Just entered isolation/quarantine on Constellation

[Quarantined]

20 minutes ago, peanut head said:

So sorry this is happening to you and your wife.  Just out of curiosity, what is your vax status--2x, 3x and which type?  Speedy recovery...

Thank you. We’re both 2x vaxxed w/ Pfizer, we don’t qualify for boosters back home until mid January and February respectively. We have both been infected pre-vaccination though,  which is supposed to give a pretty good protection in combination which was why we felt relatively confident travelling. 

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

I guess I was interpreting the "if required" statement differently.  I read it that if you had Covid then it would be required.  Otherwise, when would it ever be required?  If you were so sick you needed hospital care, then you would be taken to the nearest port that would accept you and then be stuck there.  I guess (arguing with myself admittedly) at that point once you were able to fly it would be required for them to fly you home privately.  Or would they make you stick it out until you could legally fly commercial?  I just don't trust them anymore.  I felt safe with the promises before, not so much now that I am seeing the actions actually play out

Did you expect that they were going to be putting people on private jets? That would cost them a fortune. I would only see that for an extreme medical situation to get the person back to an American hospital and it would probably be wherever the nearest big city is, likely Miami if it's the Caribbean, not all the way back to your home city.

[WonderMan3]

2 hours ago, Quarantined said:

Thank you! Well, today is the first day of isolation, and up until today we were loving every minute of it. We’ll see how restless I feel in a week’s time… 😉 

Do they refund you at all for the days you are in quarantine?

[MamaFej]

Add me to those thanking the OP for doing the right thing and getting tested. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

 

As for X flying people home, it happened on our September 26 Millenium cruise (AK out of Seattle). A couple started feeling off the first evening. They did the right thing and got tested, coming up positive. Close contacts were isolated. An announcement was made the next morning. Our waitstaff in Blu disappered for a few days. At our first port, the couple were disembarked and privately flown home, according to the Captain's announcement. 

 

Perhaps they make the call on a case-by-case basis. That would certainly make sense. 

 

[keifernny]

On the Constellation with you OP , speedy recovery! ... and hoping no one else ends up having to join you in those quarantine rooms.. 

 

The Capt just announced it overhead. I do kind of wonder if OP's CC post prompted this or if they would've anyway. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by keifernny

[Quarantined]

23 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

Do they refund you at all for the days you are in quarantine?

Yes, I will be refunded the prorated fare for the remainder of the cruise, my wife will be refunded for her 24 h in quarantine if she tests negative again tomorrow, the remainder if she tests positive. 

[PTC DAWG]

13 minutes ago, kearney said:

The situation keeps evolving... and they have to change as conditions change. Remember in the beginning some patients who got covid had what they called ground glass lung.. with frosted glass look on xrays..where ventilators didn't really help much... a year later this version of covid appears to be more like a moderate form of the flu. Early on treatment was needed early or death was a real possibility for some... now...despite cases blowing up hospitalizations nothing like a year ago and deaths much lower.   So it makes sense to fly those early cases to get medical care but current cases... really..private planes... I am sorry but honestly I think we are thinking about Omicron the way we thought about earlier Covid.  I am going to get hate for this...but I really wonder if quarantining is really necessary... would we do this for the annual flu? Even Norovirus quarantine is only 2 days (or at least that is what we experienced).. that too is highly contagious. The key if you are concerned...get travelers insurance...  not sure they pay for private transportation or not... but i get it so that I know that between what the cruise line is willing to cover and insurance... my needs should be mostly if not completely covered. My current fear is that the insurance for my next cruise was purchased before covid..but it does not have epidemic exclusion and does have quarantine coverage for some items. 

No hate from me..

[hrhdhd]

28 minutes ago, keifernny said:

On the Constellation with you OP , speedy recovery! ... and hoping no one else ends up having to join you in those quarantine rooms.. 

 

The Capt just announced it overhead. I do kind of wonder if OP's CC post prompted this or if they would've anyway. 

On the previous Constellation cruise (12/23-1/3), the Captain made several announcements about COVID cases, quarantine (he said "isolation"), and protocols. He was proactive in communicating the situation.

[TeaBag]

HUGE KUDOS to you OP for being so honest and reporting your symptoms immediately.  You could have taken some cough lozenges and continued to enjoy the ship infecting everyone and his dog, since you were not feeling that sick.

What a bummer having booked a suite but at least you can enjoy the food from Luminae in your isolation.  i wonder if you could sample Blu as well.

