Turtles06

As has been reported on some of the "live from" threads, it seems that the only "policy" that Celebrity has regarding where guests testing positive are isolated is that it is up to each ship and Captain. (And iirc, at least one poster reported being told that by Celebrity's executive office.) While I would hope that across the fleet, ships would isolate pax in balcony cabins so they can get fresh air, I don't think one person's experience on an E-class ship, with numerous IV cabins, can be extrapolated into anything fleetwide. And I hope I'm wrong.

While I'm not a huge fan of the names of the E-Class ships so far, I agree that Pinnacle would be a good one for the 5th ship. However, HAL's newest class of ships is called the Pinnacle class; I don't know whether that would be a deterrent for Celebrity or not.

I believe you are referring to tests that might be needed by disembarking pax flying to destinations outside the U.S. (if there even are any such requirements now), not to tests required to enter the U.S. by ship (which are not currently required).

Infinity and SOTS are such totally different kinds of ships, it’s like comparing apples and bananas. One is an older, comfortable class of ship, the other is an amusement park at sea. One has a capacity of about 2,100 guests, and the other more than 5,000. Which do you prefer? Also, the Infinity hasn’t been “revolutionized.” While I like the M-class ships, I’d prefer the Summit or the Millie, which have been. Enjoy whatever you choose!

You would not have seen a negative Order -- there is no testing requirement for people entering the U.S. from cruise ships. Nor would you have seen a negative Order re the land border -- again, no testing requirement. What you would see is the CDC's Order requiring testing for those entering by air: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html However, in the FAQs at the same link, the CDC says this: "Does this Order apply to land border crossings or persons arriving at seaports? No, the requirements of this Order only apply to air travel into the U.S." Also, it's not correct that there were no WB TAs last fall with passengers aboard. One example: the maiden voyage of HAL's new Rotterdam, from the Netherlands to Florida: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/2021-press-releases1/news-10202021-RODMFirstCruise21.html I hope this info is helpful! 🙂

But there is NO current requirement that anyone be tested to enter the U.S. by sea (or via a land border). So nothing would change if “current policies were to remain in place.”

The only requirement to test prior to entering the U.S. is if you are flying in. And that applies even to fully vaxxed and boosted American citizens, even though there is no testing requirement (and never has been) to fly anywhere whatsoever within our huge country.

@argyll1881 Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. I'm enjoying your review and photos. We've sailed NCL many times, but only once on one of their bigger ships -- the Breakaway last fall. Occupancy was about 38%, so I know how nice it must be for you right now with a similar number on the Getaway. Are you planning anything post-cruise in Copenhagen? It's a lovely city. (Perhaps you've already been there.) Re the extension cord for your CPAP -- can your cabin steward get you anything longer? Keep enjoying your trip!

If you are traveling next month, just order them now. And stop stressing. 🙂 The expiration dates should be fine.

It’s really well-spelled out on the Bermuda site. Lots of folks have cruised to Bermuda since last summer and have dealt with these requirements.

Some trip insurance policies, including Travel Guard Preferred, have a benefit for “missed ports” due to inclement weather. When the Breakaway could not dock in Bermuda for two of our three scheduled days there in late October because of the high winds, Travel Guard paid my wife and me the maximum $250pp benefit, upon submission of our claim with NCL’s letter to all guests explaining why we could not dock. No proof of monetary loss was needed. Folks who miss ports should check their policies to see what coverage they may have. We’ve used Travel Guard for years, but this was a relatively new benefit for them.

Please note that the Bermuda travel authorization form asks each applicant if she/he has “had any contact with an individual that has had a confirmed case of covid-19 within the past 10 days.” I don’t know what they do with an affirmative response. I hope your daughter recovers soon and everyone else stays healthy.

My experience with Cagney’s has been different. We’ve had both bad service and poor meals. Also good service and good meals. It’s really varied.

It would be a good NCL excursion for the last day. We’ve only visited Crystal Cave, but from what I’ve read, you don’t need to do both, unless you have the time. Will the excursion also take you to the Aquarium and Zoo? The Aquarium is small but delightful. You can really do all this on your own without a tour, but it’s a long way to the Caves from the Dockyard, and I’d be wary of doing that on the final day. Also, the cruise lines often book up the spots for the Caves.

I note that you don't cite or link to the source of this information. I don't believe it's correct. According to Celebrity's "revolution" schedule, the Infinity has not been revolutionized, nor have I read any comments here on CC that she has been https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-revolution?cid=ps_mest_goog_rtlgnr_1702_dtak_albr_us_4966&&cid=ps_mest_goog_rtlgnr_1702_ship_albr_us_8029&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhfX0iu3N9wIVC7LICh3-0g1AEAAYASAAEgKUIPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Also, if you go to Celebrity's home page and click on each specific ship, you will not see a revolution date for the Infinity, but you will for the revolutionized ships, like the Summit.

Prior to the renovations of Penn Station in NY, Amtrak passengers holding tickets for travel that day could walk up to a dedicated baggage check counter and have their bags stored for several hours. I would appreciate knowing whether this is still possible and what is involved with that. The FAQs for the new Moynihan Train Hall say the following: "Luggage storage is provided by Amtrak for all passengers travelling through the station, regardless of the railroad provider you’re travelling with. Please visit the Amtrak Customer Service desk within the Train Hall to arrange luggage storage." For obvious reasons, having to "visit the Amtrak Customer Service desk to arrange luggage storage" could be a real mess. Does anyone have any experience with this? And then retrieving ones bags? Thanks for any advice and information!

