jandjcruisers

2 hours ago, rodndonna said:

 

I didn't ask but I assume so. It would have been the day or 2 to get results, so she would have been done the quarantine when we met yesterday as this happened the week prior.

I posted in another post that we returned from a cruise Monday night, Dec 13th, in Montreal.  We had been tested Saturday on the ship (negative).   When we arrived in Montreal I was pulled over and had to have a test even though my vaccinations showed I had the booster at the end of November.  I have to be fair though because I had trouble getting my test result into the ArriveCAN app so maybe that is why I was called over.   We were allowed to continue on to Ottawa and did not have to quarantine.  On Tuesday morning at home I was able to go to the website and see that my test from YUL was negative.  I hope in the future they won't start to quarantine people just because they had to have a test!  My paperwork was all in order and I had printouts of everything that I showed to them.  We are looking forward to cruising again in March.

17 hours ago, Froufie said:

Thanks for the great details... may I ask what your layover/connections time were in Montreal going and coming back?  Any issues making those connections?

I should have mentioned that if you come into the same gate in Montreal that we came into, the escalator was to the left.   Just at the foot of it there was an elevator.  DH and I took that because the escalator wasn't working and we didn't want to walk up. 😀

17 hours ago, Froufie said:

Thanks for the great details... may I ask what your layover/connections time were in Montreal going and coming back?  Any issues making those connections?

Froufie, we left Fort Lauderdale at 1:20pm and arrived in Montreal approx 4:45.   We left Montreal around 8pm so we were not rushed at all.   You will have lots of time to get to the gate.

2 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Thank you so much for this firsthand experience. I imagine things will only get more chaotic if they start requiring ALL passengers to get tested and not just random. We sail on Silhouette Jan 24 (if we’re able to go) so I’m interested in your cruise as well. You seem eager to go again so I’m assuming you had a good time? What were your ports? You felt comfortable on the ship with the current protocols? 
Cathy

You are all so welcome and my pleasure.

The Silhouette is a beautiful ship and refurbished in 2020.  We were so happy to be cruising again and the staff were so happy to be back.  We've been doing 3-4 cruises per year since the 90's so really missed it.  It was a Southern Cruise stopping at St Maarten, St Lucia, St Kitts, Barbados and Antigua.

It was not mandatory to wear a mask while on the ship but going ashore you had to wear them.  

Crew members had to wear them at all time.  

Yes, we felt very safe.  We didn't hear of any covid cases.  I believe the ship capacity is around 3000 passengers and heard there were approximately 1300 onboard for this cruise.

In March we are planning to do a b2b on the Apex.

We returned home Monday night from our Celebrity Silhouette 10 day cruise and we hope to do it all over again in March if our travel conditions allow us.

Our pre flight tests were at SDM, Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa.  We waited in store and had our printed results in hand within 40 minutes.  Then came home and I did pre checkin.

When we arrived at Ottawa airport the next morning all we did was the usual printout of board passes, luggage tags at the kiosk.  Then showed our paperwork to the AC agent.  Our luggage went straight through to Florida and did not have to reclaim in Montreal.  The only thing we needed to show after that was to show our boarding pass and passport to board the plane both in Ottawa and Montreal.

Two days before our return home Celebrity arranged for our onboard tests.  (the rapid PCR test) and paper results were sent to our room within a few hours later.  I had previously downloaded the ArriveCAN app so all I had to do was download vaccines, etc into the app.  Received my QR code and made a photo of it. 

At Fort Lauderdale airport we lined up to show our QR code, test results, and vaccines.  We then checked in our luggage and off we went to screening and on to our wait for our flight.

Arriving inside the Montreal airport was very disorganized.  Only a couple agents checking the ArriveCAN app.  Our AC 330 300 wide bodied plane was packed so they were overwhelmed it seemed.  

After going through Canadian Customs we ended up walking by the testing area where they test people at random.  Unfortunately I was chosen but all worked out fine and we carried on to our Ottawa exit area.  I have no idea why they chose me because I had my booster shot before leaving Canada so I guess they really are random tests. To be fair I remember having trouble getting my Celebrity test results into the app so maybe that's why I was chosen.   I got my test result (negative) yesterday.

Good luck to all of you who are planning to travel.  It was a learning experience getting ready for the trip but it was all worth it.

40 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Wow, really?  I can see why you have some concern whether the kits are any good.

 

If you don't mind, could you post the Lot number of your kits?  There are Abbott letters on line from last spring that give the extended expiration dates (based on the FDA letter to which I linked).  You might get some comfort from knowing that your extended expiration date was based on that and not some arbitrary extension because of a shortage of kits.  

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/binax-now/COVID-19-Ag-Card-Product-Expiry-Update.pdf

Hope this helps.

