No Covid testing on Back to back cruises!

[Harborgirl246]

Just read this and am very disappointed in Celebrity. It sure looks like they don’t want passengers to know the exact numbers of passengers testing positive, and then allowing everyone to continue on with new passengers who have no idea if those back to backers might have Covid!

I hope it isn’t true. Can someone verify?

[Silkroad]

You should check the source, not social media:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety

[WestLakeGirl]

Its been reported and confirmed here on Cruise Critic since May 4

[Silkroad]

Yes, but so are many things that are merely speculation. Post a link to a reputable source. Until I see the update in the Celebrity website, I will assume that testing will be required between legs on my b2bs. 
 

From the Celebrity website:

 

Back-to-Back Cruises

Guests sailing on back-to-back cruises must show proof of vaccination and are required to take a COVID-19 test producing negative results between each sailing. Guests who are not fully vaccinated or are not eligible to be vaccinated, are not able to sail on back-to back-cruises.

 

 

[davekathy]

Hope it's true but will wait until officially published by Celebrity. I've read on the RCCI forum that those currently on B2B cruises that the B2B covid test is no longer being offered. Hopefully soon the pre cruise covid test is no longer going to be required. 

[Silkroad]

3 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Hope it's true but will wait until officially published by Celebrity. I've read on the RCCI forum that those currently on B2B cruises that the B2B covid test is no longer being offered. Hopefully soon the pre cruise covid test is no longer going to be required. 

Yes, I saw the change on the RCCL website several days ago. Many on the Celebrity forum have speculated that Celebrity will follow suit, but they’ve not yet done so. Having three b2bs booked, I myself would love to see this change. It would be nice to see the pre cruise testing discontinued (based on my recent experience on Equinox, I’d say quite a few people tested negative before boarding but became spreaders - asymptomatic or not - during the first few days of the cruise) but that will surely be the last thing to go.

[WestLakeGirl]

If you dont want to read the whole thread start at post #22

 

 

[davekathy]

54 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Yes, I saw the change on the RCCL website several days ago. Many on the Celebrity forum have speculated that Celebrity will follow suit, but they’ve not yet done so. Having three b2bs booked, I myself would love to see this change. It would be nice to see the pre cruise testing discontinued (based on my recent experience on Equinox, I’d say quite a few people tested negative before boarding but became spreaders - asymptomatic or not - during the first few days of the cruise) but that will surely be the last thing to go.

One thing at a time. 

[cruisestitch]

Have a look here at post #39

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2850149-royal-just-dropped-testing-for-back-to-backs…hope-celebrity-follows/page/2/#comments

 

[jelayne]

Celebrity and Royal are 2 different companies and their policies and procedures are not always the same.  When it is on the C website then it is their procedure.

[deano99]

Currently on Apex TA which arrives in Amsterdam 5/14. We are doing B2B and expected a letter regarding COVID testing but did not receive one. Called guest services and was told we did not need COVID test. 

[upwarduk]

3 hours ago, Silkroad said:

y on the Celebrity forum have speculated that Celebrity will follow suit, but they’ve not yet done so

No testing between cruises on Silhouette last weekend.

[WonderMan3]

While part of me is happy that this policy could be going away as it would be a big barrier for me doing my B2B2B cruises next year, I also am disappointed in Celebrity as they clearly are being motivated to make this change because of the number of people testing positive onboard; the B2B testing creates another opportunity to catch positive cases which increases their overall numbers and also creates open spaces on the subsequent cruise that they cannot refill at the last minute (i.e. lost revenue).

[cruisestitch]

8 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

While part of me is happy that this policy could be going away as it would be a big barrier for me doing my B2B2B cruises next year, I also am disappointed in Celebrity as they clearly are being motivated to make this change because of the number of people testing positive onboard; the B2B testing creates another opportunity to catch positive cases which increases their overall numbers and also creates open spaces on the subsequent cruise that they cannot refill at the last minute (i.e. lost revenue).

Or it could be that the number of positives is dropping and they feel that’s an ongoing trend …..

[WonderMan3]

52 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Or it could be that the number of positives is dropping and they feel that’s an ongoing trend …..

