Covid 19 Assistance Program

[Susanb10567]

24 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

I just can't imagine that Celebrity will not extend the date.  As long as covid testing is mandatory, and people are denied boarding because of testing positive due to said mandatory testing - to then tell passengers oh too bad, off you go, no refund or FCC for you, get well soon, see ya - especially with generally speaking, most all of the other cruise lines extending the date (my research is not exhaustive, lol!) - I just can't see Celebrity doing this, not now.  

I am hoping they will follow suit…I guess time will tell

[Bo1953]

29 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

I just can't imagine that Celebrity will not extend the date.  As long as covid testing is mandatory, and people are denied boarding because of testing positive due to said mandatory testing - to then tell passengers oh too bad, off you go, no refund or FCC for you, get well soon, see ya - especially with generally speaking, most all of the other cruise lines extending the date (my research is not exhaustive, lol!) - I just can't see Celebrity doing this, not now.  

If not now, then when do you believe X can do this?

 

Yes, it is too bad that we contracted C-19 before boarding as opposed to after boarding when there might be a better offer...

 

If we are not careful and safe before boarding, how shall we look at passengers behaviour after boarding and contracting C-19, regardless of our vaccine status?

 

In health and bon voyage

[lexmiller]

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

If not now, then when do you believe X can do this?

 

Yes, it is too bad that we contracted C-19 before boarding as opposed to after boarding when there might be a better offer...

 

If we are not careful and safe before boarding, how shall we look at passengers behaviour after boarding and contracting C-19, regardless of our vaccine status?

 

In health and bon voyage

Sorry, Bo, none of that is my point.  Celebrity is currently out of step with all other lines.  

[Bo1953]

3 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

Sorry, Bo, none of that is my point.  Celebrity is currently out of step with all other lines.  

Sometimes being out of step may mean you are the leader... IMO

 

In health and bon voyage

[rachiem]

30 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Sometimes being out of step may mean you are the leader... IMO

 

In health and bon voyage

I actually think that this could actually stop some people coming forward with symptoms?

It would be ok, if you could keep the cabin that you'd pay for but to be moved from maybe a suite to an inside cabin and no compensation?

 

[stevetod]

Royal Caribbean is the parent company of Celebrity and they have extended the dates till next year. It woud be shocking for Celebrity to not follow suit. 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, rachiem said:

I actually think that this could actually stop some people coming forward with symptoms?

It would be ok, if you could keep the cabin that you'd pay for but to be moved from maybe a suite to an inside cabin and no compensation?

 

Yes, you are correct on that point, then again, what would you think were X to determine/find out that you hid symptoms intentionally and dis-embarked you at the next port and say bye-bye find your own way home?

 

More expensive than being in quarantine as whatever country one found themselves in and positive for C-19 would  need to be in hotel for the minimum time frame AND test negative before allowed to depart.

 

Tricky proposition I would propose to do it your way and expensive, too.

 

Not to even mention the possible contacts a person would have involved before it was traced back to the possible source of the transmission. Put lots of other passengers at risk, a great way to go in order to evade quarantine...

 

In health and bon voyage

Edited April 14, 2022 by Bo1953

[lexmiller]

From Royal, pasted below, very reasonable, a gradual roll back of the assistance program.

VERY reasonable - extension of the cruise fare refund through March 31, 2023.  The other parts of the assistance program end April 30, 2022.  This is what Celebrity needs to do as well.  Thus, the assistance program is being modified gradually - no more pro-rated cruise refund if you test positive onboard, no more covering travel home if you test positive while on board.

Royal is extending the refund for the cruise fare through March 31, 2023, if you test positive within 10 days of the cruise.  

Celebrity, simply follow YOUR PARENT COMPANY.

 

Guests will have the following COVID-19 Assistance at no extra charge. 

100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Traveling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal, for cruises departing on or before March 31, 2023.

Pro-rated cruise fare refund if your cruise is cut short for reasons related to COVID-19, for cruises departing on or before April 30, 2022.

If you test positive for COVID-19 during the cruise, Royal Caribbean will cover the costs of COVID-19 related medical treatment onboard, any required land-based quarantine, and travel home for you and your Traveling Party, for cruises departing on or before April 30, 2022.

[stevetod]

Amen. If Celebrity does not extend like Royal the publicity will hurt them a lot more. My wife and I are Elite with Celebrity and have stayed loyal for years. That will change if they fail to do the right thing.

[truedesigngirl]

3 minutes ago, stevetod said:

Amen. If Celebrity does not extend like Royal the publicity will hurt them a lot more. My wife and I are Elite with Celebrity and have stayed loyal for years. That will change if they fail to do the right thing.

We have actually been looking at cruises on other lines that leave from the same port within a day or two of ours because we are nervous about flying over to Europe then suddenly running into this issue. As Canadians, private insurance would be our only option (CruiseCare is not available to us) and considering the cost, changing to a different cruise on a different line has been a consideration, much as I love Celebrity and would be very sorry to do so. I'm sure we aren't alone in that.

