Nick&Simon

14 hours ago, lovetoholiday said:

Ha ha, having already done a seacation with Celebrity which was wonderful, I'm now prepared for the worst with Princess on Tuesday.

Maybe things will have improved by then. Thanks for all the information.

 

We were on the first Celebrity Seacation, and service was in a different league to the shambles that was Regal Princess. On the plus side all the crew and officers we spoke to know it's a shambles, so hopefully it will improve. 

18 hours ago, voljeep said:

who are / were the servers/ bartenders / staff in Crooners 🍸 🥃 or Vines ? - In Vines could you still get tapas with a wine purchase ? 🍷

We were in Vines last night asked the very helpful waiter for some potato crisps, we were told no food in Vines. So I ordered potato crisps on the App. We got a plate of French fries about 30 minutes later "we have run out of crisps". 

1 hour ago, little britain said:

 

 

@Nick&Simon enjoy all your future cruises on Cunard: the rest of us will struggle on. 

If it saves us from this abomination we will do...

And single ply toilet tissue! 

26 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

A question for those of you sailing on the Silhouette this summer in Concierge Class cabins -- are there foot stools on your balconies?   

 

Foot stools had been removed as part of the ship's "revolution," but this was a very unpopular move and many cruisers insisted they be brought back.  I recall right before the pandemic some folks saying that some type of foot stools were finally placed on the Concierge Class balconies, but there's little data out there, given the suspension of cruising.

 

I'm hoping that those sailing in Concierge Class this summer could let us know: do you have foot stools on your balconies?  (Photos of the balcony furniture would be an added bonus.  🙂)

 

Thanks so much for any info, and enjoy your cruises!!

Foot stools are there in Concierge.

 Not sure what is going on but Eurofins have set up in The Meeting place and there is a big banner saying "welcome to your rapid Antigen test ".

On 7/4/2021 at 4:08 PM, isdoo said:

 

What have they said when you complained about the Internet and indeed the food etc? 

I think I have been unfair, hence why I paused posting. Initially I thought what I see as poor service was teething issues, but after discussing with other passengers I realise it is normal service for Celebrity. I mainly sail with Cunard and the service standards are different.

I have reset my expectations accordingly.

20 minutes ago, 38anchor said:

 

Thanks for taking time to post - hopefully Celebrity are just finding their feet and things will improve as the cruise continues. Interesting that you found everywhere full - I guess that even with reduced capacity the social distancing measures are having an impact. Can I ask if the weather has played any part ie has it been raining so everyone is staying indoors?

 

 

The weather is good this afternoon and from where I am sitting - at a bar, that rule seems to have been relaxed - there isn't a spare seat. 

I don't know if it is usual for Celebrity, but there are no bar waiters and no-one clearing tables.

I suspect - but it's just a guess - with AI the bars three outdoor bars that see open are busier than expected.

5 minutes ago, talljules1 said:

What with this and the off snacks and buns yesterday, doesn't sound as though you are having much luck!

 

Hope things improve and that you enjoy your cruise.

 

Generally things are good, service is very willing and enthusiastic. Cleanliness is excellent. Murano last night was superb. 

But there are a few issues.

I don't think they have realised that with only organised tours available, many many people have remained onboard. 

As an aside the Eurofin team that were at the port yesterday are onboard. 

By way of an update, our experience so far today has been disappointing. We wanted coffee around 11am today, the coffee bar was full all morning. There are no indoor bars open and all of the outdoor bars were washed down at the same time. There is no room at The Porch, The Mast Bar or Mast Grill. 

We ended up eating in Ocean View and in my opinion it was terrible. I started with a plate of cold meats which were put on a very hot plate, then luke warm pasta with no spoon available and no condiments such as tabasco.

 It's the worst cruise food I remember experiencing. 

I know I will get flamed for daring to say anything negative, but it is what it is.

10 hours ago, Gilllizzie said:

Delighted to see the ship sail tonight! Hope you all have a wonderful cruise,  we are booked for the 17th July. I would really appreciate it if some of you on board this week could answer a few questions…..

Was there the usual one chic night, and did people dress up much?

