In_Steerage

I'm accustomed to having laundry sent out on cruises lasting over a week, but my upcoming cruise is a B2B, 7+6 = 13 days, switching cabins between cruises. I'd like to anticipate that I can pack light and still do laundry towards the end of cruise #1, but the timing would be such that it would span the period when we end and begin the next cruise.

I know that a willing steward would most likely accommodate such a request, but does anyone know if ship's policy precludes such an arrangement?

Not wishing to enter a bunch of passport and other data on a tiny phone keyboard, I opted to use the web version of the checkin process for my upcoming cruise.  I kept getting as far as the "Ocean Ready" screen with the photo of the family of four at the top, then logging in from there would just hang forever with a "Loading" message.

I finally found my way around this.  It worked for me, so I thought I'd share:

What worked:

Princess main web page / Booked Guests / Access Cruise Personalizer / Already Registered - Login / Continue / Check-In / Try our web version

What was causing the dialog to hang:

Princess main web page / My Account / Login / Booked Guests / Access Cruise Personalizer /  Already Registered - Login / Continue / Check-In / Try our web version

In other words, logging in first on the main Princess web page caused the Ocean Ready dialog to hang.

Going to “Booked Guests”, and then logging in worked.

Couldn't re-create this problem once I completed my checkin.  Go figure.

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I'm curious how you managed to get that complimentary? Are you Pinnacle status? Basically you were given free port transfers and I don't know any situation that free port transfers are given UNLESS they are part of some travel package, which seems very, very popular for most UK travelers. Would you happen to be from the UK?

 

No, not Pinnacle. We're Diamond / Elite, from the US.  Transfers weren't part of any travel package, and not planned for ahead of time.

We just schmoozed the Crown and Anchor host a bit during social hour on the first cruise, he made a phone call, and we threw him a few bucks.  We never had the occasion to attempt that again, so we probably just got lucky.  But I'm surprised to hear that it's not a typical practice.  I figured with the same parent company and port cities not too far apart, RC / Celebrity would want to accommodate brand-loyal cruisers to make a seamless transition in the middle of their cruise vacation.

The situation I'm about to describe is not that of the OP's , but I thought I'd mention it for the benefit of anyone considering doing something like this.

A few years ago we did B2B cruises with the first cruise, a Royal Caribbean disembarking in Ft Lauderdale, and the second cruise embarking the same day in Miami.

Upon contacting the on-board Crown & Anchor host and describing our situation, they made arrangements for a free connection between the two cruises.  They put us on a RC shuttle which dropped off everyone but us at Ft Lauderdale airport, then took us to the cruise terminal in Miami.

No shortage of lounge chairs on the pool deck of the Reflection while off the coast of Akureyri, Iceland, May 2019.  First snow experience for much of the Jamaican pool staff!

I for one would like to see this thread remain open for the express purpose of advancing the story of the post-cruise disposition of passengers of the Eclipse.

I don't do the other site (the one with a nose and eyes) so I look forward to summaries from that site posted here, as well as other first-hand accounts of post-cruise Covid-19 effects on us passengers .

But I agree that what transpired on the Eclipse from March 1 to March 30, the decisions that were made, etc., have been adequately discussed here and there's not much more to say in advancing that part of the story.

Here's an Op-Ed piece by a medical doctor who was on the Eclipse:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/story/2020-04-10/coronavirus-cruise-ship-argentina

Did any of you who were passengers on the Eclipse notice a strong mold smell in the Casino at the onset of the cruise (March 1)?  It was most noticeable towards the entrance coming from the atrium, but it permeated into the casino bar area.  It was bad, but somehow by the start of week #3 had all but disappeared.

In addition, on March 2nd, we were seated in the 4th floor main dining room, starboard side, about halfway back, and a couple of tables from the windows. As soon as I sat down I smelled mold - very strong,  got up, and complained to the staff.  They gave me no arguments, and immediately sat our group on the opposite side of the room further toward the aft where the air was clear.  And they seated us in this alternate area for the remainder of the cruise.

I've got a sensitive nose and I've had reactions on many ships to mold infested areas of the ship.  Often you'll find a corridor with a stretch of moldy smell.  It's the reason that many people are hacking by the end of a week or so of being on the ship. 

49 minutes ago, Beachin2 said:

One thing I have not heard discussed was the multiple times the ship had us all line up during the last 17 days.  We all lined up twice to get - then give back passports, exchanged sea pass cards three times and at least another three times for travel arrangements.  That's at least eight times that everyone lined up on their respective decks.  Since we were a "healthy ship" there was no discussion of distancing.  Heck, there wasn't room!

 

In retrospect, not a smart move with known sickness on board.

And one of the lineups was to get our email addresses.  "We need them within the hour!" we were told.

This request was coming from the same company which, just days before, had sent out evaluation surveys to all of the passengers by email. !!??

Sarcasm ignored.

KUSI TV out of San Diego / reporter Ginger Jeffries, is the only news organization I'm aware of that is staying with the story and providing updates every couple of days.

1 hour ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

Um...may because Celebrity itself had been proclaiming all the way up to disembarkation that there was no illness onboard.

