Pandemic Cruising II

 

Deciding to cruise? You have to ask yourself: "How badly do I want to see these views?" 

Our continued adventures cruising during the 'return' has shown that the 'safety' of this type of vacation really depends on the ship and other passengers. In general, it seems that people have become more lax, both in terms of protocol enforcement by the ships' management as well as passenger compliance, as the season has gone on. As well, cruise lines have been increasing capacity, although still not at full.

As opposed to my opinion after our first two cruises, where I felt completely comfortable recommending cruising to anyone, I feel now that whether or not it's a good vacation option really depends on one's personal risk assessment process. As well, it would depend on how flexible one can be with dealing with the particular set of conditions once on board. Nothing is guaranteed! 

Update: Since I began writing this post, Omicron variant has become predominant, and more cruise ships are having issues, including being denied entry to some ports. Some lines have stopped taking reservations for the next few weeks to keep capacity down. And, the CDC has recommended that even vaccinated people should not cruise. So, at least temporarily, I don't think cruising, or really any leisure travel involving exposure to a lot of people is a wise move. 

The last set of cruises for our Fall experiment of 'living part time on a cruise ship' were: 

MSC Divina, 7 Days Bahamas

Carnival Valor, 5 Days Mexico

Carnival Breeze, 5 Days Mexico

In my previous post, Pandemic Cruising I, I went over all the ways in which cruising is different during the pandemic, including the protocols used by MSC and Carnival (which varied somewhat). Most of that was the same for these cruises, including:

• Appointment times for embarkation and independent mustering.
• All masks all the time for crew, unless working out in the open away from others or distanced (as in musicians).
• Masking for all passengers in food service locations (until seated at table, eating), elevators, and congested places where distancing not possible. Unfortunately, there was a lot of lapse in this protocol on this round. 
• Masking requirements at ports of call, definitely indoors and quite often outdoors.
• Proof of negative COVID test before boarding, type dependent on vaccination status (5% allowed to be non-vax).
• MSC was still doing daily temperature checks and no self-service at the buffet. 

Read on if you'd like to see piccies or more observations of life 'living on a cruise ship.'

MSC Divina Birthday Cruise

We were back on the Divina for my birthday in late October. I snatched up this cruise when it was a price so cheap, I couldn't pass it by. Our price even included drinks and WIFI, which we rarely purchase. I don't drink a lot, but I did enjoy trying out some new cocktails in the evening when we were listening to live music. Drinks package also means no shuffling off to the buffet to fill up our Tervis and water bottles. How luxurious!

The drinks package had many cocktails we had never tried before, so we tried these new drinks: Sidecar, Gin Fizz, Pink Lady, Caipiroska (with vodka, as presented, but also with gin), and Blue Hawaiian. 

These were my two favorites: Pink Lady and Sidecar (with another flower from our waiter)

Water on demand. Blue Hawaiian on the balcony.

The musical trio we mostly listened to had a diverse repertoire. There were 3 songs that they played that I was not familiar with, but really liked. Since we had WiFi, I was able to look the originals up. Maybe you know and like them as well?

The cruise itself was wonderful, but there was a ton of drama leading up to it! As the cruise approached I joined the Facebook group, per usual. Oh, boy, drama big time! It seems that MSC had originally sold these 7 days as a 4-night and 3-night cruise, then changed it to a 7-night cruise. Then the cruise was suddenly chartered for a Salsa group. People were in an uproar, understandably especially for those who were flying in and had planned for the 4 or 3 night version. Everyone waited to see what MSC would do, as well as if the charter group would allow non-charter people to stay on. In the end, after the charter travel agent agreed to let us regular passengers stay on, MSC gave anyone with the 3 or 4 night cruise the 7 nights for free or a refund / FCC. Those folks who were able to stay on really got a great deal! The rest, including us, were offered refund / FCC if we didn't want to be on this sailing. Many couldn't and/or didn't want to be on a Salsa cruise, so a lot of people ended up canceling. One of the crew said that in total the non-Salsa cruisers were about 400 passengers. 

