Dec 13 Constellation B2B - East/West Caribbean (Holiday) Cruise

[Ken the cruiser]

37 minutes ago, Bead Pirate said:

So, two guys got in the first ambulance (strangely enough they did not have bags). 

There was a man and a woman in each of the other two ambulances (the staff was rolling bags and spraying everything in sight). They have been gone for a few minutes, got some pics but do not want to post up as you could identify the folks (out of respect for their privacy).

 

I hope all is well with them very soon and they are ready to schedule a make up vacation. 👍

Thanks and we definitely wish them all a safe flight home and speedy recovery and are back cruising as soon as they feel comfortable to do so again!

[Ken the cruiser]

This evening in Blu dinner was quite peaceful as there were a lot of folks still downtown enjoying the Cartagena night life. For us after dinner, you guessed it, we headed to the theater to watch The Broadway Boys and afterwards headed up to the Reflection Lounge to watch the game show Faceoff. At 10 pm there is a Full Moon Deck Party on deck 10 by the pool. All aboard tomorrow is at 2:30 pm and we’ll be headed next to Colon, Panama. 
 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Today we booked a Dec 2023 Galapagos cruise on the Flora. We didn’t get any extra perks for doing so onboard, but the 20% discount + up to $1500 in air fare credit + a $1500 Galapagos Captains Club loyalty discount for being Elite or higher was just to good to pass up before some of the perks expired Dec 31.
 

Just thought I’d pass this info along in case any of you were thinking about booking a Galapagos cruise. 😎

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today we booked a Dec 2023 Galapagos cruise on the Flora. We didn’t get any extra perks for doing so onboard, but the 20% discount + up to $1500 in air fare credit + a $1500 Galapagos Captains Club loyalty discount for being Elite or higher was just to good to pass up before some of the perks expired Dec 31.
 

Just thought I’d pass this info along in case any of you were thinking about booking a Galapagos cruise. 😎

I did this cruise on the Expedition some year ago.  It was amazing.

[Ken the cruiser]

This morning after breakfast we walked over to the Port Oasis Eco Park, which I might add is free to walk around. But there are little shops and a cafe in there as well. Here are some pictures of the birds and animals we saw. There were also some monkeys in the trees, but I wasn’t able to get pictures of those. 
 

[May B]

Ken, I was on the 13-23 Dec Connie but I never found this thread! Now I’m all caught up and ready to stay with you the rest of the cruise!

 

We thought our Concierge Class afternoon hors d’oeuvres were better this time than we remember from 2008, 2009, 2011 cruises on the Connie. That might be why some people still remember the negative comments here on Cruise Critic. Not sure when the experience was improved.

 

Thank you for this wonderful, current trip report. Keep enjoying!

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, May B said:

Ken, I was on the 13-23 Dec Connie but I never found this thread! Now I’m all caught up and ready to stay with you the rest of the cruise!

 

We thought our Concierge Class afternoon hors d’oeuvres were better this time than we remember from 2008, 2009, 2011 cruises on the Connie. That might be why some people still remember the negative comments here on Cruise Critic. Not sure when the experience was improved.

 

Thank you for this wonderful, current trip report. Keep enjoying!

Welcome aboard! Yes, we very much enjoy the canopies in the afternoon. They are quite tasty!! If fact that’s one of many reasons why we have enjoyed downsizing from a sky suite to Aqua! Another reason was the walk-in shower versus climbing over a 24” tub wall to take a shower. Of course, being lucky enough to book an aft-facing cabin was a nice perk as well; although the lukewarm water to take a shower with some nights can be a little annoying. But, hey, we’re cruising and that’s all that matters! 😎

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight after another tasty dinner in Blu it was off to watch the production show, Rock City, followed by a trip up to the Reflection Lounge to participate in Majority Rules. BTW I know I keep mentioning the “tasty” meals in Blu. But I must say since we started eating in Blu, for both breakfast and dinner, and lunch at the Spa Cafe, we have not had to deal with heartburn this entire cruise, and that’s a big deal for us! 😎
 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested in the rules when going ashore in Colon, Panama, our next stop, here’s what was posted in the Celebrity Today, which is pretty much what they said when we started this leg of the cruise.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s an interesting tidbit. We came back to the cabin yesterday morning and our steward hadn’t quite finished cleaning the bathroom. She said she would come back and for us to put the Deep Sleep sign on the door when we left again. We said, no no, you can finish. But she insisted for safety reasons she cannot be in the cabin at the same time as we are.

