kebrown

I think that there is a real possibility that cruises could start in August in parts of Europe.  Many European counties are starting to accelerate the lifting of restrictions because they are starting to feel the economic impact of not having any tourists.  I was watching a news segment on the BBC last night about some of the towns in Italy that depend on tourism and they are desperate for tourists to come back this summer.  I also saw a news story that reported Greece and Spain are determined to have a tourist season this summer as well.  I think August is possible for cruising in Europe as long as the infections continue to decrease.

On 5/17/2020 at 9:12 AM, LXA350 said:

Blue on Edge seems a bit of a Plan B solution where someohow the venue was forgotten in the initial planing. This is more because the venue seems to be too small for the amount of Aqua Class cabins. What was great in Europe, was the breakfast and dinner outside, which however is only possible in port or at Sea when wind conditions allow it, which is almost never the case, we were lucky on the sea day between Ibiza and Marseille to have breakfast when the sea was flat like a carpet and no wind. Hence possibly when planing the outside dinning area was taken into consideration as well for the capacity, but not the fact that this additonal capacity usually only can be used while in port.

 

Food was good and about the perfection of the experience it always depends on the staff on board, no matter which ship, on our cruise on the Edge the team was also excellent.

What do you mean by the breakfast and dinner outside?  How is this possible?  Does Blu have outside seating on the Edge?  And if so, how does that work?  When are you allowed to eat outside in Blu?

My cruise in February of this year was canceled by Celebrity and we received a full refund.  Does anyone know if Celebrity would allow us to book the same cruise next year at the price we paid on the canceled cruise?  Do cruises canceled by Celebrity qualify for this enhanced cruise with confidence? 

12 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We had ours applied to a future booking via a phone call. I was surprised it was accepted because the existing cruise was beyond the sail by date on the certificate. I figure celebrity is just glad we have 2 future bookings.

This is the reason why I started this topic.  I was told that Celebrity is issuing FCC with various expiration dates.  I am interested in finding out if these future cruise credits can be used on cruises that are past the expiration date on the certificate.  I guess in your case it worked.

Today I was told by a Celebrity agent that if you have a Future Cruise Credit and you are not sure if you can use it on a particular cruise, you can do a fake booking on Celebrity's website, put in the future cruise credit number on the page where you enter your name and the system will let you know if it is accepted.  Has anyone tried to do a fake booking to see if their future cruise credit could be used on any cruises they were interested in taking?  

My Celebrity Asia cruise that was cancelled by Celebrity back in February is showing in my cruise history as if this was a cruise that was taken.  If Celebrity is going to include cancelled cruises in our cruise history, they should give us the Captain's Club points we would have earned once the cruise was completed.

We have a cruise booked with a non-refundable deposit.  We booked with a non-refundable deposit because the price of the cruise was cheaper.  The same cruise is now being offered with a refundable deposit at the same price we paid.  Can we change our deposit to refundable since the price is now the same?

I don't think all of the ships are in Florida.  I believe the Apex is already in Europe.

Can someone recommend a 2C cabin on deck 6 of the Solstice class ships where the obstruction is not that bad?  I am looking at the 2C cabins on the Eclipse but I believe the deck plan is the same on all of the Solstice class ships.  I like the price of these cabins but I do not want the obstruction to be too large.

1 hour ago, K.T.B. said:

Not entirely correct.

 

A good friend of mine just lost their cousin a couple of weeks ago.  They had contracted COVID-19 via a hospital visit.  They had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was living on borrowed time.  (The doctor didn't think he'd survive into February, let alone March.)  The virus had absolutely nothing to do with their death, BUT because they tested positive it was considered a "death by COVID".  The reason being, from what they were told, is the funeral home needs to know in order to protect themselves.

 

So there's at least 1 death where the virus was not the cause, but is part of the statistics.  1 death out of thousands is obviously not going to swing how the stats are read, but it does make you wonder how accurate the numbers are.  Just because they get it doesn't dying from it.  This does NOT lessen its danger though to those who are at risk.  Hopefully when things settle down a bit there will be far more accurate statistics.

I am so glad you shared your friend's experience because this is something that I have suspected for a while.  I believe that the number of deaths being reported around the world from Covid19 are not completely accurate.  I believe that some of these people who died, especially the elderly, were probably already dying from chronic medical conditions before they tested positive for Covid19.  Some of these deaths, in my opinion, are being reported as Covid19 related when in reality, some of these people probably died from preexisting conditions.  I may be wrong, but I do not believe that the number of deaths being reported from this virus is accurate.   I believe the accurate numbers are probably much lower, especially amount the people who had severe preexisting medical conditions.  

