On the Edge Now…Cutbacks. 🙁

[dleahy4444]

9 minutes ago, iamaqt2 said:

I'd like to share an excerpt from my day, and why solely relying on vaccinated status may not be the wisest course at this time. Especially  with the Delta variant on the rise.

I work in a hospital pharmacy.  We have a fully vaccinated pharmacist who was supposed to be leaving for a much needed vacation to Iceland today.  3 days ago she received a negative Covid test as part of the protocol for her entry into Iceland.  Yesterday she called out sick and subsequently tested positive for Covid.  Today she ended up in the ER and needed treatment with Regeneron and other medication.  

Moral of the story..  vaccines aren't 100%.  

Oh no! Thanks for sharing this. I hope she has a speedy recovery. You are right, we still need to be careful, even if fully vaccinated. But with that said, and knowing that the vaccines are not 100% foolproof,  I still feel comfortable cruising, even with a small number of unvaccinated guests. I’m assuming that your co-worker was in contact with unvaccinated people who likely had not been screened. The unvaccinated guest on on cruise would have had to submit a negative Covid test. While it is true that someone can test negative one day and be positive the other, I am taking a leap of faith that between my vaccination, and the limited number of pre-screened unvaccinated guests, it is reasonably safe to travel. Hopefully my faith is not misplaced..

[lynnber]

We're on this cruise on July 24th. I am fully prepared to be underwhelmed at meals (which will still be waaaaay better than anything I cook at home), and not as entertained as in previous cruises (which will still be better than watching reality TV at home), and sometimes even bored (at which time I hope I'll find a book in the library and a comfortable lounge chair on deck.)  I know it's not going to be the cruise I'm used to, but it will certainly be better than the cruise of the last 18 months...and that is enough.

[iamaqt2]

7 minutes ago, lynnber said:

We're on this cruise on July 24th. I am fully prepared to be underwhelmed at meals (which will still be waaaaay better than anything I cook at home), and not as entertained as in previous cruises (which will still be better than watching reality TV at home), and sometimes even bored (at which time I hope I'll find a book in the library and a comfortable lounge chair on deck.)  I know it's not going to be the cruise I'm used to, but it will certainly be better than the cruise of the last 18 months...and that is enough.

I'm on Millennium July 30th.  My cruise playbook  sounds very similar.

Load the Kindle with books.  Order room service breakfast.  Use the app to decide on dinner choices, and wing it for lunch.

I eat hospital cafeteria food almost every day, so a bad meal on Celebrity still feels like haute cuisine lol.

[casone]

We sail on July 10 and we’re told to arrive at 3:30 for a health screening. They seemed very strict about not coming early. Does anyone know how strict they are about this now?

[sonnycruises]

On 7/7/2021 at 6:40 AM, kebrown said:

I am very disappointed to hear that the sandwich and pasta stations are closed.  Could you please ask someone if they plan on opening these stations up soon?  I have a cruise on the Edge in October and I hope everything will be open by then.  I do not want to pay full price for a cruise but only receive half the product.

Sandwiches and pasta half the cruise? C'mon man!

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, casone said:

We sail on July 10 and we’re told to arrive at 3:30 for a health screening. They seemed very strict about not coming early. Does anyone know how strict they are about this now?

 

From everything I've read they are VERY strict about it.

[ipeeinthepool]

5 hours ago, lynnber said:

We're on this cruise on July 24th. I am fully prepared to be underwhelmed at meals (which will still be waaaaay better than anything I cook at home), and not as entertained as in previous cruises (which will still be better than watching reality TV at home), and sometimes even bored (at which time I hope I'll find a book in the library and a comfortable lounge chair on deck.)  I know it's not going to be the cruise I'm used to, but it will certainly be better than the cruise of the last 18 months...and that is enough.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise but I don’t think you will find a library.

Edited July 9, 2021 by ipeeinthepool

[ItsADryHumor]

7 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

Oh no! Thanks for sharing this. I hope she has a speedy recovery. You are right, we still need to be careful, even if fully vaccinated. But with that said, and knowing that the vaccines are not 100% foolproof,  I still feel comfortable cruising, even with a small number of unvaccinated guests. I’m assuming that your co-worker was in contact with unvaccinated people who likely had not been screened. The unvaccinated guest on on cruise would have had to submit a negative Covid test. While it is true that someone can test negative one day and be positive the other, I am taking a leap of faith that between my vaccination, and the limited number of pre-screened unvaccinated guests, it is reasonably safe to travel. Hopefully my faith is not misplaced..

