Page 71 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022

Testing the Waters on a Celebrity Millennium Cruise

PHOTOS AND STORY BY: SHARON WHITLEY LARSEN AND CARL H. LARSEN

“You can be our guinea pigs!” veteran cruise their new, young physician recently warned them
friends exclaimed to us when we told them that we to stay away from ships: “If you were my parents, I
recently had booked an eight-night cruise on the would tell you not to cruise,” he said. “Ships are
Celebrity Millennium. The cruise would take us like petri dishes.”
from our San Diego hometown up the coast to San But Celebrity kept us informed via their app and
Francisco (docked overnight), then returning via emails detailing the newly established health pro-
Catalina and Ensenada—in- tocols, which included that “all
cluding a few sea days, which guests 12 and over must be
we always enjoy. fully vaccinated prior to sail-
What especially appealed to ing and must provide docu-
us was being a 15-minute taxi mentation of full vaccination
ride away from the pier. And prior to boarding.” Passengers
no airport hassle! also had to have proof of a
We have been on 25 cruises negative COVID test taken
around the world and nor- within 48 hours before board-
mally take a couple each year. ing. The former muster drill—
In 2020 we had four cruises with passengers donning life
booked—and you know what jackets, then gathering at
happened with those plans. their designated assembly sta-
Due to the COVID-19 pan- tions—was changed. Passen-
demic, a couple were canceled gers were now required to
with full refund and we were watch a short video in their
given a 125% future cruise staterooms--that instructed
credit on the others. We de- them how to properly put on a
cided to do this one along the life jacket (in case it was
California coast since we needed)—then proceed to
would not be far from home and were covered their assembly station and show crewmembers
with ample trip insurance. their stateroom card. Staterooms were supplied
During the pandemic, we both had read the with complimentary masks and hand sanitizer for
page-turner “Quarantine! How I Survived the Dia- guests. A large handwashing station was installed
mond Princess Coronavirus Crisis” by Gay at the entry of the Oceanview Cafe. And the popu-
Courter. After finishing this ultra-dramatic story lar self-serve buffets were now manned by gloved,
about passengers quarantined aboard in Japan masked staff members who plated the food at re-
during the early days of the pandemic, we won- quest.
dered if we would ever have the nerve to board a The day of departure we strolled into San
cruise ship again. Cruising had become one of our Diego's cruise terminal and were warmly greeted.
favorite things to do. We had to wear masks while checking in but could
Told of our plans, two cruise friends related that remove them once onboard, where we were

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