coldweathergirl

Unfortunately we never seen to get these types of offers on Canadian Amex cards or at least I’ve never gotten them 😢

I don’t recall it being chilly in the dining room or anywhere else when we were on board in January but I always have a sweater or wrap handy if needed.  

The only place I recall being chilly when dining was the one night we went to the outdoor venue during the evening as it was windy and they had blankets available to wrap up in. 

1 hour ago, Mark_K said:

You might get charged  state sales tax if you do it after you board and while still in port.    It’s not exactly the same thing as buying an upgrade, but that happened to me on a wine package purchase.

I was thinking the same thing because when we’ve bought individual drinks when in port if we haven’t had the beverage package we’ve had to pay sales tax. 

Took me dozens of tries with all the correct answers each time.  Not sure if it’s because when words were auto filling that it left a space at the end of the word.  I know for some websites when my email address autofills it says not valid.   I finally retyped each word not allowing autofill and was successful.  
 

Now to get back to making dinner lol. 

For the amount that we’re paying for our cruise on the Flora I didn’t want to chance having the wrong PCR test.  
 

There was one clinic here that would do a PCR/ NAAT test where I could have had results while waiting but it wasn’t a RT PCR.  Just received our results.  Thankfully  they’re negative and they do specify.  

“Please see the details of your RT-PCR-SARS-CoV 2 nucleic acid test below”

The document also specifies type of test and it says RT- PCR Covid 19 (Regular), the time and date of specimen collection and result.  It is also dated and signed by the lab doctor and includes our passport number.  
 

Now to hope that my check mig form for transiting via Colombia to Quito is completed correctly for entry and exit.  
 

Travel is definitely not for the feint of heart now with all the requirements of travel. 

4 hours ago, NouCruzer said:

IMO, there needs to be a consensus with regards as to what an RT-PCR test actually is.  An RT-PCR test detects viral genetic material and is the most sensitive of the covid tests that are currently available.  It relies on amplifying a portion of the viral genetic material and RT is simply an acronym for reverse transcriptase, which is one way to accomplish this amplification.  There are several other approaches however, that also amplify viral genetic material and that don't specifically use RT.  Together, these tests are collectively known as NAAT tests, and according to the CDC, all are highly specific and sensitive.

 

Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) | CDC

 

My question is whether Ecuador specifically requires the RT-test or will accept any of the NAAT tests.  Interested because we're booked later this Spring on Flora.

 

We just had our PCR test done for our trip to Galapagos this week and the Ecuador site specifically says RT PCR test. 
 

https://www.turismo.gob.ec/udate-of-the-entry-requirements-to-ecuador/

On 1/8/2022 at 1:22 PM, Homosassa said:

We are also booked for that area on the 2/14 cruise.

 

I will be very unhappy if they put us under Michael's Club or any area that has music and noise.

Michaels club is typically not a noisy wild place so I don’t anticipate you’d  have problems if your cabin was below it. If it was the theatre then you’d maybe  have something more to be concerned about. 

Wishing @parkinson and everyone else who are covid positive a quick recovery and safe travels home…whenever that may be since it doesn’t appear as if you’ll be getting a private jet home like their guarantee spelled out. 
 

Thank you for the thread.  I’ve learned a lot.  I’ve always been a planner but sometimes have taken guarantees at face value.  This has now prompted me to make contingency plans for our upcoming trip to the Galapagos on Celebrity later this month.  
 

It definitely seems like they were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of covid cases on board.  I’m sure with it all unfolding over the Christmas holidays when shoreside would be working with a skeleton crew didn’t help. 

On 12/29/2021 at 4:44 PM, Lastdance said:

At the moment, the Quito city tour is not happening, but cruisers are receiving $500 of due to this.  Just found this out, so I thought I would share.  You can, I believe still do this on your own by using a vendor of your choice.  FYI

Just wondering if Celebrity contacted you regarding this.   We’re booked to do the 10 night trip commencing Jan 21 and haven’t had any notice.  

Thanks for checking who the CC team members were.  

Thanks for the live updates.  We leave home Thursday to fly out Friday and board on the 13th for a B2B also in a sky suite so I’m glad to hear the good reviews of Luminae.  It’s getting me more excited for the cruise.   I’m starting to pack today! 
 

