Christmas Cruise - Never Again

[S.A.M.J.R.]

35 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

I too wondered the same thing. 

I think things like this:

 

"Socks" with some kind of absorbent material put down to keep fluids out (or in) a certain area. 

[Btank]

6 hours ago, nelblu said:

Also, the casino needs to be overhauled as I kept losing😄. 

 

 

I had the same problem on Liberty a couple of weeks ago.

 

    --bruce T.

[ano]

On all the cruises I have been on during holidays, I have always been disappointed by the lack of celebration, even non-religious holidays. I think the moral is, cruise ships are not the best place to spend holidays that are important to you. 

[Bailey & Sophie]

12 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

As far as a ship being tired looking, we notice worn out carpeting, furniture like chairs and tables needing to be replaced because of worn out upholstery and nicks and scratches. Elevators take a beating and we have noticed banged up doors and walls. Outside areas can become pretty rusty and deck chairs also can become pretty banged up. I've noticed a lot of ships having the 3 or 4 thin white steel railings below the wood railing bent out of shape, I've always wondered how that happens.

 

Pretty much sounds like my house.

[Coralc]

8 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I too wondered the same thing. 

World’s best stuff for leaks, drips and spills.^®

[Maitaivegas]

I thought those “pigs” was some type

of UK slang lol

[Presbycruiser67]

7 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

Pretty much sounds like my house.

 

Pretty much sounds like ME.

[Mabbiez]

On 1/3/2022 at 3:29 PM, homedepot124 said:

John and Katrina Blair do lots of things that other CD's and AD's don't do.  Such as the Neil Diamond show or simply interacting with the passengers.  Too bad RCCL can't have a John and Katrina on every ship. 

Wait there is a Neil Diamond show?!? Which ship are these two amazing people currently on?

[LEMJMcC]

14 minutes ago, LynnForestgate said:

The masks took away the experience of.... what Exactly ?

A dose of covid or a dose of protection.

 

The usual overall relaxing experience that we had enjoyed on other cruises unaffected by a pandemic or rather response to one.  Some specifics:

• Being hampered from seeing another's smile or show someone else a smile of appreciation or encouragement. 
• Worrying about having a mask on-hand to re-enter the ship upon returning from a port-of-call or forgetting to don one when leaving the table in the Windjammer to fetch some food.
• Being able to hear and understand others, particularly when they may have a strong accent or when in a noisy environment.
• Being understood by others trying to hear and understand me when I'm masked.
• Wondering what to do should I drop my mask on the floor - do I use it anyway or should I carry a spare just in case.

I would venture to say that the majority of folks find masks annoying, even if they feel that they are necessary.  I know of no one who wears a mask for the pure pleasure of it.

[LEMJMcC]

21 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I think things like this:

 

"Socks" with some kind of absorbent material put down to keep fluids out (or in) a certain area. 

Bingo!  Sorry, I thought the term was common.

[LEMJMcC]

21 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

OP, Thank you for your posts.  They were well-balanced, and I both enjoyed and learned from the responses.  Many good thoughts.

 

Thank you for the kind words.

[homedepot124]

6 hours ago, Mabbiez said:

Wait there is a Neil Diamond show?!? Which ship are these two amazing people currently on?

Yes, John Blair does a great Neil Diamond tribute show.  It is certainly the best show of the week on whatever ship they are on.   I think John and Katrina may still be on vacation.  We have cruised with them many times.  Most recently we cruised with them in Alaska on Serenade last summer.  They were suppose to get off Serenade and go on vacation in early November.   

[Mabbiez]

10 hours ago, homedepot124 said:

Yes, John Blair does a great Neil Diamond tribute show.  It is certainly the best show of the week on whatever ship they are on.   I think John and Katrina may still be on vacation.  We have cruised with them many times.  Most recently we cruised with them in Alaska on Serenade last summer.  They were suppose to get off Serenade and go on vacation in early November.   

I must find them and cruise with them sometime! I love Neil Diamond! He was my first concert when I was a kid. 

[welshrich]

On 1/3/2022 at 8:29 PM, homedepot124 said:

John and Katrina Blair do lots of things that other CD's and AD's don't do.  Such as the Neil Diamond show or simply interacting with the passengers.  Too bad RCCL can't have a John and Katrina on every ship. 

