In Covid Quarantine on Beyond

[lorimay]

We are on the second leg of our B2B on Beyond. This leg is the TA. First cruise started out great. Really enjoyed the ship and the ports. Then on the sea day, two days before changeover in Barcelona, I started feeling bad. I had a bad cough and progressively kept getting worse. Next day, Valencia, I canceled our excursion and went down to medical. As I suspected, I was positive for Covid. My husband had a few of the same symptoms but he tested negative. I was immediately returned to our infinite veranda stateroom and told I had to quarantine for 5 days. My husband was told he didn’t even need to wear a mask and was free to wander the ship. He was told to come back the next day for a test. We were both given a bag with a bottle of expectorant and some Tylenol and Advil. 
 

That was the start of a lot of miscommunication and mistakes. I understand that I took the risk of coming on this trip and catching Covid. We both tested negative before we boarded (self test). I knew this was a possibility. But I assumed that Celebrity had this protocol figured out and clearly the message isn’t getting through to everyone. 
 

We waited all day the first day for someone to tell us what was going to happen - like were  they going to make us leave in Barcelona or let us continue. No communication at all. Finally late in the day we called guest services and they said we could stay on. We asked if we could get off since I would be missing all the Spanish ports and maybe getting out to see the last stop in Azores. We were told we could not get off in Barcelona. 
 

The Barcelona day was a mess. My husband went down and exchanged his room key. They refused to let him do mine. Then they sent someone up to the room to check me in - but he couldn’t understand that I was in quarantine and told me to go pick up my card at guest relations. Meanwhile no internet without the new card. No room service call and they were closed so I got no breakfast. Room service has been spotty. When they remember to call they are great - but a lot of times they forget to call. Since it takes over an hour for delivery, we sometimes call in ourselves. One lunch I ordered a club soda and the woman started arguing with me telling me I would have to pay for it. She refused to listen about quarantine. Then said she would call back. She didn’t and I didn’t get lunch - my husband went up and got me something from oceanview after we waited two hours. 
 

Meanwhile, after a couple of days I got a follow up call from the medical center. But no one ever followed up with my husband and, typical of him, he didn’t pursue it either. Big mistake. This morning he got a call demanding that he show up to a 3rd deck cabin to be tested because he had “close contact” with a Covid person. Really? It took you 4 days to figure that out after he tried to self report? Needless to say he’s positive and his quarantine starts today. Hopefully mine ends tomorrow. 
 

We are not particularly high maintenance people but I do feel like we are being ignored. Other than only periodic room service, housekeeping has called once. Medical office calls about every other day. No one else called. No information about refunds, services (they didn’t upgrade our internet or give us any on demand movies). BTW, the overall video experience is bad on this ship. No late run movies. Most of my Netflix shows can’t be played on my phone because I’m not using a VPN. News and sports channels ok but not much entertainment. 
 

The only good news is I felt so sick the last few days that I didn’t really want to go out. I just wish we could have quarantined in Barcelona and gone home. We missed all the ports and while sea days are great, I would have liked to be home instead of this.  It’s not easy with two sick people in a small cabin 24 hours a day!

[Honolulu Blue]

Thank you for your report.  I'm sorry this had to happen to you and your husband.  I hope you get through this with relatively few scars. #covidstillexists

[asnaleah]

I’m so sorry this happened to you! Did you have the option to disembark in Barcelona? 

[lorimay]

Just now, asnaleah said:

I’m so sorry this happened to you! Did you have the option to disembark in Barcelona? 

No. They told us we could not get off. 

[asnaleah]

I understand you couldn’t get off and then re-board, but I wonder why you couldn’t simply disembark and do your quarantine on land in Barcelona. I hope your trip insurance will help out and that you clear quarantine asap!

 

Very disappointing that your husband was free to move about without any testing for 3 days! Who knows how many he might have unknowingly infected? Very poor medical management by Celebrity. And as you said, they should have had this all sorted by now.

[mfs2k]

Ugh. 
get better. 

[Michidoeme]

This sounds like it is being completely mismanaged by Celebrity - or not managed at all. 
Especially on a TA could be classed as gross negligence.

