Positivity Thread!

[cuterlmt]

Thank you for starting this thread. I am quite the optimist, and sometimes that's tough these days.

What I love: 

1) Always having something to look forward to - although we have had 4 cruises cancelled and haven't cruised for almost a year, we have 4 cruises scheduled....

2) Cruises are cheap for us - we get our cruises from CAS so we only pay admin and port fees and taxes. We almost always get an interior room, but in the last couple offers we've received, we've been offered Balcony rooms. 

3) We choose our cruises from the list we get from CAS - usually try to choose a place we haven't been yet. I still remember my excitement when we got an offer to cruise from Venice! It was fantastic! If it's a place we've already been, we try to have at least one different port to visit or a different ship. 

4) We love NCL for freestyle dining. I don't like to sit with strangers. We had some odd experiences on prior cruises with Princess and Carnival. And I like to have the option of choosing to eat whenever I want to, and to not have to dress up (except when going to specialty dining).

5) favorite food - love the four mushroom soup at Le Bistro. Love the corn jalapeno chowder from the MDRs. 

6) When we take the walk onto the ship, I usually start to tear up because I am SOOOO happy to get onboard and start our new adventure. 

 

I have enjoyed reading all of your posts! Thanks for the happy memories!!!

[ScratchTheRat]

Some positivity on this side of the Atlantic! We have a roadmap out of lockdown, with June 21st being the estimated date for no more masks and no more social distancing!

[ziggyuk]

8 minutes ago, ScratchTheRat said:

Some positivity on this side of the Atlantic! We have a roadmap out of lockdown, with June 21st being the estimated date for no more masks and no more social distancing!

 

That's not quite true, right Sir Patrick was asked that very question during the PM's briefing last night and clearly said masks and other measures could be needed into 2022.
June the 21st was the earliest date the final venues would open (even night clubs) but does not mean other measure will end.

 

Face masks may still be required next winter, Sir Patrick warns

he warned that face masks may be required in the winter, and encouraged people to take personal responsibility for protecting themselves from Covid.

He said “baseline” measures should be expected in the winter, including the wearing of masks in certain situations and proper hand washing.

[oteixeira]

I am sorry but if Sir Patrick thinks people are going to take masks off and go back to normal life and then suddenly put them back on in winter without a valid concern (cases or hospital visit spike) I think he (and a lot of other governments) are a little out of their minds.   We are not going to become China with masks on all the time year round.
 

[farmersfight]

On 2/15/2021 at 7:14 AM, jskinsd said:

Last minute cruises.   The waiving of the solo supplement so a single cruiser only pays for one fare.  Will be a thing from the past now.✌️

 

Have you seen RCL's sale lately? 60% off the 2nd guest. This essentially lowers the solo supplement down to 40%. Also, another good way to go for us solos is RCL's Quantum-class ships with the studio balcony cabins. Celebrity also is becoming more solo friendly; Celebrity Edge has 16 single infinite veranda staterooms and her newer sister, Celebrity Apex will have 24.

[ziggyuk]

7 hours ago, oteixeira said:

I am sorry but if Sir Patrick thinks people are going to take masks off and go back to normal life and then suddenly put them back on in winter without a valid concern (cases or hospital visit spike) I think he (and a lot of other governments) are a little out of their minds.   We are not going to become China with masks on all the time year round.
 

 

errrr no, they aren't coming off, that was the point of his remark.

Not sure how you came to that conclusion on the UKs lockdown exit?

[oteixeira]

5 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

errrr no, they aren't coming off, that was the point of his remark.

Not sure how you came to that conclusion on the UKs lockdown exit?

I misunderstood I suppose.  I thought the measures were all going to end in June, and then be re-instated in the fall/winter.   I still wonder how anyone in power thinks we will all wear masks everywhere we go once we have hit herd immunity.  

[ziggyuk]

5 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

I misunderstood I suppose.  I thought the measures were all going to end in June, and then be re-instated in the fall/winter.   I still wonder how anyone in power thinks we will all wear masks everywhere we go once we have hit herd immunity.  

 

That's OK,

We come fully out of lockdown on June 21st (at the earliest, if all goes well) but they made it clear other measures like masks may need to remain into 2022.

They have also (finally) agreed to look into vaccine passports for venues.

Edited February 24, 2021 by ziggyuk

[SouthLyonCruiser]

On 2/23/2021 at 3:22 AM, ScratchTheRat said:

Some positivity on this side of the Atlantic! We have a roadmap out of lockdown, with June 21st being the estimated date for no more masks and no more social distancing!

I wish we had a plan here in the U.S.. All we have is 'the plan of the day' which, obviously, changes with the wind, day to day.

[farmersfight]

18 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

but they made it clear other measures like masks may need to remain into 2022.

