teacherman

I realize that because I checked for possible flights.  All flights for the next 2 days were sold out.  Thus, the decision to rent a car and drive home.  One thing I find comical is that I get a text from Delta telling me the flight is cancelled and I should "go on the app and reschedule my flight".  When I try to do that, it immediately tells me that I cannot reschedule and I have to call them.  Then when I call it tells me that my wait time is approximately "4 hours and 55 minutes".  It appears Delta is scheduling so many flights that if anything goes wrong anywhere along the way (weather, crew shortage, etc), then the "dominoes" begin to fall.  I have always thought Delta was the "best" airline, but after these last few months, I don't know.  We will see how the summer goes.

We have been canceled on 2 Delta flights during the last 6 weeks.  Both times we ended up getting a car and driving home, once from Orlando and once from Washington DC.  Neither time were we offered a new flight within the next 48 hours.  We now are scheduled to fly from DTW to FLL on Friday, July 15, for a Celebrity cruise on July 16.  We always take the 10:00 am flight out of DTW.  That flight has now been cancelled and we are moved to the 12:30 flight.  At least we have a 6 week notice that we are on a flight that "might" actually happen.  

I know a lot of things can change very quickly, but just wondering how this would work for an October trans Atlantic from Europe to America that would stop in Bermuda if this is still in effect.  Any ideas or thoughts out there?

The very first person in history who looked at a lobster and decided to eat it must have been very hungry.

We were in Florida last week for a family vacation.  We scheduled to fly home on Saturday so that we had a day "just in case" before returning to work on Monday.  We could get no flights until Tuesday so we ended up renting 3 cars and we all drove home.  That is why I was wondering about people who missed cruises.  The flight we were taking home was cancelled from its departure airport "up north", so it never got to us.  I THINK that some of it was weather related and some of it was a shortage of flight crews.  When one flight gets disrupted, then it all just becomes dominoes falling.

Just curious if anyone knows people who missed taking their cruises because flights were canceled last weekend?   There were MANY cancellations to, and from, Florida.  If people did miss, due to flight cancellations, does their travel insurance cover it?  It seems that many more flights are being cancelled than before the Covid hit.  Seems like cruising can be more challenging for those that fly to the ship.

As we feared would happen so we did not take a Celebrity excursion.   We had previously booked our own excursion to a SMALL beach club at Fort James Beach.  We had arranged a private taxi for just the 2 of us.  It would have been a 10 minute taxi ride.  We would have had much less exposure than those on the Celebrity excursion, and probably less costly.  This was one of only 2 times during the cruise that I was "angry".   The other was in Barbados when we had to cancel our 12 person private catamaran because it was TOO DANGEROUS for us not to be on a Celebrity excursion.   But people we spoke to from other ships said they just were told to book "government authorized" tours at the ports.   So, they did.

We were allowed to do our own thing in St Kitts, so we spent some time at a bar that we have frequented on other cruises.   The owner told us that Covid cases were high in St. Kitts.   I appreciate the on board protocols, but the rest of it made little sense to me.

I also went to the helipad and we walked through the forward part of deck 6.    The rear portions of deck 6 were closed off, but maybe that had more to do with less passengers and staff.  We were on deck 7 and no one was on either side of us.

I was also on the cruise.   I never heard any ANNOUNCEMENT of covid cases.  I do not know if they are required to announce it.  But we had our same waiters, bartenders, entertainers, etc for 10 days so maybe there was not big "outbreak" among the crew.   I felt safe as passengers seemed to respect eah other's personal space.

We were on Reflection last week and had a reservation at a beach club in Antigua, which has amazing beaches.  The night we sailed we received notice that we could not tour Antigua on our own, and I never understood why.  We just stayed on the ship.  But it is my understanding that their beach excursion on our cruise was to Valley Church Beach, which is very nice.  Good sand, beautiful water, and a nice little beach restaurant.  If you want to go to a beach, it is a good choice.

We just came off of a 10 night cruise on Reflection.  I never heard any announcements concerning anyone testing positive for Covid.  Amazingly, I never heard anyone coughing, which usually starts to happen on about night 5 of any cruise I have been on, even before Covid.  We only had 800 passengers and I believe that the service crew told me they had about 65% of their normal personnel, due to less passengers.  From what I could see, the rear sections of deck 6 were closed off.  That may be where they ended up isolating positive cases, but I think it was more because of less passengers.  We had a verandah on deck 7, and there was no one on either side of us.   People followed the mask wearing rules and did not crowd into elevators.  It was pretty safe and relaxing.  Some people crowded into martini bar and casino bar, but we just stayed away from crowds.   Very enjoyable cruise.

