Celebrity Cruisers - How are Things where YOU are?

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Here in Victoria BC Canada things are pretty much the same as the rest of British Columbia. Social distancing is the drill if the day. As BCHappyGal said Costco is the only place with stupid long lines, frankly there is nothing in there that would prompt me to wait in line for over an hour, people don't put enough value on their time.

We are not as heavily locked down as some parts of the world, so feel luck we can at least go for a drive and get a change of scenery.

We are so lucky in BC to have Dr. Bonny Henry as our Provincial Health Officer. Her briefings are calm, factual and informative. Her whole demeanor is that of leadership. We also have a Health Minister and Premier who are more than happy to follow the science and stand in the background. There doesn't seem to be any "hey look what I'm doing for you" attitude. We get a "here's where we are at and here's how you can help" message and if there is a treatment option or progress in treatment we get the information backed up by proper science.

 

Factual and informative.  I wish we had a little more of that in the good old USA.

[HappyCamper49]

Hey CC members!  We are in North Carolina and today there was another increase in cases as we are starting different phases of reopening.  We are scheduled for the Celebrity Silhouette on September 19th sailing out of Southampton, UK.  Right now we are leaning towards canceling our cruise, just dread the hassling with American Airlines to get out refund from CLT to LHR.  We have until June 21st to make our final Celebrity payment and make a decision.  We are apprehensive about a fall sailing because of the prediction of another wave of the virus in the fall!

 

 

[cachouonacruise]

2 hours ago, HappyCamper49 said:

Hey CC members!  We are in North Carolina and today there was another increase in cases as we are starting different phases of reopening.  We are scheduled for the Celebrity Silhouette on September 19th sailing out of Southampton, UK.  Right now we are leaning towards canceling our cruise, just dread the hassling with American Airlines to get out refund from CLT to LHR.  We have until June 21st to make our final Celebrity payment and make a decision.  We are apprehensive about a fall sailing because of the prediction of another wave of the virus in the fall!

 

 

 

Hi HappyCamper 49,

 

First, I would like to say that I understand yet I do not envy your decision. 

 

We are also booked on Silhouette out of Southampton but in May 2021. I am still uncertain if we will be able to make it or not.

 

I am quite positive that the cruise industry will have enhanced health and hygiene measures in place, so on this aspect, I am already reassured at least.  I just read on another thread, that Carnival is only planning to re-start operations, gradually, from some US ports only, July or August 2020...

 

Prior to make a decision to go, I need minimal conditions to be met prior to the final payment date:

 

Open ports and borders,

 

Open touristic sites,

 

Ability to be medically insured in the event of being afflicted by coronavirus during the trip or, 

 

Ideally, having had access to an effective and approved vaccination.

 

I am therefore waiting on these conditions to exist prior to make further financial commitments for our trip, such as booking airfare, hotels, excursions, transfers etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but I am doubtful these conditions will be met prior to Feb. 2021. ( Which is our final payment deadline).

 

I have to say that I have just gone through two cruise cancellations in March 2020, one of which on the eve of our departure... so, I am a bit more shy about risking more bookings...

 

In answer to your question, HappyCamper, I would identify which are your minimal required conditions to travel, and if they’re not met prior to your final payment date, I would either postpone the trip or cancel it.

 

 

 

 

 

[HappyCamper49]

Hey cachouonacruise!

Fortunately, we 're only $200 into our September 19th cruise and that's for the $100 each when we booked on our Eastern Mediterranean cruise on the Reflection last year!  Losing that won't hurt as much as losing the two RT airfares from FLY to LHR!!!   I wish you best of luck with your future cruises!

[When and How]

We are safe here, but Celebrity won’t give us our money back for the cruise we missed in April thanks to covid.  It’s been well over the time they promised.  Is anyone else having this problem?  

