zaxanon6

55 minutes ago, jan7summit said:

Seems that your sailing is the worst in the Celebrity fleet. Summit,edge have made all their stops. Others have only missed because of the island not accepting any ships. Ill be on there Jan 24. I hope the group before us don’t have the problems you are. I assume all ships will make masks a must from now on.

Equinox has had a harder time than us. I believe they missed 4 port calls (2 originally scheduled and 2 replacements). They also seemed to have higher case numbers (though stopped announcing them). I hope better protocols are in place and the wave is trending down by your sailing.

2 minutes ago, isdoo said:

 

They are allowed off the ship. They had to do tours (AFAIK) , but were allowed off. 

That is not what our waiters have shared, but good if some crew have been allowed off.

Good morning, not from Bimini.

The sunrise was lovely as we arrived on schedule and made a turn towards the island. But then we spun around to put the nose into the wind and just hung out for an hour. Finally the Captain made the announcement that we had been denied docking. Another 6 passengers and 8 crew have tested positive, for totals of 44 and 13.

It's disappointing to miss another port call, but I'm thankful that there are not a huge number of new cases and hope everyone recovers quickly. The port call seems insignificant with all the other worries folks have. No idea where we're going to spend the day since we're already so close to Port Everglades; we're headed WSW at 7kts right now.

6 hours ago, UKcruisers10 said:

I'm from England and am also on this cruise. Thank you for your wonderful posts. I don't normally post, but what has just happened now has moved me to. My mother and I have cruised over 40 times with Celebrity. I don't think we will again. We have to have a lateral flow test to fly to the UK. Before we boarded we checked we could have it with Celebrity on the ship before we got off. We booked it with Celebrity on the ship for the last day of the cruise (tomorrow). This has now, at the last minute, been cancelled. We were just informed tonight. They are now taking place once we get off the ship, in the terminal, and we 'should' get the results in two hours.This has so many potentially negative consequences for us and I just thought people should know if they are put in a similar situation. 

I'm sorry to hear this. So much anxiety is not the way to end a vacation. Did they give you a reason why? They've run out of tests onboard, no one's available to do the tests, they can't process the results today, etc?

It's been quite unnerving reading the quarantine thread and roll call on Equinox. I hope Celebrity learns and never allows a situation like that again, but that doesn't help everyone caught up in it now. I think omicron was underestimated.

Last thought of the night - I'm blown away by the crew of the Silhouette. They are not allowed off the ship, so some have been stuck aboard 7 months or more. The biggest dangers to their health are the passengers that they spend their very long days serving.  They are still wonderfully gracious and friendly every single day, doing everything they can to make us happy. The CD just announced that the AV team and some performers are going to be available for a late musical performance in the theatre at 10pm. I imagine they're worried for their friends who are sick and for themselves as this omicron situation continues to unfold. But the show must go on. Very grateful for everything they do.

Ok, now I know it's not just me. The 'bing-bong' came over the PA system during dinner and there was an audible groan throughout the MDR. Everyone immediately went totally quiet in the whole place. The CD announced one of the main performers has tested positive, so no 7pm show tonight and maybe no 9pm show. We're still on the way to Bimini as far as we know. Tonight was the busiest the MDR has been since Christmas night, but they kept every other side-by-side table empty for social distancing.

2 hours ago, asnaleah said:

Zaxanon6, are you glad you cruised or do you think you might have been happier canceling? We have to decide about Jan 24. We really don’t want FCC because we already have so much to use.

This is a hard question for a couple reasons. One, I don't want to unduly influence anyone else. What's okay for us may not be okay for you; we all have different situations. Two, the cruise isn't over yet and I don't want to jinx us. But... as of right now, today - yes, I'm glad I came on this cruise. I LOVED the ABCs and want to go back to see more. I enjoyed Christmas onboard the ship. I am so happy to have met our wonderful waiters and steward; every time I meet people from around the world, I have more appreciation for where they're from and for my own home. 

