Anyone on board Odyssey?

[Jimbo]

4 minutes ago, Texxie said:

As far as I know, they aren't testing anyone unless they want/need to be tested (well, passengers anyway, I'm sure the crew testing is ongoing).

Not a good feeling some passengers may have it and won't be positive until they are home on the 2nd or 3rd day once home.. Great way to keep the total  numbers down. Some more passengers may be positive now and spreading it around the ship as we speak.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Jimbo

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Texxie said:

As far as I know, they aren't testing anyone unless they want/need to be tested (well, passengers anyway, I'm sure the crew testing is ongoing).

 

There could be many more positive asymptomatic passengers then.  Are they quarantining passengers that were exposed to anyone positive? 

[Sea Dog]

@Kitkatgrrl Thank you for taking time to post updates. Your information is very valuable. Sounds like you are making the best out of your situation. You are on a great ship in the ocean. That's what I would love.

[chiguypaul]

I just talked with customer service in regards to my vacation next week on the odyssey. They had no idea that shows were canceled. And of course they couldn’t give any guidance on shows for next week. I do think that if  royal knows that shows are not going to go next week they should at least notify people before hand.

[chiguypaul]

4 minutes ago, Kitkatgrrl said:

You're right 

This is such a bummer to hear. It’s one of the things that we look forward to on the ship. I have until the end of the day to cancel and I’m so conflicted about what to do.

[Texxie]

3 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

There could be many more positive asymptomatic passengers then.  Are they quarantining passengers that were exposed to anyone positive? 

I'm sure this is the case, just as it is at home 🙂 At least here, most everyone is vaxxed and wearing a mask. I know we all have different levels of tolerance for exposure. I guess coming from Texas, we tend to accept this risk as it's much safer here than in Dallas, where you could most certainly find 60+ cases of unmasked folks in any grocery store or Target.

[jonj]

Wonder if testing at the port instead of testing in advance for vax passengers would help? I know Disney tests at the port and only pre-testing is for unvax children age 4 and younger. Not a debate just a thought, testing 2-3 days in advance may show negative and then at the port may be positive wether asymptomatic or not. 

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Texxie said:

I'm sure this is the case, just as it is at home 🙂 At least here, most everyone is vaxxed and wearing a mask. I know we all have different levels of tolerance for exposure. I guess coming from Texas, we tend to accept this risk as it's much safer here than in Dallas, where you could most certainly find 60+ cases of unmasked folks in any grocery store or Target.

 

Yes Florida and Texas are about the same in the mask and vaxx departments.  Wishing you a safe journey back home.  Keep us posted. 

[livingonthebeach]

2 minutes ago, jonj said:

Wonder if testing at the port instead of testing in advance for vax passengers would help? I know Disney tests at the port and only pre-testing is for unvax children age 4 and younger. Not a debate just a thought, testing 2-3 days in advance may show negative and then at the port may be positive wether asymptomatic or not. 

 

That may help weed out some positive cases.  How about the woman who got on the ship knowing she was ill?  How do you detect those people? 

[crewsweeper]

2 hours ago, clover18 said:

The windjammer is ridiculous. The workers hover next to your table and take your plate away because they want you out of there so others can eat the line to get on backs up and it’s hard to find a table unless you are there early. Main dining rooms are empty because the food is really not that great. 

This is why we avoid the WJ at any time.

[crewsweeper]

4 minutes ago, jonj said:

Wonder if testing at the port instead of testing in advance for vax passengers would help? I know Disney tests at the port and only pre-testing is for unvax children age 4 and younger. Not a debate just a thought, testing 2-3 days in advance may show negative and then at the port may be positive wether asymptomatic or not. 

This might work down the road.  All the omicron outbreaks are causing a run on testing.  I think once the holidays are over and the fear of hospitalization due to omicron drops, test availability will increase.  Maybe the current administration will get their act together and put a lot of the new testing out to cruise ships for same day testing.  But this creates issues in and of itself.  As we've seen with ill people still boarding because they don't want to lose their $$$ or vacation time.

[Texxie]

11 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Yes Florida and Texas are about the same in the mask and vaxx departments.  Wishing you a safe journey back home.  Keep us posted. 

