Clydesmom7865

Recently returned from a 14 day South Oh ,you might wonder how ill we were? After returning, I found out I had pneumonia and am just recovering now. My husband had it bad, but is much better without a visit to our GP.

Pneumonia is an airborne respiratory virus and all the hand sanitizer in the world will not stop that. Same with any respiratory illness.

Could the crew and or supervisors, especially in eating areas ask passengers to cover their mouths or even hand out masks? I think Celebrity has failed in this area.

Celebrity has absolutely NO authority to demand that passengers wear masks. The CDC or local health department can for one respiratory illness only: Tuberculosis. TB patients who refuse to wear a mask can be quarantined against their will.

As many have already said you can only control yourself. If you are worried that much about encountering people who might be ill and catching something then traveling during peak cold and flu season may not be the best for you.

We had new virgin cruisers with us and I know they would have loved this and given it a special ending to their holiday.

You do not KNOW that they would have loved this or that it would have been a special ending to their cruise. You assume because you enjoy it they would have too.

Put me in the category of not going to miss it one bit. I saw it on my first cruise and thought it was one of the absolute silliest thing I had ever seen. So did my virgin cruise friends that I dined with every night. So much so that on our next cruise we opted to skip all the formal nights and go to specialty dining.

If they are being pushed in a stroller, I cannot see how they could be considered "service" animals....ridiculous.

It is ridiculous and it is fraud. This is nothing more than a classic example of the over indulged, spoiled, self entitled attitude that has destroyed this country. Those two live beanie babies being pushed in a stroller are NOT service animals or support dogs. They are someone's pets who selfishly LIED about their role in order to bring them on a cruise. PERIOD.

I flew on a major airline last weekend and sat in the gate area with a woman with a ****zhu on a PILLOW. Yes you read that right a pillow. It had a bow in its special hairdo too. She went so far as to put in the special service dog vest she had bought on the internet. Someone questioned what "service" the dog performed. I loudly stated "helping her avoid paying a fee to fly her pet" which got some snickers and responses of agreement. Someone asked if it could be a service dog. I answered it was always possible but any dog that is sitting propped on a pillow like a deity certainly isn't performing any service I can see. "What about the vest?" We pulled up the exact same vest on Amazon and showed the picture to the inquisitor. Lying about the animal's purpose + vest on internet does not make you less of a liar.

Until we stand up to this garbage the frauds and the liars will continue to get away with it.

• No sushi
  
• no booze
  
• caffeine <200mg/day
  
• no lunch meat
  
• no raw egg
  
• no unpasteurized milk
  
• no cheese made with unpasteurized milk
  
• no unpasteurized juice
  
• no bacon with nitrates
  
• no sausage with nitrates
  
• no raw meat
  
• no meat that isn't well done
  
• no fish with high mercury content
  
• limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught)
  
• no hot dogs
  
• no raw shellfish
  
• liver
  
• pate containing liver
  

I think it is safe to say that if you don't want sushi, booze, lunch meat, hot dogs, raw shellfish, pate, liver, raw meat, or caffeine the do NOT order them. If you need your meat well done order it that way. You do not need a waiter or special menu to accomplish that.

As for milk: unless you go off the ship to a farm the milk will be pasteurized and the only juice that isn't is fresh squeezed. Don't order it if you want only pasteurized juice.

If you are concerned about mercury content then the fish to avoid is tuna.

Given the sheer volume of passengers they are buying food for I would be willing to make an educated guess that bacon and sausage are going to have nitrates. As for only wild caught fish: likely to be WAY higher in mercury than farm raised but unless you are eating in a specialty restaurant I highly doubt the fish you are served is anything but farm raised frozen fish due to again the volume they buy and prepare.

You do not need a special "pregnancy" menu or to send your server on a search and destroy mission prior to each meal in order to eat healthy while on a cruise. You merely need to be an smart diner and make good choices.

I now live in Las Vegas land of the never ending buffet line and we rarely see that issue at the high end buffets here. When you spend $35 or more to attend one the low class people who use their fingers, taste and put back, and jump the line don't bother to come.

I think you see it far less on Celebrity (I have never had an issue) than you do on some other cruise lines that cater to a different crowd with different manners.

Does Celebrity allow you to bring a small quantity of soda on board in your carry on bag?

