With all the issues surrounding hygiene and sickness prevention on cruises, one would think that all people by now got it into their head that some common sense should prevail but apparently not so.

While Celebrity Cruises is not known for rowdy behavior among its clientele and prides itself on being a bit “above” in terms of ambiance and class, I have still witnessed some pretty grotesque behavior as far as hygiene is concerned during my current Alaska cruise on Celebrity Solstice (and previously on the Millennium as well).

I took the above-posted picture on the Celebrity Solstice a few days ago when I came back from the pool and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this tastefully dressed man resting his bare, filthy feet on a coffee table at the library.

The next person after him puts some pastry or his coffee there, yummy!

An even worse situation occurred while making the rounds to look at some cabins with the hotel director and an intoxicated man who was earlier heard yelling for a bathroom stood in the corner of the 12th deck next to the stairwell and URINATED ON THE CARPET (after he had already visibly left the majority of it in his pants). When do cruise lines finally put a stop to such behavior?

A lot might have to do with alcohol intake, but cruise lines should start cutting people off and disabling their access to alcohol on the Seapass card. Urinating in public areas on a cruise ship, are you kidding me???

On Celebrity Millennium, a cabin that housed passengers in sickness isolation for the better part of the week had a garbage bag thrown out in the hallway labeled Biohazard – Infectious Waste. It wasn’t picked up for hours.

Add to that the many passengers who don’t bother to wash their hands before/after attending self-serve stations at the buffet or who visibly play around with the food, as in touching it with their bare hands.

Conclusion

I think there should be a mandatory element to the safety drill that includes basic hygiene protocol so that it hammers home to passengers that in order to maintain a safe cruising environment, common sense is paramount and that behaving like pigs in the mud field isn’t contributing to that. A closer watch on alcohol intake might also be one component of that, but this is usually not a contributing factor to scenes at the buffet of the individual in the library with his feet on the cocktail table.

I really enjoyed cruising during Covid when ships were at half capacity, and people were somewhat on guard as far as health and cleanliness were concerned. Now it’s back to basics, ships are full, and people let their guard down. Not sure this is an environment I can enjoy much longer, and I’m even more glad I completed 9 cruises in the past two years, seeing lots of interesting things, and I could probably just move on and go back to land-based trips. Not that people behave much better there.

The products and pricing models of beverage packages vary by the cruise line and have changed over the years, and most recently, RCCL/Celebrity overhauled their own pricing when it went up to absurd levels.

Anyone who’s ever been on a cruise probably knows the feeling, you arrive at your cabin already exhausted from the boarding process and want to drop your belongings to head to the nearest cafe or bar.

But there it starts: Will you pay individually for each beverage purchase during the entire cruise and monitor your onboard account, or is a beverage package the better way to eliminate all that hassle?

The answer, as so often, is based on what you’re willing to pay in premium for the convenience of not having to sign individual receipts and keeping an eye on your account.

Here are the beverage package options of major cruise lines:

• Carnival Cruise Lines
• Celebrity Cruises
• Holland America
• Norwegian Cruise Lines
• Royal Caribbean

The main decision is if you want to have a package that includes alcohol, and if so, should it be a premium package with top-shelf spirits or the budget version with standard, lower-grade, brands?

One thing straight up: Alcohol packages are expensive, and you have to drink A LOT of alcohol to make it worthwhile. Keep in mind that the pricing is always per day and there is an additional gratuity charge, depending on the cruise line, between 18-20%. That means by the time you’re boarding your ship in the early afternoon, you’re already behind unless you manage to drink about 8-10 drinks that very same day.

I have seen passengers who do drink a lot, and let’s just say they’re usually in a pretty desolate state on the ship.

For myself I prefer to purchase the non-alcoholic beverage packages and if I want to drink alcohol I just purchase the drinks one by one. As I usually sail on Celebrity, I also take advantage of the Elite Happy Hours between 5-7pm where complimentary drinks are served on almost all bars.

Royal Caribbean offers Diamond’s and above four drinks daily loaded as coupons onto the Seapass Card and you can consume them all day at any outlet (I prefer Royal’s system over Celebrity’s as it’s more flexible). I’m sure other cruise lines have similar programs so having Elite status really pays off if you play your cards right.

However: What Celebrity did with their non-alcoholic drink packages is really horrible. They used to have many different products from water packages, coffee packages, Classis Non-Alc and also Premium Non-Alc which was my favorite as it included sparkling water and all specialty coffees.

The price for the water and classic package was between $11-16/daily. Now they have eliminated all these and simply offer ONE package called ZERO PROOF and that comes at $30/day. Insane!

The prices for the alcohol packages also went up:

In this case, even with a small pre-cruise sale discount of 7% you’re talking $848 for one week of alcoholic beverages. And while they call it “Premium” they’re not serving you JW Blue Label and even basic retail champagne such as Veuve Clicquot. It’s much lower-grade stuff.

If you sail as a couple, that’s $1700 for a week. And they usually make BOTH people in the cabin buy the same package though there are exceptions such as a medical condition or if you’re a recovering alcoholic (they usually can’t ask for documentation and have to take your word for it… wink wink).

Here is an example of a selection of all drink packages on Celebrity:

You are able to get a bit higher discount as a Casino guest or as Elite/elite+ member, but you have to call. It’s usually 10-15% but they don’t combine it with sales unless the agent makes a mistake.

That they consolidated all the drink packages into one ticked me off. My current cruise through the Panama Canal is 15 days long and I sure as hell won’t pay $500 for two weeks of non-alc beverages. So this time I did something I never used to do, ordered non-alc drinks via UBER Eats to my hotel (Soda, Sparkling Water) and took it onboard myself, which is allowed. My cost: $20.

Had Celebrity remained reasonable, I’d have probably said whatever and paid the $250 for two weeks but with double that amount I wasn’t willing to play ball.

Depending on the cruise line, you’re also allowed to bring 1-2 bottles of wine onboard for consumption. No hard liquor, though. Prohibited items are usually confiscated at security and can be picked up after the cruise from the “table of shame”.

At least some other companies like HAL, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean still offer a cheaper package for coffee and soda.

Conclusion

Cruise beverage packages almost always benefit the company and not the guest. Especially those that contain alcohol. I suggest to try and enjoy the holiday while not going too heavy on the alcohol and maybe an expensive alcohol package is not even needed. Especially if you have elite status or play at the casino where standard drinks (well drinks, beers) are free for active players.

The sweet spots are found in non-alcohol packages and some cruise lines still offer them at a very reasonable rate. You might have to look around a little for a good deal but they’re still there. If you have onboard credit it can be used to buy these packages and that’s a decent deal especially as most cruises are around a week.

The captain of the Equinox or his crew apparently offered the family not to disembark together with the body in Puerto Rico and instead return to Florida at which point the body was heavily decomposed.

This is the first time I’m hearing about such a case as cruise ships usually have more professional “accommodations” for the corpse of passengers who took their last voyage and it’s not uncommon for the often senior clientele to pass away on the high seas.

Using a beverage cooler (apparently a walk-in one, not a party cooler you take camping) as a makeshift morgue or storage facility doesn’t fit the criteria of professional and sanitary handling for obvious reasons.