We were on a cruise with them a few years ago, his Neil Diamond show was great.

[bucfan2]

8 minutes ago, welshrich said:

We were on a cruise with them a few years ago, his Neil Diamond show was great.

It is excellent indeed.  He and his wife are former singers/dancers that worked their way to CD/ACD.  Great story if you can catch them when they're not overwhelmed to share it. 

[NC State]

We were on this cruise as well. Our first RC cruise and first Christmas cruise. We found that the Mariner needed a lot of updating. Having only cruised on Disney we kept pointing out things and saying "Disney would never allow that to go like that". We found a lot of rusty spots on the ship and our balcony was very dirty and rusty. Our phone didn't work (reported and had a new phone by the end of the day), intercom never worked (reported but never fixed so we never could hear any announcements) and the sliding door seal was coming off so we could hardly open the door (reported and fixed by the end of the day). We heard a lot of Christmas music, so much we were upset that they continue playing Christmas music right up to the day we got off on the 28th.....enough! We understand having the masks (don't like it but we agreed with the rule) but only 4 in elevators was something that people totally blew off. Rules are Rules.  We have so much time off at Christmas from our jobs we don't have to use vacation time so we will continue going at Christmas. Our Christmas '22 will be with Celebrity. 

[ramja96]

On 1/4/2022 at 10:50 AM, nelblu said:

Also, the casino needs to be overhauled as I kept losing😄. 

 

Hmm .... That is a concern, isn't it? 🤔 Hadn't thought about that.

[Homosassa]

On 1/3/2022 at 11:40 AM, LEMJMcC said:

 

 

Now, as far as Christmas is concerned, it was more like Christless.  Everything was over the top secular with not a hint of the sacred.  Not one traditional Crhistmas song was played on Mariner - though when docked alongside Brilliance at Cozumel we did hear some on that ship!  Nor did we see one manger scene or anything that referred to the reason for the season. 

 

 

LOL - the historical "reason for the season" is actually early Christians trying to override the existing celebration of Saturnalia and gain market share. To that end, they took an event that happened much earlier in the year (July by our calendars), and invented what was to become known as "Christ's Mass" (yes, Catholic) to lure people away from Saturnalia.

 

Realizing that giving up the good times associated with Saturnalia for a more austere observance would be a hard sale, the music, feasting, drinking, socializing and giving of gifts  was incorporated into the "Christ's Mass" celebration. 

 

It sounds like Royal Caribbean did a good job of keeping the traditions alive.

 

 

 

 

[OnTheJourney]

24 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

the existing celebration of Saturnalia

Well, sure. Many Holidays are steeped in pagan traditions. Besides the custom of gift giving associated with Saturnalia as being carried over into Christianity (ala the gifts of the Magi), it was also influenced by the life of Nikolaos of Myra - the 4th century saint fond of giving people gifts, ergo the origin of Santa Claus. Unfortunately, this Christmas gift giving has emerged into a mania and overshadows the more religious elements of the Christian Holiday. I would not really expect to find much in the way of a Nativity scene on a cruise ship. What I would find disappointing, though, is for there to be no religious service of any kind. What should be a time of peace, goodwill, and reconciliation is instead full of tension and stress - thus making the season difficult for some people. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[MommaBear55]

20 hours ago, LEMJMcC said:

The usual overall relaxing experience that we had enjoyed on other cruises unaffected by a pandemic or rather response to one.  Some specifics:

• Being hampered from seeing another's smile or show someone else a smile of appreciation or encouragement. 
• Worrying about having a mask on-hand to re-enter the ship upon returning from a port-of-call or forgetting to don one when leaving the table in the Windjammer to fetch some food.
• Being able to hear and understand others, particularly when they may have a strong accent or when in a noisy environment.
• Being understood by others trying to hear and understand me when I'm masked.
• Wondering what to do should I drop my mask on the floor - do I use it anyway or should I carry a spare just in case.

I would venture to say that the majority of folks find masks annoying, even if they feel that they are necessary.  I know of no one who wears a mask for the pure pleasure of it.