I'm also glad I came because this cruise has shown me the limit of my comfort level. I sailed on Millennium in August to Alaska and Summit in November in the Caribbean, so I'm not new to COVID cruising. The world situation was different for each of these 3 cruises. The first 2 were barely affected by COVID, but that's obviously not the case right now. I've gotten a glimpse of how bad 'bad' can be from this experience and from others writing live threads right now, in terms of both risk of exposure and impact on the cruise. And I've realized that I don't currently feel comfortable with a cruise that doesn't originate/end in the US. I've taken a lot of comfort from knowing this ship will get me back to my country in the end no matter what happens along the way. If I had to worry about if the ship is going to be allowed to dock, testing and quarantining in a place where I don't speak the language, getting home from another continent... no, thank you. I couldn't relax with all those possibilities out there. I'm very grateful to not have found my limit because a situation pushed me past it.

Random musings (posting lets me avoid starting to pack up to go home):

On previous cruises, I've barely paid attention to the 'bing-bong' of the announcements system. You can guess what's going on based on the time of day. The morning announcements are mostly all info you'll find on the navigation channel or the Celebrity Today. If you hear it soon after docking, it means we can now go ashore. The words that came after the sound were not important.

Now, when we hear the sound, we hurry to turn on the TV or open the door and listen in the hall. There have been a few calls today for people to report to guest services immediately. I'm sure some will say we're worrying too much. I'm still holding out a little hope that we're actually going to get to Bimini tomorrow. It's not a bucket list destination or anything, but we just like to have plans and know what's coming. And that's in short supply these days.

1 hour ago, countess5 said:

You may of shared this before but how many passengers are on your cruise?

There's been multiple answers...

The Captain said a bit over 1000 on the first night. Another passenger responded that they'd been told a bit over 1400. I asked guest services and was told a bit over 1300. So... Something in that ballpark. 50% or less.

Good morning from off the coast of Cuba. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning, great weather for a walk on deck. The seas are MUCH calmer today, with just some small waves, and we have a tailwind. There are a lot of ships around us - cargo, Regents, Norwegian, and a US (I think) coast guard cutter.

From the Captain's morning announcements, we are currently still headed for Bimini. I have no idea what the Bahamas' threshold for denial of docking is, but the positive case count as of this morning is 38 passengers and 5 crew. That's 12 and 2 more than yesterday's totals, so although the numbers have increased, it's not exponential. I'm grateful that the Captain is continuing to give us information. A man in an elevator yesterday said 'everyone' on deck 7 is sick, but that appears to have been an exaggeration. The Captain again strongly recommended (twice) that everyone wear masks unless eating or drinking and social distance around the ship.

Today will probably be another quiet day. Looking forward to going back to the MDR again and seeing our wonderful team.

42 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

I have a question for you. Are the shows available in your cabin via closed circuit tv?

I confess I've watched little TV on the ship, but I polled my family and they've seen the holiday production, as well as the Beyond the Podium lectures on the TV. All were recordings after the fact, not live.

45 minutes ago, TourDeCruise said:

Darn it. I've seen the glass blowing a couple times. I need Lawn Club Indian food. lol.

I think two things have been confused. The 'Taste of Taj X' is at Sushi on Five, and I don't know if other ships besides Silhouette have it. The Lawn Club Grill is separate; we went there a few days ago (and unfortunately left disappointed).

However, Taj X tonight was amazing. We are lucky to have multiple very good Indian restaurants in our hometown, and this was just as good if not better. They decorated Sushi on Five for the occasion, giving the place a different feel. The menu was the same as previously posted, and it was $40pp. Our waiter was not from India, but our assistant waiter was. She was happy to chat with us about the food, her country, and her experience on the ship. Our waiter also talked about his experience with Celebrity; he just came onboard for a new contract. The food was wonderful; every dish was very flavorful and well cooked. It was A LOT of food, (we did not eat it all) but I was glad it was a tasting menu because I probably wouldn't tried so many things otherwise. I'd recommend this experience to anyone. If you like Indian food, you should be very happy. If you don't have experience with Indian food, it's a great way to start and they'll explain the dishes.

