HappyCamper49

23 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Celebrity will accept any company doing proctoring of any government approved test IF they will provide you an email test result in the approved format.

That format is the same for all major cruiselines.  The standard stuff and not handwritten.  Most have a QR code.

Thank you for this info.  I do not want to do the e Med or Binax and was concerned that a NAAT Rapid Test at Walgreens would not be acceptable.  However, after your post I am relieved because those tests DO have a QR code and Person Ordering The Test, Location of Test, etc... You have eased my mind considerably!

I had hoped to bring a few cans of Sprite or root beer, both non-caffeinated drinks since I know Celebrity does not use plastic bottles now.   Thanks to all for answering.

Does Celebrity allow us to bring cans of soda onboard?  During our 2019 cruise there were people at our dining table who said they always bring their sodas with them.

On 12/17/2021 at 5:10 PM, econprofessor said:

Hi,

 

I have read all the posts, but am still a bit confused.  I am sailing on January 2.  The Walgreens near where I am staying offers both ID Now and BianaxNOW.  Which one do I need to get?

 

I had a Walgreen's Rapid NAAT Test today.  (Negative result).  I read that is one test accepted by most forms of travel.  It has all the necessary info required from a test, such as: Ordered By; Address; CLIA#; Order ID#; Source; Date Collected and Reported; Test Ordered: (Rapid NAAT); Tested For: SARS Cov-2; Results: NEGATIVE.        I am hoping this type test IS accepted by Celebrity for our transatlantic later.

On 5/23/2022 at 10:15 PM, HappyCamper49 said:

We have a "traveling pharmacy" with us on our cruises.  It only took once for my husband to get sick on a translantic cruise!

After my husband got an upper respiratory infection on our first transatlantic, we learned the hard, expensive way to BRING A SMALL TRAVELING PHARMACY with us on next cruises!  Better safe than sorry is our mantra now.

Just now, HappyCamper49 said:

Could anyone tell me if a Walgreens Rapid NAAT Civid test is accepted by Celebrity?  The description says this test meets most pre-travel testing requirements.

 

Thank you.

Oops!  Typo!  Covid test!!!!!

Could anyone tell me if a Walgreens Rapid NAAT Civid test is accepted by Celebrity?  The description says this test meets most pre-travel testing requirements.

Thank you.

On 5/22/2022 at 3:37 PM, dkjretired said:

My husband Don (dkjretired) was very active on this forum for many years. I wanted to let everyone know that he passed away on Tuesday, May 17. His obituary is below:

 

https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/starledger/name/donald-johnson-obituary?pid=202029975

 

Jeanne Johnson

So sorry to hear this, Jeanne.

17 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Never could figure out why pre Covid  folks wouldn’t pack some things like Advil, cough meds, bandaids and antibiotics.  We never leave for a trip ( land or sea) without  them. 

We have a "traveling pharmacy" with us on our cruises.  It only took once for my husband to get sick on a translantic cruise!

On 2/12/2022 at 1:25 AM, neeko said:

Have a 15 night transatlantic on hold right now. How boring would 7 days at sea be in April. Are there a lot of activities or should we bring plenty of books. 

Eastbound TA from FLL to Southampton, UK in 2018 and the weather was fantastic!  Plenty of sun loungers too. Beyond the Podium Speakers, matinees, dancing lessons, ping pong competitions, nice equipped gym.  

1 hour ago, mikekauffman said:

We are sailing on the Celebrity Infinity from Barcelona to Lisbon in October 2022.  We are planning to arrive in Barcelona a few days early to explore.  Does anyone know which hotel(s) that Celebrity uses for its pre-arrival passengers?

Last time we sailed out of Barcelona was 9/2019.  Celebrity offered hotels then, but I had waited so long to book that all they had left were not that great. (I had spent days reading reviews and had written down the ones with really bad reviews).  Ended up at Hotel Arc La Rambla and it was okay, just paper thin walls.

3 hours ago, mightycruisequeen said:

I don't know if these are necessarily accepted by HAL, but...😄

This is simply hilarious!

On 12/7/2021 at 11:23 AM, George C said:

Totally agree, but if it’s a choice of 7 or 8 I will take 8,  our last European was 12 days and stayed a couple of days before cruise in Barcelona.

Our 12 night, 2019 Eastern Med cruise was on the Reflection and like you, we spent a few pre-cruise nights in Barcelona!  We love longer cruises, but it is just a personal preference.

9 hours ago, Saturngrl said:

I will post a review on the Reflection after our November 20th sailing.  I am SO happy to board an S-class ship again!   Lawn Club Grill,  Martini Bar, Silent Discos....omg can't wait! 

Love the S-Class ships!

On 9/17/2021 at 1:35 PM, BaltimoreCruise said:

I plan to purchase the BinaxNow tests for our December cruise.  If purchased recently what expiration dates do your tests have?  
 

Thank you.

BC

Went on Binax website and it showed Out of Stock.  Someone on another cruise line thread said they were out of stock til 2022.  Hope they were mistaken.

On 9/21/2021 at 7:00 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Tough question to answer, as it depends significantly on the routing and any weather issues in the vicinity that could impact the route.

 

Bermuda is only about 5 degree of latitude (300 n/mls) south of the Azores, so if steering a Rumb Line the courses will generally be WSW to WxS, or almost towards the setting sun. The port side will have more sun throughout the day.

 

However, if you initially head South, sunrise will be port side and sunset stbd side. If you had to head back NW to reach Bermuda, the opposite would be true.

Some CC members gave me some good advice before my first eastbound TA:  Eastbound - Starboard cabin.  Westbound - Port side cabin.  It was correct for us!  We had so much sunshine on our starboard balcony en route from Florida to Southampton, UK.  Much more sun and lasted longer than our friends port side balcony.  However, it is a TA so just relax and enjoy, no matter which side you choose!

