Symphony - terrible / no shows / Covid ?

[Lou33]

@Rosy Season The CDC is reporting that on your Harmony sailing, there was one passenger and 49 crew that tested postive.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/coronavirus

 

What exactly did you see?  What exactly did you hear, regarding the number of cases on board?

[tcneal]

7 minutes ago, DevonfromAcme said:

Yes, Celebrity has had its dining venues and entertainment affected.  If you go to the Celebrity board on CC, you can get more details.

 

Remember, however, it is going to be an issue of clientele and scale.  The Celebrity ships are generally one third the size as the Symphony and her sisters, and they don't advertise themselves as amusement parks at sea.  RCI caters to families, with shows, entertainment, rides and slides, so when Covid hits, it's going to hit on a different scale with activities and venues shut down.

 

 

Agree.  Issues are going to shine brighter when you are on the largest cruise ship at sea that has been increasing capacity.  I have followed both the Celebrity and NCL boards and although I have read of issues, I have not read of every major production show not running for the entire cruise on a single ship.  For me, I think it goes back to expectations and also the premium to be on Symphony.  If I were on Jewel or Mariner, I don't know if it would have been as big of an issue.  I know the comparison of cost vs what I paid.

[crewsweeper]

14 minutes ago, DevonfromAcme said:

Yes, Celebrity has had its dining venues and entertainment affected.  If you go to the Celebrity board on CC, you can get more details.

 

Remember, however, it is going to be an issue of clientele and scale.  The Celebrity ships are generally one third the size as the Symphony and her sisters, and they don't advertise themselves as amusement parks at sea.  RCI caters to families, with shows, entertainment, rides and slides, so when Covid hits, it's going to hit on a different scale with activities and venues shut down.

 

 

Celebrity caters to the more at-risk demographic.  Wise to require 100% vaccinations, but if those vaccinations were 9-12 months ago and there was no booster 2-3 months ago, cruisers on Celebrity are just as susceptible to COVID Omicron as unvaccinated.

 

Re: asymptomatics:  You are asymptomatic until you get tested.  Not all people who are asymptomatic test positive or have COVID.   People do get sick on cruise ships with other things.  So having a couple of hundred people out of 5-6,000 sick doesn't mean they are all sick with COVID.

[bajathree]

28 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

@Rosy Season The CDC is reporting that on your Harmony sailing, there was one passenger and 49 crew that tested postive.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/coronavirus

 

What exactly did you see?  What exactly did you hear, regarding the number of cases on board?

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2022/01/articles/disease/guests-ignore-cdcs-warnings-and-party-on-cruise-ships-like-its-1999/

[DevonfromAcme]

Holy crap, are YOU late to the party (no pun intended!)

 

Just search Harmony, or search Rosy's posts here, or on RC Blog, or frankly Google at this point.  She made the Orlando news yesterday.

 

36 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

@Rosy Season The CDC is reporting that on your Harmony sailing, there was one passenger and 49 crew that tested postive.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/coronavirus

 

What exactly did you see?  What exactly did you hear, regarding the number of cases on board?

 

[Rosy Season]

39 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

@Rosy Season The CDC is reporting that on your Harmony sailing, there was one passenger and 49 crew that tested postive.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/coronavirus

 

What exactly did you see?  What exactly did you hear, regarding the number of cases on board?

That was from like day 2 of the sailing.  By day 6 it was full chaos.

[BF125]

53 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

@Rosy Season The CDC is reporting that on your Harmony sailing, there was one passenger and 49 crew that tested postive.

 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/coronavirus

 

What exactly did you see?  What exactly did you hear, regarding the number of cases on board?

"an anonymous crew reported that there are a total of 50 COVID-positive cases onboard (1 passenger plus 49 crew)." 

 

That's their source.... 

[Rosy Season]

Just now, BF125 said:

"an anonymous crew reported that there are a total of 50 COVID-positive cases onboard (1 passenger plus 49 crew)." 

 

That's their source.... 

That was from December 29th.  My DD, wasn't diagnosed until 12/31.  That was just the first wave.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

How else are you supposed to get your 15 min of fame?

