Do not underestimate how awful it is to be in quarantine on board for 10 days....

[Jim_Iain]

18 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

People keep mentioning the CDC. This sailing was in Europe though. I thought once cruises were in European waters they were under the jurisdiction of whatever countries they are starting or ending the cruise in so CDC rules would not apply? I assume though that the European Union had similar rules to the CDC.

I noticed all these recommendations also --- BUT from CDC Site - they stopped monitoring ships and now only offer guidelines and leave it to the Cruislines.

 

 

As of July 18, 2022, CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward. For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

 

[Ronin23]

2 hours ago, drarill said:

I don't want to burst your bubble,  but the truth is that a history of a recent COVID infection doesn't mean  you can't catch the virus again.  A friend of mine just tested positive only six weeks after her first COVID infection, and she is double boosted.   Looks like is the new variant;  BA-5 evades immunity from previous infections, including Omicron, and vaccination. Hope you have a wonderful trip.  I believe that those of us that already had the virus, need to be more careful.  I caught it on the Edge and my husband didn't,  we were together all the time, I used a mask all the time, he didn't. Unlike those that say that everyone is going to get it, I believe that some people are never going to get it, do they have an innate immunity against the corona virus? We have tested our antibodies level (quantitative) and he always had better results.  But the truth is that  I have no idea...  I do know that we don't want to get this many times, is still too soon to know all the permanent damage that this virus could do on your body.

To the OP @busymumofthree Thanks for doing the  right thing. IMHO  some of the CDC's guidelines right now don't make too much sense. Still, I understand why many don't want to report their symptoms because they fear being sent to isolation.  What I don't get is why if they are sneezing and coughing is better to think that is allergies. If someone is planning not to inform the cruise line if they get sick, at least, have a plan based on science.  Bring many and I mean, many home tests, bring medicines (including Paxlovid ( if a friendly doctor is willing to give you a prescription), bring medical grade masks (N95, KN95) to use when you move from your room to other areas of the ship.  Get your food at the Oceanview Café and take the food to an outside area, where you can eat with your partner. Etc. Etc....Shouldn't be that hard

Never said I wasn’t at risk of getting COVID again, only highlighting that getting it a few weeks prior would certainly lessen the risk of re infection. It will be 4 weeks between infection and boarding the cruise.

[canderson]

47 minutes ago, RichYak said:

These options exist currently. You don't need to involve Celebrity for Option 1.

Really?  Had not heard anyone being offered this, much less anyone accepting it.  AFAIK, while some have begged and been provided special dispensation, if you're told by Celebrity to move, you move, irrespective of any compensation plan.  Let me reiterate what I said so we can be more specific:

 

1) Let me stay in my nice cabin for my quarantine period and I won't accept the pro-rated refund for the number of days I'm in isolation

 

Edit:  Ah, you mean if one doesn't come up with a positive test, it becomes a "Don't ask, don't tell" proposition?

I've been under the impression that self-quarantine tends to be noticed and reported by crew.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2022 by canderson

[BratDet]

1 hour ago, colliercruiser said:

@BratDet Many of the prior postings state that they were moved to a different “isolation” cabin in a separate area of the ship, but you indicated that you were allowed to stay in your suite.  Did they give you that option or did you have to insist?

Nope, they just let us stay and food and drinks were delivered to us. We were also told we could make free calls home and free PPV movies. Didn’t avail ourselves of that.
b

[canderson]

4 minutes ago, BratDet said:

Nope, they just let us stay and food and drinks were delivered to us. We were also told we could make free calls home and free PPV movies. Didn’t avail ourselves of that.
b

Were you due to disembark the next day?  Anecdotally, being allowed to stay where you are sometimes depends upon how soon they'll be getting you off the ship.  Which cabin class, specifically?

Edited July 25, 2022 by canderson

[BratDet]

We got a letter we were given 250$ oBC, we had about 380 in non refundable obc they would not turn into refundable. So there’s a loss- I had fully intended to use the OBC the last two nights of the cruise. We were also told we would get a phone call regarding compensation for missed cruise time. I’m wondering if that was a true statement…I’m grateful I’m off work for summer and didn’t have to call out- the symptoms really roll in and out like the tide. My brain still is cloudy. I read an entire book in one day on the cruise and can’t get back to reading more than little snippets here since testing positive. I finished the two bottles of nyguil they gave us.
b

[BratDet]

3 minutes ago, canderson said:

Were you due to disembark the next day?  Anecdotally, being allowed to stay where you are sometimes depends upon how soon they'll be getting you off the ship.  Which cabin class, specifically?

