Has Celebrity heard us? Isolation is not so bad after all……

[Guppy99]

4 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

I can only speak for Cunard- on my TA in March when passengers got tested postiv they all went into quarantaine in BALCONY CABINS! No matter what cabin they had in the first place.

Quarantaine without a balcony should and is not the done thing! Terrible idea!

I also agree, that step by step C-19 should be treated as cold- 99% - thanks to vaccination - are even milder then the usual flu.

wrong. Breakthrough infections while not as deadly as prior, can still be very serious, very long term. Is was nice Cunard was able to do this. It simply isn't possible on all ships or on any given sailing.

[Germancruiser]

In this day and age with so many balcony cabins on most all of the ships - they should set aside balcony cabins for possible quarantaine cases- and  they do- at least Cunard does.

After reading so many negativ reports how X is handling those quarantaine cases I sure will avoid them for the forseeable future!

 

 

[Guppy99]

11 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

In this day and age with so many balcony cabins on most all of the ships - they should set aside balcony cabins for possible quarantaine cases- and  they do- at least Cunard does.

After reading so many negativ reports how X is handling those quarantaine cases I sure will avoid them for the forseeable future!

 

 

No. If they leave ten rooms free, what happens when you have 11 that need to isolate? Further, why should they leave their most desirable cabins unoccupied, when the line is suffering financially? You have one isolated example on Cunard. How do you know this is actually the policy on all ships on all sailings?

Edited May 13, 2022 by Guppy99

[prmssk]

6 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

No. If they leave ten rooms free, what happens when you have 11 that need to isolate? Further, why should they leave their most desirable cabins unoccupied, when the line is suffering financially? You have one isolated example on Cunard. How do you know this is actually the policy on all ships on all sailings?

Balcony cabins aren't the top of the line cabins and there are so many of them on most ships.  Furthermore, throughout the restart, capacities have been so low (sometimes as low as 30 or 40%, rarely above 60% at least until recently).  

 

As another example in addition to Cunard, Princess is consistently setting aside for isolation balcony cabins across their fleet (Grand class ships use the Aloha deck and Royal class ships use the Dolphin deck).  I'm not sure there is a very good excuse for not reserving space on a deck with balcony cabins for isolation.

 

That obviously still doesn't solve the problem with slow and cold food, lack of communication, etc.

[Germancruiser]

I agree prmssk- even though a quarantaine is never an ideal situation,  it seems much more bearable when spent in a balcony cabin- fresh air and not feeling totaly enclosed!

With Cunard you can make your own tea or coffee ( I always bring a few teabags, just in case- but I am tea grazy- so thats the reason for that. LOL.)

 

 

[VitaminSea53]

3 hours ago, txtechmk said:

I have a question that I'm sure someone on here can answer for me.  If you have no symptoms at all, how are people getting tested on cruise ships and finding out they have Covid? Is it all contact tracing?  Are their cabin stewards getting Covid and then all their particular passengers have to be tested?  I see all these posts about people testing positive, but wondering what lead up to them getting a test.....

 

Just curious.

Example #1. I person gets obviously sick and reports to Medical, tests positive for Covid - everyone else in their  traveling party get tested, some may be positive but asymptomatic 

Example #2.  Contact tracing is done on Celebrity thru facial recognition.  If you sat at the table in the dining room next to the person who gets sick and ends up positive, you get tested whether you like it or not. Or it could be that you were in the casino next to the Covid positive person for 15 minutes or at the bar , etc. Here again, you could be positive but asymptomatic.  

 

Also, you are tested in the morning, required to isolate in your cabin for 24 hours and they test you again the next morning.  If you are negative both times, you are free to go.  

[bananavan]

9 hours ago, Denny01 said:

So someone who thinks they got a cold from standing in the wind and doesn’t think it’s a Virus (we all do understand a cold is a virus, and you don’t get it from a cold wind, right?) and wont report it because they heard somebody else sneeze who I guess got the non-virus cold from the wind.

