Covid quarantine on the Apex

[quicklabs]

4 minutes ago, Provence55always said:

Sounds like you are struggling….keep strong you did the right thing reporting but sorry Celebrity did not leave you in your original room can’t understand that as who else could have used that room in the middle of a cruise. Hope this does not put you off cruising in the future. Wishing you all the best for the future.

Thank you for your kind and empathic reply. 

[southernbreezes]

2 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

So if you were a "paying Customer" who had a balcony cabin you would be OK moving to a deck 3 window cabin and not have a problem with Celebrity isolating "non-paying new crew" in empty deck 6 balcony cabins????

The crew is isolating not COVID positive big difference. They are keeping all COVID positive crew and guests on deck 3 so they can watch them not everyone will stay in there cabin. Lets not forget COVID almost put the cruise industry out of business. I have little doubt if they have a major outbreak the CDC will shut them down again. We all know before we leave home that if we test positive its OV on deck 3 that we go to. We have the option of staying home or take our chance.

[Virginia100]

I think your story and others are helpful for the serious challenges to cruising once again with the new variants Omicron Ba4 snd .5. Current vaccines are mostly useless against them and the reason cases are seriously escalating in Europe and the US. Maybe the new vaccines in October  will help the winter cruise season. Right now cruising  involves a significant risk snd it will increase as the Summer progresses.  

[Virginia100]

16 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

The crew is isolating not COVID positive big difference. They are keeping all COVID positive crew and guests on deck 3 so they can watch them not everyone will stay in there cabin. Lets not forget COVID almost put the cruise industry out of business. I have little doubt if they have a major outbreak the CDC will shut them down again. We all know before we leave home that if we test positive its OV on deck 3 that we go to. We have the option of staying home or take our chance.

Good points. Do you feel lucky? I’m never lucky. 

[Lastdance]

49 minutes ago, Virginia100 said:

Good points. Do you feel lucky? I’m never lucky. 

No, I certainly do not feel lucky and have had to work for everything.  So, I will do my best to limit what I can, bring meds etc with me  knowing that I too am vulnerable just like everyone else.  I know the coughing is a touchy subject for some, but if I feel a cough coming on, I will try to mask up, carrying a mask with me at all times, along with wearing it when I deem necessary.  I know that will not keep me from getting Covid. That is just how I personally feel, but Covid does not care either way.  We all just try and do our best under the circumstances, knowing that there is no guaranteed way to prevent C.

 

***I am in no way saying that a cough, or coughing is bad and equals Covid.  It might just be a tickle, or sinus or clearing of throat due to certain conditions.  We all cough.  I can have water or any drink go down the wrong way and begin coughing.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Lastdance

[twincheryl]

6 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

If one refused to relocate they per the cruise contract would likely be thrown off at the next port.

 

Does anyone have actual experience doing this?  
 

I might be inclined to prefer quarantine OFF the ship in a hotel or AirBnb rather than a cabin without at least an infinite veranda.  No amount of refund to compensate for that would be worth it.

[bgrmini]

4 hours ago, Oklahoma Cruiser 2012 said:

I'd be coughing and hacking the entire time I was being "thrown off".  Covid theater is the equivalent of the theater of the absurd. 

Sounds like you are in theater yourself. Your shows probably don't have very good attendance, do they?

[carolina_yankee]

7 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

If one refused to relocate they per the cruise contract would likely be thrown off at the next port.

 

Well, there’s petulant refusal and polite, “You know, this cabin suits me just fine. What if  . . “.  I’m a big believer in carrots over sticks.

 

I’m curious because I have read of the occasional situation where somebody stayed in their cabin, and certainly where people were being located to verandah cabins. That’s why I wondered if the have any wiggle room. It’s not like the CDC or any country’s laws are requiring Celebrity to put people in other cabins.

 

It’s also not a deal breaker. I’ve sailed in ocean view cabins before. While it wouldn’t be fine to be isolated to one, I could make it work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by carolina_yankee

[hottro]

9 minutes ago, twincheryl said:

Does anyone have actual experience doing this?  
 

I might be inclined to prefer quarantine OFF the ship in a hotel or AirBnb rather than a cabin without at least an infinite veranda.  No amount of refund to compensate for that would be worth it.

We were on the Iceland Ireland Cruise on the Apex with a sailing date of June 7,2022.  I tested positive on the 8th day of the cruise and we (my wife elected to go with me) were whisked away to Deck 3 from our Sky Suite. We were at sea on that day. After looking around and spending about 15 minutes in that small room with a window but no balcony and cleaning supplies on a table (which were there because no one from the crew was going to clean the room besides us) we decided we did not want to spend the next 5 days in quarantine until the shipped docked in Amsterdam.  We got off the ship in the next port which was Belfast. We stayed there a few days and went home.