As one might predict, after a night of ringing in the new year, the ship was very quiet this morning. You could practically have a seating section to yourself in Oceanview, there was little competition for loungers by the pool, and there were lots of 'Deep Sleep' signs on stateroom doors. The seas are still rough (the poor Christmas tree in the library is rocking and crooked) and winds are still high (up to 35mph), but the Captain said in his morning announcements that it should get better this afternoon once we pass Haiti and start heading northwest along Cuba.

The morning announcements also revealed that another 13 passengers tested positive over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 26 passengers and 3 crew. There was no 6pm announcement of cases last night; perhaps that was a morale-based decision. Seems like everyone freezes and holds their breath whenever the overhead system goes 'bing-bong'. We are currently still on course to Bimini, so no word about entry issues with the Bahamas.

Today will likely be a quiet day with activities like watercolor painting or another Beyond the Podium lecture.

1 hour ago, lovetocruisee said:

I wonder if any of those Christmas decorations will still be there when we take over for you on Tuesday?

From today's Celebrity Today:

"Christmas Village

Our Christmas Village in the Grand Foyer will be available for viewing and picture taking until the evening of January 2nd."

I'll ask guest services if I get a chance, but I'd imagine they'll want to take off the decor and put it in storage during the turnaround between cruises.

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish you all health and happiness for 2022.

It was a great evening aboard the Silhouette. We wondered what the main dining room would serve since they'd already used the 'fancy' menu (beef wellington, lobster, lamb, etc.) for Christmas. We didn't need to worry 😉 There was more lobster, plus more special appetizers and main courses. They gave out hats, crowns, foam glow sticks, and noisemakers during dinner to get everyone more festive.

We decided to go to the String Duo party in the hopes that there would be less people. The violinists are very good (they started playing around 10:50), and the Ensemble Lounge was a nice, cozy, dark spot to hang out. A few minutes before midnight, we went out to the Grand Foyer to see the balloons drop. The overlook in the midship stairwell on deck 7 was a great spot to be able to see the band, dance floor, and balloons. Multiple waiters were walking around giving out champagne to anyone who wanted it. If there was a visible countdown (like they normally display on the pool deck), I could not see it, but the band finished a song with about 15 seconds to midnight and CD Angela led everyone in counting down the last 10 seconds. There were thankfully no malfunctions with the balloon drop, but there was one with my camera (operator error) so I unfortunately did not get it on video. I did get some photos from afterward, though, as everyone sang Auld Lang Syne. The crew did a great job with the 'backup plan' celebration. Happy 2022!

1 hour ago, cangelmd said:

First, thank you for using your precious vacay time to answer questions.

How many ports total have you missed?

No problem. We had 5 ports planned - ABC Islands, Cartegena, and Bimini. We have only missed Cartegena so far, and the ABCs were wonderful.

Finally, a happy announcement on the overhead! CD Angela let everyone know that they have gotten the casino open! She also explained why the traditional NYE party on the pool deck is not happening; the high winds are a bigger problem than the 'lumpy' seas. There is still the silent disco up there, but all the musicians will be at indoor venues. I saw the balloons ready for the Grand Foyer balloon drop earlier today on deck 5; the crewmember running the arts and crafts class said he'd set them up and the net was not at all cooperative. Instead of 30 minutes, it took him 3 hours starting at 11p last night. So everyone cross your fingers that it goes off without a hitch tonight, or he might lose his mind.

54 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Sounds like the sea is a little ' lumpy '. Are you sure the paper bag is for your mask.🤣

[Insert rimshot here] 😁

I'm unfortunately very familiar with the bags you're thinking of, and the mask bags would do a poor job in that situation. Too small and too thin.

38 minutes ago, TourDeCruise said:

I am enjoying your live report. We will be on the Equinox on the January 21st sailing. Taste of Taj X sounds very interesting. Hopefully we will have that option on the Equinox. Is the meal a sampling of various Indian dishes? Or Indian entrees and appetizers to order? Are there vegetarian options? How much is the cost per person? We love Indian food and get it often in the Oceanview Cafe when cruising.

 

Update: Yikes. Just saw that Lawn Club dining is only available on Silhouette and Reflection although it is pictured as being on Equinox.

