RobC1116

16 hours ago, klfrodo said:

With the "voucher" you have $0 cost to insure. 

Side note: I completely understand what you're trying to say, but in the insurance world, your voucher has 0$ value. Just like when you book a flight using miles. The miles themselves have 0 value. As a matter of fact, when you fly using miles, the airline considers you a non-revenue passenger.

That doesn't mean that you can't purchase a travel insurance policy, which you should do now that you're booked, so you can get the medical and evac coverage. You just won't be able to recover the cost of the cruise should you cancel.

But in our case, we paid $$$ for the original trip that we then canceled. In lieu of an 80% refund (based on the timeliness of the cancellation), we received a voucher for the full amount we had paid. So now, the voucher has 0 value, and cannot be insured? If that is the case, we will just insure the costs over and above the voucher value

We canceled a Viking cruise in late 2022 we had fully paid for, and received a "future cruise credit" voucher for the amount originally paid. We had two years to book something else, and an additional two years during which we could travel (so needed to book by July 2024 and travel by July 2026). We just booked a Viking cruise for December 2024. We never purchased an insurance policy for the original trip. I would now like to find a policy to cover the new trip, but I am getting confusing and conflicting information on whether or not there is any company/policy that will cover the cost of the voucher were we to have to cancel for a "covered" reason. Both squaremouth and insuremytrip agents said NO companies cover vouchers. But is this right? Does anyone know? Thank you.

We are departing on Feb 17 for a 28-cruise on the Westerdam that includes Shanghai. Initially, we learned/were told that we do not need a Chinese Visa as long as we do HAL-arranged tours. However, we received the following email yesterday from HAL:

Our tour operator has advised that due to recent changes your High-Speed Train to Hangzhou & West Lake Cruise tour in Shanghai, China, now requires an Individual Chinese visa be obtained to participate.

We do not have time now to start applying for a Chinese Visa, nor do we want to spend the money for the Visa on top of the cost of this excursion. So we canceled it and now have two different HAL tours booked in Shanghai for the two days we are there. But we are wondering if the Visa exemption will still apply for these tours that stay within Shanghai. People have talked to HAL and even the Chinese Embassy, and no one seems to be getting a clear answer. If anyone has any insight, that would be most appreciated--especially travelers who are currently on cruises that go to Shanghai. We stop in Shanghai after Hong Kong, and then go on to Japan.

Thank you all for the great information and suggestions!

We are on the Westerdam from Feb 17 - March 16, and we signed up for the "Have it All" Package, which includes the signature drink package. I know it includes drinks up to $11, but does anyone know if canned sodas are included? Thanks!

18 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Great to see that SS are back in the Black Sea at last.

Which cruise is the Black Sea? Thanks!

Thank you for taking us along virtually on your trip. We board the Silver Cloud tomorrow and could not be more excited! 

Jpalbny--thank you so much for the detailed reply! It's most appreciated. It will help us figure out our layers--just have to make sure we're warm enough during our two days in Iceland prior to the cruise. And your food and service experiences sound just fine!

We are departing Friday for two days in Iceland, then boarding the ship on August 26th! I'm a little nervous now about the food/service; I guess we won't be surprised if it's sometimes not as good as we would expect. 

I have a question for you cruisers about the parka: how warm is it? I know you had some very cold, wet, and windy weather. Did you need layers under the parka, and if so, what layers did you use? We're finishing up our packing and trying to figure out the layering situation.  

Thanks!

What amazing photos! We are on the Kangerlussuaq round-trip cruise on the 26th, and we can't wait! One question: how's the "standard" wifi speed-wise? How much is it to buy the premium internet (we're in a cabin category that doesn't include the premium). Thanks, and continue to enjoy!! Loving this thread and the one from the prior cruise!

We are scheduled on the Kangerlussuaq to Kangerlussuaq journey departing August 26, and we are so enjoying your pictures and descriptions! It's making us even more excited for our 16-night journey on the Silver Cloud. I hope your weather improves soon but it sounds as though you're having a marvelous time regardless.

Thanks FauxNom and 2FromTO. We booked this cruise in November 2017 to take advantage of early pricing, and it doesn't seem quite so far off now!

This will be our first Silversea trip, and we are very excited. Showing my ignorance, what is the silver box?

Thanks!

Hi again Faux Nom,

If you can still see this thread, I have one more question about the charter flight from KEF to Greenland. Do you recall how/when you were informed about the flight time? Because we're coming to Reykjavik a few days before our cruise and staying in a hotel we booked ourselves, we will have to make our way on our own to KEF at the appropriate time. Thanks!

Thank for all the replies! I guess some of my confusion now about hiking boots vs. waterproof knee-high muck boots is that the latter are required in Antarctica because of the possibility of environmental contamination. You have to sanitize the muck boots before getting off and when returning to the ship from landings in Antarctica. What is the situation in the Arctic? If the waterproof boots are not required for landings, I might bring my own hiking boots and take a chance on borrowing the muck boots when necessary.

