jgmorgan

10 hours ago, BeasleysMom66 said:

I just had birthday dinner at Hell's Kitchen and we tipped WAY over 25% because we got the full monty on that night

Well, the full monty certainly deserves a big tip!🤣

We have stayed in 1127 and on Infinity similar locations on other M-Class ships and believe them to be the best Aqua location.  Noise was not a problem (unlike some of the cabins on Deck 9) and the ease of accessing the upper pool deck makes it very convenient.  Also, the steps down to the Sunset Bar and Oceanview are nice.  I don't remember much about the showers, but I believe they were the standard Aqua multi-outlet shower.

18 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Wouldn't that residual nicotine be in the vapors given off by system and anyone in proximity would then be inhaling nicotine?

Excellent point.  See: https://www.healthline.com/health/second-hand-vape

Goonies House.😂

Yes, we are on Infinity and the last port is Kusadasi.  Thanks for your response.

We are booked on a cruise next year that starts and ends in Piraeus and visits ports in Israel and Egypt.  The final night of the cruise is overnight in Piraeus.

My questions are: 1) Will we have to go through immigration and customs when we disembark in Piraeus? and, 2) Given the fact that we are already back in Piraeus the day before, is it likely that we can simply walk off the ship as early on the final day as we wish without the normal disembarkation process?

Our plan is to travel from Athens to London for a few nights after the cruise and I will be booking our airplane tickets in the next few days.

Thanks in advance for your help.

5 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

Well all I can say is...what misery the Edge Class ships have four complimentary main restaurants.

Plus Blu, Plus Luminae, plus Mast Grill, plus Eden Cafe, plus Le Petit Chef, plus Fine Cut Steakhouse, plus Raw on 5, plus Magic Carpet on 5, plus Rooftop Garden Grill, plus Spa Cafe & Juice Bar.

Yeah, but you have to wear pants.😂

On 12/14/2022 at 1:10 PM, kayehall said:

How long of a walk?  Is it a pain with luggage?  Is hotel in a safe area?

About 8-10 minutes.  Seemed very safe and close to several restaurants.  We each had a wheeled mid-sixed suitcase, a rolling carry-on and personal item.  Made it just fine, pretty easy walk.

moving on, 😀

17 hours ago, fenton04 said:

Sadly my Sister died from the Flu.  That's  pretty serious.

Sorry for your loss.  I didn't mean to minimize the risks of flu, my point was that, so far, Covid is much more likely to lead to worse outcomes.

On our recent, very full, cruise out of Southampton on the Silhouette the Captain announced toward the end of the cruise that the number of Covid cases had reached the threshold and asked that passengers wear masks in crowded locations and exercise caution. Some folks responded by wearing masks in the theater, casino and elevators, although many did not.  Not surprising.

The thing that I did find surprising though, was that it was actually quite easy to maintain a reasonable level of social distancing while on board.  Even though the Martini Bar was always packed (apparently Brits love their martinis 😀), we were always able to find another location that was much less crowded.  The World Class Bar was great (maybe my new favorite).  The early show in theater had plenty of seats to spread out and by the time we got to Blu each evening, the crowd had thinned and we almost always were seated with vacant tables next to us.  The excursion buses were a bit of a challenge but even they were not full and we generally were able to sit in seats that were adjacent to vacant seats and wear our masks.  So, all in all, we were able to reduce (not eliminate) risk without sacrificing having a great cruise.

As for the elevators, it seemed every time a really crowded elevator stopped and we would wait instead of making it even more crowded, the next one would be empty or nearly so.

As others on this thread have said, Covid is with us and will likely always be (although comparing it to the flu significantly understates the seriousness of Covid).  But with a bit of effort, the risk can be reduced and thereby increase the chances of cruising without getting sick.  The good news is that the same precautions one uses for Covid also reduce the risk of other contagious diseases.

Happy cruising.

26 minutes ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

 

Same here. We board the Summit this weekend with multiple stops in the Canadian Maritimes, and we're happy everyone has to test before boarding. It's not perfect, but it helps screen out some who could spread the virus.

