Covid Precautions and Transparency Celebrity (Reflection)

[Baynanno1]

We cruised on Eclipse in December Sydney - South Pacific - Sydney.

Testing is required in Australia prior to boarding.

All crew were masked and we wore masks as we do at home in public areas where "social distancing" is not possible. Passengers were requested to wear masks in the casino and theatre, but not all complied although supplies of masks were placed at the entrances.

In the areas we frequented I would estimate mask wearing by passengers was above the 5% quoted by several others on different ships, probably more like 15% in the comment by @Jim_Iain

We were impressed to see constant cleaning of all hand rails on the stairways, as well as the lift buttons and rails. Hand sanitiser was of course in plentiful supply!

 

Ships disembarking and embarking in Australian ports are required to submit the number of covid cases on board at least 24 hours prior to docking.

"Levels" are classed as documented in this link :

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules?fbclid=IwAR2eeLOiU-Foe51LlU4k7OlliNbw5xCuC6rIYXvtz0X2J7Qs71OKIqsyKDo

The cruise before ours was level 2, our cruise on return was level 1.

Edited January 10, 2023 by Baynanno1
spelling error

[gold1953]

10 hours ago, lexmiller said:

For your December Reflection B2B, was mandatory monitored testing done - were the B2B passengers required to undergo it?  All of the Eclipse sailings currently are forcing all B2B passengers to undergo mandatory monitored B2B testing - because of the "down under" itineraries - the Australia and New Zealand governments are requiring the tests apparently is the word.  I am keen to know if any other itineraries are forcing B2B passengers to test.  In the case of Australia and New Zealand, to board the ship passengers need only present an at home self-test (NOT monitored) and yet the B2B passengers must be tested in person by the crew.  Thanks in advance!

no testing done

[IslaSarah]

On Reflection December 23rd sailing, completely full capacity ship:

1.Are any of the cruise staff ie cabin stewards restaurant staff wearing masks? 

A handful, maybe 15%. I wondered, but didn't ask anyone, if it was personal choice or a requirement if they'd had a close contact or had just joined the ship.

2. Approximate percentage of guests who may be wearing masks.

Maybe 20% in certain crowded settings. My husband and I did, and I did not feel that we were treated any differently. There were some elevator rides with people packed in and we were the only ones with masks, others where everyone was wearing one. And there were crew who remembered me by name even when I had a mask on whenever I saw them!

 

3.If you have been on a cruise and there was a covid outbreak in the last month was the ship transparent about it? 

There were no notifications about covid numbers or other info. This compared to the same ship over New Years the previous 2021/2022 when the captain gave updates about numbers during daily announcements.

I tested positive for Covid 7 days after disembarkation and flying home. I'll never know if I picked it up on the ship or at work once I was home. It's so prevalent, along with flu and RSV, that it's safe to assume that if you're in a group of people, some of them are carrying viruses.

[Luvtoeat]

I totally agree with your decision to wear masks. We were on the Equinox in September and did not wear masks. I tested positive on day 5 of 9 day cruise and we were stuck in cabin for the remaining 4 days. We were on the Reflection in mid December and we both wore masks except while eating. I also used rubber gloves in the buffet when touching the serving spoons and luckily we managed to stay safe. We will be on the Equinox again in March and I will be using masks and gloves again. Don't know how much they helped but they certainly not taking any chances.

[C4HCG]

My own view for what it’s worth (feel free to ignore, this is well intentioned though), is if you are still concerned about COVID don’t cruise, it’s not worth the risk.

[cunn9004]

Apex early December, I would tell you we RARELY saw anyone, guest or employee wearing a mask.  We never put one on the entire time and spent a glorious week onboard, we never became ill with even a cold and we didn't hear of any covid cases.

[lexmiller]

14 hours ago, gold1953 said:

no testing done

Thank you so much - confirming what I believe is the case throughout the fleet, that the only back to back testing is occurring on the Eclipse which is sailing the season in Australia/NZ - that it is their governments which are requiring it, and thereby making cruising a far less appealing form of vacation at this time, better to do a land tour or wait until next year (maybe?) if you want to cruise this area of the world back to backing.......again, thank you!

