In Covid Quarantine on Beyond

[JHLH821]

27 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

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.

I wish the other cruise line was as transparent. I immediately reviewed their policies posted online, then called Guest Relations. I was disappointed with the 1st person I spoke with who basically told me "we were on our own, no reimbursement, etc)". I was fuming, waited a day and emailed and received a completely different response. If our insurance company does not reimburse us for the complete amount of medication, they will cover the difference, plus issue a refund (pro-rated cruise fare) for lost days.

 

[MarkWiltonM]

Curious if medical offered you Paxlovid to help with your Covid? I was wondering if cruise ships are stocking this medication.

[Northern Aurora]

Ilhillman:  I am not sure that all Celebrity ships are as helpful as the staff on the Eclipse. We were fortunate to be onboard with an excellent Suite Manager.  He was very helpful.  He had been a waiter in Luminae and remembered us from the Equinox in 2016.  Our butler was also one of the best we have ever had.

[JFontaine]

To the Original Poster. I'm very sorry that you are going through this. 

 

While I agree about being proactive (or even pushy), it comes hard to some people, and even harder when they are sick. No excuse on Celebrity's part. 

[hcat]

Sorry  OP for your troubles , Not well handled by X at all

 

.. When your quarantine period  ends will you be free to go out of the stateroom or are u extended now due to husbs pos test??

 

Do u know how many pos  Covid cases are now on BEYOND?

Wonder if they will overall sanitize the ship and re impose masking and distancing protocols?

 

We will board BEYOND  in Nov for a 5 day short cruise...We.had Covid recently so hope it will help with immunity along with our 2 shots and booster  quite awhile ago.   We  would hate to spend the entire time in our rm.

 

  Used up all our Future Cruuse Credits from cancelled cruises for the fare,  first time ever in a suite, Hoping for the best but stress level is now heightened!

[WNCtourist]

Reading the responses from others, it's apparent that people cruising in "non-suite" cabins do not have any type of advocate onboard once they test positive for covid, while suite guests continue to benefit from butlers, Retreat hosts, etc. Surely by this time Celebrity can assign staff to check on quarantined guests several times daily to ensure they are getting meals at the very least. 

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, dlh015 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!

I have heard that some Doctors will prescribe it.    I talked to mine and he said he couldn't as it would be a violation of the Emergency Approval of the drug that don't allow off label prescription to someone who has not tested positive.  

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

.......

 

  Used up all our Future Cruuse Credits from cancelled cruises for the fare,  first time ever in a suite, Hoping for the best but stress level is now heightened!

 

Please focus on lowering your stress level.  Wear KN95 masks in elevators and in other close venues.  And since you are in a suite spend time in the Retreat Lounge where you will be able to maintain distance from others.

[dlh015]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have heard that some Doctors will prescribe it.    I talked to mine and he said he couldn't as it would be a violation of the Emergency Approval of the drug that don't allow off label prescription to someone who has not tested positive.  

Thanks for that, Jim. I have a great relationship with my doctor and would not want to put him in that position of having to say no...though I know he would say it with tact...lol...like your post.

 

I shall follow my original course and leave that discussion to a time when I may need it...

 

Thanks again!

[Treasure Hunter]

We go to a travel/infectious disease doctor who writes prescriptions appropriate for wherever we are going. We haven’t been to him since covid but prior to that we were always armed with antibiotics for travelers runs, ear infections, respiratory infections etc. all with instructions. Just wondering if he would cover covid meds. We are boostered with everything that is available and so far so good 

[NutsAboutGolf]

I wonder if anything would even have happened if you tried to get off in Barcelona.

[mfs2k]

46 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

we were always armed with antibiotics for travelers runs, ear infections, respiratory infections etc. all with instructions.

My infectious disease doctor would never prescribe drugs “just in case.” 

[Treasure Hunter]

What can I say. Ours does.

[zitsky]

5 hours ago, JFontaine said:

To the Original Poster. I'm very sorry that you are going through this. 

 

While I agree about being proactive (or even pushy), it comes hard to some people, and even harder when they are sick. No excuse on Celebrity's part. 

I’m sorry you are dealing with this.  It is unpleasant.

 

Is it certainly possible to be pushy AND polite.  Wait 2 hours for a meal?  Give Celebrity feedback but don’t sit there for 2 hours.  Call somebody!

