the penguins

On 12/13/2021 at 3:15 PM, upwarduk said:

Lucky you being able to book refundable deposits. We have never been able to do the in the UK.

but Celebrity has added a twist. Book with a refundable deposit and they increase the price of the cruise - still lower prices than we get in the UK though.

7 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

Just posted this on another thread, first death from Omicron in UK

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59639007

Very sad, but the average UK death toll is still over 100 people a day. 80% of cases requiring hospitalisation are unvaccinated. Get fully jabbed, get the booster, take sensible precautions and accept that there are risks to everything we do. 

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

On all 4 cruises I have been on they had a Captain's Club reception where Top cruiser is announced.   They have parred it down and the Senior Staff are at the door to greet guests but no hand shaking.

 

Also on all the Roll Call members have arranged and hosted their won CruiseCritic party and often Slot Tournaments.  Celebrity worked with the person arranging to suggest a location. 

Slot Pull query. These were still banned on Silhouette in September and onboard I was told that they hoped the ban would be lifted in January. If anyone is or will be on Silhouette soon an update would be appreciated. We currently have 20 signed up for a SP on the April Transatlantic.

The logic for the ban  ( which I totally accept)  was that they couldn’t allow a group to gather round a Slot when numbers were restricted at Roulette and Black Jack and the Craps Table was shut completely. Thanks Geoff

18 minutes ago, Nashna said:

We are sailing on Celebrity in January.  We have an active roll call.  However, there is no Meet & Greet scheduled as we have been informed that Celebrity is not sponsoring them due to Covid.  Prior to our Apex cruise, we are sailing on Princess.  Our Meet and Greet is scheduled and over 75 people are expected to attend based on the Roll Call replies. Interestingly, Princess has strickter onboard requirements for their passengers than does Celebrity.  For example, in bars, Princess has a Sip and cover policy which states that after you take a sip, you are expected to mask up.

All Meet and Mingles were suspended way back in June/July until the end of the year. As yet there has been no information about them restarting. 

30 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Very different from the service we had in the summer on Silhouette, on the round Britain Staycations!

Couldn't agree more. Service in the buffet was superb on both our Silhouette cruises. Service was also excellent at the Elite breakfast where the staff were happy to tailor any of the "set/recommended" options to meet our exact requirements.

2 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Yes it is how it works. You are not allowed on the next cruise,  regardless if you test negative.  You are allowed to end quarantine once you test negative. 

This is my 4th attempt to post an apology - the site keeps going down. I was referring to the situation for single cruises where you are not put off the ship when you test negative after a close contact with a positive case, not how it affects B2B. My error.

4 hours ago, canderson said:

We can definitely relate, and found the B2B situation a little more uncomfortable due to Celebrity.

 

It would be one thing to have not passed the test the day before (which we did), but the specter of a contact trace on the 1st leg blowing up our 2nd leg (get 'traced' and you disembark for good after the 1st leg) was always on our minds.  Why?  Bloody packed buses on X sponsored shore excursions.  Where we could, we stayed 'on our own', and pre-arranged two Private Journey excursions, but did take two with X, and in both cases, they certainly did NOT abide by their pledge that "Buses will be at reduced capacity" (see https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety ).  That is a load of baloney.  The guides were required to determine a name for persons sitting in each seat, and you know EXACTLY why that was being done.

 

So although we felt safe personally, we didn't feel as safe about being able to complete our full journey. 

That's not how it works. If you are contact traced you are tested and remain in your cabin until the result is in. Test negative and you are free to continue the cruise. That's what happened on Silhouette. Also the ships production theater singers and dancers where in isolation on the ship due to 1 cast member testing positive. All production shows cancelled and extra guest entertainers brought onboard. 

2 hours ago, Dwight1 said:

I appreciate the comments on here. Most are accurate. I agree the only instant deal killer is a mask mandate on board. So far none snd hopefully will not change. I agree I have heard very, very few problems on Celebrity.

Depends on the itinerary - masks were required on Silhouette for all it's summer sailings in the UK and Europe. Not a big deal and certainly not a reason not to cruise.

8 hours ago, bespin said:

Thanks again for the information. It helps me set expectations for future cruises. 

If you want "guaranteed" lights take the Hurtigruten coastal voyage the full 12 nights. At the right time of year if the lights don't appear you get another 7 day cruise free. No need to book the much more expensive "expedition" cruise unless you want the lectures etc.

On 12/3/2021 at 3:47 AM, Alakegirl said:

On previous trips to Iceland and Alaska no such shipwide announcements were made.  I imagine that most passengers would not like their sleep interrupted by any such announcement piped into their stateroom, and ordinary announcements (such as the Captain’s Daily Briefing) are barely audible in staterooms unless the door is open so would probably not be effective.