Here is an article by ABC News explaining the lawsuit and circumstances:

A widow and her family are suing Celebrity Cruises for allegedly mishandling her husband’s body after he died while they were on a ship last year, saying it was left to decompose and they suffered extreme emotional trauma.

After Marilyn Jones’ husband of 55 years, Robert Jones, died of a heart attack Aug. 15 onboard the Celebrity Equinox, his body was stored for nearly a week inside a walk-in cooler normally used for beverages instead of a properly chilled morgue as she was promised, according to the federal lawsuit filed in Florida.

That left the body bloated and green, and the family was unable to have an open-coffin funeral “which was a long standing family custom and was what his family had desired,” the lawsuit says. Marilyn Jones, her two daughters and three grandchildren are seeking $1 million in damages.

Celebrity Cruises declined to comment, citing the case’s sensitivity and “out of respect for the family.” The Celebrity Equinox, which cruises the Caribbean year-round out of Fort Lauderdale, is flagged out of Malta and can carry almost 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew members.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, after Robert Jones died, his widow was given two choices by crew members.

They allegedly told Marilyn Jones, then 78 and from the Florida Panhandle, that his body could be taken off at the next stop, Puerto Rico, or stored in the morgue until the ship got back to Fort Lauderdale in six days. Because passenger deaths sometimes happen, most large cruise ships have a morgue.

The crew told her that if she chose Puerto Rico, she would need to go with the body and then arrange transportation for it and herself back to Florida, the suit says. She was also told that island authorities would perhaps require an autopsy, which could further delay their return.

Because Jones was alone, she picked the morgue. But that’s not where the body was stored, the lawsuit says.

When the ship arrived in Florida, a funeral home employee and a Broward County sheriff’s deputy found the morgue apparently out of service. They found the body in a walk-in drink cooler in a bag on a pallet, according to the suit.

It says the cooler was significantly warmer than the near-freezing temperatures needed to properly store a body, and Robert Jones’ remains were in “advanced stages of decomposition.”

Celebrity’s actions caused the family “extreme trauma by visualizing Mr. Jones’s body horrifically decomposed, and knowing their husband and father was callously and casually left in a beverage cooler, stripping him of his dignity,” the suit reads.

It seems that there were a couple problems at play here and that Celebrity (I’m currently on one of their ships – ugh) didn’t properly communicate to the wife that the morgue was in fact out of order and that there is no proper stowage facility for the body.

Giving her a choice and semi-pressuring her that she’d have to get off and clear more formalities in Puerto Rico was likely not a very wise decision either, especially in light of not having a functioning morgue on board. The lady was likely in shock, after all she just lost her husband. It’s impossible to make rational decisions in a short period of time and in such a situation a decision should be made for her, either by family or, in this case, the Captain.

Six days is a lot of time for a body to sit in improper storage that isn’t cold enough to preserve the corpse. It was reckless and negligent of the crew to have allowed this to go forward.

If I was to place odds on this, the million-dollar lawsuit will likely be settled out of court, probably for half that amount. The case has merit, and while you can certainly try to fight every case, the images of a decomposed corpse together with the story of the widow and the reckless actions of Celebrity would make this case a hard one to win.

Conclusion

A Celebrity Cruises passenger of the Equinox sadly passed away while sailing in the Caribbean. The death occurred in the early portion of the cruise, and there were still six days to go until the ship would eventually return to Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

The ship’s crew informed the widow that there are two options, either to store the body in the ship’s morgue or to get off in San Juan, Puerto Rico which would require additional formalities. They didn’t tell her however that the morgue was out of service and that the body would end up in an inadequate walk-in cooler, disfiguring the body through the process of decomposing and thereby rendering it ineligible for an open coffin funeral.

The lawsuit filed asks for one million dollar and I’d place a good guess on it that Celebrity will settle this case rather sooner than later.

Some modifications include what will happen to guests onboard if they contract Covid during the Voyage or prior to the sailing, which is something most people might be interested in.

Cruise lines have engaged in different approaches over the past three years to combat Covid cases onboard their ships, most having applied generous refund policies to make passenger cancel voluntarily once somebody gets ill.

Here are the emails Celebrity sent to customers (myself included) today.

First a general email but the same is sent as a duplicate with an actual reservation number pertaining to my upcoming cruise a week from now:

Dear Guest,

We’ve made some important changes to our legal terms applicable to your cruise purchase and other activities, services, and products related to your cruise.

Since you are currently booked on a voyage that departs on or after April 12, 2023, the new legal terms will apply to your cruise. No action is required on your part, but if you wish to view the changes that are now applicable to all guests booked on or after April 12, 2023, they’re available to you, here:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/guest-terms

Here’s a highlight of the most important changes:
• The Cruise Ticket Contract or Booking Conditions applicable to your cruise purchase are now determined by your Primary Country of Residence. *

• The forum selection, exclusive jurisdiction and choice of law provisions have been modified to and now correlate to your Primary Country of Residence*or the location of your cruise itinerary.

• We have updated our cancellation and COVID-19 policies.
We invite you to visit our newly created Guest Terms website to review, download, or print the terms and conditions that apply to you.

Thank you again for choosing Celebrity Cruises. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard soon!

Sincerely,
Celebrity Cruises

*Primary Country of Residence means the country where you primarily reside at the time of booking the cruise as indicated by you, your agent, or other representative at the time of booking the cruise or at online check-in. This applies to each guest on a booking on an individual basis.

There are usually nuances of what a company is allowed to do as far as customers in certain markets are concerned. For example, customers in the E.U. typically have more protections than in the U.S. though that’s not the major issue in this case,

To identify what Celebrity did you have to dive into the actual text of the cruise contract.

What did actually change?

PASSENGER IS FURTHER DIRECTED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SECTION 4 AND THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WWW.CELEBRITYCRUISES.COM WHICH CONTAIN IMPORTANT TERMS, CONDITIONS, POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO COVID-19.

e. Passenger Testing Positive for COVID-19 Pre-Cruise. Passenger agrees that if at any time within five (5) days prior to embarkation, Passenger tests positive for COVID-19, exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or has had close contact with a person confirmed or suspected as having COVID-19, or Carrier otherwise determines in its sole discretion that Passenger is unfit to board because of any communicable illness, Carrier may deny boarding to such Passenger. Unless Carrier determines that Passenger has failed to comply with Carrier’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures or this Ticket Contract, any Passenger denied boarding under these circumstances will be entitled to either a refund or a future cruise credit equal in value to the Cruise Fare Passenger paid to Carrier, as provided in Carrier’s COVID-19 refund and cancellation policy. Carrier, in its sole discretion, may require Passenger to provide verification satisfactory to Carrier of Passenger’s positive test result if the test was administered by a provider other than those retained by Carrier. If Passenger seeks to cancel their cruise booking due to testing positive for COVID-19, please refer to Carrier’s COVID-19 refund and cancellation policy at www.celebritycruises.com. Under no circumstances shall Carrier have any other liability for any compensation or other damages whatsoever, including but not limited to compensation for lodging or travel.

f. Passenger Testing Positive for COVID-19 During Cruise. Passenger understands and agrees that if, after boarding, and even if Passenger has fully complied with all COVID-19 Policies and Procedures, Passenger tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19, Carrier may disembark, refuse re-boarding after a shore excursion, or quarantine Passenger as well as members of Passenger’s travelling party, or take other steps which Carrier determines, in its sole discretion, are necessary under the circumstances to protect the health and well-being of others. Under these circumstances, any such Passenger with a known or suspected case of infection with COVID-19 who is disembarked, refused re-boarding, or quarantined shall be entitled to either a prorated refund, or a future cruise credit for the unused portion of the Cruise Fare, as provided in Carrier’s COVID-19 refund and cancellation policy. For further details, refer to Carrier’s COVID-19 refund and cancellation policy at www.celebritycruises.com. Each such Passenger is responsible for all other related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expenses. Under no circumstances shall Carrier be liable to any such Passenger for any costs, damages or expenses whatsoever incurred by any Passenger.