 

We just cancelled a transatlantic cruise on the Apex which sails Oct 29,2022 from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. This cruise includes 6 straight days at sea and we cannot imagine being quarantined during the crossing with no way to get off the ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Oklahoma Cruiser 2012 said:

I'd be coughing and hacking the entire time I was being "thrown off".  Covid theater is the equivalent of the theater of the absurd. 

No one would care.   They have agents in Kevlar suits with respirators escort you off spraying a disinfectant behind you as you walk.  Personal Experience -   They then just dumped me in the terminal full of people.

 

 

 

[LGW59]

11 minutes ago, hottro said:

We were on the Iceland Ireland Cruise on the Apex with a sailing date of June 7,2022.  I tested positive on the 8th day of the cruise and we (my wife elected to go with me) were whisked away to Deck 3 from our Sky Suite. We were at sea on that day. After looking around and spending about 15 minutes in that small room with a window but no balcony and cleaning supplies on a table (which were there because no one from the crew was going to clean the room besides us) we decided we did not want to spend the next 5 days in quarantine until the shipped docked in Amsterdam.  We got off the ship in the next port which was Belfast. We stayed there a few days and went home.

 

We just cancelled a transatlantic cruise on the Apex which sails Oct 29,2022 from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. This cruise includes 6 straight days at sea and we cannot imagine being quarantined during the crossing with no way to get off the ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry you tested positive and more sorry Celebrity opted to pull the phony charade they randomly implement with the isolation cabin game.  I’ve canceled my October and December cruises with celebrity for this very reason.  I’ll just have to suffer through 3 weeks in Ireland instead.

[twincheryl]

15 minutes ago, hottro said:

After looking around and spending about 15 minutes in that small room with a window but no balcony and cleaning supplies on a table (which were there because no one from the crew was going to clean the room besides us) we decided we did not want to spend the next 5 days in quarantine until the shipped docked in Amsterdam.  We got off the ship in the next port which was Belfast. We stayed there a few days and went home.

Did the cruise line levy a fee for debarking early?  I have read here on CC that has happened to some folks.

 

That would definitely be my plan...  We rarely book cruises with more than 2 sea days in a row, so would be fairly easy.  That was our backup plan on our May 10nt Pac Coastal to do just that... thank goodness we didn't need to.

[Oklahoma Cruiser 2012]

37 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

No one would care.   They have agents in Kevlar suits with respirators escort you off spraying a disinfectant behind you as you walk.  Personal Experience -   They then just dumped me in the terminal full of people.

 

 

 

For some reason, I expected a man in the front ringing a bell and another behind pushing a wagon. And @bgrmini, About as well attended as your attempt at comedy, I suspect. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 hours ago, quicklabs said:

Thank you.  The psychological stress has been very high.  I am a person who does not do well indoors.  We sleep with windows wide open even in the winter.  Takes all of my stress management skills to cope with this.  It feels like imprisonment at times.  I sometimes feel like a fool for self reporting.

My wife told them that a prisoner gets atleast one hour outside everyday and was transferred to a balcony room on the Apex TA from an OV 

[mafig]

OP, what were your symptoms that made you self-report?

 

How are you feeling (physically, not mentally) now?  Have they given you any meds?  Taken your temperature?  Or just left  you?

[hottro]

4 hours ago, twincheryl said:

Did the cruise line levy a fee for debarking early?  I have read here on CC that has happened to some folks.

 

That would definitely be my plan...  We rarely book cruises with more than 2 sea days in a row, so would be fairly easy.  That was our backup plan on our May 10nt Pac Coastal to do just that... thank goodness we didn't need to.

No they did not levy a fee. Customer Service  was very accommodating and they arranged to carry our bags to the taxi stand and loaded them on the taxi. We were supposed to be on a B2B after this cruise and Celebrity cancelled that right away.  They also allowed us to call anywhere with no charge while we were in quarantine and that enabled us to change our flight plans. 

 

I am still concerned that there may be cruisers that develop covid while aboard their ship and know they have it (since so many self-test kits are now available) but do not say anything for fear of being quarantined. We hope to cruise again but have cancelled one in October and another next January and will wait to see how the Cruise Lines handle these covid issues going forward.

 

 

[quicklabs]

6 hours ago, mafig said:

OP, what were your symptoms that made you self-report?