Hopefully, Celebrity will still be able to resume operating in Europe sometime this summer.  At this point, I don't see any point in cruise ships avoiding Europe because the virus has spread all over the world, including the US.  There is really no place left for cruise ships to avoid this pandemic.  All they can do at this point is maintain strict cleaning measures and screen passengers as they board.  I don't feel any safer in the US than I would in Europe.  If cruise ships want to avoid this virus, they would have to move to another planet. 

It is very unfortunate that Celebrity has decided to implement this requirement for people over 70.  However, they did not have a choice.  The government has forced the cruise industry to come up with these changes.  I am very upset that some governments have tried to place the blame on the cruise industry for this mess.  The cruise industry did not create this problem and they should not be required to fix it.  Unfortunately, this virus has probably changed cruising to something that will no longer be a pleasurable experience.

I truly believe that this virus is going to go away once the warmer weather in Spring and Summer arrive.  That is what happened with the SARS virus.  I am on a cruise in August and I have every intention of still going.  The only way I will not go is if Celebrity cancels or if there are no flights from the US.  I am not afraid of traveling to Europe because the virus is already here in the US.  At this point, you could be exposed anyplace on Earth so you might as well live and enjoy your life.  I refuse to live in fear over something I have no control over.

I am upset and disappointed as well that some governments are trying to blame the cruise industry for this mess.  The cruise industry did not create this problem.  In my opinion, the airline industry should be the ones to make changes.  In recent years, the airline industry has decided to make the passenger seats smaller so that they can cram more seats in every plane.  People in economy class are practically sitting on top of each other because of the seats being so close together.  This is a sign of the airline industry being greedy and putting passengers' health at risk.  Place the blame on the airline industry, not cruising!

Are they pushing final payment dates back for all cruises that include Italy ports?  My cruise is not until August but it includes Rome.

Thank you for clarifying that we won't be able to use our premium beverage package for the extended stay.  We will be in Europe so we will be able to stay on the ship until 3:30 pm.  Regarding only being able to bring a purse size bag back on the ship, does anyone know it a backpack is acceptable.  Backpacks are smaller than a carry on but a little larger than a purse.

Celebrity is offering a shore excursion on my Apex cruise called "Extend Your Stay" which would allow us to stay on the ship up to 90 minutes before the ship sails for the next cruise.  It says that we could enjoy the amenities of the ship and continue to use our beverage package until we debark.  It also includes a $30.00 credit to be used in Le Grand Bistro.  The next sailing leaves at 5:00 pm which means we would not have to leave the ship until 3:30 pm.  The cost of this option is $69.00.  Has anyone tried this option before and if so, do you feel it was worth $69.00 to spend extra time on the ship?

Are the Aqua Class cabins interior the same size as the Sunset Veranda interior?

I am thinking about booking a Sunset Veranda cabin on an Edge cruise because I would prefer to have a "true balcony".  However, on this same cruise that I am considering, Aqua Class cabins are $50.00 cheaper than the Sunset Veranda cabins.  Should I go with the Aqua Class cabin instead of the Sunset Veranda with the "true balcony"?  Is Aqua Class on the Edge a good experience compared to a Sunset Veranda cabin?  And why would Aqua Class be cheaper than a Sunset Veranda?  Very confused at this pricing by Celebrity.

Can Aqua Class guests dine in the 4 Main Dining rooms on the Edge?  If so, how does one go about dining in them?  Do we need to have a reservation or can we just show up?  I know we are assigned to Blu but I would still like to try the 4 Main Dining rooms on the Edge if that is possible.

What is the difference between E1, E2 & E3?

Does anyone know exactly how the one category Captain's Club upgrade works on the Edge/Apex?  For instance, for the price of a regular balcony cabin, what could I expect to be upgraded to on the Edge/Apex?  Thanks

Do these Aqua Class cabins at the back of the ship have close views of the ocean?  It looks like the view of the ocean from the balcony is far away.  I prefer looking down at water as opposed to looking down at people on the lido deck.  I am wondering if we would have a better view of the water if we stay in cabin 9043.

I am currently booked in Aqua Class cabin 9043 on the Millennium but have an opportunity to switch to cabin 1138 or 1140 at no charges.  Are these two cabins better than 9043?  I know they both have large verandas but 9043 also has a large veranda.  Could someone tell me if cabins 1138 & 1140 have any other advantages over 9043 besides the large veranda?