On the one hand, the refund policy is further manifested. Still, there is also a danger that now, the cruise line reserved the right to basically kick a sick or even just Covid-positive passenger off the ship in any foreign port, simply hand out a prorated refund and from there on you’re on your own.

This presents a problem from a risk perspective as far as I’m concerned. Before cruise lines would simply isolate you in your cabin (also not a very encouraging thought) but now they seem to prefer kicking you off. The expenses incurred can be quite high if you suddenly need flights and accommodation from a foreign port.

All this, of course, depends on a positive test result on board. I always said when this quarantining craziness started that I would never get myself tested onboard a cruise ship no matter if sick or not to avoid just that.

Cruising has been extremely comfortable since it restarted in the summer of 2021 with occupancies often low but protocols rather strict (mandatory vaccination at first, masks when the number of positive cases exceeded a threshold).

Conclusion

Celebrity Cruises has modified its cruise contract in a way that passengers can now be booted off the ship if testing positive for Covid and the cruise line will not have to pay for how the passenger gets home or is situated otherwise. all they would offer is a prorated refund or Future Cruise Credit.

Celebrity still offers a Future Cruise Credit is canceling within five (5) days prior to embarkation of the cruise and presenting evidence such as a positive test for Covid.

Passengers who feel unwell on board should be careful and try to lay low if possible rather than reporting for a Covid test and risk being abandoned in a foreign port. I’d probably stay in my cabin and decline housekeeping, just ordering room service.

Members will especially benefit from additional complimentary beverages, which is most welcome as the company recently increased the price for beverage packages significantly.

It has not been a very positive few months as both Royal Caribbean as well as its sister company Celebrity Cruises have cut down onboard services, selection of beverage packages and simultaneously increased pricing for the remaining models.

Royal Caribbean has informed its members with an email about new changes as of February 28th:

Dear Loyal Members,

In case you missed it, we recently announced exciting benefit updates. From stylish new amenities to additional savings for our valued members. Be on the lookout for exciting celebrations and activities as we continue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Crown & Anchor Society. We can’t wait to reveal what we have in store!

Emerald Members and Above:

SAY HELLO TO MORE WATER

We’re thrilled to announce you’ll no longer have to pre-select your welcome beverage prior to your sailing. You will now receive additional complimentary water bottles in your stateroom in place of the welcome beverage benefit — so you can stay hydrated everywhere you go. The complimentary waters benefit will begin March 10, 2023.

Diamond Members and Above:

CRYSTAL BLOCKS, NOW IN COLOR

This spring, we’ll debut brand new, full-color crystal blocks! We’ll be saying goodbye to current designs over the next several months as we transition to our new look. Members receive their first crystal block at 140 cruise points and earn subsequent blocks for every 70 points thereafter.

UNCORK MORE SAVINGS

Raise a glass and toast to deliciously crafted complimentary cocktails up to $14* or a tempting discount on your favorite bottle of wine — 20% off bottles over $100 and 40% off bottles under $100. The discounted wine benefit will take effect starting March 10, 2023.

*(Sailings out of Singapore, the beverage value is $13. Sailings out of Australia have a beverage value of $15)

Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Members:

NEW AMENITIES NOW AVAILABLE

Your favorite amenities are back in stock — plus we’ve added new ones! We’re introducing stylish new toiletry bags and upgraded totes to help you pack for your next adventure. These new amenities will become available starting March 10, 2023.

Beverages can be pricey on board cruise ships, at least if they’re obtained as part of beverage packages if not already included in the cruise fare as part of an all-inclusive package.

Every cruise line has a slightly different way of rewarding their loyalty members of higher rank with a variety of complimentary beverages which is of course only a benefit if your fare doesn’t already include the aforementioned packages.

There is also a list of benefits that Diamond Plus & Pinnacle members can pick from based on the number of loyalty points in their account:

Download (PDF, 167KB)

Some nice options are available on this list, and I’m quite glad that it’s not just a mandatory selection of some alcohol amenity.

Here is a comprehensive benefit chart for the entire RCL Crown and Anchor Society:

Download (PDF, 525KB)

There are some interesting points on the chart where it comes to the new benefits. Of course, these pins and crystal blocks that are given to members to highlight their newly obtained membership level is just novelty nonsense. Nobody really needs these things, and would you really wear a pin displaying status or display a crystal brick in places like your office?

But these onboard benefits are a different matter. Diamonds and above have access to the Diamond Lounge with an “Exclusive Nightly Happy Hour” for Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members The event will take place between the hours of 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm in the Diamond lounge and will include complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Additionally, guests may redeem their complimentary drink vouchers during this event even though these drink vouchers can also be used at any other bar onboard. While officially on the chart, RCL had previously (during Covid and beyond) discontinued the happy hour at the lounge and instead refer members to use their coupons loaded on the sea pass card throughout the day.

Platinum and Emerald members can enjoy 50% off Starbucks beverages while Diamonds and above are directed to the Diamond Lounge and consume for free. I’m not exactly sure what is being served there right now as I’ve only sailed with Celebrity the past four years but if it’s something basic I’d rather pay a 50% discounted beverage at a real coffee shop.

In comparison to Celebrity Cruises I think that Royal Caribbean treat their Elite members much better and since the two companies offer a status match Celebrity CC Elite <> RCL Diamond I feel that I should try them soon and see how it suits me.

Conclusion

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has improved benefits for their Crown & Anchor Society members, especially those of higher rank. Members will now enjoy additional beverage amenities, which can come in quite handy for those who don’t already profit from a beverage package.

The benefits of these cruise loyalty programs are a bit of a double-edged sword because in order to really profit from the benefits after a long history of cruising you should not have any inclusions otherwise they are moot as pretty much everything is already included on board.

Are you a member of the RCCL Crown & Anchor Society?

After a Princess ship offloaded 800 Cov.-positive passengers in mid-November this Celebrity cruise is the most significant case to date as far as the arrival of virus-laden tourists is concerned.

Following a spike in passengers reporting that they were feeling unwell, Celebrity (just like Princess previously) began to mass-test passengers throughout the voyage.

As News.com first reported that New South Wales Health had given the ship at first a medium risk classification.

A cruise ship with more than 100 Covid-19 positive passengers has docked in Sydney.

Hundreds of passengers on board the Celebrity Eclipse are believed to be carrying the virus.

Having just completed a trip to New Zealand, she was expected to dock in Sydney on Friday morning.

