colliercruiser

10 hours ago, Straughn said:

Is Hurricane Beryl going to affect the ship’s ability to get to the ABC’s?  Based on the current projections, it appears that Beryl might interfere with the ship’s path.

https://www.cruisehive.com/celebrity-ship-swaps-port-schedule-due-to-hurricane-beryl/138500

Looking at some Celebrity Reflection 3 & 4 day itineraries and found some that have a day at sea after leaving Bimini on the way to Fort Lauderdale.  Since that is just a very short distance, I assume this is just to "pad" the itinerary's length.  Does the ship just cruise "in circles" on the way?

When the ship visits Coco Cay, are the onboard shops open or still closed as at other ports?

Yes, open to everyone… but as I remember it, there is no shade at all, just lounge chairs.

 We're taking a 3-night & 4-night B2B on Reflection... staying in the same cabin (a suite) on both.  Is it possible to send in laundry that would be processed between cruises, i.e., submitted on last full day of 3-night cruise and not normally returned for two days, which would be during second cruise?

On our recent Apex cruise, they had Heineken 0.0 and Peroni 0.0 beers.  Also, the FRE brand non-alcohol wines.  Don't know if covered by the Classic drink package... we had the Premium package and they never charged us.

8 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

In terms of the B2B specifically at Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale) all B2Bers will need to disembark the ship into the terminal.  The ship must be zeroed out of all cruisers.  Then you will be able to reboard…or if you wish to go somewhere you will be given a Transit Card that will enable you to bypass the lines of cruisers checking in at the terminal upon your return.

Thanks.  That’s what I thought.  The only B2B we’ve done in the US was in Boston and both of us were in COVID isolation on the turnover day, so we had to stay onboard in our room.  For our B2B in Barcelona, we were able to stay on the ship.

Two questions for those who have been on Reflection's 3 & 4 day cruises.. in particular as a B2B...

Menus:  Usually the main dining room & Luminae suite restaurant have menus that rotate across a week or more of menus.  So when taking a 7-day cruise (for example), there are no repeat menus.  For 3 & 4 day cruises, do the menus restart on each cruise... so a B2B will have the same menus within that week?

B2B Process:  During the B2B turnover day in Port Everglades, do you need to get off the ship or do you go to a designated area of the ship... so the Coast Guard can "zero out" the ship and to get a new key card, etc?  If staying in the same cabin/suite, I assume all of ones clothes, etc, can just be left in place.

2 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

September 26 returning on October 6

We have refunds coming for our B2B cruises… October 3 and October 15.  Did you do anything to get them going or did it happen automatically?

13 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Just a quick update on refunds.   We received the prorated refund for the cancelled cruise this week.  It was the exact amount in one refund.  Still waiting on the refund for the second cruise and the pre-purchased shore excursions, specialty dining and WIFI upgrade.

When was the sailing that you received the refund?

8 hours ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

Also, if the travel companion chooses to remain in the original cabin, then they are required to quarantine for the full 5 days, the same as the person who tested positive, even if they never test positive (as happened in our case).

My wife tested positive on a recent (Oct 3) Summit sailing, and when I said we would stay in our existing suite, they said I could continue to go outside the room… throughout the ship… as long as I wore a mask.  (I had tested negative at this point.)  They said that change in policy was only a few days old.

On our current B2B, we had a situation where a couple in a suite on cruise #1 could only book an Aqua cabin on cruise #2.  They were looking to stay in a suite for the second cruise, and I think Celebrity reached out to some booked suite passengers to see if they were interested in the downgrade offer.

Again, just an offer, not a demand.. some might like the offer... some not.

On 10/17/2022 at 1:46 PM, colliercruiser said:

Has anyone had a prorated cruise fare refund when the isolation days included the transition day of a B2B… specifically the day the first sailing disembarked and the second sailing embarked?  We’re currently in that situation, now on the second sailing.  
 

We had 4 days of isolation on the first sailing, then the transition day, and now on the 2nd day of isolation on the second sailing.  I assume the transition day will be part of the refund,  but wonder which sailing’s cruise fare is used in the calculation.

An update to my previous post above...