[Jeremiah1212]

They let your husband stay in the same cabin or he had to move? It’s a bit mind blowing they allow a symptomatic person sharing a cabin with someone who tested positive to go around the ship masksless for several days.

 

We had COVID after a cruise in September but didn’t start feeling bad until we were home. It would have been miserable to feel so bad away from home. Hopefully you have a quick rebound. 

[5:00_Somewhere]

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. I was relatively fortunate when I tested positive half-way through our 10-day cruise on the Summit last month. Medical checked on me every day, and Guest Relations was on top of everything for my 5 days of quarantine. My husband also tested negative, and we were initially told he would have the option of moving to a different cabin or quarantining with me, but if he stayed with me he would not be permitted to move about the ship due to him staying in the cabin with a quarantined person. We were then told there were no more "extra" cabins available (too many people with Covid), which was okay for us, as my husband planned to stay with me anyway. Room Service was also very slow, but we were fortunate that we were in a suite and were allowed to order from Luminae for all meals, except for lunch when we were in port (because the restaurant is closed). Our disembarkation was a mess, but otherwise the experience went about as well as we could have expected.

 

I hope the rest of your trip is better, and that you both recover quickly. I will add that I continued to have symptoms for nearly a month after my initial positive test, but they have finally mostly resolved (just realized today is exactly 30 days), except for the fatigue, and I didn't test negative until 2 weeks after my initial positive test, but clear now.

 

Take care of yourself, and drink lots of water.

[raudacruise]

I’m so sorry you’re being neglected. I was sent to Covid Jail on Silhouette but received plenty of attention. I used to think it would be preferable to be quarantined in my original cabin. Now I’m not so sure. I travel solo and have no one to be my advocate.

 

If Guest Relations is useless maybe try the Hotel Manager?

 

Please recover quickly.

[jelayne]

 

2 hours ago, lorimay said:

We are on the second leg of our B2B on Beyond. This leg is the TA. First cruise started out great. Really enjoyed the ship and the ports. Then on the sea day, two days before changeover in Barcelona, I started feeling bad. I had a bad cough and progressively kept getting worse. Next day, Valencia, I canceled our excursion and went down to medical. As I suspected, I was positive for Covid. My husband had a few of the same symptoms but he tested negative. I was immediately returned to our infinite veranda stateroom and told I had to quarantine for 5 days. My husband was told he didn’t even need to wear a mask and was free to wander the ship. He was told to come back the next day for a test. We were both given a bag with a bottle of expectorant and some Tylenol and Advil. 
 

That was the start of a lot of miscommunication and mistakes. I understand that I took the risk of coming on this trip and catching Covid. We both tested negative before we boarded (self test). I knew this was a possibility. But I assumed that Celebrity had this protocol figured out and clearly the message isn’t getting through to everyone. 
 

We waited all day the first day for someone to tell us what was going to happen - like were  they going to make us leave in Barcelona or let us continue. No communication at all. Finally late in the day we called guest services and they said we could stay on. We asked if we could get off since I would be missing all the Spanish ports and maybe getting out to see the last stop in Azores. We were told we could not get off in Barcelona. 
 

The Barcelona day was a mess. My husband went down and exchanged his room key. They refused to let him do mine. Then they sent someone up to the room to check me in - but he couldn’t understand that I was in quarantine and told me to go pick up my card at guest relations. Meanwhile no internet without the new card. No room service call and they were closed so I got no breakfast. Room service has been spotty. When they remember to call they are great - but a lot of times they forget to call. Since it takes over an hour for delivery, we sometimes call in ourselves. One lunch I ordered a club soda and the woman started arguing with me telling me I would have to pay for it. She refused to listen about quarantine. Then said she would call back. She didn’t and I didn’t get lunch - my husband went up and got me something from oceanview after we waited two hours. 
 