I hope your wife escapes although her enjoyment of the lovely suite will be tempered without her best friend.

I feel so sorry for both of you and I hope that you will have better protection going forward, by having the virus and then when you get the booster.

[WhiteSoxFan]

I'm curious if there have been any announcements regarding the number of positive cases on board?  I feel that X is being less than transparent regarding the number of cases, both pax & crew.

[Arizona Wildcat]

40 minutes ago, kearney said:

The situation keeps evolving... and they have to change as conditions change. Remember in the beginning some patients who got covid had what they called ground glass lung.. with frosted glass look on xrays..where ventilators didn't really help much... a year later this version of covid appears to be more like a moderate form of the flu. Early on treatment was needed early or death was a real possibility for some... now...despite cases blowing up hospitalizations nothing like a year ago and deaths much lower.   So it makes sense to fly those early cases to get medical care but current cases... really..private planes... I am sorry but honestly I think we are thinking about Omicron the way we thought about earlier Covid.  I am going to get hate for this...but I really wonder if quarantining is really necessary... would we do this for the annual flu? Even Norovirus quarantine is only 2 days (or at least that is what we experienced).. that too is highly contagious. The key if you are concerned...get travelers insurance...  not sure they pay for private transportation or not... but i get it so that I know that between what the cruise line is willing to cover and insurance... my needs should be mostly if not completely covered. My current fear is that the insurance for my next cruise was purchased before covid..but it does not have epidemic exclusion and does have quarantine coverage for some items. 

Trip insurance today does not generally cover Covid.   Read the fine print.  The government putting out a do not travel notice effects many policies. 

Please do not compare the effects of Covid to flu.  This has been discussed over and over.  And yes, if people are sick with the flu either at home or on a cruise ship you should stay away from others.  Call it what you may.  Flu in 2018 was nasty.  2019 no big deal, but do you want to infect others with any disease?

[WonderMan3]

53 minutes ago, Quarantined said:

Yes, I will be refunded the prorated fare for the remainder of the cruise, my wife will be refunded for her 24 h in quarantine if she tests negative again tomorrow, the remainder if she tests positive. 

Well that's good to hear. Still too risky for me to possibly be stuck in quarantine for vacation but I like that they will at least refund you for that lost part of the trip.

[Babr]

29 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Trip insurance today does not generally cover Covid.   Read the fine print.  The government putting out a do not travel notice effects many policies. 

Please do not compare the effects of Covid to flu.  This has been discussed over and over.  And yes, if people are sick with the flu either at home or on a cruise ship you should stay away from others.  Call it what you may.  Flu in 2018 was nasty.  2019 no big deal, but do you want to infect others with any disease?

Actually, most policies today do cover COVID as any other illness. If you search on the websites that sell travel insurance you can select COVID coverage as one of the filters to find policies deemed to be the best for that or you can buy from a broker like Trip Insurance Store. All the policies they sell cover COVID, and they can help you find one with the additional features that suit your needs.

 

The recent advisories do not have the effect of an order and will not impact your policy unless it already has language about COVID exclusions. The CDC advisory itself recommends buying travel insurance if you choose to travel now.

 

You are correct that people still need to read the fine print to understand how their coverage works, or they can rely on a professional to assist them.

[hrhdhd]

55 minutes ago, WhiteSoxFan said:

I'm curious if there have been any announcements regarding the number of positive cases on board?  I feel that X is being less than transparent regarding the number of cases, both pax & crew.

See my post 33. Cases were being announced on the previous cruise, and the poster onboard (see post 30) says the captain is making announcements on the current cruise.

[MamaFej]

4 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

See my post 33. Cases were being announced on the previous cruise, and the poster onboard (see post 30) says the captain is making announcements on the current cruise.

The same was true of my cruise in Sep/Oct. Passengers discussed it onboard, and we felt that we were being kept well-informed. We learned about the protocols for getting food and other products onboard, and were very impressed.

 

[Julma]

1 hour ago, hrhdhd said:

On the previous Constellation cruise (12/23-1/3), the Captain made several announcements about COVID cases, quarantine (he said "isolation"), and protocols. He was proactive in communicating the situation.

Isolation is when someone has tested positive.  Quarantine is when they are in the testing process.

