John182

We have used Celebrity Air for our cruise out of Tampa in December 2022. First time we have not arranged our own air travel on a cruise. There was a deal being offered and he prices were very competitive. That was a few months back. By chance we looked at our air booking to remind ourselves which seats we had booked on the four legs of the whole booking. Lucky we did as we found out the Virgin flight to Boston  had been cancelled and we had been rebooked for the following day despite the fact the the Boston to Tampa leg with Delta was still on the day before ! No communication of this change from Celebrity, Virgin or Delta. We sat in a queue on the phone for over an hour to Celebrity in the UK and for another half an hour when we did get through to an agent. Eventually we had a new set of outbound flights given to us the following day. Or rather we went on and looked at our booking since we had no direct communication from Celebrity. The new flight across the pond is with Delta rather than Virgin. Sadly they had booked us into economy which is not what we had paid for. A quick e-mail got that partially corrected but still the cabin on the Boston flight is not the equivalent of what we had on the original Virgin flight. Another wait on the phone is upcoming methinks,,

Our bottom line is that we probably won't choose to have Celebrity arrange our air travel again.

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I was quick to berate Saga when their processes were broken so in fairness I am going to be equally quick in letting you know that they have rectified the situation within 24 hours. Once the break in communications was resolved we have been told that our refund has been processed and we have been given the same compensation as the poster in a previous thread who had had the same misfortune with their driver. We also received a full apology and an assurance that the issues we encountered, particularly those at the port, are to be taken on board for future cruises. Thank you Saga and thank you all for your kind words and moral support.

We heard from guest relations today after I had emailed them directly. We still do not know why we have not been contacted after the initial call with the welfare department. We still do not know what our options really are. We have now been told that we are operating within the standard resolution window of 28 days from now. We were told that this is the maximum time and that hopefully it may be within 14 days. I can only compare our circumstances to that of the passengers returning on Spirit of Adventure tomorrow who have been told their refunds were to be processed within 7 days. I realise this whole topic must seem like a bit of a whinge. It really is very unlike us to complain about anything. I think I should stop posting now and quietly await the final resolution.

Promised telephone call did not materialise. We called again to find out that another department should have been dealing with our issue. We will have to wait a little longer again. It really annoys me when you are promised a call that does not happen. Just manage expectations correctly. Call even if is to say there has been a delay in resolving an issue. 

Waited for the call from Saga to no avail. In the end we called them. Some confusion at their end so we have been promised a call with our detailed options on Monday now. Still testing negative so maybe just maybe we got extremely lucky. Incubation can still be as long as 14 days even with Omicron so we will just wait and see. Anybody want to buy some snow boots 😊😊😊

Than you from both of us for the very kind words. I rather regret the original post really. I am old enough to know not to post at a time of heightened emotions.

We had initial contact from Saga last Monday. They outlined the type of compensation we could expect and we will be talking to them later about the details. So far we both remain negative for Covid.

Unfortunately I am writing this post from my study at home rather than from a cosy cabin on A deck on Spirit of Discovery which is just leaving the Thames Estuary according to cruise mapper. This afternoon we travelled all the way to Tilbury only to have our driver fail his Covid test despite claiming to have passed a test this morning before picking us up. We both tested negative which was to be expected given the extraordinary care we have been taking in the run up to this much awaited cruise. As close contacts we were obviously denied boarding. We shall hear the response concerning or options from Saga tomorrow hopefully. It goes without saying that we are bitterly disappointed. We were going to take this one risk out of the process by driving ourselves to the ship but this option was scuppered by changing the embarkation port to Tilbury and returning to Southampton.

I thought Saga handled the communication of the issue quite well. The lead clinician and Saga rep both empathised with our situation and were quick to offer us some food and water for the return journey. That said they might have been better to talk to us before giving the driver advice on isolation procedures. Oh and the box of food offered might have been more palatable if it did not have the words 'Eat and Enjoy' emblazoned upon it !!