NCL today notified guests booked on the Jan. 2, 2023 cruise from NY to Panama City and on the Jan. 14, 2023 cruise from Panama City back to NY that the cruises have been cancelled "due to fleet re-deployment." No further details about that; I hope the Gem is being "re-deployed" to a dry dock for a refresh. 🙂 Guests are receiving a full monetary refund (the cruises are prior to final payment) as well as a "10% discount in the form of an FCC for a future voyage," which can be applied to any sailing through April 26, 2023.

Like so many folks during the pandemic, my wife and I have been doing jigsaw puzzles. We pick subjects that are meaningful to us, including special places we’ve visited. Recently, on an arts and puzzles web site, I came across this jigsaw puzzle of the Gatun Locks. It was made from a photograph taken by a photographer on board the Viking Sky nearing the end of a partial transit of the Canal in December 2017. (The date of the photograph can also be approximated from the status of completion of the new Atlantic Bridge. 😊) It was a fun and challenging puzzle; it brought back fond memories of our two full transits, one of which was also in 2017, and kept up our excitement for the B2B transits we have scheduled for next year.

It's been reported here for a while now that sometime in the Fall of 2020, on the Jewel-class ships, NCL is going to make some changes with respect to the amenities and perhaps prices of the forward-facing Penthouse suites on Decks 9 and 10 (now categorized as SE), and the aft-facing Penthouse suites on Decks 8, 9, and 10 (now categorized as SF). Much of what has been discussed on here is only rumor and speculation, since there's been no formal announcement of anything. However, given that people are now able to book cruises in late 2020 and into 2021, I thought it might be helpful to have a thread in which we can list the factual information that can be gleaned as of right now from the ships' deck plans and from the booking engine on NCL's own site. This being the internet, there will always be rumor and speculation, 😁, but here is what NCL's web site is showing now: 1. Looking at the deck plans for the various Jewel-class ships, we can see different dates in Fall 2020 when the changes on each ship with respect to the SE and SF suites will take place. The Gem deck plans are different for cruises departing before and after Oct. 30, 2020; for the Jade, the changeover date is Nov. 20, 2020; for the Jewel, it's Sept. 14, 2020, and for the Pearl, it's Oct. 10, 2020. 2. According to the deck plans, after those dates on each ship, the SE and SF suites will be split into four different categories: What are now the aft-facing SF suites on Deck 10 (these have the largest balconies of the SF class) will be in a category called SM ("Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony"). The aft-facing SFs on Decks 8 and 9 will be in a category called SN ("Aft-Facing Penthouse"). What are now the forward-facing SE suites on Decks 9 and 10 will be in a category called SF ("Forward-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony"), except for the two center suites on Deck 10, 10000 and 10500, which will be in a category all their own called SD ("Forward-Facing Deluxe Penthouse with Large Balcony"). These two suites are directly under the bridge, making their interiors larger because they follow the "bump out" from the bridge. Many folks prefer them because of that, while some prefer the forward-facing suites on Deck 9 because their balconies are larger. 3. Thus, from the deck plans, we can see that NCL has carved out into their own categories what it perceives to be the most desirable aft- and forward-facing Penthouses. With these changes, people are of course speculating that there will be price differences among the new categories, and perhaps even differences in suite amenities, perhaps the elimination of butler and concierge service for some of these suites. I've done a couple of random mock bookings after the changeover dates to see what NCL's web site says now. No need for speculation, these mock bookings show actual price differences and differences in suite perks: Random Mock Booking 1: Gem 11-day Southern Caribbean from NY, departing January 3, 2021. Right now, the price of an SD (the two middle forward-facing Penthouses on Deck 10) is $50 pp more than it is for the SFs (the other forward-facing Penthouses on Deck 10 and 9). Both categories are described as having "butler and concierge service." Likewise, the price of the SM aft-facing Penthouses (the ones on Deck 10) are $50 pp more than the SN aft-facing Penthouses on Decks 8 and 9. But there is a difference in the suite amenities; the SMs are shown as having "butler and concierge service," whereas, for the SNs, NCL's web page says: "butler and concierge service in most." Since there's been no official NCL statement about this that anyone has reported, it does not seem to be known, at least as a matter of fact, which of the SN Penthouses will not have butler and/or concierge service. Maybe this language gives NCL leeway to keep those services going forward, or not, as it finalizes those plans (at least for this cruise). Random Mock Booking 2: Jewel 7-day Western Caribbean from Tampa, departing April 4, 2021. Right now, the price of an SD is $100 pp more than for the SFs. Both categories have this very odd statement about butler service (I say "odd" because neither category is a Haven suite): "Butler and concierge service, queen-size bed, luxury bath with shower, living and dining areas, sleeps up to four. NOTE: BUTLER SERVICE ONLY LISTED FOR HAVENS." Back in the stern, the price of the SMs is $100 pp more than for an SN. The description of services for the SM says: "Butler and concierge, bedroom with queen-size bed, luxury bath, living and dining area, sleeps up to three. NOTE: BUTLER SERVICE ONLY LISTED FOR HAVENS." For the SN, the description reads: "Queen-size bed or two beds that convert to a queen, luxury bath, living and dining area in some, sleeps up to three. Most include Butler and concierge service. NOTE: NO BUTLER SERVICE, SOME WITH CONCIERGE." (It would seem that, on this cruise at least, NCL may intend not to provide butler service for any of the four Penthouse suite categories.) I imagine that more mock bookings would show similar differences, some of them equally vague. For anyone booking one of these suites after the changeover date, I would advise taking a screen shot of the description of your suite amenities, and also calling your TA (if you book with one) or NCL to find out as much as possible about what amenities you will or will not receive. I hope this information is helpful, and I would encourage others to post any facts they may discover about NCL's plans for these Penthouse suites.