The New South Wales government has classified the ship as a ‘Tier 2’- meaning “there are quite a few cases on board (30-99 positive cases per 1,000 people) and/or the vessel’s staffing or resources are impacted. However, it can safely maintain critical services.”

But in a statement, Celebrity Eclipse says there are only about 4 per cent of people on board with Covid – meaning there would be more than 100 people infected on the ship that holds a maximum of 2850 people.

“The individuals are fully vaccinated, mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and being monitored by our medical team,” the statement said.

“Celebrity Eclipse is sailing with fully vaccinated crew and guests and following a robust protocols plan developed with guidance from local authorities and other leading public health experts. The safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is always our top priority.”

That however appears to be only part of the story.

Daily Mail (amid other media) cites additional sources that the final tally of passengers who had tested positive was up to 1500.

The Celebrity Eclipse liner has 3,420 passengers on board and half are estimated to have tested positive.

The ship, which is returning from a cruise to New Zealand, was due to dock at White Bay in Sydney’s inner west just after 6.30am.

The fact that so many cases were identified is a good thing, comparatively speaking, says Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett.

That’s because many thousands more people who have the virus but don’t know it would be in Sydney’s workplaces, entertainment venues, shops and schools right now.

‘These are 1500 cases that we know about, they will be advised to play it safe wear masks and isolate,’ Ms Bennett said.

‘They are not adding a lot to force to the infection in community because infection rates are already up.

‘Ideally they will be picked up because then they won’t be in the public transport system.

‘But even if they’re in taxis they are likely to be wearing masks and being careful.’

Ms Bennett said because there is a mix of several variants in the current Covid surge reinfection is more likely than ever across Australia. …

Edit: The total number of cases for this particular sailing has not been officially confirmed and there seems to be quite a dispute about the accurate tally. I have reached out to the NSW Health Department, trying to get a more definitive number from them.

It’s no longer required to self-isolate at home when testing positive for Covid according the regulations put in place by NSW Health.

NSW does still tally daily infection rates, and regardless of the relaxed home isolation rule, individuals still have to register their positive results with the health department, according to the website. Obviously, this is more of an honor system, as there is no way to track the results of home tests.

Here is the case of the Majestic Princess I wrote about a couple of weeks ago:

Majestic Princess Cruise Ship Docks In Sydney With 800 Passengers Who Caught Covid During The Sailing

All cruise lines have individual requirements as far as boarding and conduct on board are concerned. The Captain can also mandate the wearing of masks, something which has caused a lot of criticism in recent months.

From going through the current regulations I can’t see a limitation when it comes to the onward travel of Covid positive passengers just as any regular resident wouldn’t be limited in movement anymore.

One would have to consult with the transportation provider if they allow Cov+ travelers to board any of their vehicles, be it an airplane, bus or train.

For international travelers who concluded their cruises in Sydney, it could be a bit more tricky, but since most countries no longer require testing for arrival, they can probably just go home.

Conclusion

A Celebrity Cruise ship docked in Sydney harbor on Friday, and unfortunately, roughly 1500 passengers have gotten infected with Covid during their voyage. All passengers have now disembarked the vessel and are on their way home.

Passengers aren’t subject to isolation as of the latest New South Wales health advisories which makes it easier for them to get on their way. That being said it’s still something to consider when traveling to a foreign destination and always running the risk of catching Covid. Not necessarily a cruise but even traditional travel methods as well.

Before traveling abroad it’s wise to go through the current regulations to know what to do and to assess if you’re able to still return home if health permits rather than being forced to isolate somewhere. On the ships, passengers who test positive are still being isolated but most countries have stopped this now within their communities, including New South Wales.

The passengers have now disembarked the vessel and are receiving assistance from the operator, as a Carnival Spokesperson (Princess is owned by Carnival) said.

Following a spike in passengers reporting that they’re feeling unwell, Princess has mass-tested passengers throughout the 12-day voyage.

As ABC reported this morning, the total number of passengers that tested positive for Covid-19 has exceeded 800 and therefore the ship is subject to the highest alert level.

Health authorities are working with the operators of the Majestic Princess cruise ship that has docked in Sydney Harbour with hundreds of people infected with COVID on board.

New South Wales Health has confirmed the cruise ship is at the highest COVID alert possible for those on board with a Tier Three warning.

That means at least 20 per cent of people who were on board for the cruise have COVID.

The ship has more than 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew, with several hundred believed to be infected.

Many passengers have been disembarking from the ship today after testing negative to the virus.

The president of cruise operator Carnival Australia, Marguerite Fitzgerald, said there were about 800 people infected, who were mostly passengers.

“This is a 12-day voyage and we started to see elevated cases about halfway through,” she said.

Ms Fitzgerald said the infected guests are mild or asymptomatic, and have been isolating in their rooms.

“Reflective of the increase in community transmissions, we too have seen more guests test positive for COVID-19 on the current voyage of Majestic Princess. This is a result of mass testing of our 3,300 guests,” she said.  …

NSW Health said in a statement that all COVID-positive people onboard were isolating and being cared for by the staff medical team.

“NSW Health’s assessment is that the COVID-19 risk level for the Majestic Princess is now Tier 3, which indicates a high level of transmission,” it said in the statement.

“Carnival has advised NSW Health that they are assisting passengers with COVID-19 to make safe onward travel arrangements.”

One man leaving the ship said he thought the cruise operator had done a good job with protocols, but passengers were not listening to instructions. …

Carnival said all positive cases would be separated from other guests when they disembark the ship.

“We understand this current wave of COVID-19 is concerning to many in the community and we take our responsibility in keeping everyone safe very seriously,” it said in a statement.

“All guests disembarking have undertaken a rapid antigen test in the past 24 hours, which will determine how they will disembark the ship. …

It’s not exactly clear what the company means when it comes to the “safe onward travel arrangements” as it is no longer required to self-isolate at home when testing positive for Covid according the regulations put is place by NSW Health.

NSW does still tally daily infection rates and regardless of the relaxed home isolation rule, individuals still have to register their positive result with the health department according to the website. Obviously this is more of an honor system as there is no way to track the results of home tests.

NSW Health has provided the following statement concerning the cruise ship:

There are currently increasing levels of COVID-19 throughout the community as the current wave of infections, driven by the new Omicron subvariants continues to grow.

In any enclosed space, including cruise ships, there is always a risk that COVID-19 will spread. Cruise ships must inform passengers of this risk. Prompt testing and isolation of cases, along with prevention through wearing masks and good hand hygiene, is important.

NSW Health’s assessment is that the COVID-19 risk level for the Majestic Princess is now Tier 3, which indicates a high level of transmission.

Carnival, the cruise operator has advised NSW Health that all COVID-positive people are isolating and being cared for by the onboard medical team.

NSW Health is liaising with the Majestic Princess cruise ship to monitor the health of its passengers and crew members.

Carnival has advised NSW Health that passengers disembarking from the ship have undertaken a rapid antigen test in the 24 hours leading up to disembarkation.

Carnival has advised NSW Health that they are assisting passengers with COVID-19 to make safe onward travel arrangements.

Further information for cruise ship passengers is available here.

Of course, all cruise lines have individual requirements as far as boarding and conduct on board is concerned. The Captain can also mandate the wearing of masks, something which has caused a lot of criticism in recent months.

