Jim_Iain – Silhouette Live Post April 8, 21, 30 - B3B - TransAtlantic, Portugal Spain, France and the Norwegian Fjords

[CruiseNYC]

Oh no!  Just catching up on the weekend postings and saw this. So very sorry - you’ve been so careful and yet……
Wishing you a speedy recovery. I hope Iain remains Covid-free. I look forward to reading your next cruise adventures. Is that August?

[Jim_Iain]

We rented a really nice place in  New Forest.   A hunting ground established by William the Conquer.  Yesterday being a bank holiday weekend and a street market on the High Street it was packed.

 

Stock photo as I was trying to stay away from others.

 

It was impossible to totally social distance as our place is on High Street and due to the crowds we had to pay parking for 4 hours about 4 blocks away.   I double masked up and took the back way in to make as little contact as possible.  

 

Our beautiful muse is an Oasis totally separated from others.

 

Next door is The Cornish Bakery.   Iain dropped in and bought two Cornish Pasties for Lunch.  They were buttery and flakey and incredible.   Around 5:00 the town emptied out and we had to move our car to a car park that had long stay parking.    Our host left a permit out for us and we found one with a large lot about a mile away.  After moving our luggage from the car in the Short Stay lot to our place, we went back to the car and drove it to the lot with Long Stay spaces.   

 

It was nice to get out and walk and felt comfortable as the streets were empty.  

 

For Dinner,  Iain ordered some Fish and Chips from a place about 2 blocks away.   It was good but not great. 

 

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/30/2022 at 3:40 PM, white_bear said:

We also live in Lymington (btw, it's a town not a village), just ask if you have questions. 

Sorry... didn't mean to insult.   We live in the little town of Sunnyvale which has a population o 800,000 now so you may excuse me.    What a cute Town.   I can't wait to get out and explore.

 

Our place is at 12 High Street just next door to the Cornish Bakery.   I'm sure you know where it is.  Actually Iain got our Pasties at the other one about 1 block down the High Street.

 

Do you know of any places where I can get LFT Covid tests.   Iain checked in Boots and they said they no longer stock them and we must order with delivery by mail.   I'm down to my  last and want to have some to get cleared and make sure Iain is ok.

 

I just messaged our host an asked if it were ok to have them sent here and put a note on the mailbox asking the mailman to leave at the doorstep as we don't have a key to the mailbox.  I'm not sure if they would put it in as there is only a slot.   Found a place with next day delivery but suspect won't ship until after the bank holiday. 

[Jim_Iain]

23 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I take your point on capacity and assume it was difficult to distance.  However Celebrity does have an obligation to protect the health and well being of its passengers and if this is the measure of how they are doing it going forward it isn't looking to good.  I'm also a steerage passenger on ships I sail on but I would not expect with a break out of Covid to have to risk my well being because they haven't enough staff or ones who have become unaccustomed to large numbers onboard.

 

I think you'll find there are considerably more than 30 Covid positive passengers on this voyage, although that's only judging from FB posts and this board.

 

What I can say with certainty is QM2 had a problem on her last voyage and Cunard reintroduced masks and other measures to counter it.  This apparently was because the ship was in danger of tipping over the threshold to turn red under CDC conditions.

 

It will be interesting to see how the next sailing of Silhouette bears out if the passenger load is as high as the one you've just left.

 

I hope you enjoyed your cruise and stay clear of Covid on your return.

 

I would suspect you are correct.   On the Other Site (FB) there have been about 20+ who have reported being positive after getting home and testing.  

 

One left a message thanking the person he overheard in the terminal saying his wife and he both tested positive but didn't report it for fear of being isolated.   They say he remained out in the wild with not mask.   ugh...

 

I've been hearing from many others that it's been a mess on board.   The ship is packed and and being a Bank Holiday Weekend it has turned into a Party Cruise.   Drunks everywhere including the Retreat Lounge.   No Social Distancing and No Masks.    Maybe we are lucky we left when we did.

[venicecruiser]

I agree.  Your new "jail" is really nice!  Hope you are well soon.

 

Claudia

[Jim_Iain]

23 hours ago, flowery said:

Are tables spaced out now in Luminae? Not when we've been there! There was some spacing on Reflection in 2016? but not on our last cruise on the Edge in Feb 2020. We were frequently seated just a few feet away from others. Folks, you need 26 feet of spacing and also your waiter, sommelier and others should be wearing well fitting KN 94/95 masks. Also, no infected person can walk past you maskless. Crew members on all ships are getting infected and will likely be immune in another month or two but passengers remain vulnerable.

 

We will continue to travel and I wish it could be on a cruise ship but it's looking more and more doubtful. The entire social distancing concept doesn't seem to work indoors when unmasked.