[laslomas]

Maybe there will be a larger number of cancellations than expected under the 'cancel for any reason up to 48 hours before' with the Cruise with Confidence programme. 

[cw2go]

Cruise lines are only going to pass on the expense of these provisions to the cruiser. The longer Celebrity or any other line covers these costs, the longer we the consumer will pay. Reservations for Airlines, Hotels, Broadway, Sporting Events, Concerts etc...  have all increased in order to absorb the loss of revenue for the past several years and the current rising inflation.There has to be a breaking point. I'm not sure what Celebrity plans to do going forward but I do respect that at some point, we have to accept this is not their responsibility. 

 

IMO It's time all businesses get back to business as usual.  

 

Hopefully soon we will get back to sailing while personally handling our own health concerns/issues. I am one of the few here who does believe Celebrity has gone above and beyond. It's time we stop putting this burden at their feet. 

 

Just sharing, 

Patty

 

 

[Cruising89143]

1 minute ago, cw2go said:

Cruise lines are only going to pass on the expense of these provisions to the cruiser. The longer Celebrity or any other line covers these costs, the longer we the consumer will pay. Reservations for Airlines, Hotels, Broadway, Sporting Events, Concerts etc...  have all increased in order to absorb the loss of revenue for the past several years and the current rising inflation.There has to be a breaking point. I'm not sure what Celebrity plans to do going forward but I do respect that at some point, we have to accept this is not their responsibility. 

 

IMO It's time all businesses get back to business as usual.  

 

Hopefully soon we will get back to sailing while personally handling our own health concerns/issues. I am one of the few here who does believe Celebrity has gone above and beyond. It's time we stop putting this burden at their feet. 

 

Just sharing, 

Patty

 

 

No problem with this as long as Celebrity stops testing. If we’re going to get back to “normal” then let’s do it. Normal meant no testing for any other sickness. Very simple. 

[cw2go]

Just now, cruisingator2 said:

No problem with this as long as Celebrity stops testing. If we’re going to get back to “normal” then let’s do it. Normal meant no testing for any other sickness. Very simple. 

100% agree. I should have added that. 

 

Patty

[palushka]

The trip interruption/cancellation issue has been really stressful for me. In Canada - my non refundable deposit/booking during the "travel advisory" makes my May 7 cruise from Barcelona ineligible for this scenario. I can test myself up to the 2 day advance required test, but if I test positive then, or on the cruise, I lose the cost of the cruise. My medical insurance covers me for the illness, and that's, of course, the most important issue.

[Barbara60]

I am not a frequent cruiser and I am confused as heck. I booked our cruise to Alaska on X departing May 22  On March 9th through Costco.  Paid in full.  Do I have the option of using Cancel for any Reason and up until what date? What will they do for me? Full refund or FCC?

 

We did not buy travel insurance as of yet, but I assume we still can purchase it as our cruise over 30 days until departure?

[Babr]

26 minutes ago, Barbara60 said:

I am not a frequent cruiser and I am confused as heck. I booked our cruise to Alaska on X departing May 22  On March 9th through Costco.  Paid in full.  Do I have the option of using Cancel for any Reason and up until what date? What will they do for me? Full refund or FCC?

 

We did not buy travel insurance as of yet, but I assume we still can purchase it as our cruise over 30 days until departure?

You qualify for the Cruise with Confidence program which allows you to cancel up to 48 hours prior to embarkation. You will get FCC.

 

You can still buy insurance, but you will not qualify for time-sensitive benefits like pre-existing conditions waiver or Cancel for Any Reason offered by third-party insurers; however, they do cover COVID as an illness meaning you are covered for cancellation if you test positive and trip delay if you have to quarantine shoreside before returning home.

[Barbara60]

So if I wanted to cancel, I can cancel anytime within next 37 days or so? No reason needed? I am starting to worry about getting covid on the ship. Hearing more and more stories about it on current cruises. We are double vaxxed and boosted and hope to be boosted again soon. We mask almost all the time. But we were hoping to be feel pretty confident about going to meals and not contracting any virus.

 

[Babr]

5 minutes ago, Barbara60 said:

So if I wanted to cancel, I can cancel anytime within next 37 days or so? No reason needed? I am starting to worry about getting covid on the ship. Hearing more and more stories about it on current cruises. We are double vaxxed and boosted and hope to be boosted again soon. We mask almost all the time. But we were hoping to be feel pretty confident about going to meals and not contracting any virus.

 

Read all the details on Celebrity’s Cruise with Confidence page. You still have to use the credit within a defined time. Hard to say if things will be any different by then.

[lexmiller]

16 hours ago, stevetod said:

Amen. If Celebrity does not extend like Royal the publicity will hurt them a lot more. My wife and I are Elite with Celebrity and have stayed loyal for years. That will change if they fail to do the right thing.