Have you not been following the countless posts here for weeks now of people testing positive onboard? People being forced into quarantine? One prolific poster here on a B2B2B forced to cut his cruise short because of testing positive? Lots of reports of people testing positive post-cruise after returning home? It's happening on other cruise forums as well outside of CC.

[cruisestitch]

What we are reading is a case by case report.  But as for the actual  total numbers of positive back to backs?  I don’t see that statistic

Are we reading the report of one out of three positives, or one out of thirty?  Is the total going up or down?

 

[WestLakeGirl]

My old statistics professor would say that we do not have near enough data to determine any sort of trend. We have a few individual data points scattered among many cruises, all self-reported.  They stand out in our mind because of their graphic descriptions but there is no way to tell how many cases each one represents

[WonderMan3]

I have personally never seen so many cruisers (either onboard or just returned from a cruise) reporting testing positive on this board or people being quarantined than I have over the past month or so. Someone shared a report recently that showed most of the Celebrity fleet up to orange status. On some ships they had so many people in the quarantine section that it filled up and some cruisers had to quarantine in their own cabins. There has clearly been an increase. And that totally makes sense because there has been a surge going on even off the ships. Not sure why people are being so obtuse about this. And we will never get an exact number because the cruise lines will never share that information, and we all know why.

[Arizona Wildcat]

47 minutes ago, WonderMan3 said:

I have personally never seen so many cruisers (either onboard or just returned from a cruise) reporting testing positive on this board or people being quarantined than I have over the past month or so. Someone shared a report recently that showed most of the Celebrity fleet up to orange status. On some ships they had so many people in the quarantine section that it filled up and some cruisers had to quarantine in their own cabins. There has clearly been an increase. And that totally makes sense because there has been a surge going on even off the ships. Not sure why people are being so obtuse about this. And we will never get an exact number because the cruise lines will never share that information, and we all know why.

And you won't get a number from the CDC either!

[verizon]

It doesn’t matter you are positive or negative for B2B

Celebrity still allows you on board if you are positive 

what’s the point of testing?

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

I have personally never seen so many cruisers (either onboard or just returned from a cruise) reporting testing positive on this board or people being quarantined than I have over the past month or so. Someone shared a report recently that showed most of the Celebrity fleet up to orange status. On some ships they had so many people in the quarantine section that it filled up and some cruisers had to quarantine in their own cabins. There has clearly been an increase. And that totally makes sense because there has been a surge going on even off the ships. Not sure why people are being so obtuse about this. And we will never get an exact number because the cruise lines will never share that information, and we all know why.

Yea... I just saw this new threat that masks are required on Apex after infections surpassed 3%

 

 

[Edinburghgirl1]

7 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

While part of me is happy that this policy could be going away as it would be a big barrier for me doing my B2B2B cruises next year, I also am disappointed in Celebrity as they clearly are being motivated to make this change because of the number of people testing positive onboard; the B2B testing creates another opportunity to catch positive cases which increases their overall numbers and also creates open spaces on the subsequent cruise that they cannot refill at the last minute (i.e. lost revenue).

I did a B2B in April and was told by the nurse who carried out my test between cruises very few on B2Bs test positive, possibly because they are ultra cautious knowing they have a test coming up and don’t want to jeopardise being allowed to stay on. 

[Fly and Sail]

12 minutes ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

I did a B2B in April and was told by the nurse who carried out my test between cruises very few on B2Bs test positive, possibly because they are ultra cautious knowing they have a test coming up and don’t want to jeopardise being allowed to stay on. 

 

Having to tread on eggshells doesn't sound my idea of a relaxing holiday but to each his own. IMHO it's good that this policy is going away. Less testing = less problems for everyone. Whoever still maintains this fantasy of cruises being a sterile environment during Covid lives in a land of loopy loops and should better stay home.

[darren42]

Celebrity is still testing B2B if the ship goes to Greece. Greece will not allow no testing. I have not seen any mention of this online yet, but it is true as I am here living it.

[zap99]

On 5/13/2022 at 2:32 AM, WonderMan3 said:

Have you not been following the countless posts here for weeks now of people testing positive onboard? People being forced into quarantine? One prolific poster here on a B2B2B forced to cut his cruise short because of testing positive? Lots of reports of people testing positive post-cruise after returning home? It's happening on other cruise forums as well outside of CC.

No test at all would cut down quarantine. Go to the medical centre if you feel ill.