Covid on Eclipse

[lexmiller]

56 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Unfortunately, you don’t know the rules for B2B testing until the end of the first leg. 

Yes for sure...... @Suzi66 was told, no back to back testing one day, then the next, ooops yup, too bad so sad, we are testing you.  Others on the boards also have reported they were told often and definitely, no b2b testing then the number of self-reports rise high enough that whatever threshold it is (not sure how that's determined......? By Celebrity, by countries being visited or the country where the first cruise ends?) is reached and b2b testing is mandated.  Really nerve wracking, the anxiety of cruise 1, not sure at all if you'll be allowed to continue on cruise 2.  Not the time to do b2b cruises.

[Jim_Iain]

I've had similar experience on b2b testing.   They really are only hypothesizing when they say no B2B testing as it usually depends on both the destination country, origin country and if the cases on board go above a certain threshold. 

 

On our last B3B they said "we are hoping not to test" but an hour later appointment shows on our door.   On the Greenland and Canadian Cruise B2B's that tested positive could remain on the ship.     Actually on the Greenland one if you tested positive they allowed you to stay on for the return cruise even if not booked.  Albeit you usually would have to move to an inside room as the ship was fully booked except isolation rooms.   In all the cases we knew of = the spouse if negative could get a close by room and not have to isolate.

[bucfan2]

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

Unfortunately, you don’t know the rules for B2B testing until the end of the first leg. 

That may be true for you.  We were well aware of the rules and policies for our B2B's, so that is not even close to a true statement for us (and many others).

Edited October 19, 2022 by bucfan2

[canderson]

38 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

That may be true for you.  We were well aware of the rules and policies for our B2B's, so that is not even close to a true statement for us (and many others).

I believe Rich was talking about current protocols, not historical ones where testing was always required between each leg.

[bucfan2]

4 minutes ago, canderson said:

I believe Rich was talking about current protocols, not historical ones where testing was always required between each leg.

Fair enough.  And the point I was making (for our group of travelers doing B2B's) was being aware of the rules and policies for each particular sailing...not interested in historic requirements nor what the requirements could be on future sailings.  Being aware of the requirements for a particular sailing has been found to be most beneficial to us (and yes, when testing is a requirement for a B2B, a level of risk is certainly added).

[Covepointcruiser]

Testing will be required if there is a certain level of COVID onboard or if the countries on the nest sailing require testing.    Either of those circumstances can change on a moments notice so B2B cruisers be aware as there are no guarantees you can remain with the ship if you test positive.

[C4HCG]

On 10/13/2022 at 4:08 AM, Karen Lynn said:

Doesn’t make protecting one’s self easy when tenders and elevators are body to body and shore excursions are too does it though 🤷‍♀️ 

Then don’t cruise then as that’s how it’s going to be now and I for one am grateful. 

[C4HCG]

On 10/13/2022 at 4:45 PM, MISTER 67 said:

I agree, 400 people a day are still dying because of Covid. 

There should still be testing 2 days before sailing.

Why? When that was required people still got Covid on ships, it solved nothing.

[RichYak]

4 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

Fair enough.  And the point I was making (for our group of travelers doing B2B's) was being aware of the rules and policies for each particular sailing...not interested in historic requirements nor what the requirements could be on future sailings.  Being aware of the requirements for a particular sailing has been found to be most beneficial to us (and yes, when testing is a requirement for a B2B, a level of risk is certainly added).

And my point was that if you are about to sail on a B2B, the first leg of which embarks tomorrow, you still don't know if testing will be required between legs. And you won't know for sure until the 2nd to last day of the initial itinerary.

 

So, you may think that you're aware of all the requirements for your B2B, but you're not. It's just not possible to know the complete testing requirements until it's too late for you to react to it.