[gold1953]

Transparency starts with the cruisers who have symptoms and since most don't want to be confined to cabins they continue enjoying ship life unmasked.  We have to protect ourselves if we are concerned

[lexmiller]

16 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

Transparency starts with the cruisers who have symptoms and since most don't want to be confined to cabins they continue enjoying ship life unmasked.  We have to protect ourselves if we are concerned

Absolutely agree!!  Same as if on land, if you're sick, take precautions - don't be a jerk!  And also, if you are immunocompromised, you must take responsibility for your own health, take extra care, be on higher alert - on land, sea, in the air!  At the end of the day, your life is in your own hands and you must take responsibility for your own health, welfare and safety.  And as I said, if you are sick, don't be a jerk, lol, so succinct!  

[scaught]

We have a cruise coming up in a few weeks (third one since covid). We will wear masks on the plane, but I predict we will do that indefinitely. I used to always get colds after a flight, and that hasn't happened since I am masked up so that's not changing. On the boat I will have one with me basically always, and will wear it if I'm in a crowd/crowded elevator. Boarding madness for sure, but if we're headed to dinner or on the pool deck probably not. 

[nunuc2000]

2 hours ago, scaught said:

We have a cruise coming up in a few weeks (third one since covid). We will wear masks on the plane, but I predict we will do that indefinitely. I used to always get colds after a flight, and that hasn't happened since I am masked up so that's not changing. On the boat I will have one with me basically always, and will wear it if I'm in a crowd/crowded elevator. Boarding madness for sure, but if we're headed to dinner or on the pool deck probably not. 

Almost exactly word for word our experiences and intentions as well.  

[Jim_Iain]

We have been wearing masks since cruising has resumed.   While it is a good insurance it of course isn't fool proof.    Many will recall that last April we were on a B3B and was masked 100%, More then fully vaxed (at the time I had 4 shots due to a screw up), never attended a show or go to the Casino, didn't use elevators and stayed at least 6 feet from anyone.   We both still came down with Covid.    It was so mild I would not have know I had it except for testing positive on a B2B testing.

 

We are at risk daily whether on a ship or at home and we can only do what we are comfortable with to mitigate risk.   Obviously it has not slowed down our cruising.

 

On our December Cruise we both again wore masks.  Lots of hacking and coughing on the ship and near the end of the 2nd cruise I came down with a scratchy throat and cough.   I immediately took a Covid Test   and was negative.   The coughing increased so again took a test and was still negative.   When I looked at the progression of my cough, runny nose etc... It was the Common Cold.    Just as a precaution we were attending a Xmas party and all guests agreed to test.  Again we were negative.   The cold passed in 7 days but unfortunately I gave it to Iain.

[TeeRick]

It is a sign of the times that we are all very aware of coughing, sneezing and such on ships, on planes, in supermarkets, etc.   But in many (most?) cases it is not COVID.  People report coughing on board but that is pretty normal for many various reasons.  So I personally will just do what I need to do.  I will mask when I feel at risk (crowded elevator for example).  Or avoid the situation if I can.

[Romco]

Hi all. I'm currently on Silhouette 9 day cruise. I woke up ill on day 6 and tested positive for covid. I notified guest services and quarantined immediately. I am a paranoid respiratory therapist and masked most places except dining and outside. There is little masking during this cruise but lots of coughing. I worked with scores of covid cases and managed to avoid covid up till now. IMHO, cruising is high risk. I'm vax'd and boosted. Symptoms have been very mild, sore throat and mild headache alleviated with Tylenol. Is cruising worth risk for me?  I think so because I love cruising and trust in vaccinations- but would be totally devastated to expose someone who could suffer and possibly die. I wish everyone who is symptomatic would mask up. Thank goodness covid is much less virulent then it was in 2021. It is getting much better but we still are treating plenty of covid in hospital . Oh yes- crew has been just amazing. Calling and checking our needs. So far hubby tested negative twice and he goes about ship (masked only). Any questions?

[Shiba_Lover]

We board in 2 weeks.  I will take along masks and wear them in crowded areas.  Also plan to wear on the flights.  I am immune compromised, so don't want to risk it.  Despite being vaxxed and boosted - still managed to catch covid on last summer's TA.  Husband woke up one morning with a slight sore throat so I had him take one of the at-home tests I brought - it had a very faint line on positive.  I took a test and it was negative.  I called medical.  They came up to swab us and both of our tests then came back positive.  We were near the end of our journey, but went into quarantine over the next cruise.  When we came out - the number of passengers that were coughing and hacking was unreal - and ALL of them were saying they had "allergies".  We wore masks the rest of that cruise.  We ran into several people who were on the TA with us and they said that masking was implemented due to the high number of covid cases on the last 2 days of the cruise.   Fortunately, we did not get too sick, and the ship did care for us.

