Heidi13

4 hours ago, Floridastorm said:

Since there seems to be quite a few port stops that are islands I would imagine that many of them require tendering. Can anyone give the ports on the pacific routing that require tendering? My wife and I are not big on tendering as I have a disability and my wife doesn't feel secure in small boats.

 

Thanks Again  - Dave ⚓

Nuku Hiva  - Tender

Bora Bora - Tender

Moorea - Tender

Lautoka - Tender

Avarua (Cook Is) - Tender

Easter Is - Tender

Pitcairn Is - Cruise by only, with islanders boarding the vessel.

Don't recall tendering at any other S/Pacific Islands

21 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Brilliant information - thank you.

 

Question for you though... some countries that have eVisa options also assign a validity period when you secure the visa.  If you are on a World Cruise and that country is not in that validity period what do you do?  Are you applying for visas while on the cruise?

 

My experience with Cambodia and Vietnam was this, that there was a limited validity after the application.

Affirmative, we did experience this with a couple of countries. In those situations, Viking's Visa procurement vendor agreed to submit the application when the window opened and transmit the information to the ship.

If completing the process personally, we would have had to advise the cruise line that pre-cruise acquiring of Visas wasn't possible and to get confirmation we could submit the application from aboard the vessel.

3 hours ago, Coral said:

In 2003 and before - Princess used Seward instead of Whittier. I remember my 2nd cruise in Alaska (on Coral Princess) used Seward. I think it was 2004 that Princess started using Whittier.

Thanks, that was when I had about a 10 yr gap between working, then as a pax.

13 hours ago, tkwbear said:

Back in the good old days, cruise ships used Seward as the main turnaround port in Alaska. Seward is one of the prettiest towns in the world, with plenty of things to do, including some very good restaurants.

 

Now the Carnival family of cruises uses Whittier. I have the misfortune to be stuck there for a day, as I am doing a back to back out of Vancouver. When I first visited Alaska, my Fodor tour book had a small write-up on Whittier, which ended by saying they didn't recommend a visit. I was there last year and didn't leave the ship.

 

This year I have a car rental but it's $275 for the partial day through Avis, when you add fuel and the tunnel toll, that's more than $300. Can anyone recommend a different plan? I've considered the 26 Glacier Tour but while I like glaciers, I would prefer one more like the Kenai Fjords tour in Seward that has plenty of wildlife as well. The few tours offered by the ship are also ridiculously expensive.

Not sure what you consider the good old days, as when I started cruising Alaska in the 1970's with Princess, we never went North of Icy Straight, as all cruises were R/T Vancouver. Every subsequent cruise, as a pax with Princess the ships used Whittier as the turnaround port.

I am aware that additional Carnival brands are now switching to Whittier, sharing the docks with Princess, so not all Carnival brands have always used Seward.

Spent the day in Whittier many times. As previously mentioned, the Phillips 26 Glacier tour is an exceptional day and is an easy walk from the ship. Walking around the town is also enjoyable, but it certainly isn't the tourist trap of SE Alaska.

9 hours ago, sirinath said:

Hi,

 

If you are a Sri Lankan passport holder how do you get visas for the destinations for a world cruise. With about many countries how do you streamline visas?

 

As a Sri Lankan passport holder you do not get visa on arrival of eVisa for many countries.

 

Suminda

You have a couple of options with respect to acquiring the necessary Visas for a World Cruise. I have completed the process for UK & Canadian passports, so a a Sri Lankan passport holder, you may require additional Visas, but the process should be similar.

Easiest method is hiring a Visa procurement agency. You complete the application form, providing your personal details, provide your passport, a copy of the itinerary and they do the rest. However, some Visa applications may require you to complete a more detailed form, such as China, which included about a dozen pages. The downside of this option is high cost, especially if it includes multiple Visas.

You can also complete the process yourself, just takes lots of time and research. I normally start with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Officer website and the Canadian equivalent. They have very well updated and detailed information on Visa requirements based on your type of visit. Your Sri Lankan Govt may provide a similar service. In addition, some Travel Agents may be able to assist. The eVisas are generally an online application and payment that are quickly approved. Some need to be printed and affixed to your passport, while others are provided to the border authorities for your arrival.

