On Board during COVID

[Bluemoose]

we're scheduled for Summit mid March 2022, and wonder about a few things, like a) ship capacity, are hey full or limited ?  b) main dining, full tables of say 8, (which we always enjoyed) or smaller numbers and spaced out ?  c) how is the buffet managed ?  d)   theatre entertainment, full seating or limited ?

[Honolulu Blue]

19 minutes ago, Bluemoose said:

we're scheduled for Summit mid March 2022, and wonder about a few things, like a) ship capacity, are hey full or limited ?  b) main dining, full tables of say 8, (which we always enjoyed) or smaller numbers and spaced out ?  c) how is the buffet managed ?  d)   theatre entertainment, full seating or limited ?

 

I can answer some of these based on my cruise on the Summit in September and my return visit (on a charter) in February:

 

a) Ship in September sailed at about 15% of capacity.  Charter in February is nearly sold out; no telling how affected it will be by last-minute COVID-related cancellations

b) Didn't visit the MDR

c) Buffet - there will be hand sanitizer stations near all exits and hand washing sinks near the main exits.  A crew person insisted on hand washing before entry and if they're not otherwise occupied, they'll watch you do it (like you're in preschool or something 😄).  All food served by crew at various islands.  You can get your own drinks and seat yourself.  Lots of empty space when I sailed in September; I don't expect much free space on the charter in February.

d) The theater had some blocked out seats the one time I went there.  I doubt they'll be blocked off for my charter in February; we'll NEED every one of those seats.

 

I encourage others to fill in the blanks.  Have fun on your cruise, no matter how many people are on it (I won't begin to guess how full it will be by then).

[neverlaysup]

Sailings are getting busier, our last two cruises were less than 40% capacity. No idea about MDR but in BLU, we all sat by ourselves unless you wanted to join others. Tables were not all 6 feet apart but it was not a big issue since everyone is vaccinated. Buffet is served by the crew, very easy and no big deal. Never saw the theater more than 1/4 full, no issues with social distancing there. Overall, with less than 50% capacity, social distancing takes care of itself and I felt safer on the ship than I do at home.

Edited December 15, 2021 by neverlaysup
typo

[Saturngrl]

On our recent Reflection cruise, we sailed at just under 30% capacity.  MDR had seating for whatever size group you cruised with.  Buffet was served by the crew and hand hygiene highly encouraged.  Theatre seating was no issue, as most groups chose to distance themselves from others. 

 

I can't speak highly enough about how well Celebrity managed COVID compliance!

[jelayne]

We did a B2B on the Edge in October, ship had 950 passengers on the 1st cruise and 1100 on the 2nd.  The suites were sold out,  so no social distancing in Luminae or the Retreat Lounge.  Martini bar and Silent Disco were packed as usual. 

 In the theater,  buffet, pool and gym it seemed that passengers social distanced on their own. 

 

Our next cruise is in February and all Concierge cabins are sold out, Aqua is about 85% full and all but a few high end suites are sold.  So it looks like more are feeling comfortable and  

[jg51]

2 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

I can answer some of these based on my cruise on the Summit in September ...

c) Buffet - there will be hand sanitizer stations near all exits and hand washing sinks near the main exits.  A crew person insisted on hand washing before entry and if they're not otherwise occupied, they'll watch you do it (like you're in preschool or something 😄). 

.

We are surprised to read of this experience of yours, on the Summit in September.  We were aboard the same ship in November, and the "tight reins" had been relaxed.  There was absolutely no enforcement of the use of sinks for hand-washing, and there was usually no one watching for use of the sanitizers either.  This did not bother us in the slightest.

.

[Honolulu Blue]

30 minutes ago, jg51 said:

We are surprised to read of this experience of yours, on the Summit in September.  We were aboard the same ship in November, and the "tight reins" had been relaxed.  There was absolutely no enforcement of the use of sinks for hand-washing, and there was usually no one watching for use of the sanitizers either.  This did not bother us in the slightest.

 

Thanks for sharing.  It just goes to show how quickly things can change in this environment.

[Northern Aurora]

We were B2B on the Millennium in September.  According to the Documentation Officer the first leg sailed with 648 revenue passengers with a few more on the second leg.

 

With so few passengers there was only one  evening show in the theater (9 PM only), but all three standard production shows happened on both legs.  On non-production show nights there were the standard offerings including a comedian.  

 

We were in a suite so dined in Luminae.  The suites were fully booked, so Luminae seemed "normal" in capacity.  We didn't dine in the MDR at all.  We did have lunch in the OceanView once, and items in the buffet were plated by staff.

 

We don't gamble, but the casino was operating.  Some of the chairs at the slot machines had signs asking folks to not sit on them to aid in social distancing.  Also, some venues (Cellar Masters and Cafe al Bacio) had a few tables removed to space folks out.

 

As so many others have commented since sailings have resumed the attitude of the staff was simply incredible.  So incredibly happy to be back at work with upbeat and positive attitudes.

[marieps]

Our Reflection sailing Dec 4 was at 1/3 capacity.  There was no overt effort to social distance, and rarely was it needed.  As mentioned, silent disco was wall to wall packed, and we had a busy Martini Bar but not two deep waiting for a seat as I've seen before.   Masks were a rare exception.  Everyone seemed very at ease and thrilled to be at sea.  I know I was.