 

So - I guess - you just never know.  No idea if we caught it onboard, on shore, etc.  We wore masks when it was crowded on board, wore them on the shuttles into town (in two ports near the end).  We did not do any group excursions, and we did not get ill until day 10, so who knows????  

[LGW59]

25 minutes ago, Romco said:

Hi all. I'm currently on Silhouette 9 day cruise. I woke up ill on day 6 and tested positive for covid. I notified guest services and quarantined immediately. I am a paranoid respiratory therapist and masked most places except dining and outside. There is little masking during this cruise but lots of coughing. I worked with scores of covid cases and managed to avoid covid up till now. IMHO, cruising is high risk. I'm vax'd and boosted. Symptoms have been very mild, sore throat and mild headache alleviated with Tylenol. Is cruising worth risk for me?  I think so because I love cruising and trust in vaccinations- but would be totally devastated to expose someone who could suffer and possibly die. I wish everyone who is symptomatic would mask up. Thank goodness covid is much less virulent then it was in 2021. It is getting much better but we still are treating plenty of covid in hospital . Oh yes- crew has been just amazing. Calling and checking our needs. So far hubby tested negative twice and he goes about ship (masked only). Any questions?

Thank you for what you do, I am sure in your profession many people benefited from your expertise these past few years.  Everyone has to do what makes them most comfortable, whether it be wearing a mask or not, of course if required/requested, I wear one, no questions asked.  On a cruise ship though, I do not feel any less safe or vulnerable than I do on land in my day-to-day living.  I ride the subway 2-3 days/week, go in a restaurant in the city to pick-up takeaway lunch, supermarket and on and on and on, no mask.  I suggest I am far closer to the passenger seated next to me (or standing over me) on the subway or on-line in any establishment I happen to be in and frankly I do not notice if someone is coughing or not, I didn't before COVID either.  I'm vaxed and boosted, total of 5 shots now I think.  I'm not getting any additional shots though, I believe I have one of the long term side effects I have read about, though I'm not overly alarmed about it if those are what I have.  If it ever comes to having to now have whatever the latest booster is available, I will forgo whatever it is I wished to plan if that becomes required.  When I travel, land or sea, I purchase travel insurance and pay the additional premium for cancel for whatever reason.  

[all2me]

Oh Romco….so sorry you got your first case of Covid on cruise vaca! You know better than most how to protect yourself and did welll. You deserve a wonderful cruise after going thru this pandemic as a healthcare provider for Covid patients!! My heart goes out to you! Hoping you have had some joyful time this cruise and no regrets! 
As my prior reply said we have managed to avoid infection thus far. I read how this latest variant my infect those of us who haven’t had it yet. Could that be your case. We were willing to take our 3 cruises during Covid…having insurance and plan B and C…just in case. Knowing full well it’s definitely a risk! Be well and hope husband avoids it! 

[mpdog42]

On 1/9/2023 at 10:28 AM, trio on the move said:

Question regarding recent cruises where masks and vaccinations are now not required:

 

We will be wearing masks in indoor spaces on the cruise and have some questions. We understand we will be in the minority. Please no hostile, political or judgemental responses to the following questions. Just the facts please.
 

1.Are any of the cruise staff ie cabin stewards restaurant staff wearing masks? 

2. Approximate percentage of guests who may be wearing masks.

 

3.If you have been on a cruise and there was a covid outbreak in the last month was the ship transparent about it? We understand that the CDC no longer reports covid cases to the public on ships, only categorizes the status of severity of outbreaks.

 

Thank You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't have a problem with people wearing the "Right" mask.....N95 or even a Surgical Mask ...but these cloth and paper mask....Please!!!🙄Sorry forgot to add I am a Former EMT instructor..

Edited January 12, 2023 by mpdog42

[The Doctor's Lady]

There is a new variant surging right now. Medical press is reporting it is the most contagious Covid variant so far. Hubs is a doctor. We don't want to be sick and miss our vacation so we will be masking when we board Solstice this Saturday and very much hope our waiter and wait staff will as well. I just received news this evening that a high school friend died from Covid last month so that hits close to home. She was only 58 and her daughter had just signed an athletic letter of intent with the University of Arkansas.