 

After trying to imagine what kind of “safety reasons” she was referring to, it dawned on us, COVID tracing. We’ve all heard about passengers testing positive on a ship and how folks identified through tracing also have to be tested and possibly quarantine. But what about the cabin stewards?
 

Now just imagine the transfer of workload that would be required if you included stewards into the tracing equation? That would not be good for the remaining stewards on the same floor. However, if the mandatory rule for stewards was to leave the cabin, no excuses, if a passenger returns before you’re done, the steward cannot then be included in the tracing search if one of their passengers later tests positive. Later on we verified our reasoning of the “safety reasons” term with her and she confirmed what we were thinking.

 

So, for us from now on if our steward is cleaning the cabin, we just turn around and do another lap through the hallways until she’s done. But I thought it was something interesting to pass along as you may otherwise not consider this minor little detail when your steward is cleaning the cabin.

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

I knew that was the rules now that they can't be in the room when you are but didn't put 2 and 2 together.  LIke you we will let them finish and will find something to do outside the cabin until they are done.

[jcpc]

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s an interesting tidbit. We came back to the cabin yesterday morning and our steward hadn’t quite finished cleaning the bathroom. She said she would come back and for us to put the Deep Sleep sign on the door when we left again. We said, no no, you can finish. But she insisted for safety reasons she cannot be in the cabin at the same time as we are.

 

 

 

 

Ken,

The same restrictions were in place during both our September Edge and November Summit sailings.

 

What I found quite odd was that on one of our Edge sailings we were in a Penthouse Suite , which is huge.  We were not even allowed to sit on the balcony while she cleaned the living room and bedrooms.  BUT she stood in the hallway right next to us and talked to us every night for several minutes when we were going to dinner!  
 

On Summit we were in a Royal Suite and she said we could stay in the room while she cleaned because the room was big!

 

So I think while this “rule” is technically in place every cabin attendant interprets it differently!

[Ken the cruiser]

46 minutes ago, jcpc said:

Ken,

The same restrictions were in place during both our September Edge and November Summit sailings.

 

What I found quite odd was that on one of our Edge sailings we were in a Penthouse Suite , which is huge.  We were not even allowed to sit on the balcony while she cleaned the living room and bedrooms.  BUT she stood in the hallway right next to us and talked to us every night for several minutes when we were going to dinner!  
 

On Summit we were in a Royal Suite and she said we could stay in the room while she cleaned because the room was big!

 

So I think while this “rule” is technically in place every cabin attendant interprets it differently!

Understand. When we were on the Edge in a SS in August, our steward let us sit on the balcony if he was finishing up in the bathroom. Not sure when we were on the Apex in Nov in a SV, but I’m thinking the issue never came up. However, this was the first time this rule was actually pointed out to us and our steward, who just boarded the Connie this cruise, was definitely enforcing it. At least her supervisor sure was, especially with what’s currently going on.

I guess a steward’s interpretation only gets “tested” if one of their passengers tests positive.

 

Now, of course, a butler’s presence in a suite when the passengers are there is a totally different issue. Not quite sure how that works.

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Now, of course, a butler’s presence in a suite when the passengers are there is a totally different issue. Not quite sure how that works.

 

Keep the interaction as brief as possible.   I believe they are still looking at extended contact like 15 minutes.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

After lunch at the Spa Cafe today, we looked out and saw this cool view of ships waiting to go through the Panama Canal, or at least that’s what it looked like as the entrance is just north of Colon.

