bobby3334

1 minute ago, ggTexasGal said:

NO self-service laundry facility!

 

A day or two, generally speaking. Usually nicely folded and in a woven basket.  Sometimes items will be on hangers.

Thanks for response to how long.   Mike

Related to above question about laundry, how long does it take to come back if you send out?   Thanks.   Mike

Do I understand correctly 2 days in Iceland if weather permits landing?   My weather report has rain, wind, and cold for season there.  I have been there in September when fairly nice.  Halifax is recovering from very unusual cyclone.    Mike

How is Iceland?  That rainy fog in your pictures is similar to Iceland last time I was there this late in year.   Thanks Jim

Iceland unseasonably cold unfortunately rainy all week.   Some reports of parts of Halifax hit.  Hope all improves.   Thanks, Jim.   Enjoy your great pics

I just checked Halifax.   It looked like it was just brushed by hurricane.    Iceland is windy, rainy, and cool for next week.   Storms in the vicinity.  I have been there a couple of times but a little earlier in August or September.   Hope it clears for all of you.   High about 50 and lows around lower 40s.    Mike

Did they mention Halifax?   News last night had it being closed down due to being in path of Hurricane…very rare for costal Canada.  Hope not for all of you.  Is the Irish Sea relatively smooth near Cork?
 

Mike

Similar to all 3 major cruise lines that choose this and leave or arrive at US ports.   Read other lines like RCL or NCL.  

11 minutes ago, kml246 said:

Having all vaccinated passengers on board MAY help reduce the spread of COVID, but it doesn't prevent it. Vaccinations help you, primarily. Perfect example: We were up in NJ for our grandson's First Communion last weekend, arriving Friday evening. On Saturday morning, our son, a doctor who is vaxed and boosted, called to us downstairs and said he just tested positive. We kept our distance the rest of the weekend, wore masks, and washed regularly. On Monday, Nan had a scratchy throat, I was fine. Wednesday evening we did home tests - Nan positive, me negative. We slept in separate rooms since then and I'm wearing a mask around her. Yesterday, we had PCR tests done with the same results - Nan positive, me negative. She started Paxlovid yesterday and is doing well. She is 70, I'm 68, but in good health. Nan says it's like a cold - sneezing, slight cough, runny nose, no fever. 

 

Bottom line, it's getting more and more contagious with each variant, but less serious, especially for those in good health. It's time we accept COVID is here for the foreseeable future and live our lives as normally as possible. The requirements, especially in the US, are lagging behind the virus. It's ridiculous we need to test before flying back to the US but we can arrive by ship, car, train, or even walking, and no test required. Does not make sense. Princess' constant revisions to their rules do not make sense either and add undue stress to what should be an enjoyable experience. 

 

On the plus side to Nan's COVID, she won't need to test for our Iceland/Norway cruise in July!

 

Kevin

All changing quickly.  Covid doing it.  Impossible to predict future, I think 

15 minutes ago, Louby-Lou said:

My point is that you do not know who you are mixing with - in a cinema, restaurant, sporting events with no choice but you do have a choice whether you cruise or not.  

Amen 

20 minutes ago, Louby-Lou said:

You probably encounter unvaccinated people every day without your knowledge.  Going on a cruise with the possibility of unvaccinated guests is your choice.

But not usually in confined small spaces.  Foresee no changes.  Read about Covid on almost all cruise lines.   You don’t have a choice generally to go unvaccinated 

12 hours ago, Willwils said:

We are scheduled for an Alaska cruise in July '22. Now I have concerns with increased passengers and mask rules relaxed. I was fully vaccinated & boosted(1), but got Covid in late Jan'22. My Doctorgot me Paxlovid. Live in a large 55+ community that's had all activities(now maskless) open for many months. However, recently it seems that more people here are getting Covid. The government data is flawed since many test on their own and don't tell anyone their sick. 

Read CDC expectations for US this Fall with new variant.  Also in Washington Post and NYT.    

All should in my opinion be using pcr but the problem is the time and expense.  I know of no major line that requires pcr unfortunately.  What about boarding the ship in first place if many false negatives?It gives everyone a false sense of security.   Mike 

Thanks for your wonderful blog.  I have been reading all major lines transatlantics from US to UK and as many roll calls as possible on major ships.  I cruise a great deal but am in no rush at the moment although I did a great Alaska cruise but it was only half full.  It is my understanding from a number of medical friends that with the nasal swab antigen test there are rarely false positives but frequent false negatives which makes one wonder about the use for boarding the ships.  A second point is you can be masked and as careful as possible but the virus itself is so small (hundreds on the tip of a pencil) masking and distance is not infallible.  When I read you were planning on 3 back to back cruises it crossed my mind you weren’t going to make it due to the length and the luck of the draw.  Friends have done 3 but relatively short week long successfully (21 days).  But it was when you described the complete change of passengers at Southampton and many presumably unvaccinated (due to age) school children and almost total lack of masking I became alarmed for you and your final cruise.  Thank goodness it was your third cruise and not your first and apparently you are asymptomatic.    The very best to the two of you.  All the ships I have looked at seem to be planning as they go and neglecting the positives.     Mike 

10 hours ago, the penguins said:

It's also where X and Royal keep "big items" for example fridges, windows etc which is why Vigo is the one port that is very rarely dropped.