A young friend of mine just got out of ICU with Delta. It doesn’t play. 
 

We are comfortable cruising, but between the news of Pfizer possibly needing a booster and the issues with variant protection, I am sad. I’m fine with a yearly booster like the flu vaccine. But the week after my cruise it’s back to work in an unmasked school (thanks, Richard Corcoran) where most of the kids are t vaccinated- and half of the adults, too. I just have to do the best I can. 

[ItsADryHumor]

6 hours ago, lynnber said:

We're on this cruise on July 24th. I am fully prepared to be underwhelmed at meals (which will still be waaaaay better than anything I cook at home), and not as entertained as in previous cruises (which will still be better than watching reality TV at home), and sometimes even bored (at which time I hope I'll find a book in the library and a comfortable lounge chair on deck.)  I know it's not going to be the cruise I'm used to, but it will certainly be better than the cruise of the last 18 months...and that is enough.

This is my take on it, too. I’ve been on cruises that were supposed to wow me (looking at you, Disney) and the best cruise of my life on a sold out ship full of hot mess - and that was largely because of the kids’ club and the cruise director. 
 

I talked to my husband last night about some of what OP said and he replied, “Why on earth would they open every part of the buffet and waste all the food?” He said that as long as he eats and gets to sleep for 2/3 of the time, he will call it a win. He doesn’t even want to go on excursions. We just want to rest and recuperate from the stress of the last 18 months. Did we pay a lot of money to do that? We did. But (whispered a la Joe Biden) *it grows the economy*. 
 

 

[George C]

1 hour ago, Gracie115 said:

 

From everything I've read they are VERY strict about it.

You can ignore time listed if you are in a high end suite and I believe if you are in any suite 

[cangelmd]

6 hours ago, casone said:

We sail on July 10 and we’re told to arrive at 3:30 for a health screening. They seemed very strict about not coming early. Does anyone know how strict they are about this now?

Piecing together other posters - the Concierge lunch has been canceled. As George said, high end suites are pretty much on their own. They may be favoring suites, either just because or to give as many people as possible a chance at the Luminae lunch.

Our backup plan was to leave luggage at either hotel or port and take a taxi somewhere for a leisurely lunch. If I had a 3:30 boarding, I would try to come back between 2:30 and 3, on the off chance of getting in and that’s about as long as I would tolerate the heat waiting.

If I had a legitimate, ie, medical reason for needing to board earlier, I would get my TA and or Celeb involved.

[mafig]

6 hours ago, sonnycruises said:

Sandwiches and pasta half the cruise? C'mon man!

Is the restaurant open on sea days?  Sometimes they have a sandwich and a pasta dish there.

[CruiseAF]

29 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Piecing together other posters - the Concierge lunch has been canceled. As George said, high end suites are pretty much on their own. They may be favoring suites, either just because or to give as many people as possible a chance at the Luminae lunch.

Our backup plan was to leave luggage at either hotel or port and take a taxi somewhere for a leisurely lunch. If I had a 3:30 boarding, I would try to come back between 2:30 and 3, on the off chance of getting in and that’s about as long as I would tolerate the heat waiting.

If I had a legitimate, ie, medical reason for needing to board earlier, I would get my TA and or Celeb involved.

Other posters have mentioned they have been turned away and not let in until the minute of. They are taking crowd control and protocols  very seriously during this time. Everyone come at your assigned time (follow the rules) and your expectations won’t be let down. Suites can board at any time. 

[JamieLogical]

9 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Moral of the story..  vaccines aren't 100%.  

 

I think we have all known that for a long time now.... like since they got the EUA.... When they say things like 94%, that means that 6% of the time it's not.

 

I hope your coworker recovers well!!!

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, lux4me said:

I totally agree and learned my lesson posting an opinion on here.  
The people who respond to an opinion with “ I take your opinion with a grain of salt”, or elude you are looking for something need to think.  You have no idea who I am. You don’t know me  I could be a travel expert for Condé Nast or I could be a person on their first cruise.  Either way an opinion is one person’s perspective, and should not be fluffed off or disrespected the was it is constantly done here.  People jump out of their skin over what they may not want to hear.    I’m done with Cruise Critic 

It seems that the majority of comments back to you have been supportive or asked for more information or clarification.  Maybe a few were a bit snarky.  IMO just fairly normal back and forth with some disagreement.   As your opinion is important so are the opinions that disagree with your post in some way.  Sorry you are done with Cruise Critic.  I personally in my earlier post (post #79) asked you for a helpful list of what has changed or was closed on board compared to pre-pandemic cruising. That is valuable to us here trying to restart our cruising lives.  I hope you reconsider and provide this type of information back to us.  It would be much appreciated by most here.