Meanwhile, after a couple of days I got a follow up call from the medical center. But no one ever followed up with my husband and, typical of him, he didn’t pursue it either. Big mistake. This morning he got a call demanding that he show up to a 3rd deck cabin to be tested because he had “close contact” with a Covid person. Really? It took you 4 days to figure that out after he tried to self report? Needless to say he’s positive and his quarantine starts today. Hopefully mine ends tomorrow. 
 

We are not particularly high maintenance people but I do feel like we are being ignored. Other than only periodic room service, housekeeping has called once. Medical office calls about every other day. No one else called. No information about refunds, services (they didn’t upgrade our internet or give us any on demand movies). BTW, the overall video experience is bad on this ship. No late run movies. Most of my Netflix shows can’t be played on my phone because I’m not using a VPN. News and sports channels ok but not much entertainment. 
 

The only good news is I felt so sick the last few days that I didn’t really want to go out. I just wish we could have quarantined in Barcelona and gone home. We missed all the ports and while sea days are great, I would have liked to be home instead of this.  It’s not easy with two sick people in a small cabin 24 hours a day!

Have you asked about getting upgraded internet and on demand movies?  I think you may fair better if you take the initiative.  Don’t wait for Room Service to  call you, call them, ask for the upgraded internet and movies.  Reach out to Guest Services to see when you will receive info on the process for a refund.  The ship has a lot of new crew members and are short staffed you need to be your own and your husbands advocate.

[PKB]

In light of these experiences by the OP, what is the benefit of reporting symptoms to ship personnel instead of doing self tests and self quarantine if positive?

[Denny01]

36 minutes ago, PKB said:

In light of these experiences by the OP, what is the benefit of reporting symptoms to ship personnel instead of doing self tests and self quarantine if positive?

OP, so sorry you and your husband contracted COVID. What a hassle and also ill! 

 

@PKB, not sure what situations the OP is reporting that would be that different from self-quarantining. And trying to do it that way would probably not work because you’d need to tell your room steward Not to come in and so on, and that would flag you.

 

Also, the suggestion that the OP needs to be more proactive and calling room service and contacting the help desk and so on is right. Need to bug them if you arent getting proper responses. Just as we’d do under normal situations. 

 

And the OP will find out once they talk with the right ship personnel that they will be reimbursed for the time they are in quarantine, which you would miss if you didnt report it. 

 

Its good to see another report that those that tested positive remained in their own SR, which was the reason some were posting theyd not report being contagious. 

 

Den

Edited October 15, 2022 by Denny01

[canderson]

40 minutes ago, PKB said:

In light of these experiences by the OP, what is the benefit of reporting symptoms to ship personnel instead of doing self tests and self quarantine if positive?

Pro-rata refund of the cruise fare for the days spent in quarantine. 

[H2OH!]

so sorry to hear this. One would think all the kinks have been worked out by now!  If they are overrun with Covid cases, I can see how it gets out of hand in a hurry but they are sure happy taking your money for the cruise with certain promises. Feel better soon. 

 

 

[Denny01]

1 hour ago, PKB said:

In light of these experiences by the OP, what is the benefit of reporting symptoms to ship personnel instead of doing self tests and self quarantine if positive?

 

39 minutes ago, canderson said:

Pro-rata refund of the cruise fare for the days spent in quarantine. 

And properly reporting it limits you exposing crew that enter our SR either to clean, and bring in your food. They need to know for sure. 

 

Den

[canderson]

8 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

 

And properly reporting it limits you exposing crew that enter our SR either to clean, and bring in your food. They need to know for sure. 

 

Den

One would hope that someone self-quarantining would request drop-off service for towels and food, but.  

[jelayne]

The incentive to report vs just trying to self quarantined is if you don’t report you don’t get the prorated refund of your cruise fare.  For 5+ days that adds up. 

[JHLH821]

I empathize with your situation as it mirrors my husband's and my experience on Oceania.  The day we boarded my husband was very tired- unusual for a very active person. He had minimal energy and just wasn't himself. By the morning of day 3 and made him call the infirmary- they came to our cabin and performed two tests, covid was confirmed and I tested negative. I was offered the option to move to another cabin but decided to stay- thankfully we were in a veranda cabin. I didn't test positive until day 6 but was free to move about the ship, though I opted to limit my time walking around. Oceania dispenses Paxlovid which my husband stopped taking on day 4 of the 5 day regimen as it totally incapacitated him and he was just sleeping all day with zero energy; I took it only 1 day.  At least we received upgraded internet and through room service, could order food from room service, the main dining and all specialty restaurants. No ship staff could enter our room but our room attendants delivered fresh towels and supplies as needed. Yes, by day 7 we could not wait to get off and fly home.

