Celebrity Cruisers - How are Things where YOU are?

[TeeRick]

22 minutes ago, Caymus88 said:

Where did you get the COVID test 

We live in PA.  We got our test in a CVS Pharmacy drive through test site.  Had results in 3 days.

[Sam.Seattle]

How are Things where YOU are?

LOOKING up!!! 

Just booked 2-Apex cruises.

🍸

[OnTheJourney]

14 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

How are Things where YOU are?

LOOKING up!!! 

Just booked 2-Apex cruises.

🍸

 

Fingers crossed for you. Same for me...hanging in there and hopeful for the May Bermuda cruise on the Summit that we booked back in December. 

[Donut23]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

Fingers crossed for you. Same for me...hanging in there and hopeful for the May Bermuda cruise on the Summit that we booked back in December. 

 

Be careful!

 

We we’re Loyal to Royal until we experienced our cute little Summit.  We are now dedicated cabin 9164 people - aft facing, handicapped.

 

If you see no need for floating Amusement Parks, the Summy will sweep you off your feet. 

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, Donut23 said:

If you see no need for floating Amusement Parks, the Summy will sweep you off your feet. 

 

Summit is very nice. We liked the Infinity also, and several RCCL ships; but, I must say - we did one cruise with Viking and really enjoyed it. Somewhat different experience. Definitely not a "floating amusement park". Less than 1,000 passengers - no casinos, no kids under 18, no photographers bugging you to take your picture, no formal nights (YEA!), no inside staterooms, no art auctions, no charge for specialty restaurants, no charge for beer or wine with lunch or dinner. Eat anytime so no waiting in lines. Big difference in size. You refer to the "little" Summit - at 965' she's over 200' longer than the Viking Ocean ships. 

 

We will still sail with X and RCCL - enjoy both and very much like that we don't have to fly if going out of Bayonne or Baltimore (love the Inner Harbor), but I'm intrigued to try more with Viking - our first experience was great till it wasn't - being that we wound up being evacuated by helicopter during a general mayday. 😳 Terrible way to have to leave a ship if I must say so. 

Edited September 21, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[Donut23]

45 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

Summit is very nice. We liked the Infinity also, and several RCCL ships; but, I must say - we did one cruise with Viking and really enjoyed it. Somewhat different experience. Definitely not a "floating amusement park". Less than 1,000 passengers - no casinos, no kids under 18, no photographers bugging you to take your picture, no formal nights (YEA!), no inside staterooms, no art auctions, no charge for specialty restaurants, no charge for beer or wine with lunch or dinner. Eat anytime so no waiting in lines. Big difference in size. You refer to the "little" Summit - at 965' she's over 200' longer than the Viking Ocean ships. 

 

We will still sail with X and RCCL - enjoy both and very much like that we don't have to fly if going out of Bayonne or Baltimore (love the Inner Harbor), but I'm intrigued to try more with Viking - our first experience was great till it wasn't - being that we wound up being evacuated by helicopter during a general mayday. 😳 Terrible way to have to leave a ship if I must say so. 

 

 

don’t let Hubby hear no charge for beer.  He may have a new cruiseline if they have aft-facing cabins

[OnTheJourney]

LOL....well, yeah, they have a few. Most, however, are the "Explorer Suites" at anywhere between 750 to 1,000+ sq. ft. Wrap-around balcony...very nice. Check out the plans for decks 3-6 and you'll see what I mean. YOLO.....😁  https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-sky.html

[LJJQ]

I live in Northern Westchester County of New York and our infection rate here is fairly low!

Most people are wearing their masks in public and are observing social distancing.

Restaurants and stores are open with restricted hours.

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, LJJQ said:

I live in Northern Westchester County of New York and our infection rate here is fairly low!

Most people are wearing their masks in public and are observing social distancing.

Restaurants and stores are open with restricted hours.

I used to live in Yorktown Heights!

[sgmn]

On 9/18/2020 at 2:50 PM, OnTheJourney said:

 

So sorry to hear this. Kind of looks like we won't be cruising out of Italy in January as planned. 

Italy (along with Germany) is doing pretty good, among the best in Europe. I think they got hit so hard back in the beginning that they have taken this very seriously and keep to the social distancing rules. 

[TeeRick]

17 hours ago, sgmn said:

Italy (along with Germany) is doing pretty good, among the best in Europe. I think they got hit so hard back in the beginning that they have taken this very seriously and keep to the social distancing rules. 

Not so sure about Italy.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/italy-reports-biggest-jump-in-virus-cases-in-5-months/1992535

[hcat]

Suburban NY ( Long Island ).

 We are doing okay..  Life as we knew it  before the pause is coming back a bit slowly,  steadily and cautiously. Many have survived Covid and moving on,  Others still mourning sad losses.

 

Had a good experience getting our teeth cleaned at the dentist..felt safe. Way overdue! Had my annual mammogram ( all good), and will do a bone denisty scan as well.

 

We are still only doing pizza and take out....but others are dining in, limited  numbers  inside, and al fresco.