 

Or establish your legal case 😏 

[Rosy Season]

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Or establish your legal case 😏 

Honestly RCCL is making it worse for themselves here.  I have no intention to sue, I just want them to do what was promised and do what is right in a reasonable amount of time.  Their "no communication" is really just p*ssing people off at this point.

[BF125]

17 minutes ago, Rosy Season said:

That was from December 29th.  My DD, wasn't diagnosed until 12/31.  That was just the first wave.

Rosy...

 

Thank you so much for shedding some light on the situation.

 

Do you know how we can find out the actual numbers that Royal Caribbean is reporting to the CDC?

Edited January 3, 2022 by BF125
Typo

[Rosy Season]

2 minutes ago, BF125 said:

Rosy...

 

Thank you so much for shedding some light on the situation.

 

Do you know we can find out the actual numbers that Royal Caribbean is reporting to the CDC?

Nope.  I had another reporter reach out to me and I asked about this and I was told that those number are never actually released.  Just the color update on the CDC charts. RCCL can announce the numbers when they want to but that never becomes public.

 

So they do that for 48 cases (which is still a joke because it's only 48 out of how many were tested not how many were onboard) but I going to bet we don't hear about Harmony's cases.  

Edited January 3, 2022 by Rosy Season

[Biker19]

4 hours ago, Rosy Season said:

going to bet we don't hear about Harmony's cases.  

Some ships seem to be getting numbers of the previous cruise (overall % positivity rate) in a letter upon embarkation. 

[firefly333]

4 hours ago, Rosy Season said:

Honestly RCCL is making it worse for themselves here.  I have no intention to sue, I just want them to do what was promised and do what is right in a reasonable amount of time.  Their "no communication" is really just p*ssing people off at this point.

You also say you want rcl to shut down. You lose a lot of sympathy when you say rcl should shut down all cruises because you had what of course was a bad cruise. 

 

Crossing a line to wanting my cruise to shut down. If you want to talk about your experience great, until you want my cruise shut down. Then I'm mad. 

[nocl]

43 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

You also say you want rcl to shut down. You lose a lot of sympathy when you say rcl should shut down all cruises because you had what of course was a bad cruise. 

 

Crossing a line to wanting my cruise to shut down. If you want to talk about your experience great, until you want my cruise shut down. Then I'm mad. 

Well if was one of two that had to shut down I would rather have it be yours instead of mine.😁

[crewsweeper]

6 hours ago, Rosy Season said:

Nope.  I had another reporter reach out to me and I asked about this and I was told that those number are never actually released.  Just the color update on the CDC charts. RCCL can announce the numbers when they want to but that never becomes public.

 

So they do that for 48 cases (which is still a joke because it's only 48 out of how many were tested not how many were onboard) but I going to bet we don't hear about Harmony's cases.  

OK Rosy, we all get you had a bad experience.  That happens, even in the best of times.  And yes RCCL probably went too far in booking closer to capacity over the holiday period.  So did every other cruise line.  No one had a clue about Omicron until around Thanksgiving and Delta appeared to be waning.  But thus far outside of you giving reporters your version of events, there's nothing supporting your claims as to masses of people being infected and the implication they are seriously ill.  Your "demands" for special treatment and vengeance against RCCL for not giving you that are a bit too much. 

[Iamcruzin]

8 hours ago, DevonfromAcme said:

Celebrity has had a MESS of Covid cases on board, and they've been kicked from several ports over the last couple of weeks for being over the 1% positive limit.

 

Their CC board just doesn't seem to be screaming about it quite like this one is, however.

 

 

Thanks for the information.

[Iamcruzin]

8 hours ago, tcneal said:

I know other lines have COVID cases.  That is unavoidable.  And they might get denied ports.  What I haven't heard is other lines canceling as many shows and venues as this cruise in particular and Royal in general.  I'm asking because I don't know.  Has Celebrity cancelled most of its Production shows?  Are Bars/Clubs closed?

The biggest differences is the fact that the Oasis class ships are a large floating nothing if they don't have entertainment. Nobody is sailing any class Celebrity or Princess cruise ships for the entertainment. I would be interested to know if they had an issue with the crew being sick and how that affected service.

