Ipeeinthepools

That would certainly be a great way to try HAL

When are you sailing HAL? Maybe I can cruise with you?

Part of the reason many never sailed HAL was the smoking policy. Now that HAL has improved their smoking policy, it's probably time to give HAL a try.

Now there's a reason to sail X.

I think that the people on the HAL board would likely sail HAL in the future.

If you want longer cruises to different ports, HAL seems like a logical choice to me. For people that enjoy real balconies, HAL seems much more attractive than any E-class ship.

There's a new Nieuw Statendam built in 2018. Passenger capacity about 2666 and about 975 ft. A little smaller that the S-class ships.

I look forward to hearing more details about this private company. Given the issues with the others on your tour and the person you met at the dock, it sounds like they have a lot of communication issues with their tours.

Was this one of Celebrity's Private Journeys?

I wasn't feeling that great and I was happy to leave after the first cruise. I never really asked if I could stay. My thought was that I would eventually infect my DW with Covid and she would be confined to the cabin for at least an additional 5 days of the second cruise. It just didn't seem like a good idea to explore staying on the ship. My thought was to take the refund and try again some other time.

My DW was also in mandatory isolation because she had close contact to a confirmed case. She could have escaped isolation if she tested negative after 2 days and had no symptoms. She wasn't interested and didn't go for a second test at Medical. It's not clear to me if she would have needed to move to a different cabin if she tested negative and wanted to leave the cabin.

Yep, DW tested the day of departure. The Equinox staff treated us very well. I hope you avoid getting Covid, enjoy your trip.

Nothing. The Quarantine Concierge told me that since the airlines don't require Covid tests I was good to fly home in any condition. If you are on a B2B and are denied boarding you don't have any plans in place and you need to develop a Plan B. Purchasing airline tickets for departure within a few days can be very expensive and seats may be limited.

My wife tested positive about 3 weeks after the last booster. We are in our mid 60's and we tend to hang out in the Solarium, Sky Lounge and our balcony. We had dinner at a table for two in the back of the MDR away from crowds. We walk through the casino in the evening to watch people play at the roulette table. We had about a 2 1/2 hour flight to Fort Lauderdale from the Midwest. We flew First Class and wore masks during the boarding and deplaning processes on the airplane. We took a couple of snorkeling excursions and were outside most of the time.

Yep, first time for me and my DW.

That's an interesting question. I don't think I would do anything different but I might stay away from longer cruises in other parts of the world. I had every shot and every booster available and I tried to stay away from crowds. I probably wouldn't cruise if I had to wear an N95 mask everywhere I went. I flew First Class to minimize the crowding effect on the airplane. Getting kicked off the ship in Fort Lauderdale isn't a big deal. I know the area. I can easily find a hotel at a reasonable price and I have lot's of choices to fly home or even drive. But what happens if you get kicked off the ship in Singapore? The local rules may be a lot different and it would likely be a lot more difficult to fly home at a reasonable price. For the foreseeable future, I think you need to expect to catch Covid on a cruise and have a Plan B and insurance to cover your trip home. This will likely affect my choice of cruises.

For anyone keeping score, I had the Pfizer shot and my DW had Moderna. Both had the same result.

Glad your symptoms are mild, I hope you feel better soon. I am a little disappointed that the new bivalent booster didn't protect either of us from getting breakthrough cases.

Thanks. I was feeling better after about 5 days but I still have a little bit of a scratchy throat. I don't know if it's lingering Covid effects or if I've caught a cold. I continue to test negative. My DW tested positive the day we left the ship.

