Christine Frances

Sure, make a liar out of me ;). I got the email last night. Not applicable as you said. Maybe they should do their mailings by Province.

I just called and this can be booked from Winnipeg as well. I was sure I saw other airports so I called and they are London, Hamilton, Ottawa, Moncton, Winnipeg, Montreal, Quebec City & Halifax. They used to have Calgary.

We took advantage of this offer except for a 6 Feb departure.

The Canada , It's All Included offer has been in our local newspaper every Saturday in the travel section since last Summer.

 

It has been on the Celebrity website all that time too http://www.celebritycruises.com/htmlpage/caribbean-all-included-vacation-package#breadcrumbs

 

I suspect the 27 Feb Cruise has many empty cabins and they are drumming up business :)

Actually I think it is selling pretty good. Approx 100 unsold cabins out of 1425 with over a month to go. 26 insides, 13 ov's, 4 reg balconies, 27 Concierge, 39 AQ, 18 SS's and 3 big suites.

That is simply not true. According to the CDC page on Norovirus (http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/transmission.html) you contract Norovirus by:

 

"

• eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus,
  
• touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus then putting your fingers in your mouth, or
  
• having contact with someone who is infected with norovirus (for example, caring for or sharing food or eating utensils with someone with norovirus illness).
  

"

 

It says nothing in there about touching your face. You have to ingest and swallow the virus, thus you need to touch something and put your fingers in your mouth, or you need to eat food that is contaminated with the virus.

 

Maybe fingernail biters catch the virus from elevator buttons, but the majority of cruise ship passengers are getting it from eating contaminated food.

 

All it takes is one crew member preparing 400 dinners. One bar back dumping a bucket of ice into an ice well that is then used to prepare a 50 drinks.

 

I don't blame the crew members. Being sick means missing tips which means missing money, and they aren't paid enough as it is.

 

Bottom line is all the elevator button and hand rail cleaning in the world isn't going to stop the virus from spreading if the crew members are not properly quarantined.

We can agree it has to get into your body!

These aerosol droplets which become airborne can also fall onto surfaces including clothing. Once touched the particles then are on your hands and through eating or touching your mouth, nose or possibly eyes, they can be ingested and infect you. The other side of the coin at this stage is that, once on the hands everything you touch may then become contaminated with particles for others to pick up. This is why regular hand washing is such an important part of infection control.

Let's call a spade a spade here.

 

The most likely way someone will get Norovirus is by ingesting food prepared by someone who is contagious. You have to swallow the virus for it to infect you. Touching it doesn't give it to you unless you then put your hands in your mouth, and most people don't put their hands in their mouth. You don't catch Norovirus because other passengers are not sanitary. You catch it because the crew members that prepare your food are sick.

 

Do cruise lines keep enough staff on their ships so that when an outbreak happens sick crew members can stay quarantined without contact with any other crew for 6 days after being infected?

 

Judging by how the Crown has been infected twice in a row, my guess is the answer to that question is "No."

 

I'm sailing on the crown in 3 weeks. I hope the outbreak is over by then, but I'm not holding my breath.

The virus has to enter the body and the most common way is from touching your face, rubbing your eyes, scratching your nose etc. You could touch every contaminated elevator button or handrail and never get Noro UNLESS the virus had a way into your body. Keeping your hands away from your face is the best way to prevent noro.

Reading the different posts suggests a few questions:

 

How can the medical team on board limit the quarantine to two days since you remain a carrier of the virus (even if you don't show the symptoms) for days after seemingly being cured?

 

Why do they recommand Imodium if it slows the process and recovery?

 

If it is so easy to catch this virus from other passengers how is it that companions sharing the same cabin do not have it at the same time? (I witnessed this in three different couples traveling on the same cruise, my DW being sick but not me.) How come the companions of those infected are not kept in a quarantine?

 

Would it be spread by what you eat/drink on the ship? Think of one cook preparing salads, for instance...

 

On the Diamond during a bout with noro, the captain seemed optimistic about the number of cases being REPORTED diminishing every day. Was that because of the procedures adopted or was that because people (after finding out that the symptoms of noro could last only a few hours) decided to follow the advice of some of the posters and not report their illness?

You are quarantined until 24 hrs have passed since your last "event" lol, not specifically 2 days. But Noro runs it's course pretty quickly so you could end up only in your cabin for 2 days, usually released on the third.

I have never seen a ship offer imodium to noro patients. but they do treat extreme dehydration caused by the runs and vomiting (usually by IV) and they will give an injection to ease extreme vomiting.

Next time you know to handle it yourself, buy meds in port, and keep your illness to yourself.

Hope I never travel with you:(

Sorry but someone with the flu or a cold does impact the ship because it spreads just like noro virus

does.

 

BTW: Bring your own Imodium people!

 

Reader

Most medical people would rather patients not take Imodium but let Noro take its course and shed the virus (diarrhea). Imodium only slows the process and recovery is faster without it. Severe cases need IV's to replace fluids or injections to reduce nausea. Do not self medicat - see the Doctor

Hi Christine Frances

 

 

 

Don't see how that is right to charge one passenger for a infectious illness and not another.I always have insurance but still not right.

 

 

 

Reader

Noro is much more debilitating and infectious than a cold or the flu. URI's are lumped in with bumps, sprains, cuts and everything else lol

Cruzsnooze

 

With all due respect, if they do not charge for noro they would not have to charge for any infectious illness.

 

Cannot charge me for having the flu, if you are not charging for noro, see where this is going..

Why would anyone buy insurance ?

