Tipsy252

14 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

I am travelling on Silhouette in September and anticipate only a few pre- schoolers who I will avoid (no change there).

We are also on Silhouette end of Sep 2021. I am expecting a few small children under 5 (will also avoid as much as possible), but I hope for a quieter cruise of around 50% capacity.

11 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Perhaps a little chilly but we found the air so much fresher than ever before. 

4 people to a lift - great.

The downside: you can't share a table in a restaurant with anyone that is not from your own party. Sorry solo passenegrs but you are on you own in the MDR.

In the theatre 2 seats empty between each group/couple.

Noi social distancing in Al Bacio or Martini Bar - both packed as usual. Geoff

Hi Geoff

I have to agree with most of your comments.

• Air within the ship much fresher and slightly cooler, but I am happy with that. My hubby feels the cold and used a light fleece over his t-shirt.
• 4 people to a lift - great and no waiting for lifts. Always got one within 2 minutes, mostly empty.
• Sharing a table was a downside, on the whole really happy with the service and the distancing between tables.
• There was distancing at Al Bacio, tables were further apart and you were able to use Sushi on 5 as an extension to Al Bacio. Martini Bar was a bit hectic at times (pre-post dinner), but there were less chairs at the bar hence better spacing, better table service and fewer people pushing for service at the bar.

Just my observations from the 23 July cruise.

I agree 09:00 to 09:30 is the latest to disembark. We had a leisurely breakfast in MDR and then walked off at 09:00. Most others were off and gone before we collected our luggage.

2 hours ago, downsmead said:

We are on that cruise and when I made final payment recently, asked the same question. The answer I got was that Celebrity is still sorting it out!

At present, we need a test 3 days prior to returning to the U.K. and I asked if we had to arrange the test or would Celebrity?

We are on the 27 Sep 2021 cruise, so the first International Celebrity cruise from Southampton to Canaries, Spain and Portugal.🤞 I fully expect to have the same proof of double vaccine and pre-boarding PCR testing, I would also hope that Celebrity organise the pre-UK arrival PCR test, as part of the cruise fare. We may also have to have a test 2 days after arrival back in UK, depending on the rules in place at the time.

On 8/4/2021 at 7:09 PM, jelayne said:

Yes you can take drinks from a bar to your cabin.  Retreat Lounge is on Deck 5

Confirmed as of Jul2021 - Retreat Lounge is Deck 5 just off the Ensemble Lounge area and next to entrance to Murano.

58 minutes ago, GerScot said:

Yes all done a week ago, just the health bit to do.

 

Health questionnaire on the Celebrity app can only be completed 24 hours prior to booked embarkation time. Also a good idea to complete the muster information pre-boarding. Then when on board go first to your stateroom (cabin), collect your Seapass and go to your muster station. They scan your card and you receive a coloured sticker to show you completed muster. So quick, simple, easy and painless.

58 minutes ago, Merly said:

Silhouette 18th October.  Canary Islands, Portugal. 

Hey Merly

We are on the 27Sep2021 cruise - Canaries, Spain & Portugal. We have not received anything for PCR testing for this cruise. I completed our check-in on 31Jul2021, but not had anything through!

For the UK Staycation cruise on 23Jul2021, we received our information for booking the Eurofins PCR on 06Jul2021, about 2 weeks before the cruise. Expecting the same for this.

Seems odd that you have your PCR test info so far in advance of the cruise!

3 hours ago, Wichenford Wolf said:

When drinking wine, my wife Karen can only drink organic wines. Can anyone on board - or anybody else who might know - tell me if the wine list contains a few organic wines please?

 

Otherwise she’ll be sticking to expensive cocktails 🍹😳

 

Paul

Hi Paul, I don't recall any of the standard wines available in the bars that are on the basic or premium package being labelled as Organic. You may get an Organic wine in the MDR, but it is likely to be expensive or only available by the bottle.

15 minutes ago, runningtide said:

A thought occurred to me in the shower this morning , where most of my critical thinking occurs. We can all agree that COVID testing for passengers has been discussed exhaustively on this board. But I’m wondering, are the crew routinely tested ? I understand if a crew member is identified during contact tracing will be tested. But considering breakthrough infections on vaccinated passengers that may not produce symptoms, it’s conceivable that some passengers would leave the ship and be COVID positive after their cruise is over. My point is, I would expect crew to go through some scheduled routine testing from time to time. I looked around Celebrity site but could find no mention of crew testing. Thought I’d through it out to the crowd if anyone has some information. Thanks everyone !!!

Just off Silhouette UK cruise at the beginning of this month. We spoke to a lot of the staff and crew while on board and asked about testing regimes for the staff. They all stated that they are required to be tested weekly. This really put our minds at rest, considering that all staff, crew and passengers in the UK cruises have to be double vaccinated.

37 minutes ago, the penguins said:

6 August sailing

Check in: quick and easy under 30 minutes from arrival to bring in cabin.

Plea from the shore staff: please have all documents (set sail pass, test results and vaccination certificate) printed out not just on your phone. They have to scan each document and connection is poor at the port it is much quicker from paper.

Main dining: you can only share a table with people from your own party - very disappointed with that as sharing tables is a big part of cruising for us.

Cabin: great bed. 24 hangers real ones not those where you have fit the hangers onto rings. Bath robes new style very soft.

Sky Lounge and Spa pool - lots of rocking chairs.

Deck: chairs spaced out in pairs.

Internet: easy to set up, time will tell how fast / slow it is.

Overall: Ship clean and smart looking. Not huge changes as expected most money spent on new cabins, suite facilities.

Time now 17.45 sat on balcony waiting to sail.

 

 

Enjoy. We felt it was a great cruise, enjoyed the space and Hubby enjoyed it so much we booked another cruise for next year while on board!