I wanted to add that I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m dismissing this risk. I know for many of us it’s not illness we are worried about, but disruption. I think the chances of disruption in any cruise right now are high and the chances of anything resembling a “normal” experience are zero. For us, cruising is our main mother/daughter activity and with my daughter already a sophomore, we are willing to to accept almost any cruise experience (not true for everyone). Good luck to all! 

[Kitkatgrrl]

12 minutes ago, chiguypaul said:

This is such a bummer to hear. It’s one of the things that we look forward to on the ship. I have until the end of the day to cancel and I’m so conflicted about what to do.

Hey,  couple of questions I'd take into consideration.

We were turned away from Aruba and Curacao because we had a total of 55 infected people.  52 of them were crew members.  If those 52 will still be on the ship next week, you may in the same situation.  I believe a carnival ship was also turned away because their numbers were too high.  These islands are turning away ships.

 

1 week is probably not enough recovery time for the performers unless they replace them.  

 

They will do a great job sterilizing the ship, I have no concerns about that or the safety.  My concern is with the people and the ports.  

 

Symphony had 48 cases last week and as far as I know were not turned away from their islands. I dont know wht their breakdown was of passengers vs crew but we had a LOT of crewmembers with covid vs passengers.

[CruisingSince1982]

1 hour ago, Chauncey Picklepants said:

Just spoke with my TA and there is terminology that will result in refund. I got a full refund in November two weeks before sailing.  Posters came out of the woodwork to tell me I was wrong.  I was not. They said it would take 3 months.  It did not.  Refund was received approx 17 days later. 

There is nothing in the current protocol - released on December 17, 2021 - short of a positive Covid test, that allows for a refund. 

[jonj]

21 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

This might work down the road.  All the omicron outbreaks are causing a run on testing.  I think once the holidays are over and the fear of hospitalization due to omicron drops, test availability will increase.  Maybe the current administration will get their act together and put a lot of the new testing out to cruise ships for same day testing.  But this creates issues in and of itself.  As we've seen with ill people still boarding because they don't want to lose their $$$ or vacation time.

I agree, however they can't lie if they are tested at the port and the test is positive. They would be denied boarding.  I don't know about other cruise lines but Disney allows you to get a full refund if you test positive within 14 days of travel or if you test positive at the port when they test you. 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by jonj

[livingonthebeach]

9 minutes ago, Kitkatgrrl said:

Hey,  couple of questions I'd take into consideration.

We were turned away from Aruba and Curacao because we had a total of 55 infected people.  52 of them were crew members.  If those 52 will still be on the ship next week, you may in the same situation.  I believe a carnival ship was also turned away because their numbers were too high.  These islands are turning away ships.

 

1 week is probably not enough recovery time for the performers unless they replace them.  

 

They will do a great job sterilizing the ship, I have no concerns about that or the safety.  My concern is with the people and the ports.  

 

Symphony had 48 cases last week and as far as I know were not turned away from their islands. I dont know wht their breakdown was of passengers vs crew but we had a LOT of crewmembers with covid vs passengers.

 

Someone who is on the ship right now is reporting on FB that the crew number is up to 60 positive cases.  Since they are not testing passengers, the total number could be much higher. 

[ticketsunlimited]

9 minutes ago, Kitkatgrrl said:

Hey,  couple of questions I'd take into consideration.

We were turned away from Aruba and Curacao because we had a total of 55 infected people.  52 of them were crew members.  If those 52 will still be on the ship next week, you may in the same situation.  I believe a carnival ship was also turned away because their numbers were too high.  These islands are turning away ships.

 

1 week is probably not enough recovery time for the performers unless they replace them.  

 

They will do a great job sterilizing the ship, I have no concerns about that or the safety.  My concern is with the people and the ports.  

 

Symphony had 48 cases last week and as far as I know were not turned away from their islands. I dont know wht their breakdown was of passengers vs crew but we had a LOT of crewmembers with covid vs passengers.

My guess is the cheapest hotel in town will be housing those crew members for the next cruise if they are not outside their 10 days of quarantine.  Those that will be considered "covid free" by the time they make it back to Curacao will stay on board.  Just a guess that may make it eligible to disembark at the islands next time around.

[Kitkatgrrl]

Just now, livingonthebeach said:

 

Someone who is on the ship right now is reporting on FB that the crew number is up to 60 positive cases.  Since they are not testing passengers, the total number could be much higher. 