 

Reader

While Celebrity does not charge for doctor visits or meds for Noro/Gastro symptoms they will (and have) charged for URI's like the flu. My insurance covered that, including chest ex rays

This is standard practice. Just claim them through your travel ins/medical insurance.

It is not standard at all!! On Celebrity any suspected gastro issue has free medical consultation and drugs are free. Special room service menu if you are confined to your room and if you do not break quarantine they reimburse you on a per diam rate as OBC

Azamara often offers a single rate of 125% and this weeks Celebrity "Exciting Deals" has 6 of the 9 cruises offered at 150%

I certainly did. The pizza on Princess is far better than that on Celebrity! The fries at the Mast Grill on Celebrity beat anything I have ever tasted, though.

We have sailed X many times have never wanted pizza on a cruise ship. So many other fabulous choices other than something I could get at home. I always stalk the buffet, pool grill etc for something special.

I used that ship's ATM once, when I needed some extra cash, the fee was high $6.

 

Traveler's checks, do they still print them? I suppose now you want to take your 8-track tapes.

That is what they told everyone that went to Japan:( Sure glad we bought a bunch of Yen before we went. Always have a backup and don't totally depend on ATM's.

I used that ship's ATM once, when I needed some extra cash, the fee was high $6.

 

Traveler's checks, do they still print them? I suppose now you want to take your 8-track tapes.

We have Euro bank accounts (here in Canada) and we buy Euros on a regular basis. When we leave for a cruise we convert to TC's and cash at Guest Relations as needed. Not a problem but would not attempt to cash them anywhere else though. They still so have their place lol

Good Travel insurance. Had a great "just in case" medical bag filled with all mentioned above and tried to self medicate when I came down with an URI on a 28 day cruise in Asia. It cycled back twice with me taking everything in my kit and ended up in the medical centre near the end of the cruise really sick. So sick that they took chest xrays etc. Gave me a bunch of prescrition meds and started feeling better in a day or so, just in time to head home:( All costs covered by insurance and they had no problem with the invoice the ship provided and since then, if my little cache of meds does not work, I run, not walk to the Medical Centre and get the good stuff. Still sad about the ports I missed on that cruise because I was sick but it won't happen again.

Can anyone remember (or was it announced) how much Azamara was putting into the Journey's wonderful refit?

I saw the spot and was enchanted, especially because I thought Cpt. Tasos might have been the model for (if not the actual) Captain on the bow. I was struck by the idea that I was being invited away from my stressful, repetative day-to-day experiance to a play date with caring professionals who get to play for a living.

 

We aren't quite as young or wealthy as the desired demog, but we can take a major vacation every other year, and Celebrity has received our money in the last three. We love the ships (M class only so far), the balcony room (no suite needed) and breakfast in bed, great food, generally good company, and interesting itineraries.

 

The emphasis of the campaign so far is "come enjoy some time in our world" and the people are their strength. I was tickled by the s pot, wonder if that is Cap'n Tasos, and looking forward to our trip in May more than ever! Though, shouldn't I be calling Marco, and X calling Polo to guide me in their direction?

 

Discussion is attention, mission accomplished by Venable. :cool:

Thank you! I liked it as well:)

What is it they call our dollar - a petro-dollar. When oil is up or dollar is up.

We depend on our natural resources as Canada doesn't have any manufacturing to speak of.

 

It isn't just the dollar that has hit cruisers. Celebrity has raised their prices drastically to pay for those "free" BBB perks.

Actually X adjusted their pricing on our existing cruise after booking. We had booked at about 1.14 and when they adjusted our sailing to a more current rate overnight they went to 1.30 and it is now worse. Nothing to to do with those BBB perks as the US pricing did not change:(

No particular bargains I can see. Same old marketing ruse. Raise prices by X and then discount by Y, price still remains at original Z it began at.

As someone who can't wait for the new itineraries to roll out, all my upcoming cruises were booked well more than a year in the future. The 3 upcoming cruises have all risen so much that I wouldn't book them now at these prices. I haven't seen any discounts on my last 6 cruises that came close to my original booking rate. (but they were all European/Asian itineraries) But the ships are selling well and the cabins are steadily disappearing off the sites I monitor. Who knows:confused:

I thought that there are no perks with xciting deals! Did this change too?

You can book online the guarantee on X's website with 2 perks for the same price as Exciting Deals.

Have three booked when the dollar was ok but will have to wait before I book any more:(

Terrible offer!! We booked a cruise last week going September and got the 2 free perks offer taking free grats and bev package. Cruise works out at $4500 for 2 in a SV category

 

If we went for the same offer under this "exclusive weekend offer" the 4 perks are available but the total cost is $6,048!!! :eek:

The offer is for a suite not a Sunset Veranda. You would get all four perks, Micheal's and Luminea for the difference in price.

This is what the Tuesday "Exciting" deals are all about. They had a deeply discounted price on the 1/14/16 Constellation cruise listed on the 1/12 - 1/13 Exciting deal. One/two days before the sailing !!! If that's not last minute I dont know what is !!!!

Our friends cruise booked a year ago, is on this weeks exciting deals. They booked an A2 with the 123 promo @ $4800 CND per cabin and on this weeks Exciting Deals a XA is offered for $6610 with only 2 perks.:eek: I guess it is discounted because a regular A2 is being offered at $7670 per cabin!!

Do they also have the cellular iPad or is it only wifi version?

 

Thanks

Only wifi I think. Have never seen one with cellular and they don't sell iPhones either. Someone posted the reason for this but I can't remember what it was lol

Also if you cruise out of Vancouver you go up the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland which is lovely. When sailing from Seattle you sail up the west side of Vancouver Island too far out to see anything.