We were in s2 suite Friday afternoon test. Disembarked Sunday morning.

b

[vjmatty]

20 minutes ago, BratDet said:

We got a letter we were given 250$ oBC, we had about 380 in non refundable obc they would not turn into refundable. So there’s a loss- I had fully intended to use the OBC the last two nights of the cruise. We were also told we would get a phone call regarding compensation for missed cruise time. I’m wondering if that was a true statement…I’m grateful I’m off work for summer and didn’t have to call out- the symptoms really roll in and out like the tide. My brain still is cloudy. I read an entire book in one day on the cruise and can’t get back to reading more than little snippets here since testing positive. I finished the two bottles of nyguil they gave us.
b

There was no way to spend the $380? I’d be sending someone to buy bottles of spirits in the shops lol

[BratDet]

2 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

There was no way to spend the $380? I’d be sending someone to buy bottles of spirits in the shops lol

There was a watch I woulda grabbed. I coulda done face time shopping…at that point though we were under impression it would be turned into refundable….we were told next morning no when we asked if it was done.

b

[vjmatty]

7 minutes ago, BratDet said:

There was a watch I woulda grabbed. I coulda done face time shopping…at that point though we were under impression it would be turned into refundable….we were told next morning no when we asked if it was done.

b

Well that’s unfortunate. I’d have held out too if I thought they’d refund it to me.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Really?  Had not heard anyone being offered this, much less anyone accepting it.  AFAIK, while some have begged and been provided special dispensation, if you're told by Celebrity to move, you move, irrespective of any compensation plan.  Let me reiterate what I said so we can be more specific:

 

1) Let me stay in my nice cabin for my quarantine period and I won't accept the pro-rated refund for the number of days I'm in isolation

 

Edit:  Ah, you mean if one doesn't come up with a positive test, it becomes a "Don't ask, don't tell" proposition?

I've been under the impression that self-quarantine tends to be noticed and reported by crew.

 

 

Your #1 works if you have enough days left on the cruise to complete your quarantine and/or you're b2b on the next cruise. We were in a Sky Suite when I tested positive on the next to last day of the cruise and were due to fly home 2 days later.  There were others who were in a SS and were to be b2b so they were allowed to stay in their cabin. There were enough Covid positive guests who took the offer to stay onboard to complete quarantine on the next cruise and enough empty cabins available that the ship was able to free up the aft starboard side of deck 6 for "quarantine"  cabins by moving those who were booked on deck 6 to other decks. 

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Were you due to disembark the next day?  Anecdotally, being allowed to stay where you are sometimes depends upon how soon they'll be getting you off the ship.  Which cabin class, specifically?

 

In the current CDC guidelines I was reading today there was a note about disembarking in the next 36 hrs being able to stay in your original cabin.  

 

Not sure of the science behind that number.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid-19-cruise-ship-guidance.html

 

Cruise ship operators should consider the following elements when isolating cases or quarantining close contacts:

• Isolating or quarantining travelers in single-occupancy cabins, with private bathrooms, with the door closed.
• Designating isolation and quarantine cabins in areas separate from other cabins.
  • If a traveler is identified as a case or a close contact is disembarking the ship within 36 hours, it may be more practical for the cruise ship operator to keep the traveler in their original cabin if the traveler will be the only person in that cabin.
• Ensuring isolated travelers (except if the traveler is a child or other dependent person who needs a caregiver) do not have direct contact with other travelers except for designated medical staff.
  • Asymptomatic travelers with confirmed COVID-19 may share a cabin.
• Ensuring designated medical staff or other personnel wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) per CDC guidance when in proximity to isolated or quarantined travelers.
• Delivering meals to individual cabins with no face-to-face interaction during this service.
• Ensuring cabins housing isolated or quarantined travelers are not cleaned by crew members. Supplies such as paper towels, cleaners, disinfectants, and extra linens should be provided to isolated or quarantined persons so they can clean their cabin by themselves as necessary.
  • Food waste and other trash should be collected and bagged by the isolated or quarantined traveler and placed outside the cabin during designated times for transport to the waste management center for incineration or offloading.
  • Soiled linens and towels should be bagged in a manner that limits exposure to crew members (e.g., water-soluble bags, biohazard double-bags) by the isolated or quarantined traveler and placed outside the cabin during designated times for transport to the laundry room.
• Use of surveillance cameras or security personnel to ensure compliance with isolation or quarantine protocols wherever possible.
• Potential criteria when selecting cabins for isolation or quarantine:
  • Proximity to the medical facility and gangways for ease of patient transport
  • Location in dead-end corridors or low-traffic areas to minimize potential exposures
  • Spacing between other occupied cabins to reduce transmission risk
  • Absence of interconnecting doors to reduce accidental exposures
  • Positioning within view of security cameras for enforcement of isolation or quarantine
  • Presence of balconies for psychological morale

Edited July 25, 2022 by wrk2cruise

[canderson]

2 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

In the current CDC guidelines I was reading today there was a note about disembarking in the next 36 hrs being able to stay in your original cabin.  

