trabeler

5 minutes ago, TourDeCruise said:

 

How many positive Covid cases with guests (and crew if known) have been reported so far on the Connie? 

The Captain hasn’t been specific on crew cases. Words like ‘some’ and ‘a few’ have been used. For passengers, I recall at least three separate announcements, each time with 2 or 3 passengers mentioned. So that would mean maybe 6 or 7 passengers so far?

On the Connie now and we are docked at Aruba, so we made it to all the ABC islands. FYI that Bonaire had officials on the dock yesterday that wanted to see our original vaccination cards. 
 

We continue to have positive cases, so that hasn’t impacted our ports. Captain announced another three passengers plus ‘some’ crew yesterday. Also our CD has gone MIA… she didn’t host the theatre show on Saturday due to ‘not feeling well’ and hasn’t been seen since. 

12 minutes ago, wiredforflight said:

Any guess on how many total rooms that is? 

Guesstimating from the deck plans, maybe 60 on deck 2 and around 80 on deck 7. 

Currently on Connie. They have deck 2 port side from midship forward blocked for crew quarantine. We were originally booked in this area and upon checkin they had assigned us something on deck 3 instead. 

On 1/6/2022 at 4:23 PM, semibeater said:

If you would be so kind which block of cabins on deck 7 are you in? Do you have a veranda? Port or starboard? You said forward. I am curious as I am on the next connie departure on that deck right now.

We’re currently on the Connie as well. 
 

The sections blocked off are deck 2, port side, from mid ship forward.  Also deck 7, both port and starboard, starting between the midship and forward stairs. 

17 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Are most of the mask-wearing passengers wearing cloth masks?

I see quite a lot of surgical and KN95 masks on passengers, but maybe a guess of 50% of passengers with cloth ones?

The crew pretty much all wears KN95s or double up surgical + cloth. 

We’re currently onboard. I spoke with an officer yesterday and the current passenger count is 743. They had originally expected around 1100 before the new CDC guidance and new mask mandate were announced. 
 

Sections of at least decks 2 and 7 forward are blocked off for quarantine.  
 

We’ve heard that the entire crew is tested weekly and the next round will be done 6 Jan, so will be interesting to see what happens…

So far no impacts to activities that we’ve noticed. Had the first production show last night. 

Their email says "mixed series" needs to comply with 28 days... so if the first shot was Pfizer and second Moderna, for instance, 28 days in between is required.

I don't read it to say that two Pfizer doses need to be 28 days apart.

On 10/31/2021 at 1:48 PM, canderson said:

Tuscan is up in that odd space near the the mid-ship elevators on Deck 11 on Constellation.

I miss when that odd space was the Conservatory... I seem to remember a flower shop, piano, and maybe some type of golf simulator up there?  We took pictures up there on formal night.

15 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

But I also have a question for any one recently on the Millennium.  I haven't been on that ship since 2018.  At that time it still had a library.  Does it still exist?  If it does I'll take a couple of hardbacks to leave.

Sadly the library is gone.  I think the place that it used to be has been replaced with some new inside cabins (decks 7 thru 9?).  

At the sky lounge there was a table that had a couple of books on it, some board games to borrow, and the daily sudoku puzzle.  Not sure if the books were actually from Celebrity or if some of the passengers just left them there for others to enjoy.

12 hours ago, zestyzorra said:

Hello!  I hope it's not too late to ask, but for disembarkation, could you pick which group you were in or did they assign you a group?  It's been so long, I can't remember... I feel like there were tags out near the guest services desk that you could use in lieu of ones given to you in your stateroom, but maybe that was another line.

They had the typical questionnaire that usually sets your departure time where they ask about arrangements, etc.  The initial questionnaire was done online via a QR code in the room.  There was also a paper questionnaire that some people received (perhaps if they didn't do it online).

As others have said, it's usually easy to change your time.  Or you can choose self assist and be off starting around 7:00... although you could go a bit later if you wanted as long as you carry off your luggage.

Cost for a one person pass on the Millennium (7 day Alaska sailing) a few weeks ago was $148 plus 18% tip.

We signed up online for antigen tests at a CVS in Houston.   Be sure to provide email addresses since we did not receive any calls with results... just an email with a notification to sign in to their "MyChart" system to download the results.

50 minutes ago, Locobill49 said:

I also read where people did not like the water in aluminum cans. We tried it and it tasted fine to us. 

We sailed a few weeks ago on Millenium and initially there were two different aluminum can designs... one just solid aluminum color and another with a white (or maybe green?) label.  The solid aluminum color tasted just fine to us but the other was definitely a bit funky.  By a few days into the cruise we didn't see the funky ones anymore.  I commented to some of the crew about it and they were all aware that the previous batch tasted odd.

There was a scrapbooking class on the Millenium last week in Alaska.  I don't know if it had a fee or not, however.

