when my Wife says we're going.

The MDR did not enforce a dress code in any way.  Also never have we seen the MDR even half full.

 

[Traveling Mike]

I just got off last week:

Symphony of the Seas:  Feb 12th was 2,800 and it holds 6,680.

Celebrity Reflection:  Feb 19th was 1,200 and it holds 3,046

[teddy]

On 3/1/2022 at 9:20 AM, jticarruthers said:

Agreed, no lines is nice but the experience isnt quite the same and certainly not sustainable for the cruise lines.

We were just talking about this last night, specifically the Adventure sailing we were on back in September that had 480ish guests.   It was downright eerie at times. 

[WAYNO]

And we just saw the Passing Zone.  Thoroughly entertaining and kid friendly.

Don't know how they did everything they do but the show was terrific!!

[Done]

We haven't been able to cruise since the restart in 2021.  We do not cruise again until August.  I am jealous of the earlier restart passengers being able to enjoy the ships without big crowds. 

I expecting our August cruise will be at close to full capacity unless there is another COVID surge.  In that respect I am glad we didn't cruise during reduced capacities.  I won't complain about the crowds as much

 

[MariaWare]

We just got back from a 7 day cruise of the western Caribbean.  The ship was really crowded. People were cramming themselves into elevators like the pandemic never even happened. My husband and I, like most of the other passengers,  chose not to wear masks. We were back in Galveston and within one day started having Covid symptoms.  We headed straight to Walgreens for tests and, sure enough, we found out we were both positive. Just be safe and wear a mask in the elevator and when shopping at the ports. The ports are crowded too. 

[jticarruthers]

Mariner is basically back to pre-pandemic standards for crowding and precautions. 

[loki007]

Just got off of Indy yesterday from a 3 day Bahamas sailing. It was basically back to normal. The pool deck was packed. There were some lines for coffee, pizza, etc. I was impressed with the staffing. I’ve read other cruise lines have been having a real problem with staffing. Service this weekend was great. It was nice to have the energy back on the boat. 

[JoTaylor]

On 6/14/2022 at 12:05 AM, MariaWare said:

We just got back from a 7 day cruise of the western Caribbean.  The ship was really crowded. People were cramming themselves into elevators like the pandemic never even happened. My husband and I, like most of the other passengers,  chose not to wear masks. We were back in Galveston and within one day started having Covid symptoms.  We headed straight to Walgreens for tests and, sure enough, we found out we were both positive. Just be safe and wear a mask in the elevator and when shopping at the ports. The ports are crowded too. 

If you are talking about the June 12th - 19th on LibertyOTS, we had 4,157 passengers onboard.  We had a blast and it was amazing to be back on a ship for the first time since 2019.

[ChessE4]

As another person posted, Mariner was pretty crowded on our 18 June trip.  I was told about 3700 on board, one-half being Crown and Anchor members.  We were two of less than 10 people who wore masks inside or on buses.  Still, I didn't feel overly crowded except on elevators or in bars just before the Main Dining Room opened.  I was always able to find a quiet space to sit, and deck 4 was fun to walk.  At most shows, there were empty seats