Process Details for the Celebrity Millennium Sint Maarten Sailings

[Seany527]

On 6/6/2021 at 8:01 AM, Alabaster Cruiser said:

Again thank you for the input and the time that it takes.  My question is regarding the casino experience.  How many people are allowed to sit at each table and what are the table minimums?

 

Tables are as normal. No spacing. I don’t know the minimums though. 

 

On 6/6/2021 at 9:02 AM, janetmojo said:

Another casino question here, was it open at all the first night?  Thanks again!

They said it would not be open until the first sea day, but it was opened when I passed through at 10pm. They were handing out $5 in free play but the system was down so if you wanted to redeem it, you needed to return the next day. 
 

23 hours ago, casandbliz said:

Wondering about the elevators...are they only allowing a few people in at a time? Or since everyone is vaccinated and Covid free, does it not matter? Thanks and have a GREAT time!

 

No one is watching the elevators but from what I’m seeing, most people are not using them. The ship is relatively small so most people don’t mind walking. I think if the ship was larger it would be a different story. 
 

 

[phoenix_dream]

Thanks so much for all your updates!  We are all extremely jealous, while being extremely grateful that you are taking time out of your vacation to fill us in.

 

My next cruise is not until early September.  I know things will change a hundred (or more🙂) times before then but I had some initial thoughts. Just throwing out general thoughts and questions - not expecting anyone to respond necessarily.  Some of these things are likely addressed in other threads but there is so much to read and so many changes I can't keep up.

 

Wondering why crew need to wear masks if they are all 100% vaccinated.  Seems like an unnecessary annoyance for them without a scientific reason to back it up.  Also wondering why fully vaccinated people still need to provide a negative PCR test before boarding.  I understand there is still a small chance you may be positive, but the inconvenience and cost also doesn't seem backed by the science.  I know St. Maarten requires one, but I hope this does not continue to be a requirement for everyone once cruises are able to sail from US ports. 

 

Also just listened to the GMA report and wondering where the specific quarantine cabins are located and what type of cabins are they?  I certainly hope they have balconies!!  I would literally need to be sedated if I had to quarantine in an inside cabin for days on end.   Does anyone know the answer to that?  Do we also know yet what number of cases onboard would require the sailing to end and return to home port? 

[sofietucker]

No spacing what so ever in the MDR. There are roughly 600 people onboard and they are seating people at separate tables but on top of one another. I have anytime dining which is on deck 4. The dining room is huge, they have the space to spread us out, but people are seated literally on both sides of you with the tables for 2 a hand span apart. 

 

Wow. A blogger posted a MDR photo showing the same. Did they actually seat people that close together? (Maybe no room on the ship to store the extra tables, lol.) Completely nuts, given all the other ehxhortions to maintain distance... Me, I'd be having a chat with the maitre d', and then the hotel director, about that inconsistency...

Edited June 7, 2021 by sofietucker

[Seany527]

14 hours ago, KKB said:

🤚🤚 Me!!

Ugh. Sorry I couldn’t post more. I tried to post via an iPhone, iPad and Dell Laptop and the box to type a response was not there and the reply button to individual messages was missing. I even tried to use a different account to post and nothing. Something very weird was going on. But now I’m on Barbados cell towers and everything is fine. 
 

My current view, by the way. 
 

 

53 minutes ago, cruising teacher said:

I’m wondering if it’s a case of everyone having internet so no one has it.

The internet is so so so bad. To the point that it’s frustrating to even use. I don’t have the streaming package so maybe that’s the only way to go now. 

 

31 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Thanks for taking the time to post updates.  But, tell me that you are enjoying the cruise?

 

Yes, it’s absolutely amazing. Everyone for the most part is appreciative and upbeat. The crew are having a great time as well. 

[gmjc2]

If they are that close together next week we will either not eat there or ask for a table in another part of the room. It maybe more difficult for the waiters to have tables scattered further afield but it is important to have social distancing even now.