Unfortunately, some countries still require personal visits to their Embassy, to apply for, and then return a few days later to collect your passport and Visa. If you require a number of these Visas, it can be very time consuming.

On 5/5/2024 at 3:05 AM, jasper15 said:

Hi, My husband and I are Australian.

 

A couple of days ago we booked a 16 night NCL cruise in June 2025 from Hawaii to Alaska, ending in Vancouver on June 20th. Today I booked another cruise with Princess from Vancouver on June 21st 2025 to Anchorage.

 

I have since read some posts about the Jones Act/Canada Act and now I'm not sure if these two sailings are permitted? 

 

Could someone please assist?

I do not use a TA, I have booked these cruises directly with the respective cruise lines.

 

Thank you 🙂

If you were boarding in Hawaii and disembarking from the same ship in Whittier, the US PVSA would be applicable. Unless you stopped at a distant foreign port, you would be in violation of the Act. Unfortunately, no ports on your itinerary meet this requirement.

However, you are sailing on 2 separate ships and cruise lines. Cruise # 1 is Hawaii to Vancouver, so is an International voyage, therefore the US Cabotage Act does not apply. Your 2nd cruise is on a different ship, boarding in Vancouver and disembarking in Whittier. This is also an International voyage, so the Canadian Cabotage Act does not apply.

Enjoy both of your cruises.

13 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Andy, help me out here.  I can't remember enough about the DPA communication tree as to whether or not it is the Master's responsibility or the DPA's to notify local national maritime authorities of an incident (short of a Mayday, as you say).  I seem to think that it falls to the DPA to notify coast guard, as the Master is busy dealing with the emergency.

It may vary by company, especially now with many cruise lines and large ferry operations having  a 24/7 operations centre.

Back in my day (pre-Ops Centre) once I Tx a "Mayday" the Coast Radio Station/Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) contacted the vessel directly requesting details of the situation and any assistance required. As Master, I would also call the DPA, who would activate the shore response and liaise with the Coast Guard. 

All ship/shore radio communications were with RCC, not the Coast Guard.

Once resolved, if it was a reportable incident, as per the Shipping Casualty Reporting Regulations, I had 24 hrs to make a verbal report to a Coast Radio Station and then complete a written report on the prescribed form.

On 5/3/2024 at 4:11 AM, K32682 said:

As long I get off the boat safely I could not care less when or if the captain does. 

The Costa Concordia incident sadly proves the negative issues with your expectations.

Had the incident been effectively managed the vessel would have been safely beached or all pax and crew safely evacuated by survival craft. Due to the incompetence of the person masquerading as the vessel's Master, who departed the vessel early, a number of people sadly lost their lives.

If you were aboard that vessel, you may have been one of the lucky pax that got into a survival craft or entered the water. However, you could just as easily have been one of the ones that perished. If the vessel had a competent Master, there should not have been any requirement for any crew or pax to enter the water. They should all have been safely evacuated by survival craft.

Personally, when I am aboard a vessel, I prefer a competent Master that will effectively manage any emergency situation. In the unlikely event of an "Abandon Ship" order being required, the pax have a significantly higher chance of being safely evacuated when the Master oversees the operation from the Bridge and is one of the last, if not the last person off the ship.

Don't forget, a ship is a hierarchical command structure and when you remove the "Leader" the subordinates may flounder. This is more common in a well drilled emergency situation, where crew perform as they trained in drills. Therefore, every pax should prefer the Master to be aboard until every pax is evacuated.

8 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

I wish we had that process when I was OOW.  I did it once, as 2/O and it was not appreciated! It sort of puts you off being a responsible officer. In the latter stages however, as Masters became younger and more forward looking things started to change, especially with regard to lifeboat drills.

The culture shift into Bridge Resource Management was a process that really interested me, so I bought into it fairly early. Overall, as a Master it made my job easier, as the officers were more alert and motivated.

Having been brought up in the P&O system on their cruise ships, in my experience, nobody questioned the Captain. On SS Oriana, I recall one day walking along a pax alleyway and noted the Captain coming the opposite direction. He didn't miss a step, barreled down the middle of the alleyway and never even acknowledged the lowly Cadet, who had to dive into an alcove. On the Bridge, Junior Officers and Cadets were to be seen but not heard.