[kearney]

On 7/7/2021 at 9:50 AM, lux4me said:

We are sailing currently on the Edge.  We LOVE being back at sea,   But unfortunately the cutbacks are noticeable. No shows in Eden except for a band at night.   Ship is sailing with 60% crew. 15 min wait for an omelette at the buffet in the am. .  Lack of variety at the buffet (breakfast and lunch) while areas of buffet closed(sandwich station gone, no pasta station).  Dishes served at dinner with missing items.  Some dishes are still very good, others very pedestrian.  Service has been very hit and miss,  I know they are back for 2 weeks.  They are trying,  but the fact is I paid full price,  and the onboard product is not quite ready, especially for the rates Celebrity is asking.
 If anyone has any questions will be happy to answer

 

Anyone on these initial sailings should expect that there will be issues... they haven't sailed with passengers for over a year and provisioners can't find workers to drive their trucks. Sorry you paid full price.. you probably should have done a lift and shift...

[Shadow9612]

13 hours ago, lux4me said:

I totally agree and learned my lesson posting an opinion on here.  
The people who respond to an opinion with “ I take your opinion with a grain of salt”, or elude you are looking for something need to think.  You have no idea who I am. You don’t know me  I could be a travel expert for Condé Nast or I could be a person on their first cruise.  Either way an opinion is one person’s perspective, and should not be fluffed off or disrespected the was it is constantly done here.  People jump out of their skin over what they may not want to hear.    I’m done with Cruise Critic 

@lux4me Thank you for your thread and thoughts.  As some others have eluded to here, all opinions are valid and welcome.

 

I've been on Cruise Critic for some years, but rarely start a thread or state my opinions for exactly that reason - not wanted to be slammed or flamed by others for having an opinion which differs.  

 

I have been tempted to stop reading CC for that reason and have thought about leaving (like you said in your post). 

 

However, I have gained (and to continue to) wonderful insights, knowledge, and ideas from many positive posters.  I am grateful for what I've learned from the people who are truly here to help others.  

 

So, I encourage you to stay, cruise past the negativity (pun intended), and don't hesitate to post whenever you feel like it.

 

Just my 2 cents 🙂

[slanik]

I haven't read all the comments, but my husband and I were on the Millennium last week.  The last cruise out of Sint Maarten for the Millennium before they head to Alaska.  Perhaps our comments aren't as relevant since we were in a Sky Suite and mostly ate at Luminuea.  We found the service to be wonderful.  There were only 414 passengers and twice as many crew.  We ate at the Oceanview for lunch a few of the port days.  I did notice that the pasta bar was no where to be found.  However, the other stations were very good. I like that they are serving people on the buffet.  We had no waits for any of the other venues.  Bars were very lightly populated, El Bacio was also never a wait.  For us it was a chance to be pampered and really enjoy ourselves.  I heard that there was no bar service at the shows.  Perhaps that will change once there are more passengers.

[slanik]

On 7/7/2021 at 11:54 AM, TeeRick said:

We have Millennium late September.  By design wanted to not be a guinea pig for the first couple of months of cruising.  But eager to get back in any case.

We just got off the Millennium on July 3rd.  The crew was fabulous.  You will love them.  They are so friendly and helpful.  They were all lined up as we disembarked, waving to us.  It almost brought tears to my eyes.

[kearney]

Things are not exactly back to normal. Car makers can't get chips, my sister inlaw has been waiting for appliances for months..my contractor had to drive all over town to find paint, and it is well known that companies can not find enough drivers to move their goods. So for the time the new normal will be different and many things will not be as good as they were until things get fully up and running. I heard that on Royal that one reason the buffet is closed for dinner ...is capacity. I assume they don't want to be throwing away food needlessly. As they ramp up capacity... they will add crew and open up other areas of the ship. It will be interesting to see what happens if the court ruling against the CDC holds up...will cruise lines change their protocols.... bringing on passengers faster... etc.