 

We are going through the refund process.  And we have trip insurance.  Husband tested positive before cruise and we notified X and TA.  I tested negative.  It’s been 3 weeks.  We got refund for base fare.  Slowly getting refunds for things booked with credit card.  We have rebooked for May.

[wineoclock]

I hope you feel better soon.

 

We are sailing Apex tomorrow. In a CS. Covid is something I’m concerned about but I’ve had my autumn booster. Dh hasn’t as isn’t eligible yet. Ship doesn’t look at full capacity so hopefully that will help as not so full for lifts etc. We are taking tests with us so we will soon know if we are unwell & then will report. Hopefully not 🤞

Edited October 16, 2022 by wineoclock

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, wineoclock said:

I hope you feel better soon.

 

We are sailing Apex tomorrow. In a CS. Covid is something I’m concerned about but I’ve had my autumn booster. Dh hasn’t as isn’t eligible yet. Ship doesn’t look at full capacity so hopefully that will help as not so full for lifts etc. We are taking tests with us so we will soon know if we are unwell & then will report. Hopefully not 🤞

Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise! 
 

If the weather is good head for as many outside venues as possible to reduce risks…

 

We called for a meal in a local pub/restaurant last week and were surprised how many people were not spacing themselves from others…picking a table next to others rather than one of the many others available. So much spread could be avoided if everyone just used their common sense!

[chemmo]

12 hours ago, hcat said:

Sorry  OP for your troubles , Not well handled by X at all

 

.. When your quarantine period  ends will you be free to go out of the stateroom or are u extended now due to husbs pos test??

 

Do u know how many pos  Covid cases are now on BEYOND?

Wonder if they will overall sanitize the ship and re impose masking and distancing protocols?

 

We will board BEYOND  in Nov for a 5 day short cruise...We.had Covid recently so hope it will help with immunity along with our 2 shots and booster  quite awhile ago.   We  would hate to spend the entire time in our rm.

 

  Used up all our Future Cruuse Credits from cancelled cruises for the fare,  first time ever in a suite, Hoping for the best but stress level is now heightened!

Totally understand your stress levels, I think many of us feel more relaxed if we can do things to reduce our risks. We still wear masks in crowded venues, choose to sit away from others in bars and restaurants, still frequently gel…It surprises us when out and about that so many people act as if covid never happened and isn’t still with us.
 

Hope you have a great first suite cruise. Being in a suite can help with social distancing. For example, Luminae does have fairly good spacing anyway but in our experience it  is quieter early or late usually so if you want to avoid being too close to others that can be a simple aid. Breakfast time it is usually quiet until the last 15 minutes of service…

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chemmo]

12 hours ago, WNCtourist said:

Reading the responses from others, it's apparent that people cruising in "non-suite" cabins do not have any type of advocate onboard once they test positive for covid, while suite guests continue to benefit from butlers, Retreat hosts, etc. Surely by this time Celebrity can assign staff to check on quarantined guests several times daily to ensure they are getting meals at the very least. 

Agree,

 

Surly one member of the customer service team should be ‘responsible’ for ‘covid care’. There should be no excuses for lack of communication or lack of service. 
 

OP, sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[colliercruiser]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Agree,

 

Surly one member of the customer service team should be ‘responsible’ for ‘covid care’. There should be no excuses for lack of communication or lack of service. 
 

OP, sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

On our Summit sailing, there is a staff member with the enviable title “COVID Concierge” who is readily available to answer questions and help resolve issues.

[hcat]

13 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Please focus on lowering your stress level.  Wear KN95 masks in elevators and in other close venues.  And since you are in a suite spend time in the Retreat Lounge where you will be able to maintain distance from others.

Thanks for the tips.  We try to  use stairs as much as we can but avoid handrails.

We like to walk outdoors for exercise and fresh air.  We are crowd aversive to begin with..so will do our best to avoid ,,,.sometimes lines etc cannot be avoided

We will do what we can but not obsess unless Covid numbers are high.

 

Anyone know the current Cap of Beyond?  Is Kate still on leave/ vacation?

 

 

[5:00_Somewhere]

16 hours ago, MarkWiltonM said:

Curious if medical offered you Paxlovid to help with your Covid? I was wondering if cruise ships are stocking this medication.

