1st Cruise after covid....what are your thoughts?

Problem with flying to Bermuda for a week is that hotels in Bermuda are outrageous. Cruising with 2 overnights in port is still the best way to see Bermuda. By the by .. Bermuda is my favourite island. Add to this that I am able to purchase Gosilings Family Reserve Old Rum there and it becomes even better.

We took our cruise in June. Ship was only about 1/2 full, masks were optional, except in certain areas. Now the ships are sailing at full capacity again. People are getting CoVid on ships. Between that fact and all the cutbacks and rising costs, I don’t feel the need to cruise. I can just fly to Bermuda for a week.

Virgin Cruises looks interesting, but we would have to fly to Florida

Well said Yankee 47. We see that too.

In case of icebergs....I can assure you I didn't carry water in my canteen in nam..that wouldve been dangerous.

Maybe for you. But Y47 strikes me as a "hidden hip flask" kind of guy.

Willtravel17. According to your profile, your cruise is still over 5 months away. While in some ways that's a short time, in others it's practically a lifetime. Consider how rapidly things got shut down when Covid first arrived on the scene. While I don't believe we're going to experience an upheaval like that over the next 5-6 months, I cannot rule it out entirely.

That being said, I wish to echo my fellow cruisers in wishing you a good time. Being the avid cruiser that your profile depicts, you'll step onboard and experience most of the familiar sights and sounds that greeted you in the past. Many of your favorite things will still be there, most exactly the same, some slightly modified. Relax, have fun, and roll with what's being offered.

Your anxiety is understandable. I myself felt it when we boarded the ship last year. At that time we had to show proof of vaccination AND a negative Covid test within a couple days of sailing, which means everyone who was boarding were presumed negative, at least at that moment. Unless things change, you won't have to go through that. You WILL see a few people wearing masks, just as you do when going to the grocery store, restaurant, or any other land based venue. They are now in an ever shrinking minority, but I don't think anyone (or at least very very few) are judging them. Personally I still wear them at airports and aboard aircraft. Do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.

There is no escaping Covid, especially on a ship. We took our precautions with the vaccines, and now it's time to get on with life. The world is open again (even in China).

The changes on the ships are mostly due to the economic situations of the cruise lines (cutbacks etc...). As far as the social interactions of people on board, I did not notice anything different. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I believe if there were mass outbreaks of Covid due to cruise ship travel, (I'm talking about tens or hundreds of thousands of infections, not the clusters that occasionally break out on a ship).we'd have heard about it and steps would again be taken.

Once discovered, the cruise lines have protocols in place to isolate the infected. Some months back we had seen a few grim stories about what that's like for those unfortunates, but I think things have gotten better. I base that on how I haven't seen any negative stories about that issue over the past few months. I think the lines are doing all they can to avoid negative press. Yankee47 believes the cruise lines are suppressing or "tweaking" that information. I think he's right, to a point. But if there were scores upon scores of people getting sick aboard the ships then spreading it throughout society, call me naïve but I really think that would have leaked out by now.

You don't get the 5 shots till you are on the ship and using the drink package .. lol

Uh......... you did mean vaccine shots.............correct?

Agree. We too have had the 5 shots and have no idea if we have even ever had it or not. Seems you can get it and not know it of think it is a cold .... May not be able to avoid the crowded elevators all the time but when when there is an option we usually opt for the option that will minimize possibilities ... that being said ... I suspect it is just a matter of convincing ourselves that we are safe whether we are or not. All about comfort with the situation. And of course as circumstances change so does how we feel.

Best advise ... just go for it and enjoy ... and do what you are comfortable with .... And keep expectations to a minimum. I have found the biggest impediment to happiness is expectations. the lower the expectation the less chance of disappointment. The cruise will be great. Enjoy.

Yeh..I agree...theres a phenomenon thats happening all over...covid was the perfect trigger...companies all over everywhere are discovering just how cheap and understaffed they can be and get away with it. I've said it entirely too many times...the main gripers are so-called "old-time cruisers" who KNOW just how wonderful a cruise can be, and were willing to pay for it. Now, WE certainly know just how much a cruise is worth, and how much we're willing to put up with to do it. Question is, do the cruise lines know...pardon me..they clearly don't care. Seems like they're betting there'll ALWAYS be folks willing to pay anything for less....

BTW, with all due respect old friend...common sense does't help when you're stuck in an overcrowded elevator with folks hacking all over, or sitting next to people at dinner doing the same, etc etc. We decided we were willing to take the chance, after 5 shots each. Mebbe we're being stupid, and should know better...