MarKay525

Slight hijack, but related topic. My passport expires in August and I have 3 cruises before then, the last one in May. Our May Alaska cruise leaves out of Vancouver and returns to Seattle.Then I go back to Vancouver to catch the Rocky Mountaineer train and fly home from Calgary. Given how long turn-around is taking for US passports, I'm hesitant to send mine in for renewal (even expedited) between the February and May cruises. For the May trips, I can carry my Birth Certificate; Consular Report of Birth Abroad; Marriage License; and Enhanced Driver's License in addition to my passport that will expire in 3 months, but do need to take all the extra "official" paperwork? Thanks and apologies to the OP - Kay

Welcome home. Your posts have been really fun to follow.

Sounds like so much fun. Please post lots of photos.

Congrats on your choice. Thanks for letting us know. Enjoy!

Very different locations: Aqua staterooms on Deck 9 are under the pool/solarium/Ocean View Cafe. Aqua on Deck 11 are below the outdoor movie area and above the Sunset Bar. Concierge on Decks 7 & 8 have staterooms above and below. Those on Deck 9 are also under the Ocean View Cafe. The few staterooms located on Deck 6 are above the Main Dining Room. We choose Concierge on deck 7 or 8 as quiet is more important to us than Blu or the Persian Garden.

Constellation?

About a month ago, our September, 2023 Summit cruise disappeared from the Celebrity website. I panicked. Checked with our TA and he knew nothing of any changes. Then a few days later, it reappeared. Never heard a word from Celebrity, and I wrote it off to their outstanding IT department. Check again in a few days. Kay

But your little sponge will undoubtedly taste better! We never cease to be amazed at how little flavor these beautiful creations have. Happy, happy birthday to you chemmo.

OP - apologies for the slight hijack, but this is from the Celebrity Healthy at Sea page: https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety At a Glance Beginning with departures on September 5, 2022: All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can cruise with us on sailings departing from U.S. and Europe ports. Testing protocols will ease on our U.S. and Europe sailings. - We will begin accepting self-tests on sailings from U.S. and Europe sailings. - For sailings 9 nights or less, vaccinated guests ages 12 and older will no longer need to test to board one of our ships, where destinations allow; and will have 3 days prior to boarding to test for sailings 10 nights or more. - Unvaccinated guests ages 12 and older will need to test 3 days prior to boarding U.S. and Europe sailings. Please visit our Country Travel Requirements for more information regarding vaccination.

OK - Jim & I clearly need to check our numbers! Our cruse last month was 9 nights in the Caribbean and we didn't have to test. In any event, yours is 4 nights so testing will not be required. Kay Edited - I just checked the Healthy at Sea info. Jim & I were both incorrect with the number of nights. (I originally said 10.) I changed my posts to hopefully avoid confusion. And I just realized there is a difference between less than 9 nights, and 9 nights or less. The latter is the wording used by Celebrity. Kay

As others have said, you can upgrade your beverage package onboard. The bartender that processes the upgrade will love you, as they get a "bonus" for the upgrade. Since you are in an Aqua stateroom, your dining room will be Blu, which is just for those in Aqua. The food there is definitely a cut above the regular Main Dining Room. Unless something has changed since last month, you just need to show your vax documentation at check-in. No testing required for cruises less than 9 nights. Found this tour - hope it helps. We're booked for this same itinerary in February. While we've sailed Celebrity a lot, we've never been on a 4 night cruise on Celebrity before, and expect it will not draw their traditional crowd. I don't expect a booze cruise mentality, but I also know it will not be the Celebrity experience we usually have. (We plan to spend most of the time in our Celebrity Suite and in the Retreat.) Please keep an open mind and do not judge Celebrity by this one 4 night cruise. Enjoy!

Hope his recovery is going smoothly. I didn't upload photos for our last two cruises (April & October ) and our photos were taken in 2 seconds as we checked in - once in the Retreat Embarkation Lounge and once at regular check-in, both in Port Everglades. Does it have to be a "just took it today" photo? Seems like for one cruise I uploaded photos that still looked like us but had been taken a year ago. Have a great cruise.

From the Celebrity website: SELECT • Discounted price for one standard bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) on 12-night or longer sailing If you are lucky, a call to the Captain's Club (800-760-0654) might get you the specific discount prior to your cruise. On our cruise on Equinox last month the laundry bag in the veranda stateroom was cloth. Also had a cloth bag on Edge in March in a suite. How many items the bag holds depends on what type of clothes you are putting into it. Jeans and heavy tops - maybe a few of each. Underwear, socks, cotton PJs - if you roll them before putting them in the bag, probably 25-30 items. (A pair of socks counts as one item.)

DH & I sailed on Edge in March, 2022. We were able to pre-purchase a one day pass for the Thermal Spa. The cost was $92 for the two of us and we visited on a port day. I believe I was able to pre-purchase through my cruise planner. We had a lot of OBC - would have never paid that much out-of-pocket. The one day pass is not available for our Apex cruise this December.

Add us to those on the 9/17 Equinox sailing who tested positive when we got home. We both had sore throats, but assumed it was colds because we were rained on so much during the cruise (thank you Hurricane Ian). DH tested positive on 9/27 and was immediately put on Paxlovid. Although I had symptoms, I didn't test + until 10/1. DH was sicker than I was, but it took me longer to recover. We have another cruise in early Dec., then are traveling for Christmas, and have been told we should have natural immunity through the end of the year. 🤞🤞 Hope everyone is now feeling better. Kay & Mark

Jim - thank you for posting this. I think many in Boston won't fly on 9/11 if it can be avoided - we never did. Generally a somewhat somber day there. I'll add my thanks for your fantastic thread. I've taken lots of notes in preparation for our Summit "leaf peeping" cruise next fall. Wishing you safe travels home and a most successful and uneventful surgery. Kay

Thanks so much for the update on Equinox - we board her on Saturday for the Grand Cayman/ABC itinerary.

Absolutely beautiful. With your permission, I'd like to print & frame about a dozen of your sunset photos and hang them in my home office. Kay

Can't address the 21 day issue, but the Captain's Club level does make a difference in a MoveUp bid.The percentages shown below are added to the original bid. https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/captains-club/program-changes Looking to take your vacation to the next level? You’re in luck. MoveUp allows you to bid on a stateroom upgrade after you’ve purchased your cruise. As a valued Captain’s Club member your bid gets a bonus boost based on your tier. So, you get more value than what you bid. Classic members get an extra 1% multiplier, Select members get a 2% multiplier, Elite members get a 3% multiplier, Elite Plus members get a 4% multiplier, and Zenith members get a 5% multiplier.

I've been on this tour at least twice (pre-covid) and always wear capris during the day when cruising, so it wasn't an issue for me. IMHO, wearing supportive, closed toe shoes while on this tour is far more important than covering your ankles. Kay

Hope you enjoy your turn-around day in Boston - my old stomping grounds. Lived there 28 years before we retired down here. Kay

Beautiful. Very colorful - deep, saturated hues. Thank you for sharing such wonderful photos of a place I may never get to visit. Kay

You're clearly having too much fun!! 😁

COVID-19 antibody testing - Mayo Clinic COVID-19 antibody testing, also known as serology testing, is a blood test that's done to find out if you've had a past infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). An antibody test can't determine whether you're currently infected with the COVID-19 virus. May 27, 2022

Used to be that when you called the Captain's Club you spoke with a dedicated CC Customer Service rep. Last time I called (about 2 years ago), the person was a general Customer Service rep who knew very little about the CC even though I specifically called the Captain's Club. Have they gone back to dedicated CC Customer Service reps, or is it still a generalist? Thanks - Kay