[livingonthebeach]

8 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

The biggest differences is the fact that the Oasis class ships are a large floating nothing if they don't have entertainment. Nobody is sailing any class Celebrity or Princess cruise ships for the entertainment. I would be interested to know if they had an issue with the crew being sick and how that affected service.

On the Celebrity Board there is a thread started by a quarantined passenger on the Equinox.  He is quarantined in a balcony cabin and talks to his Covidy neighbors on deck 6 from his balcony.  At least he has fresh air and human interaction.

[Iamcruzin]

3 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

On the Celebrity Board there is a thread started by a quarantined passenger on the Equinox.  He is quarantined in a balcony cabin and talks to his Covidy neighbors on deck 6 from his balcony.  At least he has fresh air and human interaction.

It must suck for those on Royal who paid for a balcony, suite or Royaled up to a better accommodation only to be transported to Cell Block C on Covid Row.

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Iamcruzin said:

It must suck for those on Royal who paid for a balcony, suite or Royaled up to a better accommodation only to be transported to Cell Block C on Covid Row.

Agree - wouldn’t want to be downgraded from a Presidential Suite to an oceanview on deck 2.  At least on the Equinox you get a balcony. 

[Maitaivegas]

10 hours ago, Pratique said:

We are boarding Symphony on Saturday (if all goes well). Just received the pre-boarding email from the concierge with a vague warning that "some benefits and services have been adjusted." From the tone of the email, this applies to anything and everything. I think that I will be drinking more than usual on this cruise. 😄

Please be safe and keep us updated. You are my practice run for my 1/29 cruise on the Symphony .

First cruise in 19 yrs, this cruise will feel like that last one.

Not much entertainment on Carnival’s ship 19 years ago lol.

[Lou33]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

You also say you want rcl to shut down......Then I'm mad.

@Rosy Season never said that he/she "wants" RCL to shut down.  Nobody "wants" any cruise line to shut down.  Nobody wants a world with a raging pandemic.  But we have to deal with the world the way that it is and not the way that we wish it was right now.  

 

Rosy went through a very difficult experience with quarantine, and other cruisers would never see a first hand account unless it was posted  here. And I appreciate that point of view, and I will also look at other reviews.  I want to hear all of their opinions, and I make my own judgements about them.   

 

Maybe the cruise lines will need to shut down, and maybe they won't.  You might disagree with an opinion, but I don't think it's worth getting mad, because nothing that anybody posts here will have the slightest affect on "your" cruise.  

Edited January 4, 2022 by Lou33

[chillyw]

I sailed Symphony for my first RCCL cruise back in 2019.  I loved the bigger staterooms over NCL, the Central Park area, the amazing sports bar (seriously, all the NFL games was great!) and the water show.  I wanted to check in and see how Royal was doing.

 

There were also a lot of things I missed about NCL, but I decided to do an NCL cruise this year because of their strict protocols.  I can say I see I a really stark difference between this thread and what I saw on my NCL Encore sailing last week.

 

NCL had the Encore ~50% full according to the GM, required a covid test at the port, required proof of double vax, and required masks.  Outside of one show being canceled, felt like a very normal cruise, and had one of the best cruises of my life.  Can't wait for the next one.

 

NCL also required you to have proof of a proctored covid test 96 hours or less before sailing if you wanted them to refund / pay for anything insurance didn't cover and you tested positive at port.

 

I'm sorry everyone on here had such a horrible time, and I hope the industry figures it out.  

Edited January 4, 2022 by chillyw

[ONECRUISER]

11 hours ago, DevonfromAcme said:

Celebrity has had a MESS of Covid cases on board, and they've been kicked from several ports over the last couple of weeks for being over the 1% positive limit.

 

Their CC board just doesn't seem to be screaming about it quite like this one is, however.

 

 

"Nearly 90 cruise ships experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks are under investigation or observation by CDC"... Well Royal doesnt have 90 Ships, they are all dealing with Cases as with rest of the World. Yet I'd Cruise again tomorrow if was Booked.