What I found interesting was that everyone on board had to be tested before making a transit of the canal.  Someone said it is because the pilots want to know how many infections there are before they come on board for the transit.  I was not surprised that they found cases.  I have been paying great attention, as we are scheduled to cruise next week.

I just read a long (many pages) entry on the Holland America board concerning a person in isolation on the Zuiderdam.  It appears that different cruise lines and different ships are doing this in so many different ways.   But what I found very interesting was that everyone on board had tested negative in order to cruise.  But then everyone had to retest prior to their Panama Canal transit, and that is when cases were found.

One thing I really noticed on HAL, and appreciated, was that they have always served passengers in the buffet.  It seems to be more pleasant and much cleaner.  Ask for as much as you want, but I think there is a little more thought when you ask for something, as you have to actually consider how many pieces of something you want, rather than just "scooping it up" and putting it on your plate.   It may take a few more staff members to do this.

It just occurred to me that I could be as careful as possible in social distancing but maybe be contact traced because my waiter tested positive during the periodic crew testing.   Do any of you know if this has happened to anyone?  It could be a waiter, bartender, casino dealer, or any other crew member that you had a 15 minute contact with.  Wouldn't that be a real bummer!

Do the staterooms on Reflection have USB charging ports for cell phones and tablets?  Or does it just have electrical plugs?

Go on Celebrity.  Bottles of champagne delivered to your isolation room.🍾🍸

The CDC and airlines are currently saying that if you are asymptomatic, then you can leave isolation after 5 days and travel if you continue to wear a mask.  (or MAYBE it is wear a mask if symptomatic and no mask if asymptomatic)  Either way, it is not 10 days.  So maybe Celebrity will change the amount of time.  Easiest thing is just don't get it onboard.  Stay away from people as much as possible.  No crowding into bars, casinos, etc.  Being fully vaccinated and boosted and getting an omicron breakthrough kind of changes things.

I do all of the trip/cruise planning, and my wife generally ask "how many nights" and "cold or hot weather".   She generally trusts my planning and "judgement".😇

We are scheduled for Reflection on January 19 (10 nights).  Yesterday, she asked me a question that I had to say "I don't know" (I hate when that happens).  So, here is the question.  If we should test positive during the cruise, and are placed in isolation, but our wait time is not up by the end of the cruise (is it 5 days or ten days), then what happens when the cruise ends?  (U.S. citizens who are scheduled to fly home, BUT could take a rental car and drive either home or to relative's house in Florida.)  Is it our choice of what to do?  Does it depend on if symptomatic?  Are we placed under "guard" to see what we do?  

I realize that procedures are quickly changing.  I have also read accounts of people in this situation on other cruise lines, and it seems somewhat inconsistent.  Does Florida "guidelines" enter into this.  So many things to consider.  Any current information is most welcome.   Thank you.

Thank you.  Will we have the availability to do wifi calling or texting to each other?   Is there some special app that we need to download to do these things, IF they are available?

Does this mean that if my wife and I each have our Samsung phones, then only one of us can use the wifi at a time?  We will be on Reflection and only have the AI package.  Can we do wifi calling with it?

We are going on Reflection for a 10 night cruise January 19, IF we test negative,  I go to Planet Fitness here in Michigan.  All of our gyms were closed for several months, and when they re-opened, there were capacity limits and masks were required.  We ALL wore them.  I am 74 years old and have asthma (controlled by medicine).  I did my complete workout, so am somewhat skeptical of people who say they "can't breathe" when wearing a mask.  Now, we do not have to wear mask in the gym, but some people do.  The easiest way to keep from catching a disease is to be vaccinated, and simply stay away from people. That is what we now do at the gym, just exercise away from others.   We do not feel the need to sit at a bar when we can enjoy a drink at a table for 2 located away from others.  It would seem that reduced capacity on ships is allowing us the opportunity to socially distance.  So maybe we should all try to do it.  Safe travels.

It was my understanding that if you tested positive within 14 days of a positive test you could cancel the cruise and receive a refund.  Some places will accept a letter from your doctor saying you have recovered from Covid and are no longer contagious but I do not think Celebrity will accept a letter.  You have to show negative test results within 48 hours 

KIRSTEN:     Hope you can let us know how many cruisers are on Reflection and how many positive cases may be reported.

Hey, I am not planning on being "over served".  I was only asking because we don't wish to walk from our balcony to the bar, and back, a couple of times during our own cocktail hour.😷  And I always try and make sure that the bartenders love to see me returning to their station.   🤑