On 7/22/2021 at 12:45 PM, Sandcastle11 said:

I have gone through all of the posts on this particular board.   I see that starboard might give more afternoon sunshine.  Sunset is better seen from Port.   But I’ve not found where anyone has commented on views once you hit land in Europe? 

 

we are booked from Ft Lauderdale to Rome April 20- May 2.   This will be our first transatlantic.   I am guessing that will be a fairly southern Route.   Will it be fairly warm or cool?   So anxious to start cruising again….
 

thanks!   
Caren

We sailed eastbound from Port Everglades (Florida) to Southampton, UK and the majority of CC members suggested a starboard cabin and they were right!  We had sunshine lots longer than our friends in a port side cabin. (We are booked on the new Rotterdam on April 17, 2022 eastbound from Port Everglades to Amsterdam and cannot wait!). You will love your TA!!!!  We were totally spoiled with the leisurely days st sea.

8 hours ago, mom says said:

And cowboy hats. I don't care where you're from.

 

Dress codes are what they are. If one longs for enforced formal wear nights, then Cunard is your line.

On our first cruise in 2009 (Carnival) we got in line for the MDR on Christmas Eve.  My husband and I were dressed according to the guidelines.  The man behind us was dressed in a Chicago Bulls basketball uniform, several gold chains, tennis shoes and socks.  The hostess informed him he could either change his attire or go to the Lido for dinner.  I wish more people dressed inappropriately would be turned away from the MDR.  Yes, I am old and follow rules.

On 9/12/2021 at 5:32 PM, Bruin Steve said:

First off, I am Platinum on Princess, Elite Plus on Celebrity...My last cruise (actually back-to-back) was in a Sky Suite on Celebrity Apex four weeks ago...My next-to-last Princess cruise (Pre-pandemic) was in a "Club Class" Mini-Suite...I'll try to answer best I can, but realize many things are subjective and people's opinions can differ greatly.

 

Food and Service:  I have always been of the opinion that Celebrity's food, overall, is superior...but there is nothing objectionable about Princess's...I've enjoyed meals on both...That said, for SUITE restaurants, Princess comes nowhere close to Celebrity.  Celebrity's Luminae is incredible...Princess' Club Class is really just a slightly enhanced menu within a cordoned off section of the MDR.  Service in Luminae is outstanding...though service in Club Class is definitely a step up from Princess' MDR service--which I've always found a little bit lacking. 

 

Another note which needs comment:  On Celebrity, we really enjoyed the Retreat Lounge--a bar reserved for Suite guests only where the service was without compare.  Princess has nothing to compare.  Also, Celebrity has great butlers for added service to your suite.  Princess has nothing of the sort.

 

Entertainment:  It's all subjective and subject to personal taste...but, IMHO,  Celebrity's "production shows" are superior, Princess GENERALLY gets the edge on comedians/magicians.  But ANY cruise entertainment really depends on who they've booked and varies ship to ship and show to show.  Where Celebrity does have a MAJOR edge is in the showroom itself.  Celebrity ships' showrooms are ample for the number of guests onboard.  Princess' are far too small--often seating less than one third of the ship's capacity.  The result is that you have to show up WAY early to get a seat on Princess.  On Celebrity, there never seems to be a problem with finding a seat for a show, no matter when you show up..

 

But, all in all, I never choose for any of those particular reasons...I'll go on either line if the itinerary, the dates and the pricing fits my needs and desires.  Either will give you a nice cruise vacation.

Excellent advice.

On 10/1/2021 at 8:16 AM, cruiseaholic78 said:

Well there she is, taken by my husband today!  Lifeboat trials Maasvlakte.

Rosalyn

 

Scheduled for April 2022 TA on her.  First HAL cruise.

On 9/25/2021 at 11:53 PM, zgscl said:

Saturday MDR Dinner

 

Saturday - Lido

 

 

 

 

Canaletto - looks identical to Alaska with same upsell pricing (by the way I highly recommend the crab risotto, hands down best dish we had on the entire trip, lamb in Canaletto was a close second). 

 

 

Thank you!

On 8/28/2021 at 3:15 PM, rucrazy said:

We tip if we request ice.. the amount of tip depends on time of day& how much they bring us .. It's all relative to the function.

That said we also don't tip if service is not to standard. (that rarely happens_)

We have been fortunate to have cabin stewards ask us on day one if we have any special requests.  Ice once per day is usually the only request.  However, we always tip the cabin steward quite a bit extra at cruise's end, as well as dining servers.  They deserve it!

On 8/22/2021 at 12:11 PM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Please everyone, follow the rules when on a ship so it does not ruin it for others . If they ask you to wear a mask, WEAR IT.   It is not fair for the crew to have to remind you, they work hard enough.  Be considerate of others please, the rules are made for a reason.  If it's too difficult or uncomfortable for you to wear a mask while on a ship, maybe you shouldn't be cruising at this time.   Do we really want any cruise to be aborted? 

Excellent advice, though there are always those who think rules "do not apply to THEM."

On 8/24/2021 at 11:54 AM, Bo1953 said:

I now think that X needs to airlift some 'American' style bacon over to CCL so their passengers can stay aboard and not migrate to X's ship... LOL

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

No arguments there!

On 8/23/2021 at 5:08 PM, canderson said:

But EVERYTHING is better with bacon!  Whatever will they do?  Rations instead of rashers???  Say it isn't so!

Oh, no!  Having bacon and croissants on our balcony of the Reflection while sailing the eastern Mediterranean....does life get any sweeter?