I haven't heard any announcements, they don't really give us hourly updates of the numbers but I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe someone else heard an announcement I missed?

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Kitkatgrrl said:

I haven't heard any announcements, they don't really give us hourly updates of the numbers but I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe someone else heard an announcement I missed?

 

Maybe they're getting the info from a crew member --who knows? Since they are not testing passengers there will never be a correct count anyway. 

[mellow moog]

2 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

My guess is the cheapest hotel in town will be housing those crew members for the next cruise if they are not outside their 10 days of quarantine.  Those that will be considered "covid free" by the time they make it back to Curacao will stay on board.  Just a guess that may make it eligible to disembark at the islands next time around.

Most of the crew are not US citizens or residents. They might not be allowed ashore in the US for quarantine and have to stay onboard. We were on the Allure a few weeks back and the crew we spoke to said they were not allowed to get off in the US right now unless finishing their contract and leaving the ship.

[Kitkatgrrl]

Just now, livingonthebeach said:

 

Maybe they're getting the info from a crew member --who knows? Since they are not testing passengers there will never be a correct count anyway. 

True.   Yay 2021. 

[rbell]

11 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Someone who is on the ship right now is reporting on FB that the crew number is up to 60 positive cases.  Since they are not testing passengers, the total number could be much higher. 

I am sure it is much higher

[NO_Member_Name]

We were on Odyssey 2 months ago with around 1200 passengers total. It was awesome, and while we wore masks inside a lot, we had them off a lot too. Probably the biggest thing we noticed was being able to get an elevator any time and almost always being able to adhere to the 4 person limit. The biggest negative was that the bacon tasted like rancid cooking oil. I'm not sure why. I said something but nothing changed.

 

3500 passengers sounds awfully crowded, and effectively fully loaded. From some of the posts I've seen it looks like they're trying to get passenger counts back down some.

 

There wasn't much going on on our cruise so the captain didn't have much to tell us. But, the staff in the main dinning room was very chatty (I think we were their only diners most nights) and we picked up a few tidbits, like expected passenger counts in the future.

 

I also got to meet Chris Wong. Nice guy. Much taller than I expected.

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, clover18 said:

Specialty restaurants at sold out for the week and deck chairs are tagged early in the am leaving others to mill around the decks waiting for someone to get up and leave. Hot tubs are overcrowded solarium pool is too cold. 
 

We just aren’t having that great of a time onboard. If you like to drink all day, you’re in the right place though! 

The Solarium on Odyssey is really nice but I don’t like that it is completely enclosed. We cruised on her the beginning of October and the Solarium pool was on the chilly side. 

[gracia98]

4 hours ago, Kitkatgrrl said:

Im on the Odyssey. Only 3 passengers have covid as of yet.  The rest who developed it were crew members.  I have been happy with the protocols in place for the safety of the families on board.  My family and I have been cruising for years on Royal and in general stay away from Wind Jammer because its usually a hot mess even before covid.  We aren't at capacity. Yes we were disappointed to not be allowed entry to Aruba and Curacao, but I'm still happy to be on vacation with my family and I feel safe. When I left my home, there were outbreaks happening in my kids schools, in my workplace and even in my state. They just didn't happen to make the national news.  

Make the decision thats best for your family but remember everyone is looking at this situation from a different lense. People want different things from their vacation experience.  If you want a vacation where you can visit islands and that's a guarantee, might want to wait a bit.  If you're like us and have teenagers who are living their best life right now with wifi, spa, dining room, trivia,  then come on over.  We've won a highlighter, waterbottle and a Keychain already.  Got our eye on that hat today. 

 

I was literally walking back from the spa yesterday when I read comments on the board about speculation that we were being confined to our rooms for the rest of our trips and having to take mandatory covid tests. Things are fluid and changing.  Everyone's doing their best. 

 

Also reports are the ship has about 3500 people, well below max capacity. 

What are they doing for passengers who already purchased things like wifi, drink packages, reservations? We are supposed to board on 12/26 and we bought all that already plus other stuff.  We were hoping to get restaurant reservations on board once we arrive, but that seems a little iffy now too. We also love trivia with our young adult kids.  How crowded is the Schooner bar? Can you find tables or seats?