The charter situation ended up being related to our (later) canceled MSC transatlantic cruise that was to take us to Italy in March (for which we still have not received a refund of our deposit *sigh*). The charter was supposed to be on MSC Armonia. First, Armonia was delayed for dry dock, then MSC decided not to bring her to the U.S. for this season. Therefore, there was no ship to trans the Atlantic on! (We have since booked a different cruise, also for March, on Princess, that will bring us to Barcelona. Cousin GG is joining us. Send good vibes it will happen!)

The dust all seemed settled, but then there was a change of itinerary! The Cayman Islands decided to delay allowing tourists in by cruise ship. You can see the result from my itinerary picture above. For me, it was positive, as I love going to Ocean Cay, and we got to be there 2 days rather than 1. What did not please me was an unexpected cabin change. (I believe they were trying to keep us 400 sort of separate from the Salsaers, but that's just my speculation.) In theory, we were switched to a 'better' balcony, on the back of the ship. Many people vie to get these cabins. However, for me, it's not so great, as I don't like the movement in the back. But, we decided we would give it a try to see what all the fuss is about.

View from our Aft cabin. We were farthest room on port side.

First day, off to a good start. We had an early check-in time and after grabbing a quick bite for lunch, we were first in the Aft pool. So refreshing! Also had plenty of time to have my picture made on the fancy Swarovski crystal staircase. Bling!

Our second day we arrived to windy conditions. It was interesting to watch the captain's attempts at docking at Ocean Cay. After two failed morning attempts, we decided to go swimming. Divina's forward pool has a retractable cover, so rain is no problem. 

I love this pool! The downside to the retractable roof is that birds sometimes get caught in there.

The captain's third attempt was successful! However, it then started pouring. We played trivia and grabbed some lunch and, finally!, we were out on Ocean Cay where we enjoyed a lovely, long afternoon swim.

 

The tugboat giving assistance. The Lagoon is a pleasant swim. The water is crystal clear, and the outer edges are netted so you don't have to worry about creatures like jelly fish. Look, I have a halo!

On day two at Ocean Cay it was a beautiful morning to start my birthday!

After relaxing on the beach a bit, we implemented our plan to swim over to the Lighthouse Bar and have a cocktail sitting on the comfy couches enjoying the view. Success! 

Getting ready to swim to the lighthouse

We made it! I had a Mojito and John had a strawberry Daiquiri. I think he may have had a margarita too? I remember joking about how a margarita would go well with the salt on the swim back. One thing nice about MSC's drink package is that it 'extends' on to the private island. I don't know of others that do this.

In the evening, MSC gave me a cake and our waiters treated me like a queen, including special ordering me a curry. Well, actually, they treated me like a queen all week. I was spoiled!

Assistant Waiter Pranav was my favorite. He was on point in terms of a fine dining experience and also had extra talent in the flower-making department. I hope he will be promoted to Head Waiter soon!

Birthday curry. Yum! Gregorio, our head waiter, spoke multiple languages fluently. He was kind enough to practice Italian with me on multiple nights. 

I couldn't have asked for a nicer birthday!

The remaining days of the cruise we treated as 'sea days' even though there were some ports. We had been to all of the ports before, some many times. We stayed on board and enjoyed our balcony and a mostly empty ship. We swam, read, and had leisurely meals. I studied Italian every day either with my workbook or conversations from an audiobook I had downloaded to my phone. The latter is what I most need work on in preparation for the language exam. 

Have I mentioned how much I love the MSC specialty coffee? 😃 Enjoying reading on the balcony while in port. I think that was Costa Maya. We've actually not been there before, but the time in port was so short, it didn't seem to warrant exploration / risk of going out. Next time!

Studious, Italian workbook in hand. We spent a lot of time on sea days watching these birds fly along with the ship. They were quite mesmerizing. Since we had WiFi, John was able to identify them as brown boobies. Really!

This strategy is a must for the 'living on a cruise ship' lifestyle. I don't know about others who do this, but we cannot afford to treat every day of every cruise like a full-blown vacation with excursions and lots of special treats. It's an interesting balance to try and maintain while everyone around you is in 'vacation mode,' and also the crew is curious why we're not going out. The pressure toward FOMO is strong.