[cachouonacruise]

20 minutes ago, When and How said:

We are safe here, but Celebrity won’t give us our money back for the cruise we missed in April thanks to covid.  It’s been well over the time they promised.  Is anyone else having this problem?  

 

There are at least two other threads discussing specifically the status of refunds. 

These threads may have more updated information about refunds.

 

This said, our cruise was cancelled in March, and from memory, it took a bit more than a month to get all of our refund. It came in bits and pieces, but everything was refunded.

 

From what I have read so far, our experience seems to match other affected cruiser’s experience. So, in your situation, it may be a question of just being a bit more patient.

[Quo Vadis?]

We live in a city of 40,000 in an agricultural county of 100,000.

It is one of the most boring places on earth, no earthquakes, no forest fires, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, flooding is rare and minimal.  We need to go to the highway overpass to see any elevation.

We have 89 confirmed cases of covid, only one in the last week but unfortunately one death.

51 cases are all in one agricultural facility but no-one is currently in hospital.

 

People are friendlier than ever, considerate of distancing, no confrontations, no demonstrations.

 

I love our boring county.

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, Argo. said:

We live in a city of 40,000 in an agricultural county of 100,000.

It is one of the most boring places on earth, no earthquakes, no forest fires, no tornadoes, no hurricanes, flooding is rare and minimal.  We need to go to the highway overpass to see any elevation.

We have 89 confirmed cases of covid, only one in the last week but unfortunately one death.

51 cases are all in one agricultural facility but no-one is currently in hospital.

 

People are friendlier than ever, considerate of distancing, no confrontations, no demonstrations.

 

I love our boring county.

It sounds just ideal to me!

[hcat]

From Suburban NY... Long Island

Covid:   Things are improving slowly here in terms of new cases, hospitalizations and  daily death reports.  Due to a few very heavy pockets of infections,  our area will not meet the numbers required by gov imposed  guidelines to open more things up for awhile longer.

 

What's Open:  Golf  is open with restrictions and precautions,  and marinas are open .. Most  are still working from home or not working at all.  We go out with masks, gloves and sanitizing wipes to grocery shop,  pick up deli, pizza,  etc,  We get Rx and do banking  at  drive throughs . We  made one trip to the bank inside for a necessary transaction,  and have drs appts scheduled..in person and via telephone. We have ordered a few  curbside pick up meals b/c all  restaurants are still closed. Target is open but we do not go. We can still get food and most supplies locally...

 

We  see more cars on the roads...going somewhere???? Summer rentals in the Hamptons are  booming...people fleeing  NYC..

 

Daily Life :   Doing some gardening, reading downloaded books,  lots of texting, e mails and phone calls to friends and family.   Planning for get togethers once it is safer to  socialize.  Trying to eat healthy and  walk a few days a week.( cancelled the  gym membership)  I am perusing  cruise brochures.. mostly Viking and US River itins...and trying to enjoy  the beauty of Spring!

 

   We are watching our grandchildren  a few days a week so dtr can work from home... Daycare is open but why take a chance...esp with children getting a new variant of Covid,,cocksakie(?).  Dh works p/t at local  pro shop. My  p/t job is closed til July. Sil is NYPD so he's working.  Every foray out of our home  is a risk but we do our best. We think we had Covid in Feb rather than flu  but without tests we are not sure?

 

Neighbor's  mom passed last week.. She was 92 and in a nursing home.  Had a fever and declined.  They had a limited funeral.  Tommorrow I will log in to a Zoom funeral  service for the first time!( covid victim)

 

We may do an outdoor Mother's Day lunch....bagels. Hope the weather co-operates.

It would be a nice treat!  

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!! (Celebrate & enjoy memories!)

Hoping for healthy times and happiness ahead!

