67Miner

I will arrive in Sydney on December 7 and will leave December 8 on a 15-day cruise to Australia and then on to New Zealand.  Departure from my final Australian port is on December 11.  My current Australian visa expires December 10.  The conditions of the visa requires an entry before the expiration date for a period of up to three months.  Since I am arriving before the expiration date and staying less than three months (arriving December 7 and departing December 11) I am thinking that I will not need to apply for a new visa even though the visa will expire (by one day) while I am still in Australia.  Any thoughts?  Is my understanding of the visa requirement sound correct?

Don't know about the other ships, but on the Constellation there is a marked reduction in the number of ship photographers.  And the photo staff is now responsible for taking care of internet issues (the I-lounge is no longer staffed).   All photo operations are now electronic.  Photographs are no longer displayed.

After 20 years with Celebrity, I, too have moved on to other cruise lines.  I can recommend Seabourn.  Their ships are much smaller (largest about 750 passengers) and all staterooms are suites (somewhat larger than Celebrity SkySuite).  There are NO up charges.  Gratuities and alcohol always included.  Entertainment is a step up -- cabaret style.  Additionally there are a couple of piano bars and venues with dance bands.  Prices are comparable to a Celebrity SySuite.  I see a beautiful 14-day itinerary of the fjords this summer from Copenhagen.  I have sailed the Greek islands and Central America on Seabourn Ovation and was very pleased.  Oh, and the cruise directors are amazing entertainers in their own right.

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20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We gave up on Celebrity (been Elite Plus for years) soon after LLP took over and started her "death by a thousand cut-back."  Since that time we have been cruising on MSC (Yacht Club) (think Retreat suites at a fraction of the cost), Seabourn (much less expensive than Retreat suites), and recently booked the new Explora Journeys (less expensive than Retreat Suites), Princess (better itinerary in Asia than X) and Princess (our go to line for value).

 

Just last week we debated booking X or Princess, but decided on Princess because it still offers a far better value than X.   We would love to book another cruise on X, but would prefer one of the lower cost Retreat suites.  But we can book some small ship luxury lines for less money and they are a much better value (we are not going to get included caviar on X).

 

Many cruisers get into the "loyalty" thing and tend to stick with one or two lines.  We simply look for the best itineraries and/or the best value.  X is simply not competitive with their current price structure and considering all the comments about the latest cut-backs.  I should add that we have never, ever, been on a line where we had to pay a fee for room service.  

 

Hank

You are spot on, Hank.  Celebrity "loyalists" (and I was one at one time) will always defend their favorite cruise line and dismiss unpopular changes as necessary adjustments caused by the pandemic.  And all cruise lines are making these cost-saving adjustments, they argue.  But let's be clear. Celebrity began making significant changes several years before the pandemic and accelerated those changes following post-pandemic restart.  I, too, discovered that there are many other cruising options than Celebrity.  You are absolutely correct when you point out that a Seabourn (a true luxury cruise line) suite represents a far better value than a Celebrity suite.  After some 70 Celebrity cruises and attaining the highest loyalty level, I am no longer a "loyalist" and have discovered a whole new world of cruising experiences that far exceed my Celebrity experiences.  

Testing Upon Arrival FCO

Here is the best option I have found (20 Euro) for those arriving in Rome:

Test areas at the airport - AEROPORTI DI ROMA

3 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I just dummy-booked at 09:30 appt in the Walgreens on Beville Rd in Daytona for Sunday, the 17th.  I think you should check again.

Thank you.  I was able to book test at Walgreens on Granada in Ormond Beach for Sunday.  When I tried to do this earlier I asked for the rapid antigen test which I have always used in the past.  There was no availability.  Walgreens does not offer this test.  But they do offer the rapid NAAT test.  I was not aware that there were two types of rapid tests.

3 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

3 hours ago, 67Miner said:

Thank you.  I was able to book test at Walgreens on Granada in Ormond Beach for Sunday.  When I tried to do this earlier I asked for the rapid antigen test which I have always used in the past.  There was no availability.  Walgreens does not offer this test.  But they do offer the rapid NAAT test.  I was not aware that there were two types of rapid tests.

I just dummy-booked at 09:30 appt in the Walgreens on Beville Rd in Daytona for Sunday, the 17th.  I think you should check again.