I am one of those people who has had both shots but with my immunosuppressant meds my vaccine efficacy is reduced to about 80%. So I am still very cautious.

[Seany527]

I’ll post about Barbados once we leave so I can give the full scope of what it’s like, but so far, they are much more restrictive than Celebrity. 
 

As some of you have mentioned, GMA was onboard with us. Here’s some pictures. It was a lot of fun. The officers of the Millennium were so proud. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sofietucker]

Thrilled to see the Barbados beach!!! The rain must've washed away all that ash.

[Redtravel]

23 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

No spacing what so ever in the MDR. There are roughly 600 people onboard and they are seating people at separate tables but on top of one another. I have anytime dining which is on deck 4. The dining room is huge, they have the space to spread us out, but people are seated literally on both sides of you with the tables for 2 a hand span apart. 
 

Seating at the theater is spread out very nicely. I uploaded a pic in a previous post. 
 

The daily planner which is delivered in paper copies to your room seems to have the same amount of activities as any other cruise. The only issue, there are so few people on board, the activities can feel awkward. 
At Karaoke, there was a crowd of maybe 20 people and it was the same 3 or 4 people on a rotation (they did not disinfect the microphone in between).    There was a dancing activity by the pool and 5 or 6 people participated.  There was a guitarist playing at the coffee shop and no one was there to listen to him. 
 

I can post all the planners when I get home. I have been saving them. 

With only 600 guests, spacing people apart should be automatic.  Even in good times, I resent being seated close to other people when there is lots of empty space.  It happens on land too. I really don’t understand why.  Last week, I ate inside at a diner. There was only one table occupied when we got there. The hostess sat us at the table next to them.  I am vaccinated and don’t think it very risky. The loud conversation was annoying.  What are they thinking?

[Seany527]

23 minutes ago, Croooser said:

Thanks very much for the updates. What is the status of on shore? Are you restricted to Celebrity excursions or free to explore on your own? Does it vary by island?

It will vary by island. Barbados it’s required to take an excursion with the ship. We were told in Aruba and Curaçao we can explore on our own. 

 

19 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Also just listened to the GMA report and wondering where the specific quarantine cabins are located and what type of cabins are they?  I certainly hope they have balconies!!  I would literally need to be sedated if I had to quarantine in an inside cabin for days on end.   Does anyone know the answer to that?  Do we also know yet what number of cases onboard would require the sailing to end and return to home port? 

I don’t know but I’m curious of the answer as well. But I don’t think that is information they would really disclose unless they were actually in the situation. 

 

11 minutes ago, gmjc2 said:

If they are that close together next week we will either not eat there or ask for a table in another part of the room. It maybe more difficult for the waiters to have tables scattered further afield but it is important to have social distancing even now.

I am one of those people who has had both shots but with my immunosuppressant meds my vaccine efficacy is reduced to about 80%. So I am still very cautious.

I would have felt the same way you do if I was reading from home. But I will tell you, now that I’m here, I do feel completely comfortable. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be and it really does feel normal and ok.

 

 

I’ll be back in the dining room tonight and I’ll try to take some pics. This is an awkward photo I took last night, but it gives you an idea of what it’s like. 
 

 

And also, for those who like good pictures, here is the duck from last night. It was amazingly good. 
 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Seany527

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, Redtravel said:

With only 600 guests, spacing people apart should be automatic.  Even in good times, I resent being seated close to other people when there is lots of empty space.  It happens on land too. I really don’t understand why.  Last week, I ate inside at a diner. There was only one table occupied when we got there. The hostess sat us at the table next to them.  I am vaccinated and don’t think it very risky. The loud conversation was annoying.  What are they thinking?

