Silhouette around Britain staycruisecations

[woodards]

3 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Don't stress. Celebrity has rapid testing available in the terminal at Southampton. If the results haven't turned up (they go direct to Celebrity as well as to you) it will sorted quickly.

 

It's just so frustrating that we took time out of work and wasted most of tonight chasing, to be told that they can't find any record of the tests.  I can't believe they are not tracked.  I would have thought they scan them in?

 

Just wanted to be in holiday mode now with no testing worries.    

[lovetoholiday]

38 minutes ago, woodards said:

 

It's just so frustrating that we took time out of work and wasted most of tonight chasing, to be told that they can't find any record of the tests.  I can't believe they are not tracked.  I would have thought they scan them in?

 

Just wanted to be in holiday mode now with no testing worries.    

We had the same problem with Eurofins they had failed to scan the barcodes for all 3 of us. Really easy at Southampton apart from the 20 minutes waiting for the results to come through. 

Going back again to the same place in a couple of weeks so will be reminding them to make sure they have scanned everything correctly!

[hawkesbaynz]

Unfortunately Eurofinns do not get good reports. Fortunately for us sailing with Celebrity they have a responsibility to get us tested. I would not use them if travelling abroad. The testing world is the Wild West - what were these characters doing pre-Covid.

 

@lovetoholiday how do you find Marella cruises. We were underwhelmed by the Marella Celebration  although loved the itinerary. DW refuses to consider sailing with them again but hitting retirement I notice sometimes the prices can be very good. Also decent itineraries that our favourite line (Celebrity) do not cruise..

 

@chemmo thanks for the advice regarding extra side dishes of salad/veggies in Luminae. I will more likely ask for a second  meat entree. Gousto food is great but half the meals I could happility enjoy with a chop or steak on the side. 

 

I booked a Beyond cruise for my 60th next September yesterday. Managed to scoop a SV as not sure about the Infinity balconies. Asked the rep. about scheduled timings for arrival at Southampton. He seemed to think they are flexible if small numbers arrve early. We are scheduled for 13.oo so I think I will arrange a taxi for midday. Hope to see you in the retreat by 12.45🙂

[mrsgoggins]

6 minutes ago, hawkesbaynz said:

Unfortunately Eurofinns do not get good reports. Fortunately for us sailing with Celebrity they have a responsibility to get us tested. I would not use them if travelling abroad. The testing world is the Wild West - what were these characters doing pre-Covid.

 

 

We have had 2 PCR tests with Eurofins and no problems.  As far as what they were doing pre-Covid, during a 'real CSI'-type documentary, I noticed that the analysis of evidence gathered by the police was being done by Eurofins - so not a fly-by-night company.

[laslomas]

7 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

We have had 2 PCR tests with Eurofins and no problems.  As far as what they were doing pre-Covid, during a 'real CSI'-type documentary, I noticed that the analysis of evidence gathered by the police was being done by Eurofins - so not a fly-by-night company.

I saw that same Real CSI documentary and immediately recognised the name of Eurofins when it came up concerning the forensic investigations on the case. So interesting. The Covid testing is, I assume, a recent addition to the wide range of services they offer.

 

I had a recent test that was without problem, and have another booked for 2 weeks time. Fingers crossed all goes to plan again. But I am reassured by the fact that Celebrity will help out if things go wrong.

[woodards]

Update - the tests have been located!  Maybe found in a bin somewhere… who knows!?  All negative!

 

I guess the morale of this story is to chase, try to be patient (which we were not!), but have in mind that you might have to test in port. 

[chemmo]

8 minutes ago, woodards said:

Update - the tests have been located!  Maybe found in a bin somewhere… who knows!?  All negative!

 

I guess the morale of this story is to chase, try to be patient (which we were not!), but have in mind that you might have to test in port. 

 

So pleased for you...