The only problem with this cruise was the building tension that was happening around passengers refusing to wear their masks, despite constant announcements and reminders from the crew. We spoke with several crew members who were frustrated and upset, as this behavior is putting them at risk, especially since at this point they were not allowed to get off the ship (only at Ocean Cay where everyone they encounter is vaccinated). We were also getting frustrated as, due to the strange combination of where our cabin was located and which decks were blocked off for quarantine cabins, we kept getting forced into the large salsa group gatherings, the 'eye' of the masking problem. MSC ended up moving us to a balcony on another part of the ship, mid-cruise. This resolved our frustration, although it was annoying to have to pack and unpack again. It was funny us trailing behind the officer in charge of housekeeping and two stewards toting our luggage from one end of the ship to the other. 😄 In the end, we switched cabins, but not for the reason I would have thought!

First sunrise on our new balcony. 

We played a lot of trivia on this trip, and we won 4 times! No prizes, just the thrill of the win. However, one of the entertainment staff delivered a couple of prizes to our cabin, I think because they realized it was my birthday. Mary, on the entertainment staff, made me a pretty paper flower. So thoughtful! 

Winners: Madonna (on my own), "Motown" (it really wasn't), Beatles. John also won Classic Rock, which was heavily laden with Led Zeppelin (I was no help with that). My flower.

Birthday cruises also mean Halloween decorations. The ship had some fun ones, and many people had brought costumes to wear.

Someone(s) did a great job on all of these carvings!

The Queens were a group of military spouses going way back who were traveling together for a ladies weekend. They were our primary trivia competitors throughout the week, and we had fun competing with each other. "Fred and Wilma" were my favorite costume pair.

We almost had an entire Addams Family between Mary, from the entertainment staff, and this couple seated at the next table at dinner. I would have liked to gotten a picture of her full dress, it was spot on, but I didn't want to disturb their meal. 

Aside from the yummy Italian foods previously mentioned, I especially enjoyed Italian night, with limoncello cake for dessert. As well, I finally got around to trying the Nutella French Toast off the kids' menu. Yum!

One thing we've noticed on these Fall cruises is a new level of self-indulgence for photos. Now, passengers can schedule personal photo shoots with their own photographer. This was both on Carnival and MSC. 

This particular cruise seemed to have a lot of people posing for pictures, so John suggested we do a personal photo shoot for him at sunset in the golden hour where he could recreate some of the poses we had seen. 😁😂

This guy keeps me laughing! 

Carnival Valor Break / Replacement Cruise

We ended up on the Valor in November as a replacement for a cruise we had booked in September but had to cancel because of changes to testing protocols. We decided to sail out of New Orleans as we headed back toward Texas for the holidays, to break up the drive. Valor is one of the ships that has received Carnival's new livery which is based on the hull design of their latest ship Mardi Gras. It's very tasteful. I was a bit surprised they didn't go with a more bold design.

Carnival Valor in port at New Orleans

One of my favorite livery designs is the German company Aida (which is owned, like many, by Carnival Corporation). This ship that was docked next to us in Cozumel was on a 26-day reposition cruise from Germany to Jamaica!

One unique aspect of sailing from the Port of New Orleans is that the ship has to make a long, slow journey down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. This usually takes about 7-8 hours. We enjoyed some lovely sunset views.

Ship decor doesn't usually affect me one way or another, but sometimes an element will stand out. On the Valor, it was the buffet dining room, which has a Rosie the Riveter theme. I enjoyed all of the tiles featuring women workers in different jobs.

Valor has a Red Frog Pub, so that means Ting! I don't drink much soda, but I love Ting. I had been able to find it at the international stores on Buford Highway in Atlanta, but I've not found it anywhere in California, Florida or Texas. (Jarritos grapefruit is a fair substitute, but not as light and refreshing as Ting.) Located here was also our preferred band on board, a guitar-drum duo from Brazil, so we spent most evenings here enjoying live music.

Ting and Tio Phill Rock (hope they don't mind my taking a piccie from their social media)

Our special excursion on this trip was a tour in Progreso. Swimming in a cenote has been on my bucket list since we last visited Progreso and saw a cenote right in a Costco parking lot! Cenotes are very common in this area, as you can see from this satellite image of the Yucatan. 

