How will the 6 foot rule change cruising return..

[waterjock]

I was on the Bliss and the Escape last year. Even if they reduce the passengers to 3000 i do not no how they can still maintain the things that i love about cruising.The atrium and comedy club are standing room only for shows and bands.You can not find a chair at pool now.The 4 nights of the top shows are are sold out.The specialty dining is all booked by the first day on board.The elevators between 6 pm and 10 pm are a 5/10 minute wait and are all 10 deep with passengers.The main dining rooms are 15/30 minute wait between  6 and 8 pm.If any one has any ideas to help NCL solve these issues please tell us.

[NW Pacific]

know idea how.  But thats one of many reasons no cruising for a very looong time I fear.  Maybe 1000 passengers on a 5000 capacity ship.

[drvmywifecrzy]

Comedians could knock on your cabin door and tell a few jokes and then proceed down the hall

[david_sobe]

Cruise ships are all about crowds so its going to be interesting how this will happen.  I saw a video of a European river cruise that resumed.  I think it was 4 nights.  You were only allowed to take your mask off on the pool deck and had to be 6 feet apart from other passengers.  This can work on a small river cruise but pool decks, spas, restaurants, etc are always packed so very curious how this will play out.

[Tapi]

Maybe we should look at how MSC (and starting this week Costa) are doing things in Europe. They successfully relaunched MSC Grandiosa a few weeks ago at reduced capacity (I believe they had 3,000 passengers onboard) and so far, no infections have been reported. 

[shof515]

5 hours ago, Tapi said:

Maybe we should look at how MSC (and starting this week Costa) are doing things in Europe. They successfully relaunched MSC Grandiosa a few weeks ago at reduced capacity (I believe they had 3,000 passengers onboard) and so far, no infections have been reported. 

TUI Cruises also resume cruises out of Germany too

[PTC DAWG]

5 hours ago, Tapi said:

Maybe we should look at how MSC (and starting this week Costa) are doing things in Europe. They successfully relaunched MSC Grandiosa a few weeks ago at reduced capacity (I believe they had 3,000 passengers onboard) and so far, no infections have been reported. 

Exactly, the world is not over as we know it.  

[sanger727]

They will not be able to keep 6 feet. They will have to require everyone to wear masks as MSC has done. They will likely also follow MSC's example in doing rapid testing at boarding. This will not eliminate the possibility of someone with covid boarding, but will reduce the number of people with covid who board. 

[Vyhanek]

Its not possible to maintain 6 ft even with modifications it isn't possible.   Think about all the times you are packed in.   Embarkation and security screenings, tendering, muster, theater, lines at all bars ` think about the bar at the pool deck at any given moment, debarkation, the crowds in the buffet on embarkation.

 

Cruising and social distancing mutually exclusive.   

[PelicanBill]

7 hours ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

Comedians could knock on your cabin door and tell a few jokes and then proceed down the hall

 

Username checks out...

[GA Dave]

Distancing hoops.

Edited September 2, 2020 by GA Dave

[PelicanBill]

I think you'd have to lower occupancy on each cruise AND change the basics of many ordinary things. 

 

Embarcation and disembarcation: change the sailing time and perhaps make turnaround a longer event. Disembark from 8am to 2pm. Embark 3pm to 9pm.  sail at 11pm. 

 

Meals: offer better in-room dining options. Convert 1 or 2 speciality restaurants to standard dining to spread out and lengthen dinner hours. Start promptly at 5.

 

Bars: distance like we see on land. keep a few more bars open later.

 

Entertainment: Offer fewer different shows and more scheduled times for those.

 

The only one already solved:  Muster Drill.

 

Pool: tough one but must spread out to other deck areas that usually go under-used.  Can only have a few people pool size.  No pool game crowds. 

 

@GA Dave  I LOVE that picture!

Edited September 2, 2020 by PelicanBill

[PelicanBill]

Or, NCL could put their ships into "Cool Layup" and take on another $1.2B debt and wait 6-8 months for a vaccine.  Just another option....

 

wait, what just happened...

[CruiseMH]

If you reduce the max. number of passengers by 50% most of the problems are gone. If you have only 50% of the people at dinner, on the pooldeck oder in the theaters then it is not too difficult to keep the 6ft distance. Especially when you increase the number of shows played. I think many people will automaticall stay much more often on their own balcony and generally reduce their movements to a minimum.

[PelicanBill]

I suspect that if all ships sail at 50% capacity the cruise lines don't make a profit on the sailing unless they can somehow adjust all underlying costs to be lower as well.  Tricky.  Cruises, Hotels and Airlines have always been about yield management... selling strategies to fill capacity.

