Jim_Iain - Summit Live Post B3B Greenland / Iceland / Canada Aug 7, 19 and 31, 2022

[Jim_Iain]

48 minutes ago, RichYak said:

On the contrary... I read your live post as well as Ken's. You are the ones that deserve rewards for sharing so much great information and pictures.

Thanks Rick.    

 

I started our Roll Calls so our families could follow our travel and reduce what I had to cross post to Facebook.   It has grown into something I really enjoy doing and really love meeting others from Cruise Critics.  

[luv2ndhalf]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your time with us! Good luck with your eye surgery!

[Jim_Iain]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Sorry for being absent my friend.  We just finished two weeks on Quantum of the Seas in Alaska and have been busy on the RCL boards and not hear.  

 

Very glad to see the two of you are having a great time, as usual, and are enjoying your B3B. 

 

 

 

Good hearing from you.   I hope you had a great trip and avoided that big storm that was hitting Northern Alaska.  

 

We actually got our first rain of the seas which is really early for the Bay Area.   OK it was only 1/3 inch but we get excited about it. 

[DaKahuna]

15 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Good hearing from you.   I hope you had a great trip and avoided that big storm that was hitting Northern Alaska.  

 

We actually got our first rain of the seas which is really early for the Bay Area.   OK it was only 1/3 inch but we get excited about it. 

 Yes, we avoided the storms and any heavy rain during port days.  Our cruises were 8/29 - 9/5 and 9/5 - 9/12. 

 

 We did have the typical mist/light rain during the day in the Alaska ports but had very beautiful weather for the days we were in Victoria and Seattle.  Actually discovered that I should have packed a couple of short sleeved shirts/polo shirts for daytime wear. 

 

 We do not sail Celebrity again until our Panama Canal East to West in April 2023 but will try and continue to live vicariously through your postings. 

 

[dianedebuda]

Jim, bet you and Iain are glad that you were able to visit those Canadian ports before all of the hurricane damage.  Really tough for those folks.  And now the Floridians... 😬

[Jim_Iain]

Just now, dianedebuda said:

Jim, bet you and Iain are glad that you were able to visit those Canadian ports before all of the hurricane damage.  Really tough for those folks.  And now the Floridians... 😬

You can't believe how happy we are.    We could not have had better weather for almost 5 solid weeks.    We must have done something right.

 

Hope all in Florida are taking proper protection and our hearts will be with you as we watch Hurricane Ian.  

[cruisebeachgirl703]

Jim, May be somewhat of a repeat question. During this whole period was your prh/butler the same or did it change? You did mention 2 previous names. Thanks.

[Laurab23]

Jim, when is your next cruise? I miss your cruise posts. 

 

Laura

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Jim, May be somewhat of a repeat question. During this whole period was your prh/butler the same or did it change? You did mention 2 previous names. Thanks.

 

We had 3 different butlers.      Our first cruise we had Ales -  Fantastic Butler and would drop by on a regular basis just to check in with us.  

 

Second cruise we had Demir.   He was very efficient and would quickly take care of any request but had the personality of a rock.  We were asked if we wanted to have him for our 3rd cruise and we declined.

 

Third cruise we had Tridip.      Very efficient and would anticipate our needs.   The first day (even though not in a top suite) he asked what types of water we preferred and mixers.   He would replenish them on a daily basis.  

 

We really don't use the butler much but a good butler is a treat.   We kept having a problem with one of our TV's and it would just get stuck on the main menu with the ship and the remote even though working would not communicate.     He had a friend in It an he could just reboot our TV (the new tv's are more like a monitor run off of a Apple TV type device.

 

Tridip really was overloaded and had to also handle his suites on 6 and also the ones on 7, 8 and 9.  There were only 3 for the entire ship.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Laurab23 said:

Jim, when is your next cruise? I miss your cruise posts. 

 

Laura

 

Thanks.     Our next is going to be a B2B   Dec 3 and 11 on Solstice  out of LA.   It will be the Mexican Riviera

[abbydancer2003]

By the way, I had friends on your third cruse and they got Covid.  He told me that the list of people who left via the "covid exit" was around 125-150.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, abbydancer said:

By the way, I had friends on your third cruse and they got Covid.  He told me that the list of people who left via the "covid exit" was around 125-150.

Yikes... you wouldn't have known.   It seemed there were more cases on the two previous but I did hear of a number of cases. 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

We had 3 different butlers.      Our first cruise we had Ales -  Fantastic Butler and would drop by on a regular basis just to check in with us.

 

Second cruise we had Demir.   He was very efficient and would quickly take care of any request but had the personality of a rock.  We were asked if we wanted to have him for our 3rd cruise and we declined.

 

Third cruise we had Tridip.   

 

Thanks Jim.  That is helpful.

[vickykay]

Jim,

 

Who was your tour operator for your day on Prince Edward Island?  
Thanks.

[Jim_Iain]

6 hours ago, vickykay said:

Jim,

 

Who was your tour operator for your day on Prince Edward Island?  
Thanks.

We did the Celebrity Tour that included the Lobster Lunch.      The bus had a sign on it "Charlottetown Islanders - Coach Atlantic Group, Dupee, New Brunswick"

[vickykay]

Thanks Jim.. looked amazing.  We’re doing this cruise next Sept. 

 

Vicky

[Ipeeinthepools]

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Jim,

 I’m sure you discussed this somewhere in your last two long reviews, but could you summarize what the procedure was when you tested positive on your B2B?   Did you need to cancel the following legs or did Celebrity do that for you?   Did Celebrity issue you refunds or did you need to use insurance?  Where you able to get medical records from the ship indicating that you tested positive.

 

Thanks

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Jim,

 I’m sure you discussed this somewhere in your last two long reviews, but could you summarize what the procedure was when you tested positive on your B2B?   Did you need to cancel the following legs or did Celebrity do that for you?   Did Celebrity issue you refunds or did you need to use insurance?  Where you able to get medical records from the ship indicating that you tested positive.

 

Thanks

Like many things the protocols have evolved.

 

In March/April when I tested Positive -  Most were moved to an inside cabin and removed from the ship at the end of the cruise.   The next cruise was cancelled and you were walked off the ship with a ghost buster squad spraying disenfectant.

 

September of this year on Summit.   Those that tested positive were quarantined in original room.  If spouse was negative they were offered to either stay in isolation original room or an inside cabin close by.    As soon as you tested negative you were released from your isolation.   If on a B2B you could continue to the next cruise.      If you were not on a B2B and you were still in isolation you could choose to stay aboard for the next cruise (probably moved to an inside as someone else probably has your room booked) and could stay on the cruise until you tested negative and they they would disembark you at the next port and assist you with reservation at your expense to return home.

[shipfriend_max]

@Jim_Iain Great review, thanks for that!

I have a question regarding the rooftop terrace and the outdoor movies: do you also get served/offered complimentary (movie) snacks, as you get on Princess Cruises‘ movie under the stars, such as popcorn? Or movie snacks like chicken wings, as onboard the newest Holland America ships?

Thanks 

Edited November 24, 2022 by shipfriend_max