Equinox May 6 sailing CoVid experience

[NBliving]

I learned so much from the recent postings from those who tested positive onboard various X ships. I wanted to share a few things we learned as I wait to disembark and be reunited with my DH. 
 

Definitely talk ahead of time about what to do if one in your party tests positive and the other negative - if the negative person will isolate also or not. My DH tasted positive day 7 of a 9 day cruise and we were given the option of staying in our stateroom or he could move to a deck 6 isolation cabin. We decided he would move in hopes I would stay negative.  He expressed his tendency to get seasick which is why we book midship and they gave him a room number and location before he agreed what to do. He did get a balcony room. 
 

We always share toothpaste and hairbrush. Doesn’t work well if one of you goes into isolation! Luckily I had brought a round brush for blow drying my hair and I put some toothpaste in the lid of a glass then put that in a baggie! (Bring baggies! They really come in handy!) 

I’m very glad I didn’t go into isolation so I could help my husband with some issues. His calls to room service kept getting disconnected after being on hold for long periods of time so I could call for him and place his order. I had to eat meals in my room since I was his traveling partner so I would order both of our meals at the same time. 
 

If anyone has any questions I’ll try to answer. 
 

Still had a great cruise! 
 

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for posting.   I'm sure it will really help other to plan in advance if the unexpected  happens.   I'm glad we also had prepared and had lots of TheraFlu, throat lozenger etc with us.   We always also pack Quart and Gallon Size bags and almost always end up using them

[wrk2cruise]

My understanding is you were not restricted from moving about the ship.   Would you be allowed to go to Oceanview and fix a plate to take back to your room to eat or were you required to use room service?

 

We have started taking 2 phone chargers and 2 tablets.  I think it is wise to separate so there is someone on the "outside" to advocate if necessary.

 

Now I also ask for business card of any concierge, guest relations manager, hotel director I may meet.  That way I have their direct number if needed.

Edited May 15, 2022 by wrk2cruise

[NBliving]

51 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for posting.   I'm sure it will really help other to plan in advance if the unexpected  happens.   I'm glad we also had prepared and had lots of TheraFlu, throat lozenger etc with us.   We always also pack Quart and Gallon Size bags and almost always end up using them

Yes! Thanks to you I packed Theraflu which DH said really helped. I also packed Advil, throat lozenges, a thermometer and CoVid tests. When he noticed symptoms (after captain made an announcement about CoVid cases and needing to wear masks in theater) we each took a test before calling medical. 

[NBliving]

55 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

My understanding is you were not restricted from moving about the ship.   Would you be allowed to go to Oceanview and fix a plate to take back to your room to eat or were you required to use room service?

 

We have started taking 2 phone chargers and 2 tablets.  I think it is wise to separate so there is someone on the "outside" to advocate if necessary.

 

Now I also ask for business card of any concierge, guest relations manager, hotel director I may meet.  That way I have their direct number if needed.

I could move about the ship. I stayed masked unless I was outside sitting and tried to find seats away from others. I got food from Oceanview and Spa Cafe, but was glad I could get room service from the MDR too. We were in a regular veranda - not Aqua or a Suite. 

[Cjonthesea]

I also tested + on Day 7. I blame Aruba but who knows. Traveling solo so I just isolated in stateroom. Did you go through passport control?  It felt like they were sneaking me into the port! Fortunately I had a pre-booked hotel room which reduced anxiety. Flight is later in the week. Does TSA get Covid info from ICE?

[Lunesse]

Staying separated if only one person is sick is a hard choice, but I have heard a good one. Having an advocate "on the outside" can help the person in isolation so much with things. ❤️  I hope he is feeling better!

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Cjonthesea said:

I also tested + on Day 7. I blame Aruba but who knows. Traveling solo so I just isolated in stateroom. Did you go through passport control?  It felt like they were sneaking me into the port! Fortunately I had a pre-booked hotel room which reduced anxiety. Flight is later in the week. Does TSA get Covid info from ICE?

 

To my knowledge information of testing positive is not sent to the airlines.   Where we came ashore in UK there are no regulations and even though we quarantined at  no tune where were we asked about covid status,

 

When we tested via Navica our local Health Department in Santa Clara County was notified.  (kinda stupid as we weren't even in the U.S.)  They immediately contacted us via text and email to fill out a close contact form.

