Alushar

@martincath amazing thank you so much! and yes I have your spicy sauce thingy which frequently struggle with when travelling almost every time we return to UK it's Curry first night!

A lot to digest 🙂 We are going to sit down and pick out a few favourites (or at least try to) and aim for these. 

Luckily we are back in October, if only for a day before cruising so we can tick another one off!

Thank you so much again!

@martincath thanks re mobility steps etc is fine as is taxis. 
 

yes re food over art we just like good food whether basic or elevated as long as the foods good 🙂 so happy with a good burger or a swish steak tonight with the UK weather so hot we are having Greek! 

Wow @martincath what a lovely reply thank you so much.

Our poison hmm? We are pretty well travelled so happy with most world cuisine. Budget wise we are happy to pay for quality though rate quality over art! 
 

We like a good brunch and a late relaxed dinner.

Not personally a lover veg other than the mighty potato:) (our Irish roots) so meat and fish win. 
 

My wife has some mobility issue so accessibility is important.

Thank you again

Alun & Sharon

Thank you for doing this @BermudaBound2014 really enjoying it we are on the Connie in 2 weeks for B2B and whilst we don’t use the buffet for dinner forewarned is forearmed we are determined to enjoy ourselves. 
 

One question if I may? What have the formal nights been like, have there been many men in tuxes, women in posh frocks etc? 

On 5/19/2022 at 9:46 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We initially tested negative around 5.   Just before heading to Scotland we tested again and both of us started testing positive again and  I tested positive until day 12.   Was really strange the second line as not a bright Positive but a pink line that  was definitely a positive.  I tested with Navica and the line was full positive.    I spoke with doctor and he said that under UK protocol after 5 days you are considered not infectious but could get the COR at 11 days after first positive test.  

 

We just thought it would be safer not not deal with a potential positive test and got them.   They can be used to enter the U.S. for the next 90 days without having to be tested again.

 

 

Glad to hear that you are both back safely and, of course planning again.

So good you found Lymington there are gems all over Britain slightly off the beaten track but lovely none the less.

What was really interesting was your description of your test progression. I tested positive and 5 days later tested negative and stayed so. Sharon tested positive and 6 days later negative for days 6,7 and 8 but then positive with a faint line from later day 8 to 12 which included our testing date for joining you on the Silhouette for the France/Spain leg! Very strange and she was very happy to hear that she wasn't alone in this strange progression!

Oh @Jim_Iain so sorry to hear the news I know you've been so careful but this strain of the virus is almost impossible to avoid as I know to my own cost!

I hope you are looked after for the immediate future by Celebrity and can then enjoy your trip to Iain's relatives in Scotland. 

Stay well

Alun

35 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Sorry you had to cancel the trip.   We went into a almost total quarantine 3 weeks prior to the cruise.   I had been working my son almost daily for 3 months on his new home and advised him that we were going on lock down at that time.    His whole family had come down with it about 2 weeks prior and I had been keeping my distance.   

 

Look forward to seeing the Grand-kids when we get home. 

Unfortunately we are both still working (though not for much longer) so did our best and having avoided it for over 2 years the timing couldn't have been worse! Strangely despite my wife working in a large London hospital I got it it first but with 1 in 12 in UK at that time it's become difficult to avoid but was fortunately mild due to 2 jabs and a booster!

We are, therefore watching the trip through your fabulous posts, we do have a trip next week unfortunately not on Celebrity as we couldn't get the right itineraries to match up with timings but so needed a break. Totally gutted as this trip was first booked in 2018 and rebooked several times. With what's already booked we will try again in 2025!

It looks like I'll have no Celebrity sailings until a B2B next February Eastern Caribbean and Americas and Mexico out of Tampa! 

Thanks for all the photos of Bilbao @Jim_Iain brought back a lot of memories. We were unable to join you on this trip due to a positive covid test but feel fortunate we are at home and not Deck 3!

We spent a week in Bilbao in 2018 when the world was simpler and loved it. Definitely one of our favourite cities!

We were on the Silhouette last September when the same happened. Luckily it was an around Britain Cruise they brought on another headline Act and with those already on worked out a schedule for the week.

Honestly the best entertainment we've ever had on a Celebrity ship!

We are doing a B2B in a week or so on Enchanted Princess combining an 11 night Canaries cruise with. 5 night Northern Europe sampler.

The blurb says we will have to leave the ship for complimentary testing in between and if positive will not be allowed back on.

Does this mean we have to pack everything up and take it with us? 

57 minutes ago, littlemisshoney said:

Where did they move them too? We board on Thursday and are booked in a Deck 6 balcony, have checked the app and still showing our original stateroom. 

On FB a couple of people say they've been moved one to Deck 7 and I can't remember the other one so I won't second guess

Thank you David and Steven for keeping us all informed throughout this ordeal for you and for your positivity and humour.

We board the Silhouette in Thursday as you get off it's a shame you can't stay on for the France, Spain etc leg!