 

Masks remain into 2022? Are you kidding me? How far into 2022, spring? fall? winter? And, how many masks? 1?, 2? 15??

 

A continued mask mandate into 2022 is absurd.

[ziggyuk]

36 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

Masks remain into 2022? Are you kidding me? How far into 2022, spring? fall? winter? And, how many masks? 1?, 2? 15??

 

A continued mask mandate into 2022 is absurd.

 

https://email.number10.gov.uk/

[juju2454]

On 1/28/2021 at 12:35 PM, ScratchTheRat said:

Lots of negativity on here and understandably! We are all sad at being stuck at home and not sailing.

 

BUT, let this thread be a positivity thread! A place for us optimists to hang out and discuss the good stuff!

 

Let's start with me asking "What is your favourite NCL menu item?" and if you have a photo, please show! 🙂

Lamb, roasted, grilled, fried,  any old way.  Lamb.

[KeithJenner]

On 2/5/2021 at 2:06 PM, ScratchTheRat said:

Today's question: What is most important to you when booking a cruise?

 

• The Dates
• The Itinerary
• The Ship
• Other (Please Specify!)

Right now (as we have a kid in school):

Dates

Itinerary

Ship

 

Looking forward a couple of years it will be:

Itinerary

Ship

Dates

 

By a long way that change is the main thing I’m looking forward to over the next few years. So many places to go (cruising or otherwise).

[IrieBajan54]

Today February 28, 2021 Dr. Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor said:

 

"Now, when you get two people that are vaccinated and protected together, like in a home setting, you can have two people that you would not need to do that. We're working with the CDC right now on trying to get updated, reasonable recommendations of what we can tell vaccinated people to do as you get more and more people vaccinated.

But the reason we say mask -- and, sometimes, people don't understand that and think it's being too rigid -- there will be a time -- and I believe it will be reasonably soon -- when we will know exactly whether or not a vaccinated person really has such a low level or none at all of virus in their nasopharynx."

 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-28-21-sen-mazie-hirono-sen/story?id=76164675

 

Very positive!

 

Plus Texas governor says he is planning to end the mask mandate. Wow! If he was in charge, cruises out of Galveston might be right around the corner. But that's the Feds territory.

Edited March 1, 2021 by IrieBajan54
correction

[BEACHBARB]

I love to cruise.  I've been on 26 am really missing it this year.  Almost always cruise in the winter.  Started out with a friend and married a Portuguese waiter I met on a family cruise.  Needless to say, he wasn't a fan of cruising but we did go on 1 during our marriage.  Then the whole (small family took our Mom on a cruise for her 80th birthday thinking it was a once in a lifetime thing.  We ended up going every year and the some people dropped out and it's been myself and my 2 sisters for years.  We used to go as cheap as possible but a few years ago before the bidding process, we upgraded for next to nothing and got a forward facing Haven.  The room itself was awesome but once we entered the actual Haven and enjoyed the fabulous food, service - we've never looked back.  It's expensive but we feel it's worth every dollar.  Favorite food - so simple but their fries are delicious.  Favorite port - Barbados - love jumping thru the waves all day long.  We almost the ship one year there.  They literally pulled the ramp up when we got back on.  I was waiting to hear out names called to contact guest services but that didn't happen.  Last cruise in 2020 I brought my old passport.  I had it in my travel purse for so long and never gave it another thought until we were about an hour from the port and looked to see it had holes punched it and asked my sisters if theirs did.  Oops - that made for a tense couple of hours but NCL helped a lot and I was on in time for lunch in the Haven.  I can't wait to get back to the sea.  We've made lifelong friends.  

Edited March 1, 2021 by BEACHBARB

[macandlucy]

Here's some good news:

 

USA:

 

January 10th 2021, COVID daily cases 208,836 (7 day average): 254,873

 

March 1, 2021  56,672 (7 day average): 67,470

 

 

 

 

[oteixeira]

And let's give more good covid related news:

 

Across the U.S., 23.2 doses have been administered for every 100 people, and 80% of the shots delivered to states have been administered

 

[ScratchTheRat]

So there have been highs and lows but let's focus on the fact NCL are fighting in our corner to get things going again. 

 

Someone had to take the first shot and looks like they're the ones doing so. 

 

I will be onboard in September and loving every minute 🙂

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, ScratchTheRat said:

So there have been highs and lows but let's focus on the fact NCL are fighting in our corner to get things going again. 

 

Someone had to take the first shot and looks like they're the ones doing so. 

 

I will be onboard in September and loving every minute 🙂

I agree😊

Enjoy your September cruise!

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Sand and Seas

[trivimp]

Love this positive thread, it's the best thing I've read on this forum for weeks 🙂 

 

(and my favorite food thing is the tuna tartare, but it's a long list of close seconds)