From going through the regulations I can’t see a limitation when it comes to the onward travel of Covid positive passengers just as any regular resident wouldn’t be limited in movement anymore.

One would have to consult with the transportation provider if they allow Cov+ travelers to board any of their vehicles, be it an airplane, bus or train. For international travelers who concluded their cruises in Sydney it could be a bit more tricky, but since most countries no longer require testing for arrival, they can probably just go home.

Conclusion

A Princess Cruise ship docked in Sydney harbor this morning, and unfortunately, roughly 800 passengers have gotten sick with Covid during their voyage. All passengers have now disembarked the vessel and are on their way home.

Passengers aren’t subject to isolation as of the latest New South Wales health advisories which makes it easier for them to get on their way. That being said it’s still something to consider when traveling to a foreign destination and always running the risk of catching Covid. Not necessarily a cruise but even traditional travel methods as well.

Before traveling abroad it’s wise to go through the current regulations to know what to do and to assess if you’re able to still return home if health permits rather than being forced to isolate somewhere. On the ships, passengers who test positive are still being isolated but most countries have stopped this now within their communities, including New South Wales.

The Icon of the Seas will sail from Miami in January of 2024 following sea trials and according to RCCL the maximum capacity of the megaliner is 7,600 guests + 2,350 crewmembers.

I really love new ship classes from the position of technical interest as far as engineering, architecture and overall design are concerned but even to me, this begs the question if they have gone over the top here.

Would you travel on a cruise ship with 7,600 other guests plus another 2,350 staff (which means close to 10,000 people will be swarming the cruise ship)??

You can read more about the deployment of the Icon of the Seas here on the RCCL Blog as well as on the Icon’s own website.

When Royal Caribbean launches Icon of the Seas in late 2023, it intends to deliver, “the most transformational ship the world has ever seen.”

Icon of the Seas will sail from Miami beginning January 27, 2024 and offer alternative Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings, with every single itinerary visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The ship itself will be delivered at the end of October or early November 2023 and since it is the first ship of a new class, extra testing and adjusting will be required before she can enter service. Combined with the holidays at the end of the year, the first revenue sailing won’t take place until late January.

Icon of the Seas is big!

She has 20 decks and has a capacity at double occupancy of 5,610 passengers, and up to 7,600 passengers if every cabin is maxed out.

She’s 1197 feet long.

• 20 total decks (18 guest decks)
• 5,610 guests @ double capacity and 7,600 max guests
• 2,350 crew (bringing ULTIMATE total to 9,950 guests)
• 7 pools, 9 whirlpools
• 6 record-breaking waterslides
• 250,800 GT
• 1,198 feet long

That’s definitely a whopper. When I first read these numbers I was shocked but of course these are maximums and considering the size of the ship they can be deceptive.

I decided to look at this with an open mind and let it surprise me. One thing I have to admit right away, the images are spectacular:

The interior courtyard:

The massive Aft with large pool landscapes:

Night view:

Lovers of pools and waterslides will definitely get their money’s worth:

A beautiful, colorful promenade (even though I wouldn’t want a room facing this zero privacy area):

Sunset view lounge space? Yes, please!

The Aqua Dome at night:

The standard “Balcony” cabins are modeled after the Infinite Verandas that are currently on Celebrity Edge, love them or hate them:

This ship is obviously massive. What I’m concerned about is the scenes on embarkation and debarkation. I don’t want to imagine what happens on tender days if the ship ever requires to undergo tendering operation.

With the first commercial sailing still about 15 months out, there is still some time to plan or consider booking a cruise on this vessel. The maiden voyage will be out of Miami, which is a bit inconvenient for me but should my path ever cross an itinerary where the Icon of the Seas is sailing I’m inclined to try it at least once to experience it.

Of course, one has to consider the concept of Royal Caribbean which is more family oriented than their Celebrity Cruises arm. The design of the ships also pays tribute to that, after all, kids need to have something fun to do during the day, and I think a Celebrity Edge would be too boring for most children. Even teenagers probably feel out of place. For that age group, an RCCL ship is definitely the better choice, and that only contributes to the parents enjoying the vacation as well.

Conclusion

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has unveiled their Icon of the Seas with big fanfare and the ship is going to be available for commercial sailings from late January 2024. The sailings that are currently listed aren’t that attractive yet in terms of pricing and usually it takes a few months until the market has corrected itself, similar to new hotels.

Unless you have a thing for going on maiden voyages of new cruise ships I wouldn’t recommend booking one as there will be many kinks that are yet to be evened out. That’s just a natural thing, no matter how many test runs you do with mock passengers nothing will ever replicate the “trial by fire” with real paying guests who expect perfection and will complain if things go wrong.

Would you sail on such a big ship?

The general rule of traveling is that one should only use ATM’s of real consumer banks and never apply the Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) option when taking cash out.

We have covered “scam ATM’s” and their high surcharges as well as ways where they try to trick users into choosing the expensive convenience conversion into their home currency (DCC) many times.

I just got off a two week cruise with Celebrity Cruises in the Mediterranean and I couldn’t believe how often I’ve seen people use the ATM on board the ship (EDGE) and there were even receipts laying around, showing small amounts of withdrawals.

Keep in mind, that every time you make a withdrawal on a Celebrity cruises onboard ATM you incur a $6.50 charge plus whatever your bank charges for using an ATM outside their system. These fees can add up quickly and keep in mind that the onboard currency will always remain the same (USD) no matter where in the world the cruise is sailing. The ATM will likewise only dispense U.S. Dollar. This might be different when you pick a cruise ship such as AIDA, TUI Mein Schiff, MSC, Costa etc which have mostly European audiences.

The same goes for the exchange of cash at the Guest Assistance Desk. I overheard a conversation where a gentleman tried to exchange 50 Euro to US Dollar and he was offered an even $40. Never mind that it’s usually almost impossible to get an even exchange amount, this was on a day when XE showed me pretty much parity (US$50 = 50.02 EUR). Why on earth would Celebrity take a $10 fee on such a small transaction?? Jesus, that’s 20%!!

I’m sure these fees are pretty representative of most other cruise lines as well.

There are better ways of getting cash on a cruise ship!

One option is the casino, you can always do a room charge for example for slot credit and the charge will then be applied to your credit account as a charge from the cruise company via the final folio. You won’t incur a cash advance fee this way. Depending on your booking type, the cruise line will charge a 5% fee for standard bookings. This transaction fee is waived for Blue Chip Club Onyx level and above,  similar MGM Rewards tiers associated with the booking, as well as onboard suite guests.

If you’re one of the people who have a waiver for the 5% fee you can also generate a huge amount of credit card points and hit a new credit card minimum spend level simply by charging a lot of slot credit to your room and then cashing it out 1:1. You can withdraw up to $5000 per day via your Seapass account as long as your bank keeps authorizing your credit card. I usually cycle ~ $20k per cruise and later on deposit it with the bank after disembarkation IF the cruise ends in the U.S. so I can access my bank.

The onboard currency on Celebrity as I mentioned, remains U.S. Dollar no matter where the ship is sailing at the moment. This means it’s very difficult to make use of this in Europe as you’d end up with USD notes in your hand and how would you offload them without incurring a loss for the exchange fee, even at the best bank.