[bigbenboys]

We live about about 15 mins from the Kirkland out break in early March. So we started staying home early March. Only going to the grocery store. We go to the store about once a week or so. I also shop for my parents. They live a mile from us. We have had McD's 2 times only drive through open.  Last week I have lumber delivered to finish up last years projects. We are in phase 1. All essential businesses, in-process residential construction, state parks, car and boat sales, pet walkers, landscaping, drive-in religious services and car washes. Yesterday we had a casino up north open. 1000 people trying to get to a casino. Some of the things I see on the news are frightening. It just tells us we need to stay home even longer. Maybe the whole summer. Your yard is getting in great shape. Thinking of have some plants delivered, so I can move forward in my summer projects. We dont have any close family members that work for a living or are in school.

We were to leave yesterday for England to visit friends and a cruise to Iceland. We video chatted friends in England yesterday. I dont hear the same things here happening in England or Canada.

Yesterday we got our $2400 from the US government. Today we got a relief check from our car insurance company. We pay $2600 a year for car insurance. We got a check for $66.00. 

The virus has got me to think. What is important to my family and to us. I've always enjoyed living in the suburbs. Going out shopping, eating lunch out most days. Doing 2 cruises a year. I'm now seeing another side of myself that likes staying home. 

[downundermatt]

We're in Australia, and thankfully have been relatively unscathed by the virus. (death toll hit 100 today)

Personally I think our remoteness helped, and probably our major bushfires at the start of the year deterred

many international tourists this year.

The country is slowly opening up, but Im unlikely to work this year (working for our Major International Airline)

 

I'm thankful for the Government we have have at a State and International Level, their decisive acts have saved lives

and they are supporting many financially in a equitable manner.

 

We were booked on Azamara in March, A CC tour companion passed away tragically - puts everything into perspective.

I don't expect our two upcoming Celebrity Cruise will be happening (Vancouver/Hawaii in September and South America  next February)

 

Also am so sad to hear of the crew still in board, can't believe they are not being paid, but thats a whole new thread.

[hcat]

Suffolk County NY Update:

Death rates, hospitalizations and ICU numbers are coming down, Most folks remain untested for illness or antibodies. Outpatient surgery now allowed. But there are huge backlogs.  Some drs still only doing virtual visits but some are open..limited basis.

 

Things are slowly opening ..limited extent.  No restaurants or stores other than drugstores, grocery and big box ( unfair to small business).  Golf courses and beaches ( county residents only) will be open for Memorial Day holiday weekend but not parks or playgrounds. Horse racing will ooen but without spectators.,

 

  Schools will remain closed through summer..we think.  Some nursery schools are  open but classes are quite small. Our grandson has not yet returned.  Not sure how high school graduations will be handled but there were no proms.  Most who can are still working from home.  Public hearings and Courts are mostly Zoom,

 

The weather is  lovely now ... great for walks. Work can be done in the garden, painted my back deck this week.. Nice to be outdoors, despite very high pollen counts!

  Hope is looking forward!

[Mabilu]

Wisconsin here.. northern Wisconsin which is pretty rural.  Life here is getting back to normal slowly.  Our area has been relatively unaffected by the virus and my husband and I both have continued to work through it all.  We are booked in February on the Apex and unless there is a drastic turn for the worse or the cruises are cancelled we plan on being on it!  By then we will need the R&R to maintain sanity and also to support the industry that captured our hearts. 

[Von & John]

State of Alaska Re-Opening entering Phase 3 tomorrow...

Even w/ moving forward w/ the state reopening - the 14-Day quarantine (for anyone entering the state) was extended until June 2nd.

It's possible the quarantine may be extended again...

 

In the meantime, activities & lodging are reopening across the state, I leave you with this NPR article:

While The Tourists Are Away, Alaskans Will Play

https://www.npr.org/856171287

[GottaKnowWhen]

Unfortunately we made national and international news lately - we live in a riverside home downriver from two dams overflowing in the midst of heavy rains. Among the 10,000 required to evacuate. Came back home this morning, the water had reached about 30” throughout the house, it will take days if not weeks, and probably some professional help, before it is totally back in shape. And too many of our things will go to the trash and not be replaced. But, it could have been much worse, only one of the two dams totally failed. And plenty of friends & neighbors are in the same situation and a lot of community spirit going on. And I moved our August cruises, so don’t have to be thinking about that...