4 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

After reading all the tales of woe and despondency regarding Eurofins and Covid-19 testing earlier on, I was tested yesterday at 09:18 and received my (negative) Test Report at 15:14 today. If I try hard enough, I just might find something to complain about - apart from the weather.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Hey Cublet, why not join us for a sailaway drink in Sunset bar. See you on board!

Can someone tell me how many Chic Nights on the UK 8 day cruises? Is it 2?

3 hours ago, DCPIV said:

We're about to take our first Celebrity cruise and are excited about all the good things we've heard about the food. Like some others, I tend to enjoy something more savory than sweet to wrap up a meal. Is there a cheese plate available? 

 

Yes there is usually a cheese plate available , if you do not see it of have some preference, ask the waiter. All waiters we have had on Celebrity have been more than accommodating to our requests. In addition if in Concierge and you do not like the daily selection of tapas, ask for a fruit and cheese plate.

Can anyone tell me if Celebrity has alcohol free gin onboard in any of the bars?

1 hour ago, GlobalMethod said:

Like many, I enjoy the escargot (wife doesn't) ... we tend not to like the deserts offered in the MDR so we will often have a "Mudslide" at the bar for our desert. Their 'desert-like' recipe is as good as we've ever had.

We also do not eat desert so often ask for anorher appetizer instead. The waiter has been more than willing to do this.

1 minute ago, chemmo said:

 

Sounds about right, I hope other people make more suggestions too!

Will have to look out some of my old photos for the menu at Al Bacio.

2 hours ago, jayfos said:

You don't have to pre book - you can either go and see the Maitre 'd onboard and organise a time that suits or you can just turn up at any time.  However, if it is busy you may have to wait in a line or be given pager until a table is ready

Having had to wait for tables on most nights of our last few cruises, I decided to prebook our dining times for this cruise. Really hate those buzzers.

11 minutes ago, Jb-lhr said:

I have a question. I spent an hour today on the app and on the website trying to find where to put in my dining time choices. I finally gave up. Please. Can somebody put me out of my misery please and explain where to go and what to do.   Thanks in advance.

On the Website I went to Cruise Planner for the Cruise, then went to Dining and Drinks. Choose the Celebrity Select Dining Anytime and enter a time for the first night. Go all the way through to checkout and exit the planner. When you receive the email saying you have successfully booked your dining, go back into Cruise Planner and that was when I saw a link saying that I could book dining for the remaining days of the cruise. It should show a planner type screen where you have to choose the passengers, for each day and then you can choose the venue and time that you wish to dine for each day.

Hope this helps.

9 hours ago, little britain said:

The photo is taken from the hotel bedroom window. It’s about 500yds walk straight under the arch. 

For our last cruise from Southampton, Silhouette to Norway Fjords; Aug 2019 we were able to walk to the pier through the main gates next to the hotel. However on our disembarkation these gates close to the hotel were locked and we had to get a taxi from the port to take us back to the hotel, which involved using another set of gates some distance away and then coming down the main road back in to Southampton. So best to check this gate is open before lugging the cases towards the ship.

We have booked a "Stay, Park, Cruise" package at the Holiday Inn which includes the overnight accommodation, parking for up to 15 days, breakfast for 2 and return taxi to/from the port.

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Obviously many passengers had pre booked weeks ahead. 
18.45 was available every night when I booked a few weeks ago ( for 06/08/21 cruise).

I just logged on and booked my dining choices for the whole cruise. I was able to get my choice of time (7:45 pm) for most days, only 1 or 2 days did I have to choose slightly earlier or later than my preferred dining time. Usually we have the concierge book our dinner slots when on board, but as this cruise seems to be busy with pre-bookings, I decided to be ultra organised. We can always change 1 or 2 slots on board, if we find they do not fit with our plans.

21 minutes ago, Mim Lloyd said:

The free included WiFi ... is it per passenger or per cabin?

This is from the Always Included info:

We know staying in touch is important, so we’ve included internet access for all guests. Browse the web, check email, and use messaging apps.

On 4/4/2021 at 4:28 PM, mrsgoggins said:

 We're booking to go on the Silhouette UK trip on 23rd July so fingers crossed all of the UK trips go ahead without a hitch 🤞

Hi there mrsgoggins, we have also booked to go on the UK cruise on 23Jul2021. Really looking forward to getting back on board and relaxing at Al Bacio or the Passport Bar. See you on board!

On 4/26/2021 at 4:38 AM, NMTraveller said:

I lucked out in my next cruise.  It was booked before AI was offered.

I booked my next cruise before the "Always included" was available, a quick phone call to my TA and it was added to my cruise at no extra cost!

57 minutes ago, fragilek said:

Got the Celebrity email in Scotland - we don't have any proof of Vaccination at all. We just get either a letter or a phone call to go get it.  I only had the phone call. So not sure how we can provide proof,  The doctors have made it clear they do not want to be writing individual letters for each person wrt travel re vax status.  But as yet no resolution.

Had my first vaccine yesterday and when you receive the vaccine they give you a card with the type of vaccine (AZ or Pfizer), batch number and the date administered. This is your proof of vaccine. However it is NOT a vaccine passport, as the UK government have not agreed to provide this. So for travel either this vaccination card or a more formal "passport" is likely to be required.

8 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Cunard, P&O(UK) and Princess have all stated that they will be publishing Itineraries, later in March, for Coastal UK cruises. These will be for UK residents only. I suspect that Azamara will do something similar, as their ships are currently in Glasgow.

Not yet heard of any plans from CelebrityCruises.

I for one am looking forward to seeing what these "Coastal cruises"  from Princess and P&O look like, when they will be and the pricing. I hope Celebrity do think about following suit and if the Eurpoean cruises are cancelled, they put on some for UK residents or other EU nationals.