If you get a chance can you also find out who the Captains Club hostess is.  
 

2 hours ago, ElmaLee said:

Can I ask what types of white wines were available as part of the standard package?  My better half prefers Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay, so hopefully at least one of her preferences will be available. Thanks

Funny thing is that Sauvignon Blanc esp if from NZ used to be my favourite but over the last year I’ve developed a taste for unoaked Chardonnay.   
 

I can’t remember all the wines (and they didn’t have very many different varieties so maybe I drank more than I thought lol) but I believe they had a Chilean Chardonnay, a Chilean SB and an Italian Viognier.   Maybe one other type but not all rotated equally. 
 

Sorry I can’t be of more help.  

44 minutes ago, uktog said:

Sad to read Journey has similar bad stock. Hope you were able to feed back to the Hotel Director and in your online survey. 

Yes I made sure to comment about the included wine when completing the online survey.
 

We did have one server who searched out a bottle of the Chilean Chardonnay from days before but that was the only time.   I think many people on board had the premium beverage package from the current sale so were less affected by the wine of the day offerings.  

We just got off the Journey last week.  
 

The wines offered by the glass were very repetitive and definitely didn’t rotate varieties like I remember in the past.  They had two reds and two whites daily and maybe one rose or sparkling.   Most days it was the same wine as the previous day or the day before.  
 

I’m not an expert palate but some tasted like they were past their best before date.  I had commented to a server and he said they were using up the supply that had come from RCCL and soon would have their own private labels from the winery they own. 
 

As for tonic, they had Schweppes on board.  
 

Despite the less than stellar included wine, we had a fabulous trip.  The crew were outstanding as was the food. 

Unfortunately a lot of Canadians will now be considered unvaccinated and ineligible to sail since many of us have had mixed mRNA vaccines or a combination of AZ and and mRNA vaccine based on advice from our Canadian government.  
 

Last week prior to me making final payment on our November cruise I spoke with Celebrity and was told I could cruise as an “unvaccinated” passenger and would require additional testing which I was ok with even though I’m considered fully vaccinated in Canada.  Today when I called Celebrity to pay the second of my B2B I was told I don’t qualify  to sail based on the mixed mRNA vaccines.   

It is disappointing that there won’t be an Azamazing evening on board.  We moved our Dec 7 cruise to Azamara from The Summit and one of the reasons was that we enjoyed the azamazing evenings so much when we sailed last year that we wanted to return to Azamara.   

1 minute ago, vtcruising said:

Thanks for the great pictures and description. I haven't seen any reviews of the deck 7 S3's. Did you have any issues when the Magic Carpet was docked on 5 (noise, view impacted)?

 

If you have time and want to post a quick review on the Edge Cabin Info sticky, it would be most appreciated (and pictures would be helpful). 🙂  You just need to copy the info template in the first post and paste in into a post and complete the info. I will then enter it in the spreadsheet.

 

Thanks!!

 

 

We had no noise from the magic carpet.   We actually never saw it go past our suite but it obviously did.   The suite was in a great location and really quiet. 

For those interested in a S3 in this location, try to choose one of the end ones between the magic carpet as there is a plexiglass side window built into the girder on outer side that allows you to view the ocean so it will be less obstructed. 

Yes, I’ll submit a room report.  I’ve found the spreadsheets so helpful in the past when booking cabins.  

If the Apex is indeed like the Edge, the S3 between the pillars of the magic carpet are fairly obstructed especially the two middle ones.   We were in S3 suite 7200 on the Edge and it was extremely obstructed when viewing to the sides due to the fact that the steel track for the magic carpet sticks out quite far.   A great view outwards though.  

I’ve recently done a mock booking for these suites and it still does not indicate anywhere that it is an obstructed view even though many people have voiced their displeasure to Celebrity.   The balcony is very wide which is nice but we only had the two small chairs and even smaller table. 

2 minutes ago, Mynki said:

Apologies I've re read my post and it is badly written!

What I meant was that there Instagram campaign doesn't seem to be working too well.....

Then again does anyone really pay attention to 'Social Media Influencers' aka Freebie Seeking Parasites? 

Yes!  I’ve got kids in their mid to late twenties and they follow Instagram a lot!   These posters that Celebrity have coming on are making the cruise look very luxurious and tempting to them.  Captain Kate is nonstop posting on Instagram and has a huge following.  