I haven't been on Equinox, so can't say for sure. There's a live from thread for Equinox right now; you could ask there for confirmation.

I'll post the menu and cost for Taj X when we go tomorrow; there is a mix of meat and vegetarian dishes. (It was posted in Cafe Al Baccio earlier but I didn't take a picture)

6 minutes ago, dateacher said:

Love reading your report and yet and feeling more discouraged about my Feb. 4 cruise.  Hopefully, we will pass the peak of contamination by then.  Really love your positive outlook.

We're still on the uphill part of the curve; hopefully we will be starting downhill by February. I wouldn't tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do, but think everyone should make decisions based on all the information they can get. I'm glad folks are finding it helpful and hopefully don't think it's too alarmist. Our positive case rate onboard is still very low, far lower than back home. The onboard experience has changed a bit over the past two days, and that's one of the important things for future cruisers to decide if they can handle or not. But the ship is still beautiful, the crew is still friendly and caring, and there's still nothing better than taking a nap with the sound of the waves.

The crew has done a great job on short notice rejigging the schedule. Some activities were already planned even though it was supposed to be a port day, but they added new ones including performances and another Beyond the Podium about Ancient Mayan Math. Sushi on Five, Lawn Club Grill, the Porch, the MDR, and Luminae opened for lunch. Also thankful for the performers and crew who are now unexpectedly running the extra 3 NYE parties tonight.

We're rocking and rolling a bit with heavy seas and high winds (expected to be up to 40mph from the east). I went to a Mardi Gras-style mask painting activity this morning and it was hard to make straight lines as the bar-top kept moving! Rainbows appear in the the spray from the waves colliding with our wake; it's very nice to be outside.

A couple cabins on our hallway have the balcony tables sitting outside the door, which I believe means the occupants are under quarantine from contact tracing while they get tested (they left menus out for food orders, and then they'll get contactless delivery to the tables). The hallway was being disinfected when we returned from lunch. They also made an announcement that anyone needing the medical facility must call and make an appointment, do not go directly there. Mask-wearing has increased with the crew's repeated recommendations, but some (maybe 30%?) still choose not to wear them. They've started handing out paper bags in the MDR to put your mask in when not wearing it. The trip is feeling a bit less like a break from reality today, but we know this is the risk we took cruising right now.

34 minutes ago, kg1022 said:

Sorry to hear about Cartagena.  I’ll be going on my first Celebrity cruise on the Silhouette February 4th so I appreciate your updates on the conditions.  Our cruise is going to the southern Caribbean.

I was looking forward to Cartegena, but... These are the times we live in. I'm very glad the cruise lines had to have agreements to get us back into the US; would be much more concerned right now without that. And I guess I'll have to book another cruise in the future to get back here. 😉

Just had an announcement from the Captain; as the pilot was coming onboard, Cartagena notified the ship that we would not be permitted to dock. Zero warning or communication until we had already arrived. We are on our way to Bimini (assuming Bahamas lets us dock) and will have 3 days at sea instead of 2. 

Overnight, there were 4 more positive cases among passengers (13+3 total). The Captain strongly recommends everyone wear a mask and take precautions aboard. We'll get an updated schedule of activities and NYE plans from the CD later in the morning.

Good morning, but not from Cartagena...

We were supposed to dock at 5:15a. I was dozing for a while, occasionally looking to see if we were close to go take pictures. By 6:15, I was still seeing waves go by, so looked at the navigation channel - we were headed straight north at 15kts. We apparently pulled a U-turn in the harbor and left. I got a glimpse of the skyline in the distance...

It was nice to be back in the MDR tonight. The maitre d' dramatically wondered where we'd been last night when we walked up to the podium. It felt like returning to old friends; the bartender and sommelier know our orders by now, our waiters welcomed us back... This is what I love most about the dining rooms on a cruise. Our waiter wanted details about the dinner at Lawn Club and passed on the feedback. I wonder if they've been getting a lot of complaints? We were supposed to go to Murano later in the cruise but have cancelled; we've been there before and couldn't ask for better than the service and food we're getting in the MDR.

