mdpa

I’m not sure you are looking at this correctly. The 500+ bid was from a non balcony room. The spread between his two choices was only 200. If you don’t have much status, the free specialty dinner, free bag of laundry, and 25% off internet make this justifiable IMHO.

I don’t think you need to wear a mask at all. I plan to leave our mask at home.

This is not what most people have shared, plus this type of test is also acceptable for flying back into the USA. I’m not worried about it…unless I get something from Azamara in writing this is what I am using….already purchased. Jeep61, One benefit of the space these take up, is we will have a minimum of 12” x 12” x 6” of space for souvenirs. 😉

I haven’t used mine, but I placed an order for (6) BinaxNow tests after seeing them recommended on “The Points Guy” and the “United Airline” site. Cost $170 with express shipping, received the next day. Technically the tests are $25 each but my insurer (Cigna) let me submit the form for reimbursement, so my cost will be $0. https://thepointsguy.com/news/at-home-covid-testing-travel/ I like the idea that I am in complete control, and will manage everything from our hotel room. If something doesn’t work, we still can get tested in a traditional manner.

I agree, eliminating the testing requirements will remove expenses, hassles, and anxiety for everyone trying to travel.

Tip for people in USA: I ordered a 6-test pack from eMed, which will cover all my needs from the comfort of the hotel. Upfront cost was $25 each, but my insurance reimbursed 100% of the cost. This was the same test United recommended for my return flight. Hard to beat the cost of free! https://thepointsguy.com/news/at-home-covid-testing-travel/

For USA travelers, I recommend ordering the online proctored test from eMed. 100% of my cost was reimbursed through insurance and now I can do the tests at my convenience. https://thepointsguy.com/news/at-home-covid-testing-travel/

I have no issue tipping well for normal to great service when it is expected. I don’t tip when gratuity is included. I also share other people’s views that excess tipping can be detrimental: - essentially a bribe, with the only other purpose making the tipper feel good about how generous they are - tipping ignores back of house staff, cashiers, warehouse workers, etc.

I’m 29 days out, and now have my boarding documents but check-in isn’t available. For me, it is not that big of a deal unless it is down to the final week. My way of thinking…could be two legitimate reasons for a delay to be a benefit. - Making sure your documents are updated with the latest requirements. Ex. If they relax things starting June 1st, then I am happy to get documents that reflect that 10 days ahead of the cruise. - They think an upgrade might be offered, or some other change, and would rather get it right the first time. I’ll wait…

Were you wearing a mask in the cab? Did you not share a cabin with your husband on the ship prior to the positive test?

I agree, seems like everything is starting to come back if the price the hotels are starting to charge is an indication. I also so flights are now back to 2019 levels. There is always going to be some adjustments as things start to fill up. The current booked cruises are probably the best deal we are going to get in the near future.

Great location, we stayed at Grande Bretagne and I believe they are connected. Grande Bretagne has a great spa, bar area, and rooftop breakfast.

No one can ruin anyone else's trip, this is ridiculous. If you are fully masked and taking necessary precautions, then you are safe. Reminds me of the former First Lady attending a Gala this past week while forcing people around her to mask up and fix her dress. If she wants to be protected, she can wear a mask. Very elitist attitude...but what do I know, I treat everyone the same. I'm glad you are staying home to help keep us safe.

Good to know. I'll be in Seville a month later so hopefully will be OK. During the Corpus Christi festival. Has anyone been in Seville during this time of year?

We are in complete agreement, but I believe cruise lines have been pressured by government and certain travelers to ensure safety beyond what is reasonable today. Hoping this nonsense drops by June. That said, show me another major cruise line that isn't requiring pre-testing and I'll start joining in the lobbying effort. Heck, just a few weeks ago people considered it unsafe for others to not wear a mask within their vicinity...especially the help. Seems very elitist to me. Get rid of testing and allow employees to be treated humanely. We are all vaccinated.

Appreciate the update and it sounds like a few non-Azamara related issues conspired against you. Sorry to hear about your port changes…our related cruise originated in Venice and stopped in Kotor, so would not be happy with those changes. Unfortunately, Venice has been threatening the change in policy for quite a while. Back in 2017 we had the benefit of arriving by boat to our hotel from the airport, and then taking the same boat to our cruise ship. Great experience…

Good point…not sure if other cruise lines are dealing with similar issues or not. Overall, customer service is way down here in the US. 2-years of low profits, higher employee costs, supply chain issues, increased food/fuel/non-food costs, and additional requirements in non-core areas are causing stresses almost everywhere. We have a casual chain called Panera and you can’t even get a cup of coffee. They shut down their app whenever they are overwhelmed to prevent orders (seen this happen at 3 different locations).

John, I agree with you about wanting a similar experience as pre-covid. I also prefer not to hear excuses and would like some semblance of normal. However, if the number of COVID related messages in this forum is indicative of the type of people actually going on the cruise, then there is a very “real” level of stress to the system related to COVID. We just went out yesterday for Mother’s Day in the US at a Brazilian Steakhouse (Fogo De Chau), and it was great. No masks used by the servers or guests. Hard to make an all you can eat steak place COVID friendly. Hoping my June experience will be a fun and relaxed…

I was one of the posters, you referred to and certainly not a troll. I’ve been on Silversea twice, Celebrity twice, and Oceania once. I signed up for this upcoming cruise since I like small ship sizes, the price was good, and hope to receive a similar experience as Oceania. Personally, I would “love” to know what the COVID related complaint was??? The cruise line can’t win. If they respond with “loosen up” and stop trying to bully us with your COVID fears then you will be “offended”, and if they follow some of the ideas expressed on this board, they might as well close shop now, because no one would want to be on your “ideal” cruise.

If you can’t tell cruise lines are trying to get out of the medical business and back to cruising. How much they charge doesn’t matter, since most people should be doing this on their own. Probably the only way to speed up the move to eliminating the hassle (testing) is to have people actually pay for things they are receiving.

Also, in related news…from travel weekly, vaccination policies on cruises are being relaxed to allow more families to travel. https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/CDC-relaxes-highly-vaccinated-cruise-threshold

I saw this new article on Travel Pulse this morning. Travel companies are asking the White House to eliminate COVID testing for return to US. This will certainly make traveling for a cruise easier… https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/more-than-260-travel-companies-pressure-white-house-to-end-pre-departure-testing.html

Then this is being subsidized. I get paid above minimum wage and would require more than $10 just to deal with scheduling, let alone testing, documentation, certificate, and cost of test. This doesn’t even factor in burden rate (benefits, inefficiency, overhead, etc.)

How much would you charge to oversee a test? My guess is they need to pay a nurse to oversee and document the testing or people would be complaining they were using unqualified staff. They can’t win….labor is generally the biggest expense.

I love buffets, did an Indian buffet last week and not a mask in site. Wonderful opportunity to enjoy new things!