GottaKnowWhen

FYI, A partial quote from information about the San Juan Airpot testing... _________ The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico is now offering PCR molecular COVID-19 tests for all passengers within the airport. Done in partnership with CMT Group, this will comply with island entry requirements, as well as provide easy access to testing for those leaving the destination. While Puerto Rico is exempt from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) negative COVID-19 test requirement for re-entry into the U.S., travelers who still wish to get tested, will have the ability to do so without having to leave the airport. Beyond facilitating testing, this offering will also allow for early detection of positive cases and serve as a preventative measure, furthering the Island’s commitment to the safety of visitors and residents, said Discover Puerto Rico. Here’s what travelers need to know: PCR molecular testing for all travelers coming in or going out of the Island will be available for $110 and will be guaranteed results electronically within 24 to 48 hours. Testing will be conducted from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week in Terminal A, Terminal B and Terminal C at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Those who wish to have a test done at the airport must fill out the form available here and head out to any of the testing areas located throughout the facility. Passengers can pre-register via web or upon arrival or departure at the airport, from where they will scan a code located at the entrance of the test center using their cell phone camera. ___________ A web search also showed a CVS Pharmacy and several Walgreens Pharmacies offering testing. Stan

I would plan on Miami airport, San Juan as a backup. Contact your hotel ahead of time, ask for a nearby location. I am quite sure that current policy says that day-of testing is not allowed. I could be wrong, policies may change, but I would not plan on port side testing. Stan

As said above, you could accrue points based on nights sailed and category of your room. More points for suites, not so much for Aqua and Concierge, fewer still for veranda or Inside. The website has a button that takes you to a full explanation of the Captain’s Club and a table that details the benefits available at different levels. Contact Celebrity, ask to join. They give you a club membership number. Give them the reservation numbers from your past cruises, they will credit those points to your club account.

We had a flight the next morning after debarkation. (June 26 ) So, we stored our bags at the pier ($10/smallish bag, $15 for larger bags), bought tickets on the Hop On Hop Off. Hopped on. Bad choice! 1. the driver was way more concerned with getting to her rendezvous where she would switch with another driver, she drove too fast. 2. there is a running commentary, taped, on the areas you pass through. “On your right you will see...” Nope. The driver needed to speed up to make it through the yellow almost red stoplight, she was not interested in what we might or might not see. 3. Eventually we got to Granville Island. Spent a pleasant few hours, HoHo back to the pier, got our luggage, cab to our motel near the airport, and off to a very fine nearby restaurant. 4. Stash your luggage, take a cab to Granville, take a cab back to retrieve your stuff, cab to the airport. 5. allow plenty of time at the airport! Three hours prior to flight departure would be good. Stan

So, just back from a week on an Alaska cruise. Saw a few eagles, flying, at a distance. Came home. Saw our neighborhood eagle across the river from our house...

Others also occasionally go onto the helipad for sail-in or sail-away. Have done that many times. Sometimes the invitations are because the guests are in Concierge, sometimes because they are Elite or Elite+

Test before you leave for the airport. If Negative, go for it! Still a chance you may get a Positive on a test down under, but if Positive at home, it will let you stay home, avoid the long flight, avoid the chance of infecting others on the flight, and give you the chance to work through the cancellation issues from home. Been there, done that. Stan

Wait 18 months? Seriously, I have had little issue with the app, but the system is not great about populating the data base with information on far off cruises. Recently for example my December 2022 does show some information, my August 2022 not so much. My February and June 2022 cruises were fine. At least “fine” a few weeks or months out. When you do get on board, remember to hit the refresh button at least once a day. There is a guy who tries to update the onboard site which the app draws from. Eg, a Speaker was scheduled at 0930. Saw him early that morning, he said it was changed to 1000, I hit refresh on the app and the info updated to the revised time. Stan

Book an interior cabin, you have a limited view. Pay more, get an Oceanview. Pay more, get a veranda. Pay more, get a veranda in a “better” location. Pay more, you get Concierge cabin on a higher deck, a bottle of champagne, and an extended room service menu. All of these mentioned eat in the main dining room, can choose a set time or Anytime. Pay more, get Aqua class, higher deck, up under the pool deck overhang. Your own better (?) restaurant, access to some sort of spa if you are into that sort of thing. Pay more, you get increasingly “better” larger suites with more room and another “better” restaurant to dine in. Within each category, there are 2 or 3 prices depending on location. The room key cards are color coded. Some wear theirs on lanyards so people can admire their status, but that is rare. In short, you pays your money and you takes your choices. In the end, really these are minor differences in experience and amenities, just enough to allow Celebrity to charge on a scale from “low” to “high”. Stan

I really don’t understand your problem. If you don’t drink much but occasionally like a premium wine, why would you even think of booking a Premium package?!? Get a Classic package. Order your preferred occasional upmarket super wine. If they have it, the extra charge over Classic $9 wine will be a few $. If they don’t have it, no harm, no extra cost to you. Stan

Talk to your agent, she/he should be able to reach into Celebrity and pull the reservation. Last time I did this it took about 12 hours.

