On Silhouette 1/15/22

[Alakegirl]

A hard way to learn a lesson to always have a passport. Even if you think you will never change your mind about your cruise the way the OP has, you might have to go home because of an emergency and without a passport you cannot fly home from the Caribbean islands.

[Outofofficeon]

10 hours ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

You have been getting a lot of push-back to your post! I do sympathize with your position. It is tough to make plans, let the anticipation build up, and then find that reality doesn’t cooperate. But to be fair, maybe your expectations were a bit fanciful? There is a pandemic going on (two years now) and circumstances continue to change as the situation evolves. I don’t expect that my cruise in two weeks will be like anything I have done before, but then I don’t really know what to expect! My plan is to go and experience and hopeful enjoy. I think that is all any of us can do right now. I am sorry your experience did not meet your expectations.

Stan

 

I’m also on in two weeks time.  We are all well aware this is different to cruising two years ago.  I always see the positives and hope we can all go along with whatever transpires during our trip.  I really feel Celebrity will do their upmost to make it as good as they can whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.  My view is you could wait another year or so for all this to pass, if ever?? And by then anything could happen to you that would make you realise that cruising with these restrictions was a good bet after all.  Hope the rest of the cruise improves for Wolf.

[hcat]

OP is presening their perspective. Everyone has their own expectations and tolerance level. Cruising in Covid times  is not  comfortable for everyone. Omicron is a recent recent whammy!

 

  No need to pile on or name call as was done in post 27.

[KyleDefends]

Wolf, I'm sorry to hear that you are not having a great experience.  Hopefully things will improve for you.

 

Regarding the passport issue - my wife and I got married over the summer.  She applied for a new passport with her new name in November and she had the new one in hand in about three weeks.  We have a cruise scheduled on the Reflection in March and were worried that we were pushing it with all the reports of backlogs.  We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly it was processed.

[BigTorino]

Hi Wolf and hope you're feeling better today about your trip!

I understand your worries. Since there doesn't seem to be other options for you, than to remain on the ship, I hope you'll be able to enjoy the warm Caribbean air at least! You two can always dine outdoors or in your room I suppose. If your fellow cruisers don't want to wear their masks, you can always double mask yourself when you're out and about on the ship. It does make for a tighter seal on the sides to wear two surgical masks. 

Observe social distancing and try to enjoy yourself! I can at least say that I personally would trade my hectic everyday life with you right now in a heartbeat. I can see myself reading outdoors and eating fabulous foods and drinks and waving at fellow passengers from a distance...

Take care Wolf!

[Lastdance]

Why does it matter if someone does not feel comfortable on a cruise?  Life is all about choices, giving lots of opportunity to make different ones.  Sometimes expectations and reality have very little in common, but provide opportunity for change and taking responsibility.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Lastdance

[Stealthdog]

I thought you had to have your passport with you?  For our December sailing we had to show it on check in.  

[Alakegirl]

On a closed loop cruise in the Caribbean or you can depart with a certified birth cert. and drivers license.

 

passports are recommended, because you can’t fly home without one

[BigTorino]

1 minute ago, Lastdance said:

Why does it matter if someone does not feel comfortable on a cruise?  Life is all about choices, giving lots of opportunity to make different ones.  Sometimes expectations and reality have very little in common, but provide opportunity for change.  

You may be right that life is (partially) about choices one makes, but perception is personal and kindness and compassion never hurts.

[Ken the cruiser]

8 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

I thought you had to have your passport with you?  For our December sailing we had to show it on check in.  

We're currently in the process of getting our passport renewed as well and will be taking our Passport Card with us on our next cruise in a few weeks if we don't receive them back by then. Unfortunately, we won't be able to fly home either, not that we would want to, as we would need a real passport for that.

[Lastdance]

28 minutes ago, BigTorino said:

You may be right that life is (partially) about choices one makes, but perception is personal and kindness and compassion never hurts.

Please do not confuse what I said with not being a compassionate individual.  As for being kind, life is difficult and Covid has not been easy for any of us.  Life is still all about choices and revamping when things do not go your way.  We all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.  Have a good day and please keep practicing what you preach, without judging others in a personal way.  This was a general comment , one that I live by and have taught for years.  It is your perception that I meant this to be harsh, uncaring and with a lack of kindness, as you directed this personally to me.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Lastdance

[Wolf 8]

Update a day after my initial post.  We’re salvaging as much of this experience as conditions permit.  That means physically separating ourselves from the mask less inside the ship.  Lunch today at Grand Cuvee was impeccable though we did have to move because an elderly fellow at a nearby table had a productive cough.  We were also able to catch some of the Bucs wildcard game at a two-person table at Craft Social then ran $220 of pre-bought slot play through a video poker machine, again staying safely away from others.
 

What really offends me is that I am honoring Celebrity’s contract which includes complying with all their guest conduct policies.  In contrast, Celebrity has not made an effective effort to provide me an environment free from dangerous guest behaviors (i.e., the violation of mask mandates) that expose me to the virulent, potentially lethal Covid-19 virus.

 

We have a port-side veranda and tomorrow we dock in St. Maarten.  It will be informative to observe how many emergency vehicles with staff in hazmat gear are summoned to carry infected passengers away for quarantine.
 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Wolf 8
typo

[Ken the cruiser]

23 minutes ago, Wolf 8 said:

Update a day after my initial post.  We’re salvaging as much of this experience as conditions permit.  That means physically separating ourselves from the mask less inside the ship.  Lunch today at Grand Cuvee was impeccable though we did have to move because an elderly fellow at a nearby table had a productive cough.  We were also able to catch some of the Bucs wildcard game at a two-person table at Craft Social then ran $220 of pre-bought slot play through a video poker machine, again staying safely away from others.
 