The marine industry Bridge Resource Management (BRM) was taken from the airline industry CRM, which was developed after the Pan-Am/KLM runway disaster in Tenerife. My first knowledge of the marine BRM was from Princess/P&O/Cunard in early 2000's. I still knew a number of the Masters and then our son joined Princess in 2002, as a Deck Cadet. I was provided a copy of their latest Bridge Team Command and Control (BTCC) draft.

When I assumed the management of one of the company's largest vessels, I discussed the BTCC with my 3 Masters, and they were all happy to give it a try. I slowly introduced the BTCC program and it worked well. It included closed-loop communications, eliminated the potential for single person errors, encouraged the Master to oversee navigation and dockings and created an environment, where even the ratings could respectfully question the officers or Master.

The company then bought into the process and hired a British company, who also worked for P&O/Princess. We received Human Factors and Risk Management training, which confirmed and expanded the knowledge I had received from extensive research.

I was then tasked by the VP Ops to develop new Level 2 ISM Deck Operations procedures incorporating the latest BRM standards. I completed this project just before I retired, but note it is still in use, 12 years later.

From my first command in 1985 to when I retired in 2012, the culture change was enormous. In 1985 I personally docked the ship 16 times per day. In 2012, when I relieved as Master for a shift, I never did a docking or departure. All ship handling was completed by the Deck Officers, some who needed no mentoring and others that needed considerable mentoring.

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Thank you. I would assume taking command away from the master would first be considered a mutiny, but at some point when it became obvious that the necessary procedures were not being done to ensure the safety of the passengers, the crew, and the ship, it would be seen as something that had to be done.

With the detailed procedures in the Safety Management System, it is certainly easier to determine that the Master is in non-compliance. Although many decisions are still highly subjective, when 3 compartments are compromised on a 2-compartment vessel, the vessel must be beached or it will sink.

Therefore, the Master must take the required actions to ensure pax and crew safety. First and foremost this would be calling all pax to the Assembly Stations, where preparations can commence for abandoning the vessel.

The Staff Captain should review the SMS requirements with the Master, and suggest the correct actions. If the Master is unable/unwilling to act, then the Staff Captain should act.

Yes, it is a tough situation, especially with Costa, who allegedly had not bought into the Bridge Resource Management procedures used by other Carnival Brands. Back in my days as a Chief Officer, I had 2 issues where the Master was unsure of the waters departing a shipyard. Both Masters accepted my more recent experience and willingly accepted my suggestions.

11 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

And, if I read the regulation correctly, there can be no competent Canadian mariners available before they can issue certificates to foreigners.

That is also my understanding.

On 5/3/2024 at 8:06 AM, grabowcp said:

 

That BC Ferries hires international workers suggests to me that they can indeed work in cabotage trade: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/bc-ferries-hires-hundreds-in-effort-to-prevent-sailing-cancellations-5364042

 

That's really interesting about MSC-chartered commercial ships engaging in coastwise commerce. Which, unless military cargo has a special exemption, would seem like a violation. 

You may want to consider the age of the article you quoted, as Mark Collins was fired by BC Ferries almost 2 years ago - cant remember the exact month, but recall early summer 2022.

As I posted earlier today, Transport Canada has eased the requirements for some foreign CoC holders to acquire a Canadian CoC, but foreign CoC's still cannot work on Canadian tonnage. They have also reduced the citizenship requirements from landed immigrant to a work permit.

However, Mark Collins didn't discuss the BC Ferries familiarisation requirements, which to the best of my knowledge, have not changed and are quite onerous. The HR department can hire them, but operations may not deem them suitable for vessel operations.

Since BC Ferries sailings are still being cancelled due to lack of crew, I'll suggest the Mark Collins statement was no more than PR propoganda.

On 5/3/2024 at 4:42 AM, grabowcp said:

 

Not sure about Canada, but US coastal waters are already filled with internationally-flagged vessels. They operate all along our coasts and even inland waterways such as the Lower Mississippi and Columbia Rivers. They also go from one US port to another, dropping off imports or picking up cargo for export. US cabotage laws prohibit what these vessels can do (e.g. transport people and cargo between US ports), not where they can go. 