Dinner unfortunately started with another announcement from the Captain. Today there have been another 7 passengers and 2 crew that have tested positive, for a total of 9 passengers and 3 crew. And it's starting to impact on life onboard. They have officially spaced the tables in the MDR; every other one (side to side) has a sign marking it as unavailable. They are still seating guests back to back.

The crew is now required to double mask. Our waiter gave a very fatherly lecture to make sure we're careful in Cartagena tomorrow, and to wear masks for our safety. I feel it's really for his safety - this our vacation but the crew's livelihood. Two of the waiters were close contacts and had to be quarantined while waiting for test results (thankfully negative) but the other waiters had to pick up their 40 tables during that time.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Exactly two years ago, I was on Reflection and remember dinner conversation about news of a new virus in China. We had no clue then how much this would affect our lives. I think this NYE at sea will be more subdued. Instead of a big party on the pool deck, they'd already planned to move things inside due to expected rough seas (according to our sommelier). Now it looks like that Grand Foyer celebration has become multiple parties of various types (silent disco on the pool deck, Latin celebration in the Sky Lounge, string group in Ensemble, band in the Foyer). Hopefully this keeps people a little more spaced out.

Good afternoon! Today is a sea day as we sail west to Cartagena. We're back on Eastern Time (instead of Atlantic). I'm happy to have a cabin on the starboard side, as we are in the shade of the pool deck overhang all day. 😁

Today was another spa morning; had a restorative salt stone massage and am now feeling all moisturized and pliable. The spa staff is fantastic; I've been lucky to have great masseuses on Millie, Summit, and Silhouette. I spent yesterday afternoon in the Persian Garden and it was actually a little disappointing after having been on Reflection. Here it's half the size with half the heated loungers (which were totally filled up by 3:30p) and no cold room. The one free port day pass was plenty, and I would have been unhappy if I'd paid money. I consider this proof that the Captain's Club benefits do still have value.

Breakfast was in Oceanview with yummy french toast and crispy bacon. With the lower capacity onboard, we've never had trouble getting a table by a window at breakfast or lunch. Folks space themselves pretty well; no one is at side-by-side tables, but do sit back to back. There have been some oddities - like the terrible sandwich and a lack of drink servers - but it's not the chaos that it used to be.

Another positive case was announced with the morning announcements. They are now recommending all passengers wear masks when out and about on the ship. That was a comment from the CD during morning announcements, not a requirement put in writing. They're also recommending everyone use lots of sunscreen; I assume that one will be far less controversial. We've been wearing masks all along, as have many others, but many people have not (maybe 50/50?)

2 hours ago, babblinbabs said:

Any info on Le Petit Chef @Qsine?  Looks interesting.

I have not been to LPC yet, as I'm protesting that they got rid of Qsine (yes, I know it's probably futile) 😉. My mother tried it when she was on Edge in June and enjoyed it ("It was cute.") I've seen a couple threads in recent months with folks describing the experience.

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Pro tip:  ask for the ice cream on the side.  

That would have been better... The ice cream was actually boiling as it came in contact with the edge of the dish.

10 hours ago, travelor80 said:

When is the Indian dinner and when were you able to sign up.

The Taste of Taj X is New Year's Day. The app had two completely different days in different places, so it's probably hard to know until you're onboard. We were walking around the ship just after embarkation and you could sign up for any of the specialty restaurants outside of Oceanview. I do not believe you can sign up pre-cruise.

10 hours ago, travelor80 said:

Thanks for the update on your cruise and Covid cases. How are they handling them? Are they testing crew daily?

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I hope the two guests are okay....

I don't know a lot about the protocols. I think they are making announcements so it doesn't seem like they're hiding things, but also trying not to cause panic by going into too much detail. Both are appreciated. It's likely there will be more cases, but 3 out of 1300-ish guests plus hundreds of crew is not a crisis nor unexpected. According to one of the stewards, the crew member who tested positive is being cared for on the medical deck. We couldn't hear if the passengers are remaining onboard or were taken off in Bonaire, but also hope they are okay.