Knolmom

Home last Friday from the 5/4 Summit Bermuda and Charleston . No customs and Immigration in in Charleston. We tied up at about 6 and they announced at about 7 PM that the ship had been cleared by local authorities. No passport check .. we just walked off the ship.

we had about a 20 minute wait for customs in Bayonne as initially they only had a few lines . Everyone was out and thru customs by 9:30. 

Our sailing is nextWed and I was finally able to check in through the Celebrity website today, not the app.However, the website did not require me to upload the proof of vaccination. I thought that was odd, so I waited 15 minutes and went back to the app. Sure enough, when I opened the check in site on the Apple it showed I had checked in but then asked for the copy of my vaccination card ( only side 1) not front and back like the Bermuda travel authorization required. 
so I am set until Monday when we take our COVID tests. Fingers crossed that we will be a «  go » for Wednesday.

9 hours ago, Virginia100 said:

That was for my August 10 day Beyond trip leaving from Rome but primarily in Greece with total cost of $10,000 incl air for two; ages 70 & 72. 

Should be about $800 for the trip

They only resolved the testing issue today by changing the itinerary so the test you take to board the ship will suffice when you fill out the forms and pay your $40 pp to enter Bermuda. You will still have to pay the $40 ut you won’t have to take a second test onboard. 

Seems that Celebrity has finally decided that having passengers test twice within 6 days in order to travel to Bermuda is not going over well. They have rearranged the itinerary on the May 4 Summit 9 day Bermuda/ Charleston/ Newport cruise,  proceeding to Bermuda on day 3( and 4), which allows passengers to use the COVID test they are using to board to meet Bermuda’s entry requirements. This will require quite a bit of rearranging at this late date for cruisers who booked private shore excursions. Of course, it will also get Celebrity off the hook for trying to test the entire ship for COVID if they wanted to maintain the published itinerary. Celebrity began notifying TA’s and cruisers by e- Mail today.
It would have been great if they figured this out a month or two ago.

We are long past 30 days out( May 4 sailing) and have heard nothing. Our ship date is not even correct on the Bermuda Tourism website.

Have they resolved the testing issue for cruises calling on Bermuda yet?  You are supposed to submit a negative test taken two days before entering Bermuda but we will be on the ship for 5 days before we arrive. I have heard nothing from Celebrity re whether they will test us onboard. I believe that the Silhouette was supposed to dock in Bermuda on April 8? Wonder if they resolved the issue with that cruise? 

I believe you won’t be able to use that CC again to travel with Celebrity( don’t know about the card with Royal).

Thinking the 5% is an allowance for children and/ or those who have a medical exemption. Most cruise lines have 5% of their census as children under 16 during the summer, particularly RCCL and Norwegian.

I traveled by car last week from Florida to NY through Ga, NC, SC, Va, DC, Md, Del, NJ to Ny... had no quarantine traveling to or through any state.  Stayed for a day or two in each state without restriction

I discovered an interesting post about the return of cruise ships to the BVI, Island of Tortola. I cannot post the exact quote here so I must paraphrase it here, but the information is exactly the same as I am posting. 
The Prime mInister of the BVI announced that he is excited to open the islands seaports on April 15 and that Tortola will be welcoming the Celebrity Cruise Ship Millenium to the port of Tortola every other week beginning in early June., He assured the legislators and the citizens of Tortola that the passengers and crew will be fully vaccinated, that they WILL BE WEARING MASKS and when they leave the ship they will be under the supervision of Celebrity and THEY WILL NOT MINGLE WITH THE LOCAL CITIZENS. 

 Somebody, either the Cruise Line or the Government, is being less than Frank here. I hope it is ironed out before the cruising begins. Maybe each port will have its’ own  R & R about excursions?

Another interesting tidbit regarding masks and the ship. Although I understand that the mask mandate for each cruise will be determined 30 days out, I saw yesterday that although the seaports on island of Tortola are still closed to sailing vessels and day trips, the Prime Ministernm announced to his government that the island would begin having limited cruise ship stops by Celebrity. HE ASSURED HIS VERSION OF PARLEMENT that ALL CRUISERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE MASKED AND VACCINATED!!! So does he mean on the ship or on land in Tortola? 

You have to remember that not only must you have your PCR test done in accordance with their protocol, YOU MUST UPLOAD IT TO A SPECIAL ST MARTIN WEBITE and receive permission IN ADVANCE to enter the country. This is a requirement to get your AIRLINE BOARDING PASS, regardless of whether you are cruising or doing a land based vacation..