 

In April we decided to book Adventure of the Seas out of Nassau. For months...like many.. I have sat at my computer looking out at the back yard. But I wanted to go someplace....anyplace. I looked at Hilton head.... and compared pricing to AOS for the same time period.... AOS was a better deal...so we booked it...with full knowledge that it might end up being the worst cruise ever. Another reason I booked the particular cruise I did... was because final payment on my Nov Celebrity cruise is due when we get back and I wanted to see if cruising was still fun. While GA has been open for a long time... older folks ..like me...have chosen to be more cautious... staying home...mostly and waiting for vaccine to fully kick in.

 

I am hopeful that the AOS will be fun...but expect holes in the menus... changes in programing ... and am bracing myself for masking on the way and back.... but at this point... I just need to go someplace...and what better place than on the ocean

[TeeRick]

6 minutes ago, Shadow9612 said:

@lux4me Thank you for your thread and thoughts.  As some others have eluded to here, all opinions are valid and welcome.

 

I've been on Cruise Critic for some years, but rarely start a thread or state my opinions for exactly that reason - not wanted to be slammed or flamed by others for having an opinion which differs.  

 

I have been tempted to stop reading CC for that reason and have thought about leaving (like you said in your post). 

 

However, I have gained (and to continue to) wonderful insights, knowledge, and ideas from many positive posters.  I am grateful for what I've learned from the people who are truly here to help others.  

 

So, I encourage you to stay, cruise past the negativity (pun intended), and don't hesitate to post whenever you feel like it.

 

Just my 2 cents 🙂

Shadow9612-  Agree.  If you read and post on CC long enough, you realize that even the most mild posts sometimes draw out negative opinions and "snarky" comments.  But most disagreements to a post are not snarky- just disagreements with the stated opinion and an alternative opinion.    I really dislike the terms being used on CC  "being slammed or flamed".    Most (not all) are just alternative opinions.  But personal attacks with nastiness should be removed every time.  Just my additional 2 cents.

[Shadow9612]

3 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Shadow9612-  Agree.  If you read and post on CC long enough, you realize that even the most mild posts sometimes draw out negative opinions and "snarky" comments.  But most disagreements to a post are not snarky- just disagreements with the stated opinion and an alternative opinion.    I really dislike the terms being used on CC  "being slammed or flamed".    Most (not all) are just alternative opinions.  But personal attacks with nastiness should be removed every time.  Just my additional 2 cents.

@TeeRick - I agree 100%.

 

I actually didn't even know what the term flamed meant before reading CC 😁. 

 

I used it to refer to the negative character/personal attacks.   I am totally ok with an opinion 100% opposite to my own.  I just don't understand why some feel the need to also comment on the poster's character - IMHO, that's not needed to be able to express an opposing opinion.  😕

 

[KKB]

2 hours ago, stinkyenglishteacher said:

A young friend of mine just got out of ICU with Delta. It doesn’t play. 
 

We are comfortable cruising, but between the news of Pfizer possibly needing a booster and the issues with variant protection, I am sad. I’m fine with a yearly booster like the flu vaccine. But the week after my cruise it’s back to work in an unmasked school (thanks, Richard Corcoran) where most of the kids are t vaccinated- and half of the adults, too. I just have to do the best I can. 

Our school district's "proposed" protocols are that masks are "strongly recommended" for all students under 12. "We will rely on parents to do the right thing."
RIIIIIGGGHHHTT--the same parents whose kids wake up with a temperature, they pop Tylenol in them & send them to school.

I didn't wear a mask for summer school because students did.

But looks like I will be wearing a mask this fall.

Also thinking I will the next 2 weeks indoors--I DON'T WANT TO MISS THESE CRUISES!!

[KKB]

2 hours ago, stinkyenglishteacher said:

 

 We just want to rest and recuperate from the stress of the last 18 months. Did we pay a lot of money to do that? We did. But (whispered a la Joe Biden) *it grows the economy*. 
 

 

We originally had a Greece cruise booked WITH AIR for the SAME PRICE.

Decided exactly what you did--don't wanna go to a new port every day that we have never been to.

We want to RELAX. Yep, maybe stay on the ship on port days.

Greece cruise got cancelled so JUST AS WELL.

[publicpersona]

We are on the July 3 Edge sailing at the moment and are having a great time. This could be one of the best of our most chill and relaxing cruises ever out of 50+ that we’ve done. We have not experienced long waits for anything .. quite the opposite there is ample service for fewer passengers.

 

We didn’t like Eden at all when we were on one of the many “maiden voyages”. This week, we’ve made that our go to places for drinks. It was so much better without people in weird costumes waving silks around us, as if that took some kind of talent.