AlbertaCruisers, I want to thank you so much for all your many excellent explanations to guide all of us who are travelling in the near future.  Your experience of all these steps have been very beneficial.

The CDC Attestation form is one that I had not thought about so thanks for bringing it to our attention.

1 hour ago, Marvy Mare said:

 

There are lots of pleasant things about cruising. Hope we can get back to it someday.

Thanks so much for doing a review.   I think more than ever we will all be looking for reviews like yours to enjoy.
 

We were on the Reflection just before you.  Our trip went to New Orleans Mardi Gras and it was one of the best cruises we have been on.  The ship is a beauty and the staff were all so pleasant.

I, like you, look forward to getting back to cruising again. 😀

Janeen  

3 hours ago, barb-ottawa said:

Just got off the phone with Johnson/Medoc (actually Global Excel) after a 2 hour hold and have confirmed with them that I am eligible to claim for the March 23rd cruise on Reflection that I am about to cancel. They have opened a claim number for me, have sent me claim documents by email and have instructed me that I need to reject Celebrity's offer of Future Cruise Credits to be eligible for full reimbursement of my cruise, flights and non-refundable hotel. They did warn that in view of the current situation, the claim may take 2-3 weeks to settle.  I'd prefer to be sailing on March 23rd, but am happy to get a full refund instead of FCCs.

Thanks for posting Barb.   We are insured with them too and it's very good to know this information.

1 hour ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

We’re on the Celebrity Edge right now with many Canadians onboard that aren’t too concerned about Canadian government warning nor of getting Coronavirus

 

Lets stop with the insanity.  Please

No insanity here.   Our Canadian Government advised Canadians to refrain from cruising 3 days ago.  Yesterday your government advised against cruising also.  Perhaps you haven't seen it on your news but I don't blame you.  You are on a cruise.

Enjoy!

Nick,  your pictures are awesome.  The only time I have seen a sloth was one hanging from a tree.  They appear to be a very cuddly animal.

The first and last time we were in Roatan was I think when it opened up to cruise ships.  A very dirty muddy road which led to a few run down huts.  I remember a little boy running after my husband and wanted to sell him a plastic ring.  Of course DH obliged.  I'll never forget the sweet smile on that little boy's face.  Roatan has certainly changed and I'm looking forward to visiting there again next month.

Janeen

Following...  We are doing a b2b on Symphony Feb 23rd and we're enjoying your review....thanks!!

Janeen

Hi guys... I have a cruise out of Miami but wondering if flying in and out of Fort Lauderdale is my better option... I want to fly in the day before... price wise they are coming in about the same.

 

 

If it cost about the same I definitely would take Miami if you are cruising from Port of Miami. If, on disembarkation day, you have to get back to Fll you will have to take a flight later on in the day to feel safe you'll be on time. The traffic between Miami and Fort Lauderdale can be very busy and you run the risk of getting there too late for your flight.

 

Good luck!!

We were on the Breakaway and the Escape looks the same. I am enjoying your cc blog and scopes as well. You are doing a wonderful job. We have done many cruises on other lines, mostly RCCL & Princess, and I'm interested to hear how you rate this ship.

Thanks...Janeen

For all of you who have My Time Dining on the Anthem of the Seas and your reservations are no longer on your Cruise Planner they might show up on their system once you get onboard. This happened to me last May where I thought they were cancelled but actually they weren't. Good luck and I hope they are there at your cruise time....

Thanks, Chris, for taking us along. I enjoyed your periscopes as well. :) Great job!!!

Janeen

Following on cc and periscope. Have a great cruise!!

Janeen

Thanks everyone!

I was having trouble doing my online check-in using firefox. After reading this blog I tried doing it on Internet Explorer and it worked perfectly.

On the Anthem 12604 is not a wheelchair accessible stateroom. You can go to the RC Website, then to the specific ship, then to deck plans, then to the date range and there is an underlined sentence - View Accessible Stateroom.

Thank you so much for the information. I wasn't aware how to find this page. :)

Does anyone know if cabin 12604 is a wheelchair accessible cabin? I have googled it and it Mr Google tells me this to be true on a couple websites. We have been assigned this cabin for May and don't need the accessibility cabin. I booked it as a guarantee. My worry is that they might give it to someone who does need it. This would be great but in doing so they might give us a cabin in a less desirable area at the last minute and that concerns me. Thanks.

Thanks everyone! We'll do a short 4 day and then in November we will be able to take advantage. :)

I've done a 2-day cruise (part of a B2B) and had a fresh mini-bar set-up. So definitely, yes. You get the mini-bar.

When you become elite do you get the free mini bar on your first elite cruise only or do you get it on every cruise after that you book? Maybe I am a dreamer. :D

Thanks

My husband and I walked there and I was never so scared in my life. My advise is take an excursion or stay on the ship. :)