Anyone Sailing on the 1/3 Equinox ? Firsthand Report?

[Dave Judy]

We are scheduled for the Equinox on 1/9/23 

Would love to get a sense of the atmosphere on the ship.

Occupancy rate?

 

Any details or live reports would be much appreciated. 

[wattsde]

following

[Dave Judy]

Wattsde, are you scheduled for this cruise?

 

We are pretty determined to go on the 12 night this Sunday, 1/9/21…

 

After all of the posts and drama last week, it would be helpful to get some real time reports from anyone currently on the Equinox now…. Here’s hoping…

[wattsde]

Yes, my husband and I are scheduled for the 12 night on Sunday 1/9 also. We are pretty set as we haven't had a vacation in 3 years and cruising actually seems the safest option. The only thing that worries me is getting quarantined because of being a "close contact" even if negative and asymptomatic. I wasn't clear if "close contacts" quarantined in their own cabins or had to go to the "leper colony" quarantine on deck 6. In room would not be as bad, Deck 6 would stink. 

[FBrew]

3 minutes ago, wattsde said:

Yes, my husband and I are scheduled for the 12 night on Sunday 1/9 also. We are pretty set as we haven't had a vacation in 3 years and cruising actually seems the safest option. The only thing that worries me is getting quarantined because of being a "close contact" even if negative and asymptomatic. I wasn't clear if "close contacts" quarantined in their own cabins or had to go to the "leper colony" quarantine on deck 6. In room would not be as bad, Deck 6 would stink. 

When we were on the Equinox in August unless the policy, has changed if you were a close contact and tested negative you stayed in your cabin. I think after 24 hours you were tested again if negative you could leave your cabin but had to be masked.  My friend was on the Summit in October, and she was a close contact to someone she remained in her cabin.

 

I disembarked on Aug. 21st and was called by Celebrity on Aug. 24th they told me someone I was close into close contact with tested positive.  They told me it was Thursday evening (my last night of the cruise) at the martini bar.  I already had a covid test scheduled for the 25th and it was negative. Even my roommate wasn't contacted.

[jaapie]

We were on the Christmas/New Year Equinox cruise that docked yesterday. Fortunately we did not get covid, but once cases started being announced we always crossed our fingers when names were called over the loudspeakers who needed to call guest services as we presume those were people that had been identified as being in close contact with a person who tested positive. Half way during the cruise our assistant waiter went MIA and the waiter told us he had hurt his leg but we wondered if that was really the reason. Then a few days later the waiter let it slip that the assistant waiter was in quarantine. We didn't get off the ship at any of the ports but there are worse ways to spend 12 days than on the Equinox (if you are not banished to deck 6).

[CruiseRQA]

22 minutes ago, FBrew said:

 

I disembarked on Aug. 21st and was called by Celebrity on Aug. 24th they told me someone I was close into close contact with tested positive.  They told me it was Thursday evening (my last night of the cruise) at the martini bar.  

How would Celebrity know who the positive person was in close contact with at the Martini Bar?

[wattsde]

26 minutes ago, FBrew said:

When we were on the Equinox in August unless the policy, has changed if you were a close contact and tested negative you stayed in your cabin. I think after 24 hours you were tested again if negative you could leave your cabin but had to be masked.  My friend was on the Summit in October, and she was a close contact to someone she remained in her cabin.

 

I disembarked on Aug. 21st and was called by Celebrity on Aug. 24th they told me someone I was close into close contact with tested positive.  They told me it was Thursday evening (my last night of the cruise) at the martini bar.  I already had a covid test scheduled for the 25th and it was negative. Even my roommate wasn't contacted.

 

Thank you!!

[jaapie]

2 minutes ago, CruiseRQA said:

How would Celebrity know who the positive person was in close contact with at the Martini Bar?

Cameras everywhere. One of the barmen at the martini bar we had difficulty understanding because of the music coming up from the grand foyer but he said he couldn't take his masks off (all staff had to be double masked after the first few days of the cruise) to because he would be seen on the camera and pointed to the ceiling.

[FBrew]

20 minutes ago, CruiseRQA said:

How would Celebrity know who the positive person was in close contact with at the Martini Bar?

Because we were wearing tracelets for the entire cruise. That is how Celebrity knew. They discontinued tracelets around the end of August. 

[Luv2croose]

I am currently on the Equinox in a Celebrity suite.  We are sailing with just a little of 700 people.  Masks are mandated inside.   We were on her in August and most of our favorite staff are still on board but Jonathan is no longer in the Retreat as he caught COVID on the last sailing.  

[mcclarke1]

9 minutes ago, Luv2croose said:

I am currently on the Equinox in a Celebrity suite.  We are sailing with just a little of 700 people.  Masks are mandated inside.   We were on her in August and most of our favorite staff are still on board but Jonathan is no longer in the Retreat as he caught COVID on the last sailing.  

Were you able to dock in Nassau today?

[39august]

So sorry to hear about Jonathon. What a delight he was as Retreat concierge. when we cruised in Sept./Oct. Can you ask the current Retreat staff if he is in quarantine one the ship, or has he gone home, please? 

[cangelmd]

9 minutes ago, 39august said:

So sorry to hear about Jonathon. What a delight he was as Retreat concierge. when we cruised in Sept./Oct. Can you ask the current Retreat staff if he is in quarantine one the ship, or has he gone home, please? 