[complawyer]

major tragedy: it will be really tough to get a booking for the teppanyaki restaurant (which is my favorite by the way)

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, Vyhanek said:

Its not possible to maintain 6 ft even with modifications it isn't possible.   Think about all the times you are packed in.   Embarkation and security screenings, tendering, muster, theater, lines at all bars ` think about the bar at the pool deck at any given moment, debarkation, the crowds in the buffet on embarkation.

 

Cruising and social distancing mutually exclusive.   

 

It is possible in places like NCLs Haven or MSCs Yacht Club but difficult in other places on the megaships.

 

I think that the "new normal" will be like the "old normal", the question is when that will happen.  6 ft distance or facemasks will not be the new normal because very few lines will be able to survive with those restrictions, I think.  

[casofilia]

I see one of the biggest problems will be with tenders.   Not only with the tenders themselves but also with the queues at both ends getting on and off.

I can see no tender ports.

[chipmaster]

Cruising won't - can't happen till US rates for positive testing plummet, or for that matter any country for cruising or international travel. 

 

I think the 6' rule is easily a "guideline"   if you wear masks and indoors many times 6" isn't practical.       For restaurants you need to take mask off and thus the 1/2 capacity or more with better ventilation or outdoors as many places have gone, but what happens when that isn't practical

 

Nothing in life is black and white.   

 

I think 1/2 capacity means every other seat, or every other row, and 1/2 dining capacity, thus capacity would need to be 1/2 or 1/3 to still provide some enjoyment, everything is a compromise.

[CruiseMH]

3 hours ago, PelicanBill said:

I suspect that if all ships sail at 50% capacity the cruise lines don't make a profit on the sailing unless they can somehow adjust all underlying costs to be lower as well.  Tricky.  Cruises, Hotels and Airlines have always been about yield management... selling strategies to fill capacity.

 

As already mentioned, TUI cruises sails at max. 60 %(and currently actually around 30-40 %) since June already, and they are increasing their number of sailings. I don`t think they would do it since 2 months(and even plan until end of the year) if they would make loss every day. I doubt that these trips are profitable but they will for sure loose less money then if they would not sail at all.

 

[Tapi]

16 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

I doubt that these trips are profitable but they will for sure loose less money then if they would not sail at all.

 

I think that at this point in time it’s all about getting people back on the ships and regaining their trust, even if they are not being profitable. Once we get some sailings under our belt with (hopefully) no outbreaks, people will gradually return. 

[yearsofcruising]

a math problem to consider.. ships resume cruising..guidelines are all in place..( i realize some bookings were already cancelled )..however , maybe still too many passengers on board. Will they do something like the airlines ? If they bump you , you get an additional discount ?

Personally , I waited too long and I'm not leaving !  Who do they call 1st ? Latitudes last..old people first..

[beau11]

On 9/2/2020 at 4:51 AM, drvmywifecrzy said:

Comedians could knock on your cabin door and tell a few jokes and then proceed down the hall

 

Thanks for the laugh of the day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

If people use proper masks correctly, then 6’ rule is just added protection. A COVID carrier with a proper mask next to a healthy person with a proper mask has a very very low chance of transmission. Admittedly, it is not zero, but near zero. As a healthy person, you can help yourself by using a better mask.
 

We wear a better mask when in a store. We at Costco a few hours ago and out 6’ distancing must have been violated more than 75 times in that one visit.

 

We were in Vegas last week and our 6’ distancing was violated continuously any time we were out of our room. 

[chipmaster]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If people use proper masks correctly, then 6’ rule is just added protection. A COVID carrier with a proper mask next to a healthy person with a proper mask has a very very low chance of transmission. Admittedly, it is not zero, but near zero. As a healthy person, you can help yourself by using a better mask.
 

We wear a better mask when in a store. We at Costco a few hours ago and out 6’ distancing must have been violated more than 75 times in that one visit.

 

We were in Vegas last week and our 6’ distancing was violated continuously any time we were out of our room. 

 

Everything is a guideline, the more you can follow the lower the probability of a transmission if there is someone that is a spreader.

 

All it takes is one spreader and viola....  one cruise doesn't make any evidence it is safe, just statistics that in Italy levels are low enough for a 1000 to get together but do this 10 times and statistics will catch up with you if they current uptick continues there.

 

In places like Fl I'd say it is crazy that Disney is open, but its freedom USA.