No masks required for crew

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, C4HCG said:

I get that, for some reason it becomes a less friendly atmosphere.  

We haven't found that on the ship. We have enjoyed the same humour, same banter and the same great service as before.

[Tall Lad]

20 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

Smart crew

Why exactly?

[Ipeeinthepools]

18 hours ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

 

I've had the same experience. All staff masked up. In fact, when I approached to ask a question, A mask that was loosely on a face, was corrected and tightened. No sign of this new policy on Solstice yet thankfully.

Are you going to share any of your other experiences aboard Celebrity ships?

[Fartlek]

I think the crew are wise to wear a mask if they should choose to. They see what’s going on better than anyone.  On our last cruise, we noticed that hardly anyone was coughing at the beginning of the cruise, and at the end, a high percentage was. looking at the Facebook group after a cruise It’s a very high percentage they get Covid.  For the crew, they see this, and some of their livelihoods can depend on it, so I can sure understand if they choose to wear a mask. Covid is still out there and I can understand if they take precautions.

[IWillGoAnywhere26]

Just read on another site that on the Summit masks are now mandatory for everyone while inside. Hard to believe unmasking the crew is going to work.

[lexmiller]

I wonder then, if masks are optional for the crew, if mandatory weekly testing for them is still occurring?  Because since the restart, they've had to test every week, and all debate aside, masking does help keep infection rates down generally speaking.  So productivity wise, I do wonder that perhaps weekly crew testing has ended??  Because if Celebrity says, hey, you guys don't have to wear masks - BUT BEWARE, because we are still testing you every week so you might be in sick bay for quite a while.  And they're already very short on staff as we all know, so they wouldn't want to cause further shortages.  

Weekly testing or not aside, making crew masks optional is definitely a reflection of how the virus has mutated toward being much more mild, especially for those that are vaxxed and boosted - which all of the crew are.  And a reflection of the general relaxation of covid restrictions period - across the world, everywhere we go (except in medical settings and oh ya, cruising!).  

[SunNFunCruzer]

21 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

Because since the restart, they've had to test every week, and all debate aside, masking does help keep infection rates down generally speaking.  So productivity wise, I do wonder that perhaps weekly crew testing has ended??  Because if Celebrity says, hey, you guys don't have to wear masks - BUT BEWARE, because we are still testing you every week so you might be in sick bay for quite a while.  And they're already very short on staff as we all know, so they wouldn't want to cause further shortages.  

 

And crew get to keep individual tips on most lines, so guest facing crew make much more money working than in quarantine. And, yes, we tip individuals extra, as do many other cruisers, although I don't want to start a tipping war thread.

[broker1217]

I'm on Eclipse now---all crew wearing masks. We did see one crew member on deck 15 washing decks without a mask. Everyone else is masking up.

Captain announced rise in pax COVID yesterday and now masks are required in casino and theater. After that announcement, many more pax wearing masks everywhere.

[NMTraveller]

The crew should be treated like normal human beings and not second class citizens.

 

I am not sure why some prefer to have the crew masked when they are running around without one?  Why the disparity?

 

It is about time that the crew should be able to make their own decisions one way or another.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by NMTraveller

[SunNFunCruzer]

Rumor on the Solstice is that crew masks will come off at the start of the next cruise, October 1st. Bartender at outside deck Ocean view Cafe is already maskless. All other Solstice crew, as we've seen, remain masked, for now.

[snowowl]

We are on the solstice. Tonight is the last night. A crew told us mask is not required starting next sailing. 

[SunNFunCruzer]

5 minutes ago, snowowl said:

We are on the solstice. Tonight is the last night. A crew told us mask is not required starting next sailing. 

 

Yes, Exactly as I posted in #54. Are you in a suite? No way to add a privacy curtain in our veranda stateroom, yet you posted a photo of privacy curtains in your stateroom and a suite passenger also confirmed a privacy curtain.

[prmssk]

45 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The crew should be treated like normal human beings and not second class citizens.

 

I am not sure why some prefer to have the crew masked when they are running around without one?  Why the disparity?

 

It is about time that the crew should be able to make their own decisions one way or another.

 

 

And this should also mean they are treated the same whether they choose to wear a mask or not.  I fear that as it becomes optional, some crew may fear lower tips from some if they continue to mask or may get sick of dealing with some passenger's impatience with the mask and let that override their own comfort level.  I just wish we could get to a point where it was completely optional for all but also not judged for those who continue to wear masks.

[SusieAV8R]

Just now, SunNFunCruzer said:

Rumor on the Solstice is that crew masks will come off at the start of the next cruise, October 1st. Bartender at outside deck Ocean view Cafe is already maskless. All other Solstice crew, as we've seen, remain masked, for now.

 

Just now, SunNFunCruzer said:

Rumor on the Solstice is that crew masks will come off at the start of the next cruise, October 1st. Bartender at outside deck Ocean view Cafe is already maskless. All other Solstice crew, as we've seen, remain masked, for now.

A number of Crew confided in DH and me during our last 3 cruises that it was difficult to make themselves understood when speaking to pax while wearing masks.  This resulted in misunderstandings and sometimes a lot of anger from a small portion of pax.  But as one crew told me: "one angry pax can ruin a day".  (yup, so remember my bar-working university days and the one-angry-customer-one ruined-night shift from 40 years ago!!!). Bottom line:  hope Celebrity will permit each Crewmember to make the decision  whether to wear a mask while working.