Stan

[Von & John]

3 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

Unfortunately we made national and international news lately - we live in a riverside home downriver from two dams overflowing in the midst of heavy rains. Among the 10,000 required to evacuate. Came back home this morning, the water had reached about 30” throughout the house, it will take days if not weeks, and probably some professional help, before it is totally back in shape. And too many of our things will go to the trash and not be replaced. But, it could have been much worse, only one of the two dams totally failed. And plenty of friends & neighbors are in the same situation and a lot of community spirit going on. And I moved our August cruises, so don’t have to be thinking about that...

Stan

 

Stan  --  Best Wishes - Sorry to hear of your challenges w/ the floods!

Which dam are you located near?

We have friends not far from Midland - but they are far enough away they do not anticipate being impacted.

I haven't looked recently to see if anything has happened @ Dow.

[GottaKnowWhen]

32 minutes ago, Von & John said:

 

Stan  --  Best Wishes - Sorry to hear of your challenges w/ the floods!

Which dam are you located near?

We have friends not far from Midland - but they are far enough away they do not anticipate being impacted.

I haven't looked recently to see if anything has happened @ Dow.

The dams were Edenville (now gone) and Sanford (damaged but still partially intact.) The Dow campus & facilities (a bit further downriver) had some issues but they are fairly well prepared for such events.

[Von & John]

50 minutes ago, Von & John said:

State of Alaska Re-Opening entering Phase 3 tomorrow...

Even w/ moving forward w/ the state reopening - the 14-Day quarantine (for anyone entering the state) was extended until June 2nd.

It's possible the quarantine may be extended again...

 

In the meantime, activities & lodging are reopening across the state, I leave you with this NPR article:

While The Tourists Are Away, Alaskans Will Play

https://www.npr.org/856171287

 

I just realized I misstated our status.

Tomorrow, Friday - 05/21, Alaska will move forward with both Phase 3 & 4 together...

[Diamond lover]

Stan, my heart is breaking for all of you affected by this unprecedented flooding.  Two dams breaking....unbelievable.  Stay warm and safe, long days of salvage ahead of you.  Don’t lose faith, you WILL make it through this , as a community.#inittogether takes on a new meaning for you right now.

 

I am in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and while we are cautiously reopening in phase 1 (storefront retailers, parks etc), I have no doubt our government will pull it all back in a heartbeat if we don’t play nice, continue to act responsibly, and get those covid numbers down.

 

i am ok with a slow reintroduction to “normalcy”, whatever that is.  Of the 2,000 or so Covid deaths in Ontario so far, about 1500 of them are from long term care homes.  One of those deaths was my own beloved mother.  Diagnosed Covid positive April 18,, dead May 11th.  You can all imagine how difficult it is to watch a loved ones demise through “video chats”, not be able to reassure her, stroke her hair, hold her hand.

 

if we stop being socially responsible and jump back into life as we knew it, her death, ALL the deaths, were in vain.

 

So please, stay safe.  And if the urge strikes, punch a protester or denier 😬

 

Charlene

[HappyCamper49]

Hello, Anne!

Update here for HappyCamper49:  We live in N.C. and our COVID-19 cases including hospitalization are spiking since Phase I and Phase II reopenings.  After many discussions regarding our September 19, 2020 cruise out of Southampton, UK, I called Celebrity on Monday, May 25th and transferred our cruise to next year, Septemberb18, 2021.  It made us sad to do this, but we kept asking ourselves (1) What if we were to test positive while on the cruise? (2) What if there was a COVID-19 outbreak onboard while on the cruise? (3) What if an outbreak occurred and no ports would let us dock?  Would we end up like some of the Princess and Holland America ships just sailing around?  (4) What if another wave happened in the fall and we could not fly back into this country?  There were just too many "What If" questions for us to sail comfortably; We will both be 71 in September and are in good health, but we were to scared to go.  We wish the best for those going and look forward to reviews and photos.