I'm seeing several reports of what happens when you test positive for Covid while onboard a ship and I thought I would share my recent experience. We were booked on the Equinox departing on September 26, 2022 (10 day) and a second B2B leg leaving on October 6, 2022 (9 day). We were booked in a standard veranda cabin on Deck 8. We tried to be responsible. We didn't go to any shows and avoided crowded elevators or for that matter crowds anywhere. The Equinox was ailing at near capacity with about 2600 guests. Around day 6 or 7 or the first leg I started to develop a sore throat and I hoped it was just a common cold. We were vaccinated with the latest bivalent Covid booster a little more than 2 weeks before we left for the cruise. I had a supply of my own Covid tests if we felt sick. My plan was to control my own destiny if we got sick with mild or no symptoms. Under those conditions we would responsibly self-isolate but perhaps not report to medical. However, early morning on day 8, I got the chills, nasal congestion and started to develop a cough. I tested myself and tested positive. Although my symptoms weren't severe, I wasn't having much fun. After thinking about the situation, I called Medical to self-report. Medical told me to immediately come to Medical for testing and to have my DW also come along. Since I was having symptoms, I think they did some kind of PCR test that took about 30 minutes and my wife did not have any symptoms, she was given an antigen test. I tested positive and my DW tested negative. I was given a bottle of generic DayQuil, some Ibuprofen and we were both escorted back to our cabin and instructed to stay in our cabin. My DW did not have the option of moving to another cabin because no cabins were available. We were escorted back to the cabin by staff member wearing an N-95 mask through the crew elevators and interior hallways. Gone are the days of Hazmat suits. The Equinox has something that I have not heard described on other ships, a Quarantine Concierge. He was our single point contact for anything we needed and it worked very well. About an hour after we returned to our cabin the Quarantine Concierge stopped by and gave me a copy of my positive test results and letter describing what Celebrity would do for me. Celebrity would provide any drugs or medical care I needed, we were given access to the main dining room menu for room service, room service for anything that was part of our drink package, upgraded our internet to streaming, given access to telephone service and pay per view movies. When we returned to Fort Lauderdale Celebrity provided car service to anywhere we wanted to go. I kept my TA informed of my situation and told her that she didn't need to do anything. The Quarantine Concierge indicated that my prorated refund for my first cruise and a refund for the second cruise would be handled automatically 7 to 14 business days after we returned. He also said that Celebrity was not providing any reimbursement for hotels in Fort Lauderdale because we could fly home whenever we desired. This was in contradiction to what was published on Celebrity's website. Quarantine went well. Medical called every day to check on me, the Quarantine Concierge checked in with me to make sure everything was ok, room service was always quick and called ahead of time to get our meal orders. The staff did not seem too concerned that I was Covid +. Room service delivered our meals into the room and the cabin steward came to the room to pick-up garbage and deliver fresh towels. Everyone was wearing a N-95 mask. Quarantine was ok, but I think it would have been difficult if we did not have a balcony. I made arrangements to stay in Fort Lauderdale and Celebrity had a premium car service take me to the hotel. There wasn't any discussion about staying on the ship for the second cruise, I'm not really sure if that was an option. I asked several times if they many Covid cases and all they said was a few. After I returned home, I waited 7 business days and then I called to find the status of my refunds. I was transferred to the Engagement Center and the agent took all of my information. My refund process had not started. Maybe if I had waited another week it would have started but I doubt it. According to the Engagement Center, my TA needed to call and report the issue for the refund process to get started on the cruise where I was quarantined. The second cruise where I was denied boarding, the Engagement Center was able to start the process. For the quarantine cruise the prorated refund is based on the cost of the cruise but the fees and taxes as well as the Celebrity CruiseCare Insurance are not prorated. For the cruise where I was denied boarding, the taxes and fees are refunded but the CruiseCare Insurance is not refunded. Supposedly they will also refund shore excursions, upgraded internet and Specialty Dining that I purchased. I'm a little irritated about the CruiseCare insurance because the cruise never started and I would have received the same refund even if I didn't purchase the insurance. Supposedly another 30 - 40 days to process the refund. I'll report back when the refund come through. So overall grades for Celebrity: Onboard Care: A+, Shoreside Refunds: Incomplete.

We'll be gentle if this was your first one.

Congratulations

There weren't extra points, but I received points for all 10 days even though I was in quarantine for 3 days. I expect a refund for those 3 days so those 3 days are actually bonus days because I didn't pay for them. I'll let you know if they take back the points after they actually process my refund.

I got my 5 points today as well as the points for the days I spent in quarantine on the last cruise on the Equinox.

We're approaching the 14th. How many points are you expecting?