I think we as a newly vaccinated society are having a hard time moving on from pandemic mode. I see this in my local community.  Not really a surprise with all of the conditioning we have all had in the past 15 months to masks and social distancing.  A 100% vaccinated cruise ship on-board, with testing as well, is one of the safest places on the planet that we could be right now.  Nowhere else will you have as many vaccinated people around you even in the main dining room.  It should be safe to dine near each other.  I understand the people who are still wary and might have medical or other reasons to be cautious.  And being on the first cruise is quite brave really.  But I plan to sail on Milly this year and will do so without any fear.  

[Akaicb]

On 6/4/2021 at 5:20 PM, Seany527 said:

No problem. The post is actually obnoxiously long. I should have broken it up a little. 

I thought your post was perfect, but I love having tons of details.  

[sofietucker]

19 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

With only 600 guests, spacing people apart should be automatic.  Even in good times, I resent being seated close to other people when there is lots of empty space.  It happens on land too. I really don’t understand why.  Last week, I ate inside at a diner. There was only one table occupied when we got there. The hostess sat us at the table next to them.  I am vaccinated and don’t think it very risky. The loud conversation was annoying.  What are they thinking?

They are NOT thinking. I've gotten pretty vocal about asking to be reseated.

 

This is the same pattern as when you park in a mostly empty parking lot with several spaces on each side of you; returning to your car, someone's vehicle has cuddled up right next to yours--sometimes on both sides.  A mystery of the universe.

Edited June 7, 2021 by sofietucker

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thank you for all the information on the 1st Celebrity sailing.  Are they still servicing the cabins twice a day?

[EatonDoolittle]

15 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

It will vary by island. Barbados it’s required to take an excursion with the ship. We were told in Aruba and Curaçao we can explore on our own. 

 

 

I'm  very curious how they are / have monitored this.  Not looking to circumvent the system, just curious. Do they interrogate as you leave the ship?

 

For example, on Cuba cruises (different issue, I get that) no one was supposed to explore or tour on their own, yet most did.  Once docked in Havana, people just walked off the ship as normal and went about their day. 

 

Thanks

 

[gmjc2]

2 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

They are NOT thinking. I've gotten pretty vocal about asking to be reseated.

 

This is the same pattern as when you park in a mostly empty parking lot with several spaces on each side of you; returning to your car, someone's vehicle has cuddled up right next to yours--sometimes on both sides.  A mystery of the universe.

I find that infuriating also. We have a relatively new car and I still try to park away from others but this happens a lot. Also had the experience of dinning in a restaurant where they tried to seat us next to another occupied table. We insisted on our 6 feet by choosing a different table. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

There are some other random signs but you get the idea. 

 

In other words, we required that you are vaccinated, required that you tested negative, and still are going with the "theater".

[FlyerTalker]

54 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Wondering why crew need to wear masks if they are all 100% vaccinated.  Seems like an unnecessary annoyance for them without a scientific reason to back it up.  Also wondering why fully vaccinated people still need to provide a negative PCR test before boarding.

 

You know the answer.  And so do all the other folks that think about this.

[Fouremco]

27 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I think we as a newly vaccinated society are having a hard time moving on from pandemic mode. I see this in my local community.  Not really a surprise with all of the conditioning we have all had in the past 15 months to masks and social distancing.  A 100% vaccinated cruise ship on-board, with testing as well, is one of the safest places on the planet that we could be right now.  Nowhere else will you have as many vaccinated people around you even in the main dining room.  It should be safe to dine near each other.  I understand the people who are still wary and might have medical or other reasons to be cautious.  And being on the first cruise is quite brave really.  But I plan to sail on Milly this year and will do so without any fear.  

I agree with your observations, and sitting near someone on this cruise wouldn't bother me from a health perspective. That said, when Celebrity has the opportunity to spread passengers out so that for once they aren't seated cheek by jowl, it would have been a nice touch. 

[cruising diva]

I have a sensitivity to chemicals / fragrances and would like to know how Celebrity is cleaning the cabins. Are they using a fog machine in the cabin and the luggage? Thank you in advance.

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

Thank you very much for your informative posts. I am booked on the July 10 cruise departing from St. Maarten on the Summit. I hope that you are enjoying your cruise. I am extremely excited about my upcoming cruise.

