gotcha3

How far "north" has anyone used Rome Cabs? We had 1 of their drivers meet us at Livorno for a Florence/Pisa/Lucca 2 day tour. I was wondering about Ravenna or maybe La Spezia. Anyone have any experience? Thanks in advance.

Has the Constellation been recently refurbished/revolutionized? When? Google searches yield many conflicting stories due to Covid. Thanks in advance.

On 4/23/2022 at 8:38 AM, awhfy said:

Just remember, we drive on the wrong side of the road 😉. Safe trip & enjoy the parks (make sure you make a reservation for the parks or you might get disappointed)

I don't think so.

Sorry,

 you are correct. The PCR test MIGHT show indication of a previous covid infection or it might not. If it does, it's academic as it IS a positive test. Supposedly, the rapid antigen test (EMED)  differentiates between past covid infection genetic material and current active virus. I think that means less chance of testing positive if you don't actually have covid and have previously had the disease. I don't think enough people understand the differences between all the tests, too confusing. I'd NEVER take a PCR test if I had covid within the last 3 months.

On 6/1/2022 at 10:13 AM, GottaKnowWhen said:

I was scheduled to sail on May 23. I did the eMed online test on Saturday May 21. I showed a slight Positive, which was not a total surprise; I had a Positive PCR on May 6 and CDC says that any tests might show Positive for up to 90 days. I did have in hand a Certificate of Recovery which would have allowed me to board my Celebrity cruise to Bermuda, but Bermuda (and most Caribbean Islands as well) do not currently accept anything but a recent Negative test.)

 

So, on the 21st I cancelled my hotel reservations, cancelled airline, cancelled my private tour on Bermuda, and called Celebrity Engagement Center. I was on hold for a bit, explained to the person who answered that I needed to cancel, was transferred, explained to the next person that I needed to cancel. She took my name, reservation number etc., verified all of that, and asked me to email a copy of my Positive test result. I did that. I couldn't be sure that they had received the email so on Monday 23rd I emailed my CVP and asked him to check; he emailed back that my records showed the cancellation and that refunds etc. were in the queue.

 

Meanwhile on May 22 I booked a June 19 cruise, but NOT to Bermuda or Caribbean.

 

Today, June 1, I received an email from Celebrity acknowledging the cancellation and outlining the following:

   - charges to my onboard account had been refunded to my OBC account.

      = Excursion cancelled, credit to OBC

      = Specialty dining cancelled, credit to OBC

   - Upgrade from Classic to Premium Alcohol Package - refund pending to my credit card, to be credited within two billing cycles.

 

Ok, I didn't have a Specialty Dining reservation, but no harm, no foul. My OBC account now shows zero charges against it.

 

Unknowns: 

    - What happens to my OBC?

    - What happens with my cruise fare? FCC or Refund?

 

I could speculate based on others' experiences I've read about here, but I am content to just sit and wait to see what happens. Stay tuned for updates.

 

Stan

I realize this doesn't help the situation much, but I'm also trying to get a handle on all of this covid versus cancel versus test stuff for a family cruise in July. Why didn't you take the EMED rapid antigen test versus a PCR test? The rapid antigen is supposed to filter out the "active" (contagious) genetic material from previous covid infections whereas the PCR does not, it shows ALL covid virus material active or not.

5 hours ago, TFree said:

That is a fair question.  The answer is a bit complicated, but here goes.  I tested positive in December, 2021.  Our next cruise was April 30, 2022.  But then I learned that in some instances, Certificates of Recovery will be honored for 6 months (there was a 90 day limit for our April 30 cruise, which is why I had not previously requested one).  So I got one.

 

Then I had a weird series of inconsistent test results in March, which would have been within the 90 day window.  But none of the positives was on a PCR test, which is required by Celebrity.  I continued to test periodically, and got a positive PCR in early April.  So I asked my doctor to write a new letter based on the April positive result.  He did, but he made the letter more wishy-washy than I would have liked (suggesting that it might have been a false positive, for example).  So I took it with us on our cruises, but wasn't really sure if the wishy-washy version would suffice.  

In the meantime, before the April positive PCR test result, I had ordered a 6 pack of BinaxNow proctored tests through Emed.com.  They have good expiration dates, but still we might end up having more than we might need, so I had no reluctance to use one for our April 30 embarkation rather than chancing it with the wishy-washy letter, and Celebrity gave us "free" test kits on one of our cruises, so I had no reluctance in using another one for our return to the US yesterday.

