timtam2

Cruised on Noordam first 2 weeks of January. Not a lot of people wore masks, I certainly did in the theatre and on tenders. I also avoided overcrowded venues. The level of coughing increased noticeably after the first 6 days. The cruise specific group had 149 members- after the cruise at least 20 members reported that they and their companions had covid.

Book flexible cancellation hotels/rooms. Then from about 6 weeks out, keep checking for a better deal. I've done this on my past 2 trips with success. Last year, I booked a standard room type at the Parkroyal Marina Bay and at 2 weeks out, I was able to change the booking to a Club room for the same amount of the original booking.

Lovely big accessible elevator between Deck 5 and 6 in Eden.

Going on the Noordam on 2 January and have no idea about embark times. No info in the app (which is probably the worst cruise app ever). Can anyone advise - we will be in a Neptune Suite if that makes any difference, Thanks

Edge!!!! I cruised on Royal Princess in a balcony cabin in early November and just disembarked Edge after 14 nights in an ocean view cabin. Edge wins hands down for me on all fronts. The food, crew, entertainment were all superior. Royal seems dowdy now to me in comparison. I did not miss a balcony and found the oceanview cabin on deck 3 to be lovely. However, make sure you do NOT HAVE A CABIN UNDER CAFE AL BACIO, in particular 3138 or 3140. These are directly under the galley and the noise from cleaning and restocking at 1-3am makes sleep impossible. I was able to be moved further forward after a few nights and it was so quiet.

Sitting in Cafe al Bacio this morning on Edge, I felt like I was in a call center. Loud speaker phone conversations going on all around me including one that had screaming kids on the other end. I drank my coffee quickly and left. What is wrong with people that they think everyone else wants to hear their business?

Fortunately, the actual story didn't end up being as bad as the ads during The Chase suggested.

Ahhh, Channel 7 news is about to start the scare mongering again, trying to link the broader uptick in covid cases in Australia with the return of cruise ships. Here we go again.. 🙄

I'm on the Edge doing the reverse itinerary very soon and am considering doing that for our overnight in Bali. Can I ask which hotel did you stay at in Nusa Dua?I'm looking at the Conrad.

I also really disliked Majestic and will never go on it again. I've just disembarked Royal this morning after 4 days from Auckland....and I liked it!. It had a different feel to it- the crew were very friendly (unlike Majestic) everything looked brighter somehow. One example - the International Cafe on Majestic was rather dire - display cabinets were sparesly filled with unappetising looking food. On Royal, the cabinets were always full with a wide range of yummy sandwiches and snacks. I still intensely dislike that Princess Live room - a terrible venue for trivia! I'll give Discovery a go.

Super easy. Taxis and buses outside the exit of the terminal and the Marina South Pier MRT station is a very short walk away.

Since August, I have been on 3 short P&O cruises, 3 shortish Princess cruises, a 4 day Royal, and a 7 night Carnival cruise. These all had the mask requirement onboard and I did not get covid. 3 weeks ago, I went on an 8 night Ovation and tested positive on disembark day. No masking requirement onboard but I wore my N95 ( one of the few who did). I agree with all the tips the above posters have provided and practiced those myself. I avoided certain activities that I normally enjoy e.g fitness classes but still got it. I think it's likely I picked it up at one of the crowded music trivia sessions where it turns into a loud sing-along......all those covid particles floating around 🙂 Be careful, assess crowded situations but still have fun!

The only advantage for me is that I can book a cabin in a category I want and at a price I am happy to pay. If the cruise line only shows availability for solos in restricted categories and I want something else, I will do this. Also, I have only done this on domestic cruises.

Several years ago, I booked a Royal and a Celebrity cruise on their respective U.S. websites. I didn't have any problems at all. I don't know if it's the same these days.

I disembarked Ovation this morning after an 8 night cruise. I have always been a mask wearer and even though for Royal it is only recommended, I stuck to my guns. I was one of the very few onboard wearing a mask - I wore it in the Windjammer, at trivia, in lifts, everywhere. I quickly got over feeling self concious when everyone was staring at me. No one made any comments though. I avoided certain crowded settings but with a very high percentage of under 30s onboard intent on hard partying, everywhere was pretty crowded, with people shouting and singing etc. Sometimes I was stuck in a crowd but always wore my mask. I woke up this morning feeling a bit dizzy and off, so after disembarking, I went and had a PCR Test straight away. And I'm positive. First time for covid for me. So far it's just a bad headache and a sore throat. As I live with my elderly mother, I've had to book myself into a hotel for another week to prevent passing it on to her. This was my 9th cruise since August so I knew my luck would run out one day. But I'll be back cruising again in April. It's just the risk you take to enjoy something you really love.