 

How are you feeling (physically, not mentally) now?  Have they given you any meds?  Taken your temperature?  Or just left  you?

Physically, my husband and I are both doing well.  I self reported because I had a bit of a cough, a headache and malaise.  Later, I developed a low grade fever and was very fatigued .  The quarantine concierge checked on me by phone every day, but I never saw medical after being placed in quarantine.  If I would have needed meds, I could have called and they would have been delivered. M I had my own thermometer and Tylenol which I brought from home.  I did get some cough drops.  

[chamima]

19 hours ago, quicklabs said:

When my husband tested positive four days later, I was hoping they would move me back into our beautiful Celebrity suite, since we would both be well able to finish a quarantine there and disembark on schedule.  But no, they made him relocate from the suite to this pitiful OV stateroom.  I cannot find the logic in this.

 

17 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

To be taken from a Celebrity Suite to an OV on Deck 3 is unacceptable.  I can not imagine having no fresh air for 8 days and counting.  I feel bad for you and dh.  It is very gracious for you to say Celebrity is doing all they can........

 

I also think that to be taken from a Celebrity Suite to an OV is unacceptable.

I am really sorry you're sick and even sorrier this happened to you!

Someone earlier in the year reported that she had claustrophobia and refused the inside cabin and was moved to a balcony. It certainly sounds like, while you may not actually have claustrophobia,  you are experiencing mental anguish and I don't think you should be as accepting as you have been to your accommodations.

 

We also will continue to cancel future cruises until we're sure that , if sick, we can either remain in our booked cabin or, at the least, be moved to something with a balcony.

 

 

 

14 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

The crew is isolating not COVID positive big difference. They are keeping all COVID positive crew and guests on deck 3 so they can watch them not everyone will stay in there cabin. Lets not forget COVID almost put the cruise industry out of business. I have little doubt if they have a major outbreak the CDC will shut them down again. We all know before we leave home that if we test positive its OV on deck 3 that we go to. We have the option of staying home or take our chance.

 

I don't agree that everyone knows they'll be moved to deck three. Lots of reports of people being moved to balcony cabins. (And some even getting to stay in their own cabins)

It does however seem to vary by ship and even by sailing.

Someone posted a thread about a month ago trying to determine what would happen if they got Covid on their cruise and they got multiple different responses.

If Celebrity wants people to feel confident booking and sailing I think they need to put out a fleet wide statement of what will happen if one tests positive during a cruise. (And then stick to it!)

[quicklabs]

1 hour ago, chamima said:

 

 

I also think that to be taken from a Celebrity Suite to an OV is unacceptable.

I am really sorry you're sick and even sorrier this happened to you!

Someone earlier in the year reported that she had claustrophobia and refused the inside cabin and was moved to a balcony. It certainly sounds like, while you may not actually have claustrophobia,  you are experiencing mental anguish and I don't think you should be as accepting as you have been to your accommodations.

 

We also will continue to cancel future cruises until we're sure that , if sick, we can either remain in our booked cabin or, at the least, be moved to something with a balcony.

 

 

 

 

I don't agree that everyone knows they'll be moved to deck three. Lots of reports of people being moved to balcony cabins. (And some even getting to stay in their own cabins)

It does however seem to vary by ship and even by sailing.

Someone posted a thread about a month ago trying to determine what would happen if they got Covid on their cruise and they got multiple different responses.

If Celebrity wants people to feel confident booking and sailing I think they need to put out a fleet wide statement of what will happen if one tests positive during a cruise. (And then stick to it!)

I was very surprised when they said I would be on Deck 3 instead of a balcony.   It added to my shock and sadness.  Based on others reports, I thought I would be on Deck 6.  I asked about a cabin with the possibility of fresh air.  They said that if I had a balcony, the air flow from it would compromise the health of others!!  Unbelievable.  I cried when they took me down the service elevators, knowing that the next 10 days would be difficult.  When my hubby tested positive with 6 days left in the cruise, we hoped we could be together on the Celebrity Suite that he was asked to vacate, but no dice.  No one, obviously, would be occupying the suite and we were on track to disembark as scheduled. 

 

I am canceling the cruises we had booked for winter.   We have a Royal Suite booked for the Equinox that I was so looking forward to, but I can't take the chance of this happening again.

[twentyknots]

It's been 3 years since our last cruise.  We really want to cruise again.  We were real close to booking a cruise for December but couldn't get past the risk of having to quarantine.  Many seem to dodge the bullet and have a great cruise, but a few like the OP are not so lucky.  So sorry you and your husband are having to endure this.

