Reduced Capacity

[Sascol]

For COVID protocols, we’ve heard Celebrity mention ships will be sailing with reduced capacity. Do we know what that number represents?  

[Cruising89143]

I asked when booking the EQ this week. The answer is “no exact amount other than capacity is being reduced. If I were a betting person I would guess around 50% for a while. 

[jelayne]

 Think the 1st cruise from Saint Maarten was about 30%.  This % will increase over time.

[Jeremiah1212]

Hoping for at least 40% with a max of around 60% were the numbers that kept being mentioned by Celebrity. 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We have discussed this in our Roll Call and a very knowledgeable poster responded that it was most likely to be 50% with a max of 60%.  That will be interesting, won’t it?  I usually don’t find Celebrity ships to be crowded, so it may seem like a movie where everyone fled the alien invasion but you didn’t get the memo...

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

 Think the 1st cruise from Saint Maarten was about 30%.  This % will increase over time.

Do you know if they reached their cap set for that cruise or whether they couldn't sell all available cabins? 

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I am booked on the Celebrity Summit's cruise that is scheduled to depart from St. Maarten on July 10. It will be interesting to see how many passengers are on this cruise. I think reduced capacity sounds nice - there should be plenty of seats, a lack of crowds, etc.

 

Chuck

[sunonfire]

Has anyone received any notification from Celebrity asking you to cancel your cruise because of the reduced sailing capacity? 

[MR_T]

Don’t know if it’s changed since but I remember ready an article a couple of months ago which mentioned celebrity cruise (Im pretty sure it was celebrity) that they would start off around 50% and if all going well would look to increase around 5%-10% each month... as I said it was a while ago and these things change all the time but I guess this would be somewhat reasonable... 🤞🏻

[lostchild]

If the inside staterooms and oceanview staterooms were not sold initially, the capacity would have been reduced automictically by a certain % already.   Someone could probably calculate that number from some of the ship's description sites.

[Elkins45]

5 minutes ago, lostchild said:

If the inside staterooms and oceanview staterooms were not sold initially, the capacity would have been reduced automictically by a certain % already.   Someone could probably calculate that number from some of the ship's description sites.

We’re booked on what turned out to be the first scheduled July Equinox sailing and ours is an inside cabin. As I recall almost all of the cabins around ours are booked as well.

 

It would be sweet if they moved us to an ocean view or balcony,  but I’m not holding my breath.

Edited June 13, 2021 by Elkins45

[Moonarino]

I'm definitely hoping for some degree of reduced capacity (selfish me, I know I know).

 

I'm looking at possibly upgrading category on Apex, thus checking availability on our November cruise. On the Celebrity website I see a bunch of available staterooms side by side -- e.g., plenty of consecutive Concierge-class cabins on deck 12 (bunches of 3, 4, 6, 7, up to 18 in a row).  I'm seeing similar on other sites, a fair number of consecutive staterooms available on several decks. Again this is for November, a few months out, but not that far out.

 

The point:  Should we assume that significantly reduced capacity might mean skipping, let's say, every other cabin or something similar?  Or is that a bad assumption?  If it's valid, for a cruise barely 4-1/2 months away, I'm not seeing anything like that... unless maybe agents have been instructed to allow flexibility of choice for as long as they can, and only lock down after a certain threshold is crossed... or maybe entire sections would be excluded from availability...?

 

Does anybody here think or know anything definite on exactly how capacity reductions would be arranged?

Edited June 13, 2021 by Moonarino

[baldilocks]

3 hours ago, sunonfire said:

Has anyone received any notification from Celebrity asking you to cancel your cruise because of the reduced sailing capacity? 

Same question ???

[Moonarino]

I'm guessing sunonfire is wondering about cruises earlier than November, but my TA recently updated the Apex booking I made several months ago. Not a word about any possible cancellations.

 

Earlier today I emailed him with a Q about upgrading. When he replies (don't yet know if he's working today) I'll shoot this question to him... if he knows of any recent, pending or even rumored cancellations on X.