For those who have been on an expedition cruise to Antarctica or the Arctic on the "new" Silver Cloud, what is the situation with the waterproof boots? When we went to Antarctica on the Fram a couple of years ago, there were plenty of boots in all sizes to borrow. Is that the case on the Cloud, or is it necessary to buy or rent boots? If the latter, we are planning to rent them and have them waiting for us on board. But what if you don't exactly know which size will fit? It appears that one should rent one size larger than one's normal shoe size, but is this the case? What happens if you rent them and then they don't fit? Thanks for any information!

Thank you to FauxNom and jpalpny for your replies! 

We're booked on the Silver Cloud Expedition, Kangerlussuaq to Kangerlussuaq, on August 26, 2019. We're going a couple of days early and booking our own hotel--much cheaper than the ones Silversea offers. I'm assuming the charter flight to Greenland flies out of and into Keflavik, but does anyone know for sure? My travel agent seems a little vague. We're planning on spending one night in Reykjavik on the return as our flight home is in the morning on Sept 12 (cruise returns on the 11th). If the flight is to Keflavik, we'll just stay in a hotel near the airport. Thanks!

We're leaving this Saturday on the Splendor and one of our group does spin classes daily. Does anyone know if you can use the spin bikes on the Splendor without taking a class? Or, do you have to take one of the spin classes in order to use the bike? Second, does anyone know if the pedals accommodate clip-on shoes? If not, obviously she won't bring them. Thanks!

Just found a photo of my parents on the Pacific Star, cruise out of San Diego, in 1990.

We booked this cruise almost a year and a half ago, and we can't believe it's almost time! Antarctica has been a lifelong dream of mine, and we are also looking forward to the Falklands and South Georgia Island. We are arriving in Buenos Aires on the 26th. Anyone else on this cruise? I'm getting a little anxious as we haven't received any cruise documents yet (other than the travel agency's confirmation), but I understand Hurtigruten send docs about three weeks ahead. Can any confirm? Thanks!

I am on the NOS. Ship is reversing the itinerary, with departure at 10 today, sea day Tuesday, then Roatan Wed, Belize Thurs, Cozumel Fri, sea day Sat, back Sun. Nothing will be skipped and we get full day in each port as planned.

Our large family/friend group just returned from our Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Pearl, and we were thrilled to discover the Norweigian Iconcierge App just before departing Seattle. It's a free app for smartphones and pads, and should be downloaded (in our case, from the itunes store for our iphones) prior to sailing. Then, while on the ship's wifi, there is a $7.95 registration fee for the ENTIRE cruise. The app was fantastic; it gave current information like account summary, onboard activities, dining reservations, and more. But the best part for our group was the phone and messaging function. We could text and phone each other through the app while on the ship's wifi network for no additional charge beyond the $7.95 initial registration fee. No minutes or data are used; it's all free through the ship's wifi.

This made all the difference to us; on prior trips, commuicating with others in our large family/friend group has always been a challenge while on a large ship. With the Iconcierge, we could let each other know where we were at any time anywhere on the ship!

I recommend it highly. I don't believe it's particularly marketed by the cruise line, but it really made for a much more enjoyable cruise than it would have been. There are some things about the Pearl we loved (fantastic entertainment, for one), and some things we didn't like so well (a very crowded, "mass" feel in the public spaces--especially in the buffet seating area, extremely slow service in both the main dining room(s) and specialty restaurants, but we certainly appreciated the ability to communicate with each other in such an easy way.

We are excited about our upcoming Alaska cruise on the Pearl departing July 6. Does anyone have experience with the "guppie" group for toddlers--the group for the under-2 set? We understand that an adult must accompany our 17-month-old in the children's play area, but does anyone know what type facilities or activities are actually available for toddlers? Thanks!

We also just completed a cruise on the Celebrity Century through the Panama Canal, and we booked a full-day tour out of Colon with Roberto (Robtads) that included a visit to the Gatun Locks and a drive to and walking/driving tour of Panama City. This is one of the best tours we have ever had (we are experienced cruisers and seasoned travelers). Roberto is excellent; the experience of seeing the canal from the small visitor center at the Gatun Locks, combined with Roberto's commentary, really enriched the whole experience after having transited the canal the day before. Roberto then "treated us" (our small group of six) to a close-up of four of the giant doors that will be placed in the new locks. We had an excellent tour of Panama City, including the former canal zone and the old and new cities, and Roberto really made the history as well as present-day issues come alive. I would recommend him most highly to anyone who has a day to spend in Colon. (At this time, he can only be reached via email; he is working on a website that he hopes to have ready sometime in January.)