And I can't agree with those who say you are safer on a cruise ship. How? There's a high doubling rate of the virus and you are in a contained space. I'm more concerned with getting confined in quarantine than getting sick.

When I was on.   Regular Luminae spacing but due to some larger parties, tables were removed from the bench  seating .    We didn't mind sitting in the corner by the kitchen for the extra spacing.  

 

Most of the seating is about 3-4 feet between tables.  Much better than some places on the ship.

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/30/2022 at 4:14 PM, nunuc2000 said:

Jim, when they were escorting you off the ship, were you taken to a regular customs processing area, or somewhere cordoned off from others? Were there other guests being taken off like you, presumably also positive? Trying to get an idea of how many guests were taken off that had also tested positive.  It's a little maddening at how much secrecy Celebrity seems to be using to hide the actual numbers... I wish they would be more transparent. 

 

I think there's actually more reliable numbers coming from those who chime in after returning home and then testing positive and letting CC readers know. I suspect the actual figures of those who are covid positive, both test confirmed and not, are actually significantly higher than any estimates that have been suggested by the cruiselines or other authorities.  It's really hard to know what decision to make about our upcoming B2B next month... just so torn between wanting to cruise and wanting stay healthy... ugh! 

 

Thank you once again for your incredibly gracious efforts in keeping us all up to date on your journey, both pre and post covid... I've let my regular reading slip behind over the last couple of weeks while enjoying your writings!! 🙂   

 

While we didn't see any others being taken off there had to be lots.   There were still 20-30 suitcases in the cordoned off luggage area. 

 

Basically the just took us to the gang way and adios.    We just entered the same Customs hall as everyone else.   Probably a couple hundred passengers mulling around .    The only thing different for us is where we picked up our luggage and then marched through the hall alongside everyone else without masks. 

[Jim_Iain]

23 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

So sorry to read your cruise has come to an unfortunate end but I love your positive attitude about the whole situation.  I hope you feel better soon and  have a fantastic time visiting family in Ayrshire. I don’t think there’s many people left  in Scotland you’d be able to infect - our rates before Easter were ridiculously high and I know very few people who haven’t had omicron in the last 2 months.
 

As you enjoy a walk, I recommend a trip to Dumfries House in New Cumnock ( I’m sure Iain will know of it.) I was on a school trip with my class there for a STEM day this week and the grounds and gardens are vast, beautiful and free!! I’ve heard the house is impressive too. You could take the grand nieces and nephews  as there’s a super playground and lots of water play stations/ activities. It is run by Prince Charles’ foundation and is a fantastic day out. Just something to think about when you’re planning the next stage of your trip.

 

Dumfries House for sure.    We had his Aunt's 95th Birthday reception there and already have a Private Reception Dining Room reserved for a Memorial Dinner of all the family there next week. 

 

Last time we walked the grounds.   Their is so much there and you could spend weeks there and never see it all. 

 

We will be cleared long before we arrive in Scotland.   Planning on 10 days isolation from first infected.   I saw a doctor today and he said I should be ok as soon as I test negative for two days 24 hours apart and don't need the full 10 days.   He did say continue to wear N95 Respirator Masks.

[nunuc2000]

4 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

While we didn't see any others being taken off there had to be lots.   There were still 20-30 suitcases in the cordoned off luggage area. 

 

Basically the just took us to the gang way and adios.    We just entered the same Customs hall as everyone else.   Probably a couple hundred passengers mulling around .    The only thing different for us is where we picked up our luggage and then marched through the hall alongside everyone else without masks. 

Oh wow! I guess it really was one of those moments where once they've kicked you out, they smack their hands back and forth a couple of times in the proverbial "done with that task and good riddance" gesture... not very reassuring!  We cruise on Princess later this month, which by all accounts has done no better than Celebrity in regards to handling covid, and then back to Celebrity in September. Both cruise lines are giving me anxiety... but the idea of not cruising gives me anxiety too.  

 

I hope you continue to feel quite well, and that Iain has thus far managed to avoid getting sick too. Hope you manage to finagle some tests quickly for your reassurance that all will be well to travel to Scotland 🙂 

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

 

i was just remembering they offered to pay for your room and transportation there or give you money for hotel and meals.  

 

Yup.   Per the letter $250 per day for the hotel and $100 pp for food.  The ship had so little information about refunds for the cancelled cruise or how many days they cover.   I presume until I'm cleared.   They gave me a 1 day Quarantine Letter and said it was up to me to get a fit to fly certificate.

 

About all we know is what we have read hear on  CC.  Many saying it take them months to sort out and lots of phone calls.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[360Guy]

39 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I would suspect you are correct.   On the Other Site (FB) there have been about 20+ who have reported being positive after getting home and testing.  

 

One left a message thanking the person he overheard in the terminal saying his wife and he both tested positive but didn't report it for fear of being isolated.   They say he remained out in the wild with not mask.   ugh...