Yes, agree, we are Elite Plus, looking down the barrel at Zenith and this is making us seriously reconsider Celebrity - what are they thinking??  Extend like Royal has, using the gradual 'withdrawal' of the assistance features - extend like all of the other cruise lines have - EXCEPT Celebrity!  As I've stated above, I really don't think that the majority of Celebrity customers realize what is going on here, or there would be more of a clamor......after May 1, there will certainly be a very loud clamor if something isn't done soon. 

[Bo1953]

14 hours ago, Barbara60 said:

So if I wanted to cancel, I can cancel anytime within next 37 days or so? No reason needed? I am starting to worry about getting covid on the ship. Hearing more and more stories about it on current cruises. We are double vaxxed and boosted and hope to be boosted again soon. We mask almost all the time. But we were hoping to be feel pretty confident about going to meals and not contracting any virus.

Unfortunately and currently, there is no place in the world (possibly) where one can travel with the public that the specter of C-19 is not ever present and available for contracting.

 

That is, unless one does a private charter and that is not even a guarantee either.

 

C-19, as I Am sure you are aware, is a respiratory transmitted disease. To me, this means that someone from a few tables over can be infected and I can contract it, possibly, by being in the area for an extended period of time while enjoying myself, harmlessly... LOL

 

What is the likely hood of you contracting C-19 aboard? Apparently, it is under 10%...  YET if you are not a big risk taker, you may want to seriously consider cancelling.

 

In health and bon voyage

[cachouonacruise]

16 hours ago, palushka said:

The trip interruption/cancellation issue has been really stressful for me. In Canada - my non refundable deposit/booking during the "travel advisory" makes my May 7 cruise from Barcelona ineligible for this scenario. I can test myself up to the 2 day advance required test, but if I test positive then, or on the cruise, I lose the cost of the cruise. My medical insurance covers me for the illness, and that's, of course, the most important issue.

I have also struggled with that issue, quite significantly. I am also a Canadian and our final payment for a cruise departing Southampton was May 11. 
 

This said, on May 7th, if I am not mistaken, the government of Canada removed the official recommendation, to avoid all cruises. From a Canadian Travel Insurance Perspective, this was a game changer.

 

I initially considered Manulife, which was the first insurance I found covering both costs related to a Covid Quarantine and the Trip cancellation/Interruption in a case, we would test positive pre-cruise. I then called my credit card company, to check it they also changed their policy, and because I was already partially covered by them, I was able to obtain a very similar coverage at a lesser cost.

 

Sadly, the timing, likely did not work as well for your final payment date of May 7, therefore, I am mentioning this in case other Canadians are still struggling with this issue and not aware of the policy change.

[cachouonacruise]

44 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

I have also struggled with that issue, quite significantly. I am also a Canadian and our final payment for a cruise departing Southampton was May 11. 
 

This said, on May 7th, if I am not mistaken, the government of Canada removed the official recommendation, to avoid all cruises. From a Canadian Travel Insurance Perspective, this was a game changer.

 

I initially considered Manulife, which was the first insurance I found covering both costs related to a Covid Quarantine and the Trip cancellation/Interruption in a case, we would test positive pre-cruise. I then called my credit card company, to check it they also changed their policy, and because I was already partially covered by them, I was able to obtain a very similar coverage at a lesser cost.

 

Sadly, the timing, likely did not work as well for your final payment date of May 7, therefore, I am mentioning this in case other Canadians are still struggling with this issue and not aware of the policy change.

My apologies to everyone, it may be too early this morning, but I confused the dates.

 

The change in the Canadian Government Policy occurred on or about March 7, 2022. (Our final payment date for our cruise leaving Southampton on June 11, was March 13.)

 

So, the change in Canadian Travel Insurance programs occurred in March 2022 as well.

 

So for anyone with a final payment due now or later, at least some Canadian Travel Insurance companies have Covid policies covering some of the costs related to a Covid Quarantine or a Covid positive pre-cruise test.

 

Again, my apologies for the date confusion, I was just trying to help!

[Princess Fi]

On 4/14/2022 at 10:46 AM, Jeremiah1212 said:

Hang tight. There is a TA call today about the Solstice/Millennium redeployment and other things. 

Was there any mention of update to this policy?

[LGW59]

20 hours ago, stevetod said:

Amen. If Celebrity does not extend like Royal the publicity will hurt them a lot more. My wife and I are Elite with Celebrity and have stayed loyal for years. That will change if they fail to do the right thing.

So for folks who choose to cruise right now, assuming they know the potential risks, someone else (Celebrity) should insure you?  I do not understand this thinking, if I don’t have an auto or homeowner policy and the worst happens, isn’t that on me!  Buy a travel policy or don’t but accept the risk if you decide not to.