 

Thanks.

No need to haul it around with you in a carry on. I hit a grocery store on the way to the port and then slap a luggage tag on it and check it. It gets delivered right to the room. No worries or fuss. On my 14 day cruise I checked two twelve packs and even though one had exploded two cans the port guys wrapped them in plastic and got them to my state room anyway.

We did one on my last cruise. I did not organize it but did participate.

It was $10 per person. We did use the casino manager and the Wheel of Fortune game. Everyone put in their money and then all the key cards were handed to me. I "shuffled" them and they were face down so you could not read names. The casino manager would pick a card, any card and it was that person's turn to play their pull.

The rule was that the participant who had the largest payout of all the pulls got half the jack pot and the remaining 50% was split evenly among all the other participants.

One person hit a larger payout. Several had small ones. In the end the winner got around $100 and the rest of us left with $20 a head. Not a bad deal.

I bring my own snorkel because I too have an issue with those public use snorkels that are cleansed in a giant trash can. :eek: No chance of me sticking that icky thing in my mouth after hundreds/thousands of tourists.

I also bring my own mask because I have a prescription one that matches my eye glasses. They are pricey but it was worth it to me a few years ago.

I am kind of a loan wolf and do bring my own fins. I have an unbelievable pair and even the dive boat guys commented on how great they were.

In addition to the added cleanliness benefits and proper fit you also have a distinct advantage of being able to be one of the first in the water due to not having to wait while they fish out gear and fit everyone.

While you CAN order them on line I cannot stress enough how much better it is to go to your local dive shop and discuss your needs with the shop master and get properly fitted. The time and money will be well spent when you have gear that performs as you expect and need and fits beautifully.

So many helpful people!!!

 

So grateful for all of the kind advice. We are reading responses with excitement and planning feels less like stress and more like fun. Thank you for all of your helpful input.

 

The ports of call for this cruise on the Eclipse are below:

 

 

• Oranjestad, Aruba
  
• Willemstad, Curacaon
   
  
• St. George's, Grenada
  
• Bridgetown, Barbados
  
• Castries, St. Lucia
  
• St. John's, Antigua
  
• Basseterre, St. Kitts
  
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten
  

My suggestions for Barbados, Aruba and St. Lucia are in my post up top.

For Antigua: http://www.adventureantigua.com/

For Grenada: http://www.nativespiritscuba.com/index.htm

Obviously all my adventures center around nature and scuba/snorkel. All were reasonably priced and very safe. I had no issues with any company I booked. Also NONE of them had me trying to recruit other passengers to go along. I booked as a solo and joined others already on adventures that day.

I will let others comment on St. Maarten as the excursion I booked there was awful and I came within nanoseconds of almost missing the ship thanks to the tour company so I would NOT recommend them to anyone.

If Barbados is a port I can HIGHLY recommend an all day catamaran cruise with Silver Moon cruises. http://silvermoonbarbados.com/ They take reservations on line. We swam with sea turtles. snorkeled in some of the best waters, there was a total of 10-12 on board, private lunch prepared by the Captain with food from her personal garden which was fabulous. All you can drink and eat including alcohol. Luxury catamaran yacht with 2 bathrooms. About $100 per person. They also picked up/dropped off at the pier.

In Aruba: Aruba Bob Snorkeling: http://www.arubabobsnorkeling.com/faq.asp

In St. Lucia: http://www.cosol-tours.com/contact.html

nope. rarely are the games on the TV channels. at best the Bars may have it.

I do NOT know why people keep repeating this because it is WRONG. If the game is airing in the casino bar or Celebrity Central it is also on the same channel in the cabins. I speak from experience as I have NEVER had an issue watching football in my state room.

Celebrity does NOT create a special channel when they air the games. They use one already available. The only question is which games they will air. Not all are available.

WHAT? I'm going to have to hike all the way to the buffet at halftime to make sure no more than two hours goes by without eating? :D

2 hours without food? :eek: Perish the thought!

Well it is that or you do what I did which is watch in your cabin and order a LOT of room service. Of course the trade off there is no other football fans to cheer with and NO alcohol. After the first game in the cabin with no alcohol the bar and no food was more appealing.