Conclusion

Cruising and cash access is always an illustrious topic. Some people travel with a stash of cash while cruising and also tip the crew very generously in addition to the automatic gratuities that most cruise lines apply. If you need other currencies it largely depends on the cruise route. In European ports, you pretty much need Euro, having USD cash isn’t helpful. For sailings in the Caribbean and Middle America, you can use USD almost everywhere.

If you get into a situation where local cash is required, try in advance to find a bank that offers free international ATM withdrawals and then use a retail bank in the town. Right at the port, you often find “scam ATMs” with super high fees that aren’t associated with a retail bank. They often look sketchy as well, and given how much credit card skimming is going on, I feel better using an ATM attached to a known bank.

The program which as far as Celebrity is concerned is called “Go Green” offers a reduced cabin sanitation service but still leaves a complete daily cleaning and servicing of the cabin intact.

It’s not hard to see that the motivation for cruise lines as well as hotels to offer something like this isn’t entirely based on environmental concerns but also to reduce labor for the crew tasked with cleaning the cabins.

You can access the Celebrity Cruises website here and sign up for your upcoming cruise.

The Go Green program is an environmentally friendly program that supports the Celebrity overall sustainability focus, allowing guests to opt-in for reduced Housekeeping cleaning services and minimize our overall environmental footprint by:

• Reducing energy consumption
• Reducing chemicals consumption

The Go Green program will allow guests to have a choice of Housekeeping services, providing a great contribution to the environment, without compromising the cleaning and sanitation level of their stateroom.

The Celebrity cleaning and sanitation standards will remain very stringent and at the highest level, mitigating any potential virus transmission based on insights from our Healthy Sail Panel experts and our internal Public Health and Medical experts.

Current Housekeeping service consists of twice full daily cleaning and sanitization services; morning and evening.

The Go Green program provides a full daily cleaning and sanitation service.

The night touch service will provide a turndown of down of the bed, adjustment to room ambience, removal of garbage, and organization of guest items –making the stateroom and the bathroom neat with a personalized touch. With Go Green, the guest will specify a preferred time for their housekeeping services.

Personally, I find two daily cabin services unnecessary and do just as well with just one daily service that includes making the bed and taking care of the bathroom.

In fact, on my last couple of cruises, when Covid and on-board quarantining was still an issue I purposely asked the number of staff that services my cabin to be reduced or only asked for servicing 3 times per week (every other day). This helped the cabin steward to have more time for his other duties and also reduced the risk for either one of us being caught up in Covid trouble.

You have to sign up before your cruise:

Celebrity describes the benefits as follows:

Go Green^SM is a program offered by Celebrity Cruises where guests can opt-in to receive reduced housekeeping services while onboard. Captain’s Club members that opt-in to this program will receive an extra night’s worth of Club Points based on their stateroom category (“Go Green Bonus Points”).

To participate, members can opt-in online pre-cruise here or onboard during embarkation day. Opt-in will not be permitted after embarkation day. One guest per stateroom must opt-in for each sailing. Information provided must be correct or points will not be awarded.

Go Green Bonus Points will be awarded for all Captain’s Club members in a participating stateroom.
Go Green Bonus Points will be equal to one extra night of points based on the member’s stateroom category for the participating voyage. Reduced rate upgrades, including those won as part of the Move Up program, will earn Go Green Bonus Points at the original stateroom category booked (not the upgraded level).

Loyalty points don’t have immediate monetary value, they add up over time-based on the booked cabin type in order to rack up status with the Captain’s Club.

A credit worth of one night, for example, would mean 2 points for an interior cabin, 3 points in a standard veranda cabin, and 5 points for an Aqua/Concierge Class cabin, plus higher amounts for the premium suites.

Is that a lot? Probably not, but it’s better than nothing, especially as it doesn’t cause me any discomfort.

I have written in detail about the Celebrity Cruises Captains Club before:

Celebrity Cruises Captains Club Loyalty Program: Benefits & Drawbacks

Celebrity Cruises Quietly Makes Changes To A Few Captains Club Loyalty Program Features

I have now racked up 325 points and reached the “Elite” level within just 3-years. By the middle of next year, I’ll have “Elite Plus” based on my current bookings, which will give me a substantial benefit as in not being required to book certain beverage packages anymore. I can already feel significant improvements on my current sailing, the first one as “Elite” member.

I don’t expect to reach the next level (Zenith) anytime soon if ever, as it requires 3000 points which is pretty much like going to the moon. That being said, never say never as I haven’t even hit my 40’s yet.

In any case, I have signed up all of my upcoming four cruises for the “Go Green” program so thats another 20 points.

Conclusion

Celebrity Cruises has taken a page from the playbook of hotels such as Marriott’s former Green Choice program and is offering their Captains Club members a credit worth of one night’s loyalty points if they elect to reduce their daily housekeeping service to one instead of two cleanings.

As outlined above, I find that an excellent idea and unless you’re a very messy traveler or simply insist for comfort to have your cabin made up twice a day this is an easy way to get a few extra points. If you don’t need the points then you can still relieve your cabin steward a bit if you don’t need the two services.

Does your cruise line of choice offer a similar program?

Workers refueled the ship, then boxed it in with their barge and went home with nobody being available to remove the barge from it’s position, making the cruise lose an entire day.

The Celebrity Eclipse was forced to remain at the dock in Downtown Vancouver overnight until the next day, when they were able to leave in the morning rather than Sunday afternoon.

As reported by the Canadian Press, the ship with 2850 passengers capacity was stuck since Sunday:

Passengers on an Alaska cruise ship are stranded aboard the vessel in Vancouver, with the cruise line blaming job action by British Columbia tugboat workers.

Celebrity Cruises says the Celebrity Eclipse, which had been due to depart Sunday afternoon, is unable to leave the Port of Vancouver without the tugs and staff are “working diligently” with local authorities to resolve the situation so the ship can sail.

The cruise line says on its Twitter account that the ship is tied to a barge whose crew is refusing to move it and other tugboat workers are also unwilling to do so.

Celebrity Cruises’ social media accounts have been flooded with complaints from people saying they are trapped aboard the Eclipse.

The Canadian Merchant Service Guild began job action on all 30 Seaspan tugs in the province Thursday after it said contract negotiations reached an impasse.

Maybe Canada and the port workers would be better off if cruise lines stayed away from the ports (especially Vancouver) altogether and just started to sail from Seattle again. After the port closure in 2021 and the subsequent, temporary amendment to the Passenger Vessel Services Act by the U.S. Congress that allowed Alaska Cruises to circumvent Canada now the next blow to cruises with tugboat workers sabotaging the cruise lines. Canada has really become the wild west again where nothing is certain.

I booked my Alaska Cruise intentionally on the Solstice from Seattle rather than MIllennium/Eclipse from Vancouver as you never know what’s waiting for you there aside from the horrible immigration experience. Everything was smooth and went according to schedule.

Celebrity tweeted a status update yesterday morning when the ship was freed from the barge and was in preparations to get on the way:

#CelebrityEclipse guests – We're excited to announce that your #JourneyWonderFULL will be underway shortly. We appreciate your patience and wish you the best sailing though Alaska!