The letter I will post after I get home today or tomorrow is the "good" version of the letter, which I am confident would have been sufficient if I had been within the 90 day window.

 

Tom & Judy

Absent your experience, what, exactly does a certificate of recovery get you? Will it get you onboard if you unexpectedly test positive months after actually having covid? If that is the case, why not just take the Abbott EMED test which is rapid antigen and ONLY tests for active (contagious) virus and not just genetic material from previous exposure? And, yes, Celebrity does accept either;

There are two common types of diagnostic COVID-19 tests and we accept either one: 

• A molecular test, also called a PCR test or NAAT test
• An antigen test, also called a rapid antigen test

It is very confusing to me and I must find the answer as I have the whole family (6) cruising Alaska in July and to be denied boarding would be devastating. Thank you.

How much?

Can I upgrade my free onboard wifi? Can I upgrade for just the last day or two of a week long cruise? Costs? Thank you in advance.

On 5/18/2022 at 6:08 PM, Gray Lady said:

I may be confused by what you are saying. Just asking for clarification. I have called two other testing sites that offer on-line proctoring. They both said that as long as your self administered test is FDA approved, it qualifies for re-entry to USA. They both specifically said that Ihealth qualifies. Do you mean that IHealth is sold out of proctored test spots that they offer?

Please reread what I said......the free tests SENT from the us gov't DO NOT Qualify for the reentry covid test. Proctoring is the key. Brandon is shipping inexpensive (cheap) IHealth tests with no proctoring. If you want a proctored test, call and PAY EXTRA to IHealth for a proctored session (except they say none are available).

13 hours ago, kcmo74 said:

Unless it's unvaccinated children, it says they will test them for free within the last 24 hrs before  returning to port in the US. At least that's what the website says.

I agree with you, but it seems from all reports so far, that Celebrity is basically kicking you off the ship. Maybe they hand you a test after disembarkation, maybe not. From reports THEY ARE NOT MAKING IT EASY to fly home to the US! At best it's deceptive advertising as they said they would actually test you for free if you booked prior to 16 Nov 22 and at worst, its a damn lie. For me, it puts all that 'we care about you rhetoric' in perspective.

On 5/15/2022 at 4:57 PM, Gray Lady said:

Just wanted to let everyone know that there are other options for proctored COVID tests where you bring your own FDA approved kits (those are the free ones you received from the Feds) and they watch you do the test and email you the results. Here are the two links:

https://www.totaltestingsolutions.com/virtual-travel-testing/
 

https://onpoint-testing.com/product/certified-teleservice-covid-testing/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyYKUBhDJARIsAMj9lkHw_SulB6xHn4_vappPhjda1s9HNbNSuO34curOuzP5gAHV4PaPgPUaAr60EALw_wcB
 

On these you only pay for the proctoring.

Not all covid tests sent from the government qualify for reentry. I got IHealth tests and although you can purchase a "proctored sessios" using the free tests, IHealth says they are all sold out.

1 hour ago, Searanger said:

Lets address the elephant in the room. The bottom line is the cruise line by not testing onboard doesn't want to know who is positive prior to disembarkation.  By giving passengers the test kit in the luggage pickup area, you are not their problem any longer as your are off the ship.  Anyone that needs a test to board a plane home needs to balance the risks involved if you are stuck in a foreign Country and have to "quarantine" at your expense until you test negative.  Options, you can take your own test kit with you and complete the test on the ship before disembarkation.  If positive, there are now options to stay on the ship and quarantine into the next cruise if you wish to inform the medical facilities that you are not feeling well and triggering them to test you.  Otherwise you can't expect support if you depart the ship on disembarkation knowing you are positive.  Anyone that needs a Negative Test to Board a plane home needs to know and evaluate the financial and personal risks of being stuck in limbo without any outside support.  Is your vacation worth the possible consequences? 

Yeah, I get all that. There is no elephant in the room....the question is, "how do we test after disembarking if we are going directly to the airport for a flight to the good ole USA?" As was mentioned earlier, I guess Celebrity just doesn't give a darn what happens the minute you leave the ship......except my travel and that of my family has not ended and we still need a test. I hope by now all involved fully understand the "crap shoot" of testing positive anywhere along the line, that's been understood by me for a long time and not a question. Testing "in the cab" is NOT an option, it should be done onboard, although with Celebrity's spotty onboard internet service, not sure how a video test can be done.

