steverk Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 I'm so excited! In just over a week I'm going to be on my first cruise in over a year. This is also the first of the Royal Caribbean Group's cruises from North America. Therefore, I figured people would be interested. I'll do my best to document how it goes and what the conditions are on board. Please let me know if you want any more information. teddy, Matt, Cruising With JT and 8 others 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmar02 Posted May 27, 2021 Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 We want all the information...and pictures. Share every picture! We're all going through cruise withdrawal, so I'm not sure there is such a thing as too much info on a real cruise right now. steverk, cruisellama, KristiZ and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2021 2 hours ago, melmar02 said: We want all the information...and pictures. Share every picture! We're all going through cruise withdrawal, so I'm not sure there is such a thing as too much info on a real cruise right now. I'll do my best. If there's any specific info that I miss, please feel free to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising With JT Posted May 28, 2021 Report Share Posted May 28, 2021 15 hours ago, steverk said: I'm so excited! In just over a week I'm going to be on my first cruise in over a year. This is also the first of the Royal Caribbean Group's cruises from North America. Therefore, I figured people would be interested. I'll do my best to document how it goes and what the conditions are on board. Please let me know if you want any more information. Exciting! It must feel so nice that you're only 8 days away! This one leaves from St. Maarten if I remember correctly? Looking forward to hearing about your experience! So happy that they got rid of the masks and social distancing stuff. That will make a world of a difference. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2021 7 hours ago, johnt83 said: Exciting! It must feel so nice that you're only 8 days away! This one leaves from St. Maarten if I remember correctly? Looking forward to hearing about your experience! So happy that they got rid of the masks and social distancing stuff. That will make a world of a difference. It feels wonderful! I'm looking forward to a whole week without masks. I'm also looking forward to the ship only being at 1/2 capacity. It should be heavenly! I'm sure there will be hiccups and protocols I don't enjoy, but that's for a later post when I'm actually on the ship and find out how things really happen. in the meantime, I'm going to get my test (required by St. Maarten), fill out paperwork and dream of a tropical get Cruising With JT and PRebecca 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted May 28, 2021 Report Share Posted May 28, 2021 A cruise blog is coming! A cruise blog is coming!!! Neesa, melmar02, Cruising With JT and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2021 We went over to the local pharmacy yesterday (Sunday) to get our COVID test to enter ST. Maarten. The timing looks a bit dicey though. Since Monday is a holiday in the US, the pharmacy didn't expect any tests to be processed. Instead, they expect the results between Tuesday and Thursday. St. Maarten needs 12 hours to process the visa. We fly out early Friday morning. Here's hoping everything goes quickly! melmar02 and cruisellama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted May 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2021 Made good progress on the pre cruise stuff. Our COVID tests came back and I immediately went to stmaartenentry.com to apply for my visa. Filling out the application took about 15 minutes for each person. Since I was staying overnight in St. Maarten, I had to buy insurance for $30 per person. Once done, I received the approval in about 15 minutes. Very quick. One thing to note: Celebrity says that the entry is by air. The St. Maarten website has three radio buttons: Air, Sea, Air/Sea. I believe the Celebrity information is out of date and I put in Air/Sea. Hopefully, I don't wind up in customs purgatory! Anyway, all we have to do to get ready now is finish packing, print our boarding passes and show up at the airport! KristiZ and cruisellama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairlynew Posted June 1, 2021 Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 I am excited for you! If possible, while you are in St. Maarten, could you find out if the Lazy Lizard is open? It is one of my favorite places there-a great place to spend the day on the beach with awesome food and a fabulous staff. I will be there in January. I have worried about this and other local establishments all over the Caribbean. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Fairlynew said: I am excited for you! If possible, while you are in St. Maarten, could you find out if the Lazy Lizard is open? It is one of my favorite places there-a great place to spend the day on the beach with awesome food and a fabulous staff. I will be there in January. I have worried about this and other local establishments all over the Caribbean. Thanks. I'll do my best. We were planning to just hang at the hotel after a day of travel, but I'll ask the front desk and let you know what they say. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 I just received word that Celebrity has changed their testing requirements. They now require a test taken no more than 72 hours prior to boarding. So, I guess I get tested again tomorrow afternoon. I expected this to be a moving target, but it is getting frustrating. JLMoran and cruisellama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairlynew Posted June 1, 2021 Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 I am sorry that you have to be retested! What an inconvenience. Thanks for asking at the hotel desk. I hope your next test goes well and you have a great trip. Looking forward to reading about it. Neesa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2021 48 minutes ago, Fairlynew said: I am sorry that you have to be retested! What an inconvenience. Thanks for asking at the hotel desk. I hope your next test goes well and you have a great trip. Looking forward to reading about it. Appreciate your sympathy. If this is the biggest problem in my life, then I've got a really great life! melmar02, Skigoofy, JLMoran and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted June 2, 2021 Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 9 hours ago, steverk said: I just received word that Celebrity has changed their testing requirements. They now require a test taken no more than 72 hours prior to boarding. So, I guess I get tested again tomorrow afternoon. I expected this to be a moving target, but it is getting frustrating. What type of test? Does the rapid test work? I'm on AOS and expecting the same protocol. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 9 hours ago, wordell1 said: What type of test? Does the rapid test work? I'm on AOS and expecting the same protocol. As per the Celebrity website (Travel Requirements for Cruise from St Maarten | Celebrity Cruises), RT-PCR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted June 2, 2021 Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 42 minutes ago, steverk said: As per the Celebrity website (Travel Requirements for Cruise from St Maarten | Celebrity Cruises), RT-PCR Can you request OBC for the extra test you had to pay for? steverk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted June 2, 2021 Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 JLMoran 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2021 I figured the first cruise out of North America would be a moving target, and that seems to be the case! Today, I received an email from Celebrity. They are reversing the order of the ports and Barbados will require a ship based shore excursion to go ashore. None of this really surprises or bothers me, but it's worth noting for anyone that plans on taking this cruise in the near future. The cruise is only 3 days away! melmar02, cruisellama, KathyC and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted June 3, 2021 Report Share Posted June 3, 2021 I am so jealous! We will definitely be following along. While you're in St. Maarten, stop by The Blue Bitch and have some wings for me. steverk and cruisellama 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising With JT Posted June 3, 2021 Report Share Posted June 3, 2021 8 hours ago, steverk said: I figured the first cruise out of North America would be a moving target, and that seems to be the case! Today, I received an email from Celebrity. They are reversing the order of the ports and Barbados will require a ship based shore excursion to go ashore. None of this really surprises or bothers me, but it's worth noting for anyone that plans on taking this cruise in the near future. The cruise is only 3 days away! Safe travels! Looking forward to following along on your experience! cruisellama and steverk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2021 I discovered something interesting this morning. The Celebrity APP has all, or at least most, of the activities for the whole cruise. It also has all of the dinner menus for the main dining room and specialty restaurants. KathyC, melmar02, Cruising With JT and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairlynew Posted June 4, 2021 Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 Happy Travels!! Looking forward to reading about your adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 We have arrived in St. Maarten! :D Found a great hotel and enjoyed dinner. Tomorrow, we board the ship. We bumped in to Danny of Harr travel. He's filming a tour of the ship so expect it to be posted in about 2 weeks. He always does excellent tours, so it is something to look forward to. Traveler, Fairlynew, melmar02 and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Pats Posted June 4, 2021 Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 16 minutes ago, steverk said: We have arrived in St. Maarten! Found a great hotel and enjoyed dinner. Tomorrow, we board the ship. We bumped in to Danny of Harr travel. He's filming a tour of the ship so expect it to be posted in about 2 weeks. He always does excellent tours, so it is something to look forward to. Steve - will you be doing any live streaming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising With JT Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 6 hours ago, steverk said: We have arrived in St. Maarten! Found a great hotel and enjoyed dinner. Tomorrow, we board the ship. We bumped in to Danny of Harr travel. He's filming a tour of the ship so expect it to be posted in about 2 weeks. He always does excellent tours, so it is something to look forward to. Awesome!! It's almost cruise day!! Also a huge fan of Danny @ Harr Travel, no doubt the best at ship tours out of anyone I have seen. Can't wait to see this one! emmef and steverk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 11 hours ago, Josh C said: Steve - will you be doing any live streaming? That's a great idea, but this is my vacation. So sorry, not going to that length. JC Pats 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Pats Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 50 minutes ago, steverk said: That's a great idea, but this is my vacation. So sorry, not going to that length. Totally understand! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 On 6/1/2021 at 11:36 AM, Fairlynew said: I am excited for you! If possible, while you are in St. Maarten, could you find out if the Lazy Lizard is open? It is one of my favorite places there-a great place to spend the day on the beach with awesome food and a fabulous staff. I will be there in January. I have worried about this and other local establishments all over the Caribbean. Thanks. I asked at the hotel and the Lazy Lizard is still in business. cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairlynew Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 2 hours ago, steverk said: I asked at the hotel and the Lazy Lizard is still in business. Awesome! Thanks so much. I highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 This morning we checked out of the Oyster bay resort and boarded the ship! Pictures below. I'd recommend the Oyster Bay resort. The room was small, but well decorated and comfortable. The boarding experience went better than I expected. They had a small warehouse set up for check in. It was air conditioned and had someone playing steel drums. They also gave out citrus water. So all was comfortable. With only 500 or so people on this cruise, the ship feels more like a museum than a cruise. I've seen more crew members than passengers! Anyway, everyone is excited to be back on the ship. The muster drill was much easier now that we have Emuster. However, they had to make several announcements to make sure everyone checks in at their station. The complementary internet is surprisingly slow. It makes uploading pictures difficult and video is out of the question. If you need something better, you'll have to upgrade to the stream package. In other news, Rhapsody of the Seas and Vision of the seas are docked along side our ship. It's great to see them again, but they need a good coat of paint. Matt, Vancity Cruiser, cruisellama and 9 others 9 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising With JT Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 Yay!!! Cruise embarkation day! Thanks for the pics, keep em coming!! Sorry about the slow internet, hate when that happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising With JT Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 Oh, and BON VOYAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! steverk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 Bon Voyage!! steverk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 https://cruise.blog/2021/06/live-celebrity-millennium-onboard-and-unmasked steverk, cruisellama and Cruising With JT 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 8 hours ago, smokeybandit said: https://cruise.blog/2021/06/live-celebrity-millennium-onboard-and-unmasked Thanks @smokeybandit! She's doing a much better job at this than I! I'll keep it up anyway, because it never hurts to get additional perspective. The cruise is going well. The skies are cloudy and we have a following wind. It's just kinda weird to have a wind so strong that it is outrunning the ship. Anyway, we had a great dinner in the MDR last night and they brought us a special cake for our anniversary. Tonight we do a proper celebration at Le Petit Chef. It should be fun. Today's "cruise compass" (Celebrity doesn't really seem to have a name for it) had instructions to sign up for our end of cruise COVID test. You could sign up for Thursday or Friday. We chose Friday because it is a sea day and we didn't want it interfering with out shore time. Meanwhile. I'm going to sit to sit outside and enjoy my balcony. PRebecca, wordell1, JC Pats and 10 others 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 I'd happily read 10 blogs from those onboard KristiZ, steverk, cruisellama and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 This morning, there was a crew filming from a drone. Rumor is that they were from Good Morning America, so I guess our cruise is getting attention. Last night we went to the show and they showed a great video to celebrate being the first ship back. The wife got a great pic with the senior staff all on stage. I'll upload it as soon as I can get her out of the jewelry store. Ogilthorpe, wordell1, Cruising With JT and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 3 hours ago, steverk said: This morning, there was a crew filming from a drone. Rumor is that they were from Good Morning America, so I guess our cruise is getting attention. Last night we went to the show and they showed a great video to celebrate being the first ship back. The wife got a great pic with the senior staff all on stage. I'll upload it as soon as I can get her out of the jewelry store. SMILE!!! steverk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 Isn't this a cool way to commemorate the return to cruising? SebagoSue, Traveler, cruisellama and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted June 6, 2021 Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 @monorailmedic and his wife are on your sailing as well, and he's blogging over on cruisehabit.com. He said the ship is way below the desired 50% capacity, something like only 26%. So a lot of the ship looks like a ghost town at times. Maybe you'll bump into him. Just look for the guy sitting at the sunset bar trying all the whiskey options. Cruising With JT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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