How much did the experience differ from a cruise “pre covid“ ?

Were there quizzes on board, and were passengers allowed to form teams as usual?

Thank you, Gill

 

There was a quiz scheduled for 7pm in Craft Social last night. No-one turned up (or to be more precise, no one wanted to join) so it was cancelled. I have seen a couple of tables of more than 6 people, although I don't think it is officially allowed.

 Big scoop for me is that you can sit at the bar outside Murano, and you can order via the bar man, however a server has to bring the drink to you. 

Max four people to a lift with X on the floor to tell you where to stand.

I have seen quite a few people with visors rather than face masks.

I would describe service as amazingly willing, but rusty. For example I asked for a Heineken in Craft Social and the waiter just didn't understand, I ended up with some hoppy ale. My room steward is unable to bring me sparkling water. He has brought champagne, instead  he has brought tonic, but water with gas he can't do. 

My only real gripe (anything else being a niggle) is the AI wifi. It's unusable for anything other than the Celebrity App and the odd message on Whatsapp. You can't browse this site for example, you can't send a picture on whatsapp. 

A couple of other things. Drinks & More wine was two bottles of red. Welcome bottle was red.

2 minutes ago, lovetoholiday said:

I take it you got your results ok once you got to the terminal.  Hope it didn't cause too much stress.

 

 

Eurofins had a testing station set up at the terminal, it was probably 45 minutes extra delay. 

They didn't allow priory boarding for Concierge. At least they didn't for us.

17 minutes ago, isdoo said:

I thought they had streaming speeds now? 

It's so slow I can't even get a speed check reading. Maybe (and I have no idea if this is the case) the paid internet is streaming speed and the AI is snails pace?

 There was no mention of mini-bar drinks in the Drinks & More letter. I'll need to check on that.

A few surprises from Silhouette so far. No Concierge boarding day lunch. No water in the mini bar. Everything else so far is as you would expect.

 Only small gripes would be the bar snacks in Craft Social were off, as was the burger bun in MastBar.

 The bar seat rules at MastBar were silly. You can sit at the bar, but must face away from the bar and can't put your glass on the bar.

 Wifi is as bad as ever.

1 hour ago, iandjm said:

Im so annoyed it is costing me £95 more than celebrity will pay me back to get a reliable results back in 24 hours test only to find out it doesn’t really matter as they will test you in port if it’s necessary.  It’s also costing me a valuable days holiday from work to get the test 🤬

I'm not sure that's correct. Celebrity have offered to test in port those passengers on today's sailing whose Eurofin results have gone missing. I don't think it's a general "turn up without a test and we will test you".

 My results are still missing, so I expect a few hours hanging around the dock in secondary screening later. Not the way I wanted to start my holiday.

26 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Hmmmm,😱 apparently they are having trouble uploading PCR  test results to the App.

Usual Celebrity IT, which is freaking out many of tomorrow’s passengers, who have been told not to worry, as the results will be at the pier.

Not the Celebrity App, the Eurofins app. 

35 minutes ago, CambsCruiser82 said:

Hi guys,

 

Had our Eurofins test yesterday at 2:30 in Stansted and had the results at 2:40 today. I have to say my experience was excellent and the staff were great! 

That makes me even more nervous. Great experience, but not knowing the timeline for results is challenging. 

I'm pleased you have you results though.

Eurofins test yesterday at midday, and no results yet. They are going to test my nerves I think.

13 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

The cruise might be 6 months away but the balance of my fare is due in 2 months. I will have to make my decision at the last minute (end of August) based on the restrictions in place at that time when I will only lose my nonrefundable deposit of $214. 

As the US is not significantly behind the UK in terms of percentage of population vaccinated (although the gap is widening by day) I would be confident a travel corridor will be established by the time you come to pay your deposit. Two months is a long time in pandemic terms.

The UK Transport Minister has stated it is being progressed and there is the political will, the complexity would appear to be around the US not having a standard vaccination certification and a common UK approved vaccine not being recognised in the US.

Having worked closely with the UK Transport Minister, he isn't one to dangle the carrot unless he is confident he can deliver.

