Curated Tours Only In Mexico

[bajathree]

Just got the following e-mail...

Dear Guest,

 

We look forward to welcoming you aboard Celebrity Edge® for your 7-Night Western Caribbean cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before we depart, we have some important information to share. Celebrity Cruises has been working closely with health and government authorities, in each country we sail from, to outline a clear path for cruising with new health and safety measures. As we thoughtfully plan our return to service, we are evaluating all current itineraries and the status of travel conditions around the world.

 

In an abundance of caution, to keep our guests and crew healthy at sea, we will require curated tours in Mexico for our June 26 sailing on Celebrity Edge. Based on the most recent travel advisory and vaccination rates in Mexico, we have reevaluated On Your Own Tours and instead will require Celebrity curated tours. Curated tours can be booked through Cruise Planner or the Celebrity Cruises app. We will continuously evaluate these requirements and provide updates as they evolve.

 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these unique circumstances. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Celebrity Cruises at 1-844-418-6824 in North America or (316) 554-5961 worldwide. We look forward to welcoming you aboard soon for an amazing Celebrity Cruises vacation.

 

 

Sincerely,

Celebrity Cruises

[ipeeinthepool]

Here's a related question.  Do you really want to be on a Celebrity bubble excursion?  As the people on the Millennium found out being on an excursion with someone that tests positive gets you isolated until you can test negative.  Do you really want to be involved with being isolated/quarantined?  I think the excursions are one of the few places they would know if you spent time with someone.

Edited June 24, 2021 by ipeeinthepool

[Fredric22]

Ridiculous... fully vaccinated guests shot not have restrictions. 

[ipeeinthepool]

1 minute ago, Fredric22 said:

Ridiculous... fully vaccinated guests shot not have restrictions. 

 

That's what happened on the Millennium.

[Fredric22]

1 minute ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

That's what happened on the Millennium.

What happened on Millennium? They could only go out on Celebrity tours?

[ipeeinthepool]

8 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

What happened on Millennium? They could only go out on Celebrity tours?

 

Someone tested positive and people that were on an excursion with them were isolated in their cabin until they tested negative or more specifically they were in their cabin until everyone involved got the results of a Covid test.  No one is wearing wristbands to track position, excursions are one of the few ways to identify people that were in close contact.

Edited June 24, 2021 by ipeeinthepool

[Fredric22]

1 minute ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Someone tested positive and people that were on an excursion with them were isolated in their cabin until they tested negative or more specifically they were in their cabin until everyone involved got the results of a Covid test.  No one is wearing wristbands to track position, excursions are one of the few ways to identify people that were in close contact.

Sorry but what you are saying makes no sense. They are not doing this for the reasons you just suggested. The cruise is fully vaccinated. 

[ipeeinthepool]

1 minute ago, Fredric22 said:

Sorry but what you are saying makes no sense. They are not doing this for the reasons you just suggested. The cruise is fully vaccinated. 

 

Sorry you don't understand.  They tested everyone near the end of the cruise.  It doesn't matter if you were vaccinated.  Someone tested positive and a lot of people needed to take an additional test and they were quarantined until the results were back.

[KKB]

19 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

Ridiculous... fully vaccinated guests shot not have restrictions. 

Since they are not doing this in all ports, it seems it is either due to local restrictions or perhaps an elevation in local cases.

It's disappointing for local vendors tho.

Edited June 24, 2021 by KKB

[Fredric22]

Just now, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Sorry you don't understand.  They tested everyone near the end of the cruise.  It doesn't matter if you were vaccinated.  Someone tested positive and a lot of people needed to take an additional test and they were quarantined until the results were back.

I think you may be a bit confused.  The guests were all tested as part of a requirement from St. Martin and to get back into the US.  The CDC is not requiring fully vaccinated guests to be tested upon return to the US.  Celebrity is not requiring bubble excursions because they want people to be grouped together to identify close contacts. 

[Fredric22]

Just now, KKB said:

Since they are not doing this in all ports, it seems it is either due to local restrictions or perhaps an elevation in local cases.

Yea.. that is what I am thinking. But even still.. fully vaccinated should not have to worry.  The Mexican state where Cozumel is has had roughly the same case numbers for the last month.  So, really not sure what the reasoning is...

[mom says]

9 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

Yea.. that is what I am thinking. But even still.. fully vaccinated should not have to worry.  The Mexican state where Cozumel is has had roughly the same case numbers for the last month.  So, really not sure what the reasoning is...

You can agree with the restrictions or not. So you have a couple of choices. Sail and go on the excursions anyway. Sail and stay on the ship while in port. Or don't sail. But your assumption that you can't get covid because you're  immunized is faulty.

[Cruising89143]

Not saying that I disagree with this change as we were watching the covid situation in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan a few weeks ago when we were considering the Edge for an early August cruise. We were wondering how they were going to allow guests to go off on their own and then return back to the ship. Especially if you have several other ships in port at the same time. This is one reason why we decided not to book the western itinerary and ultimately why we canceled our early August Equinox eastern Caribbean cruise and booked the Edge next year. Too many last minute changes occurring at this time. I have a feeling we will see even more of this for most ports. 

[LGW59]

24 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

Sorry but what you are saying makes no sense. They are not doing this for the reasons you just suggested. The cruise is fully vaccinated. 

Wrong

[Cruising89143]

40 minutes ago, Fredric22 said:

Sorry but what you are saying makes no sense. They are not doing this for the reasons you just suggested. The cruise is fully vaccinated. 