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

[hawkesbaynz]

Unfortunately most of the companies are 'fly by night' chancers who have no background in medical testing

 

Eurofinns may have a track record in CSI but they do seem to get a bit of trashing. Medical tests should not go missing...:

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/aug/12/travellers-ripped-off-by-rogue-operators-as-covid-19-tests-fail-to-arrive

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/travel-test-firm-offers-refunds-after-delays

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/eurofins.uk

[lovetoholiday]

6 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

how do you find Marella cruises. We were underwhelmed by the Marella Celebration  although loved the itinerary. DW refuses to consider sailing with them again but hitting retirement I notice sometimes the prices can be very good. Also decent itineraries that our favourite line (Celebrity) do not cruise..

I wasn't impressed with the Celebration either, but have been on the Discovery twice and really enjoyed it. Obviously still an older ship but much better.  The entertainment was first class.  Booked to go with them again at new year on the Explorer, which was cancelled last year.

[TillyTheGreat]

22 hours ago, woodards said:

Has anybody else had this experience?

 

Setting off for Southampton in the morning no idea if we will be allowed on the ship.

 

Hi.  We do sympathise with you.  Ten days prior to our sailing (23July) we were ready to cancel everything.  Far from being a tranquil, easy staycation the ‘jumping through hoops’ had become toooo much.

Stay with it… by now I’m guessing you ARE in S’hampton…. and for the benefit of anyone else who is frazzled by the apps, the paperwork, the testing procedures,  it WILL  all be worth it once you get onboard.  And Celebrity will bend over backwards to ensure you do.

Enjoy your cruise.  

[Definitas]

Inflated Cruise Prices

 

I was just looking at the prices for the 11 night Canaries cruise on Silhouette and was surprised  to see that they are more or less double the price of an 11 night Caribbean cruise on Silhouette in November out of Florida. The difference is significant at just over £6000 for a 1A balcony out of Southampton to just over £3000 for the same cabin out of Fort Lauderdale. The US price with $900 deposit is even cheaper and the non refundable element is less than the UK penalty in all cases. It is very disappointing to see Celebrity indulging so outrageously in the “rip off Britain” culture. 

[Eglesbrech]

15 minutes ago, Definitas said:

Inflated Cruise Prices

 

I was just looking at the prices for the 11 night Canaries cruise on Silhouette and was surprised  to see that they are more or less double the price of an 11 night Caribbean cruise on Silhouette in November out of Florida. The difference is significant at just over £6000 for a 1A balcony out of Southampton to just over £3000 for the same cabin out of Fort Lauderdale. The US price with $900 deposit is even cheaper and the non refundable element is less than the UK penalty in all cases. It is very disappointing to see Celebrity indulging so outrageously in the “rip off Britain” culture. 

Might be worth asking them why the differential is so high. Staff costs etc should be the same but for example are port charges in the Caribbean less than for Europe, does U.K. VAT apply. Still seems quite a difference.

 

It would be interesting to know.

[mrsgoggins]

16 minutes ago, Definitas said:

Inflated Cruise Prices

 

I was just looking at the prices for the 11 night Canaries cruise on Silhouette and was surprised  to see that they are more or less double the price of an 11 night Caribbean cruise on Silhouette in November out of Florida. The difference is significant at just over £6000 for a 1A balcony out of Southampton to just over £3000 for the same cabin out of Fort Lauderdale. The US price with $900 deposit is even cheaper and the non refundable element is less than the UK penalty in all cases. It is very disappointing to see Celebrity indulging so outrageously in the “rip off Britain” culture. 

There is much in what you say, which is one of the reasons we have cruises booked with other lines for next year, despite Celebrity being our favourite.  The other chief reason is itinerary.

 

Many Americans are also complaining about price hikes however, and of course, there’s so much competition on the Caribbean routes, and it’s largely a year-round destination.  The Caribbean cruise I booked about 2 years ago for Apex January 22 was booked at a fraction of the price it’s selling at now - even in the US - and mine is a $ US booking because at the time it was hundreds of pounds cheaper than in the UK.  I just hope we get to go!

[Definitas]

2 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

There is much in what you say, which is one of the reasons we have cruises booked with other lines for next year, despite Celebrity being our favourite.  The other chief reason is itinerary.