— Celebrity Cruises (@CelebrityCruise) August 29, 2022

The ship was then on the way shortly but it likely missing Icey Strait Point which is really a huge loss for the passengers on this cruise, taking a highlight away from their itinerary.

The company (Seaspan) is one of only two operators that can fuel cruise ships, and there are just four tug boat operators. As the article mentions, they were already on strike since Thursday.

Apparently, Seaspan then contracted the duty to service the Eclipse out to a competitor, moving the fuel barge in place to refuel. Nevertheless, the workers for the competitor refused to move the fuel barge not to sabotage the strike of the Seaspan workers, which caused the barge to get stuck beside the Eclipse.

Boxing the Eclipse in then resulted in them being unable to leave port. You tell me if it’s this difficult to find someone able to operate the barge and move it away. There must be plenty of licensed captains around, including on the cruise ship itself.

The Eclipse didn’t have much luck this season, as even its second sailing from Vancouver was already canceled due to Barnacles on the ships hull:

Celebrity Cruises Cancels ECLIPSE Alaska Sailing – Because Of Sea Life Attached To The Ships Hull

Hopefully, someone from the contracted company where workers weren’t on strike and therefore not protected by strike laws gets fired over this but being Canada, that is hardly going to happen.

There isn’t a single time that I visit Vancouver when workers aren’t striking or picketing somewhere, shutting down operations, and inconveniencing guests. Last time it was hotel workers at the Hyatt and Rosewood, now it’s the cruise port. And if workers aren’t striking, the government is doing the rest. I lived nine years in Vancouver but the city and province has really gone downhill. Too bad!

Conclusion

Striking tug boat workers caused a mess in Vancouver as they boxed in the Celebrity Eclipse with a refueling barge and then went home. The cruise lost an entire day of its voyage and a highlight of the itinerary as they will likely miss Icy Strait.

It’s a disgrace that people who paid a fortune for their Alaska Cruise now have to deal with this situation. I can only urge cruisers to avoid the port of Vancouver where possible and book Alaska cruises out of Seattle or other West Coast destinations instead. Ships will still stop in Canada somewhere (usually Victoria), but it’s a much better experience.

Passengers on several cruise lines will no longer have to present a certified, negative covid test unless the sailing originates from destinations where the law requires such tests to be performed.

Producing the tests often put a strain on people’s holiday plans as the Antigen test can only be a maximum of two days old (3 days for PCR) and most cruise passengers have to travel to their embarkation port from wherever they live, limiting the options of where this can be done depending on the itinerary.

The new policy is outlined by Celebrity Cruises (here) on Norwegian’s website (see here) and Holland America’s testing requirements (see here).

In case of Celebrity Cruises, passengers are also no longer required to be vaccinated unless mandated by local law.

Beginning September 5th, 2022, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can now cruise on the following itineraries as long as they meet any testing requirements to board:

– All sailings departing from the UK and Europe (with the exception of Iceland)
– All sailings departing from Los Angeles

For all other sailings, please visit the Country Travel Requirements page for the country of embarkation for your sailing for more information regarding vaccination age requirements.

Testing requirements themselves follow the same principle. Unless required by law, most cruise lines such as Celebrity no longer require certified tests.

The company has structured the documentation, vaccination and testing requirements by countries where most of the cruises originate:

Just as an example, here is the requirement for cruises out of Italy from September 5th:

Sailing Testing Requirements:

All guests ages 2 and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result to board their sailing. A negative test result from any commercially available test, including self-tests, will be accepted. Tests do not have to be monitored or proctored. Test results may be presented as a printout, screenshot or photo of the test result or the actual test.

Pre-Arrival/Embarkation Covid-19 Test

• Vaccinated Guests: Must test negative for COVID-19 within 2 days prior to sailing.
• Unvaccinated Guests: Must test negative for COVID-19 within 1 day of sailing.

PLEASE NOTE: For all sailings visiting Greece, self-tests will not be accepted and all guests must complete a supervised COVID-19 test prior to boarding. The test must be supervised by a health professional, such as a doctor, pharmacy technician, public health worker, or telehealth representative. While approved, supervised self-test kits are now readily available at drugstore chains in the U.S., we are also pleased to make them available for order pre-cruise below.

Keep in mind that these rules vary by destinations and cruise lines.

Passengers can now do their own test, take a picture or screenshot of the negative result and will be allowed to board. It’s basically a self-declaration and doesn’t even have to be a real test. Nobody is going to check if this is actually the test of the passenger of something downloaded from the internet or social media. Basically nothing but theatre.

We’ll see how these changes will resonate with passengers and how the new regulations are impacting the case numbers on board the ships. Furthermore, how will cruise lines adapt their treatment and quarantine protocols onboard if they essentially make it this easy to get on the ship without any of the established Covid safeguards. quite frankly. it’s about time that these measures were taken on as they’ve been in place for over a year now.

Conclusion

Many cruise lines have just announced further changes to Covid testing protocols, making it no longer necessary to present either vaccination or a certified Covid-negative test in order to board a cruise ship.

If passengers adapt well to these new rules is something that remains to be seen. When I follow the common cruise forums, there is a clear line between those who are clearly concerned and those who are really opposed to the draconian rules cruise lines have had in place ever since cruising resumed in the summer of 2021.

Do you agree with the new rules?

Often times the reaction people have when they get these offers for the first time is “Where’s the catch?” and there are indeed some things to consider so let’s have a look.

Just in the last couple of weeks, Celebrity Cruises for example sent out a bunch of emails to some of their casino Blue Chip Club members (even those who are members unknowingly) offering “Free Cruises” from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

This is how such an offer looks like:

Membership in the Blue Chip Club, Celebrity Cruises loyalty program for the Fortunes Casino is usually dependent on the previous play activity and a sign-up. Often times people have already forgotten all about it until such an offer arrives in their email or mailbox.

More active players also receive such offers onboard the cruise or through their membership as an annual perk that can be booked through the casino liaison similar to the one described above.

What does complimentary really mean?

It means that the base fare for this cruise will be zero, but that extra charges still apply. Extra charges are port taxes and all government fees but also gratuities, drink packages and wifi fees if one wishes to purchase such incidentals. After all, you gotta drink something during your “free” cruise.

The taxes depend on the itinerary, they can be very low for itineraries such as the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera but on the higher side for Alaska or the Panama Canal.

The price for drinks packages varies greatly, and the biggest difference will be if you’re planning on drinking alcohol or if a non-alcohol package is sufficient. It’ll be almost impossible to make back your money if you buy a package that includes alcohol unless you’re a heavy drinker.

The price for such a package is often ~ $60-70 per day of the cruise. In comparison, you can get a premium non-alcohol package for ~ $22/day, which is what I usually take. I then pay for the few drinks I have individually and also have my daily Elite cocktail hour that’s tied to my Captains Club loyalty status.

This is how a folio looks like after accepting a “Free Cruise” offer:

Keep in mind that similar to booking an award flight on miles, there will always be a couple of hundred dollars in expenses. The drink package isn’t included in this price yet either, and neither is wifi.

Depending on your place of residence you obviously need to secure transportation to the port from where the ship leaves. Airfare will add another financial layer to this offer unless you’re a local.

Why do cruise lines offer these trips?

