Ash1982

Thank you @dawei, @Nickelpenny and @idiebabe! Having additional confirmation from all of you helps me feel more confident in the fact that I now KNOW something that I was clueless about before. 😂 I have enough anxiety over the question of whether I am being a crazy person by going on this cruise at all (but it's been 2 years since any kind of travel whatsoever and my mental health has to count for something at this point) -- I really didn't need the additional anxiety of still having important questions unanswered upon embarkation.

Appreciate you all. 

1 minute ago, ebseckar said:

I don't think you have to worry about the ship sailing at full capacity simply because it appears they need to keep cabins empty and available to quarantine passengers testing positive during the cruise.

Ah. Excellent point. I feel kind of dumb for not having concluded that, myself. 😂

18 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

I think it’s safe to say the ship will not be full.  

You're probably right, @KirkNC. I'm wondering mostly because the week I'm sailing is the week of President's Day, a very common week (at least in the NE) to have off from schools. While HAL is not typically the "familiest" of the cruise lines, I'd have to expect the sailing might naturally be more populated this week (it usually trends that way in normal years). I was curious if there are capacity limits in place for COVID that would keep the sailing from being full capacity, even during this popular vacation week.

17 minutes ago, electricguy said:

On the Rotterdam now. Last week there were just over 900 passengers, this week just under 900.

 

No testing for 7 day passengers unless they felt ill and requested  a test.  Those like us staying for another week were tested Saturday morning for the Sunday turn around.  

Hope you have had and continue to have a great trip, @electricguy!

My thanks to everyone for the quick responses. Much appreciated. (@LocoLoco1 -- thank goodness they have the FAQs they do, right? I just needed a liiiiiiittle extra info.)

Hi friends,

I've tried calling HAL a few times over the last couple weeks to ask a few questions related to COVID-19 protocols and I can never get through -- hours in total waiting at this point. Which honestly is understandable and so I'm not mad -- I just want to get information. So I'm trying here (I've read a few threads but so far haven't found an exact answer, so my apologies in advance if I've missed it within one of the existing threads):

What, if any, during-cruise COVID testing is being done for 7-night Caribbean cruises (which might be different than Hawaii or Panama Canal or cruises I've seen threads about, based various port rules)? I'm sailing in a few weeks on Rotterdam to the Southern Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale, and I'd just like to know if the pre-arrival testing is the only testing being done for these cruises or if there is also testing done on the ship.

Also, if they are doing mid-cruise testing and you test positive, does quarantine begin then or whenever it is you get to Florida and they send you to the quarantine hotel? 

And finally, does anyone know if 7-night Caribbean cruises are at reduced capacity? Is there no way to know this until boarding the ship and asking?

I would just like to board knowing what to expect. (I hate not KNOWING so many things right now.)

Thank you.

Ashley

I was just comparing Rotterdam to the other two Pinnacle ships (Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam) on HAL's website, and the Signature Suite bed configuration is listed as a queen while the first two ships offer kings for this stateroom category. Does anyone know if this is a misprint? (I know no one's sailed her yet; perhaps though someone knows via other means.)

Other differences between the Signature Suite staterooms on the website are that Koningsdam and Rotterdam include a tub with a separate stall, while Nieuw Statendam mentions just a shower. Has anyone sailed either Koningsdam or Nieuw Statendam in a Signature Suite that can confirm bathroom setup?

I find it slightly odd that three ships of the same class -- and with the same capacity, because that can change among classes sometimes -- would have different builds for the same room category. 

Thank you!

Okay, thanks -- I'll try calling. Easy solution!

Hi all! Does anyone know who/how to contact to get a copy of my SeaPass account statement from a recent cruise? The website tells me (in multiple places) to email celebrityonetouch at celebrity dot com -- which I have done, twice, to no avail.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Keep in mind that a Concierge room on Marina and Riviera is exactly the same size as the regular veranda rooms. The difference is in the extras that come with it, such as access to Spa Terrace, 3 bags of laundry, hot breakfast, bottle of bubbly, earlier booking of Specialty restaurants and access to the Concierge lounge. I'm sure I missed something.

Thanks, ORV! I am very much interested in the Spa Terrace access -- I think that's the biggest draw for me. Though hot breakfasts in the room might be nice on occasion, too... we like doing that sometimes.

However, from here on out when we cruise with Celebrity we will be booking a Sky Suite as the Illuminae restaurant menus really look inviting and the prices are comparable to an O concierge cabin.

I've really wanted to try Luminae, as we've heard good things and it might be more in line with what we're looking for. I do really like a lot about Celebrity, so it's not as if I'd write them off forever. Plus, I am really interested in the new Edge class. Maybe I'll do a suite on one of those... though when the ship is new (and on a school break), that'd probably be more expensive than what we'd be comfortable spending on O at that point! Ah, well. We suffer sometimes.

Since you mentioned Celebrity, the only reason we booked Aqua was for access to Blu. We found the food in Marina's Grand Dining Room to be far superior to Blu. We will never go back to Celebrity.

I find this both intriguing for me and sad for Celebrity. I suppose this is how it goes when trying new things! Thanks for your feedback -- very interesting.

Wow, everyone -- thank you all so very much for all of your thoughtful and highly detailed responses!

I think we'll do it. :D

As mentioned, we love good food (which we do NOT waste, so not to worry!) and agree that Celebrity has absolutely gone downhill in that regard over the years. I used to think of that line as foodie-centric but have been disappointed as of late. We've been doing Aqua Class the last handful of cruises and have even noticed a decline in Blu, the AQ specialty restaurant. Which is a shame.