 

[Bead Pirate]

Did you notice that the dealer rotation in the casino is more frequent than normal since Tuesday?

That was the same day they put away all of the menus and self service items at the Al Bacaio.

 

I suspect now that we have folks staying onboard who are positive this is all part of the CDC mandate. I We also had the conversation with our room attendant about all of us not being in room at same time.

 

There are workarounds of course (got the menu for the champagne dinner pairing tonight in the "door mail" ...

[FFMilesJunkie]

Noticed that all crew are now either KN95 or double cloth masked. Some friends on Azamara right now said their crew also went double masked today. Could be a result of the Queen Mary 2 ending their cruise early in Barbados due to a crew outbreak that has them unable to serve the passengers any longer. 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, Bead Pirate said:

Did you notice that the dealer rotation in the casino is more frequent than normal since Tuesday?

That was the same day they put away all of the menus and self service items at the Al Bacaio.

 

I suspect now that we have folks staying onboard who are positive this is all part of the CDC mandate. I We also had the conversation with our room attendant about all of us not being in room at same time.

 

There are workarounds of course (got the menu for the champagne dinner pairing tonight in the "door mail" ...

I thought the 2 positive passengers and applicable family members were escorted off in Cartagena. Did we miss an announcement by the Captain since then identifying new cases?

[Ken the cruiser]

After dinner in Blu this evening, we went to the evening show in the main theater, Piano Man vs Piano Woman, followed by a trip up to the Reflections Lounge to watch The Race game show. Later on we’re make our way back to the main theater at 10 pm to watch the very funny Liars Club.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Just contacted Customer Service to find out if there are any positive C19 passengers still on the ship. There are 2 and they are currently quarantined in the Red Zone. I then asked if they were going to be flown back to the US at the next port. The CS rep said the patients have the option of either being put on a medivac at the next port or staying in the Red Zone on the ship for the duration of the cruise.

[FFMilesJunkie]

21 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just contacted Customer Service to find out if there are any positive C19 passengers still on the ship. There are 2 and they are currently quarantined in the Red Zone. I then asked if they were going to be flown back to the US at the next port. The CS rep said the patients have the option of either being put on a medivac at the next port or staying in the Red Zone on the ship for the duration of the cruise.

I’m pretty sure this is the husband and daughter of someone who hangs out in the sunset bar. She said her husband and daughter are totally asymptomatic and hope that they might be “released” from deck 2 by NYE if they can retest negative after 5 days of quarantine based on the new CDC guidelines. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by FFMilesJunkie

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, FFMilesJunkie said:

I’m pretty sure this is the husband and daughter of someone who hangs out in the sunset bar. She said her husband and daughter are totally asymptomatic and hope that they might be “released” from deck 2 by NYE if they can retest negative after 5 days of quarantine based on the new CDC guidelines. 

Thanks! Glad to hear they are asymptomatic and hopefully will test negative by NYE. 

[canderson]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

After dinner in Blu this evening, we went to the evening show in the main theater, Piano Man vs Piano Woman ...

Was it just me, or did you also find Piano Woman's singing style a bit repetitive and not always appropriate to the tune at hand?  Tina Turner wannabe?  

[Ken the cruiser]

47 minutes ago, canderson said:

Was it just me, or did you also find Piano Woman's singing style a bit repetitive and not always appropriate to the tune at hand?  Tina Turner wannabe?  

I have to apologize. We literally fell asleep half way through and woke up when Kelly came on the stage at the end of their performance. 😂😂

 

But I will say during the first half of the show, we were impressed with his singing, but not so much hers.

 

But later on at the Liars Club in the main theater, we definitely stayed awake during the whole show as it was super funny!!

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[kabmab]

Appreciate any update you can provide on pax count for 1/3 sailing since we're trying to make decision on cancelling tomorrow.  We cruised on Apex during Delta out of Piraeus so well aware of all considerations.   Also dealing with ailing 🐶 which factors in.  Many tks!