Bring a variety of layers.  We were on the 6 August sailing and needed everything from shorts (Seattle and first/last sea days) to winter hat (windy day in Skagway) to waterproof layer (Juneau).

Saw lots of short sleeves (polo shirts and a few t-shirts) in the dining room at night.  Chic night was a tad dressier (maybe a dress shirt and slacks).  Very few ties seen during our trip.

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Someone on the HAL ship that has been sailing the same itinerary this week has reported virtually no live TV all week. They're being told it is due to weak/no signal. Have you noticed a similar problem?  (Not that I care overmuch about news when I'm no vacation....but I'm just curious.)

We haven't looked at the TV much, but I think that at least half the time we checked there were no live channels.  Both TV and internet have been spotty and neither worked well at all for the day in Skagway.  The internet has improved significantly since leaving the inside passage yesterday.  I think Celebrity is well aware of reception problems as they have a disclaimer each day in the program about it.  I've also experienced problems with the internet (surf package) logging me out periodically.  This is the first time I've had the internet package and not the 90 minute free allowance so I'm not sure if periodic logouts are normal.

Hello from day 6... sea day #2.  Yesterday was Skagway and we got very lucky with the weather since it threatened rain all day but never actually rained.  It was extremely windy, however, so it felt quite cold all day.  We were the only ship in port yesterday and heard that another ship wasn't able to get into port due to rough weather.  

Today as we left the inside passage we're hitting some significant swell that the Captain says is leftover from yesterday's storms.  Other than the matinee production show being cancelled, all the pools being closed, and a bunch of broken dishes at the buffet, everything else is in service.

One thing we've noticed this cruise is that there have been no gangway photographers at the ports.  There has also been no bingo... but not sure if Celebrity still does that or not.  Also no massive shopping events yet where they stack up things in the foyer, etc.

They are offering a "fill the bag" laundry special for $49.95, but it had to be handed in by 10 pm on Tuesday night.

And a followup on the T-pool... the temperature is still on the cool side and the bubbles are still off on the recliners.  The hot tubs on either side are fully hot and bubbles work, however, 

On 8/9/2021 at 10:11 PM, cruisemom42 said:

Anything you can share about entertainment onboard?  Music, shows, etc. I know in Alaska a lot of the entertainment is the sightseeing, but still would like to know. 

Entertainment has been pretty typical.  So far we've had two full production shows (Boogie Wonderland and Elysium).  There was a comedian/impressionist and magician/illusionist so far as well.  Tonight there is a singing group (The Company Men).  The aerialist/acrobat pair from the production shows did a dedicated show last night.  They planned to do a matinee production show today (primarily singers) but we had a fair bit of swell today so they just cancelled that show saying that the singers are seasick.

Other entertainment is the normal house band, string duo, guitar soloist, and guitar/singer couple.

Since this is Alaska we've had a naturalist on board who has done daily talks on bears, eagles, etc.

On 8/10/2021 at 11:49 AM, sherylc said:

I was wondering if either Tuscan Grill or Le Petit Chef is open on a sea day for lunch on your sailing. (I've been on cruises where one day the specialty restaurants offered a lunch in addition to a dinner seating)

Nothing special the first sea day but Tuscan is open today for lunch on the second sea day.

On 8/10/2021 at 2:19 PM, TXranchgal said:

Other questions:  Are people wearing masks onboard?

Can you easily identify those that are not vaccinated?

Are there lines to get into the dining rooms either in the morning or at night? 

Are people socially distancing?

Very few people are wearing masks onboard and only kids under 12 are not vaccinated.  Mask wearing is spotty with the smaller kids since it isn't mandatory.

I haven't seen lines for anything other than at Cafe al Bacio during early morning prime time on port days.  With passenger load at less than 50%, there has been no waiting in the dining rooms.

For social distancing they have blocked out some seats in the theater and also in the casino.  Everywhere else is pretty much normal spacing.  The martini bar is probably the most crowded place on the ship each evening.

21 hours ago, Locobill49 said:

Do they offer ship tours of any kind?

Yes... they're doing the behind the scenes tour that is sold as an excursion.  I think it is around $90.  

Hello from Endicott Arm & Dawes glacier.  Had a lucky day yesterday with weather in Ketchikan and even saw some sun mid-day. Yesterday's lunch buffet theme was italian so lots of calamari, cannolis, and other treats.  They also had a pasta bar with a fairly extensive variety of specialty mushrooms and some odd vegetables (such as sea beans).  

Today it's been a mix of mist, rain, and a few clear spots as we sailed up towards the glacier.  Very little ice in the channel so we were able to get fairly close.  We're now on the way to Juneau with arrival at 1:30 pm.  They plan to open the helipad to everyone for the sail in to Juneau, one of the benefits of less passengers.  Yesterday they had a helipad gathering for the sailaway from Ketchikan that appeared to be for elites and maybe suites, with officers, hot chocolate, and some mixed drinks.  