What really offends me is that I am honoring Celebrity’s contract which includes complying with all their guest conduct policies.  In contrast, Celebrity has not made an effective effort to provide me an environment free from dangerous guest behaviors (i.e., the violation of mask mandates) that expose me to the virulent, potentially lethal Covid-19 virus.

 

We have a port-side veranda and tomorrow we dock in St. Maarten.  It will be informative to observe how many emergency vehicles with staff in hazmat gear are summoned to carry infected passengers away for quarantine.
 

Glad you're trying to make the best of your cruise. If I might ask, are you using the Basic Surf package or the Xcelerate Streaming package to post to cruise critic? It seems folks on various X ships have had different experiences depending on how many passengers were aboard, with the breaking point being around 1100-1200 passengers.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[cruisestitch]

I am very surprised that you chose to travel during a time of a “virulent potentially lethal disease,” not just on a cruise ship but to leave your house at all.  And to give yourself no way to fly home?  That risk that you took, traveling without a passport, has nothing to do with celebrity on-board policies.  Something doesn’t add up, to me.

[RichYak]

50 minutes ago, Wolf 8 said:

What really offends me is that I am honoring Celebrity’s contract which includes complying with all their guest conduct policies.  In contrast, Celebrity has not made an effective effort to provide me an environment free from dangerous guest behaviors (i.e., the violation of mask mandates) that expose me to the virulent, potentially lethal Covid-19 virus.

Based on your comment in the linked post below, you were fully aware of the environment on Silhouette a week ago, yet you chose to board anyway. And you did so without a passport. There's no one to blame for your reckless behavior but yourself.

 

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I am confused. Did Celebrity recently institute a required mask policy for passengers? We sailed on Equinox in October and Apex in December. Neither cruise had a policy that guests had to wear masks and few did. The crew, on the other hand, always wore masks. Some crew even wore double masks. 

What I recall is that masks were required by passengers in the check-in terminal, but not inside the ship itself. Admittedly, I am not up on the latest mask protocols.

[cruisestitch]

1 minute ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

I am confused. Did Celebrity recently institute a required mask policy for passengers?

 

yes, one cruise ago

 

1 minute ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

1 minute ago, cruisestitch said:

 

 

Thank you for that response. Is there any specification as to the type of mask? 

[jwlane]

3 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

type of mask? 

No.

[Ken the cruiser]

14 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

Thank you for that response. Is there any specification as to the type of mask? 

Just so you know, there will be a packaged mask for each booked passenger when they get to their cabin. Of course, you will need to have a mask on to get to your cabin.
 

Here’s a thread which discussed this issue in detail.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2823037-mask-policy-not-strictly-enforced/

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[Alakegirl]

Here’s hoping that Wolf can “adjust and adapt” and “have an amazing time” especially since he has no option to bail out

[Lastdance]

46 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Here’s hoping that Wolf can “adjust and adapt” and “have an amazing time” especially since he has no option to bail out

Exactly...monitoring and adjusting is what life is all about and it builds resiliency.  Primary source factual information is always welcome.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Lastdance

[Bluewake]

Regardless of one's perspective on the OP's situation, there is something to be learned from the OP's experience.  I've read quite a few CC posts from those such as the OP who have concerns about the impact of cruising on their health as well as many posts from those who find the onboard protocols too intrusive.  In either case, waiting to consider the factors and possibilities until after being onboard is too late.

 

We just cancelled a February Celebrity cruise.  In making our decision, we sat down and subjectively weighed five factors that mattered to us:  (1) the possibility of contracting covid - low (2) the possibility of being quarantined because we had contact with someone who was infected - low to medium (3) the possibility that the itinerary (which is important to us) would have to be greatly modified and we might end up with way too many sea days and ports of little interest  - high  (4) the possibility that the things we'd probably feel the need to do to preserve our health  (e.g. not attend shows, eat meals outside, etc) would make for a rather dull cruise - high, and (5)  the possibility that there would be too many passengers who simply would ignore masking and social distancing protocols - very high. 

 

I'd urge anyone who has any doubts about cruising right now to do the same and reach their own conclusions about sailing or cancelling.  Even more importantly, we all need to find ways to cooperate onboard regardless of our perspectives on cruising during this turbulent era.  Neither telling someone to "stay home" if they are concerned nor demanding that everyone embrace the most stringent protocols is reasonable, respectful, productive. If we cannot find ways to compromise,  I fear our respective polarized "demands" could bring about another shut down. We are already seeing cruises being canceled (eg NCL, RCCL) or shortened.
 

 

[farawayatsea]

Hearing that many passengers are not wearing masks is very concerning. I am very surprised to hear that Celebrity is not enforcing this.As well as the health risk it would just annoy me too much to have a good time. This has lead me to cancel a February cruise.

[stones902]

We were on the ship for the prior cruise also. One thing I can personally debunk is that all the Officers were in quarantine. The Captain and Staff Captain did a walk through in the Retreat Sundeck on the 2nd to last day and we saw many 3 stripers and up throughout the cruise. 
 

Regarding the number of passengers with Covid we were given the “just above 1%” as mentioned earlier. With just under 1000 passengers I took that to mean between 10-15 pax. Much less than positivity rates stateside. I do believe that there was a significant spread amongst the crew, particularly those in the entertainment group. 
 

The Cardinals did play the final evening in the Sky Lounge with their bass player. He had been exposed but provided a negative test the final day. 
 

I thought the vast majority of the passengers complied with the mask rule. Maybe a couple slipped but overall I think people followed the rules. 
 

Overall a good cruise experience. We’re going to do it again in April.