I swear the captain on the Edge had some “enhancements” done as he looked younger, more plastic and a bit different from last time we’d sailed with him and his announcements certainly made it sound like he’d had a lot of voice coaching.  Celebrity seems to be more concerned about perception now.  

1 hour ago, Mynki said:

I'm currently aboard the Silhouette. Within minutes of boarding I thought about all of the posts I've read on Cruise Critic about 'millennials' being their target market. I'm 44 and think I've seen around 3 people onboard who may be younger. The average age on this sailing must be 60+ 

I'd be interested to know what percentage of cruisers on this ship right now actually even follow instagram. 

We’ve sailed a lot on Celebrity and the only time I’ve seen a lot of the younger Instagram demographic they are now targeting was this past winter on a one week Caribbean cruise.   It was over spring break out of Florida and there was definitely a different feel to the cruise.  Many were first time cruisers probably early to mid twenties. 

We were sailing with a bunch of friends and that was the only time they could sail.   After that cruise I felt that if this is the is the future demographic on board I think I’ll be looking elsewhere as it definitely didn’t have a modern luxury feel.  It felt like a spring break cruise or that I somehow got transported to a Carnival ship.  At dinner the women were dressed fairly well but lots of guys were in shorts and backward baseball caps wandering around.  Not sure if they got in the MDR like that or were turned away.  

I’m sure the reason why Celebrity is scheduling a lot shorter cruises now is to get the younger group on board.  They can’t afford longer cruises plus don’t have sufficient vacation time.  

1 minute ago, Bo1953 said:

c - yes X does generally cater to my food desires, but I find that beyond night three (3) the chef lacks imagination, shall I say and I know it is due to the limitations on what they carry on-board...

 

Just had a flash, if I could bring aboard some of my own to supplement what they prepare, I will be all set... LOL

 

Thank you for your thoughts...

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

I’m sure if you brought several of your favourite recipes or suggestions they could create some fabulous dishes for you.   I think sometimes people make vegan cooking more difficult than it needs to be because they don’t totally have their head wrapped around it.  

If it is prepared non perishable packaged food you may be able to bring it on board but I would check before hand with celebrity.    I think that even if you were allowed and did make friends in the OVC, they wouldn’t be allowed to warm up your food.  I’m pretty sure public health regulations are quite strict about them handling food items not sourced by them and I would also think it would expose the line to all sorts of liability should any of the food be spoiled etc.  

My youngest daughter is vegan so I understand your challenge but I would think the cruiseline would be able to prepare meals for you.  I would have a notation placed on your booking ahead of time and then arrange to speak with the maître’d on board.  

I prefer to think of this as modern luxury when dining in a suite on the Edge.  🤦🏼‍♀️

We’re elite plus and I must say I appreciate the benefits that loyalty brings.

With our very poor CAD and recent huge price increases on Celebrity, instead of AQ or balcony cabins we are now occasionally looking to book an OV cabin depending on the itinerary, or checking out other cruise lines or doing land based holidays. 

I can’t understand why OV are given same number of points per day as an inside as there is often a huge price difference between the two categories.   I think OV should receive an additional point per night and be in between inside and balcony level.  

I would also like to see a new level created between elite plus and zenith.   

18 hours ago, Want2Cruise 701 said:

How does this affect your view within the track?  Can it stop in front of your balcony?  How fast or slow does the magic carpet move?  Sorry for all the questions.  I just don't want to have the magic carpet in front of me for any length of time.  Thank you.

We had a S3 on deck 7 on the Edge back in January.  7200.  The view is extremely obstructed to either side as the railings for the magic carpet stick out quite a distance.  I personally never noticed the magic carpet coming up or down.   I suppose if your suite was immediately below one of the floors it is sometimes docked at then it could be more instusive.    Unfortunately we were never advised that it would be so obstructed.  The balconies of the two suites that are on the edge of the magic carpet railings have a plexiglass window in the beams allowing them to be less obstructed on the one end.   

At the time we had a very tiny little table on the balcony and the footstool/ table in the suite that couldn’t accommodate more than one plate so in room dining was a major fail.  Our butler actually advised us against it as he said there was no place to set up breakfast or a meal.  It’s nice to see that they’re rectifying that problem.