 

Also, I believe Canada has a program that allows some foreign mariners to sail on Canadian-flagged vessels engaged in cabotage trade: https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/filipino-seafarers-can-now-seek-canadian-recognition-their-stcw-certificates-ssb-no-04-2023

Yes, foreign-flagged tonnage sail in coastal waters, as permitted by UNCLOS, but they all have local coastal pilots aboard the vessel when the route is more challenging.

Foreign certificates of competency are NOT permitted aboard a Canadian flagged vessel. Until recently, Transport Canada did not recognise any foreign CoC and required those with foreign certificates to acquire a Canadian CoC.

To address the mariner shortage, Transport Canada are now simplifying the process of acquiring a Canadian CoC.

Our son is a classic example. As a dual citizen of Canada and UK, he opted for the vastly superior UK FG Master CoC. This permits him to sail worldwide on any tonnage, but even as a Canadian citizen, he cannot sail on a Canadian flagged vessel. Until recently, he would have to take all of the exams to acquire a Canadian certificate. Now they are reducing the number of exams required.

On 5/3/2024 at 5:10 AM, wcook said:

Im guessing you (or bridge officer) would have also called the coast guard. One of the craziest parts of the story is that the coast guard only became involved when one of the passengers was on the phone with her mom, told her mom what was happening, and the mom called the coast guard. The coast guard contacts the ship and the officers lie to the coast guard and say everything is under control. The coast guard didn’t quite believe them so sent a nearby ship to take a look. 

Once it was confirmed more than 2 compartments were compromised, the Master should have issued a "Mayday", at which time a Coast Radio Station would have responded to determine the assistance required.

On 5/3/2024 at 4:44 AM, ontheweb said:

My question for @Heidi13 and @chengkp75 ---if there is an obvious dereliction of duty by the captain such as happened with the Costa Concordia is there any other officer who at that point can take charge and order a muster and eventually an abandon ship order?

In the event the Master is unable to command, the Staff Captain assumes Command. Another consideration is that although ships retain a hierarchical structure, modern Bridge Team Command & Control procedures encourage all officers to question any decision, if they are unsure.

Unfortunately, at the time of the Concordia incident, I do not believe the Costa Bridge Teams had bought into the Bridge Resource Management procedures developed by, and in use on the P&O/Princess/Cunard ships.

Even if junior officers were not comfortable questioning the Master, the Staff Captain most certainly should have. When aware the hull was compromised and the Master did not sound the GES, I would have expected the Staff Captain and Senior Bridge Watchkeepers to at least provide suggestions on mustering pax at the Assembly Stations. When advised 3 compartments were compromised, the Staff Captain and Senior Bridge Watchkeepers should have been increasingly insistent on both mustering pax and transmitting a "Mayday".

If no safe beaching location was identified and 3 compartments were holed, the Staff Captain would be well within his professional responsibilities to assume Command, if the Master was clearly not providing the required leadership.

On 4/30/2024 at 9:19 AM, DAG68 said:

Trying to decide between our FIRST Alaska Cruise for late May 2025 whether to cruise on Caribbean Sea or Viking Sea ?

We know we want to do Southbound but are curious as to recommendations on either ship pros and cons.

There is a large cost difference and the passenger capacity between both is significant!!

Appreciate any information to help us.

I used to work for Princess, having completed 2 Alaska seasons as navigator. However, you could not pay me now to suffer a Princess Cruise, since the standards have significantly eroded. However, you are not comparing apples to apples, as Princess is a mega ship mainstream cruise line, while Viking is a smaller vessel premium cruise line.

May I suggest you to need to determine your preferences for cruising, by developing a Statement of Requirements, and then conduct some research on which cruise line and itinerary best meets your needs.

On 4/28/2024 at 8:32 PM, thermal said:

I just finished reading about the Costa Concordia incident, and that the Captain is in jail.  My understanding is that he fell into a lifeboat and subsequently abandoned ship. 
 

On the other hand, I would find it hard to believe that in modern times the captain is expected to go down with the ship like in Titanic (please correct me if I’m wrong).  
 

So when is it appropriate for the captain to abandon ship?  Some kind of middle ground?  