[Moonarino]

Add to my above:  My TA won't be back at work till Tuesday. Also adding the question(s) again to make sure they aren't missed by future viewers.

 

5 hours ago, sunonfire said:

Has anyone received any notification from Celebrity asking you to cancel your cruise because of the reduced sailing capacity? 

 

1 hour ago, baldilocks said:

Same question ???

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, baldilocks said:

Same question ???

There could be some….just not any on CC!

[PAGA]

Royal Caribbean had a Community Forum in cooperation with US Virgin Islands tourism. Here’s the press release from the USVI Government House on Wednesday, June 16 in which Royal Caribbean states that when Celebrity Edge makes its first port call in St Thomas July 6 it will be at approximately 30% guest capacity. Notes the same for Celebrity Equinox’s first call to St Croix August 18. 
https://www.vi.gov/royal-caribbean-announces-cruise-call-dates-during-community-business-forum/?fbclid=IwAR2irL7jcGJKzZtOoOY4dykruPeom6PM5cUZq-mGr5YzhApTmeZZeUtLrco

[lhsail]

On 6/13/2021 at 1:57 PM, Moonarino said:

I'm definitely hoping for some degree of reduced capacity (selfish me, I know I know).

 

I'm looking at possibly upgrading category on Apex, thus checking availability on our November cruise. On the Celebrity website I see a bunch of available staterooms side by side -- e.g., plenty of consecutive Concierge-class cabins on deck 12 (bunches of 3, 4, 6, 7, up to 18 in a row).  I'm seeing similar on other sites, a fair number of consecutive staterooms available on several decks. Again this is for November, a few months out, but not that far out.

 

The point:  Should we assume that significantly reduced capacity might mean skipping, let's say, every other cabin or something similar?  Or is that a bad assumption?  If it's valid, for a cruise barely 4-1/2 months away, I'm not seeing anything like that... unless maybe agents have been instructed to allow flexibility of choice for as long as they can, and only lock down after a certain threshold is crossed... or maybe entire sections would be excluded from availability...?

 

Does anybody here think or know anything definite on exactly how capacity reductions would be arranged?

Based on our August Summit sailings, I believe they have sections excluded.

[terrydtx]

If our Infinity Sept cruise of Spain and Portugal sails, from looking online at available cabins, it will be at a much reduced capacity.

[Moonarino]

2 hours ago, lhsail said:

Based on our August Summit sailings, I believe they have sections excluded.

I caught a suggestion of the same just yesterday on a November sailing, which fits with something I remember from weeks ago -- no inside cabins are offered at all. I don't remember which ship but I read "Not Available" as opposed to "Sold Out". That would certainly be a first step for reducing capacity, and a profitable one for the cruise line(s).

 

I also understand that you're possibly (or likely) referring to sections within available categories being excluded, which could also be a work savings for housekeeping staff, i.e., concentrating their workflow rather than spanning it out over sparsely occupied areas.

Edited June 17, 2021 by Moonarino

[graphicguy]

23 minutes ago, Moonarino said:

I caught a suggestion of the same just yesterday on a November sailing, which fits with something I remember from weeks ago -- no inside cabins are offered at all. I don't remember which ship but I read "Not Available" as opposed to "Sold Out". That would certainly be a first step for reducing capacity, and a profitable one for the cruise line(s).

 

I also understand that you're possibly (or likely) referring to sections within available categories being excluded, which could also be a work savings for housekeeping staff, i.e., concentrating their workflow rather than spanning it out over sparsely occupied areas.

Saw the “not available” sections on the inside cabins on the Edge for my July 31 sailing, too.

 

I would imagine the room stewards’ need to take more time for each cabin given the additional sanitization protocols for cleaning rooms that will be required.  Does that mean fewer room stewards?   I don’t know.  But, it will mean it certainly take them longer to “make up” each room that it did on pre-COVID sailings.