 

Someone said that 2020 logic is being applied to a 2022 sickness.  I think there is a lot of truth in that.  I wonder if I my wife and I were in the same situation as the OP and her husband would we report ourselves.  If we were going on a cruise we would  bring Covid test kits and we would ask our doctor if he would prescribe Paxlovid for us just in case.  If we tested ourselves and one or both was positive but we felt like we had a bad cold or the flu we could start the 5 day Paxlovid and self quarantine in our suite.  

 

Is that a selfish, inconsiderate thing to do?

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, quicklabs said:

I was very surprised when they said I would be on Deck 3 instead of a balcony.   It added to my shock and sadness.  Based on others reports, I thought I would be on Deck 6.  I asked about a cabin with the possibility of fresh air.  They said that if I had a balcony, the air flow from it would compromise the health of others!!  Unbelievable.  I cried when they took me down the service elevators, knowing that the next 10 days would be difficult.  When my hubby tested positive with 6 days left in the cruise, we hoped we could be together on the Celebrity Suite that he was asked to vacate, but no dice.  No one, obviously, would be occupying the suite and we were on track to disembark as scheduled. 

 

I am canceling the cruises we had booked for winter.   We have a Royal Suite booked for the Equinox that I was so looking forward to, but I can't take the chance of this happening again.

It is such a joke and a game of smoke and mirrors that they continue the totally false sense of “security “ in moving people from their cabin down to the bowels of the ship.  Like you we’ve canceled our two upcoming 2022 cruises as from what I’ve read the policy is so willy nilly and who the hell knows what they will do from cruise to cruise.  I hope that you and your husband stay well and glad you are not giving them any of your $$$ right now!

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, quicklabs said:

They said that if I had a balcony, the air flow from it would compromise the health of others!! 

This is total BS.

[mafig]

20 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

It's been 3 years since our last cruise.  We really want to cruise again.  We were real close to booking a cruise for December but couldn't get past the risk of having to quarantine.  Many seem to dodge the bullet and have a great cruise, but a few like the OP are not so lucky.  So sorry you and your husband are having to endure this.

 

Someone said that 2020 logic is being applied to a 2022 sickness.  I think there is a lot of truth in that.  I wonder if I my wife and I were in the same situation as the OP and her husband would we report ourselves.  If we were going on a cruise we would  bring Covid test kits and we would ask our doctor if he would prescribe Paxlovid for us just in case.  If we tested ourselves and one or both was positive but we felt like we had a bad cold or the flu we could start the 5 day Paxlovid and self quarantine in our suite.  

 

Is that a selfish, inconsiderate thing to do?

 

If that's selfish, and inconsiderate, consider me to be that also.

 

We were on NCL Joy in April.  Didn't get Covid.  Crew wore masks but most passengers did not.  We actually forgot all about it.

 

I really don't know if I would even think I had Covid with a headache.  

[RichYak]

21 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

If we tested ourselves and one or both was positive but we felt like we had a bad cold or the flu we could start the 5 day Paxlovid and self quarantine in our suite.  

 

Is that a selfish, inconsiderate thing to do?

Sounds reasonable to me. I'm sure it's more than what many others are doing on board.

[carolina_yankee]

26 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

It's been 3 years since our last cruise.  We really want to cruise again.  We were real close to booking a cruise for December but couldn't get past the risk of having to quarantine.  Many seem to dodge the bullet and have a great cruise, but a few like the OP are not so lucky.  So sorry you and your husband are having to endure this.

 

Someone said that 2020 logic is being applied to a 2022 sickness.  I think there is a lot of truth in that.  I wonder if I my wife and I were in the same situation as the OP and her husband would we report ourselves.  If we were going on a cruise we would  bring Covid test kits and we would ask our doctor if he would prescribe Paxlovid for us just in case.  If we tested ourselves and one or both was positive but we felt like we had a bad cold or the flu we could start the 5 day Paxlovid and self quarantine in our suite.  

 

Is that a selfish, inconsiderate thing to do?

 

Some doctors are advising patients to not use Paxlovid if their symptoms aren't severe. There is growing evidence of rebound COVID related to Paxlovid. It both happened to a friend of mine and to none other than Dr. Fauci. Another friend's doctor did prescribe Paxolovid for him but told him not get it filled unless his symptoms got worse. They never did so he recovered on his own.

 

That's the problem with COVID, last year's, last month's, even last week's protocols aren't necessarily appropriate to this week. 

 

With the regard to quarantine, I think the cruise lines might be best served by simply offering a quarantine cabin rather than requiring it. I can see in the case for separate cabins in the case of negative-testing partner, but it should be personal choice.