The point is, no Covid-19 tests were administered.  CNN implied with its reporting that testing was conducted on the Eclipse.

When I read the CNN report of the Eclipse, I felt what it was like to be the subject of a fake news story.

Well, at least CNN can't do much damage in the near term.  With most airports and hotel lobbies now empty, 99% of their captive audience is gone.

At 8 knots and tooling around off the coast of La Jolla, it appears she's got no immediate destination and is just keeping the engines running and the lights on.

The report appears to be shallow-sourced.

CNN issued one of the first reports on the Eclipse, prior to us disembarking in San Diego, stating that none of us passengers tested positive for Covid-19.

That report was true, but it's also true that none of us tested positive for a pregnancy.

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

Were you told Celebrity was pushing for a cheap solution?  Personally, I think Celebrity was thinking of the passengers who were to disembark in San Antonio and the poor unfortunate jetlagged souls who had arrived in Santiago hoping to board on the 15th.  It must have been devastating for them to learn they just had to turn around and go home.

There was certainly nothing cheap about the way they treated us for the next 15 days.  They didn't have to give us free unlimited Internet, free booze from morning to night or free laundry while we were sailing on a free cruise,  getting our money back and tier points also.

If Celebrity wasn't pushing for a cheap solution, disembarkation by all in Chile on March 15 (plan A), they wouldn't have spent 3 days there, imploring everyone in the US and Chilean governments up to the President of Chile (according to captain Leo).

And you're correct, there was certainly nothing cheap about the way they treated us the next 15 days (plan B).  At that point, they couldn't make 2,000 passengers the problem of the Chilean government.  So to preserve goodwill and customer relations, they did the right thing.

Us continuing cruisers were all so thankful that the Chilean government wouldn't let Celebrity "dump" us at the port of San Antonio.

2 hours ago, Va man said:

Capitan Leo said, if necessary, Celebrity  would charter planes in Chile to get us home.  I don’t think money had any part in the decisions.  If you went to any of the shows or talked to any of the officers, you would have found out that one level of government gave us permission to disembark but a local level blocked it.  We were essentially being used as a tool by labor unions and political groups to push their agendas 

Va man:

Addressing specifically the night of March 14 and the continuing cruisers who counted on disembarking at San Diego March 30 at the end of a back-to-back...

The 200+ continuing cruisers were treated very poorly.

- An email went out from Celebrity Corporate arond 3 pm on March 14 stating the March 15 cruise was cancelled and continuing cruisers should pack their bags to disembark the next morning.  If you weren't paying for internet at that point, you were in the dark until...

- around 5 pm when an announcement was made on board to the same extent.

- Then, for over four hours a line snaked around on deck 3 near Customer Relations. Continuing cruisers waited in that line, being told they would be given assistance home by a Celebrity Rep.  Rumors circulated in line that Celebrity was paying our way home.

- When we got to the front, we realized we were had. It was simply a line to make a free phone call to a Celebrity Air rep, or to use a laptop and make your own flight arrangements.  Celebrity Air was working with less-than-the-available-market air carriers, and was coming up with expensive and lengthy multi-stop itineraries. They offered me a 2 stop, 26 hour itinerary back to the US for $4,500. I booked a nonstop flight myself on LATAM for $3,200.

- IT people handed out "free passcodes" for internet.  Unfortunately, one had to burn through their remaining paid internet time in order for their paywall to provide a link for the passcode, and then when disconnected, the passcode was void.  Celebrity IT showed their technical incompetence as they were incapable of taking down the ship's internet paywall in an emergency.

- I don't know to whom Captain Leo stated as you report that "charter flights would get us home".  That message never appeared in print and it's certainly not the message which Celebrity Air gave again and again to those continuing cruise passengers attempting to get assistance. Celebrity was to reimburse us $300, and that's all.

- That night, Customer Relations called my cabin at 1:30 am and again at 2:30 am asking what flight arrangements I had made to get myself out of Chile the next day.  I got the impression that Celebrity was working an angle with the Chilean government: "If we can prove our passengers have all made their own flight arrangements will you please let them off the ship?".

- Officers may have circulated the story you relate about civil unrest and labor unions.  However, a bartender started to tell me what was really going on, and I watched him get interrupted and chastised by his superior.  At the time we were denied docking, Chile had already blocked a cruise ship from docking at another part of the country.  Whatever decision Chile reached in closing its ports was consistent and nationwide.

- Celebrity had a hard contract to dock the Eclipse in San Diego on March 30 and unless the port of San Diego could show cause, San Diego had to let us in on that date.  With no stops, Celebrity probably figured they had a few extra days to spare - might as well spend them in Chile arguing with the Chilean government.

- Finally, Celebrity / RC is a publicly traded company.  Money has everything to do with the decisions.

I'd like to inject a dose of realism to the points made above.   I understand how it's supposed to work at sea, but I believe Celebrity / RC corporate was making most decisions, not Captain Leo.  Why? Because the decisions appeared to be financially-based, not based on health, safety, and well being.