 

Got it.

 

My assumption is they Know it’s probably COVID. And they ‘obviously’ wouldn’t self isolate let alone contact the medical personnel.  But glad the poster brought Tylenol. I wonder if they brought along the leeches to draw the bad blood out too? 

 

 

 

 

Actually Tylenol is all that they have offered me. 
I would not have minded the leeches, they would've been a change of pace. 
I was sent to quarantine on May 10, or was it the 9th? We were in Rhodes. Seriously, there is no way to know what day it even is because there are no announcements in the cabins and we do not get the daily program. 
I was called the next day to see how I was doing. Did I have a fever? I searched my luggage for my thermometer that I had packed prior to departure and could not find one. 
Thank goodness we purchased Apple 7 watches and are able to monitor our Blood Oxygen.
I called the Medical department and they sent one THE NEXT DAY!.

The next day my fever was 38.1. Take Tylenol they told me. 
The following day they called me in the afternoon. My temperature is 36.5. GOOD! Do you have enough Tylenol? 
People are NOT coming forward for obvious reasons. 
And then there are those who deliberately lie, as did the individual whose posts started this thread, that make this all seem like some idiotic musical starring Carol Channing. 

[bananavan]

I have checked with the Guest Relations team.
Since the ship departed Civitavecchia the conditions changed for Quarantine. 
Passengers who entered Quarantine after May 6 and those who were still positive  from the last cruise have all been placed on Deck 6. 
Food is served on china and glassware. 
And yes, people can order whatever they desire. And yes, they are ordering Champagne. 
And instead of using flutes, they are using "flaunts". 
So I am correcting myself. The individual who posted that elsewhere was not lying. 
So Congratulations to Celebrity for making life easier for those of us who are ill. 
 

[TeeRick]

8 hours ago, VitaminSea53 said:

Example #1. I person gets obviously sick and reports to Medical, tests positive for Covid - everyone else in their  traveling party get tested, some may be positive but asymptomatic 

Example #2.  Contact tracing is done on Celebrity thru facial recognition.  If you sat at the table in the dining room next to the person who gets sick and ends up positive, you get tested whether you like it or not. Or it could be that you were in the casino next to the Covid positive person for 15 minutes or at the bar , etc. Here again, you could be positive but asymptomatic.  

 

Also, you are tested in the morning, required to isolate in your cabin for 24 hours and they test you again the next morning.  If you are negative both times, you are free to go.  

Actually another risk of infection and contact tracing comes from excursions off ship.  If a person on a tour bus (or minivan, or shared ride) becomes infected, and went to medical, then everybody on that tour bus will be tested.  These excursions have been reported to be full with no social distancing and very few people wearing masks.  I would avoid shared or ship excursions completely and go off on my own.

[360Guy]

On 5/11/2022 at 9:58 PM, AussieGirlKaz said:

Definitely nothing like my experience 2 weeks ago on Constellation.

small room on deck 2, food in cardboard boxes, pretty much always turning up cold.

 

Was told I would get a pro rata refund and shore services would be in contact to give me details and medical clearance letter. Nothing...crickets

Had similar experience on Solstice 4/21.  Sent initial email with documentation.  No response, as they are swamped with refund requests due to these issues.  Suggest you call early and use the Captain’s Club number if you are…and be prepared to wait.  I “only” waited 65 minutes on hold before a rep answered.   They may have your email with documentation or you may need to resend.  I was fortunate as the person I spoke with asked me to resend and called me back about an hour later.  We reviewed all documentation and he submitted a refund request.  30-45 days for refund but think that will be a miracle in my opinion.  Good luck.  

[Joanne G.]