Each blue dot is cenote. 

We learned their formation resulted from a meteor impact long ago. It's quite fascinating!

As we've been trying to keep our people interaction to a minimum, we decided on a private tour. Since it was just us and the guide, we were able to choose our activities and not worry about keeping track of our stuff. This also had the benefit of being picked up directly at the port, and this is a big benefit since Progreso has the longest cruise pier in the world, at about 4 miles! If you do not have a licensed guide picking you up, you have to ride a (free) shuttle to the city, which takes up precious port time, as well as increases people exposure.

The pier is so long I couldn't fit it all in the shot! Can you see all the windmills? Those are new since we last visited in 2019. 

Our guide Uvaldo picked us up and headed immediately to El Corchito Ecological Preserve, so we could arrive before the larger tours. This is where Uvaldo had selected for our cenote swim, as we told him we are too old and rickety to go to the cave cenotes (more on those below when Emily Vanchella steps in as guest writer). Upon arrival, we took a quick boat ride through the mangroves to enter the reserve.

Uvaldo was great throughout the day at sharing interesting cultural and environmental information. We were happy that Mexico, Progreso in particular, took masking seriously.

We took a short tour of the reserve, checking out some of its features. Uvaldo showed us the three cenotes and let us choose which one(s) we wanted to swim in. 

A termite nest and a rare bird sighting (darn, I don't remember what is was called!)

We decided on Cenote El Corchito, medium in size, but the deepest. We swam, snorkeled, floated and relaxed. 

The water was so clear and refreshing.

Floating view. Who was swimming in the cenote with us.

Boy, I could have stayed there all day (and we did stay longer than planned). But, we had other activities, so off we went to the salt flats and nearby flamingo sanctuary. We learned how microbes in the water cause the salt water to be pink during certain times, which also influences the color of the flamingos. They were quite vivid!

The salt and the microbes

Flamingos

For the end of our tour we were able to choose going to a beach club with buffet and drinks or to a local restaurant for appetizers and a drink and shopping. We chose the latter, but told Uvaldo we'll skip the shopping and let's hang out and chat during our lunch. Off to Eladio's, a well-known bar/restaurant on the malecon / beach. We asked Uvaldo to order for us, and we sampled all kinds of fabulous foods. Uvaldo also suggested we try a Mayan liqueur called Xtabentún which is made from anise and fermented honey. It was delicious.

The appetizers! One of the most interesting sauces was pumpkin-based. The food was very fresh. I even ate the calamari ceviche, and I don't like calamari.

Cheers!

Aside from our Progreso excursion, we did what we typically do - avoid people, LOL! This was a little harder because this cruise was an Interior. However, being familiar with Valor's sister ship Freedom, we knew where there would be a quiet outdoor area away from others. So we spent a good deal of time there, reading and relaxing, as well as swimming in the pool in the morning as soon as it opened. 

Freedom Deck 3, pretty much to ourselves. I love being at sea.

In Cozumel, I did pop off the ship to buy some vanilla for Emily. I was also going to buy a couple of other small items, but then realized I forgot to bring my money! Oh, well, it was a good walk.

Hi John! (Can you spot him?) Another shot of the new livery.

I was a bit concerned as the cruise was approaching and I was monitoring the Facebook group. The vibe on there (which to be fair, only represents a portion of the people) was that many had not been on a vacation in a long time and were ready to party. This turned out to be the case, and we had 6 positive COVID cases in our Facebook group post-cruise. This means there were probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 actual cases, based on the number in our group relative to the number on board. Many more reported arriving home with stomach issues and / or colds and congestion, but testing negative for COVID. Despite our best efforts at masking, distancing, hand-washing, and avoidance, John and I both came hope sick with those same symptoms. Fortunately, we tested negative for COVID upon arriving at Emily's (we did wait to test for the appropriate time period relative to symptoms). 

While that was a drag, in all, it was a relaxing cruise, which left us refreshed for the other half of the drive to Texas, and we really enjoyed our tour in Progreso. 

