songbird1329

We didn’t stay in Tampa, we stayed with friends who live about 45 minutes away, so your photos of the port area show things I missed but would like to explore.  We also got lucky in avoiding fog.

your photos of the buffet are making me hungry!

The indoor pool is labeled a thelassotherapy pool.  When we were on the Connie in December it was designated “adults only” and I didn’t see anything which would indicate there were any sort of exceptions. 
 

I will note, however, that there were very few children on our cruise, and also that I wasn’t looking for a way for children to use the thelassotherapy pool.

We sailed on the Connie in December, and I’d love to see what you think of the ship.

On the basic package I couldn’t even open Cruise Critic.    If you need to do anything involving uploading and downloading large files, you need the premium package,

Actually I didn’t ask anyone about their vaccination status.  None of my business.

This is what is says on the website.  You should call Celebrity if you have any further questions.

Cartagena, Colombia 

Vaccination 

While vaccinations are not required to sail on Celebrity Cruises, they are highly recommended.  

COVID-19 booster shots are also not currently required but remain highly recommended.  

Please note: A guest is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the required number of doses in their vaccine series have been fully administered (e.g. 2 shots of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc., or 1 shot of Johnson & Johnson). Vaccines must be approved for use by the WHO or U.S. FDA, with the exception of CanSino. 

Testing

To travel in Cartagena, unvaccinated guests ages 18 and older are required to provide proof of a negative PCR taken within 72hrs prior to embarkation or negative antigen test taken within 48hrs prior to embarkation.

Required testing can be completed using any type of PCR or antigen COVID-19 test. It can be professionally proctored at your doctor or drugstore, or it can be a test you administer to yourself at home without supervision. 

Tests must be arranged on your own and are at your own expense.  

Guests who do not meet the testing and health screening policy requirements will be denied boarding. 

13 minutes ago, breadandbutter said:

Great review.

Is there a show mainly acrobatics? What about a magician. 

Thanks 

No magician.  The guest performers included Aaron Bonk (the juggler), a comedian, a piano player and three singers.  The production company included singers, dancers and two acrobats.

We have friends who took a cruise to Bermuda just before we took this cruise.  They’re convinced they got COVID on the cruise.  Another friend, a teacher, thinks she caught COVID from one of her students.  
 

We didn’t catch any viruses on our cruise, but daughter was concerned.  She caught COVID in Paris, and my other daughter’s fiancé caught COVID and was stranded in London in April’s because he wasn’t allowed to board the plane home.  
 

so yeah, my daughter wanted to be cautious when she picked us up.

We visited Altun Ha in 2010, Chichén Itza in 2016, and San Gervasio this cruise.

San Gervasio is smaller than Altun Ha and not as impressive.  But worth a visit.  We learned new things at each site.
 

It’s a very short bus ride from the pier.  I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was less than 30 minutes.   Short bus ride, easily navigated paths through the jungle, and the usual shops selling souvenirs.  Very do-able.

I still love the city.  My daughter lives on the East Side and couldn’t be happier.

The ruins at San Gervasio aren’t magnificent like Chichén Itza, but they are fascinating.

10 hours ago, Dezmo said:

Quick question for those on this cruise. 
 

We are doing the same itinerary in February and just wondering should testing restrictions remain as they are by the time we go. What’s the testing procedure for Columbia, as I believe it you still have to test as an entry requirement to the country.

 

Our party consists of 2 double vaccinated and 2 who have had 2 boosters, if that makes any difference.  

If you are fully vaccinated you do not have to test.  We showed our cards when we boarded the ship, and that was the end of any inquiry.  

On the Constellation the shows were at 7 and 9.  We had anytime dining so we had flexibility 

1 hour ago, Bluewake said:

Same thing happened to us on a partial canal transit in 2019.  We were on a cruise line excursion in which we took a small boat through the canal, going from the lake where the ship turned around to the Pacific side and then taking a bus back to the ship.  We were over an hour late getting back. The guide told us that it was very common for that particular excursion to be late and the ship always waited.    Although we tend to prefer private excursions, we book only those that are scheduled to get back to the ship at least a couple of hours before all aboard. 

Probably the same excursion we took.

We were on a ship sponsored excursion last week in Panama.  155 of us in five buses.  They held the ship for 90 minutes until we got back.

2 hours ago, HannaRay said:

We very much enjoyed this cruise, too. But both came home with Covid. Sigh. Happy holidays, all!

i am sorry to hear that.

my daughter picked us up at the airport and made us wear masks in her car because “you just got off a floating Petrie dish.”  considering she actually had COVID when we picked her up after she flew home from Paris last summer, I completely understood her concern,

We found out several of the guest performers just before the cruise.