On 5/12/2022 at 9:05 AM, paulh84 said:

As we toy with the idea of a Med cruise this summer it's really hard to decipher the reality. It certainly seems like there was room for improvement regarding communication. But as soon as some of these accounts start throwing around their draconian treatment, inhumane, panic attacks at the thought of a room without a balcony, meltdowns and all of this totally over the top theatric, it really makes it difficult to assess what's really going on. 

I don't find it at all difficult to assess what is really going on.   Bananavan and others are sharing their experiences in great detail.  That's what's really going on for them.  Experiences vary, and cruisers' reactions to quarantine run the gamut from approaching it with some humor to reporting mental and emotional stress.   Most of us, myself included, have never experienced anything comparable to shipboard quarantine.   But I can easily assess that I don't want any part of it, and thus I postponed my cruises until such time as it isn't an ongoing worry for me.   And yes, I know that means I may never cruise again.   There are other vacation options.

 

Many thanks to all who have shared their quarantine experiences.   Their reports provide valuable information on which to base our decisions.   

[lhsail]

Just wanted to say thank you to all who are posting about their experiences. We have a September 21-day Med/Greece cruise on another line and am watching their board as well. This information is critical to us making an informed decision. We really want to go and have FCC which would cover which is surely a trip of a lifetime. But, the risk of spending any of that time in quarantine is off-putting. And the longer the cruise, clearly the greater the infection rate at this time. Decisions, decisions. 

[Tony UK]

On 5/12/2022 at 8:56 AM, Jim_Iain said:

We happen to have been one of those.   We were in a RS but tested one day before end of cruise at B2B testing.   We were unable to get lunch and waited for 3 hours or dinner finally getting it about 9:30 PM only after raising the roof.

 

In our case, and maybe it was all the B2B's that tested positive and the last night of the cruise but no one would even answer the Room Service Phone nor Front Desk.   I'm not sure what you would do in an emergency.  Thank goodness when someone delivered some documents they gave me the Retreat Hosts phone number and she came to our rescue. 

Do they lock you in? What are the emergency arrangements?

[Megabear2]

19 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

No. If they leave ten rooms free, what happens when you have 11 that need to isolate? Further, why should they leave their most desirable cabins unoccupied, when the line is suffering financially? You have one isolated example on Cunard. How do you know this is actually the policy on all ships on all sailings?

The Cunard ships are still sailing at reduced capacity (I believe maximum 70% to date) o ensure this policy can be maintained. They have just announced some guest cancellations for Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth as the need for the quarantine cabins is just as high.  

 

Both Cunard and P&O have kept their covid promise in place through to September 30th when it is to be reviewed.  

[phoenix_dream]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:33 PM, Fly and Sail said:

I doubt it's a policy change. She might just be lucky in the sense that the ship had space and maybe some crew members took pity on her. It might also depend on ship management if they have gotten wind that their vessel earned itself a bad rep for shoddy treatment and it circulates online.

 

I have developed a pretty bad cold after foolishly standing on the windy deck in Ketchikan for a while and been high on Tylenol Severe Cold for two days now (which I thankfully had with me). Obviously I'm not reporting this to the medical team, knowing the origin of it, even though I've casually mentioned it to a few people including officers and they didn't care either.

 

We have to learn how to live with Covid. Locking people up because of it can't be the answer for the years to come.

I will add my thoughts to the many already posted about what an irresponsible and selfish response to sickness this is.  The primary symptoms for the current variants exactly mimic those of a "pretty bad cold".  Sometimes they worsen and sometimes they do not.  But there is a real chance that pretty bad cold is Covid.  I hope for the other passengers sake it is not.  But if it is, who knows whose cruise experience you may have significantly negatively impacted, much less perhaps putting their very life in danger.  And as others have said, you can't catch a cold by standing on a windy deck.  Unbelievable!

[mayleeman]

3 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Unbelievable!

 

Years ago I would have agreed, but with the massive celebration of scientific ignorance nowadays, I find it completely, albeit dismayingly, believable that someone thinks a cold can be caused by cold weather.