 

Not sure of the science behind that number.

I think you're probably talking about this - no more than a matter of convenience vs. 'science'.  They do tend to comply with the last item on a willy-nilly basis.  Items in red particularly applicable to location of quarantine cabins:

 

 

Considerations for Isolation or Quarantine

Cruise ship operators should consider the following elements when isolating cases or quarantining close contacts:

...

 

Considerations for Isolation or Quarantine

Cruise ship operators should consider the following elements when isolating cases or quarantining close contacts:

• Isolating or quarantining travelers in single-occupancy cabins, with private bathrooms, with the door closed.
• Designating isolation and quarantine cabins in areas separate from other cabins.
  • If a traveler is identified as a case or a close contact is disembarking the ship within 36 hours, it may be more practical for the cruise ship operator to keep the traveler in their original cabin if the traveler will be the only person in that cabin.
  • Ensuring isolated travelers (except if the traveler is a child or other dependent person who needs a caregiver) do not have direct contact with other travelers except for designated medical staff.
    • Asymptomatic travelers with confirmed COVID-19 may share a cabin.
  • Ensuring designated medical staff or other personnel wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) per CDC guidance when in proximity to isolated or quarantined travelers.
  • Delivering meals to individual cabins with no face-to-face interaction during this service.
  • Ensuring cabins housing isolated or quarantined travelers are not cleaned by crew members. Supplies such as paper towels, cleaners, disinfectants, and extra linens should be provided to isolated or quarantined persons so they can clean their cabin by themselves as necessary.
    • Food waste and other trash should be collected and bagged by the isolated or quarantined traveler and placed outside the cabin during designated times for transport to the waste management center for incineration or offloading.
    • Soiled linens and towels should be bagged in a manner that limits exposure to crew members (e.g., water-soluble bags, biohazard double-bags) by the isolated or quarantined traveler and placed outside the cabin during designated times for transport to the laundry room.

 

• Use of surveillance cameras or security personnel to ensure compliance with isolation or quarantine protocols wherever possible.
• Potential criteria when selecting cabins for isolation or quarantine:
  • Proximity to the medical facility and gangways for ease of patient transport
  • Location in dead-end corridors or low-traffic areas to minimize potential exposures
  • Spacing between other occupied cabins to reduce transmission risk
  • Absence of interconnecting doors to reduce accidental exposures
  • Positioning within view of security cameras for enforcement of isolation or quarantine
  • Presence of balconies for psychological morale

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

I've been under the impression that self-quarantine tends to be noticed and reported by crew.

What gave you that impression?

[canderson]

30 minutes ago, RichYak said:

What gave you that impression?

Previous posts some time back about cabin attendants taking note of pax who were always present, didn't leave their cabins during servicing and wouldn't make contact (i.e., would stay on their balconies).  Couldn't come up with the right search words.

[jg51]

12 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I noticed all these recommendations also --- BUT from CDC Site - they stopped monitoring ships and now only offer guidelines and leave it to the Cruislines.  As of July 18, 2022, CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward. For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

 

.

Hello, Jim (and "busymumofthree" [OP, thanks for this thread]).

 

Jim, we recall seeing your posts [on multiple threads] describing how you were ...

~~ (1) booked on back-to-back[-to-back?] cruises, earlier this year (2022) ...

~~ (2) tested at the end of cruise #1 and found to be positive for CoViD-19 ...

~~ (3) forced to leave the ship at the end of cruise #1.

 

Jim, we don't understand how/why you were treated so differently from "busymumofthree."  Why were you "booted off the boat," while the OP and her husband were allowed to remain aboard (quarantined) -- even into the next cruise (which they had not even booked)?

 

Before we began to read what happened to either of you, we had booked ourselves on back-to-back cruises in August (less than a month from today).  Now we don't know what in the world to expect -- and we don't know what precautions, if any, we should take! 