There is no Maritime Law that expects the Master to go down with the vessel. In fact, the Master is responsible and accountable for the safety of the vessel, cargo and the entire ship's compliment, which includes the Master.

Being in overall Command and Control, the Master has a number of Senior Officers and Managers who manage individual components of the emergency response. Unless the Bridge is compromised, the best location for the Master is the Bridge. During an emergency, the Master is still responsible for navigating the vessel and collision avoidance. Tough tasks to perform from a position where you could "Fall" into a survival craft (lifeboat).

The Master has officers and ratings on the Bridge to assist with internal/external communications and propulsion control/navigation. He/she has other officers in charge of engineering, emergency response, preparing survival craft, mustering pax, etc. This is best accomplished from the Bridge, which has excellent communications, both internal and external.

Once the Master determines the situation warrants the mustering of pax to the Assembly Stations, he/she orders sounding the General Emergency Signal ( at least 7 short + 1 prolonged ring on the General Alarm). In the Concordia incident, I would have done this immediately after the grounding. If not already sounded, it SHOULD have been sounded immediately after the Master was advised of 3 compartments breeched. At that point the Master should have been looking for a safe area to beach the vessel.

With 4 compartments breached, if a safe beaching area was not available, it would have been prudent to immediately order the orderly movement of pax from the Assembly Stations to the Survival Craft. At that point, I would have issued the order to Abandon Ship, after discussing the situation with the Chief Engineer, to determine the resources he/she required to manage the flooding and resultant issues. All other crew would be released from Emergency Stations to Abandon Ship Stations.

At this point, the Master should remain on the Bridge, managing the evacuation through the designated Officers and Managers. The Master receives information regarding the status of mustering pax and crew members, so would be aware of any unaccounted for, and efforts being taken to locate. Once all pax are evacuated, they would commence with the remaining crew members, using any remaining lifeboats and liferafts. The Bridge should receive updated counts of those evacuated off the vessel.

As the evacuation of all less essential crew is complete, the Master would then have a call with the Chief Engineer to evacuate the machinery spaces and get all remaining crew to the liferafts. The Master may remain aboard with key Deck & Engineering Officers, if they have a reasonable chance of saving the vessel, otherwise the Master will be in the last raft with the logbook and other key documents.

On 4/29/2024 at 1:17 AM, Donald said:

Easy answer. The Captain (overall in command and completely responsible), and the Hotel Manager (responsible for evacuating all crew and pax) wait until all crew and pax are accounted for and evacuated.

Then they can leave the ship on one of the final boats or rafts.

 

On the Costa Concordia, three officers received prison sentences. The Hotel Manager received the longest sentence.

Only the Captain - or someone designated by him - can signal Abandon Ship. Under International Law, nobody can abandon ship until the Captain makes that command. On Concordia, everyone was waiting for the Captain to make the Command - but he was not onboard. The Hotel Manager was managing the evacuation, but could not send pax to the boats without the Masters Command.

When pax tried to go to the boats, the Hotel Manager sent them back to their cabins to wait for the Abandon Ship Command that never came. Those pax died in their cabins.

Yes, the Captain is clearly in overall command, but the Purser/Hotel Manager is not responsible for the evacuation of the crew and pax. The Purser/Hotel Manager directs the hotel crew responsible for mustering the pax, following the orders of the Master. In the event of an evacuation, the Survival Craft Stations are managed by an Officer, most likely a Deck Officer, but could be an Engineering Officer.

BTW - there is NO signal for abandon ship, it is a verbal command issued by the Master, or his/her designate. The Master will only issue the Abandon Ship Order, when the risk of remaining aboard the vessel exceeds the risk of abandoning the vessel. Lets also not forget, more people have been killed/seriously injured by Survival Craft than have been saved by them.

The biggest issue on Concordia, was the Master did not sound the General Emergency Signal to muster pax at the Assembly Stations, immediately after the grounding and especially after being advised the hull was breached.

On 5/1/2024 at 1:56 PM, HALrunner said:

Can anyone play devil's advocate for me as to why the PVSA/Jones Act should not be repealed? Does it provide any benefits to anyone involved? It seems like the cruise lines and fellow cruisers are only harmed by this antiquated law, I'm just wondering why it hasn't been repealed yet.