 

DH played a few rounds of golf and  is working p/t at the  pro shop..Mask req indoors.  Any professional or work related  meetings/conferences for me are ZOOM style. I  bought a new mini laptop to keep up to date,.  Store stock now is low for computers laptops etc,  Seems everyone wants them! ( tp and paper towels a bit short too)

 

Our Community in Fla has re opened the gym,  stocking the pool  area with chairs , and  short term guests are now allowed... No indoor events or parties.  Visits from various food trucks and vendors are taking place....We are looking forward to  Fla in November.

 

  HAPPY OCTOBER ! 🎃

[cachouonacruise]

I am sad to say that we’re not doing that well. We had more than 1000 new Covid Cases in the province of Quebec in the last 24 hours. Reported new hospitalisations, ICU patients and deaths are on the rise again.

 

Our province has been divided in regional alert coded areas, to avoid a full shut down of the province again. Our area is now in « red », the highest level. Which means that at least until October 28... restaurants,  bars, museums, cinemas, theatres etc are closed. On Monday, we’re likely to hear that most sports are ... not allowed....

 

Furthermore, I am not allowed to have at home any of my own kids.... since they don’t live with us anymore and therefore, are not considered part of our family bubble. Technically, we’re not allowed to travel to other areas of the province, where for example,  restaurants are still allowed to open. Fines can be issued to people breaking the rules. the fines are significant....

 

In short, 2020 will be a year to remember.... with very few positive outcomes. Our main hope is in the expected birth of our fist grand-son in November. My son lives only 5 minutes away from us.... yet.... we’re not sure if rules will allow us to visit him when he’s born, either at the hospital or at his home... Covid has definitely negatively impacted our lives .... and crossing my fingers, despite the fact that we were not yet affected.

 

I apologize for the negative feedback... It’s just been a difficult year overall.

 

 

[OnTheJourney]

19 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

It’s just been a difficult year overall.

 

Man that pretty well says it all. So sorry to hear about how things are going there. We LOVE Quebec and were there last year around this time on the Summit. Had a great time - love that it's an overnight stop. Let's hope 2021 brings aLOT better things to all of us. 

[hcat]

On 10/2/2020 at 7:28 PM, cachouonacruise said:

...........

 

In short, 2020 will be a year to remember.... with very few positive outcomes. Our main hope is in the expected birth of our fist grand-son in November. My son lives only 5 minutes away from us.... yet.... we’re not sure if rules will allow us to visit him when he’s born, either at the hospital or at his home... Covid has definitely negatively impacted our lives .... and crossing my fingers, despite the fact that we were not yet affected.

 

I apologize for the negative feedback... It’s just been a difficult year overall.

 

 

Sorry for these negative conditions...hope things improve where you are and with the rules for the impending birth!

 

We came home to NY in Feb in time for our second g son's birth. He was in the Nicu for a few days with blood sugar  issue, but all good now..  He came home with his mom before all the Covid stuff. His older brother was lucky to have his 4th b day party the week before  just about everything shut down.   They do not live in our household but we consider my dtr, her husb and the boys part of our "pod"...Dtr and sil are now back at work..he is a first responder so he never paused. Older gs went back to daycare when dtr went back to her ofc.  He had a small class of 6..very regulated,.  Now there are 16....There are risks but the facility takes many precautions... Socialization is important and he is back to learning  by leaps and bounds.

 

We watch the baby daily plus his brother on weekends.  We rarely see anyone else and sanitize like crazy... we worry alot but this is our life right now..

 

Wising you the best!

 

[Rstybaron]

As the cruise industry prepares to reopen, has anybody heard what the new normal might be. Particulary on what onboard life will be like. Well we be wearing mask? How will dining be handled? How about social gatherings i.e. Trivia, dance classes, etc. be handled. Will conditions on board be so restrictive that we would be happier staying at home? What ate everyone's thought?

Russ 

[cachouonacruise]

7 hours ago, Rstybaron said:

As the cruise industry prepares to reopen, has anybody heard what the new normal might be. Particulary on what onboard life will be like. Well we be wearing mask? How will dining be handled? How about social gatherings i.e. Trivia, dance classes, etc. be handled. Will conditions on board be so restrictive that we would be happier staying at home? What ate everyone's thought?

Russ 

 

In answer to your question, I would recommand you consult the following threads on this board:

 

Healthy Sail Panel Recommandations

Live from the first cruise in the pandemic by Germancruiser

Live from the Baltic on MS1.

 

The first thread will provide you with detailed information on what the cruise guidelines will likely be during or post Covid; while the last two threads will provide you with passenger experience reports on how these guidelines came to life during a cruise.

 

Good reading material. Enjoy! 

 

 

[HeddaGarbled]

Things getting worse again in the U.K. Having had a really bad time of it in the spring, things were improving over the summer, but now we are on the cusp of the second wave we were all warned about. Infections going up dramatically, but regional rather than national. University cities are hotspots. Lots of controversy about the treatment of university students, some of whom are being forcibly quarantined in their halls of residence. 
 