 

We've been home two weeks and have both been testing negative and have scheduled our 3rd booster (which on hindsight we should have done pre-travel).  Increased cases are not surprising since no one is wearing masks and all ports are open. We will receive either future cruise credits or a pro-rated reduction in our fare after our travel insurance provided gets back to us re: our claim for reimbursement of the Paxlovid.   Hope you and your husband are on the mend soon.

[dlh015]

26 minutes ago, llhillman said:

I empathize with your situation as it mirrors my husband's and my experience on Oceania.  The day we boarded my husband was very tired- unusual for a very active person. He had minimal energy and just wasn't himself. By the morning of day 3 and made him call the infirmary- they came to our cabin and performed two tests, covid was confirmed and I tested negative. I was offered the option to move to another cabin but decided to stay- thankfully we were in a veranda cabin. I didn't test positive until day 6 but was free to move about the ship, though I opted to limit my time walking around. Oceania dispenses Paxlovid which my husband stopped taking on day 4 of the 5 day regimen as it totally incapacitated him and he was just sleeping all day with zero energy; I took it only 1 day.  At least we received upgraded internet and through room service, could order food from room service, the main dining and all specialty restaurants. No ship staff could enter our room but our room attendants delivered fresh towels and supplies as needed. Yes, by day 7 we could not wait to get off and fly home.

 

We've been home two weeks and have both been testing negative and have scheduled our 3rd booster (which on hindsight we should have done pre-travel).  Increased cases are not surprising since no one is wearing masks and all ports are open. We will receive either future cruise credits or a pro-rated reduction in our fare after our travel insurance provided gets back to us re: our claim for reimbursement of the Paxlovid.   Hope you and your husband are on the mend soon.

Sorry to hear of your experience. Glad you got some appropriate attention!

 

Would you mind saying what was charged for the Paxlovid?

[Northern Aurora]

My husband contracted covid while on the Eclipse  in April.  Our experience was similar to that experienced by @5:00_Somewhere.  We also were in a Suite so had the Suite Manager, our butler and the Luminae maitre'd calling him.  He was seen in person daily by  medical  staff who also issued him a thermometer and pulse oximeter.

 

Given the description by our OP I suggest that they become more pro-active.  If Guest Relations isn't answering questions then escalate your questions to the Hotel Director.

[JHLH821]

16 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

Sorry to hear of your experience. Glad you got some appropriate attention!

 

Would you mind saying what was charged for the Paxlovid?      

$800 per dose/ per person. Just stratospheric since if we were home a prescription cost would be minimal (a dose regimen is 5 days total, with two types of pills)

 

[carolina_yankee]

I can understand confusion if a person is staying in their orignal stateroom but after the first call / request is sorted it should be noted.  I would also definitely be pro-active in ordering as well as in escalating if anything is inappropriately charged or not provided. I would rather go through the hassle of getting an erroneous charge removed than miss a meal over an argument, or waiting to be called!

 

 

[dlh015]

Just now, llhillman said:

 

Thanks so much for your response. I was asking because I got to wondering if I could discuss a prescription with my doctor as a backup. I doubted that would be possible, but given the price you just quoted I may brooch the subject after all.

 

Thanks again!

[Northern Aurora]

When my husband caught covid while on the Eclipse we were immediately provided with a letter outlining the refund process.  This was on the first sailing of the Eclipse with passengers (AKA the "barnacle" cruise).  Identical  letters have been posted by other passengers and I suspect is a standard letter created in Miami headquarters which outlines their covid procedures.  If our OP hasn't been provided with that letter then specifically ask for it.  I no longer have a copy but it will answer a number of questions for our OP.