 

I saw a new ad for a psychic hot line the other day. I wonder if they can sense all the creative adjectives I think about them?

[bananavan]

6 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

Years ago I would have agreed, but with the massive celebration of scientific ignorance nowadays, I find it completely, albeit dismayingly, believable that someone thinks a cold can be caused by cold weather.

 

I saw a new ad for a psychic hot line the other day. I wonder if they can sense all the creative adjectives I think about them?

They know. But like so many others, they don’t care. 😎 ( I am not insulting you, I am using the universal “they”) 

I am unable to sleep and your statement just made me smile. 🤓

[bananavan]

On 5/12/2022 at 3:07 AM, VitaminSea53 said:

We have heard several reports of miserable treatment by Celebrity of passengers in Covid + isolation.  However, I read a recent report from F-book of a passenger currently on The Edge who developed a head cold on Day 1 of their Greek Islands cruise. No fever, No cough, No loss of taste/ smell - just a cold.  She reported to the doctor and tested positive for Covid.  She was moved from her suite to an IV on Deck 6 so she has access to fresh air.  Her meals are the highlight of her day (so she says) and they are served on real plates with champagne in Reidel champagne flutes.  

Is this a fluke or has Celebrity listened to the desperate  pleas of their Covid + passengers to be treated humanely and as comfortably as possible?  

I gather I must personally thank you for all of your hard work in making these changes happen.

After all, you queried whether Celebrity had listened to the all encompassing “us”. 

[bananavan]

On 5/13/2022 at 1:21 AM, VitaminSea53 said:

Example #1. I person gets obviously sick and reports to Medical, tests positive for Covid - everyone else in their  traveling party get tested, some may be positive but asymptomatic 

Example #2.  Contact tracing is done on Celebrity thru facial recognition.  If you sat at the table in the dining room next to the person who gets sick and ends up positive, you get tested whether you like it or not. Or it could be that you were in the casino next to the Covid positive person for 15 minutes or at the bar , etc. Here again, you could be positive but asymptomatic.  

 

 

Just wondering where EXAMPLE #2 comes from. 
Has this happened to your knowledge or is this hearsay? 

[rachiem]

On 5/13/2022 at 6:10 AM, bananavan said:

Actually Tylenol is all that they have offered me. 
I would not have minded the leeches, they would've been a change of pace. 
I was sent to quarantine on May 10, or was it the 9th? We were in Rhodes. Seriously, there is no way to know what day it even is because there are no announcements in the cabins and we do not get the daily program. 
I was called the next day to see how I was doing. Did I have a fever? I searched my luggage for my thermometer that I had packed prior to departure and could not find one. 
Thank goodness we purchased Apple 7 watches and are able to monitor our Blood Oxygen.
I called the Medical department and they sent one THE NEXT DAY!.

The next day my fever was 38.1. Take Tylenol they told me. 
The following day they called me in the afternoon. My temperature is 36.5. GOOD! Do you have enough Tylenol? 
People are NOT coming forward for obvious reasons. 
And then there are those who deliberately lie, as did the individual whose posts started this thread, that make this all seem like some idiotic musical starring Carol Channing. 

Just our of interest...do you think by being in quarantine it has actually put you in more danger? I know that if you felt really ill and no one came, there's nothing to stop you going to the Medical centre yourself.

I would be hesitant to come forward if it actually put me more at risk!

Edited May 14, 2022 by rachiem

[emmas gran]

2 hours ago, rachiem said:

Just our of interest...do you think by being in quarantine it has actually put you in more danger? I know that if you felt really ill and no one came, there's nothing to stop you going to the Medical centre yourself.

I would be hesitant to come forward if it actually put me more at risk!

 

If that is how you feel realistically you should not be cruising as you are putting others "at risk" if you have covid

[Jim_Iain]

On 5/12/2022 at 11:21 PM, txtechmk said:

I have a question that I'm sure someone on here can answer for me.  If you have no symptoms at all, how are people getting tested on cruise ships and finding out they have Covid? Is it all contact tracing?  Are their cabin stewards getting Covid and then all their particular passengers have to be tested?  I see all these posts about people testing positive, but wondering what lead up to them getting a test.....