Carnival Breeze Family Holiday Cruise

Our cruise on the Breeze was extra special because Emily joined us. We've been taking a family cruise around the holidays for several years now, last year excluded, of course, so it was great to be back to our tradition. It's always fun to see the ship decorated for the holidays and to have extra holiday-related events going on!

Giant Christmas Tree and Menorah. Gingerbread village.

It was also special because three friends who work for Carnival were on board. It was great to see them, catch up a bit, and get hugs, although we weren't able to hang out, per their COVID restrictions.

Ari is a room steward for Carnival. He is from Bali and has two beautiful children. Ari is a talented guitarist. We weren't in his section this trip, but we were able to pop by and chat with him every day.

Mati is a talented pianist and singer who sometimes works for Carnival on the entertainment staff. He is from Argentina, but now lives in Madrid. We learned that he is pursuing dual Spanish citizenship 'by the blood' just like John did with Italy. Mati, like Emily, is also a beatlemaniac, and will take the challenge to perform any Beatles song at the piano bar. 

Katarina is the best barista at sea. She is from Serbia and has the cutest dog. 

The restrictions and protocols are important, as the crew are constantly exposed to new people, a good portion of whom, sadly, do not follow the protocols. To me, the protocols aren't as important until everyone starts leaving the bubble of the ship by going into port. This brings encounters with the unknown in terms of vaccinations, exposure, etc. This is especially scary with the new variant, particularly with how quickly it spreads. While this group of passengers were slightly better behaved than those on the Valor, there was still a lot of risky behavior. No surprise that 11 in our Facebook group came back with COVID! If we extrapolate out to the number on board, it's probably more like 40-50. There were also many more with head / chest cold symptoms, including us (no COVID), unfortunately, despite our best attempts at hand-washing, masking, etc. 

An example of poor passenger behavior, as well as Carnival being irresponsible. Not only are they not enforcing any kind of cap on hot tub (it's too many people even in non-COVID times, EW!), the waiter is bringing drinks right to people in the hot tub.

Per usual, we avoided people and had our mask on indoors or when peoply. We had a balcony on this cruise, which made it easier to enact our personal protocols. Having just been to these two ports, John and I didn't even get off of the ship! We enjoyed swimming, leisurely lunches, and reading on our balcony. 

Up early on a sea day for morning swim exercise

Rainbow! Sunset. To me, the best part of cruising is Mother Nature's shows.

In port we got a glimpse of Carnival's latest and greatest, the Mardi Gras (it has a roller coaster!) 

Emily was more energetic and ventured out for two interesting excursions with fun cultural elements. I'm passing this portion of the blog over to her to share her adventures...

Emily: I'm very much a proponent of trying to experience a place's everyday cultural life (in addition to any fun touristy things one might like). So, I was excited to see options for these in both of our stops! In Cozumel, my excursion's theme was community interaction and making a difference. We visited a local market first, looking at the different stalls and chatting with vendors in my case. The variety of fruit and vegetables, and the slabs of meat and whole fish, reminded me a lot of markets I've seen in Spain and Portugal. 

Fresh local market

There is a lot of artistry throughout this area. Very colorful and aesthetically pleasing.

Next stop was a local church, which has done a lot of work during the pandemic with food service and other community support. A portion of the tour revenue goes to the church and foster care home (see below). 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, exterior and interior

In the church garden, patrons come to tie white ribbons. You write a wish/prayer on the white ribbons, and once it's been granted, replace the white ribbon with a red one.

My favorite stop was a local foster home/orphanage for kids on the island of Cozumel and area. The complex has several living buildings for the kids, each with a pair of volunteer "parents" to help run the house and keep an eye on things. There's a real home environment: they even allow pets!

Mural painted by the kids. Nala, a community dog.

This service is not temporary, either: our guide was a lovely young man who the home was assisting with college. (He also shared several stories of young adults receiving help from the home to set up their first apartment or land a first job.) The level of caring for one's neighbors here, as well as in other Mexican and Mexican-adjacent communities such as Laredo (where I currently live), never ceases to impress me.

We ended the tour with a lunch at a local restaurant. The place was in a former family home, and the owner herself served us. When I spoke with her, she told me all the recipes were her family's passed down through generations.