I would like to hear as well, we cruised in August, too, and spent a bit of time talking with him. Did you know that while cruising  was shut down he worked as a proctor for the online Covid testing? This from his home in the Philippines - he and we thought it was ironic.

[FBrew]

35 minutes ago, Luv2croose said:

I am currently on the Equinox in a Celebrity suite.  We are sailing with just a little of 700 people.  Masks are mandated inside.   We were on her in August and most of our favorite staff are still on board but Jonathan is no longer in the Retreat as he caught COVID on the last sailing.  

Is Jerome still at the pool Bar?  I know Janu is at the martini bar.  After Jonathon recovers from the covid is he going home or back to the Equinox? I know he is due to go home shortly.  Thank  you

[FBrew]

11 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

I would like to hear as well, we cruised in August, too, and spent a bit of time talking with him. Did you know that while cruising  was shut down he worked as a proctor for the online Covid testing? This from his home in the Philippines - he and we thought it was ironic.

Did you cruise on Aug 15th on the Equinox?

[cangelmd]

4 minutes ago, FBrew said:

Did you cruise on Aug 15th on the Equinox?

I think it was the week before? It was Equinox's second post-Covid sailing.

[Tulsaparrothead]

Following as well.  I followed a post from last week about q people that were quarantined on Deck 6 for the cruise on the week of the 27th.  I guess they turned that into the COVID deck.  We are on scheduled on Deck 6 for the cruise on the 9th.  I wonder if we can get moved, I know they clean the rooms..but....

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, Tulsaparrothead said:

Following as well.  I followed a post from last week about q people that were quarantined on Deck 6 for the cruise on the week of the 27th.  I guess they turned that into the COVID deck.  We are on scheduled on Deck 6 for the cruise on the 9th.  I wonder if we can get moved, I know they clean the rooms..but....

That group of rooms is at the end of a hall.  They did not use the entire deck. 

[Luv2croose]

They told us that when a crew member tests positive they get sent home.  So that is why we have some different people.  We were here on the 15th of August for Ultimate Southern cruise.  We have tried to keep the same staff for the most part.  Our server Jesus has a different asst, Bianca the hostess in Luminae is no longer here as well as her husband who was the retreat bartender.  Also the sommelier is not the same and not as good imho.  I have not made it to the pool deck yet as the weather has not been great.  But I will try to check on Jerome.  

[AbbyCruiser45]

1 hour ago, Tulsaparrothead said:

Following as well.  I followed a post from last week about q people that were quarantined on Deck 6 for the cruise on the week of the 27th.  I guess they turned that into the COVID deck.  We are on scheduled on Deck 6 for the cruise on the 9th.  I wonder if we can get moved, I know they clean the rooms..but....

Don’t worry about your room. If there was a Covid positive person in the room before you, they wouldn’t put you in it the following sailing. My partner is on the Equinox now and got an at port “upgrade” from an inside deck 7 to an inside deck 8. He’s was frustrated because he was traveling in a group and was no longer near the other cabin. He went to guest services to see if he could reverse the upgrade and they said they could not put him in the original deck 7 room because that passenger the week before had Covid. 

[vermonter16]

8 minutes ago, Luv2croose said:

They told us that when a crew member tests positive they get sent home.  

That may be the case, but that makes no sense.  They are going to privately fly the person home, because they can't fly the individual commercial when they have covid....and then once they have had covid, wouldn't that make them less at risk in the future?  Why not just quarantine them and put them back into service once they are negative....flying them home seems ridiculous.

[nocl]

11 minutes ago, Luv2croose said:

They told us that when a crew member tests positive they get sent home.  So that is why we have some different people.  We were here on the 15th of August for Ultimate Southern cruise.  We have tried to keep the same staff for the most part.  Our server Jesus has a different asst, Bianca the hostess in Luminae is no longer here as well as her husband who was the retreat bartender.  Also the sommelier is not the same and not as good imho.  I have not made it to the pool deck yet as the weather has not been great.  But I will try to check on Jerome.  

That seems strange unless they are near the end of their contract.  After all they have to quarantine before they can travel home and once they complete quarantine they can return to work with little risk of getting infected again for several months.

 

Maybe they say sent home because it sounds better than transferred to a quarantine ship or land based hotel.

 

Both RCL and CCL are using ships that have not yet been activated for quarantine.  I expect that in the next week or so we will start to see some crew coming back to active ships (though still having to go through another quarantine period when they join the ship)

[natanya13]

I would also love to hear from anyone on the current cruising. My daughter and I were to be on board.  Sadly I tested positive on the pre cruise test. I just had a stuffy nose but from what I had heard from others recently I had a feeling it would be positive.  My dd was negative until today and even now we both have only mild symptoms.  

 

We would have been in Sky Suite 2150. If some one can take a picture from the aft deck for me it would be appreciated.  We are hoping to be able to rebook for March. 

[cangelmd]

6 minutes ago, nocl said:

That seems strange unless they are near the end of their contract.  After all they have to quarantine before they can travel home and once they complete quarantine they can return to work with little risk of getting infected again for several months.

 

Maybe they say sent home because it sounds better than transferred to a quarantine ship or land based hotel.

 

Both RCL and CCL are using ships that have not yet been activated for quarantine.  I expect that in the next week or so we will start to see some crew coming back to active ships (though still having to go through another quarantine period when they join the ship)

The particular young man it refers to is likely at or close to the end of his contract. We spoke to him in early August, Equinox's second cruise, and he'd been onboard a good while then getting the ship ready.