You can tune your TV to get the Captains broadcast loud and clear- can't remember offhand which channel.

5 hours ago, bespin said:

For anyone who has been on a Celebrity cruise to Greenland/Iceland/etc - does the ship make announcements when the Northern Lights are visible? 

 

I know that typically the Northern Lights are most likely to happen September-April, but that it depends on atmospheric conditions, and would happen at night. 

 

My question is: does the ship make announcements to alert the passengers when the Lights are visible? Or, if ship-wide announcements are not made, could a passenger ask to be notified individually? 

 

Thanks for any information.

If you are booking to see the Northern Lights your likelihood of doing so is practically zero on this cruise - sorry.

On 11/30/2021 at 9:07 PM, iancal said:

Pre covid, when we used our Canadian cards at a self serv gas stations we would be asked for our zip.  

 

Our postal codes are six didgits- three alfa and three numeric .   So, we would input the three numbers in the order that they appear on the card, followed by two zeros to make up the 5 numbers of a zip code.

 

Worked most of the time...saved us going into the shop.

No good for UK cards. Our post codes are a mix of 7 letters and numbers - only around 25 properties have the same code. You can mail to any address in the UK with just the property number and the post (zip) code

2 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

I think that headline that is circulating in mainstream media is a bit misleading. I don’t want to stay home either, I will take the appropriate precautions and live with some risk in order to have a more meaningful existence, including engagement with fellow cruisers !    I went directly to the WHO site, here is the only text I could find on the announcement page that mentions the age 60 guidance, please note the FULL statement they issued  (I put what I think is a key aspect in bold/italics below) :

 

Persons who are unwell, or who have not been fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are at increased risk of developing severe disease and dying, including people 60 years of age or older or those with comorbidities that present increased risk of severe COVID-19 (e.g. heart disease, cancer and diabetes) should be advised to postpone travel to areas with community transmission.

 

it’s a reasonable recommendation, but I do not interpret that to mean all worldwide international travel to all destinations should be avoided … I’m not the brightest bulb in the light fixture but I interpret as avoid the “hot spots” type of guidance

The most important part is line 1 - not been fully vaccinated - practically everyone on the cruise will have been fully vaccinated. We are mid 70's and good to go. 

7 hours ago, sanger727 said:

The unvaccinated policies are meant to increase safety for the passengers and the ports. The reason why the person is unvaccinated makes no difference. I don’t think these policies will be going away anytime soon so would expect them to be around in February.

Also don't forget the safety of the crew without whom none of us would be cruising.

45 minutes ago, Kristal Blade said:

But our U.K. Amex card is chip and pin!!

UK - not the same company. If you buy in $ it's treated as a foreign currency with all the charges. Good for AVIOS though we gave just used our free companion voucher for return business class to and from Dallas. We cruise each way (April and October so 2 cruises out of one airticket.

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

 

"4 way stop"

 

in case of a tie, wave on the car to the right.

If only you had been with us in the car the first time we saw the sign it would have been great 👍 🤣. As we were the only car we stopped, waited a few seconds and carried on. When we arrived at our b and b we asked what we should have done and when they stopped laughing they explained. We know friends in the US have similar problems with our round a bouts. Just part of the joy of travelling. 

7 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

We have a no fee card from Halifax. Still working on holiday insurance as we have a medical issue to get cover for. Also need to renew a passport!

 

And now there is a new variant of Covid. Will the fun never stop?

We find the Nationwide Flex Plus account is great value. The monthly fee is mainly covered by the car breakdown cover that we took off our car insurance. We are both over 70 with various medical conditions. Have had a number of claims all settled with no hassle and no increase in the premiums. Unlimited number of worldwide trips per year and easy to extend the trip limit from the standard 30 days - we have done 90 days on one trip. 

3 minutes ago, the penguins said:

They certainly do. We use Nationwide (no connection to the US insurance company with the same name) we also get our worldwide travel/ medical insurance cover through the same company. Nationwide's travel insurance is excellent and they settled our medical bill at the Marina del Rae Hospital, Los Angeles direct without us having to pay anything upfront. We both had food poisoning and the bill for 2 nights for the two of us was $20,000 - although our American friends say they have settled at a much lower cost.

Sorry the last line should have read "the company would have settled at a much lower cost.

22 hours ago, iancal said:

Not certain if financial institutions in the UK offer this.  You might want to have a credit card that does not charge the usual hidden 3 percent add on fee to all FX transactions.  Pre covid we travelled  at least four months a year outside our country.  Having a card saved us a good deal of money.  $700 or so each year,  sometime considerably more depending on where and how we book. 