 

 

[runningtide]

We also just left the Equinox. Great trip and fantastic crew. Crew indicated about 2300 passengers on this 9 day ABC.
Noticed many black SUVs arriving from our veranda all morning today while passengers left the ship. BTW, never heard the Captain report the number of cases during his morning announcements, but I did miss some of them. Several crew and passenger sources on the ship indicated between 150 and 200 Covid cases by the time the ship docked. Not sure if some numbers represent close contacts.
One passenger we met in the airport cancelled their back to back on this cruise and left the ship due to the high Covid rate. He managed to confirm the number by talking to a supervisor at the passenger service desk. It was interesting as this passenger indicted he has about 45 cruises with Celebrity, so he doesn’t jump on a rumor. 
I’d be very concerned if the quoted numbers were all positive test. Think of the number of contacts that would also generate. 

I guess we’ll never know how many post cruise infections will happen.

 

All the best my friends………See you on the next tack !

[kdawg954]

Was on this cruise and tested positive when I got home and many others did as well on the FB group.  So that number is significantly higher.

 

Only tested due to having typical wake up sniffles and was gonna go around family today and wanted to make sure I was good after hearing about the high rate.

 

They definitely could do more outside night activities for a Caribbean cruise.

 

Service lacked but crew generally was a good group.  Lost our room attendant midweek, who knows if that's how I contracted it.  Celebrity does a poor job disclosing info and doesn't do enough to encourage safe measures.

 

No regrets though, hopefully this stays mild and can serve as my second booster.

[runningtide]

I want to add something about the Covid numbers on this cruise. Consider about 200 Covid cases with 2300 total passengers. That is nearly 10 %. And one other point. If two of you are traveling in the same cabin, you have a close to 20% chance of one of you in that cabin being infected. 

I am tired of the CDC color chart for this ship indicted Orange status being 0.3% or "higher" This indicator means nothing. If Celebrity reported 200 cases to the CDC for this cruise, as they are supposed to, how in the hell does that qualify for "Orange" status. 

When making decisions on cruising, all of us must have solid data to develop an accurate risk assessment. Though I had a wonderful cruise as I had hoped for, had I known these numbers could develop on a 9 day trip, I would have cancelled. As most, Im not so worried about catching the virus again, but being quarantined on deck 3 under the sad conditions of treatment I have read. 

If Celebrity will not change their policy about reporting Covid cases, the CDC should force the cruise lines to provide the numbers and stop using this 0.3% or "above" as an accurate indicator of ship safety. 

I love cruising but I will not book another trip until some major changes are implemented. 

 

All the bet my friends..........See you on the next tack !

[Honolulu Blue]

@NBliving and others:  thank you for sharing your experiences.  Get well soon, if applicable.  All this sharing helps me and others get an idea of what to expect if (when?) we get the virus and have to shuffle off to isolation.

[kdawg954]

This cruise really put things into perspective on just what is happening with Covid and what you should expect:

 

1.  People are absolutely transmitting Covid, from day 1, on the ship.  That 2 day window of testing, though short, is enough time to just miss virus from showing up on the test and being highly contagious as soon as you board.  Most folks are flying in after the test, and there are no masks on planes and people go out with the comfort of testing negative pre cruise.  There was a person that was isolated on day 2 with Covid.  Cruise line didn't make an announcement until like day 6/7 trying to deflect it on the "port days".  We had 4 ports and while certainly you can catch it there . . . you can't sell me on 4 outside spaced out days being more of a reason than all the crowded indoor stuff we did on the ship.

 

2.  Celebrity absolutely did a poor job with sanitation and "healthy at sea" measures.  There were a handful of times where there was no soap in the bathrooms for people to wash their hands after using the bathroom, including right next to Oceanview.  Unacceptable.  

 

3.  I'd like to see masking made permanent in crowded areas like the Theater, Casino and Celebrity Central.  Just not smart to pack those areas in that inside setting.  One night we came 10 minutes early to a Celebrity Central show and it was completely packed and people were shoulder to shoulder waiting for the show.  