Mostly complimentary cruises are targeted at casino players or at least someone that the cruise line has on record with an interest in casino gaming while onboard the ship based on past behavior. This opens the window for this passenger to gamble again on future cruises and lose money. Hence it makes sense for the company to offer a cruise even with a zero base rate.

Especially cruise itineraries that have difficulty selling at premium rates. The above-mentioned offer from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera is such an itinerary, it’s not considered a premium route and the revenue would be lower, to begin with compared to, let’s say, Alaska. And with all the extra items passengers have to pay for when accepting a “complimentary” cruise offer, the company is hardly losing any money. Quite the opposite

One question people ask is if they accept such an offer and if there is any obligation to play at the casino. The answer to that is no. You can accept and not gamble at all, the worst thing you won’t get another offer in the future. There won’t be any pressure or sales events involved, which one might know from timeshare invitations for complimentary hotel stays.

Conclusion

Offers for complimentary cruises are common in the industry yet they still confuse people when they receive them for the first time. There is really no trap involved as long as someone is aware of the expenses that are tied to such a trip and that are hard or impossible to avoid. Mostly these are taxes, gratuities, and beverages. The total might still reach or exceed $500/person so keep this number in mind.

You should also compare the retail price to the offer price before booking. Consider that the retail price usually comes with Always Included, which means gratuities, beverages, and basic wifi service are included in the price. This alone has a value of hundreds of dollars and it can be cheaper to book the regular way rather than accepting a “free cruise” offer.

The cruise ship dock in Skagway is actually owned by the White Pass Yukon Railroad, and some docking positions are very close to the mountain, which puts ships and people in danger as a new study shows.

Skagway’s port can hold a total of four cruise ships on three different docks and the Railroad Dock which is located very close to the mountain and is now cause for concern.

To get a better impression, here is a map of Skagway that city planners published in 2020:

The two ships that are usually docked on the Railroad Dock (quite a walk from downtown) are pretty much face to face with the cliff, and it has become a tradition for ships to paint graffiti on the wall to mark special occasions such as our return to cruising in July 2021:

This was until this week when a study came out, highlighting how unstable the ridge is and that a catastrophic rockslide (which has happened as recently as June) is posing substantial danger to the cruise ships and people staying in the immediate area, alongside the entire dock.

Skagway has consulted Geotechnical firm Shannon&Wilson to conduct a study and this is their full report.

Alaska Public reports that authorities, city management, and cruise lines are currently on alert to try to find a solution to this problem.

A new report compiled by geotechnical engineers shows that Skagway’s busiest cruise ship dock is at significant risk for rockslides impacting the dock, moored ships, cruise ship passengers and workers.

Of one slide area, the report warns of “significant risk associated with complete failure” with catastrophic results, including “risks to life and property.” The study’s authors go on to say that the slope’s movement is speeding up, suggesting that “the failure event is approaching.”

At its latest meeting, the borough assembly asked the dock’s owners, White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, to stop using the portion of the dock in the active slide area. But the next day, municipal officials agreed to instead rearrange passenger foot traffic to try to reduce the risk.

KHNS’ Mike Swasey spoke with Skagway Assemblyperson Reba Hylton about the report and the new pedestrian traffic flow agreement.

Rebe Hylton: Here’s one quote that got everyone’s attention. “It is our opinion that the slope conditions observed during our site visit display significant hazards to people and structures below the slope.” That’s scary, right? I used to work down there. I have friends that work down there. I have a family member that works down there.

Mike Swasey: I work down there four or five days a week. And I look up at that giant rock that’s perched and has been moving at a couple of inches a year now ready to come down at any time. And I think, what’s my best escape route? That’s what I think when I’m down there. It’s incredibly frightening.

Reba Hylton: Absolutely. And when they first started monitoring this, you know, it was moving at the tune of one and one-and-a-half inches a year. And now this new report released said it’s moving to two-and-a-half inches per year. So historically, we don’t have more data than a few years old, unfortunately. But I mean, you hear those facts, and it’s pretty frightening.

Mike Swasey: Now White Pass is claiming that the rocks that could cause damage on the railroad dock are coming from municipal land. So they’re municipal property. How did the assembly respond to that?

Reba Hylton: Whew, man, it was hard. It was a four-hour meeting. This was the hot topic. Basically, everyone is liable. We all know what’s going on down there, and we are putting not only ourselves at risk, but we’re putting all of our guests that come into this port that are docked on that side in risk. And it’s unacceptable. …

Mike Swasey: And what are the changes going to look like?

Reba Hylton: The security area where people get back onto the ship will be moved further south. The whole area where the coffee shop is and where the shore excursion booths are, that will be moved — not the caboose itself, I believe the caboose will be closed down. M&M (tour sales) will be closed down. That circular turnaround will not be available to anyone but SMARTbus, but even SMARTbus will be loading further north — just north of the restrooms down there.

Mike Swasey: And when do these new developments go into effect?

Reba Hylton: Immediately.

What is very interesting by the way is that the dock itself is in fact owned by a cruise line – Carnival Cruises bought the entire White Pass & Yukon Railroad including the dock, several years ago for $290M. I can see why they don’t want to shut down the dock as of right now as it impacts business. There is a liability question, though in case something does go wrong. If it does, it won’t be pretty.

How will this impact actual cruises?

As reported by CruiseRadio, Princess Cruises was the first line to announce itinerary changes this week. The Majestic Princess is going to Icy Strait Point rather than Skagway, which might annoy quite a lot of cruisers, especially those with pre-arranged excursions.

“The July 26 call of Majestic Princess will instead call on Icy Strait Point, but Crown Princess will continue with its scheduled call in Skagway Tuesday, as it docks at a different Skagway pier. This development also will affect the July 27 call of Royal Princess, the July 28 visit of Discovery Princess and the July 30 visit of Grand Princess, the specifics of which are still being coordinated.”

Princess is currently working on revising other itineraries as well while monitoring the situation in Skagway. Other cruise lines have not yet published any changes to their itineraries.

I’d have expected Celebrity to also react as they have always used the railroad dock whenever I was in Skagway with them (as recently as May this year). So far, it’s been crickets from Celebrity.

Keep in mind that we’re pretty much a bit more than halfway through the Alaska Cruise season at this point which runs from mid/late April to late September.

The geological report says that it’s an urgent situation, and even back in June there have been rockslides already, although no vessel or person was hit by it.

From the map and personal experience visiting that dock, I can’t see how Skagway or the dock owners could close the entire pier and redirect cruise ships unless it’s a slow day and the two docks close to the city would suffice. Tendering could be an option, but I’m not an expert, let alone a captain so I’m in no position to say if that’s a good call or not.

Conclusion

Skagway faces a major dilemma with its busiest cruise dock as the adjacent mountain is unstable and there have already been minor rock slides. Now geologists have issued a report that sounds an alarm concerning a much more serious incident that could happen at any moment.

The Municipality of Skagway and the dock owners (essentially Carnival Corporation) are currently at odds over the best way to proceed and if a closure if the best course of action. Even if they’d close it, then what? Essentially it’s the call of the cruise lines to make if they want to continue using the Railroad Dock under these conditions. Princess has already decided to cancel Skagway on some of their sailings so it’ll be interesting to see if other cruise lines will pull out too or at least request another dock / tender option.