Hoping Celebrity can help answer how they handle the showing of the Super Bowl will be on Relection during the super bowl in 2015. Where will game be, what if anything special do they do for it, and since it is the first sea day will they change the formal night which is usually scheduled for the same night the game is. Appreciate any info thank you

From what I have read in past years they do make a big deal out of the Superbowl with at least one large venue (often the theater) showing the game and lots of "football" food i.e. hot dogs, hamburgers, wings, beer etc.

As for moving formal night that I do not know.

We'll be sailing on the last playoff game Sunday, January 18th (sea day) and with any luck our home team will make it that far, GO PATS!

 

What's the chance Celebrity will have a playoff party for the game? I've read they often have a party for the SuperBowl so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Regardless of who is in the game, we'd love to watch some good football with other fans:)

I have never heard of them holding "play off" parties. However, you will find plenty of football fans to watch with. I had no difficulty finding football fans in the bar in the casino to sit with and watch the game(s). The bartender even helped out by not running the blender during game play and waiting for commercials. The only down side is no food.

I doubt that.

And you would be wrong.

On both my cruises I wanted to see Dallas play. I simply went to guest relations and asked if the game would air. They didn't know but a wonderful crew member emailed corporate and arranged for the game to air. It was on in the casino bar, Celebrity Central, AND in the cabins (including mine).

I have had no issues being unable to watch NFL football in the cabin. The big issue is what games Celebrity chooses to air. Sailing out of FL does not guarantee they will air the Dolphins. Celebrity does tend to lean towards airing the popular teams/games. Which would mean SNF, MNF, TNF and then what teams might be popular after that i.e. DEN, NE, DAL, GB, and this year AZ, (last year SEA) but that changes as the seasons do.

There are 2 options: wait until on board and ask at Guest Relations or email the Captains Club in advance and ask if it will be aired or can be arranged.

 

I am disturbed by comments like this.

These nurses risked their lives, as all health care workers do every day, using the best evidence based practices available to them at the point in time.

 

The nurse with the temp of 99.5 called the contact she was given at the CDC and told she could travel. She did NOT disobey directions to take her temperature twice a day, and did notify the contact she was given of a low elevation (not fever). She did exactly as she was told by the people who we as a nation trust to protect us.

 

The lab tech was also told that she should take her temp twice a day and report elevations, which she never had, but did inform Carnival personnel when she heard about the nurse who had travelled. She and her husband also self isolated.

She also was tested before the ship docked and results should be available today, which is also the last day of the incubation period - if she was infected she would have symptoms by now. If the world's medical personnel are correct, without symptoms she was never a danger to others. She did everything in her power to protect others.

 

Instead of uninformed statements vilifying these people we should be treating them like the firefighters on 9/11. They willingly put themselves in positions of danger to try to save lives. They used the information available at THAT point in time to try to save lives.

The fact that in retrospect the information they had was inadequate does not make them culpable for the after effects.

I was getting ready to respond to that posters latest uninformed hysteria when you posted. GREAT response and no need for me to add to it. Thank you.

She still embarked before the 21 day self check period was up. She knew the risks and decided her vacation was too important to miss. How is her choice (and it was HER) defensible? What happened to some common sense and personal accountability? What would have happened if symptoms popped up? You have the Carnival Petri Dish floating just off Galveston unable to port or disembark people...and then what? Seriously an honest question

The problem with all your "questions" is they are based on hysteria and "WHAT IF" instead of the actual facts of the situation.

This particular health care worker's risk of contracting the disease as part of her job is so small that she presented a greater risk of spreading noro-virus than Ebola on that cruise.

You are NEVER going to get a policy that limits the travel of people simply because of their occupation and what MIGHT happen.

But to counter your hysterical rantings that might provoke fear in others: had this person started showing symptoms of Ebola they can easily anchor the ship off shore. A hazmat suit can be sent in for the patient in order to evacuate her without further contact with others. The room can be sealed until it can be properly decontaminated.

Seriously your imagination is out of control. There were less hysterical fears coming out of people who flew on a closed plane with a nurse who DOES have Ebola now than what is being said in this thread about a passenger who is not showing one symptom of ANY illness let alone Ebola.

Just heard on the news this morning about a passenger on a Carnival ship who was a nurse in the hospital in Dallas and handled specimens from the man who died. She and her husband still went on their cruise and she now has quarantined herself and the husband to their cabin and contacted CDC because she is showing symptoms of Ebola. Please folks, if you have been in contact with ANYONE who has this disease, don't go on a cruise.