I received the following clarifications from our ship's COVID Concierge, based on her contact with the home office.

The isolation refund calculation is based on number of isolation nights, not days.  Therefore, our B2B case is covered... with the last night on cruise #1 part of the first sailing's refund and the first night of the second sailing is covered by cruise #2.  Additionally, when multiple passengers are in isolation (such as my wife & myself), the calculation is based on each individual and not as a couple.  This makes sense since my wife was in isolation for fewer nights (tested negative on Day 5) versus me (just ending my isolation on Day 10... tomorrow!).  And we each started our Day "0" (positive test day) on different dates.

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

My DW was also in mandatory isolation because she had close contact to a confirmed case.  She could have escaped isolation if she tested negative after 2 days and had no symptoms.  She wasn't interested and didn't go for a second test at Medical.  It's not clear to me if she would have needed to move to a different cabin if she tested negative and wanted to leave the cabin.

In our situation (described previously), my wife tested positive first and I tested negative.  We stayed in the same suite… not separated… and I was told I was free to leave at anytime if I wore a mask.  I inquired further (a bit surprised) and was told the rules changes a few days prior.  I did come down with symptoms the next day and did one of the home tests I brought.  It was positive so I went to Medical who confirmed it.

Thanks for sharing.  As I have posted elsewhere, my wife & I recently experienced (and continue to experience) COVID isolation… on the Summit.  A few comments along with yours:

The Summit also has a COVID Concierge… and she has been excellent at keeping us informed, answering questions, helping with our requests, etc.  We are in a suite, and that staff (butler, Retreat manager, Retreat concierge, etc) have enhanced the experience even more.

We are on a B2B.  We tested positive during the first sailing, and since our (minimal) isolation period would continue into the second sailing (both sailings are 12 nights), we had the option of disembarking after the first sailing (with full refund for the second cruise) or continuing on the B2B to complete our isolation.  The one “catch” was due to the second sailing’s stop in Bermuda, they had to get the Bermuda authorities ok… which they did.

We have continued on the B2B.  My wife tested negative on her Day 5 (first day to be tested) and was able to get off in Bermuda.  I tested positive on my Day 5 and Day 6 (today).  The protocol says that the daily testing will continue until I get a negative test OR I reach Day 10 (at which point the isolation automatically ends).

So far, Celebrity Summit has been excellent with their care, and I’m looking forward to a significant refund for the days in isolation.  (I’ve asked the COVID Concierge for details on how that is calculated… particularly given the B2B overlap… and she is checking with the head office.)

FYI, this sailing’s passenger count is 1523.

Has anyone had a prorated cruise fare refund when the isolation days included the transition day of a B2B… specifically the day the first sailing disembarked and the second sailing embarked?  We’re currently in that situation, now on the second sailing.  
 

We had 4 days of isolation on the first sailing, then the transition day, and now on the 2nd day of isolation on the second sailing.  I assume the transition day will be part of the refund,  but wonder which sailing’s cruise fare is used in the calculation.

11 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

How was your boarding experience in Boston for the first cruise?  It was a complete cluster when we boarded yesterday.  No separate Retreat luggage or entrance areas and absolutely no wheelchairs available.  The Boston bureaucrats apparently do not permit the Celebrity personnel to come ashore and help those who need wheelchairs.  I won't be sailing out of Boston anytime soon again.  If they operated like this in Florida, they would go out of business fast.

We arrived for our Oct 3 sailing a bit earlier than planned... local friends we stayed with and dropping us at the port said there was an unexpectedly easy commute that day... no traffic where expected... so we arrived at 10 AM instead of our intended 11 AM.  What surprised me was no sign signifying the Summit's drop-off area.  (There were two other ships in port also embarking that day.)  I noticed a small Retreat luggage drop-off sign so we pulled up near that.  The first check was for the COVID test results... a chaotic grouping of passengers around a person who was giving out green dots for your jacket.  When she looked at the results picture I had on my iPhone, she asked where the "date" was... and I showed her the pic's date/time stamp... and she said ok as we were "awarded" our green dots.  I didn't bother to explain to her that the date/time is only when the picture was taken, not when the test was done.  🙄

Instead of doing the check-in downstairs, we went up the escalator for Retreat check-in and the waiting area.  All of that went smoothly, with boarding beginning closer to 11:30.