I think that maybe is what I ran into. The QR for my test took me to eMed? No problem. I did my test, no problem. But I was still at that site when I tried to scan Meg’s QR. Tilt! Not recognized! No biggie. Except that when I went directly to eMed on my laptop/desktop, I could not see anything but Buy Buy Buy. Had to do a site search to find the Test Now button. Minor glitches…

We are en route. I had packed our test kits, planning to do the on-line test from our hotel tomorrow (boarding Sunday). Our initial flight was delayed two hours, so I unpacked and we did our tests from home. (Negatives.) BUT I scanned the package QR with my phone, went on from there. However, When we tried to scan my wife’s QR code, no success. The box had been slightly crumpled in the suitcase, the QR was no longer readable. Could be an issue if you don’t happen to have an alternative means of getting started with a test. Stan

The person bringing your breakfast very likely is pulling extra duty - that is NOT their day job. Which means it is likely outside of the groups who will receive some distribution from the “included” gratuities. Pretend you have some level of compassion and gratitude for their work to provide you a comfortable breakfast in your cabin, and tip them a few $ already!.

Thank you for that link! We are fully vaccinated, currently healthy, expecting to board Eclipse next week using Certificate of Recovery en lieu of testing. (Covid back in early May.) I had been mildly concerned about being pulled aside in YVR for random testing…

My primary experience with contracted shoreside personnel was in Quito, on the way to/from Galapagos in 2016. Absolutely top quality service and support, at the airport and in the hotel lobby where the Celebrity rep had his own desk set up off to the side of the hotel concierge.

OK, I think I see. My first test was a home test, antigen. Then I had a PCR "for the record" at my Urgent Care to verify and document that I was Positive on that date, Day 1. Then, a few weeks later, two days prior to my planned cruise, I took another antigen test, the Abbott test monitored online with eMed. That was the one which showed I was still slightly Positive and was enough to keep me from being approved for entry to Bermuda. There are a few brand-names for the various tests, there are a few different types of tests, and many, myself included, tend to use the brand name rather than talking about the type of test that the particular brand is selling.

To get the COR, you first need a PCR test. That establishes Day 1. On day 11 you can get a COR, and you can travel without further testing on days 11-90.

Follow-up: today I received an email from Delta, I had booked my tickets to and from NJ through them using Miles in my account.. Full return of the Miles, full refund to my credit card of the $$$ I had paid for seat upgrades. But do note, I had paid extra originally for refundable tickets. Stan

I was 18 days getting a full refund on a cruise I cancelled May 21. I thought that was very speedy. Of course it depends on the monthly cycle of your credit card.

I took the PCR test May 6 as soon as I suspected we were infected, but first we did home antigen tests to verify our suspicion. The PCR test at the Urgent Care on May 6 was just to document that we did test Positive on that date, so we could start the countdown for the 11-90 day window during which we could sail with a Certificate of Recovery. Which did not help us in the case of the planned Bermuda cruise, since they don't accept COR. I tested 2 days prior to embarkation, showed (very slight) Positive on the eMed-proctored antigen test, and so then we started to cancel plans. More recently, home antigen tests are clearly negative for us. We are booked to board in Vancouver on the 19th; I probably will do the proctored test, expecting a Negative, just because I expect the check-in process at the pier (and then again coming back to the US) will be smoother, less complicated if we have a normal test result instead of a bunch of COR paperwork that the screeners may not understand. Stan

Stranger and stranger! Today, June 8, I received 11 Credits on my Celebrity Bank of America card which is what I use for almost everything with Celebrity. Five of those are clearly refunds on the flowers, wine etc. that I had bought as "Bon Voyage Gifts" and on a beverage package upgrade. Another five are amounts that don't track to anything in my Booking Confirmation, and are amounts like $761.28? The total of those five credits is roughly $250 more than my total cruise fare as shown on my most recent Booking Confirmation. And then there is a total mystery, another $200.00 credit. Does this reflect OBC? My conclusions: 1. I don't think I'll be getting back any of the FCC from 2020 that had been used to book this cruise. 2. I don't understand the $ amounts! But I will not spend much energy trying to back-track all of this into Celebrity's somewhat convoluted financial system(s). 3. I am quite pleased that this all seems to have been resolved within 18 days of my cruise-with-confidence cancellation. Stan

That was my experience as well, except that in February I didn’t escalate. My more recent request for credit on two cruises (submitted on the same form) quickly brought two emails with updated Booking Confirmations showing the added OBC. Stan

That is my plan. I expect less confusion if I just present a negative test on boarding and when returning to the US. I’ll have the COR in case I need it but most recent home test was a clear Negative.

As noted at the top, I cancelled the morning of 22 May. Today, 4 June ( only two weeks later) I received a note from a Credit Card that I had received a Merchant Credit from Celebrity Cruises. The $ value doesn’t match any specific charge on my Booking Confirmation, but this is presumably some portion of the taxes and port fees that they always refund rather than converting to FCC. Stan