ericosmith

The ship arrived in Milwaukee mid-day Friday to great fanfare. And as part of the city’s role as a turn-around port, it was scheduled to leave Sunday with a new set of passengers. Early Sunday afternoon the ship was pulling out of the port of Milwaukee en route to Mackinac, Michigan. But after making it to a point as far north as Mequon, the 666-foot-long Octantis turned around and headed back into Milwaukee’s port. The ship is scheduled to return to Milwaukee nine times this year, but with weeks, not hours, between each trip. “On May 8th U.S. Customs and Border Protection was notified by Viking Cruise Lines that a crewmember failed to report to the vessel for departure. No further details are available,” said a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.

When we booked early dining said 5:30. I believe once we got on the ship it said either 5:00 or 5:15. We usually showed around 5:15 but no later than 5:30 and were far from the last ones to arrive or to clear the dining room.

The latest update from the Canadians states: You'll need to submit your information within 72 hours: before your arrival to Canada and/or before boarding a cruise ship destined for Canada

The car rentals are in the train station which is basically across the street although it's a bit complicated to find from that side of the station (the rear). We rented a car (I think it was National or Enterprise) and went to several spots around Halifax as well as Peggy's Cove.

I don't use a lanyard which can cause a problem. The card is printed not on the plastic but on a thin laminate layer on the top. Pull it in and out of the pocket too many times and it will delaminate. Then it's off to get a new one.