Chatted with one of the officers who confirmed that there are about 970 passengers onboard, down from around 1300 that were on the previous sailing.  They are also at reduced staff of around 700 or so.

I heard second hand from someone that there were some adults who were able to get their pre-cruise antigen test done by Celebrity at the pier in Seattle.  Supposedly they were charged $70 for the test but no insurance was accepted.

During some early morning wandering around the ship I discovered that they appear to have the port side of aquaclass isolated to use as quarantine cabins (with tables in the hall for no-contact food delivery, etc).

To answer the question about what is different onboard as compared to pre-COVID times, here's my list so far.  Please consider that we haven't sailed Celebrity since 2017 so some of these things may have already changed.

- No sparkling wine or mimosas on embarkation.
- The first formal night captains welcome has changed to a social where the officers hang around the foyer and interact with guests.  No drinks are handed out and there was no introduction of the officers or speeches.  I asked one of the bartenders and was told that this is a new protocol to help limit the crowding that usually happens at that event.
- Everything at the buffet is served by staff except at the drink stations.  There is salt/pepper, etc at each table. You can grab your own pre-wrapped cutlery or they will hand it to you.  You can get something at one of the food stations and bring that plate to another station to get something added to it, however.

- The new muster drill process is awesome.  Watch a video in your room on the interactive TV or via the app and then report to the muster station at your leisure to check in (and get a sticker on your seapass card).  The captain did one muster announcement just prior to sailing and sounded the alarm.

Most everything else is as we remember from prior sailings.

On 8/7/2021 at 12:41 PM, maggie.1008 said:

We sail on Aug 27th. Do you have many children on board ?

I'd guess that there are less than 20 or so kids under 12 and maybe another 20 or 25 teens.  

On 8/7/2021 at 1:32 PM, NevadaJo said:

Wish we had opened the two masks packets. We had plenty of our own so we never opened them. Just an FYI. Our Celebrity Suite still had a shower curtain. 

Wow.  Surprised the suites weren't updated.  We did discover that the new insides on 7 (our floor) and supposedly also on a few other floors have a problem with the new shower door that the door is a little too wide so the magnets don't line up to properly secure the door closed.  Our attendant says its on the future list to fix but in the meantime gave us a large binder clip to hold the door shut.  Works like a charm.

23 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

What did you have (if you don't mind me asking, lol)?

 

And have you noticed whether they are offering discounts on any specialty dining onboard?

In Tuscan we had crabcakes, calamari, a lobster pasta (half size to share), filet mignon, and the branzino.  Everything was excellent. 

Concerning discounts - I haven't seen anything advertised at all.  They also haven't had the specialty representative at the entrance to Oceanview (other than at embarkation lunch), which is usually a sign they're looking for customers.  I'm wondering if with the reduced staff on board they aren't anxious to fill up the specialty restaurants?

3 hours ago, ryansmousehouse said:

We cruise on the 27th.... Did you happen to notice if test results on your phone is ok or are they looking for paper... We will be getting are antigen test on the way to Seattle and won't have access to a printer😀

Sorry - didn't happen to notice if anyone used their phone.  The group in front of us and in the lines to the right and left all had paper copies.  They took photos of everything so it might make it a bit hard for them to get a good picture of the entire results from your phone screen.  They definitely did want to see the original vaccine card, however.

3 hours ago, NevadaJo said:

It stays Indian all week. If they have Panang Chicken try it. Awesome

Thanks... will definitely keep an eye out for the Panang Chicken.  They had masala mushrooms today which were exceptional.  Some of the buffet food has been a bit heavy on the salt for us, but we tend to be more sensitive to salt than most.

1 hour ago, midwestlady said:

Did Trabeler board Millie from Pier 91?   I didn't see that in the original comments.

 

Correct... we boarded Pier 91 for the 6 August sailing but we will return to Pier 66 at the end of the cruise.  Celebrity has advised that they will provide free transportation from Pier 66 to Pier 91 for anyone who parked at 91.  It seems that this was a one-off since there looked to be another ship docked at Pier 66 on the 6th for a day stop in Seattle.

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'd love to hear any insights on dining as your week goes on:  How is the Oceanview Cafe?  All served to you?  Any items/areas that are particularly good?

 

Are you doing any specialty dining?

 

Everything is served by staff in the buffet.  Only water/coffee is self-serve.  So far the food and selection has been good.  There has been a dedicated indian food section yesterday lunch/dinner so will be interesting to see if that continues or if they rotate the cuisines.

We did Tuscan last night to take advantage of the first day 30% off special.  Food was excellent and restaurant was never more than about 30% full.