Has anyone been on a cruise since December 2021??? what was your experience like???

[RICHARD@SEA]

Not many have posted thoughts on their onboard experiences & I'd be interested to read how they made out on recent voyages....also has anyone gone w a gay group or charter???

[tompeter]

I have been on 3 regular cruises in last 6 months and going again in a week. As long as you are comfortable with wearing a mask indoors most of the time, and are comfortable with last minute port changes, you will be fine. There are generally no crowds on board, and the crew is thrilled to be back to work and to have you on board.

[geoherb]

I went solo on a Princess cruise last month. I had a great time. There was not an active LGBT group on that cruise. There were 1,420 passengers on my cruise. On my Alaskan cruise in August, there were more than 2,600 passengers and a great group of guys who attended the LGBT meetings every night. But I was fine not hanging out with other gay men last month. 

[rsmdude]

I went solo on a Princess cruise earlier this month and had a nice time.  We did have a small LGBT group that met most nights to chat, 2 couples and 2 single guys.  There were other LGBT couples on the cruise but they never came to the meetups that I know of.  There were only 960 passengers on my sailing compared to standard capacity of 3560 and over 1100 crew so we never encountered crowds that I noticed.  In the piazza the low passenger count was probably most noticeable.  I have several upcoming solo trips on Princess and NCL so I'll have to see how those compare.  Princess especially has some seriously cheap deals for solos right now so if you're itching to cruise now could be the best time for awhile with the low passenger counts.

[Surfguyxxx]

Recently did a TA from Barcelona to Port Canaveral last October 2021.  While there was nothing "organized" there were probably about 30 of us onboard.  We met up during the cruise periodically and it was a great time to be had.  Some of the crew went out of their way to say hi to us.  

[malawijay]

I was on a Dec 26 cruise on NCL and had a great time. They had added the mask requirement back because of Omicron, but really it wasn't a big deal. There were a few couples at the meet ups, but I couldn't go often.

[Boytjie]

We were on Holland America's fourth cruise after the restart in August 2021 and then in January we were on Celebrity with the Vacaya charter. 

 

For the August cruise it was one of the first where everyone had to get a negative test pre-boarding so that  created some anxiety amongst people. We had no issues with getting tested in Seattle. Boarding was expedited. Onboard we were to wear masks indoors when not dining or drinking. That worked well and most people followed the rules. I think there were about 1,600 people on board.  There were cabins forward of our deck (4) that were reserved for quarantine purposes and the same was true on deck 6.

 

Six months later and in the midst of Omicron, we had similar experienced on the Vacaya charter.  Testing was more hectic but our travel agent and Vacaya made arrangements for testing to be expedited and also for testing to be done at host hotels. Boarding was just as fast once they opened the doors.  Apparently the ship was to be fuller but many tested positive pre-cruise and we ended up sailing with about 1,500 passengers. This was a lot more that what Celebrity has been sailing with, so there were some service issues but nothing too serious. The same masking rules applied and were followed. If we had more than 22 covid cases at any time we would not have been able to go ashore in Aruba or Curacao but we made it ashore. I believe overall there were 27 cases, with 75 more contact traced and tested and quarantined for 24 hours. For our own comfort level we did not attend too many large indoor gatherings but so many events took place outdoors.

 

It was definitely a more stressful experience getting to the ship in January vs August. With Omicron and having to navigate Florida (vs. Seattle), it felt like  living in something like Squid Games (which I never saw)!  Maneuver through many obstacles to reach a goal without dying!

Edited February 3, 2022 by Boytjie

[pke-atlanta]

Hi, we’re actually on the Atlantis NCL charter right now. In order to board, we had to provide proof of vaccination, have a negative CV19 test not more than 2 days before sailing, and then were tested again by the cruise line at the cruise terminal before being allowed to board. Also, at checkin, temperature was checked.

 

Onboard, masks are required inside as well as outside “when social distancing isn’t possible”.  We haven’t done any of the big parties, so I can’t speak to how effectively that mask requirement is enforced in those situations. But on shore excursions and around the ship, people we’ve seen are pretty much following the rules for the most part.

 

Given the vaccination requirement, pre-boarding tests, and the fact that we ourselves are triple vaxxed and don’t have any risk factors, we’re feeling pretty safe onboard. Have not heard of anyone testing positive so far during the trip (we’re now beginning Day 8), but if that changes, will let you know here.

[BostonBud]

I was on the Vacaya charter.  Omicron was a very definite cloud over the whole week (luckily I think it's past)  As stated in an earlier post, we had to wear masks indoors.  I'd say 90% of the passengers adhered to this requirement.  Sometimes ppl just forgot especially when coming from outdoors to indoors.

 

I wore a mask everywhere, even outdoors and didn't attend any of the parties.  Additionally we frequented the Sunset Bar at the back of the ship which was outdoors.  I am vigilant about a mask (I also work at the port in the testing area when guests need a PCR or antigen test).  I tested positive for Covid a day after the cruise which means I got it on the cruise.  My husband tested and continues to test negative.  I had a slight sore throat and maybe a runny nose for a day but I tested because I got off the ship.  Had I not I would have never known that I was positive for COVID.  

 

On the online groups after the cruise many people were testing positive, so while it seemed to be contained onboard, it was definitely a superspreader event.  Although the symptoms were fairly mild if you were vaccinated and boosted.