 

Chuck

[Beachlover1989]

I want to also offer my sincere thanks for doing this!  It makes me so excited, I can hardly wait until we sail again!!

[Seany527]

2 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thank you for all the information on the 1st Celebrity sailing.  Are they still servicing the cabins twice a day?

Yes twice a day. No change to cabin service at all. 
I have always wiped down my cabin with Clorox wipes and I will say, this cabin was exceptionally clean compared to ones I’ve stayed in before. 
 

2 hours ago, EatonDoolittle said:

 

I'm  very curious how they are / have monitored this.  Not looking to circumvent the system, just curious. Do they interrogate as you leave the ship?

 

For example, on Cuba cruises (different issue, I get that) no one was supposed to explore or tour on their own, yet most did.  Once docked in Havana, people just walked off the ship as normal and went about their day. 

 

Thanks

 

Leaving the ship was an entirely different experience.  It was well organized with one excursion being called at a time. We were not able to disembark the ship until the previously called excursion departed. 
 

We formed a single line as we exited the ship via the traditional process. But because it was one excursion at a time it would be pretty difficult to get into a line for an excursion you’re not a part of. When we stepped off the gangway we were greeted by a Barbados pier attendant who brought us directly to our bus and checked our tickets as we boarded. 
 

Even if I had the opportunity to step out of the excursion, there would be no place for me to go because the shops are closed and I would stick out like a sore thumb as the only people on the pier were port workers and those on the excursion. 
 

2 hours ago, cruising diva said:

I have a sensitivity to chemicals / fragrances and would like to know how Celebrity is cleaning the cabins. Are they using a fog machine in the cabin and the luggage? Thank you in advance.

I haven’t seen one, but they are cleaning the deck chairs with something new and they are cleaning them often. I don’t know what it is but they do feel a little wet or something. It didn’t stain my clothes tho. 

 

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I agree with your observations, and sitting near someone on this cruise wouldn't bother me from a health perspective. That said, when Celebrity has the opportunity to spread passengers out so that for once they aren't seated cheek by jowl, it would have been a nice touch. 

Yes regardless of safety, Elbow Room is very nice.

[Seany527]

So we are back on board since the excursion bus brought us immediately back to the ship following the excursion. 
 

It feels like a waste to come all this way to Barbados for a 4 hour excursion. We arrived at 8am and the excursion started at 9am. We were back to the ship before 1, and we don’t leave until 6pm. 
 

As I said in another post, everything was extremely orderly this morning. Only one excursion departs at a time.
 

We did a beach visit to Harbor Lights which was very nice. It was a simple excursion of just the beach and lunch, but it was perfect. Very calming, relaxing and just what I needed. 
 

Barbados was extremely strict with the masks. We had to wear them as we exited the ship and on the bus to the excursion. The only time we could take them off was when we were physically on the beach, in the water or when we were eating/drinking. 
 

If we stepped back into the beach facilities to get a drink or use the restroom, we had to put the mask on. There was a security guard who was very pleasant, but she did enforce the

rules. 
 

Overall it was a great day and it was nice to be back in one of those tour buses from the 1990’s, getting shuffled around an island. 

[SeaHunt]

4 hours ago, Seany527 said:

Yes, it’s absolutely amazing. Everyone for the most part is appreciative and upbeat. The crew are having a great time as well. 

 

I think it's probably good for my $$$ that I didn't go on this sailing after all - I'd be so happy and giddy and grateful to the crew that I'd be running up to them "Here YOU get a tip" and "YOU get a tip" and "YOU get a tip" and "YOU get a tip" and on and on (a la Oprah) 😁

 

Did you see on the other thread that someone had flight problems and didn't get to join you on this sailing? Ugh, so close and yet still no cruise! You'll have to lift your Martini tonight (Quarantini?) in sympathy to them - I already did here at home LOL. 🥂