 

I've been hearing from many others that it's been a mess on board.   The ship is packed and and being a Bank Holiday Weekend it has turned into a Party Cruise.   Drunks everywhere including the Retreat Lounge.   No Social Distancing and No Masks.    Maybe we are lucky we left when we did.

I have loved every post since before you left the US as well as onboard.  We were thinking it would be about half full and were shocked when we arrived at our “appointment” slot which was the back of the long line in. We had been masking anytime we left the cabin but my partner got it on day 6 when we both tested on LFT kits we brought in case we didn’t feel well.  Called medical and after his positive PCR test we spent the last 3 days in our cabin..why not 3?  No idea except maybe full house at that point or just triage sicker folks there.  I continue to test negative and my partner tests positive but very mild symptoms just a bit of a “hack” which we could hear a lot of by the second or third day.  Oh they tried but clearly being positive or close contact/confined relegated us to “less than” and as commented by another more concerned about the “standards” than the unlucky “small” lot of us who called medical or got tested and were asymptomatic. 98% of the ship were as we know unmasked.  Captains daily message?  More positives…wish your hands.   Airborne virus. We too got shoved off later than everyone else but still could mingle…after we found our “condom” luggage area.  Celebrity did come through for us with a free transfer to a London hotel we had prepaid one night…sadly they dropped the ball on another couple we communicated with on FB and they took a cab to London for $$$$$.  The promised refund statement before disembarkation never appeared.  We are here for much longer than the 2 nights they said they would pay plus meal per dime.  We have trip interruption insurance so will probably have to duke it out when we get home.  Bought air tix through Celebrity Air…at least they moved our flights and didn’t hit us with change fees.  
 

Now for the last bit and sorry for the ramble….but we have time on our hands.  Jim, you might want to look into a Covid Recovery Certificate for your travel back to the USA as if they have not dropped it by your return date you either need to test negative (which can take a while!) or get the certificate.   There isn’t 100% clarity on 5, 7 or 10 days after initial positive but seems if you have the certificate you are cleared to travel.  We are booked on the Beyond TA and already have our flight to Barcelona and fly home from Newark at the end…already thinking about booking a back up flight with points on embarkation day in case we are positive for preboard…following it all closely.  Glad you only had a limited amount of time in lockdown and have a lovely place to quarantine and rest.  LFT kits are quite hard to come by but we found some in a small pharmacy near Tower Bridge…at a cost.  If you can get them by post wonderful.   I’ll bring a lot more on our next trip!  We are hanging out in London wondering when we will get home…maybe sometime this week if the certificate comes through timely and I don’t get it.   All of this has been a very interesting journey from Plan A to Plan B!   Have a great rest of your trip!  Will keep following you and the blog site!  Gratitude again for the mild/asymptomatic!

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/30/2022 at 4:49 PM, goofysmom99 said:

I, too, am becoming less concerned about the effects of covid than being quarantined in an oceanview cabin.  That, or even being allowed onto the ship or a flight back to the US after flying to Rome.  I'll be paying much closer attention to trip reports here on CC up until my final payment comes due in ~90 days on my Oct TA out of Rome.  

 

I would agree.   Luckily the current strain appears to be very weak.   So far it has been less troubling than a common cold.  I hope that is the worst.    Our next cruises are in August making final payment yesterday.

 

One reminder to all -  Check fares frequently.   I just applied for a $5,000 drop in our Greenland Cruise.   I have a felling lots of cancellations as Final Payment time hit.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

4 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Yup.   Per the letter $250 per day for the hotel and $100 pp for food.  The ship had so little information about refunds for the cancelled cruise or how many days they cover.   I presume until I'm cleared.   They gave me a 1 day Quarantine Letter and said it was up to me to get a fit to fly certificate.

 

About all we know is what we have read hear on  CC.  Many saying it take them months to sort out and lots of phone calls.

 

 

 

 

That just seems so tiresome!  The Celebrity I know used to seem to do better than that!  It’s been a while though, lately I’ve been more on Azamara which was once part of celebrity.  Their expansion has made some of their rough edges show more too. 
 

 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, nunuc2000 said:

Oh wow! I guess it really was one of those moments wheresmack their hands back and forth a couple of times in the proverbial "done with that task and good riddance" gesture...

 

Yup that's exactly whet if felt like. 

 

I guess when you have 50-100 passenger to kick off it's just a nasty job to be completed.   Maybe they would prefer cleaning toilets.

[nunuc2000]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Yup that's exactly whet if felt like. 

 

I guess when you have 50-100 passenger to kick off it's just a nasty job to be completed.   Maybe they would prefer cleaning toilets.