 

4.  I'd like to see more of an effort to do events outside at night.  One 1 hour night time event on a 9 night cruise just seems stupid.  They have the room and the lighting to do comedy shows, music and other things . . . make the effort.

 

5.  Fully expect staff shortages, Room attendant being replaced mid cruise and staff that aren't used to being in the area they are assigned due to these shortages.  We had a sommelier who had no clue about wine, she would just bring out any bottle. We had a bartender on the pool deck who needed instruction on how to make a Paloma.  

 

6.  Just know unless you plan on KN95 the entire cruise and eating isolated and outside, you are vulnerable.  Older demographic was coughing consistently at dinner and blaming it on "allergies", with less of an effort to cover their mouths.  Many don't hear as well and want to come up in your face to hear what you are saying.  The negative test and vaccine provide them a sense of shielding, and trust me it is a great thing that we have both, but I'd like people to be more aware of it not being pre Covid just yet and stop acting like things are normal.  Yes its your vacation and yes you are tired of Covid, but cruising shouldn't be your outlet to drop everything.  Be mindful.

 

7.  My second cruise this year and NCL did a better job, but in fairness to Celebrity that cruise happened over Xmas and New years out of San Juan when protocols were stronger, masks were enforced inside, we tested day we boarded and I just feel NCL did a better job with outside activities and Puerto Ricans (which was over 50% of the cruise) were much more used to indoor mask wearing and being respectful of space.  The party was every night on the pool deck and it made sense to do that.  Celebrity can definitely learn a few things from NCL.

 

8.  No regrets, just hope cruise lines aren't stuck up and actually listen to people and consider more things to keep everybody as safe as possible on the ship.  We understand the risks but don't double down on them because they exist.

Edited May 16, 2022 by kdawg954

[vettegal99]

Just heard from friends who got off Equinox yesterday.  Both tested positive this morning.  Cold symptoms

[Ice Queen]

Count me as another who tested positive after this cruise. A bit of congestion and throat tickle on the last day. Am guessing most likely culprit was one of the silent disco nights with tight crowds and a fair amount of singing and shouting. Very fun, but maybe a superspreader type event?

 

Agree that more events could have been done outside, especially something like silent disco. Definitely staff shortages were noticeable. Service in MDR was particularly slow, not because of poor service but because they had so many tables to take care of. They were clearly doing the best they could. And it was sometimes difficult to find a bar attendant to order a drink. Most of the time it was much faster to go up to the bar.  

 

I will say that the medallion concept used on my New Year's Princess cruise was head and shoulders above Celebrity. Used the medallion on my wrist to open stateroom, make purchases, check on/off ship, almost everything no touch. And ordering drinks/food on my phone and getting it delivered to almost anywhere I was on the ship within minutes worked flawlessly. 

[Honolulu Blue]

7 minutes ago, Ice Queen said:

I will say that the medallion concept used on my New Year's Princess cruise was head and shoulders above Celebrity. Used the medallion on my wrist to open stateroom, make purchases, check on/off ship, almost everything no touch. And ordering drinks/food on my phone and getting it delivered to almost anywhere I was on the ship within minutes worked flawlessly. 

First of all, sorry and get well soon. 🙏

 

Second, the highlighted comment amused me as a veteran of a couple of Princess cruises and a lurker on their boards.  There's so much negative commentary about the Medallion and its app.  I'm glad it worked out for you.  I'll just say that I thought the things that worked, worked well - but not everything worked.

[PatC]

I was also on this cruise with 3 friends.  Day 7 1 tested positive and then his mom in the same cabin.  Lo and behold my friend with me also tested positive.  I DID NOT!   We don't know why but they figured it was either Aruba (where I didn't get off) or the theater show (which I did not attend).  My son and daughter-in-law were with us in another cabin and I spent the time with them.  None of us have tested positive

Those black cars you saw were hired by Celebrity to take those who had tested to their respective cars, airport or hotels.  They treated us wonderfully, even having our breakfast delivered to the cabins that morning.

I agree, Celebrity better get back to "Celebrity" business or they will sink into the depths of mediocre ships.  I have sailed over 30 years with them and have never seen such garbage going on.  This CEO has taken the crew she picks to her "babies" the E class ships and has allowed the best of Celebrity, the M and S class to suffer.  My son spoke to the bartender at the Sunset Bar who had become a friend and he told him that they finally had 450 crew from India on the way to help.  That won't to the job if they are not trained the way crews of the past were.  