[SusieAV8R]

13 minutes ago, snowowl said:

We are on the solstice. Tonight is the last night. A crew told us mask is not required starting next sailing. 

Positive news!!  Thank you 🙂

[LGW59]

26 minutes ago, prmssk said:

And this should also mean they are treated the same whether they choose to wear a mask or not.  I fear that as it becomes optional, some crew may fear lower tips from some if they continue to mask or may get sick of dealing with some passenger's impatience with the mask and let that override their own comfort level.  I just wish we could get to a point where it was completely optional for all but also not judged for those who continue to wear masks.

I absolutely feel that the crew should be allowed to make THEIR own decision to mask or not, and whatever they decide, people better not judge them on the cruise I have coming up.  I personally still wear a mask but only when riding the subway shouldertoshoulder on the subway, otherwise I do not.  I still see quite a few people wearing masks around the city though, cest la vie.  The crew must be dealing with so very much these days, especailly from of the posts re expectations I read about on here.  I'm not cruising until Oct 24 for 14 days, no doubt I will be please because they always work so hard, tip early and tip often, these folks make our vacations the best!~

[NMTraveller]

47 minutes ago, prmssk said:

And this should also mean they are treated the same whether they choose to wear a mask or not.  I fear that as it becomes optional, some crew may fear lower tips from some if they continue to mask or may get sick of dealing with some passenger's impatience with the mask and let that override their own comfort level.  I just wish we could get to a point where it was completely optional for all but also not judged for those who continue to wear masks.

My fear is that the same people that DICTACTED that they wear masks will tip them less when they make their own decision.

 

 The crew should have never been treated as lessers than the cruisers in this matter.

 

For me it does not matter if they do or don't and I prefer the workers freedom to choose.

 

Just make the rules the same for the cruisers and the workers.

 

I don't understand the cruisers going out on excursions and migling with hundreds and expecting the crew to be masked.

Edited October 1, 2022 by NMTraveller

[sjb317]

11 hours ago, broker1217 said:

I'm on Eclipse now---all crew wearing masks. We did see one crew member on deck 15 washing decks without a mask. Everyone else is masking up.

Captain announced rise in pax COVID yesterday and now masks are required in casino and theater. After that announcement, many more pax wearing masks everywhere.

We are currently on Summit, our Captain made the same announcement yesterday afternoon only we were told masks are mandatory anytime indoors unless seated and eating/drinking.  Majority of passengers now wearing masks.  
 

Sherri🙂

[Maria63]

We're recently off a b2b on RCI:s Wonder. On the first leg my impression was that masks were mandatory for the crew, though it was voluntary for guests and hardly anyone of the guests wore them. I def. dislike the idea of being served by someone who may be forced to wear a mask when at the same time it's voluntary for me. It doesn't feel right as far as I'm concernced.

 

On the second leg it was made voluntary for the crew as well (confirmed by loyalty concierge). The first day many were still masked, but day after day the masks came off, and by the end of the cruise hardly any of the crew wore them either. One notable exception was the entire staff at guest relations - but I don't know if it was voluntary or not. However, I absolutely agree that the mask makes communication much more difficult, esp. if you are using a language that is not your first. The GR-desk on Wonder is in a very noisy area, and it was nigh impossible to communicate without repeated "excuse-me's". Also, I noticed that I myself instinctively tended to lean as close as possible towards the person addressing me to get some sense of what was being said - which ofcourse is not at all good if physical distancing is still recommended.

[lydnsyd]

Just off the Silhouette yesterday (30th)  -all staff still wearing mask.

According to the Captain 2% of passengers had come down with Covid on the cruise

[wineoclock]

Well I had both flu & 4th covid vaccine three days ago. Immunosuppressed so I was called for them. Dh not eligible yet & we sail in just over 2 weeks. Hopefully he’ll be called soon. 

Edited October 1, 2022 by wineoclock

[Cruising89143]

I hope that this is true. I was a masker for two and a half years and followed the health guidelines but we have moved on. We are fully vaccinated and boosted.
 

Glad to see that the cruise lines will allow crew members to be adults and make THEIR own decisions. It will be nice to actually see the smile behind the mask. I read that RCI has made the same decision. Kudos to both cruise lines. 

[C4HCG]

3 hours ago, lydnsyd said:

Just off the Silhouette yesterday (30th)  -all staff still wearing mask.

According to the Captain 2% of passengers had come down with Covid on the cruise

I honestly think they need to stop counting. Do they still have to due to regulation? Need to move on.

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

I honestly think they need to stop counting. Do they still have to due to regulation? Need to move on.

At 3% they reintroduce mask wearing in some locations so the 2% acts as a reminder. As the number of unvaccinated passengers increases the risk of someone being seriously ill also increases so you can understand the ship being cautious. 

[Projunior]

We sailed on the Summit out of St. Martin in July, 2021. The passengers did not have to wear masks and the cruise marked the first time the entire crew was allowed to not wear masks. Everyone, both passengers and crew, were over the moon with delight. 

 

Fast forward to today,  over one year later. I am back on the Summit and not only is the entire crew masked but the captain has told us that the passengers must be masked in all indoor spaces. With the entire ship now masked one can only conclude that Celebrity's position is that the pandemic situation is more unsafe today than it was in the summer of 2021 when the entire Summit went maskless.

 

In the casino we are forced to leave masks in place and must pull them down to sip a drink and then return them to our faces. It's as if we are not on a ship in October 2022 but on an airplane in the darkest depths of 2020 COVID.

 

Way past time for Celebrity to get real about this.