 

Many Americans are also complaining about price hikes however, and of course, there’s so much competition on the Caribbean routes, and it’s largely a year-round destination.  The Caribbean cruise I booked about 2 years ago for Apex January 22 was booked at a fraction of the price it’s selling at now - even in the US - and mine is a $ US booking because at the time it was hundreds of pounds cheaper than in the UK.  I just hope we get to go!

It has nearly always been cheaper to book in the US but it is also fair to say that we have been stung by currency fluctuations. We have family in the US and onboard offers often only apply to US (and sometimes Canadian) residents. I was only looking because we just cancelled a November Caribbean cruise. I always work out the per night price to do realistic comparisons. The September Canaries cruise is over £500 per night per couple which is the most expensive I have ever seen for a “standard” cabin on Celebrity and, despite my liking for Celebrity (countless cruises over 20 years) there is no way a standard cabin on an S Class ship is worth that kind of money. 

[Definitas]

49 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Might be worth asking them why the differential is so high. Staff costs etc should be the same but for example are port charges in the Caribbean less than for Europe, does U.K. VAT apply. Still seems quite a difference.

 

It would be interesting to know.

Port charges are listed if you do a dummy booking through to the last page. UK VAT won’t apply as the ship is going to a foreign port. Fuel charges will be higher but nit enough to justify a doubling of the price. This is Celebrity capitalising on a captive market, something they can’t do in Florida due to the competition. I spoke to a senior Cunard sales rep before Covid and she said the volume of people who can’t or won’t fly enabled them to increase fares from Southampton by up to 30%. It will be interesting to see if there are enough people out there who will pay the premium just to get away. We have just done 2 of the round UK trips, one in Retreat and one in a standard balcony and neither provided an experience that I would be willing to pay £500 a night for

[emmas gran]

38 minutes ago, Definitas said:

It has nearly always been cheaper to book in the US but it is also fair to say that we have been stung by currency fluctuations. We have family in the US and onboard offers often only apply to US (and sometimes Canadian) residents. I was only looking because we just cancelled a November Caribbean cruise. I always work out the per night price to do realistic comparisons. The September Canaries cruise is over £500 per night per couple which is the most expensive I have ever seen for a “standard” cabin on Celebrity and, despite my liking for Celebrity (countless cruises over 20 years) there is no way a standard cabin on an S Class ship is worth that kind of money. 

Sorry was looking at a different thing -ignore post 

Edited September 4, 2021 by emmas gran

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Eglesbrech said:

Might be worth asking them why the differential is so high. Staff costs etc should be the same but for example are port charges in the Caribbean less than for Europe, does U.K. VAT apply. Still seems quite a difference.

 

It would be interesting to know.

No vat on holidays

[Definitas]

37 minutes ago, the penguins said:

No vat on holidays

Hi Geoff. I was thinking of the extra cost involved having to levy VAT on the UK cruises and having to have their accounts audited for submission to HMRC. It must add somewhat to their costs. I would love to know what their profit margin is on the Canaries cruise compares to the Caribbean one I used for comparison. 

[Tipsy252]

2 hours ago, Definitas said:

Inflated Cruise Prices

 

I was just looking at the prices for the 11 night Canaries cruise on Silhouette and was surprised  to see that they are more or less double the price of an 11 night Caribbean cruise on Silhouette in November out of Florida. The difference is significant at just over £6000 for a 1A balcony out of Southampton to just over £3000 for the same cabin out of Fort Lauderdale. The US price with $900 deposit is even cheaper and the non refundable element is less than the UK penalty in all cases. It is very disappointing to see Celebrity indulging so outrageously in the “rip off Britain” culture. 

