Cruising in the new world of cruising

[Honolulu Blue]

Hi all.  It's been about a year and a half since the world of cruising has opened back up widely.  The poll is straightforward and simple.  You can amplify your views with your comments.  Be nice!  Thanks in advance!!

[pc_load_letter]

Cruising was great initially. Low passenger counts meant wide open spaces, not much waiting, and peace and quiet.

 

Now, things are crazy busy but the lines are in a tough spot. Some amenities and features have been cut back on various ships and this has repeat customers upset. Chalk it up to supply chain, staffing or just money saving efforts. And price increases for things like drink packages have people bummed.

 

But we've had fun on all our cruises since startup.

Edited September 26, 2022 by pc_load_letter

[navybankerteacher]

On 9/26/2022 at 2:20 PM, pc_load_letter said:

…

 

Some amenities and features have been cut back on various ships and this has repeat customers upset. Chalk it up to supply chain, staffing or just money saving efforts. And price increases for things like drink packages have people bummed.

 

…

The fact is: cruising will continue to evolve (perhaps devolve is a better term) - fare increases and the impact of cost cutting on amenities will continue.  If you are not satisfied living year to year on the same income, why would you think a cruise line’s management’s approach might differ?

[SbbquilterUT]

Have been fortunate to complete 4 (one included 6 days in quarantine) and look forward to 2023 with more to explore in Mexico and European river cruises.  Yes, things have changed but we are so happy to be traveling that those changes are not important to us.

[Aquahound]

Four cruises since May 2021 and they’ve all been great. The last one felt very close to pre-Covid. Looking forward to #5. 😀

[Lois R]

6 cruises since June 2021 and 2 more booked.😀 Next one is next month and I have another one booked for January.

[Fishboy1947]

Had a family, 12 of us, cruise in June. After reading CC for the year prior, we had expected to have to lower our expectations 

 

But after the cruise we were unanimous that we couldn’t find anything to complain about. We all felt everything was as good or better than our prior family cruise, which was pre-COVID. In fact we all felt the food was better, even the picky eater.

[Joebucks]

Well all of life has been different. All of my travel has been more far more expensive. It's much harder to find cheap flights. I just spent 4 nights in Fort Lauderdale in a hotel that was more than my upcoming 7 night cruise. 

 

Did a cruise earlier this year when they were sailing at about 50% capacity. Pros and cons for sure. It was very nice to have a better selection of loungers, theater seats, dining, etc. However, at times, it was a ghost town, which was boring. 

 

I am very much pumped for my upcoming cruise. The price was outstanding, and there will be some great new experiences for us. I will survive if the fries aren't fresh cut or whatever other terrible things are happening.

[whogo]

Holland America was at pre-pandemic quality on our recent 14 night cruise. I felt we were lucky, other bloggers reported sick ships and/or personal experience with the disease during or after their cruise, could just as easily been the two of us.

 

Masked were recommended, not required, few passengers wore them, we were an exception, all staff wore them, almost always properly. I tried to social distance, stayed out of the showroom, was uncomfortable on tender rides with 80% of the passengers unmasked.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

2 cruises so far. January and May. I got COVID both times but luckily it was towards the end for both. Booked again in December.

the January cruise was awesome in that there were few people but not a lot to do. May was no masks and everyone was getting back into the swing of things. 

[pris993]

Did one cruise in January, pleasant, not too crowded.  Service outstanding, variety in food was less so but considering everything we are booked again for this December over holidays.  Made final payment already, see ship is not fully booked yet.   Maybe less full again, which would be fine for us.

We only need to take a taxi to the ship; I feel for folks trying to fly into ports with so many flights being cancelled frequently.   Cruise lines are having a hard time.  I looked into booking a December 2023 cruise, see cruise line only asking for $1 deposit, offering $100 pp OBC which must be used for a ship excursion.  That tells me cruise line looking for money.   

[marco]

Alaska in July '21 on HAL.  Feb '22 on HAL and Aug '22 on Cunard.

[cynt]

4 cruises since the reopen. Future cruises - I cruise this Saturday and Thanksgiving week. We still love it and actually like the improved cleaning due to C19.  

 

From my 1st cruise since C19 in Sept 2021 to my June 2022 cruise things certainly have evolved aboard the ships. I wish they would continue serving in the buffets but that was gone on my June cruise. Mask are gone as well as social distancing. So my next cruise I'll be a little more mindful and try and keep myself safe. 

[Keksie]

I am a no and have none scheduled.  I just read a post where someone on a cruise had the captain announce that they were over a certain % positive and everyone had to wear masks in public.  As long as that is a possibility we will be in the none scheduled camp and continue to take vacations where that would not happen.  

[shipgeeks]

We have done three cruises this year, with two more booked, and intentions to continue with four a year.  We are enjoying them all.  The biggest stress was the pre-cruise testing, with concerns of the testing site cancelling at the last minute, more than whether we would test positive.

The biggest difference we notice now is not the onboard service/food/entertainment, but the extent of the slide into casualness that passengers exhibit, after two years at home in pajamas.  The overall feeling of a cruise being something special has greatly diminished, IMO.  Just another day at the mall or farmer's market.  I miss the festive feeling of "We are so fortunate to be here".

[navybankerteacher]

It is not just Covid which has brought about the “new world of cruising”.  Cruising has been rapidly evolving over the past few decades from a somewhat luxurious activity for the well-to-do to a mass market product - the services on board have changed radically as have the port experiences.  Coming into a small port with a few other ships carrying perhaps 20,000 bargain hunters is very different than sharing it with perhaps a few hundred .

There really is not a “NEW” world - rather a continuously evolving world.

[cruisingguy007]

Been on two since the restart and have two more scheduled, honestly, it feels like cruises haven't changed much, well besides all the staff masked up. I did avoid comedy shows, theater shows and other crowded indoor spaces, never wore a mask and made it home covid free each time. It felt like normal cruising and one can be as free or make it as close to normal as one wants or is willing to risk. I'll be sticking to warm locations and spending most of my time outside, I think that's the big key to avoiding catching the covid. Some cutbacks/staffing issues have been noticeable but overall it's still a very fun vacation and I'm looking forward to my next cruise with much anticipation. IMO, cruising is fully back. 

[George C]

3 and 2 more booked including next month, started off big with our first penthouse on first ship to hit St Thomas since Covid. 

[Lois R]

2 hours ago, George C said:

3 and 2 more booked including next month, started off big with our first penthouse on first ship to hit St Thomas since Covid. 

Hi George, enjoy that Penthouse😀what ship?

[George C]

38 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi George, enjoy that Penthouse😀what ship?

We did a move up to penthouse on Edge July 2021. Totally amazing experience.

[weltek]

One planned for December, but it's likely our last cruise for a very long time. We have so many other land vacations that are a priority, and cruising has lost its luster for us. The thought of being trapped on a ship with an outbreak of something has always been in the back of my mind, but early COVID days really brought it into focus. And we've reached Caribbean and Mexico saturation point, so I don't look forward to them in the winter as much as I used to.

 

I'm very curious to see how staffing effects our cruise. I know all the lines are challenged by job vacancies and covid outbreaks among staff.