Deaths still low but increasing and we know from the first time around that there’s a lag between infections and deaths, though maybe if the infections are mostly young people this time around, the death rates won’t be as bad as in the spring. 
 

Current lockdowns aren’t as comprehensive as last time and are regional rather than nationwide like last time, but we’re to expect a new announcement on Monday ☹️
 

 

[cachouonacruise]

Hi HedddaGarbled,

 

I’m sorry to hear that the number of cases in the U.K in on the rise. I wish you and your family to remain healthy and safe! 

 

I thank you for posting what you are experiencing at this time. I found it quite interesting, since it’s almost a copy and paste of the situation in the province of Quebec in Canada. ( Ontario, seems to be on a similar path as well. )

 

I particularly found interesting, measures take. by your government, which are very similar to what is being done on our side of the pond. 

 

P.s. Please get rid of Covid in the U.K ASAP, I am still hanging on to my perceived 10% chance to actually sail on our booked cruise on Silhouette, departing Southampton in May 2021. Keeping our fingers crossed! 

[Oceangoer2]

On 10/9/2020 at 8:33 PM, HeddaGarbled said:

Things getting worse again in the U.K. Having had a really bad time of it in the spring, things were improving over the summer, but now we are on the cusp of the second wave we were all warned about. Infections going up dramatically, but regional rather than national. University cities are hotspots. Lots of controversy about the treatment of university students, some of whom are being forcibly quarantined in their halls of residence. 
 

Deaths still low but increasing and we know from the first time around that there’s a lag between infections and deaths, though maybe if the infections are mostly young people this time around, the death rates won’t be as bad as in the spring. 
 

Current lockdowns aren’t as comprehensive as last time and are regional rather than nationwide like last time, but we’re to expect a new announcement on Monday ☹️
 

 

In Ontario (Toronto especially) it seems to be coming from the students mostly.  If they're complaining about quarantine because they can't be trusted to be mature in their socializing, then maybe they should be sent home for their parents to deal with them instead of infecting everyone around them in their non-city.  They may be more careful around their neighbours and parents' friends.  Loss of independence might be a good teacher.

[evitacruiser]

We are in the North of England and the situation here is not good.

 

My middle son and his fiancée have the virus, but they are (thankfully) just having flu like symptoms. They had their positive tests on Tuesday and are self isolating.

 

We will be doing care package drops onto the driveway when needed. It is worrying as a mum not be be able to go and see them but obviously, that is not allowed.

 

Many places in the north are now in tier 3 which carries with it the highest restriction levels; closure of bars and nonessential services such as gyms, but shops and restaurants can remain open but must not be visited by other than live together family groups. No inside or outside mixing of households in private homes is allowed either. 

 

We like most of the UK are currently in tier 2, but tier 3 seems likely very soon. Our son is in tier 3 which is for areas with the highest infection rates.

 

The virus seems to be spreading in schools, colleges and universities but the government seems adamant that they will not close, and wants the hospitality industry to close where the transmission rate appears to be much lower.

 

The virus seems to be out of control and the government appears powerless to stop it.

 

There was a suggestion of a national 'circuit breaker' lockdown for 2 weeks or more to try to stop it in its tracks, but that would mean education closures and as yet (aside from Ireland who have taken this approach) the government seems reluctant to use this tactic. 

 

The general public is very fed up and worried about the virus and the knock on effect on the economy.

 

Sorry I don't have more cheery news to report.

 

 

[cachouonacruise]

Thank-you Evita cruiser for your update and best wishes to your son and his wife for a prompt and full return to health!

 

I found interesting to read similarities between some western government approaches regarding this second wave. It’s almost like a consensus was reached, either scientific, medical or financial to avoid the total lockdown seen in the first wave. Keeping schools and most businesses open seems standard, while other details vary.

 

In Canada, (the situation varies from province to province), Quebec being the hardest hit, every efforts is made to keep schools open as well as most businesses. In red areas ( most of the province, highest alert levels), restaurants, bars, gyms, cinemas, museums are closed. Gathering are more or less forbidden, indoors or outdoors, private or public. People have to stick to their household bubble. 

 

This said, kids will be allowed to go candy hunting or Halloween, while adhering to new strict guidelines. And it’s already been suggested to forget about big office or extended family Christmas parties. We’ll be lucky, if gatherings of somewhere between 6 to 18 people are allowed. ( The maximum number allowed, will be specified closer to Christmas, depending on the virus evolution.)

 

And then 2020 will end. I hope that 2021 will bring better news.

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/1/2020 at 4:53 PM, sgmn said:

Italy (along with Germany) is doing pretty good

 

Well....they were doing good...not anymore. Nearly a million cases between the two. 

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/16/2020 at 6:06 AM, evitacruiser said:

The virus seems to be out of control and the government appears powerless to stop it.

 

 

I believe the same could be said for the US, only - relative to our current administration - I'd substitute "clueless" for "powerless" 😳  OK....will probably take some flack for that one....

[mlmbar]

No flak here. Clueless is a polite description