Cruising choices with an active Pandemic

[tgh]

I copped a bit of jocular stick from the (mostly American) ladies in the SS laundry when industriously pressing a few crumpled shirts.
Some wanted to fetch their husbands to show them a male holding an iron…..

 

[drron]

Working away from home often by myself I loved no wrinkle shirts.

 

[Pushka]

MrP often reirons shirts interstate for work. Actually he always does. Can’t complain.

 

[VPS]

@Pushka only because you said I should

Gin gimlet

 

[love_the_life]

Have just come off Cunard QE Sydney round trip (culinary cruise). Masks not mandatory but only recommended inside and in crowded areas. Are required in the terminal and on shore excursion transport.
Apparently Carnival Corp have said that cruises less than 10 days do not require masks but on any longer ones, they are required inside etc as in the past.

 

[Pushka]

Have just come off Cunard QE Sydney round trip (culinary cruise). Masks not mandatory but only recommended inside and in crowded areas. Are required in the terminal and on shore excursion transport.
Apparently Carnival Corp have said that cruises less than 10 days do not require masks but on any longer ones, they are required inside etc as in the past.

I'm so pleased there are no more masks on Viking, anywhere, including the crew, except for Oz and NZ cruises.

 

[p--and--t]

I was considering buying one of these. Small portable and inexpensive, but them I found out all three cruises this year have self serve laundries.

Best Ultrasonic Cleaner | Portable Washing Machine

Sonic Soak is the best ultrasonic cleaner and the world’s smallest portable washing machine. Sonic Soak cleans laundry, food, jewelry, baby products and more at the microscopic scale.

sonicsoak.com

If your cabin has a fridge stowed in a cupboard, you will be familiar with the fact the cupboard gets very warm. Ideal to put a pair of socks or jocks inside the cupboard on the top of the fridge overnight. Also if they have one of the old style plasma TVs, they get very warm. a couple pairs of socks on top of the TV left on during dinner seems to work well.

 

[love_the_life]

I'm so pleased there are no more masks on Viking, anywhere, including the crew, except for Oz and NZ cruises.

Crew who interacted with passengers all wore masks on the QE cruise.

 

[Pushka]

Crew who interacted with passengers all wore masks on the QE cruise.

Viking abandoned them on Jan 1 I understand. Northern Hemisphere has really moved on.

 

[Anna]

Anyone seen Triangle of Sadness? Interesting take on cruising. And for anyone who has ever struggled with operating the lights in a hotel room

 

[SYD]

Anyone seen Triangle of Sadness? Interesting take on cruising. And for anyone who has ever struggled with operating the lights in a hotel room

I thought better of recommending that film to virgin cruisers!

But I laughed out loud several times.

 

[VPS]

Viking abandoned them on Jan 1 I understand. Northern Hemisphere has really moved on.

NCL staff have to wear N95 everywhere on the ship unless they are in their own cabin

PS woke up this morning with another lurgy . Hope it doesn’t last but cruise ends tomorrow

 

[VPS]

Viking abandoned them on Jan 1 I understand. Northern Hemisphere has really moved on.

In Spain mandatory to wear a mask on public transport. Everyone wore them on excursion on bus

 

[drron]

In Spain mandatory to wear a mask on public transport. Everyone wore them on excursion on bus

Though when we were in Spain in August the locals would put on a mask to board the bus but take it off when seated.
On the cruise excursions every one wore masks on the bus but one fellow who coughed frequently would take his mask off to cough!

 

[Pushka]

NCL staff have to wear N95 everywhere on the ship unless they are in their own cabin

PS woke up this morning with another lurgy . Hope it doesn’t last but cruise ends tomorrow

This must be a Spain thing. An Aussie just posted this on CC

"I was on NCL Spirit a couple of weeks ago and there was no requirement for crew or passengers to wear masks, but there were a few crew and passengers that still chose to wear them"

 

[Anna]

I thought better of recommending that film to virgin cruisers!

But I laughed out loud several times.

I laughed a lot especially when our hero was relaxing on the sundeck taking Insta photos while apparently reading Ulysses

I confess I had to go outside at one point for a couple of minutes. Not because I was laughing too much.

 

[maia200]

In Auckland for the weekend and saw The Grand Princess at dock yesterday. Today saw the P&O Explorer and the Viking Mars cruise past the hotel.. well not really but saw them from our room on the top floor of The Pullman.

 

[VPS]

This must be a Spain thing. An Aussie just posted this on CC

"I was on NCL Spirit a couple of weeks ago and there was no requirement for crew or passengers to wear masks, but there were a few crew and passengers that still chose to wear them"

That’s interesting you’d think NCL would have a company wide policy. If it was just Spain then they didn’t relax it in Portugal.

I ended up having to see the ship doctor. $350US for consultation antibiotics and cough medicine. Thank goodness I opted for a no excess insurance policy

 

[VPS]

Btw. Thanks for the advice for the magnets and pegs from someone.

 

[Pushka]

Btw. Thanks for the advice for the magnets and pegs from someone. View attachment 315883

Aren't magnet hooks the best! We usually hang caps, lanyards (yes, we two of those people), and we use flat magnets for shoreexcursion tickets etc.

Now I'm going to have a whinge. Viking have this dastardly policy of not opening up any of their excursions to book until 100 days out for Chairmans Suite and then every 10 days the bookings open for the suites in progression and then the minions like me in a DV. And they get booked out before our opening starts. Well, that sucks but what is happening on our cruise is even worse.

There is a cruise before ours that is sold as both a separate cruise, but also as a combined cruise with ours, and then ours which is also sold as a solo cruise, we booked the second cruise only. ok. The issue being that the ones in the lowest category of cabins can book if on the combined cruise before the higher level suites on ours! . This has only just been noticed by some of us on a FB group and only because one of my wanted excursions - Valley of the Kings and Queens - is already sold out and possibly 80% of our solo cruise passengers can't even book yet! So people have bought a high end suite but still can't book.

Im attending a Viking session here in March, my excursions are all available to book by end of Feb. (unless sold out ) so might be an interesting discussion point coz I'm not afraid to speak out. I know. Surprising that, isn't it!