Thank you

1 hour ago, jwlane said:

 

I'm on the Walgreens site right now, and can select NAAT testing on Sunday at both locations on W Granada.

1 hour ago, jwlane said:

 

I'm on the Walgreens site right now, and can select NAAT testing on Sunday at both locations on W Granada.

Here is what I found on the CVS and Walgreens websites:

3 minutes ago, jwlane said:

Testing must be done on Easter.  I think he's mistaken stating "no public or private testing center open on Easter Sunday."

I  live in Ormond Beach, Fl.  The primary testing sites are Walgreens and CVS.  Neither are available on. Easter Sunday.  Although the stores are open, the testing services will not be available.   Local government testing sites are never open on Sundays.  The point of my post is that I have received  conflicting information -- one says no testing on day of departure and another that clearly states collection date of April 17 and 18. 

Further information.  This is the communication I received from Celebrity that's specific to my cruise date>. Very clearly it shows collection date from 4/17 to 4/18.

Vaccination Required   AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer, Sinopharm, Sinovac   We accept a mixed vaccination series consisting of doses from different approved manufacturers. Mixed vaccines may not be accepted at all ports of call. Guests who are vaccinated with a mixed series may not be allowed to go ashore at these ports, or may need to undergo additional testing if they wish to go ashore.     Pre-Arrival Negative Test Required   COVID 19 PCR TEST , or COVID 19 ANTIGEN TEST   Collected from: 04/17/2022 - 04/18/2022     Embarkation Negative Test Not Required   COVID 19 ANTIGEN TEST Sail Date: 04/18/2022     Debarkation Negative Test Not Required   Debarkation Date: 05/03/2022

31 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

I thought COVID testing must be done 48 hours in advance?

24 hours for arrival in Spanish ports.

Celebrity just notified me this morning via email m notified that COVID testing must be completed ONLY on Easter Sunday for April 18 departure.  Testing on date of departure will NOT be honored.  Too late to order monitored testing kits and no public or private testing center open on Easter Sunday.  Sadly, no option other than to cancel sailing.  

2 hours ago, 67Miner said:

If I want a suite I will book with Seabourn.  That's where I receive "an unparalleled vacation experience" that Ms. Shey wrote about.  Celebrity will never be in the "luxury cruise line" league.  After some 80 Celebrity cruises, I am done with them.  Finished.

 

1 hour ago, SailAway78 said:

Hopefully this improves the body of the message from Andrea Shey this morning. 

When we returned to service last June, we limited access to The Retreat Lounge to only those members staying in The Retreat to manage capacity and keep our guests, crew and the communities we visit safe. As the levels of Covid cases have come down we have been able to ease certain protocols like mask mandates and social distancing and many of you have reached out to ask whether this benefit will be reinstated.

While our intention was to make this temporary, what we are seeing now is that Covid changed our guests’ behavior. Guests are booking The Retreat at much higher rates than they ever have before. Our sailings are not yet back to full capacity, but we continue to be at capacity in The Retreat. And while we no longer need to practice social distancing, we do need to prioritize space in The Retreat for those guests booking The Retreat. Given the current number of Zenith members, projected Zenith member growth rates and the varying level of members on board a given sailing, unfortunately, we won’t be able to offer this benefit going forward unless you have booked in The Retreat. The Retreat is truly an unparalleled vacation experience that rivals any high-end resort and I hope you will consider it for your next cruise.

We also have a few benefits we are pleased to be able to add back at this time. First, Zenith members can now enjoy Flexible Arrival on embarkation day and check in at the terminal up to 1 hour before your 30-minute arrival window, or one hour after, within the embarkation window. And we will be launching new events in the coming months for Elite members and above including a special loyalty luncheon. Zenith members will have reserved seating and special access at these events.

Thank you for your understanding and we hope to see on board very soon.

 

This is a very difficult requirement for passengers departing August 15, especially those arriving early to spend a few nights in Athens as the test will have to be done in Greece because of the 72-hour rule.  Why two tests are necessary is a mystery to me -- a test within 72 hours of cruise departure and another at the pier (administered and paid for by Seabourn).  Very confusing development.  The other problem, of course, is even you could meet the 72-hour requirement before departing from the U.S it is impossible to find a clinic that has appointment availability in the Washington D.C. area.  And I would assume this is true in most other areas as well.