 

Just curious.

In our case we felt fine and I had tested negative the night before the B2B testing 8 hours later.   I was detected in the B2B testing but I understanding that on many cruise B2B testing is only done if required by the destination port country 

 

With current protocol it is by self reporting and contact tracing that testing is done. 

 

Not sure how Contact Tracing is now done but in our case the Nurse that called asked if we were traveling with another party.   Generally the whole connected parties are considered close contact.

 

 

[TeeRick]

9 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

Years ago I would have agreed, but with the massive celebration of scientific ignorance nowadays, I find it completely, albeit dismayingly, believable that someone thinks a cold can be caused by cold weather.

 

I saw a new ad for a psychic hot line the other day. I wonder if they can sense all the creative adjectives I think about them?

Scientific ignorance- always been there.  Here we cannot have a scientific discussion by rule.  By the way you can catch a cold (or COVID) by standing in the cold and wind with an infected person standing right next to you breathing or talking in your face.  😀

[bananavan]

4 hours ago, rachiem said:

Just our of interest...do you think by being in quarantine it has actually put you in more danger? I know that if you felt really ill and no one came, there's nothing to stop you going to the Medical centre yourself.

I would be hesitant to come forward if it actually put me more at risk!

Quarantine and Isolation mean exactly that. 
There is no leaving of the Isolation cabin 
There is no going down to the Medical Center as you wish. 
There is no coming to see you in Isolation unless it is your day to test. 
And then they are completely covered in protective uniforms. 
And I do feel ill.
I was sick enough to spend over $1,000 at a Spanish Hospital when we were on the Transatlantic. IT was not Covid related. 
And I am still very uncomfortable in the epigastric region. 
I mentioned this today to the Nurse when she called. 
I have copies of the blood work etc that was emailed to me and I did give them copies of the Diagnosis and visit. I had City Scan with contrast. (I KNOW it is a CT scan, but the ONE English speaking member of the Medicalstaff at the Hospital who spoke English kept referring to it as such and I cannot help but imagine a Panoramic shot ofChicago. :). )
I have not been asked for the blood work and the only reason they have the other info is that I took it to them, thinking that perhaps there was some sort of follow up needed. 
Today is Embarkation day. 
The Quarantine ward is left completely alone until later today.

 

[rachiem]

1 minute ago, bananavan said:

Quarantine and Isolation mean exactly that. 
There is no leaving of the Isolation cabin 
There is no going down to the Medical Center as you wish. 
There is no coming to see you in Isolation unless it is your day to test. 
And then they are completely covered in protective uniforms. 
And I do feel ill.
I was sick enough to spend over $1,000 at a Spanish Hospital when we were on the Transatlantic. IT was not Covid related. 
And I am still very uncomfortable in the epigastric region. 
I mentioned this today to the Nurse when she called. 
I have copies of the blood work etc that was emailed to me and I did give them copies of the Diagnosis and visit. I had City Scan with contrast. (I KNOW it is a CT scan, but the ONE English speaking member of the Medicalstaff at the Hospital who spoke English kept referring to it as such and I cannot help but imagine a Panoramic shot ofChicago. :). )
I have not been asked for the blood work and the only reason they have the other info is that I took it to them, thinking that perhaps there was some sort of follow up needed. 
Today is Embarkation day. 
The Quarantine ward is left completely alone until later today.

 

I didn’t realise you were locked in 😳

I know isolation is just that but it would be nice to know that if you took a turn for the worse, someone would come to help quickly. 
we are sailing next week and if I could cancel I would but having already cancelled 3, we have too much FCC and not a lot of spare time to fit one in within the next year. 
Wishing you a speedy recovery