Just seems as if these cruises by Royal, Crystal and Celebrity will be a version on the «  test cruises » that were supposed to occur under terms agreed to by the cruise companies and the CDC. The CDC never moved forward on these so it appears the companies are now going to have cruises under these very circumstances, but from other than US Ports. If they go well, then maybe the CDC will let the requirement for test cruises go, and cut right to regular cruising as soon as everyone who wants a vaccine can get one. Since most foreign countries from which these new cruises are sailing are requiring cruisers to be vaccinated , it will be quite easy for the CDC to open up cruising in general to those who are vaccinated. 

It is my understanding that there will be no cruises longer than 7 days Either  leaving from or arriving to a US port, hence no trans Atlantic voyages until 11/1/21. Could this possibly be a rescheduling or a cancellation. I. Addition some hotels in Barcelona have contacted US citizens holding reservations for next summer and fall saying they were cancelling the vacationers( cruisers ) reservations and issuing a refund as they felt Spain was not going to be open for other than EU tourism this summer.

For one, they have not even  begun discussions with the CDC about new Basic requirements For cruising outlined by the CDC Re upgraded medical facilities and their ability to contact privately for evacuations at sea without involving the navy or coast guard. If you are going to staff a vessel with foreign workers, many of them will not be permitted to enter the US anytime soon.  Many ports in both Europe i and the Caribbean may be open for foreign travel by September, but ports like those in Denmark and some Caribbean islands will not permit cruise ships at that time.

i expect Carnival and Royal will be altering their prospected sail dates as well

NCL is requiring a fit- to - sail letter from a Doctor for all travelers over a certain age. Have to look it up again. They are also eliminating buffets.

Just to add a different perspective, it’s not the cruise line that will require you to show a clear COVID test before sailing. It’s the countries and ports you sail to which would require the test, and most want it 48 hours before the ship arrives in their country. Do u really think the ship is going to offer these tests and then turn around the results in time for you to present it. These countries want to be sure the ship is COVID free so it’s not just something where you won’t be able to get off without it, but that the ship can’t dock unless all passengers and crew are tested an COVID - free. These countries, some of them small island nations, are not into hosting 2 or 3 thousand people roaming around their countries without being assured in the best way they can, whether the visitors are virus free.

Two words.... as of now.... there is none.This is subject to change, especially when they are looking to satisfy the CDC

between 1 and 2 months before the cruise.

Celebrity hasn’t cancelled your cruise because they are conserving their asserts so they don’t go belly-up. They are hoping you cancel so they can offer you future cruise credit. If they cancel they have to offer you a refund. They will cancel your cruise about one month before you sail. I am surprised that you air has not already been cancelled if you are flying from the US. You might want to keep your eye on your flights if you are flying in from abroad, and keep your eyes on the non schengen travel requirements for tourists into Italy.

What I can’t figure out is where people think they are going to sail. Europe may reopen work places but international tourism is out of the question until late fall. Canada expects their borders to be closed to non essential inter provincial travel for the next 6 months, even for their own citizens.  The Caribbean islands want absolutely no part of large cruise ships. Most of these islands have no more than 10 ICU beds in any hospital, and many have only one hospital. Again, if you go on any land based tourist web sites, particularly in the Caribbean, locals are excoriating people who think they are coming for a tourist visit anytime this summer into fall, insisting they are selfish to think they could not transmit the disease from their city or home country. EU countries do not expect non essential travel even between other EU countries, and certainly not international trans oceanic tourists, until November at least.

 So just where do cruisers think they will travel even if cruising starts up in July or August.

I have a mobility issue in that my right knee does not bend. I am only 5’ 4” so unless we sail in a HC Sky Suite , I have to go to the female locker room  to use the HC shower. If we anticipate taking a suite, we always try for a sunset suite so I’m using the HC shower almost every night.

There was a variety of snacks, beer wine and liquor in the store at the port.

We did Cinqe Terra on Sunday Sept 30 with Bellaitalia from the Livorno Cruise Port. We drove Levanto and we had to take the train because the ferries were not running. We were able to stop in 3 Villages and walk the waterfront in two of them.people also went to the old town in one. We had a nice lunch on the water and a snack in another. It was a long ride from Livorno to Levanto but the ride was much shorter on our return from the LE SpeZia train station.

We did not find it crowded at all.