lovescarborough

First time on Princess in May and we have Princess plus . Having seen posts about mask wearing in bars , we might be wanting to sit and drink on our balcony ! Can we order alcoholic drinks on room service ? I know the mini bar is not included in the package. Thanks 

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

No forms are required for cruise passengers visiting Spanish ports.

And I am writing this on a cruise ship in a Spanish port !

That's great. It saves a lot of hassle ! 

As you are some distance away from Southampton you could consider a hotel with parking. We got a great deal at the Hilton Aegis via holiday extras. 

We are taking our first European cruise on Enchanted Princess in May, to Spain and Canary Islands. Since Covid, Spain requires completion of a locator form but I haven't seen any mention of how this works on a cruise. The form we used last on a ferry to Spain had to be complete within 48 hours of arrival which would mean completing it online at sea presumably?  Will the same form apply throughout the cruise ? Surprised there is no mention of this on the Princess app or website. 

Thank you ! It worked and I've made our reservations.

I've now downloaded the app and managed to put all my documents etc in place and it has given us 'green ' lane. Just a couple of questions though. It says we ne as we are in UK we have to collect them at the port, so where will that be ? 

Also I managed to book times for dining but can't see any options to book speciality restaurants. We are 41 days away so surely they should be available? 

Thanks for all your help. There is no roll call for this cruise yet as it replaces the Baltic cruise that was cancelled just last week. Our online TA advertised it as pre registration with cabins allocated from tomorrow. I'm not sure why it's being sold this way as it's already at final payment stage. We're going to the Canary Islands and Madeira. 

Just booked the Enchanted Princess ( balcony cabin ) departing on May 4th from Southampton. We've done loads of cruises mostly with Celebrity so have no idea what Princess will be like.  We like anytime dining and I understand this is available but have no idea how this works. I've heard about the Medallion app and have downloaded it in readiness but I'm a bit nervous as the reviews of the app are poor. 

So my questions are

What is the app used for ? 

Do we have to reserve a table for dinner or just turn up? We like to eat late, around 8.30 , and like a table for 2. 

How do we book the speciality restaurants? Is there a package of 3/4/5 restaurants like Celebrity? Any recommendations on the best ones to try ? 

We have Princess plus. Does this mean all drinks are covered ? 

When do we find out our embarkation time ? 

I'm sure more things will come to mind but any help would be much appreciated! 

9 hours ago, cdn_tbird said:

I would suggest you contact X's UK offices to confirm this as what is on the US web-site may or may not apply to you. Just my 2 cents.

When I tried to call the UK office before Christmas with a query on testing before flying home, the call was diverted to someone in the US as the lines were busy. He didn't have a clue what he was doing and I gave up. Regrettably we will now have to cancel our end of January cruise on medical grounds as my husband is very ill in hospital ( not Covid ). I think on balance we would have cancelled anyway. It's just too stressful. 

I just called Celebrity UK to ask about the extension of the 24 hours from disembarkation. The call was diverted to an agent in the US who after checking with ' someone higher up ' told me that there were no changes to the 24 hours ! He actually said that the CDC said tests expire after 24 hours ( absolute rubbish ). As testing would probably be done the day before disembarkation are they going to have to time the tests according to the flight times ? Just another example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing at Celebrity. 

14 minutes ago, Chewbecca said:

Many international governments are requiring negative PCR/Antigen test results for re-entry to the country if you are flying out of the U.S. within 72 hours of the end of your sailing. To facilitate any required testing, we ask that you fill out the following survey here, which will give us details about your post-cruise travel plans. 
 

this is an extract from an email received from X yesterday re: returning from our 12DEC cruise

That's interesting. We depart end of January so hopefully we may know more by then. We won't have a car so can't do drive through test and don't fancy spending our last day in Fort Lauderdale trying to get to a pharmacy for a test. Celebrity didn't give you much notice did they !

9 hours ago, little britain said:

The X site says "Currently all fully vaccinated guests requiring a COVID-19 test to return to their home country will be provided the option to receive complimentary testing onboard prior to disembarkation. Proof of return travel scheduled within 24 hours of disembarkation will be required."

 

As luck would have it our flight is the following evening - please can someone advise how much they are charging on board for the test?

Thanks

We are in the same situation as you in that our flight departs in the evening of the day after disembarkation. We looked at the Celebrity site but think that testing would have to take place on the last sea day as it's unlikely they would do it on disembarkation day. As the UK government says it has to be done in the two days prior to the day of the flight it should be okay but as Celebrity say only 24 hours prior I wouldn't want to risk it. We all know that reps say different things when you call. We intend to buy the tests before we travel, cost around £19 each and take them in our hotel the day before the flight. It looks as though we just take a photo of the test after registering it and they issue a certificate on email. They don't require supervision and wifi will be available in the hotel. All this assumes things don't change again and I'm not holding my breath ! 