 

In other words, we don't know if we should intentionally decrease our enjoyment of the first cruise (always wearing masks, using room service instead of dining rooms, staying away from all other people, etc.) to lower the odds of testing positive at the end of cruise #1 -- out of fear of being sent home (as you were, Jim) and missing cruise #2.

 

Does Celebrity's current (July) course of action -- whether removing people from a ship [Jim] or putting them into quarantine [busymumofthree] -- now depend on the embarkation/disembarkation port/nation, or does Celebrity now do the same thing throughout the world (quarantining)?  Is the procedure consistent or inconsistent?  Does anyone really know?

 

If we knew, with certainty, that we could remain aboard for cruise #2 (even though quarantined) after testing positive at the end of cruise #1, we would relax and enjoy cruise #1 (unmasked, using dining rooms, etc.).  In other words, we would rather remain aboard for cruise #2 (despite the great restrictions) than be forced to go home.  [We would hate, even more than being quarantined during cruise #2, the thought of the alternative scenario (being forced to cut the trip short ... packing ... being quarantined at disembarkaion (?) ... flying home ... unpacking ... trying to get refunds ... having to find and book a new cruise and flights ... packing again ... etc.).]

 

Actually, we are hoping that "X" will stop both pre-cruise testing and the testing of back-to-back guests at the end of cruise #1!  We are waiting/hoping for such an announcement from Royal Caribbean Group, any day now.

.

Edited July 26, 2022 by jg51

[BratDet]

48 minutes ago, jg51 said:

In other words, we would rather remain aboard for cruise #2 (despite the great restrictions) than be forced to go home.  

 

Trust me JG51, as sick as I felt- as much as I LOVE and MISSED cruising- I could not wait to get off the ship. Better to be able to monitor, and fight this variant from home...(a few more from our cruise are reporting positives...)

Bernadette

.

 

[Sykes]

As another datapoint, we were allowed to stay in our S2 Sky Suite on the Beyond with 4 days left on the sailing. I don't think it was an issue around the availability of quarantine cabins because we were both symptomatic but my wife tested negative while I tested positive so we were given the option of separating if we thought there was any hope that she'd be spared. (We stayed together and she tested positive the next day.) When we asked if we'd be allowed to stay in our room the nurse in the medical center responded in a tone that seemed like "of course you will, what a silly question".

 

In the end it worked out well for us. We were feeling bad enough that we would have stayed in our cabin even if we didn't have to, so at least we got a pro-rated refund and upgraded room service out of it.

[wrk2cruise]

@jg51  Not Jim here but the policy is different between Europe sailings and US sailings.   On US sailings the ability to stay onboard to finish quarantine terminated on June 30 where in Europe it terminates on Nov 30.   I believe the policy to allow passengers to stay onboard to finish quarantine was introduced after Jim's TA.

 

I can't find any policy which is effective for current sailings from the US dealing with quarantine.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/cel-covid-19-cancellations-and-refunds-policy.pdf

[Ex-Airbalancer]

21 minutes ago, Sykes said:

As another datapoint, we were allowed to stay in our S2 Sky Suite on the Beyond with 4 days left on the sailing. I don't think it was an issue around the availability of quarantine cabins because we were both symptomatic but my wife tested negative while I tested positive so we were given the option of separating if we thought there was any hope that she'd be spared. (We stayed together and she tested positive the next day.) When we asked if we'd be allowed to stay in our room the nurse in the medical center responded in a tone that seemed like "of course you will, what a silly question".

 

In the end it worked out well for us. We were feeling bad enough that we would have stayed in our cabin even if we didn't have to, so at least we got a pro-rated refund and upgraded room service out of it.

Up grade room service 😱

the food my wife got for 9 days was mostly terrible, cold , the orders were mostly wrong  wine spilled all over the tray 

 

It been 3 months and only last week did I talk with someone in the executive office, and they will look into the matter 

[Sykes]

5 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Up grade room service 😱

the food my wife got for 9 days was mostly terrible, cold , the orders were mostly wrong  wine spilled all over the tray 

Oof, that's rough. 😞 Our orders were mostly correct and delivered in a timely manner. Our Retreat Host delivered all of our meals personally, and she was able to quickly correct anything about the order that didn't meet our expectations.

 

I guess it just goes to further show that the isolation/quarantine experience varies significantly across the fleet.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Sykes

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Just now, Sykes said:

Oof, that's rough. 😞 Our orders were mostly correct and delivered in a timely manner. Our Retreat Host delivered all of our meals personally, and she was able to quickly correct anything about the order that didn't meet our expectations.