This cruise has shot up in price over the last few weeks, although the UK Staycations have seen dramatic reductions! I have been checking prices and the 27Sep C3 cabin is now £1000 more than my C2 cost me!! 😲

[tartantiara]

30 minutes ago, Tipsy252 said:

This cruise has shot up in price over the last few weeks, although the UK Staycations have seen dramatic reductions! I have been checking prices and the 27Sep C3 cabin is now £1000 more than my C2 cost me!! 😲

I had been looking at 18th October Canaries cruise about 3 weeks ago, hesitated too long and price shot up by £1000 . No way can they justify such an increase. We ended up booking the one before that to Spain and Portugal on 8th October for about the same  as the earlier price 

[Tipsy252]

11 minutes ago, tartantiara said:

I had been looking at 18th October Canaries cruise about 3 weeks ago, hesitated too long and price shot up by £1000 . No way can they justify such an increase. We ended up booking the one before that to Spain and Portugal on 8th October for about the same  as the earlier price 

Doesn't look like the 18Oct2021 cruise is on sale now! Sold out?

[Definitas]

I thought there would have to have been some price inflation. I found a week on Beyond in a suite next year for the same price as a 1A on the 27 September cruise 

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, Definitas said:

Hi Geoff. I was thinking of the extra cost involved having to levy VAT on the UK cruises and having to have their accounts audited for submission to HMRC. It must add somewhat to their costs. I would love to know what their profit margin is on the Canaries cruise compares to the Caribbean one I used for comparison. 

as they are a foreign registered company and all the ships are registered in a port of convenience I doubt if it makes much diffeerence. They are exempt from all working hours, minimum pay rates etc. Port fees are probably less. The ships are already geared to calculating VAT (AVT) as this applies in many ports when the ship is docked i.e. order a drink in port and the price is different to when she is at sea on the same cruise. Cruises are pretty much always cheaper in the US more competition, less distance to move supplies and staff. Also the cruises in the US tend to be shorter so you need to work on a daily price and the headline prices don't include taxes and fees. We once worked out (with the help of the Chief Engineer and the Environmental Officer on Solstice at a series of morning coffee discussions held on a Trans Pacific)  that the fuel costs per passenger per day was $25 - I don't expect that will have changed much.The modern ships i.e. all of the Celebrity fleet break even at 30 to 35% capacity. 

Personally the biggest problem is Celebrity introducing AI pricing which has increased the costs of the November Transatlantic in 2021 by 80% compared to 2019. We are Elite+ and  can't  drink alcohol so we are now paying $100 per person per day extra for nothing. The increase has already forced us to cancel our 2021 Transatlantic and, unless the pricing changes, our April 2022 TA booked before AI will probably be our last on Celebrity. Geoff

[LGW59]

56 minutes ago, the penguins said:

as they are a foreign registered company and all the ships are registered in a port of convenience I doubt if it makes much diffeerence. They are exempt from all working hours, minimum pay rates etc. Port fees are probably less. The ships are already geared to calculating VAT (AVT) as this applies in many ports when the ship is docked i.e. order a drink in port and the price is different to when she is at sea on the same cruise. Cruises are pretty much always cheaper in the US more competition, less distance to move supplies and staff. Also the cruises in the US tend to be shorter so you need to work on a daily price and the headline prices don't include taxes and fees. We once worked out (with the help of the Chief Engineer and the Environmental Officer on Solstice at a series of morning coffee discussions held on a Trans Pacific)  that the fuel costs per passenger per day was $25 - I don't expect that will have changed much.The modern ships i.e. all of the Celebrity fleet break even at 30 to 35% capacity. 

Personally the biggest problem is Celebrity introducing AI pricing which has increased the costs of the November Transatlantic in 2021 by 80% compared to 2019. We are Elite+ and  can't  drink alcohol so we are now paying $100 per person per day extra for nothing. The increase has already forced us to cancel our 2021 Transatlantic and, unless the pricing changes, our April 2022 TA booked before AI will probably be our last on Celebrity. Geoff

I’ve never paid a different price for a drink in port v at sea.

[the penguins]

12 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I’ve never paid a different price for a drink in port v at sea.

You haven't been to some of the ports in Europe where it happens. Also if cruise from Sydney to Hawaii then Hawaii to Seattle the drinks are more expensive on the first sector than on the second. On the second the prices are the usual plus the tip, whereas on the first (to keep Australians happy the prices include the tip which of course results in a "rounding up". Net result, because Australians don't like to tip, they pay higher prices for their drinks and, before AI for their cruises as well.