[zitsky]

What if covid is still around in 2021?

[cachouonacruise]

26 minutes ago, zitsky said:

What if covid is still around in 2021?

 

We’re booked on the Silhouette May 2021 cruise (Our Millenimum March 2020 was cancelled of course) and we’re still wondering about 2021.

 

Based on my understanding, Covid will still be there in 2021... it’s not « if ».

 

The question is more, will we better tooled to deal with the virus? Will the elusive possible vaccine be a reality? Will more effective medication be available? Will port and touristic activities be open? Will we be able to fly to Southampton without being quarantined for 14 days upon arrival? Will insurance covering a possible accidental Covid related hospitalisation/impact be available? etc.

 

In short, we are learning to live differently by using social distancing and enhanced hygiene measure. I am willing to use or keep these new life practices during travel. But, the risk to enjoy the trip has to surpass all the possible other inconveniences!

 

I really look forward to the dream represented by that cruise and I am watching daily for any new development that could enhance the probability of the cruise actually sailing!   

[green snakes]

We live in Florida (near Disney) & our Governor has pretty much opened up the State.  People or wearing masks. social distance & enjoying the sun shine.  This is our 4th week with people back to work & so far no raise in COVID.  Disney is opening in July (our son -in- law works for HR-Disney & has all the facts) & they have started calling back the employees for 2 weeks of training.  Opening Disney is like having Super Bowl every day with the crowds.  No parades, no fireworks, no "face" character meet & greets but rides will be open & guest will wear mask but they have "relaxation areas" where you can take your masks off.  Disney Springs (shopping area) has been open for over 2 weeks with no problems.  My husband & I are both 70 but healthy & we have been out for 3 weeks socializing.  

 

We are booked on Celebrity Summit for a B2B to Dublin on Aug. 2 from Bayonne. We have just made our final payment & our TA feels like this cruise will happen.  Canada & Iceland are the big ports & they had very little COVID & the ports are due to open for cruise ships in early June.  He says they have always been open for freight shipping.

 

RCCL cancelled 3 of our cruises in March & it took us 60 days to get the FCC but the refunds to the credit card for the Taxes & Port fees came in about 50 days.

 

We feel lucky to live in Florida with a Governor willing us to make our own decisions about how we want to live our lives.  All of our friends (older folks) seem to be using safe judgement depending on their health.  We sure feel sorry for all the people dealing with COVID & riots.

Safe travels 🙂

[Blackduck59]

6 minutes ago, green snakes said:

 

We are booked on Celebrity Summit for a B2B to Dublin on Aug. 2 from Bayonne. We have just made our final payment & our TA feels like this cruise will happen.  Canada & Iceland are the big ports & they had very little COVID & the ports are due to open for cruise ships in early June.  He says they have always been open for freight shipping.

 

Safe travels 🙂

 

I salute your optimism, I hope your cruise goes but there will definitely be an itinerary change. Canadian ports were already closed to cruise ships until July 1st and that has been extended until the end of October effectively ending the Canadian cruise season on both coasts.

Expect a few more sea days and enjoy the cruise, assuming it does sail.

Best of luck and Cheers

[green snakes]

20 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I salute your optimism, I hope your cruise goes but there will definitely be an itinerary change. Canadian ports were already closed to cruise ships until July 1st and that has been extended until the end of October effectively ending the Canadian cruise season on both coasts.

Expect a few more sea days and enjoy the cruise, assuming it does sail.

Best of luck and Cheers

My TA said that the ports are due to open July 1, which gives them more than a full month before we visit.  I know Halifax & Sydney are part of Canada but because they are Nova Scotia do they have their own government so they can make their own rules, like Florida?  Just asking.