I will not give up on them just yet.  My cabin steward was wonderful to me.  I fell ( those damn speakers of the DJ by the Passport Bar right in the middle of the floor on a crowded day) and the medical crew and Guest Relations were wonderful.  Very attentive.  Our cabin steward made sure I had what I needed.

Yes, I agree, more deck parties.  I miss those wonderful days when we could party in the open.  

I also wish Celebrity would stop giving away specialty restaurant reservations to the suites and whoever and leaving those of us in the lower decks with no way to utilize them.  I have NEVER seen those restaurants sold out completely before the cruises.  

Again, I do not and have never liked LLP.  When I first cruised Michael Bailey was the CEO who transitioned from Chandris to Celebrity and he was wonderful.  He took the brand and made it great.

Just my opinion but we need him back.

I pray all who are ill from this trip recover quickly and don't give up the ship just yet.

[rzyjzq]

I, too, was on this sailing and have so far tested negative.  I will continue to test myself this week before getting around people.  I did wear a mask at the airport and on the plane both ways, took the stairs most of the cruise, and on the excursions when on public transportation wore a mask unless it was open aired.  Attended silent disco but danced away from others.  Hoping all of these things will keep me safe.🙂

 

The service i received on the ship was great for the most part.  Had the same stateroom attendant the entire week who did a fantastic job.  Only the first night in the dining room took forever.  Service was prompt the other nights, but I did tend to eat before 6:30.

 

Hope everyone that tested positive doesn't feel too bad and is back to normal very soon.

 

Susan

[grest]

My husband and I were also aboard the Equinox last week....both negative so far.   We wore masks all the time, except when eating, and were greatly disappointed at the vast majority who chose not to, even after the captain advised us of covid aboard.   So we limited our contact with folks, and still enjoyed this beautiful ship.   With the exception of chaotic first and second night of any time dining that tried to function with very limited staff  (noting some frustrated passengers who behaved like two year olds with abusive language and threats to staff), things worked more smoothly than I thought they would.   We all know covid is here....plan for it.

[romet]

Great comments on this thread for planning for an onboard Covid experience.  We enjoyed the cruise, but got hit with the sniffles on last night, and tested positive when we got home.

We didn’t hear the captain’s announcement about Covid.  We heard from other passengers about the  200 cases.  That is roughly 10% of the guests which should be enough to warrant a written advisory to every cabin to alert everyone about the situation.

Silent disco and martini bar were great fun, but probably where we met our fate.  The Equinox and Celebrity theatres were likely spreader events, so we avoided those.

We offer our sincere apologies to anyone we infected on the way home.  We did wear our masks at all times on the planes, so hopefully no casualties.

There is very little online information regarding the Covid incident rate on this ship.

 

[NBliving]

On 5/15/2022 at 7:03 PM, kdawg954 said:

Was on this cruise and tested positive when I got home and many others did as well on the FB group.  So that number is significantly higher.

 

Only tested due to having typical wake up sniffles and was gonna go around family today and wanted to make sure I was good after hearing about the high rate.

 

They definitely could do more outside night activities for a Caribbean cruise.

 

Service lacked but crew generally was a good group.  Lost our room attendant midweek, who knows if that's how I contracted it.  Celebrity does a poor job disclosing info and doesn't do enough to encourage safe measures.

 

No regrets though, hopefully this stays mild and can serve as my second booster.

Hope you are feeling better by now.  DH retested today after the 5 days of isolation and is still positive but is feeling a lot better.  

[NBliving]

On 5/16/2022 at 11:45 AM, vettegal99 said:

Just heard from friends who got off Equinox yesterday.  Both tested positive this morning.  Cold symptoms

Hope they don't have any further symptoms.  We won't ever know how many will test positive post cruise unfortunately.