 

I can't speak for the OP, but on the Summit toward the end of my initial visit to Medical, the Nurse told us - before we could ask - that they did not carry Paxlovid or any other antiviral medications. They gave my Tylenol, cough syrup, cough drops, a digital thermometer and a pulseoximeter. 

 

13 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Please focus on lowering your stress level.  Wear KN95 masks in elevators and in other close venues.  And since you are in a suite spend time in the Retreat Lounge where you will be able to maintain distance from others.

 

Good advice but, unfortunately, it didn't work for us this time. However, as I think I mentioned, this was our 5th cruise in the past year, and we always wore our masks (KN95) when indoors and not eating or drinking, always wore them when inside on excursions, never rode the elevator, stayed outdoors as much as possible, and always tried to distance ourselves from others as much as possible, especially when they were unmasked. It still caught up with me this time, though this was the very first time I got Covid. I think it was partially because the ship was full, and we had an extra sea day due to a hurricane, with weather that was not conducive to being out on deck. We spent much of that day in the Retreat Lounge, but .... 😒

[hcat]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Totally understand your stress levels, I think many of us feel more relaxed if we can do things to reduce our risks. We still wear masks in crowded venues, choose to sit away from others in bars and restaurants, still frequently gel…It surprises us when out and about that so many people act as if covid never happened and isn’t still with us.
 

Hope you have a great first suite cruise. Being in a suite can help with social distancing. For example, Luminae does have fairly good spacing anyway but in our experience it  is quieter early or late usually so if you want to avoid being too close to others that can be a simple aid. Breakfast time it is usually quiet until the last 15 minutes of service…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the good ideas.  

After this cruise, we have no others booked.

We will re-evaluate cruising overall, and eventually look for short cruises out of Tampa..close to our Fla winter base.

I will post a short review from Beyond as better bloggers will be  on board!

[cangelmd]

11 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We go to a travel/infectious disease doctor who writes prescriptions appropriate for wherever we are going. We haven’t been to him since covid but prior to that we were always armed with antibiotics for travelers runs, ear infections, respiratory infections etc. all with instructions. Just wondering if he would cover covid meds. We are boostered with everything that is available and so far so good 

 

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have heard that some Doctors will prescribe it.    I talked to mine and he said he couldn't as it would be a violation of the Emergency Approval of the drug that don't allow off label prescription to someone who has not tested positive.  

Paxlovid has a wide drug interaction profile, reacting with prescription drugs, OTC drugs and even some herbal supplements like St. John’s wort. And, as you hear from some high profile users, Uh, Dr. Fauci, uh, it doesn’t always work all that great. I’m not surprised that some ships don’t carry it, or maybe the medical staff is reluctant to prescribe.

To the person who was going to have for someone on the roll call - do not do that! That person could have a life threatening drug-drug interaction. It’s the medically fragile people on a couple of heart meds that are at highest risk.

if the travel doc will prescribe it, that sounds like the safest way to get it, because you have developed a relationship with him and your history is well known. Just no well - intentioned sharing!

[Team Stag]

14 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I have heard that some Doctors will prescribe it.    I talked to mine and he said he couldn't as it would be a violation of the Emergency Approval of the drug that don't allow off label prescription to someone who has not tested positive.  

We just had our annual checkups & asked about this for our upcoming cruise (trying to be prepared just in case) and we were told the same thing.  We have to show a positive test before our dr would prescribe it. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Team Stag

[hawkesbaynz]

Agree with @cangelmd. I note the a poster & DH stated they took paxlovid and eventually stopped as felt so unwell. My understading is that it should be prescribedfor people who are very unwell with Covid or who are immunocompromised or have certain medical conditions. In the UK there is a pretty narrow category of people who are eligible.

 

Fortunately the vast number of people who are contracting Covid-19 now, who are vaccinated, are having relatively mild diseases. Why take unnecessary drugs on top? Take analgesia, honey & lemon and fluids. Reach out for stronger drugs and medical attention if you deteriorate.

 

We had a cruise on Beyond last month that we cancelled for FCC as out cruising companions both contracted Covid seven & five days prior to the cruise. They had relatively mild symptoms and would have still gone on the cruise if we had not stated that we would not travel with them. I had to argue for FCC but they got their refund with ease.

 

We went to Porto a few days later (sans companions) and like the UK you would not have known that Covid existed. We were the only people on tour coaches and the airplane wearing a mask. I am triply booster, had covid March 2020 and am very healthy but...