[Ginnyfyr]

5 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

I copied this from the Celebrity website healthy at sea page today:

"Safe Passage Home

We’re with you every step of the way no matter where in the world you travel with us. If you test positive for COVID-19 onboard during your cruise, Celebrity Cruises will cover the cost of your onboard COVID-19 medical treatment, land-based isolation, and private air transfer home for you and your traveling party, if required*. Due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases, private air transfers will only be provided in medically necessary situations. We will assist guests with commercial flights home once their quarantine period has been completed either shipboard and/or shoreside."

Wow, they must have just updated recently. I was on that page about 3 hours ago and it did not say private air only in medically necessary situations.

[RICCruisers]

2 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

Did you expect that they were going to be putting people on private jets? That would cost them a fortune. I would only see that for an extreme medical situation to get the person back to an American hospital and it would probably be wherever the nearest big city is, likely Miami if it's the Caribbean, not all the way back to your home city.

YES!  X absolutely stated a private air transport would take place. If you read threads from the first month or two after cruising resumed you will see it happened several times. You are correct that it costs big bucks or euros or pounds but that was part of the deal initially. 

[Covepointcruiser]

No, Celebrity has always stated, as required.   You can keep dreaming of a private jet transport home but let’s hope you are never sick enough to require it.   Most ports these days won’t let a cruise ship off load any COVID positive passengers.    Quarantine on board until the home port makes sense even though it’s certainly not pleasant.   

[RICCruisers]

10 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

No, Celebrity has always stated, as required.   You can keep dreaming of a private jet transport home but let’s hope you are never sick enough to require it.   Most ports these days won’t let a cruise ship off load any COVID positive passengers.    Quarantine on board until the home port makes sense even though it’s certainly not pleasant.   

Disagree

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

Did you expect that they were going to be putting people on private jets? That would cost them a fortune. I would only see that for an extreme medical situation to get the person back to an American hospital and it would probably be wherever the nearest big city is, likely Miami if it's the Caribbean, not all the way back to your home city.

Actually, from what I was reading initially online that is exactly what they were doing.  I agree, it would cost them a fortune.  But that's what they were doing, and so that's how I interpreted the wording.  Guess I was wrong.

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, Julma said:

Isolation is when someone has tested positive.  Quarantine is when they are in the testing process.

Thanks for the clarification. My point was that Celebrity isn't hiding cases/numbers. In fact, someone in another thread actually complained that the Captain made one of these announcements during the dinner hour on my cruise. They can't win.

[phoenix_dream]

46 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

No, Celebrity has always stated, as required.   You can keep dreaming of a private jet transport home but let’s hope you are never sick enough to require it.   Most ports these days won’t let a cruise ship off load any COVID positive passengers.    Quarantine on board until the home port makes sense even though it’s certainly not pleasant.   

Here is a copy of their website from some time ago.   It specifically mentions homebound travel for you and your traveling party.  I will grant you, it does not say it is private homebound travel. But it also doesn't say "as required" as respects the homebound travel.  It does say that for quarantine.   I believe there was even more specific wording earlier, but haven't found it yet.

 

COVID-19 Assistance*

 

Book a Celebrity cruise that’s sailing on or before April 30, 2022 and you’ll have the following reassurance at no extra charge:

• 100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Traveling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal.**
• Pro-rated cruise fare refund for anyone who has their cruise cut short due to testing positive for COVID-19 or being suspected of having COVID-19 during the cruise.
• If you test positive for COVID-19 during the cruise, Celebrity Cruises will cover the cost of COVID-19 related medical treatment onboard, any required land-based quarantine, and homebound travel for you and your Traveling Party.

*Last modified October 22, 2021. Subject to change. “Traveling Party” means your family members living with you in the same household and traveling companions assigned to your stateroom on the cruise. Conditioned upon compliance with the RCG COVID-19 Policies and Procedures in effect at the time of the cruise.  Additional terms and conditions apply. See our COVID-19 Refund and Cancellations Policy and your Cruise Ticket Contract for details.

[wrk2cruise]

We are also onboard with you and are also in a suite.  Make sure your DW makes use of the Retreat host or concierge’s if she needs anything at all.  They are a fabulous resource

 

Being onboard and also eating in Luminae I would like to join the others thanking you for doing the right thing and getting checked out.

 

I still can’t believe the very small minority who are not respecting the mask rules.  Last night I walked through the casino and there was a guy playing Blackjack with no mask on at all.

 

I feel that Celebrity should have strictly enforced it for the first day which was a sea day and made an example of anyo e not complying by disembarking them in Costa Maya.  That would have set the tone that Celebrity is taking our safety seriously.

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

The if required asterisk text was adde about a month and a half ago.