I've done more research and think we are going to go with a Concierge Level Veranda because I am a sucker for access to spa areas (hence Aqua Class on Celebrity) and those staterooms sound like a nice combination of luxury and not too crazy (for us). I'm still torn about the drink packages but I suppose I can book now and decide that later (maybe even on board?). I am beyond excited for Jacques food (PBS fanatic here) and tea time, and for being surrounded by people who have similar interests, regardless of their ages!

Thanks again for all of your insight.

Ashley

Hello, fellow cruisers!

My husband and I are ready to take the next step "up" in cruising -- we've been sailing with Celebrity and Holland America for years and are looking for something a bit grander. From what I've heard, Oceania might be a good gateway line into more luxury cruising. HOWEVER, we are both 35, and I'm curious if you think we will feel out of place (we do just fine on HAL, as it were).

We don't have kids, don't like lots of noisy families, like fine dining, enjoy quieter forms of entertainment (e.g., jazz, acoustic guitar, etc.), don't like the typical daytime cruise entertainment usually found on the mainstream lines (e.g., game shows, trivia, etc.). We like to relax, have nice conversations with other adults, read, spa, and generally unwind.

Do you think there might be people sailing in their 30s, or 40s-50s? It's a week-long Miami-Miami cruise on Riviera during a school break (husband is in the education field so we have no choice), so I'm wondering if that might help skew the crowd a bit younger.

Other questions about Oceania itself, when looking to compare to mainstream lines:

• Are you allowed to order a bunch of different items from the menus, or just one appetizer, one entree, etc? We like to get a few things and share them. Didn't know if that was frowned upon on O.
  
• Regarding the beverage packages, I understand that the lesser one includes beer, wine and champagne during dinner and lunch, and the more expensive includes spirits on top of that, plus you can enjoy your drink at any time. But does "spirits" = things like cocktails (frozen or otherwise), or just, say, a single liquor on the rocks?
  
• Also regarding the drink packages, are there limits to the price point of what's included? For example, is it wines under a certain cost per glass? If so, would you pay the full charge if you want one not covered, or just the difference? I don't drink a whole lot, and it's difficult to figure out which way to go since I can't seem to find the prices anywhere on O's beverage menus.
  

Okay, I think that's it for now. If anyone would like to chime in, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

p.s. Heading out on Celebrity in 4 days... can't wait to be on the sea!

We've sailed many days on Celebrity at Elite level, and have never received 15% off bottles of wine. There's nothing like that listed on the Captain's Club benefits list currently, or on an old one I found (over 2 years old). There is 10% off a drink package, but that's not until you get to Elite Plus. I think you were just very lucky on your previous cruise or what you had was a coupon special left in your room? Or, could it have been from your Travel Agent?

Hmmm.... interesting. :confused: The 15% off was listed among the perks we could enjoy as Select members in a welcome letter, addressed to us, in our stateroom. There were no coupons; we just presented our cards and we received the discount as promised. We don't use a travel agent.

My husband and I sailed on Silhouette in February 2017 and, as Select members, were able to enjoy 15% off a bottle of wine (I think it had been listed in the benefits as 15% off your first bottle, but something messed up in our favor because we kept getting 15% off each bottle). We are sailing again in February 2018, and I just happened to check the CC benefits listing to refresh my memory -- and the 15% off for a bottle of wine is gone! Did anyone else notice a change in CC tier benefits? I tried searching here and elsewhere for news about changes, and didn't find anything.

Note: I know you get 15% off bottles with a beverage package, but we are not interested in that because we don't drink enough to make it worth getting.

Thanks for any insight. (I wonder what else, if anything, is different!)

Thank you, everyone. I truly appreciate all the feedback! I was confused and had a hard time finding a straight answer.

Thanks, everyone. I was just confused, because according to the Cruise Critic review, it says this about Canaletto:

Canaletto is a family-style Italian restaurant, tucked into a corner of the Lido and transformed each evening with white tablecloths for a filling, three-course meal. The entrees rotate nightly and include an assortment of pastas and large plates like veal, braised chicken, roasted pork and grilled sea bass. A small plates section was added in January 2014 when price changes were made to Canaletto fleetwide.

Perhaps this was once the case, but is no longer so?

Hello! Quick question. I'm sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam and was curious about which menus in the specialty restaurants change nightly, and which stay the same for the duration of the sailing. Asking specifically about:

• Pinnacle Grill
  
• Tamarind
  
• Canaletto
  

Thank you!!

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone! I'm sailing HAL. Will check and see if they offer the option for us to take off our own luggage. We've done that before (other lines) and it's been fine -- it's just 2 of us and we're in pretty good shape. :D

What I've never done is take a taxi to or from the port... when you get off the ship, is the taxi line insane on Saturdays, typically (Port Everglades on a Saturday)? I assume there's a taxi line, anyway... though maybe not?

Hi! FLL/Port Everglades newbie here.

In your experience, do you think I'll have enough time after disembarking at Port Everglades to get to FLL airport to make an 11:15 a.m. flight? It's a Saturday, by the way. If not, we have to wait for many, many hours at FLL. :confused:

Thanks all!

p.s. I tried searching for an answer to this to avoid posting a new thread and wasn't getting a clear response in the search results. Might be my fault; apologies if this has been covered ad nauseum.

We were on Silhouette 2 weeks ago - after it was public knowledge that Canyon Ranch was taking over the spa and there was no change in service. The ladies at the spa were great. Remember that they are still working for tips, and they also may be hoping to obtain a job with CR!

This is great feedback. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for your responses, everyone. Appreciate the feedback.

Hi all! Has anyone sailed on Celebrity since their Steiner contract expired? I'm sailing on Reflection in mid-February, in AquaClass, and I'm nervous that the spa experience will be sub-par while the line is transitioning between the two companies. Who is running the spa until CR begins? Should I be nervous? The spa and AQ = main motivation for sailing with Celebrity. :confused:

Thanks!