Sopa de pasta (pasta soup) and the front of the restaurant.

In Progreso, having heard my parents' rave reviews of cenote swimming, I wanted to check out something similar. A friend through our cruise Facebook group, Veronica, arranged a small private tour with five total: her and her husband Andrew, another couple, and myself. 

Ready to tour!

Our tour was absolutely wonderful! Russel was enthusiastic, informative, funny, and overall a delight to have leading us. We had three tour segments: the archaeological site at Mayapán, a cenote nearby, and a meal with a local family about a 10-minute drive from the cenote. We were allowed to climb the pyramids at Mayapán, quite a workout if I've ever had one! 

I made it to the top! View from one of the pyramids, thought to be a temple.

This site also has some remaining paintings from its construction; it always fascinates me how long such sites were made to last. 

Next up, the cenote, which was a beautiful half-underground pond, with a forty-foot jump from the very top into the water. I was bold enough to jump from a bungee cord about twenty feet above the water! I honestly could do a tour solely based on swimming in cenotes: the water was cool and pleasant, the walls covered in tree roots. It definitely felt like a spiritual place. 

Opening to the cenote from above (40 ft jump)

Roots inside the cenote. Stair entrance / exit

Cool, refreshing, pretty water

Our final stop, the meal, was with a Mayan-descended family in a village nearby. I can say without hesitation that it was the most delicious array of tacos, guacamole, and salsas I've ever had. Many of the villagers trade goods and produce with each other, and the quality of such fresh food was noticeable. The family allowed guests to sign the dining area walls, and it was fantastic to see how many people around the world have come and supported this local community.

Our delicious homemade meal. You can see the guest signatures on the walls.

The Yucatan Peninsula is, so far, my favorite little corner of Mexico I've visited. The feeling of being welcomed is generally strong anywhere you go in Mexico, but felt the strongest and truest here. The woman who made our tacos, when I thanked her for hosting us, patted me on the shoulder and said (in Spanish): "Well, you've had a meal here, and now our house is yours too. You're always welcome to come back." After the meal, Russel, who is trained in Mayan healing/massage/traditional ceremony, gave us each a small cleansing and blessing ritual and told us, "This land and these people have now adopted you, and this is your home now too." Not a single person had a dry eye after that. I would highly recommend Russel as a guide in the Progreso/Mérida area! 

Russel explaining a traditional cleansing plant. Love Progreso!

Now, handing it back over to Mom...

Back on board, Emily won the Harry Potter trivia, as she always does, although there was actually a 7-way tie! First time I've seen that. 

Harry Potter trivia champ

We don't typically hang out at the piano bar or go to shows, but we did this time, since Mati was on board.

Waitress at the piano bar joining Mati for my request of What's Up. We have found that many non-entertainment staff are quite talented musicians. Mati in the big theatre as part of the production 88 Keys.

Emily also came home with a bit of cash from the casino. One of the new* Platinum benefits that we just learned about (heard of it too late on our Valor cruise) is $25 in casino chips or credit. John and I gave her ours to add to hers, and she produced a $77 profit. *In the past, it was a casino tournament, which we never used. However because of COVID they cannot do tournaments, so this is the replacement benefit.

Winner!

Feeling flush, Emily treated us to drink (I had a Ting-a-Ling, basically a gin and tonic with the latter replaced with Ting) and a nice dinner at the Italian specialty restaurant. Thank you dear! 

All the food was delicious, but this house made burrata was fabulous!

This was a fun decoration in the restaurant. The four boys, friends growing up in Camogli, Italy, grew up to be 3 Captains and an Officer for Carnival.

More and more passengers are hiding ducks these days. We found three on this trip. I gave my two to our friend Katarina, and Emily put hers on her key chain. We also hid one that I found on Valor. So cute.

I like how the one duck's tag was a take-off on the Gold Carnival Card

Well, that's it for our Fall 2021 cruise season. I had hoped that we would be able to cruise a little more in the beginning of this New Year, but enough people will just not cooperate to make this a viable experience in current conditions. Until we sail again, cheers!