We experienced an even "easier" B2B process on the same sailing... didn't even leave our suite!!

The catch is that we were still in our COVID isolation and were able to continue on for our Oct 15 sailing.  (Bermuda gave the ok.)  The documentation officer collected our passports and that was it.  Not the way we planned it, but so far it's working ok well.

On 10/15/2022 at 8:31 AM, mfs2k said:

You are on the last Celebrity ship to Bermuda which required pre-testing.
Do you know of many passengers denied boarding because they tested positive?

My wife & I are two of the very few passengers on this sailing to be "COVID positive" but allowed on this cruise... but specifically since we were booked for a B2B (the Oct 3 sailing and this one).  I've posted more details on this sailing's roll call, but in brief, we are able to continue our isolation on this sailing.  Bermuda authorities approved it, and we can only get off in Bermuda if we test negative.  My wife tested negative today (her Day 5 in isolation) and I'll be tested on my Day 5 tomorrow.

I understand that one other B2B couple is in the same boat (pun intended).  We did watch many folks disembark in Boston yesterday from the COVID patient exit.  We had the option to disembark in Boston and cancel this sailing... with a full refund... but opted to continue on.  And getting a prorated refund of the cruise fare while in isolation helps... along with the great attention we're getting from the Summit staff.

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Agree,

 

Surly one member of the customer service team should be ‘responsible’ for ‘covid care’. There should be no excuses for lack of communication or lack of service. 
 

OP, sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

On our Summit sailing, there is a staff member with the enviable title “COVID Concierge” who is readily available to answer questions and help resolve issues.

45 minutes ago, Tamara2cruise said:

@colliercruiser That seems performative at best, (how could they possibly know that it was me that actually took the test?), so it begs the question of why are they even bothering?

Good question.  My guess is that this is an “honor system” transition to dropping testing requirements altogether.

When we checked in for our October 3 sailing which only required one of these “non-proctored” tests, I showed the picture of the results to the staff person.  She said “where is the date?”, so I showed her the date stamp on the iPhone picture.  She was good with that… but, of course, that is only the date the picture was taken and not necessarily the date of the test. 🙄

1 hour ago, Tamara2cruise said:

Under Celebrity FAQ, the following definition of Self Testing is given:

 

Accepted Types of Tests and Results

• There are two common types of diagnostic COVID-19 tests and we accept either one: 
  • A molecular test, also called a PCR test or NAAT test
  • An antigen test, also called a rapid antigen test (RAT)
• For sailings from a U.S. port that visit Canada or Bermuda; from Iceland and from the Galapagos, the test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth representative.
  • You must receive a valid results document from your test provider that includes provider name, your name, the date the test was taken, type of test, and your negative result. This can be a printed document, email, or telehealth app notification. Handwritten doctor’s notes will not be accepted.
• For sailings from U.S. Ports that do NOT visit Canada or Bermuda and for some Europe sailings, any commercially available test, including self-tests, are accepted. In Europe, the exception to this is any sailing visiting Greece, which requires a supervised antigen test.
• For sailings in Australia/New Zealand, PCR tests must be taken in a laboratory; Antigen/RAT tests may be self-tests and do not have to be monitored.

 

 

So, if I'm understanding above, a Caribbean cruise departing from Florida requires only that I complete a self administered test? How do I show results? Do I keep the display stick result to show them? (That seems a little nuts!)

You can take a picture of the results and show that if asked.

Depends on when the cruise is... This is from the Celebrity website:

Covid-19 Assistance

Book any Celebrity Cruise that’s sailing between now and April 30, 2023, and you’ll have the following reassurance at no extra charge:

• 100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Traveling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal.**

**To qualify for a refund, if your COVID-19 test was administered by a provider other than one retained by Celebrity, you must present your verified positive test result in a form acceptable to Celebrity.

2 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Celebrity is still showing “supervised” test needed for this cruise (app & website)

And it still indicates the need to complete & submit the ArriveCan app.  

I think the Celebrity website just hasn't caught up with the latest requirements.