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qualifiedcruiseologist

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    toiletry Solstice

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Just wondering Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion is supplied on the Celebrity Solstice, as just came of Radiance and they only had 2 in 1 shampoo. Any assistance greatly appreciated so I know what to pack?

    Just disembarked Solstice yesterday and can confirm we had Gilchrist & Soams branded shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and bar soap. We were in a cat 2c verandah

     

    Sent from my SM-G925I using Forums mobile app

    No more complimentary soft serve ice cream on the 'Australian based' Princess ships?

    in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

    Posted

    On one of Gaz'n Jo's blogs re the Pacific Circle 75 days current cruise on Sun Princess they indicated complimentary soft serve ice cream is no longer available 'up top' on Sun Princess. How about on Sea Princess? If true, it is a travesty of justice as my enquiries reveal is it still served complimentary up top in 'Scoops' ice cream bar on the 'American Princess ships. !!

     

    What say ye? There will have to be a soft serve revolution. We need to have our daily fix of soft serve ice cream.

     

    Its true, I have been on Sun, Sea and Dawn in the past two years and 'Scoops' has been converted to New Zealand Natural icecreamery (for fee). I didnt see free soft serve anywhere onboard.

    Anthem of Seas medical visit on ship free or not?

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    Can anyone confirm if there is an additional charge for visiting the nurse or doctor on board or is it complimentary?

    Thanks.

     

    Only if it is gastro related. When I had norovirus on the Rhapsody and Radiance, I recieved complimentary treatment by the nurse. This is also the same for Celebrity cruises. However on Princess and Cunard I noticed gastro related treatment was not complimentary. :)

    Riviera Norovirus Cruise - Should We Ask for Refund or Future Credit ?

    in Oceania Cruises

    Posted

    This is the letter that I sent to Oceania after I had Norovirus starting on February 11, 2016 (yes there was a lot of sickness even then, but it did not seem to be reported) . Sorry that it is so long, did not realize that until I did a preview post. However, I wanted to make sure they had all of the information of how we were treated.

     

    Reply was - Nothing they can do for me - see you on your next cruise. Do they actually think I will cruise with them again after the way I was treated? I will never give my hard earned money to another Oceania cruise. I cruise with 3 other lines that are enjoyable. They will get my business from now on.

     

     

    "March 8, 2016

     

    RE: RIVIERA B2B CRUISE FROM FEBRUARY 2, 2016 TO FEBRUARY 22, 2016 -

     

     

    Dear Sir/Madam

     

    This was our 10th and 11th cruises on Oceania. We chose the date as our 50th wedding anniversary was on February 12, 2016 and I planned on walking across the bridge in Miami to the park on the other side of the bridge on that day. Then on our return having a nice dinner.

     

    The cruise was going well, even though the weather was cool. On the evening of February 10th we had dinner in the Grand Dining Room. We went to bed around 11:45pm. I did not fall asleep right away as I usually do on a cruise. My stomach was a bit upset. Now, I am a very healthy person and do not usually have stomach problems.

     

    Around 12:30 am was my first bout of vomiting and diarrhea. Uncontrollable heaving in the stomach with the contents of my stomach coming up, and at the same time having the diarrhea. No control over the body at all. A few times it was so bad that I had trouble catching my breath. I actually thought that might be the end, one time. I tried to drink lots of water because even though the stomach was empty, the heaving vomiting continued. In all, there were 8 episodes of the heaving vomiting and diarrhea by 6:00 or 7:00 am. After each bout, I washed and went back to bed. I cleaned up as best I could, but around 3:00 am, the bathroom had a terrible odor of clothes that I had soiled. Did not even want to try to clean them. I called housekeeping and a man came. When he saw what it was, he left and came back with garbage bags for the soiled articles. He had a disinfectant cleaner to clean the bathroom. I was really thankful that he was available to clean during the night.

     

    I am so very careful and mindful of germs. Washing my hands, using sanitizes, not touching elevator buttons or doors that others might have touched. I carry tissue to use if I must touch a handle or something that many people touch. I flush public toilets with my feet, but because of the flushing mechanism on ships, you must use your finger. However, I now have the Norovirus that is on the Riviera. Where did I get it? Different places came to mind. I would get my oatmeal and when I asked for strawberries or blueberries, the girl would take the bowl from me to put the fruit in the bowl. She wore gloves, but had also previously maybe handled the bowl of someone else. I also wondered about coming back on the ship. We would sanitize our hands before going up the gangway, but we would hand over our card to security who had previously touched all of the cards of the people getting back on the ship. Could that be where I got it? It also comes to mind that we were taking the tenders a few times on this cruise. We were on tenders February 4th, 6th and 8th. Is it only touch that spreads the germs or is it also spread through the air? I always wash my hands after reading a library book, playing table tennis, shuffleboard or croquet. However, I had a very bad case of Norovirus.

     

    On February 11th, we were in Key West. I had planned to go snorkeling, but I was too weak to do anything. I asked my husband to go ashore to a pharmacy and get me some Pepto Bismol and some Imodium. He did. However when he was ashore, I thought that I should report to the doctor as the Captain had asked anyone who was sick to inform the doctor. THAT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I HAVE MADE IN A LONG TIME.