[SusieAV8R]

10 hours ago, lexmiller said:

Celebrity had no record of @Suzi66 husband even testing positive - Celebrity was the one that forced him to test, that forced him off the ship, and yet, Celebrity had no record of even having done so!  I think her story is enlightening and troubling for all of us.  Suzi and her husband were taking the ship HOME - they live in Australia.  They flew to Vancouver for their Alaskan cruise on Eclipse then they were continuing on the Eclipse as consecutive cruisers sailing home on the Eclipse.  Celebrity threw them off, gave them no direction about rejoining the voyage on Oct 3, a series of problems.  Hers is a cautionary tale for B2Bers......wow, there were 200 or so B2Bers that all tested positive in the testing dragnet!  @Suzi66 thank you so much for your report.  Very informative and definitely highlights how very risky B2B sailing is, if testing is required.    

Am confused.  If get sniffles, why does one get tested?  For covid? Really??  Maybe allergies, so why not get tested for allergies?  Maybe it's the "common" cold.  So, why not get tested for common cold?  

[Suzi66]

12 hours ago, RichYak said:

Unfortunately, you don’t know the rules for B2B testing until the end of the first leg. 

We certainly didn't.

 

[Suzi66]

17 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

Got the sniffles, so got tested.  And then expected a flight from Vancouver to Sydney on their dime.  Would imagine the cruise lines response was appropriate.

I think you have missed the point.  We were SUPPOSED to be on the following 2 cruises which was to get us from Vancouver to Sydney and we were then flying the remainder of the way home ourselves.

If Celebrity had bothered to tell our TA what was going on it would have helped.  Did we need to organise a flight to Hawaii and then they would let us get back on the ship?  Would they possibly help by organising flights by Celebrity for this (so we had peace of mind we would get to the ship, even if we had to pay for the flights), but nothing.  Not a sound from them at all except to ask for proof that my husband had actually tested positive.

BTW how would you like it if you had travelled to Australia for the very first time not knowing anyone or the area at all, planning to do one cruise in Australia itself and then cruise back to the US on the same ship, did your first leg of your trip up to the Great Barrier Reef and back, find out you were positive on the last day of that cruise, get no help at all to find a place to stay in Sydney (which isn't cheap) for 10 days and then have to work out how you are then coming back home from what was going to be the trip of a lifetime that you had planned for years.
There was no need to be rude about us wanting Celebrity to assist us to get home, you would want the same if you had been stranded by them on our side of the world.

[Lastdance]

I am on Apex right now with 2,128 out of 3,000.  The service has been excellent onboard.  This is day 4 and no major issues, as people, in general, are polite and washing their hands.  We never do bus tours, so have mostly tours for just the two of us.  I carry a mask with me at all times, but elevators have not been crowded and coughing  at this point, is quite rare.  So far, so good…tomorrow is day 5 for our 12 day cruise, along with the TA closer to capacity.  I always remind myself that the percentage of Covid is low compared to the rest of the ship!

I love Apex, it’s crew and the venues!

[bucfan2]

5 hours ago, Suzi66 said:

BTW how would you like it if you had travelled to Australia for the very first time not knowing anyone or the area at all, planning to do one cruise in Australia itself and then cruise back to the US on the same ship, did your first leg of your trip up to the Great Barrier Reef and back, find out you were positive on the last day of that cruise
 

No way I'd want to be in your position! Nor would I have put myself in that position. I understand your frustration.  Knowing the requirements for B2B testing, the risk would have been way too high for me to take that far from home.  I've done a couple B2B's relatively close to home, knew the risk/reward, and accepted it.  The risk/reward in your situation would be well beyond my comfort level, and knowing the required protocols for testing, I would have never taken it.  Hope that answers your question.

Edited October 20, 2022 by bucfan2

[bucfan2]

6 hours ago, Suzi66 said:

We certainly didn't.

 

Sorry that the rules for testing apparently changed while you were on the first leg.  (I assume they became more strict while you were already cruising, or you would have known the risks ahead of time).  Can only weigh the +/-'s and make a travel decision based on current protocols, and a change can certainly disrupt your plans.

Edited October 20, 2022 by bucfan2

[Norwaylady]

@bucfan2 the problem and issue for @Suzi66 is what happened and how X acted. I was on the same sailing Alaska+Hawaii. (We are back in Norway, still healthy. Knock on wood) 

We all know the problem Covid and we all know the risk and we have in one way accepted the risk by booking, confirming and travel. 
BUT on all other X ships you have been allowed to stay onboard during your quarantine period if you tested positive. 
What happened on our sailing was that they were kicked off the ship. 
No information, no help. This happened to a lot of the b2b guests. 
 