Must have felt like such a rude dismissal, especially after having had such a lovely cruise up until that second last day.  I'm certain it's likely to taint things somewhat, but I'm encouraged that you're still staying so positive and eager to cruise in spite of your experiences - okay... that settles it, we're NOT cancelling our cruise later this month!! Wish us luck!! LOL!!  

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, 360Guy said:

Jim, you might want to look into a Covid Recovery Certificate for your travel back to the USA as if they have not dropped it by your return date you either need to test negative (which can take a while!) or get the certificate.   There isn’t 100% clarity on 5, 7 or 10 days after initial positive but seems if you have the certificate you are cleared to travel.

 

We won't be flying back ot the U.S. for about 2 weeks, but might be good to investigate the Covid Recovery Certificate.    They sent a 1 day Quarantine certificate from the Ship's Doctor on the last day.  They said I would have to find a Doctor to get a certification of the other days.

[360Guy]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

We won't be flying back ot the U.S. for about 2 weeks, but might be good to investigate the Covid Recovery Certificate.    They sent a 1 day Quarantine certificate from the Ship's Doctor on the last day.  They said I would have to find a Doctor to get a certification of the other days.

Yes I hope they gave you a copy of the the lab result.  That document along with a copy of your passport and your complete a questionnaire.   They email you the certificate that has a QR code.   This is what we have been told.  Waiting for it as it as you said a bank holiday tomorrow.  Hoping for Tuesday.  Lots of places on line.  $60-$100 GBP.

[RichYak]

18 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Yup.   Per the letter $250 per day for the hotel and $100 pp for food.  The ship had so little information about refunds for the cancelled cruise or how many days they cover.   I presume until I'm cleared.   They gave me a 1 day Quarantine Letter and said it was up to me to get a fit to fly certificate.

 

About all we know is what we have read hear on  CC.  Many saying it take them months to sort out and lots of phone calls.

 

There really should be a dedicated Customer Service phone rep for Zeniths. That would be a good benefit.

[Benthayer Gonbak]

12 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Yup that's exactly whet if felt like. 

 

I guess when you have 50-100 passenger to kick off it's just a nasty job to be completed.   Maybe they would prefer cleaning toilets.

 

i can’t help but wonder that if you felt that way what the crew feels like during quarantine and off loading!  

[mrsgoggins]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Do you know of any places where I can get LFT Covid tests.   Iain checked in Boots and they said they no longer stock them and we must order with delivery by mail.   I'm down to my  last and want to have some to get cleared and make sure Iain is ok.

 

 

You could try Lloyds Pharmacy. It's a large chain but the closest to you is almost 9 miles away. Its website shows that it offers a 'Collect rapid lateral flow test', and I understand that it is a 'Click and Collect service'. They are showing availability. The web site is good and you should get the location and further details easily.

 

Good luck!

[barbette165]

2 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

You could try Lloyds Pharmacy. It's a large chain but the closest to you is almost 9 miles away. Its website shows that it offers a 'Collect rapid lateral flow test', and I understand that it is a 'Click and Collect service'. They are showing availability. The web site is good and you should get the location and further details easily.

 

Good luck!

Jim,

      Searching online Superdrug in Lymington (104 High Street) was showing availability for "Click and Collect in 30 minutes" for single test packs at £1.95 each. (The branch had no availability for the 5 test pack, but they did have a least 5 of the single tests in stock)

 

[Jim_Iain]

Dumfries House for sure.    We had his Aunt's 95th Birthday reception there and already have a Private Reception Dining Room reserved for a Memorial Dinner of all the family there next week. 

 

Last time we walked the grounds.   Their is so much there and you could spend weeks there and never see it all. 

 

We will be cleared long before we arrive in Scotland.   Planning on 10 days isolation from first infected.   I saw a doctor today and he said I should be ok as soon as I test negative for two days 24 hours apart and don't need the full 10 days.   He did say continue to wear N95 Respirator Masks.

[Jim_Iain]

Wow..  you get the Superman Award

 

 

I tried earlier and said not in stock then I played a game and instead of trying to order a 5 pack (out of stock)  I ordered 5 1 Packs and it accepted the order.    Too late to pick up tonight but should be available first thing in the morning.

Thank you, Thank You, THAN YOU.      I love how helpful everyone on CC can be to solve a problem. 

[Jim_Iain]

Now that we have more tests I forced Iain to take a test since he has also had a dry cough also since yesterday he has been saying really doesn't matter and just assumed he would test positive. 

 

He also tested positive.  

 

He also has no temperature or symptoms except a dry cough.

[nunuc2000]

4 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Now that we have more tests I forced Iain to take a test since he has also had a dry cough also since yesterday he has been saying really doesn't matter and just assumed he would test positive. 

 

He also tested positive.  

 

He also has no temperature or symptoms except a dry cough.

Oh dear... well better to know I guess. I hope you'll both remain relatively well and test negative soon and continue on to Scotland as scheduled.