     

    I went down to the medical center. There were quite a few people waiting. I was asked to fill out a form. I did not have the strength to write and the man just asked my cabin number, told me to go back to my cabin and they would phone me when there was not such a long wait.

     

    I was called later and went down to see the doctor. Filled out form and talked to doctor. He gave me Pepto Bismol and Imodium and also an antibiotic. I took all of the medicine as directed. Later when I got home and did a check, it said that Norovirus was a viral infection and not a bacterial infection. Therefore I am not sure why I was given an antibiotic. I am sure that is what caused my taste to be very off. My mouth would burn when I ate bland foods. When I ate bread, it just tasted like a mouth full of yeast. Things are getting back to tasting ok now, but it has been nearly a month since I was sick.

     

    I went to the medical center to report that I was sick as the Captain told us to do. I REALLY WISH THAT I HAD NOT DONE THAT. IF I HAD IT TO DO OVER AGAIN, I WOULD NOT DO AS THE CAPTAIN SAID, BUT RATHER JUST GO ON AS IF I HAD NOT BEEN SICK. I SHOULD NOT HAVE REPORTED TO THE MEDICAL CENTER. After the quarantine was over, I talked with 3 people who had been sick. They did not go to the doctor as they knew they would be quarantined.

     

    The nurse phoned later that day and said that my husband and I were quarantined to our cabin. This was Thursday, Feb. 11th and we were going to Polo for our wedding anniversary celebration. There were 2 couples traveling with us (getting off on Feb. 12th in Miami though) and they had ordered a cake for the celebration. However, we could not go. We were looking forward to the B2B day when we had a special lunch. However because of the sickness, that had changed and the B2B passengers were offered a Hop on Hop off bus trip. That would be fun, but would we be able to go. We were not able to go as we were still quarantined. We had to stay in our cabin and the Customs man came to our cabin.

     

    Friday, February 12th and we are in Miami. Nurse phoned in the morning and we were still quarantined. We could not leave our cabin, but we could sit on the balcony. The announcement that they were refueling came. We thought that since we were up a few decks it would be ok. However, 2 seconds after going to the balcony, we realized that the odor was too powerful. It takes most of the day to do the refueling. Nurse phones in the evening and we were still quarantined.

     

    Saturday, February 13th was a sea day. Nurse phoned and we were still quarantined. I kept telling her that I was feeling fine and that my husband was never sick, but we were still not allowed to leave the cabin. There are no good programs on the tv. All we had to watch was the news about the Presidential Race for United States........and we are Canadian.

     

    Nurse phones early in the morning on Sunday, February 14th. Still quarantined. We were in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands. We have been there before and enjoyed sitting on the beach, walking around and the pool. However, today we could only sit on our balcony, where there was no sun, and watch the other passengers get off the ship and walk to the lounge chairs by the water's edge. We could hear the sounds from the pool, but we could not leave our cabin today either.

     

    Early in the morning of Monday, February 15th the nurse phoned. As always, asked how I was feeling and I said fine, but I would like to leave the cabin as we had been quarantined for so long. She asked if my husband was feeling ok, and I said he had never been sick. Then the same question she asked ever time, Have you had a bowel movement? I had been telling her "No" every time she asked, because any bowel movements were only in the form of water up until now. She said that I must have a solid bowel movement before I could be taken out of quarantine. I told her that I had not really eaten enough (more about that later) to have a good bowel movement. She said that I would have to have a solid bowel movement tested before we could get out of quarantine.

     

    I will spare you what I went through for the next few hours. However I was able to get a bowel movement about the size of a pea that was solid. I phoned and a man came to collect it. Around noon I was phoned and said that we would be released at 3:00 that afternoon. We were waiting to get off the ship at San Juan, Puerto Rico at 3:00. However, security said we could not leave the ship. Even though we had our sail cards back, when swiped, it said we were still under quarantine and could not leave the ship. Sent to pursers office and we were not on the list, but within 15 minutes we were allowed to leave the ship. Freedom at last. WE HAD BEEN IN QUARANTINE FOR 4 1/2 DAYS. Also, I had been sick for the previous 8 hours.

     

    And now I would like to tell you about the food that we were given. I was told that I should eat a bland diet of chicken, rice, potatoes and bread. Room service had us pegged as "Bland Diet Only". When I phoned to order I was told that they could not send certain things to me. I said that it was for my husband and he was not sick. Have you ever had one of their club sandwiches. It is drowning in a sauce. Absolutely terrible. My husband was not able to get bacon and eggs for breakfast (one of the things he enjoys on a cruise) as we were in a regular balcony cabin. The chicken I ordered was dry and tasteless. The baked potatoes were cold. We did have a nice soup one time. I was able to order a salad 2 times. I ordered it with dressing on the side as I do not like the dressings from room service. The chicken came with zucchini. I do not like zucchini, so did not eat it. I actually wanted jello and I was told they would check, but I never got any. When I talked to the doctor when he was releasing me, he said continue on the bland diet for awhile......chicken, rice, potatoes and bread. No vegetables for awhile (I said that I had been eating some salad) and also no dairy. The best meals from room service was the rice krispie cereal with milk.