[NBliving]

On 5/16/2022 at 12:31 PM, PatC said:

I was also on this cruise with 3 friends.  Day 7 1 tested positive and then his mom in the same cabin.  Lo and behold my friend with me also tested positive.  I DID NOT!   We don't know why but they figured it was either Aruba (where I didn't get off) or the theater show (which I did not attend).  My son and daughter-in-law were with us in another cabin and I spent the time with them.  None of us have tested positive

Those black cars you saw were hired by Celebrity to take those who had tested to their respective cars, airport or hotels.  They treated us wonderfully, even having our breakfast delivered to the cabins that morning.

I agree, Celebrity better get back to "Celebrity" business or they will sink into the depths of mediocre ships.  I have sailed over 30 years with them and have never seen such garbage going on.  This CEO has taken the crew she picks to her "babies" the E class ships and has allowed the best of Celebrity, the M and S class to suffer.  My son spoke to the bartender at the Sunset Bar who had become a friend and he told him that they finally had 450 crew from India on the way to help.  That won't to the job if they are not trained the way crews of the past were.  

I will not give up on them just yet.  My cabin steward was wonderful to me.  I fell ( those damn speakers of the DJ by the Passport Bar right in the middle of the floor on a crowded day) and the medical crew and Guest Relations were wonderful.  Very attentive.  Our cabin steward made sure I had what I needed.

Yes, I agree, more deck parties.  I miss those wonderful days when we could party in the open.  

I also wish Celebrity would stop giving away specialty restaurant reservations to the suites and whoever and leaving those of us in the lower decks with no way to utilize them.  I have NEVER seen those restaurants sold out completely before the cruises.  

Again, I do not and have never liked LLP.  When I first cruised Michael Bailey was the CEO who transitioned from Chandris to Celebrity and he was wonderful.  He took the brand and made it great.

Just my opinion but we need him back.

I pray all who are ill from this trip recover quickly and don't give up the ship just yet.

I'm glad you received excellent treatment after your fall.  My DH had great service from the medical staff (I have heard others did not.  Fortunately he didn't need a lot of attention)  It just surprises me after several periods of CoVid spikes that Celebrity still doesn't have their act together on what to do.  Maybe it was because this cruise was fuller than the Equinox has had since pre CoVid?    Our next cruise is January 2023 and we are thankful we don't have to make a go/no-go decision before that. Still a Celebrity fan!!

[NBliving]

On 5/16/2022 at 4:11 PM, grest said:

My husband and I were also aboard the Equinox last week....both negative so far.   We wore masks all the time, except when eating, and were greatly disappointed at the vast majority who chose not to, even after the captain advised us of covid aboard.   So we limited our contact with folks, and still enjoyed this beautiful ship.   With the exception of chaotic first and second night of any time dining that tried to function with very limited staff  (noting some frustrated passengers who behaved like two year olds with abusive language and threats to staff), things worked more smoothly than I thought they would.   We all know covid is here....plan for it.

I agree about some of the passengers acting like 2 year olds.  At breakfast the first morning, we chose to wait for a 2 top table and one of our fellow guests berated the hostess for not being prepared. When they sat us in a newly opened area we didn't have the quick service we are accustomed to by the coffee server, danish server, etc and he made it known he was very unhappy.  Sitting next to him was worse than slow service.  I felt bad for the staff.

 

Glad that you both are negative!  I hope my post helps people prepare before their cruise.

[NBliving]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:54 PM, romet said:

Great comments on this thread for planning for an onboard Covid experience.  We enjoyed the cruise, but got hit with the sniffles on last night, and tested positive when we got home.

We didn’t hear the captain’s announcement about Covid.  We heard from other passengers about the  200 cases.  That is roughly 10% of the guests which should be enough to warrant a written advisory to every cabin to alert everyone about the situation.

Silent disco and martini bar were great fun, but probably where we met our fate.  The Equinox and Celebrity theatres were likely spreader events, so we avoided those.

We offer our sincere apologies to anyone we infected on the way home.  We did wear our masks at all times on the planes, so hopefully no casualties.

There is very little online information regarding the Covid incident rate on this ship.

 

I hope you both are feeling ok.  I'm sure you weren't the only ones to not hear the Captain's CoVid announcement.  He probably should have repeated it in the morning's announcements from there on out.  Or at the least, put a sign on the theater about wearing masks - maybe there was one?  I heard the Equinox is about 50% full on the current sailing.  I think that helps also but I know Celebrity needs to make money to stay in business.