This is a very difficult requirement for passengers departing August 15, especially those arriving early to spend a few nights in Athens as the test will have to be done in Greece because of the 72-hour rule.  Why two tests are necessary is a mystery to me -- a test within 72 hours of cruise departure and another at the pier (administered and paid for by Seabourn).  Very confusing development.  The other problem, of course, is even you could meet the 72-hour requirement before departing from the U.S it is impossible to find a clinic that has appointment availability in the Washington D.C. area.  And I would assume this is true in most other areas as well.

Does anyone know if Seabourn ships are sailing at full capacity, especially Ovation out of Piraeus?  Just curious to know what to expect on the August 14 sailing.  Seems like most ships sailing out of the US are at around 25 percent of capacity as operations are restarting.

6 minutes ago, keiranm2000 said:

Hello,

 

Celebrity have finally announced the cancellation of all cruises until 11MAY.

 

However I booked an 13APR APEX and used FCC on that sailing, this made the cruise fare lower.

 

Now they're offering me 125% FCC on the cruise fare, so what happens to the FCC I used, does this get returned too? 

 

Anyone have any first hand experience with this? 

 

Keiran

From the Celebrity website:

Q: If guests have a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) that was applied to a sailing we canceled, will the same Cruise with Confidence guidelines apply when booking their new cruise?

A: The previous Future Cruise Credit will be reinstated with the previous amount used with the original expiration date or extend the expiration date to October 31, 2020, whichever is further out. If the FCC would now be expired, it will be extended to October 31, 2020. This FCC must be used, and guests must sail by, October 31, 2020. Once re-activated, it can be combined with the Cruise with Confidence certificate on the new booking.

The "Physician Fit to Sail Form" looks meaningless to me.  Only thing required from the physician is a signature.  Think prescriptions -- how would you even read a signature?  Printed name is not required,  Address is not required.  Seems to me that you could just scribble anything on the signature line and turn it in upon embarkation.  How would Celebrity know its authenticity?  This whole thing seems amateurish at best and totally useless.

Just came across this item:

 

 

 

CBC News Alerts

 

@CBCAlerts

·

1h

 

B.C. provincial health officer calls for cruise ship season to be postponed due to coronavirus outbreak. Says discussions ongoing with various levels of government, says announcement expected 'in coming days.'

Over the years -- since 2003, at least -- I have come across some fabulous Celebrity entertainers that I have not seen lately.

  o  Pepe, a wonderful classical guitarist, from Spain, as I recall.

  o  Brooks Ahrens, a delightful British classical pianist who had the talent to master any genre of music

  o  Lindsay Hamilton, the British songbird who I remember from the time before she married and after the birth off her two children. 

  o  Doug Cameron, a great electric violinist (blue in color) that could make a violin talk.  His mother sang with and wrote for Rosemary  

      Clooney.  I remember he worked in developing young musicians in California.

But, thankfully, Celebrity is still finding some good talent to bring onboard.  But, it's nice to reminisce about some off those who impressed me from cruises years ago.

On 10/17/2018 at 10:21 AM, happy 2 b cruising said:

Need  a one way ticket from Southampton to South Florida in April.  Ticket prices are more than triple than we used to pay.  Has anybody gotten any reasonably priced airfare recently?  Would appreciate your replies.  Currently.my Roll Call is still not working to ask this question.

I'm arriving in Southampton on Edge in May and booked return air from Heathrow to Washington Dulles.  Fare was $394 on Choice Air when I booked in June.  Checking today, the same flight is pricing out at $839.  

12 hours ago, mamaday said:

I’m searching and have yet to find an excursion on sale. Very frustrating. 😤

Ditto here.

The OP, Pilot Fish, provides a good example of a post with a sensationalized title that makes a strong negative statement and then provides no back up details in his/her post. Some call it venting or bashing. I call it a post without any value to the CC community.

Good point. I am skeptical of rants from first time posters.

Thank you, ern-sk. You've answered all my questions thoroughly. Will contact Air Canada directly to inquire about seat assignments and/or upgrade to their economy plus equivalent.