Anybody have any RECENT experience with Hertz, like since the bankruptcy? The Anchorage Hertz website is a mess, showing no cars. Is Seward the same?

5 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

 

Respectfully, I would say that is a matter of opinion. We absolutely LOVE the aft-facing AQ cabins on deck 11. 

 

@scottygirl, I would note that, while smoke has never been an issue for us, you can hear people talking and the acoustic musicians that often play at the Sunset Bar in the afternoon and evening. Personally, we LOVE hearing the musicians, and the sound of voices has never been loud or obtrusive, but thought it worth mentioning.

 

Also, people are often concerned about noise from the movie screen on the Terrace Deck right above these cabins, but we've never experience any significant issues there. As I've noted in other threads, only 1 time - on a 12-day Med cruise - did we hear any movie noise, and it was when we were in port and the movie had a lot of explosions. But, otherwise, no issue.

 

Happy cruising. 👍

We've heard both (sometimes quite annoying) on our cruises in Aqua deck 11 aft facing cabins.

I just sent an email to my planner and got a reply in @5 minutes. This is what he said...

 "Unfortunately, we are unable to provide our direct contact information on websites.  If anyone asks you, I would have them call our general number and request an Outbound Agent.  After that request is made, our supervisors should be notified, and then they will assign this new contact to one of us.  Anyone can always call this number, (800) 556-8209, to make this request."

The only caveat I will add is this....Celebrity can't match group rates, where some big TA buys rights to sell LOTS of cabins and discounts them heavily, but they will match genuine sale prices and perks with additional OBC(NR). We have specific cabins we like, as in we probably won't go if we can't get these particular cabins, so we book as soon as the sailing dates are announced. Several times we've been the very first cabins booked on a particular sailing. We'll book with just 1 name and pay only 1 deposit sometimes booking higher priced refundable because that's not the fare we'll cruise under. Then we watch for sales. When we find one (or a better price when periodically checking big box stores and TAs), we take a screenshot and send it in an email. Prices are adjusted that day or the next. We've had sometimes 2-3 different price match deals over the course of planning, the refundable tag gets removed when it's clear we'll cruise at a certain price. One thing we don't care for, however, is when they give additional OBC due to match with a big box gift card....it doesn't show up on the invoice, but it does show up onboard. Give them a call, what have you got to lose. I don't think it's ever a bad idea to remove the middleman.

1 hour ago, cdn_tbird said:

We always move our onboard bookings to the big box TA. Sometimes they have a group booking on that particular cruise so we enjoy the lower price and the gift card, other times it's just the gift card but worth it none the less.

 

If you're comfortable with current pricing, I would suggest you book now and then just get the TA to reprice it if the price drops during the Wave season.

I've never had to do that. I have a Celebrity planner who will match any legitimate deals with just a screenshot and verification. Gift card extras are matched with OBC. We get the best service and can communicate by phone or email.

How about traveling with a child who has a pretty good allergy to peanuts? Anyone with experience with that?

On 12/12/2021 at 2:48 PM, HBDave said:

Might be or maybe a large number of crew are changing and they need a 14 day quarantine period. I guess we'll have to wait and track it on Cruise Ship Mapper and see where it goes. 

I think it's a mini-drydock.

Thank you for the report....all good info.

Sorry, but I haven't been following the MSC board much lately. Has there been ANY rumor concerning MSC extending (one more time,) the 3 year expiration of Voyager Club status? Thanks.....g3

Any idea of timeframe when RCL will release summer 2023 Mediterranean schedules? Thanks in advance.

To upgrade the Classic drink package to Premium pre cruise is like $14 per person/per day, is that correct? Is it cheaper to wait and upgrade onboard? Thank you.

I've read several comments from those on Summer 2021 cruises that talk about reduced capacity on some Celebrity ships. Does anyone know how long this might last, how much reduction, fleetwide, etc? I've not seen anything about this from Celebrity and the news, well, let's just not go there. Thanks in advance, gotcha3
 

All of these replies to the original thread.......and no one has mentioned the outrageous pricing? Just wondering. Nothing to see here, just move along.