I am hearing this morning that several people boarding with us are having their cabins changed. The common denominator is that they were on deck 6 and are being moved to create an isolation area.

You may well have been instrumental in this happing 

Thanks for the pictures of Lisbon @Jim_Iain one of our favourite cities and first visited on the Silhouette!

Hope to be joining you for next 2 legs subject to tests tomorrow! 

Having joyously read through 8 pages of this knowing the World is getting back to normal when there's a dress code topic going wild I had a mile panic.

We are about to go on the Silhouette 2 weeks today and I'd sorted my clothes for DW to inspect ie iron as necessary. Included is one of my favourite newish shirts which has a grandad collar. I think I'm ok but may be panicking when in line or maybe wear it to a specialist restaurant! 

So exciting to read you are starting your journey.

Even more excited than usual as we will be joining you for the second 2 legs our first B2B!

Safe travels and warm the Silhouette up for us!

Newcomers compared to many on here our first cruise was in 2016.

My wife, having a fairly stressful job, liked our main holiday in all inclusive resorts lying by the pool for 2 weeks. The rest of the year we took lots of City breaks to appease my wanderlust. In 2015 we were in Egypt and I’d probably had too many mojitos as when she turned to me and said “isn’t this is great” I replied no “I’m bored”. I immediately recognised my mistake and tried to back track but it was no good. I was told I had to organise the next trip with no input from her. Panic ensued!

For a couple of months I tried and failed to get her to relent. Finally I started looking and I was stumped. I eventually found a trip in the back of a Sunday Newspaper 4 days in NY and a 7 day cruise to Bahamas on NCL Breakaway over her birthday.I suggest this and was told it was my choice so I booked it.

Once booked she said she’d been to NY lots and got seasick on ferries so it didn’t look good.

The trip to NY was great as we were together. Late one evening after a show we went to a pharmacist and asked what seasickness treatment he had. He said he had 3 I said ok he said which one and I bought all 3 they remained unopened. 
 

We loved the cruise even in an inside room on NCLand the addiction was born. Talking to people we knew we could find a line that suited us better and when back talked to my brother and sister in law who cruised a lot and the next summer we were on the Silhouette 14 nights to Canary Islands and Azores.

We've done 12 cruises so far mainly Celebrity a couple of Princess and one Virgin taster and have 8 more booked and any suggestion by me that we go to an all inclusive land resort I’m told to stop being silly! 

Our first Celebrity Cruise on Silhouette out of Southampton and only our second cruise.

Not knowing the storage situation I'd saved space by wearing the brand new shoes I'd wear for formal nights to drive down to cruise. At Security boarding they asked me to remove my shoes took first one off thought this seems light looked down I had the uppers on my hand and the leather sole and heal were on the floor.

I took the second show off and the sole and upper were hanging by a thread!

So I boarded just in the uppers with the soles stuffed in the carry on and first formal night wore a pair of blue velvet shoes!

Our exciting first trip to the Azores was a dash to the shoe shops!

we've mainly sailed Celebrity 6 different ships 2 different classes but they all have the same speciality restaurants though some only have a few and the menus are the same. Th menus seem fairly similar in the various MDRS too. We did last weekends Mermaiden voucher and the food was fantastic better than Celebrity I'd have no problem repeating it or sailing for longer.

I did think maybe the entertainment was one act short. I also wondered what happened on the longer trip as the recycling of Dual Reality/Never Sleep alone would get stale

We've had multiple DHL texts and emails saying the tests will be delivered this evening so panic over but still was so unnecessary 

Thanks @johnnylikely we got that and did it again! 4 working days is going to be tight with many people travelling Wednesday or Thursday 

Great to hear what we were expecting we’ve mainly sailed Celebrity with a couple of Princess’s and one NCL so different is good and have read lots of raves about the food 

I hadn’t even thought about the “free” bit grrr!

I’d heard Scarlet Lady was shambles our friends who are going haven’t received theirs either so looks like no lessons learnt.

Glad to hear you are coming back so must have enjoyed the actual cruise 

It’s not monitored you scan a QR code onto their APP the company VV are using is NPH Group Ltd. Their fit to fly are £19.50 but reduce to £4.48 with the Virgin code VVG2022

31 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

I’m on the same sailing but haven’t been sent the link despite receiving that same email on Wednesday. Was the link also sent via email?

We used the Virgin Chat and got them to send the link

Not very good experience so far with VV! They advised us on Wednesday we needed a certified LFT within 72 hours of next Friday (18th) sailing and a link would be sent on Friday.

The Link arrived at 20:15 Friday and the website wouldn’t take our postcode. After 2 hours on phone and chat with the Testers and VV we got it sorted to be told they don’t work weekends anymore so they’ll be posted Monday and should arrive within 5 working days. We leave for Portsmouth on Wednesday!

We asked VV what happened if the tests don’t arrive and we’re told there was testing at the Pier cost of £100 each! We pointed out this was really their issue but we’re told we’d have to try and sort it at the pier.

Way to go Virgin we aren’t your demographic but I was quite excited to try you I won’t be rushing again!