Redtravel

Over 2 years with no Covid, we booked our first pandemic cruise. Reviewed protocols for various cruise lines, and decided Celebrity Summit was a good fit for us. On paper, it sounded safe. In reality, it wasn’t. Got Covid.

Been on both lines several times. Last cruise was on Summit. While the renovations are very good, the service was not good. There were too many people and too few crew. Next cruise is on Oceania Marina. It costs more and is worth it.

I contacted Celebrity after a cruise when my spouse tested positive 2 days after getting off the cruise. They want to know about anyone who tests positive.

Even with pre embarkation testing, people are getting Covid on cruises. Now that you don’t need a negative Covid test, I am rethinking if I will feel safe on a cruise.

Try the wines. Some are bad. Some are ok. I liked the Malbec. The rose was ok. The merlot was terrible.

Not much difference. I never bid for an upgrade. I book the cabin category that I want. When I looked at the list for elite plus, I didn’t see the free 240 minutes of WiFi. We actually used those minutes on our June cruise even though we had Always Included. The Always Included WiFi didn’t work most of the time. When it did, it was pathetically slow. The elite plus WiFi was somewhat better. It often connected when the Always included WiFi wouldn’t. In reality, I paid for Always included WiFi that didn’t work and used my elite plus WiFi. Find this absolutely crazy. This is what loyalty means? Next cruise Oceaniawhere everyone gets free WiFi.

Oceania nightlife is food. Dinner is the highlight. Shows aren’t a big thing.

WiFi is slow.

I am elite plus. Sailed 2 weeks ago. The only benefits that I used was laundry and scoop of gelato. Laundry service was very slow. Had to hunt down my final bag after 3 days. Got it back in time to pack. Everything looked gray. Washed it all again after getting home. Folded everything including items that I asked to be pressed. After 29 cruises, I get a scoop of ice cream? No Captains club nightly reception? This is Loyalty?

Obviously you haven’t been on a Celebrity cruise recently. I was on Celebrity 2 weeks ago. You can wear anything. I saw things on that cruise that I have never seen on any cruise. Hats in all restaurants. Flip flops and shorts at any meal. Swimsuits in MDR. Chic nights aren’t chic. They are slovenly. I thought that I had seen it all until I saw several in pajamas at breakfast. Previously on any cruise, I had never seen that type of dress. It really was sad. There were people who dressed well. However, since nobody is excluded for “ violating the dress code”. Going forward, there is no dress code.

All In or Always Included is just a name for a recent promo on Celebrity. When I booked my recent cruise, I think it was Always Included. Included items were unlimited internet, tips, and drinks. I did ask my TA if there was a cruise only rate. She checked and got me a cruise only rate. Everyone pays tips. When comparing cost difference between included and cruise only, the difference was less than $100 per cabin for 10 day cruise. Figured it was a good price for drinks and unlimited WiFi. If only the internet worked and drinks were made correctly, it would have been good. WiFi was slow when it worked. Most of the time it didn’t. Many of the drink ingredients were not available. If I had known this before booking, I wouldn’t buy Always Included.

Bermuda is just trying keep the island safe. They need to pay those people checking the vax records and issue the authorizations. While $40 is high, before March it was $80. If you were staying on land, the testing every 3 days was a hassle. That’s why we chose to cruise rather than fly in and stay. Before June, you had to apply and get PCR test results sent to Bermuda. Now, you can show your test results at embarkation. It is an inconvenience. Not enough to cancel a trip.

2 ships at dockyard is crowded.3 makes it more crowded. Since ships are sailing at high occupancy, you should expect crowding. We were there 2 weeks ago. 2 ships in. It was crowded.

Don’t lose sleep. We got noon appointment. Got to dock early. We were sitting on bench waiting. We were asked by officials if we would like to checkin. Nobody looked at appointment times.

We had noon checkin. Drove to port. Was there about 11:30. It was quiet. Sat on bench waiting for noon. We were asked if we would like to checkin. Nobody seemed to care about appointment times. Appointment times are a good way to stagger the crowding that can happen. We checked in very quickly. Had printed copies of Covid test results, Bermuda travel authorization, boarding passes. Also had passports and vax cards in hand. All 5 got checked quickly. We were on the ship by noon. People who didn’t print out forms were on phones locating all the info. Print out forms will expedite the process. Dropped bags in cabin, picked up sea passes, watched safety video, checked into muster station (sea pass or boarding passes scanned), and then to lunch. Concierge lunch in MDR was good.

I have seen people bring cases of many nonalcoholic drinks onto the ships. We brought a case of bottled purified water when we sailed with babies. Mixed it with powdered formula. At the dock, we put a luggage tag on the case. It was delivered to the cabin.

Got Covid after a cruise on another line. We were offered either refund or fcc. Took refund. Still recovering. Will not book any cruise until test negative. Been told that it could take months.

Testing at the dock is the best way to insure people are ok. Any testing any place else is not reliable. On another line, we had to do PCR test 4 days prior for a Bermuda travel authorization and a supervised antigen test 2 days prior for the cruise line. We were negative on both. What a hassle scheduling. The week before the cruise was not pleasant. Compare this with another line that only asked us to do an antigen test at the dock. We took an at home test before we flew. Took the test at the dock. No problems.

Avoid cabins on deck 11.

Deck 2 is quieter. If you can, upgrade to a veranda. On our last cruise, we had a veranda. Best place to avoid crowds. During a pandemic, having your own outdoor space is more important than ever before.

Strangely, cruises were never subject to Covid testing to enter USA. Neither was entering anyway except by plane. That was a glitch in the safety system. During the pandemic, testing before entering the USA may have stopped spread of Covid. No that there is no mandatory testing to enter, anyone can enter. Only time can tell if it will work.

Take national express bus.

Be safe…wear masks everywhere.

Loved Hong Kong. Was there for a week 4 years ago. Followed with cruise on Millenium for 2 weeks…..Vietnam and Taiwan.

At Al Bacio, ask for a box carrier.