 

[Boytjie]

On 2/8/2022 at 8:52 AM, BostonBud said:

On the online groups after the cruise many people were testing positive, so while it seemed to be contained onboard, it was definitely a superspreader event.  Although the symptoms were fairly mild if you were vaccinated and boosted.

 

 

I don't know if I'd call it a super spreader event without knowing numbers and there is no way to know how many tested positive after the cruise. It was likely less of a spreader situation than being on land in the US; omicron was running wild.

 

Five days after returning home, I received a NY Alert that I was in close proximity to someone that was positive/sick on the 16th - meaning on the ship (must have been a fellow New Yorker). Neither of us felt sick or tested positive at any time.

 

Friends traveled back to California where one tested positive and got very sick (despite being boosted) - he said he felt he was going to die -  yet his husband remained negative. 

 

This is a very strange bug.

[geoherb]

I was on the Regal Princess last week. There was a small group of gay men I met on the cruise. The problem was the entertainment director scheduled the LGBT meeting at the same time as the show--9 p.m. I went to the show every night and caught the end of the meeting. There were several lesbian and gay couples I saw around the ship who did not mingle with others. That was fine. I also had many straight friends--dinner companions, trivia teammates, and others I met around the ship. This was my third cruise since the restart.

[florida fun in the sun]

Doing a TA solo in April from Tampa to Barcelona. Things seem to be calming down with covid, hoping for a safe fun time. 

[MishelleMcc]

We did the Ruby Princess (RT SF to Hawaii Jan 16-31).  It was the 2nd Hawaiian cruise (After Grand Princess the week before)  Hawaii was adjusting their requirements.  We ended up testing 3 times:

 

1)  CDC Required - 2 days prior to boarding

2)  Hawaii Required - Last minute!  Test at terminal prior to boarding.

3)  Hawaii Required - two days prior to first Hawaiian port.

 

Overall impression: 

 

We had a blast!  Met some amazing People!  The LGBTQ+ meet-up was a smaller group than we expected and we didn't attend regularly but met up with others in the group at various areas on the ship.

 

Most Pax wore masks and we ended up spending a lot of time outdoors so would mask while moving around the ship (as did everyone else) but tended to leave masks down while drinking & smoking outdoors.

 

A few days before the end of the cruise, California wanted everyone who was NOT boosted, to be tested.  We are boosted so were not tested but everyone we hung out with who weren't boosted, tested negative.  We commented that we were probably safer on the ship those two weeks than the rest of the world...

 

I got hoarse the last couple of days (too much partying?)   After we got home, I felt like I was getting a chest cold so went to Urgent Care:  Antigen & PCR tests both negative. 

 

We had our 16th Wedding Anniversary on board and every time we walked by a Medallion kiosk, an animated greeting appeared!  We Really had a GREAT time!!! 

Cruise if you can, stay safe and LIVE YOUR LIFE!!!  ❤️

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Went on a Celebrity cruise in December.  Dozens of LGBTQ+ we came across.  The daily Happy Hour normally had 15-20 in attendance.  A few couples we will definately keep in touch with.  Ship was only 1/3rd capacity.  We left the ship right before all the lines mandated masking, so we had a much different experience than those crusing late Dec.

[SireDoime]

I came back from my 14 day on Bliss (Jan 21- Feb4) three weeks ago. I still have dreams about being on that ship 😊. It was great with only 1313 passengers aboard! We had to skip two ports, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala & Puerto Caldera Puntarenas, Costa Rica, because of COVID regulations, but it was still a very relaxing cruise. I actually got to use the pools and Jacuzzis. The food was amazing, and the booze was ever flowing. I would love to do it again, but by the time that happens on this ship it'll be sailing at full capacity, and I ain't doing that.

 

My next cruises are aboard Regent 7 Seas Splendor: East Caribbean in December, and a Transatlantic (Spain to Miami) in November 2023!

Edited February 24, 2022 by SireDoime
stuff

[fshepinc]

I did the Atlantis Mexico cruise in October, and a straight cruise on HAL in February. Sailing Carnival in eight days, and have another Atlantis booked for next October. On my last two cruises the ships were at 60% and 30% capacity respectively -and that made for great service and easy access to the facilities. The Atlantis cruise had a much more rigorous testing requirement, but no masking required on board. HAL asked every to mask except while eating or drinking -which translated into servers bringing everyone a glass of ice water so they would always be drinking... I really enjoyed both cruises, and didn't hear of anyone coming down with covid on either ship. 

[cruiseny4life]

My husband and I cruised in April so a couple months ago now. Our ship was about 110% capacity (spring break in the tri-state area). Thankfully we cruised in the Haven on NCL so could get away from the craziness and purchased the thermal spa weekly pass. When we went on the regular pool deck we quickly returned to our seclusion as it was just bonkers! Post cruise, a lot of people on our roll call (the social media site roll call) said they tested positive. 

 

While we did not attend any of the LGBT meet ups we did see several couples on board. We're not partiers, drinkers, or very social so didn't hang out with anyone else. The cruise was amazing and we're looking to book another NCL Haven cruise in the near future. I keep trying to do it now, but since we just bought a house my husband claims we need to hold off a bit...ugh, responsibility! 

 

Anyway, if you go, have an amazing time! It's easy to love cruising right now, especially without the mask requirement! 

[Surfguyxxx]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:31 AM, cruiseny4life said:

I keep trying to do it now, but since we just bought a house my husband claims we need to hold off a bit...ugh, responsibility! 

I hate that "responsibility thing" too.  We've not done any NCL cruises, for whatever reason, but should look into them.