 

 On our last trip we booked two different last minute AI's while traveling  in Mexico through TUI's UK site!  We have done the same in Europe through TUI.

They certainly do. We use Nationwide (no connection to the US insurance company with the same name) we also get our worldwide travel/ medical insurance cover through the same company. Nationwide's travel insurance is excellent and they settled our medical bill at the Marina del Rae Hospital, Los Angeles direct without us having to pay anything upfront. We both had food poisoning and the bill for 2 nights for the two of us was $20,000 - although our American friends say they have settled at a much lower cost.

3 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Undoubtedly a true expedition cruise with landings ashore is superior to a drive by.

However for those with a more limited travel budget being able to at least get an overview of Antarctica on Celebrity for $3,000 pp vs not going at all for $15,000 plus IMO is far better option.

VtoGo have Hurtigruten frome $8000 and there are often deals (often the best are as soon as the itineraries go on sale). Also all the landings are included. Still more expensive than X but not outrageous for a trip of a lifetime. 

6 hours ago, rlbeck said:

Hello Geoff!!! You know our last sailing was with you and Anita on the 2019 Silhouette TA. One great cruise, my friend!!!

Fantastic cruise, great Slot Pull, amazing Godiva Group for chocolate lovers. We are booked on Silhouette again in April 2022 Fort Lauderdale to Southampton. We were also booked for the November TA  but the price on Celebrity is so high now that they have introduced "Always Included" pricing we have switched to Anthem of the Seas in October. 

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I've never been on a Polar Circle boat, but I can tell you that Nat Geo's Zodiacs were fantastic.  And on this American day of Thanksgiving, I will just say how thankful I am to have been able to visit Antarctica on that amazing trip.

 

 

(photo by turtles06, Neko Harbor, Antarctica)

If you look at the pictures you can see the big difference. In the Polar Circle boats you sit "inside" rather than balanced on the edge. There is also a large bar that runs down the centre of the boat. Finally when you arrive at the beach there is a set of steps that unfold to drop down in front of the bow - see pic below. Why don't others use them - mainly the weight and also they take up more space which is not a problem on the Fram as it has a huge cargo deck.

4 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Do Antarctica on an ice-rated expedition ship.  Make the landings.  Some people even swimming!  Expedition ships can travel into ice regions and through narrow inlets.  Pick one that goes south of the Antarctic Circle, if possible.  Seals, sea lions, whales of all kinds.  We flew into USH from MIA with a connection at EZE on Aerolineas Argentinas.  About one-third the cost of American Airlines who code-shared the airplane.

Brings back great memories of our trip on the Fram. Also shows how much better the Polar Circle boats are for landings rather than the Zodiacs most other companies use. Looks as if you went pre Christmas rather than Feb/ March.

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Gutsy move messing with the school pick up protocols!  😃

We didn't know there was a protocol.

Also brought Katz Diner in New York to a halt by throwing away the ticket 🎟 we thought it was just for our place in the line not that we needed it to pay. Cashier refused to take our money until we found the ticket, manager went crazy as the line was blocking the whole restaurant. Cashier stood her ground saying she was doing what he had told her to do. Customers had been sitting at our table found the 🎟 screwed up on the floor, by which time the Manager had charged us $20 and asked us to leave.

Road Signs are also a problem. What on earth does "4 way stop" mean? The stop part is fine but then what happens? Yes we know now.

But the boss (Anita) loves "wrong way" so much better than our equivalent "no entry". Happy Travelling we love it.

1 hour ago, rlbeck said:

We did this sailing in 2010, the second one Celebrity had ever done to Antarctica, and it was worth every cent! So good in fact, that we have booked a repeat for Feb. 2023..... and recently added on the following 12 night cruise around the Horn that ends in  Valparaiso Chile. Have fun planning. 🙂

Your so lucky with the weather. We did the first, 90 mph winds, 60 foot waves, the sea came in through the doors by the Sky Lounge, all outside areas and balconies closed for most of the trip. Falklands was cancelled. Then after 2 days battling to reach the Peninsular we turned back to Ushuaia which we reached after a further 2 days of storms. One day onland and the Captain announced we would try again. 2 more days battling the storms and then 4 hours sailing amongst the bergs in glorious sunshine and calm seas. Turned north again into even worse weather for another 2 days. We have a map,  kindly drawn by the Captain, of the planned route and the one we actually took. Oh yes and we had a passenger mutiny which ended with passengers confined to their cabins with crew outside each door - the ringleaders were all put off the ship in Ushuaia. A great trip which we followed up by going on the 12,500 ton Fram.