There is so much wrong with this statement it is difficult to know where to start.

First the passenger isn't a nurse she is a lab technologist and her exposure would have been far less than those who provided direct care to the patient who did actually die from Ebola.

They went on their cruise because at the time the CDC cleared her to travel. NOT because of some nefarious desire to infect anyone.

She has NEVER shown any signs of Ebola. She and her spouse voluntarily agreed to quarantine after the CDC contacted them and Carnival when their recommendations on travel changed. AT NO TIME has she shown any signs of being ill.

PLEASE folks find out the facts before you create more unnecessary hysteria.

We've got the Eclipse booked for 3 April 2016 (yikes, good thing we've got a couple of Cruises booked in 2015). We've been to all the ports except Bonaire. We are looking forward to visiting Bonaire.

If you are not scuba divers you will be sorely disappointed. There is NOTHING there. Bonaire is a scuba diver's paradise but other than that there is absolutely nothing to do or see on the island.

Hi Guys.

 

Just wondering if anyone of you guys out there have cruised on the Celebrity Eclipse on the 14 night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise. If so, would you recommend it.

Considering flying over from Australia to do this cruise in the near future some time.

 

A great time to cruise that region would also be most helpful.

 

Thankyou very much in advance.

 

Bob & Chris ( Downunder ):):):)

I did it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it. In fact I met a lovely couple from Australia on that cruise so you would have good company as it does seem to be popular even with the distance to get here.

I personally recommend any time from early December until late January. I did mine in January and had perfect weather.

Why does Celebrity out of all the other cruise lines lack variety of live music performances' date=' game shows where pax can participate, activities near pool, guest star comedy acts, and unique and creative shows?[/b']

I disagree that it is the worst entertainment. Not everything is my cup of tea but I do enjoy the comedy shows. I could care less about game shows and certainly do not want tacky organized activities mucking up my enjoyment of the pool.

I am certain their budget does not allow for "unique and creative" shows due to space constraints for both seating in the theater, stage size, and crew needed. Due to passenger demographics changing with each cruise they have to come up with something that will appeal to the majority on the bulk of the sailings.

The activities on my cruise were always well attended so apparently you are in the minority. If you don't like the entertainment and cruise for that reason there are plenty of lines I am sure one of them has something to your liking.

Interesting...

 

Does anyone know if there is any sort of water exercise programs offered ?

 

And if so... Share what you thought of them if you participated / witnessed one.

 

Cheers!

I have only sailed on two cruises but both were 10 days or longer and I spent a considerable amount of time at the pool on sea days. None on port days.

I have never seen a water exercise class offered. The pools are just too crowded (Carribean sailings) and there would be far more ticked off people at having no pool access for an hour or more for a class than those interested.

You are free to exercise on your own and won't be bothered for it. One man brought his wife every day to the pool. She had bad MS and he did aqua therapy with her for a couple of hours.

I am sailing Solstice in 2 week in Aqua class. I was wondering if they required you to be in the room when they delivered the canapés?

This has been a requirement for quite some time. It was on my last cruise which was in January of 2012.

Yes....and it seems like Caesars owns the other half.

I think they are associated with Norwegian Cruiselines, if I am not mistaking.

I think MGM has the most properties, Ceasar's is second followed by Wynn. The rest are all independent single properties.

I see it! It is an ad for Aria Resort and Casino. I have not searched for anything in Las Vegas lately. But I do know about the cross over between the MGM hotels and RCL. Some exchanging of privileges goes on, as I understand it. I don't know if Aria is a MGM hotel.

Marilyn

Aria is an MGM property. One of their nicest ones. Has an award winning pastry chef. I think MGM owns half of Vegas properties (the major players) right now.

I have not done this itinerary but have done a port intensive 14 day one. My suggestion would be recognize when you are tired and skip the MDR. There were several nights I dressed for dinner despite the exhaustion and should have skipped it and done room service or the buffet. You won't miss a thing by doing what feels best for dinner instead of going through the motions.

Plan ahead and leave some time to get back to the ship in time and relax some. We had one port where they were pulling the gang way up behind us and that added a LOT of stress to the travel. Learned that lesson the hard way.