 

 

We're following a "live from" blog by a couple on a B3B on the Summit right now, and this is what they're reporting, as well. We're also happy to hear that, if we contract Covid while on board, at least we'll be able to stay in our Sky Suite and enjoy the balcony.

 

And, yes, we will self-test/report and quarantine if we develop symptoms, as I would hope others would - but, unfortunately, I have been distressed to see many here on CC and in Facebook cruise groups say they will do anything they can to cover it up and will not "get stuck in their cabin" even if they are sick. 😬

A very enlightened view.  Brace yourself...😬

Perhaps the point of the self-test is more about self-awareness for the passenger than it is "proof" for presentation at check-in.  Although I am sure some people are untruthful when answering the health questions and affirmations required when checking in and boarding, most would choose to honest I believe.

22 hours ago, canderson said:

Careful with apples and oranges.  @lovescarborough said "a month ago".  That would have been omicron.  Most of those millions you mention contracted delta, and most were unvaccinated.  Not sure why those describing mild results now under current circumstances must immediately be reminded by some others of how things were in the beginning as though they were somehow discounting that era of COVID.

 

Millions died of The Plague.  Yersinia pestis is still with us. 

 

Now we avoid prairie dogs, and have effective ways of treating those who contract it.  That doesn't change the fact that millions died, but it does change how we perceive and deal with it now.

Your point is well-taken.  Clearly COVID has evolved and thankfully the current dominant strain(s) are less severe in terms of death rates.  One other big difference is the current strains seem to be more transmissible.  And while many have mild symptoms, many get pretty sick.

My point was that the current policy of requiring a self-test before boarding doesn't seem useless to me (as @lovescarborough had suggested).  If positive, I would choose not to put others at risk.  But I understand that some may not feel that way.  I just hope they aren't on my cruise. 😬

8 hours ago, KatieDub said:

If someone has covid but wants to get on the ship

Hopefully there aren't many people like that, but I understand there probably are some.

2 hours ago, KatieDub said:

What on earth is the point of an un-proctored test 🤦‍♀️

Maybe to determine if you have Covid?

Requiring a test and recommending a test are two different things.  The policy assumes that people won't show up if they test positive.  Most people are honest and wouldn't want to knowingly risk others by boarding if they know they are infected with a highly contagious disease that can be life-threatening.

Of course not everyone is honest and some don't care about the health of others.  You know who you are.

It looks like Celebrity is modifying their policies as conditions allow.  For example, for cruises departing from Southampton after September 5, pre-cruise supervised or proctored tests will no longer be required.  They will require passengers to take a pre-cruise test (2 days in advance for vaccinated guests, and 1 day for unvaccinated guests) and present evidence of the results when checking in.  "Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test."  A COR will be accepted as well.

It looks like similar changes are being made for other European sailings with the exception of Iceland and Greece.

When it makes sense in terms of local requirements and changes can be implemented smoothly, I would expect similar changes for sailings from U.S ports.  There is no incentive for Celebrity to continue unreasonable (in their view) restrictions.  So, they will change their policies when the time is right.  They get to decide when that is.

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

The location of your mustard station is on the back of the cabin door and on the app?  Yes?

Right next to the ketchup.😂

Just now, TeeRick said:

How about tipping in an IV cabin?🙂

Perfect!

2 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Folks I think the OP is long gone since their original post.  Probably time to give this one a rest.

Great idea.  Let's talk about tipping now.😂

28 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

Do you know if the Bologna station has elevators?

Yes.

https://showmethejourney.com/train-travel-info/countries/italy/cities/bologna/rail-stations/bologna-centrale/

4 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

Do you know if the Bologna station has elevators?

Yes.

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

#1 to board the plane to Spain, to be taken on 10/8

You might want to double-check this.  It looks like maybe Spain only requires a test if you aren't "fully vaccinated".  Two shots and a booster seems to pass the test.  See:  https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements#if-youre-fully-vaccinated

The requirements would be the same for US travelers I believe.

 Hopefully this doesn't violate protocols:  https://apple.news/A8kAvr_GXQjKZhEyWxndRzQ

The last paragraphs of the article suggests that Royal Caribbean is thinking maybe 45 days or so when testing requirements may be eliminated.  At least that is what I took from the statements.