3 minutes ago, Wichenford Wolf said:

Good luck on the maiden cruise this summer. Once it ends you might not feel like it, but it would be great to read your experiences and thoughts on this general board.

 

Have a brilliant time!

Thank you, we have "maidens" on this, Cunard and Princess. It will be interesting to compare.

31 minutes ago, Mim Lloyd said:

Thanks, good to hear it went well. Hope the result comes through quickly for you.

The admin lady said they send them by DHL Express to the lab a couple of times a day, but its up to the customer (Celebrity) if they are notified, the passenger notified or both notified. She didn't know the specifics for Celebrity. They are doing test for multiple customers.

Either way results tomorrow.

We had our Eurofins PCR tests at Bristol Aztec Hotel this morning. It was superb. Well sign posted to the meeting room, a beer pleasant room, two staff who couldn't have been more helpful.

 We arrived 40 minutes early and that was no problem.

 They even gave a voucher to cover the £10 hotel parking charge.

I was very impressed.

7 hours ago, BostonBud said:

  So what’s the basic reason for the dress code?  ... To instill gender norms? 

I don't believe so. I think it's to install a sense of occasion. In the same way it would be against norms to attend a wedding in a jeans and T-Shirt.

On Cunard* where formal dress  is enforced fiercely,  I love seeing military (serving and retired, from many nations) having the opportunity to wear their dress uniforms and proudly sporting their medals. Being able to thank and acknowledge people for their service is amazing. 

On a purely personal level, it is one of the rare occasions I get to wear my awards (UK obviously) issued for services to Gender Equality and the LGBT community and to engage with people about that subject.

I perfectly understand it's not for everyone, we all have a choice of how we wish to travel, but I'm in no way a believer it's anything to do with installing gender norms.

 And I admit the sight of an attractive Scott in his kilt, does make my heart beat a little faster.

*I reference Cunard as they are at the extreme end of Dress Code.

3 hours ago, BostonBud said:

Dress codes are not only outdated but sexist. We usually only do chartered cruises where only bare feet and swimwear are not allowed in the MDR and there never has been an issue. In fact allowing people to be more creative in their dress is more human than trying to put them into boxes invented by unnamed individuals from a time long gone.
 

Someone wearing too much perfume or cologne (or any at all) is more offensive to me since 1) the odor makes me physically sick and 2) it ruins the dining experience because it permeates the culinary aromas of the dishes yet Celebrity doesn’t ban that. 
 

don’t even get me started on the post trying to equate someone pretending to be a different gender just to eat in the dining room.  
 

We’re all born naked and the rest is drag - RuPaul

I travel Cunard mainly, where dress codes are not only adhered to but form part of the overall experience. The cruise line attracts a healthy number of travellers who do not dress according to their gender either fully or for part of the day (mainly men who opt to dress and be treated as woman for dinner). No one seems to care, everyone appears happy. The staff respect their choice (Mr Smith at lunch is Mrs Smith at dinner) and the Gentleman Hosts happily dance away with Mrs Smith. But they do stick to the dress code, that's the important thing.

 But I wholeheartedly get your point about cologne. I don't want to taste other peoples scents. 

10 hours ago, ighten said:

The issue (especially for later cruises after Jul 19th) is this... You bizarrely may have more chance of catching the damn thing because suddenly everyone decides its a free for all throw masks away supermarket sweep no restriction rampage :)...  You may  be vaccinated and totally safe unless your seriously low odds unlucky - but you can still carry the thing..

 

I think I'll resort too hiding behind the settee and ordering online for the two weeks before the cruise lol

I think this makes the assumption that cruise lines operating UK summer cruise will amend their on-board social distancing practices to reflect government easing. I'm not sure it's going to be that joined-up.

I suspect no sitting at the bar, wearing a mask indoors, no contact with cabin steward/butler, restricted dining times and groups etc may be around way past the 19th July.

23 minutes ago, 2cruisetogether said:

I just checked with celebrity and the 6 months does not apply as we will only be in UK waters, 

I do wish they would be consistent. This relates to the 3rd July UK sailing.