That was the difference, Celebrity treated people differently when you book a suite compared to a standard room 

Room service would tell her the bar was closed when she ordered a drink ! 
she order an omelet with a side order of spinach, she would get 2 cold omelettes , one was spinach, but no side order of spinach 
I would than have to get most of eatable food from OV  cafe , but since she was at the bow of the ship the food would be cold 

And since I could eat and drink in my cabin , by the time I could my food to the cabin it was also cold 

[jg51]

4 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

@jg51  Not Jim here but the policy is different between Europe sailings and US sailings.   On US sailings the ability to stay onboard to finish quarantine terminated on June 30 where in Europe it terminates on Nov 30.   I believe the policy to allow passengers to stay onboard to finish quarantine was introduced after Jim's TA.

 

I can't find any policy which is effective for current sailings from the US dealing with quarantine.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/cel-covid-19-cancellations-and-refunds-policy.pdf

.

Thanks, "wrk2cruise," for going to the trouble of posting this information for us.  Reading what you wrote (and linked) caused a new question to occur to us ...

 

On July 18, the CDC stated that effective immediately, the CoViD-19 program for Cruise Ships (which had provided [voluntary] guidelines for pre-cruise and onboard health and safety protocols -- as well as the color classification system for cruise ships) was terminated.  So ... in light of that CDC cancellation ... would it be correct to say that no mandatory quarantine (in a hotel) exists any longer for a cruise-ship guest [U.S. citizen] who is forced to disembark at a U.S. port after having tesed positive for the virus/disease?

 

Also ...

We read (and understood) the PDF that you kindly linked for us.  We noticed the final paragraph, which begins with these words: "The terms of this Policy are valid from the Effective Date below [May 13, 2022], subject to change, and will remain in full force until we choose, in our sole discretion, to update or modify all or part of it. Updates or the modifications may be made and shall be effective without publication ...". 

 

If onboard testing of back-to-back guests must (unfortunately and, in our opinion, inappropriately) continue in August, then we hope that Celebrity will allow the pre-June-30 "terms of the policy" to accommodate folks like us, who may fail a test on the last day of our cruise #1.  [Further complicating the situation is the following fact, which we didn't mention earlier (in order to keep things simple):  We are also booked on a third consecutive cruise!  That is yet another reason that we would so badly want to remain aboard during cruise #2, even if we had to be quarantined for the whole darned thing!]

 

Thanks again.

.

Edited July 26, 2022 by jg51

[di T]

1 minute ago, jg51 said:

.

Thanks, "wrk2cruise," for going to the trouble of posting this information for us.  Reading what you wrote (and linked) caused a new question to occur to us ...

 

On July 18, the CDC stated that effective immediately, the CoViD-19 program for Cruise Ships (which had provided [voluntary] guidelines for pre-cruise and onboard health and safety protocols -- as well as the color classification system for cruise ships) was terminated.  So ... in light of that CDC cancellation ... would it be correct to say that no mandatory quarantine (in a hotel) exists any longer for a cruise-ship guest who is forced to disembark after having tesed positive for the virus/disease?

 

Also ...

We read (and understood) the PDF that you kindly linked for us.  We noticed the final paragraph, which begins with these words: "The terms of this Policy are valid from the Effective Date below [May 13, 2022], subject to change, and will remain in full force until we choose, in our sole discretion, to update or modify all or part of it. Updates or the modifications may be made and shall be effective without publication ...". 

 

If onboard testing of back-to-back guests must (unfortunately and, in our opinion, inappropriately) continue in August, then we hope that Celebrity will allow the pre-June-30 "terms of the policy" to accommodate folks like us, who may fail a test on the last day of our cruise #1.  [Further complicating the situation is the following fact, which we didn't mention earlier (in order to keep things simple):  We are also booked on a third consecutive cruise!  That is yet another reason that we would so badly want to remain aboard during cruise #2, even if we had to be quarantined for the whole darned thing!]

 

Thanks again.

.We did a b2b on Royal last month and they had stopped the need to test at the end of the first leg. In September we will be b2b on Reflection and believed this testing had stopped

 

[jg51]

3 hours ago, di T said:

We did a b2b on Royal last month and they had stopped the need to test at the end of the first leg. In September we will be b2b on Reflection and believed this testing had stopped

.

Needless to say, "di T," we are thrilled to read what you just told us about your June experience ... and we hope that the same will be true for us in August: NO testing for back-to-back guests!  Unfortunately, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity sometimes do things a bit differently from each other ... so we cannot be certain, at this point in time.

 

May we ask this:

What were your RCI ship, your embarkation port, and your disembarkation port?  Thanks.

.