Probably the biggest learning point for them was the way in which we had to leave the testing area to return to home. Our driver, who was mortified by the way, was directed into the huge queue of vehicles in several lines that were waiting to hand over their negative test cartridges and health questionnaires before continuing on to luggage drop. We had or sit there for twenty minutes watching the ship. It was only when my wife left the car and pleaded with the Saga staff to let us through quickly that we managed to get away. The staff responded quickly to be fair but this cannot have been the first time this situation has occurred so please Saga don't put others through what you put us through. It was mental torture.

If by any chance this is read by guests heading towards the Northern Lights on SofD I wish you bon voyage. I hope you hAVE ideal conditions to see the Lights. Enjoy all that the Ship and Itinerary offer.

It's working OK for me at the moment. Once you have logged on to your Saga account you should see the cruise(s) you have booked and then you just click on manage my cruise. How far are you getting through that journey?

Once in you can see details of your payments, the passengers on the booking, ground travel arrangements for cars and excursions. The last two of these only appear a few weeks before your sailing.  There is also an area for concierge requests.

Saga seem to be a little different from other cruise companies that we have used previously in leaving excursion choices quite late

My sympathies to everybody on board both Saga ships at present. It would seem there have been some significant Covid related issues including offloading and extended isolation, the impacts of which appear to have been exacerbated by inconsistency in the way in which there were handled. We are to embark on the SofD in just over a week. I must confess to be more than a little nervous having read the various threads on here. Covid, ships systems not being able to cope with the Arctic conditions and an unruly North Sea are not the best appetiser for our cruise. To make matters worse the golf simulator is going to be off limits isn't it ? I knew my plan B for a golf break in the sun was the better one but I was overruled as usual. 

15 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I would encourage those concerned or confused about the current AZ vaccine situation to watch this

I could not agree more. What on earth were AZ thinking of by releasing a press statement based upon a subset of the data. Who the heck vets what the PR guys send out. My inside source is actually more upset that the University's own press release repeated AZ's release parrot fashion. One unhappy scientist right now.

17 hours ago, Tigrou said:

 

When I read of the latest suspensions I couldn't help but think, who has got it in for the Oxford/AZ vaccine and why?  It really does seem that as soon as one unsubstantiated claim against it is proven to have no basis, another one is made.  I wondered if it was a 'dirty tricks campaign' by other pharmaceutical companies wanting a greater share of the market, but for the moment at least surely there's plenty of business to go around.  So a political motive does seem the most likely.

 

Last week I had my first shot of the Oxford/AZ vaccine and was very glad to get it.  Please pass my thanks on to your son and his whole team for their amazing work.  

 

 

29 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

John182, Here is a nice opinion piece that explains some of the EU situation on the slow vaccine rollout which supports what your son is saying.  Please thank him from many of us for his work on providing life-saving COVID vaccines.

 

https://www.eurointelligence.com/column/vaccines?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210316&instance_id=28100&nl=the-morning&regi_id=121450033&segment_id=53490&te=1&user_id=8259b050a84d722b46d85f64ae857bb0

I will pass on your thanks. Everybody around the world who has worked on a vaccine response in such short timescales deserves our thanks. It is amazing what has been achieved when sufficient funding and prioritisation has been given to the scientists. Let's hope that continues now that they are moving on to try to protect us in future years against variants of this virus and those that will inevitably follow as the world's population continues to grow.

2 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I suspect that because of the early foul-up in the AstraZeneca testing procedure, that particular vaccine will always be under a cloud.

Only by those who choose to ignore the empirical evidence arising from its usage which sadly will probably be the majority, it seems to be the modern way to not let facts get in the way of a good argument 😀

5 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Here is a statement released from Astra Zeneca on their vaccine and the blood clots and PE's.  In over 17 million people vaccinated the incidence is no greater than in the general unvaccinated population.  But this has not quelled the hysteria by the media and reaction by politicians and governments.  IMO a totally unnecessary black eye feeding the anti-vaccine crowd.  And keeping a life saving vaccine on the shelf.  

 

https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/update-on-the-safety-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca.html

I too believe that it an overreaction and that there is no causal relationship between that particular vaccine and thrombosis. I have read that in the UK it has been estimated that as many as 1 in a thousand people may be liable to suffer from blood clotting. The Astra Zeneca vaccine is well used here now and there is no evidence of any deviation in clotting cases. My son has even stronger views on the suspension of its use but he would do as he has worked on the development of the vaccine and is rather fed up with his teams' work being used as a political football by those seeking to explain a slow roll out of vaccination in mainland Europe.