Where have you been the last 22 months that this wasn't already part of your experience? Yes, cruising is different now but so is all of life. You can either choose to enjoy what you can do, or you can choose not to do something. You really did not anticipate this? 

[Homosassa]

1 minute ago, OnTheJourney said:

What I would find disappointing, though, is for there to be no religious service of any kind. 

Maybe you would be disappointed, but I believe that surveys have found that inly 20% of US citizens attend any type of religious service (the myriad Christian sects, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.) on a weekly basis.

 

The vast majority (passenger and crew) on the ship would not have found anything missing.

[OnTheJourney]

9 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

The vast majority (passenger and crew) on the ship would not have found anything missing.

Unfortunately true. I often wonder what the future is of organized religious services among the various denominations. As an organist / choir director in my own parish, I have seen not only a lessened commitment to attending Mass (especially Holy Days) but especially joining our church's children's choir. Attendance at many churches is certainly down based on what I've read, and not just due to covid. Some of this could segue into a more generalized discussion on changes in society over the years, but no need to delve into any of that. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

12 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

You really did not anticipate this? 

True, but, cruising is something we've all done largely as a vacation / relaxation activity though of course also a means of exploration and all that goes with what makes any sort of travel enjoyable. It is a 'timeout' for many people from the usual working and other day-to-day. So now, what should be a fun activity is - for many I suspect - somewhat now overshadowed by the masking, testing, etc. that - as you say - has become part of our lives. People new to cruising, of course, won't think much of it in what could be this 'new normal'. But for those who have done it pre-covid, I can understand the feelings that it's just not the same now. 

[OnTheJourney]

20 hours ago, LEMJMcC said:

The usual overall relaxing experience that we had enjoyed on other cruises unaffected by a pandemic or rather response to one.  Some specifics:

• Being hampered from seeing another's smile or show someone else a smile of appreciation or encouragement. 
• Worrying about having a mask on-hand to re-enter the ship upon returning from a port-of-call or forgetting to don one when leaving the table in the Windjammer to fetch some food.
• Being able to hear and understand others, particularly when they may have a strong accent or when in a noisy environment.
• Being understood by others trying to hear and understand me when I'm masked.
• Wondering what to do should I drop my mask on the floor - do I use it anyway or should I carry a spare just in case.

I would venture to say that the majority of folks find masks annoying, even if they feel that they are necessary.  I know of no one who wears a mask for the pure pleasure of it.

Well said!  Agree completely (and I haven't even cruised yet during the pandemic). I might add to your list the anticipated (at least way more than in "normal" times) uncomfortable feeling of eating in the buffets and restaurants, since this is something we've not returned to yet since June except for 2-3 times that were fortunately in a restaurant that hardly had anyone in it. As I've said many times on various threads, it's not so much worrying about getting real sick during a cruise, but moreso the extra hassles and potential quarantine, etc. I'm more concerned about the level of contact off ship than onboard. I booked excursions the other night for my upcoming March cruise and it just didn't hold the usual excitement and anticipation - just left me feeling sort of flat and having mixed thoughts on whether or not I should be looking forward to it. Pre-covid, by now, 3 months out from just about any trip, I'd be chomping at the bit. Not this time. We might not even go. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[LEMJMcC]

1 hour ago, MommaBear55 said:

Where have you been the last 22 months that this wasn't already part of your experience? Yes, cruising is different now but so is all of life. You can either choose to enjoy what you can do, or you can choose not to do something. You really did not anticipate this? 

Fortunately for us, most places around here have not required or even requested masks since summer 2020.  We don't wear masks out and about during our normal day-to-day activities; the vast majority of folks in these parts do not.

 

As far as anticipating this, up to the Friday prior to our embarkation, vaccinated guests were not required to wear masks on the cruise.  So we were going into it with that in mind - thus the reason we were vaccinated, only to be out of masks on the cruise.  The panic over Omicron changed that 6 days before we set sail...by then we had too much invested in hotels on our way to/from the port to cancel our plans.

 

Let me be clear, we DID enjoy our cruise; just not to the level we thought we would.

Edited January 6, 2022 by LEMJMcC