     

    It is a good thing that I brought along some snacks. They came in handy when we were hungry. I would sometimes phone Room Service and was told that because they were busy, it would be an hour before the food could be delivered. A few times I just cancelled because of this.

     

    Also it was very interesting how the food was delivered. The tray was wrapped in seran wrap. Food was on plastic plates and wrapped in seran wrap. The cereal had to be eaten from a plastic plate as they did not have any throw-away plastic bowls. This could not be held or the milk would run off. It had to be set on the low table. The coffee and tea was in a see through plastic cup and covered with seran wrap when it came. There were 2 cups together as it was hot. Milk came the same way. We were given packages with plastic knife, fork and spoon along with a tiny paper napkin. And then, there was the red bag. We had to put all of the garbage in this red bag and then housekeeping collected them.

     

    THIS WAS NOT WHAT WE CONSIDER FINE DINING. THIS WAS NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME. THIS WAS NOT THE CRUISE WE PAID FOR.

     

    I was now looking forward to going to Cayo Levantado to snorkel, swim and lay on the beach. Also to snorkeling (at one of my favorite spots) Nassau, Bahamas on Sunday, Feb. 21st. However on Thursday, February 18th the Captain announced that we were going direct to Miami to arrive on Saturday, February 20th at 6:00 pm. Friday, Feb. 19th was not an enjoyable day. The ship was going 20 knots and it was a windy day. We could not sit on the balcony because of the salt spray and it was too windy to be up on the pool deck. On Saturday, the ship slowed down, however our balcony was still wet and there were salt crystals all over.

     

    On those 2 days, we had to show our room key card before we were allowed to get food. Some of the people who were quarantined were leaving their cabins to get food. Their room key cards had been taken away from them, but they still tried to get food. We had to have our cards checked before we could enter a food venue. It was very hard to get a table in Horizons. The tables and chairs were sanitized between diners and could not be used for some time after. When the people sitting near you left, the tables and chairs were sanitized and this gave a javex smell. Elevators and other surfaces were constantly wiped down, leaving a sticky surface. Even the floors were sticky when you walked over them. When Norovirus surfaced again on the February 2, 2016 cruise, the ship should have been taken out of service and cleaned before the February 12, 2016 cruise. It would have been a more enjoyable cruise for everyone knowing the ship had been deep cleaned.

     

    When the February 12 cruise was shortened by 2 days, we were told we would be put in a hotel for 2 days and we could return home on our original airplane tickets. Our hotel was to be the Doubletree near Miami airport. We had never stayed at a Doubletree, and I was not looking forward to it, but it turned out to be a nice hotel. However, it was not near any restaurants. We walked half an hour looking for a restaurant, but returned to the hotel to order pizza.

     

    We were given 25% off the next Oceania cruise that we book. (This was not put in letter - There is of course a formula for this.) We will not be using this as I do not want to go on another Oceania cruise and have it turn out to be like this one. Looked forward to and anticipated a good time. It was far from enjoyable.

     

    "Experience

    YOUR WORLD. YOUR WAY.

    The Finest Cuisine at Sea, authentic destination experiences and an intimate, luxurious ambiance are the hallmarks that define Oceania Cruises. Yet perhaps more than anything else, it's the ultimate satisfaction of simply relaxing and enjoying every moment of the journey in your own way. From the moment you step on board one of our stylish ships, you feel welcomed by our casually sophisticated atmosphere and dedicated staff. As you explore both iconic destinations and enchanting boutique ports around the world, striking up conversations among those that find travel as meaningful as you becomes effortless. With a wealth of amenities you might only expect on larger ships, along with luxuries exclusive to our intimate ships, our onboard experience invites you to spend your days exactly as you wish. Whether savoring our gourmet cuisine or exploring ashore, you will cherish every moment of the voyage as perfectly your own." THESE ARE THE WORDS IN YOUR BROCHURE.

     

    From reading what happened to us, would you say that Oceania delivered this experience to us. That is why I am requesting that Oceania reimburse my husband and I 100% of the cruise fare so that we can renew our faith in Oceania. If what happened to us happened to you, would you ever again give you hard earned dollars to Oceania for a cruise? I am sure that you would not, and we will not.

     

    Thank you.

     

    "Signed with address and all particulars" "

    You complain about everything. Your post is attention seeking.

    Room Service 10pm?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted · Edited by qualifiedcruiseologist

    Weird - this is what their website says:

     

    "*Late night service charge applies to room service orders between midnight and 5:00 a.m."

     

    http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipClassCode=VY&shipCode=VY&br=R

     

    And on the voyager they were strict about the 10pm cut off for the complimentary room service . At about 10.03PM ONE night I ordered some cookies and milk and they said they will be charging the $3.95 late night service charge. So I did not get the cookies lol.

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