Vigo is also famous as one of the largest and best Escargot (snail) farms in the world and an hour away by bus is the famous pilgrimage shrine of Santiago de Compostela which draws people from all over the world. I have had occasion to be there in Vigo four times.   Mike

2 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

I agree. While this wasn’t the ideal cruise by far, David has kept a great attitude the entire time. Hopefully when they’re ready to cruise again, it will more than make up for this sailing. Fingers crossed that they have an easy debarkation in the morning and a safe trip home. Thank you for sharing your experience. 

The best to all and thanks.  As a result I cancelled my transatlantic on Norwegian this coming weekend.  I have done mote than 55 cruises and decided it wasn’t worth it.   Each EU country is developing their own criteria.   It is very true you may not get off without prior authorization.   I have a feeling the EU isn’t what it was before Covid.    Crumbling a bit after Brexit and Covid.    Mike

1 hour ago, travlr21 said:

It is actually 0.3% . As far as I can tell, the Silhouette is no longer being tracked by the CDC as it no longer shows in the dashboard.

You are correct about %.   However while it is not on the dashboard the cdc still, if they agreed to the program as most did, they continue tracking if left from US port or plan to return.   I don’t know when it goes off dashboard but sure their are many oranges that have turned red?   Especially those headed to a cdc don’t travel country 

Thanks JetBlue.   I am a frequent cruiser and was scheduled to do a transatlantic on another line in a few weeks.  I have done about a dozen transatlantics.  I have been reading about the others and most of the three major lines are very similar with a few cases turning into a hundred plus upon arrival in Southampton.  The first group was led directly from quarantine to 7 days isolation at a motel near Heathrow….no further contact from ship or company.   I believe UK has modified rules but unclear how and when you obtain a doctor’s letter of recovery.  Since I had seen all the ports several times I decided to cancel with the main problem for me is obtaining a negative test (certain) to make my flight back.  May I suggest anyone at present on ship who is eligible to obtain the doctors letter of recovery. Mike.  PS. Orange means 3% test positive.  The ship must report statistics to US CDC every few days

I am what I guess you would call a veteran cruiser with close to 55 cruises and 110 countries.  I lived in Europe 4 years.  I was going to do a transatlantic in a couple of weeks but have watched all major lines.  All transatlantics have had Covid problems that I have read; some rather severe.  I have traveled since resumption of cruising but very carefully.  As far as I can tell the major lines tend to treat positives in a similar way.   Since the pandemic is still on and given the experiences I have read I decided to cancel mine . I traveled so much because I thought I would get old and sick and would have many memories; strangely enough the world got sick and so far I am doing well.   My major concern is getting positive overseas unable to return to US.   Mike 

I had a wonderful time on Celebrity millennium about a month ago from Seattle on the inside passage stopping at a Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. A friend just got back from a similar cruise and a great experience on celebrity millennium with slightly different stops. Great Cruises!  Mike

On 9/4/2019 at 6:10 PM, finucane said:

BINGO, totally agree on both sides...

I can understand why Princess and other lines are going to non refundable deposits.

 I have meant a number of people who already are holding 12-15 cruises for 2020.

They select which cruises they are actually going to take...perhaps 3 or 4 and want a complete refund for all others some “held” for more than a year and thus “off the market” and can’t be sold to serious buyers.    I can see why a cruise line only wants those to reserve “for a price.”    I have a feeling this is the wave of the future for all cruise lines....you take off the market for a price....and not for free.   Easily understandable.   I always wondered why they let them hold for free until 90 days before a cruise.  Just business!    Mike

No problem.  Often on any site including CC something is said and there is no way of telling if they are joking.  There was a discussion about 

putting the OM on the refrigerator since apparently(I haven’t tested it) it is magnetic.  Mike 

18 minutes ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

ted!) Not only that but I suspect that the data is encrypted in the first place anyway.

 

Tom

I was making a joke Tom in the context of the discussion. Mike 

For those putting on your refrigerator have you considered thieves located a 1,000

feet away will be led directly to it and all of its contents?  Not to mention your house and its contents by advertising you have 

enough money to cruise.  

Thanks Jack. Will explore