12 hours ago, schildiams said:

Thanks so much for this info 🙂 What time is your flight and what time did you get to the airport? Their flight is 11:40 on Delta

Our flight wasn’t until 4 pm.  Our shuttle was scheduled for 9:15.  There was one earlier shuttle.  It’s a 20 minute drive, but first you have to clear US Customs.  We got to the airport sometime after 10 am.

their flight is at 11:40?  That’s a problem for the shuttle.  We were told they didn’t provide service for flights before noon.

Wallet and jewelry in the safe.  Electronics aren’t locked up but are out of sight.

We were just on the Constellation.  One afternoon my boyfriend walked into the cabin and immediately realized he’d left his phone in the Reflections Lounge.  Ran back upstairs, and the bartender had his phone.

An hour later he realized that he also left his sweater either in the lounge or at the buffet.  Though we made multiple visits to the lost and found at Guest Services, the sweater didn’t turn up.

Whoever “found” a  light blue cashmere pullover, I hope you get what you deserve.

7 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Curious about your home town.

 

I grew up in Patchogue.

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

My husband was your neighbor - Farmingdale.

Cool

59 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Curious about your home town.

 

I grew up in Patchogue.

I am actually from Dix Hills, but he disparaged NYC and I had to defend the city’s honor.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no easy way to disembark from a cruise.  But the way Celebrity does it isn’t terrible.  We waited in the theater until our number was called.  Collected our luggage and got on line to clear US Customs — not a lot of fun.  We booked the airport shuttle through Celebrity, and the bus was waiting for us as soon as we finished with the government.  Our flight is delayed (no surprise), so now we’re hanging at the airport. 🙄🙄🙄

final thoughts.  Great cruise, the staff and most of the passengers were very nice (raspberries to the guy who asked me where I was going and then insulted my home town to my face).  A few minor glitches here and there — the worst was when the battery died in the key card reader and we couldn’t get into our cabin— but the staff made extra effort to address problems.  It was our first cruise on Celebrity but I wouldn’t hesitate to book another cruise on this line.
 

And to whoever swiped my boyfriend’s blue cashmere sweater, I hope you get exactly what you deserve.

We are currently in. TPA awaiting our flight home.  We used the Celebrity shuttle.  We were given luggage tags based on the time the shuttle departs.  The driver has a manifest of who is supposed to be on the shuttle.  So if you’re looking for something organized, this works.

Sorry, this is our last night of the cruise,  our luggage is in the hall.  😢😢😢

Last day was a sea day.  Breakfast in the main dining room.  Played trivia, swam in the thelassotherapy pool (bad knees/bad back), played more trivia.  Boyfriend redeemed his tickets for a t shirt.Dinner in the main dining room, and then we saw the show — a singer named Charity Lockhart followed by a repeat performance from attraction.  Then back to our cabin to pack.

Right now I’m having a bit of anxiety about flying home.  The weather reports are not good…

From Soundtrack  

the production singers gave a performance of holiday music in the Grand Foyer

Ah, Mexico.

As I may have mentioned, my undergrad  degree is in history, and my boyfriend is a semi retired teacher whose favorite subject is Social Studies.

cue the Indiana Jones music.

This was our third visit to Cozumel.  On our first visit we did a beach day, having seen Mayan ruins at Altun Ha in Belize earlier in the cruise.  Second trip was an all-day excursion to Chichén Itza.  Very intense but worth the effort.

This trip we chose to visit the ruins at San Gervasio.  Interestingly we visited on the day of the winter solstice, but too late in the day to see the Sun line up with the ruins.  This is a small site, dedicated to the moon and to fertility rites.  It’s got a very different vibe than either of the other sites we visited.  The path through the jungle is mostly walkable.  There are areas where you’re stepping over rocks and tree roots, but mostly the path is smooth.  One older gentleman in our group could not finish the tour.  One woman regretted wearing  sandals — ants started to crawl over her feet when she stood in the tall grass.  Despite my bad back and bad knees I was able to finish the tour.

The guide told us than there are a lot of ruins on the island that have not yet been excavated

.

a few additional notes.  There were at least 7 cruise ships in port — we were berthed next to the Disney Magic — but nothing felt overly crowded.  There’s a huge shopping area at the port, I bought a few souvenirs …

also note the pharmacy.   Mexico allows over the counter sales of *****, amoxicillin, etc., so when I ducked into the drugstore to buy mouthwash I had to wait on a very long line …