Edited January 12, 2023 by The Doctor's Lady
Clarification

[Romco]

On 1/11/2023 at 7:28 PM, all2me said:

Oh Romco….so sorry you got your first case of Covid on cruise vaca! You know better than most how to protect yourself and did welll. You deserve a wonderful cruise after going thru this pandemic as a healthcare provider for Covid patients!! My heart goes out to you! Hoping you have had some joyful time this cruise and no regrets! 
As my prior reply said we have managed to avoid infection thus far. I read how this latest variant my infect those of us who haven’t had it yet. Could that be your case. We were willing to take our 3 cruises during Covid…having insurance and plan B and C…just in case. Knowing full well it’s definitely a risk! Be well and hope husband avoids it! 

 

[Romco]

Thanks all2me, unfortunately hubby became positive the day the cruise ended. (yesterday).He is having a more difficult course, but we are home with resources if needed. We did have a wonderful time on this cruise dispite quarantine for 4 days. The crew was absolutely amazing. The ship doc came to the cabin and did a brief exam and tested DH. They made sure there was an unending supply of delicious food. The veranda was a wonderful pleasure. Cruising is worth the risk. We had trip and medical insurance. We have another cruise scheduled the end of Feb. We will revisit the 2 lost ports, 🤗 This time, with a primed immune system. Take care, happy cruising.😊

[trio on the move]

On 1/11/2023 at 3:04 PM, Romco said:

Hi all. I'm currently on Silhouette 9 day cruise. I woke up ill on day 6 and tested positive for covid. I notified guest services and quarantined immediately. I am a paranoid respiratory therapist and masked most places except dining and outside. There is little masking during this cruise but lots of coughing. I worked with scores of covid cases and managed to avoid covid up till now. IMHO, cruising is high risk. I'm vax'd and boosted. Symptoms have been very mild, sore throat and mild headache alleviated with Tylenol. Is cruising worth risk for me?  I think so because I love cruising and trust in vaccinations- but would be totally devastated to expose someone who could suffer and possibly die. I wish everyone who is symptomatic would mask up. Thank goodness covid is much less virulent then it was in 2021. It is getting much better but we still are treating plenty of covid in hospital . Oh yes- crew has been just amazing. Calling and checking our needs. So far hubby tested negative twice and he goes about ship (masked only). Any questions?

Thank you so much for this response. We too have managed to avoid covid as we still wear masks in indoor spaces. We thought we might try cruising again but are reconsidering now.

[Luvcrusn]

10 hours ago, trio on the move said:

Thank you so much for this response. We too have managed to avoid covid as we still wear masks in indoor spaces. We thought we might try cruising again but are reconsidering now.

DH and I have had our shots and all 3 boosters. We've  masked and been super careful  and managed to avoid covid. We've  cruised without issue since the start-up multiple times without issues. I somehow got covid. I only found out because I took a routine test because I had a slightly congested nose and no other symptoms. I quarantined.  I was lucky.  DH tested multiple times and never got it. I had no known exposure. My point is is that you can get it anywhere. Be careful and stay safe...and enjoy your life. 

[Cruise a holic]

On 1/11/2023 at 7:47 AM, cunn9004 said:

Apex early December, I would tell you we RARELY saw anyone, guest or employee wearing a mask.  We never put one on the entire time and spent a glorious week onboard, we never became ill with even a cold and we didn't hear of any covid cases.

I got covid on the Apex.  Sailed b/2/b December and January.  It is still on board.We will be sailing again on Celebrity soon.  I am fully vaccinated, but will wear a mask in crowded venues- especially the elevators.  

 

Also we were on the Oasis in August and many people reported covid after the cruise.  Saw on the blogs.

[TeeRick]

26 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

DH and I have had our shots and all 3 boosters. We've  masked and been super careful  and managed to avoid covid. We've  cruised without issue since the start-up multiple times without issues. I somehow got covid. I only found out because I took a routine test because I had a slightly congested nose and no other symptoms. I quarantined.  I was lucky.  DH tested multiple times and never got it. I had no known exposure. My point is is that you can get it anywhere. Be careful and stay safe...and enjoy your life. 

Yes you can get it anywhere. Cruise or no cruise.  There are continuous comments here on CC about people getting infected on cruises despite masking and boosters.  Why is that a surprise these days?  We traveled and cruised over a two week period in January.  We had boosters, no masks at all.  We never caught COVID.  Probably just lucky?  The point is to just do what you can do for your own situations.  And enjoy cruising.