And as reported from @Suzi66 X has definitely don’t won a award for good customer service and support😬

Had they made it clear in advance to all guests sailing b2b on this specific route  that you will be left in Vancouver or Hawaii if you counting onward to NZ/Australia.
People could decide if it was worth the risk and act accordingly. 

[prmssk]

2 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

No way I'd want to be in your position! Nor would I have put myself in that position. I understand your frustration.  Knowing the requirements for B2B testing, the risk would have been way too high for me to take that far from home.  I've done a couple B2B's relatively close to home, knew the risk/reward, and accepted it.  The risk/reward in your situation would be well beyond my comfort level, and knowing the required protocols for testing, I would have never taken it.  Hope that answers your question.

Although I think I would not put myself in their position of flying so far from home with the uncertainties, I'm not sure those of us in the US who have had access to close to home cruising for over a year now since the restart can truly put ourselves in the position of someone from Australia where close to home cruising is only just now starting.

[middlehaitch]

I think what people are missing is that Canada did not drop the Covid testing 

when boarding a cruise, and 10 day isolation, when disembarking positive, until the beginning of October. (Announced on 26/09/22)

These restrictions had been in place the whole of the recommencement of cruising in Canada. 

 

Anyone boarding, disembarking, then immediately  re-boarding for a second cruise has to follow the host country, not the cruise line, rules and regs.

As Celebrity sells all cruises as individual voyages, even when doing a B2B (or any combination of), the Canadian regs had to be followed by Celebrity.

 

Why there was any talk on board, by Celebrity or cruisers, about not being tested for re-boarding for the 2nd cruise I have no idea. It wasn't an option, one had to be tested, and if positive denied boarding, and even if disembarking/re-embarking follow the Canadian guidelines for cruises.

 

Celebrity had no option on this as they don't offer cruises as continuous cruises with the option of sailing segments. If Celebrity had offered a continuous cruise and a 3 segment cruise option, if taking the continuous cruise, one would have had the option of staying on board when testing positive as then the Canadian stop would have been a port of call with segment cruisers disembarking/embarking. 

 

I do think the lack of communication by Celebrity has been abysmal, as it has been with most other cruise lines, but I also think a lot of cruisers/travelers focus on the big picture (Canada was only the embarkation/disembarkation port, most ports of call were in the USA so more of a focus) and miss some of the finer details (Canada's cruising rules and regs hadn't changed; the USA's had).

 

Repatriation unless written into a contract is probably something that ones insurance is responsible for. Cruise lines, early in the recommencement of cruising, did offer various iterations of repatriation but over time, as travel has eased, they have, with rare exception (I say this but can't think of one), dropped this.

 

I do think cruise lines have been less than open/communicative with their Covid responses and that is one of the main reasons I have chosen not to cruise up to this point. I can keep up with both (multi country) government and cruise line written rules and regs; I can't anticipate any cruise ships individual response. 

 

Cheers, h.

Edited October 20, 2022 by middlehaitch

[bucfan2]

30 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Although I think I would not put myself in their position of flying so far from home with the uncertainties, I'm not sure those of us in the US who have had access to close to home cruising for over a year now since the restart can truly put ourselves in the position of someone from Australia where close to home cruising is only just now starting.

Absolutely.  Very similar to when cruising started back up here.  Testing on B2B's was certainly risky here in the beginning as well.

[prmssk]

1 minute ago, bucfan2 said:

Absolutely.  Very similar to when cruising started back up here.  Testing on B2B's was certainly risky here in the beginning as well.

I think you missed my point that we in the US really aren’t in a position to judge what decisions an Australian makes about travel.  And it is not at all productive to blame the traveler for traveling in the first place. 
 

To me, this whole scenario is a reflection of the challenges created when a few countries are hanging on to protocols while the rest of the world fully opens up combined with the cruise line having horrible communication, losing test results, and providing no support at all to the passengers left stranded. Maybe the original poster wasn’t entitled to a flight back home but in my opinion it is reasonable to expect the cruise line communicate clearly about what was happening and provide at least some support in making new arrangements.