1 hour ago, madmacs said:

As someone said,and they are apparently considering it may be worth running a trial in Latin America which is the latest hot spot. I wonder is President Bolsonaro will allow them in as Covid-19 is just a little flu. 

Yes, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Authority approved the Oxford Vaccine for use in trials in Brazil earlier this week. Whether the politicians there get in the way is as you say another matter. 

1 minute ago, boscobeans said:

Sorry, I am not as informed as you as to what each party has done to lay claim to the vaccine..

 I didn't mean to sound critical. It's just that one of my sons is a member of the University research team so I just went a bit parental there 😀

3 hours ago, boscobeans said:

ASTRAZENECA announced 15 hours ago that the vaccine they have developed has been VERY safe and successful in OVER TEN THOUSAND patients.

AstraZeneca did not develop the vaccine. That was done by the University of Oxford, based upon an existing vaccine that was under development for another virus, I think it was SARs but I may be wrong, that was put on hold. AstraZeneca are manufacturing the vaccine in conjunction with two partner organisations in the world.

11 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

WhatsApp, is that at no charge for you to make the call from the UK?

I just use WhatsApp to talk to other WhatsApp user over wifi or via my mobile phone data package. As long as I don't exceed my data allowance then all calls to fellow users are free anywhere in the world. I do not use it to call non WhatsApp users. I don't know whether that is chargeable.

24 minutes ago, Nachosdelux said:

perhaps you should consider Skype.  almost free.

I think we have different Skype call packages over here unfortunately. It would not be worth my while buying a Skype package since I use WhatsApp for all my internet calling. Anyway I think Skype will still charge over and above 'norma'l calls for access to this Celebrity number.

Thank you very much though for taking the time to make this suggestion. Much appreciated.

Oh and I gave up after 40 minutes. I hope that people are being nice to the agents when they do get through. None of this is their fault and they must be concerned about their jobs as well.

30 minutes so far to the UK number (which is a premium rate charge number)  and no indication of position in queue. Not having any indication of queue position or wait time is not acceptable when I am paying for this.

It's a common theme. We have just moved our September cruise out of Southampton to the following September.

7 hours ago, MamaFej said:

I have a better idea for social distancing on board. I had one of these as a toy when I was a kid and it protected me from my elder brother. These would be great on board. You could exterminate chair hoggers, the queues at the Buffet would be mysteriously reduced and the outside could be disinfected through a mini car wash. Might have a problem getting them into the cabins at first though.

I think that travel bubbles may well be a kick start mechanism. Whilst there are logistical challenges with crews and quarantine and the potential number of passengers may be limited by the markets that operate any revenue will be welcome. It will also potentially be a way of increasing global confidence in cruising if the new processes for passenger and crew safety work successfully. Of course if there is a well publicised disaster on a ship then confidence will be reduced to zero. Like so many challenges at the moment it is a finely balanced decision that has to be made.

PS This is a very good thread. Thanks for starting it. I apologise now for my next post and hope it does not detract from the gravitas of the thread but I just cannot resist doing it. Blame the cabin fever.

A) A Tow from an aircraft carrier,

B) Some heavy duty jump leads or

C) A very large trickle charger

I am not overly bothered about Cruise ships not going into BC myself but I do feel for all of you who were planning on visiting Alaska this season. It's an addictive place to go to. That said we are pretty desperate to get to BC to see our son, daughter-in-law and two growing, adorable bundles of mischief. As with pretty much everything else in these strange times whether we can or not this year is up in the air. We live in hope. Take care everybody, keep safe and be kind.

13 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

My sister works part time in the pro shop at her club.  Private golf clubs were never closed in Florida.  She plays golf almost every day.  It's free for her and she gets her own cart.  She's been just fine.  And she's over 70.

Now I am jealous! My eldest son who lives in British Columbia tells me that his local course in the Kootenay Valley , which happens to be one of my favourite courses anywhere,  has just opened with restrictions of course imposed by the need for social distancing .Mind you some of the people I play golf with are never within 100 yards of me anyway, especially off from the tee box.