Celebrity has stated that they are going out with at least 95% of guests vaccinated. That is not 100%. There is a possibility that up to 5% of the guests will not be vaccinated. Add to that many of the locals may not have been vaccinated and it would be very easy for a guest to contract the virus while ashore depending on what they do or where they go. There will also be times that other cruise ships will also be docked in the same port and if they too allow their guests to go on their own then it can makes things even more difficult with the mixing of guests between ships. Those who have been vaccinated “can still get the virus”. Yes the vaccine is supposed to help in this area but there is no guarantee. Cruise lines have to walk a fine line to stay safe or they won’t be around for long if things get out of control. Better safe than sorry. Those choosing to cruise now must be flexible or rethink their decision. 

[PAGA]

Interesting…Adventure of the Seas is in Cozumel with Edge on June 30. Adventure guests were allowed to tour on own in Cozumel on previous (first) sailing from the Bahamas. I was wondering how they were going to handle guests from different ships mixing & mingling in town. Perhaps curated tour restrictions is their answer? Wonder if the beach excursions will have segregated sections/bars/bathrooms etc…hmmm. 

[PAGA]

3 minutes ago, PAGA said:

Interesting…Adventure of the Seas is in Cozumel with Edge on June 30. Adventure guests were allowed to tour on own in Cozumel on previous (first) sailing from the Bahamas. I was wondering how they were going to handle guests from different ships mixing & mingling in town. Perhaps curated tour restrictions is their answer? Wonder if the beach excursions will have segregated sections/bars/bathrooms etc…hmmm. 

I see on Royal Caribbean board there are 2 unvaccinated teens on Adventure who tested positive…posted about an hour ago…so maybe that influenced the curated tours only decision, too

[ipeeinthepool]

5 minutes ago, PAGA said:

I see on Royal Caribbean board there are 2 unvaccinated teens on Adventure who tested positive…posted about an hour ago…so maybe that influenced the curated tours only decision, too

 

Oh no

[jelayne]

We were in Cozumel last month.  Masks and social distancing not frequent when out in town.  We stayed at a AI and the staff all wore masks, no one asked or cared if guests were vaccinated.

[laslomas]

Celebrity Silhouette is sailing from early July with, only UK fully vaccinated residents, who have a negative PCR test before sailing. The only port stops are in the UK and yet passengers are not allowed to leave the ship to visit destinations in our own country, sometimes even our own home town, unless on a Celebrity curated tour. Personally I would feel much safer out and about on my own than on a coach tour. I really do not understand how the decisions are made.

[harkinmr]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

You can agree with the restrictions or not. So you have a couple of choices. Sail and go on the excursions anyway. Sail and stay on the ship while in port. Or don't sail. But your assumption that you can't get covid because you're  immunized is faulty.

Apparently some people want things to proceed one way, their way, and any diversions from that are unacceptable. In this time period people need to be flexible and patient with changes.  Like you said, go with the flow or don’t sail. 

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, Fredric22 said:

Ridiculous... fully vaccinated guests shot not have restrictions. 

 

1 hour ago, Fredric22 said:

I think you may be a bit confused.  The guests were all tested as part of a requirement from St. Martin and to get back into the US.  The CDC is not requiring fully vaccinated guests to be tested upon return to the US.  Celebrity is not requiring bubble excursions because they want people to be grouped together to identify close contacts. 

 

1 hour ago, Fredric22 said:

Yea.. that is what I am thinking. But even still.. fully vaccinated should not have to worry.  The Mexican state where Cozumel is has had roughly the same case numbers for the last month.  So, really not sure what the reasoning is...

I think you may be confused. The CDC is not requiring cruisers returning on closed loop cruises to  test for some reason. They are requiring vaccinated air travelers who have been to the same ports to test.

 

On the other hand the Yucatan, including Cozumel, has had seriously increasing case numbers and hospitalizations so I am not sure where you are getting your figures from. Whilst they are wanting the cruise ships for the economy they are concerned about tourists who don’t follow local regulations. I suggest you keep up to date by following the government traffic light restrictions which are updated weekly.

Gobierno del Estado de Quintana Roo

They have been at orange for the last few weeks (under the threat of returning to red) with a mask mandate in all public areas. 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by c-leg5
Duplicated

[Jeremiah1212]

They are taking baby steps. Too much on the line for these first few cruises to go wrong. I really expected to see an email saying everyone would test at the pier but that hasn't happened (yet). 

[c-leg5]

36 minutes ago, jelayne said:

We were in Cozumel last month.  Masks and social distancing not frequent when out in town.  We stayed at a AI and the staff all wore masks, no one asked or cared if guests were vaccinated.

Not sure which resort you were at but we have just returned from an extended stay in Cozumel, including a short stay at an AI resort followed by some time in town.

 

Masks were not required in the beach areas of the resort, or any beach clubs we visited.  They were certainly required in the dining areas and public areas within our resort unless actively eating or drinking, with gentle reminders to those that forgot. They were required walking round town and in public transportation. The vast majority of locals were masked at all times and most tourists.

 

In town, the majority of  tourists we saw complied with the local regulations but of course there were a few who felt they didn’t need to or the rules didn’t apply to them. Mega and some other convenience stores were only allowing one person per family to shop. 

Edited June 24, 2021 by c-leg5

[bajathree]

2 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Here's a related question.  Do you really want to be on a Celebrity bubble excursion?  As the people on the Millennium found out being on an excursion with someone that tests positive gets you isolated until you can test negative.  Do you really want to be involved with being isolated/quarantined?  I think the excursions are one of the few places they would know if you spent time with someone.

I absolutely agree and said the same thing....going off on your own I felt was a safer option.