I agree. This whole testing mess is a complete waste of time. The only thing a test will tell you is whether you are infectious or not at that particular time. A day or two or three days later the result can be different as this virus like any other takes several days to show up on a test . I know people who have felt unwell, taken tests that are negative one day then positive a day or two later. It really is a lottery that we have to accept in order to live our lives. 

19 hours ago, swigso said:

Can someone help please

we fly from Manchester Uk to Heathrow on Feb 17 then to Miami 

the next day our cruise sails on 21 Feb 

how do we get a test to cruise, we are vaccinated and have had our booster jab 

apppreciate any help it is getting so stupid to be able to travel

We are on the Equinox from 30th January, flying in the day before. Our intention was to test the day before our flight on our way to our overnight hotel at Heathrow and use this test for the current three days prior requirement for the cruise. If that changes to one day prior then we intend to use the Celebrity option for international guests only and test prior to boarding. The link on their website allows you to book in advance ( recommended) as soon as you have checked in online for the cruise and have an assigned boarding time. They recommend booking your test thirty minutes before your boarding time. It costs $99 per person. Okay it's a rip off but what else can we do ? I wouldn't want to be chasing around Fort Lauderdale or Miami to get a test after arrival. I agree with you that it is all getting so complicated that we really wish we hadn't bothered. 

Thanks so much. It's a relief to know I can do without it ! 

Check in for our January cruise should open in a couple of weeks or so. In the past I have always logged on to the website and printed X press passes. I keep seeing posts about uploading vaccination certificates and health questionnaires as well as checking in via the app and I'm finding it very confusing. Can't I just use the website to check in ? Also, I know the app is free to use onboard but if I have to use it to check in at the terminal it's going to be expensive as my UK data package won't cover data in the US ! 

1 hour ago, swigso said:

I thought that but if I order extra tests in the uk before we travel 

will they be accepted or should I have one sent to my hotel in Florida pre cruise also what is the situation for our stay after the cruise 

it is so difficult makes you want to just stay home but that is not going to happen we are going on holiday 👍👍

thanks

 

If you fly on the 18th couldn't you do your test on the 17th which would then be okay to use for both the flight and boarding the cruise on 19th ? . You can get tests done in lots of places in the UK ( Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy, airports ). The pre boarding test can be done in the two days before the boarding date. After the cruise you will need to complete the UK locator form online and have a code from whichever company you have used to get your day 2 test. These can be booked online before you travel assuming we still have that rule in place in February. 

Am I correct in thinking that we can use the same test for boarding as the one done in the UK prior to flying so long as we are in the two day window prior to boarding day ?  We are aiming to test Friday, fly Saturday, board Sunday. 

Thanks. I didn't know the slots were allocated at online check in. In the past we used to just get an email with a time to board, which if course most people seemed to ignore ! 

I've read threads on here with details of how strict the new boarding times are but I just wondered if anyone knew how these were allocated. In the distant pre Covid past I remember the priority being Aqua class followed by Elite plus then Elite etc. Obviously I know suites are different. With hotel checkout times being mid morning it does present a problem to those needing to stay overnight pre cruise. 

We're on Equinox Jan 30th and will be flying out the day before after staying overnight at Heathrow. So long as the testing requirement is still a rapid antigen test then we should be able to take these either at East Midlands airport on our way down or at Heathrow, although I hate to leave it to the day of the flight. The same test will suffice for boarding if I've read it correctly. Keeping everything crossed that Mr Biden doesn't change his mind. Being triple vaccinated it all feels a complete nonsense. As my doctor said to me months ago, just because you get a negative test today , doesn't mean you will get the same tomorrow! 

We've used Testing for all twice now and they're good, and one of the cheapest too. 

The test on day 2 after returning has to be booked online by yourself and the booking reference number has to be entered onto the UK locator form online. As it stands at the moment you complete the locator form within 48 hours of your return to UK. The test will be posted to your home address. However if you haven't been double vaccinated you will also need a day 8 test. All the details are on the gov.uk website. We have done all this for land trips but not cruises so are very interested in how Celebrity will handle the pre return test which I believe is antigen for most of Europe and has to be taken within the 72 hours of your return. The results have to be shown to border force on your return, usually by online certification. 

Totally agree that the prices are ridiculous. As a loyal Celebrity cruiser I can't see us taking any more if this level of pricing continues. We did a Fjords cruise from Southampton a couple of years ago that had been heavily marketed here including a drinks package. The queues at the bars were horrendous the whole time. After that we said ' never again ' ! 

We always stay in Fort Lauderdale for one or two nights after the cruise. Given that it's usually an early start for disembarkation it makes for a very tiring day when you have a long flight at the end of it. We can then time our hotel departure to suit our flight. We too are booked for Jan 2022 but not booked flights yet but it will be to Miami airport as usual ( even though it's a terrible airport ). I don't think there are any direct flights to Fort Lauderdale from the UK since BA pulled out. Of course we still have fingers crossed that the cruise will go ahead !