 - Celebrity pushed the cheapest solution for 3 days, attempting to "compel" Chile to let the boat disembark in San Antonio harbor, Chile.  Celebrity knew their fallback plan was to hold San Diego to the already-scheduled March 30th disembark for the subsequent cruise.  So it didn't hurt the schedule to try for a few days to convince Chile to take all the passengers on the 15th-17th.

 - Celebrity would have liked to dump 200+ continuing cruisers in San Antonio as part of emptying the ship.  They were to have given those poor souls $300 each to find their way home from an unplanned disembarkation point.

- With Chile digging in their heels, Celebrity reluctantly turned to a more costly plan B, which was to preserve customer relations and goodwill, and keep the ship entertained and in good spirits on the way to San Diego.

 - With conditions deteriorating around the world, Celebrity realized that a "sick ship" would provide reason for San Diego to turn them away.  Celebrity would then incur additional costs of treating, feeding, and caring for passengers.

 - With passengers freely communicating with the outside world, playing it safe and conservative by issuing a quarantine order for one or more sick passengers would quickly play in the court of public opinion and could put the San Diego disembarkation in jeopardy.

I believe Captain Leo was told by Celebrity / RC Corporate to do whatever it takes to insure the San Diego disembarkation happened as planned.

I hope Celebrity takes care of him for being the fall guy / company man, however you want to look at it.

San Diego News Station Now Reports Dozens from Eclipse Test Positive

Most of the content of this story is in the video.

https://www.kusi.com/celebrity-eclipse-cruise-ship-covid-19-cases-spread-globally/

2 hours ago, Beachin2 said:

On that site (we can't name - but it has lips and a nose), someone is tabulating actual reports from the Eclipse passengers.  Count is up to 22 positive with another bunch pending.  References the Celebrity Eclipse Family.

Thank you for the heads-up.

Any summaries gleaned and reposted here on Cruise Critic would be much appreciated for those of us who won't go "there".

It's unfortunate that critical information such as this would be posted primarily on a website which is in the business of linking your identity with data related to your posting and viewing activities.

...and then selling said information.

If you're like me and USA Today won't let you read it because of your browser's ad blocker, here's an alternate reference to that "centuries old law shielding cruise lines" that won't bombard you with ads and trackers:

https://www.fayobserver.com/zz/news/20200402/centuries-old-laws-may-shield-cruise-industry-from-huge-payouts-in-coronavirus-suits

Just got my notice...

Dear Celebrity Eclipse Passenger,

Celebrity Cruises has recently been advised that a person who sailed on Celebrity Eclipse from March 1^st through 30^th has recently tested positive for COVID-19.  Because you were a passenger on this same voyage, it is possible you were exposed to someone who was sick with COVID-19.

Out of an abundance of caution you should now follow the below procedures for self-isolation.

Stay home for 14 days from the time you returned home from the Celebrity Eclipse and practice social distancing:

1. Take your temperature with a thermometer two times a day and monitor for fever. Also watch for cough or trouble breathing.

2. Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not go to work or school.

3. Do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares.

4. Keep your distance from others (about 6 feet or 2 meters).

1. Stay home. Avoid contact with others.
2. You might have COVID-19; most people are able to recover at home without medical care.
3. If you have trouble breathing or are worried about your symptoms, call or text a health care provider. Tell them about your recent cruise ship travel and your symptoms.

4. Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room.

If you need to seek medical care for other reasons, such as dialysis, call ahead to your doctor and tell them about your recent travel on a cruise ship.  

For additional information please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/COVID19

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Celebrity Cruises at 1-844-418-6824 in North America or (316) 554-5961 worldwide.

Sincerely,

Celebrity Cruises

As per the captain's update around 2pm today, disembarkation plans for San Diego on Monday 3/30 remain the same, however...

those without "travel documents to enter the US" will stay on the ship which will set sail for Acapulco.

This is a change over what was previously to be Puerta Vallarta.

Celebrity will make flight arrangements for those passengers from Acapulco to their home cities.

Arrival in Acapulco by the Eclipse is scheduled for April 4.

Not sure about other nationalities, but our Aussie trivia friends whom were expecting to stay on the ship and fly home from Puerto Vallarta were pleasantly surprised yesterday to receive their airline itineraries.  They will fly out of San Diego via SF.  This appears to be some type of negotiated arrangement between the US / Aussie governments.

I'm sitting on Deck of the Eclipse anchored in Santiago harbor.

Our Captain gave three blasts on the horn to say buh-bye to the Pursuit as reported in the previous post, HOWEVER, it's now returned back to the harbor.!?

Although I posted this thread several years ago, I was reminded of it today when I heard the news of a Princess ship being found to have dumped used oil at sea, and Carnival Inc possibly having its ships temporarily banned from US ports.

To all of the defenders of Princess in the above thread: In light of this recent development, how can one trust that such a company is truthful and responsible with regard to their grey water handling?

Thanks for posting! Where there any other shows in the big theatre? Variety? Magician?

Yes, on the Pearl, sailing Oct 7 - 21 thru Panama, there was a magician, comedy show, and a music variety show hosted by a former member of the Jersey Boys cast (can't remember his name). I only saw the latter of the three mentioned here. He did a good job, singing a variety of stuff, along with jokes and comedy.