Further to the exceptional posts from our resident Chief Engineer, while not an American, I can provide examples from serving as a Master on Cabotage tonnage in Canadian Waters. Yes, we have similar Acts, as do most maritime nations.

As a Senior Master for many years, I have been provided hundreds of candidates to familiarise with the vessel and route navigation. All candidates had valid certificates of competency and were cleared to sail on any foreign-flagged vessel, up to the rank of their certification.

I have experienced numerous foreign-going Masters with many years of command experience, who I wouldn't even consider as my most junior officer - 3rd Officer. I recall a ULCC Master, who could not adapt to coastal navigation, as every time he saw another vessel he wanted to slow down. This was in waters over 1 mile wide, which we considered open ocean. If he could have been retrained, it would have taken many, many years, before he could be left on the Bridge alone as a junior watchkeeper. This individual could never accept our routine of navigating a narrow channel with 2 ninety degree turns and high tides at 20 kts. We did this 8 times per day.

All of my many rejects are operating FoC ships. Without the Cabotage Acts, these officers and Masters could be operating ships sailing in local coastal waters and harbours.

Are you prepared to accept the significant increase in accidents and the resultant coastal pollution to eliminate the Cabotage Acts. Based on my 30 + years sailing these waters, I most certainly am not in favour. 

3 hours ago, longterm said:

We will be arriving at Rosyth on July 14th on the BIE cruise. I have a question for the knowledgeable sailors on here:

 

According to Apple Maps, Rosyth dockyard is 30 minutes from the royal yacht Britannia. Two questions:

 

1. ls the Rosyth dockyard where Viking will most likely dock the ship, if the itinerary says Rosyth, or will we be farther away? 

 

2. Is it reasonable to assume that we can make the 15-mile journey from the Royal yacht to the Viking ship in a half hour, on a Sunday in Edinburgh?

 

Our ship departs at 5 PM, and I am trying to work out a safe schedule.

 

 Thanks!

In Rosyth, the ships docks on the north shore, after passing underneath both Forth Road Bridges and the Railway Bridge. The berth is just before the lock entrance to the basin.

If you are hiring a car, you should be able to drive to the RY at Leith in 1/2 hr. While I have driven the road many times, I have never looked for parking, so will need to rely on one of the locals to assist with availability of parking.

Rosyth has a train station at the north end of town, but it isn't on the main Aberdeen to London line, so I have no idea how many trains head to Edinburgh Waverly. North and South Queensferry are both on the mainline, so I expect have more trains stopping. I suggest checking the Network Rail site and checking which station has service when you want to head into Edinburgh. A taxi from the port to the station would be your best best, unless Viking has a shuttle. North Queensferry is closer, but the mainline express trains rarely stop there, probably only the local trains.

From Edinburgh Waverly Station, you can get a city bus outside the station down to Leith, which stops at the Royal Yacht. Depending on connections, should take 35 - 45 mins.

On 4/28/2024 at 11:21 AM, FetaCheese said:

@Heidi13

@chengkp75

Oceania Vista experienced a power outage 1 or 2 days ago, restored to 90% soon after.

 

Post is up thread.  They would like you to comment, if possible.

 

Ship is only about 1 year old.

 

Thank you.

Apologies for the delayed response.

Just read the post. With respect to the alarms sounded, I am not aware of the crew signals used by Oceania. Therefore, unable to comment on the 3 or 4 activations of the crew alarm, especially as it didn't specify short or prolonged. The sounding of the whistle is unusual, as that is most commonly used for manoeuvring signals and man overboard. However, as should be promulgated in the embarkation drill, pax should not be concerned with any of the crew signals, only the General Emergency Signal, which is at least 7 short rings followed by a prolonged ring. 

Without further information it would be impossible to speculate as the the reason for a power outage, especially without knowing the entire scope. Was it a total blackout or brown out? Since it was resolved quickly, I suspect it wasn't propulsion related and probably as the Captain mentioned, a failure in a single distribution panel.

On 4/17/2024 at 5:45 PM, Ninato8 said:

Are the medical facilities equipped with cardio version equipment. 

It can vary by cruise line, as in addition to having the equipment the ship's doctor must be qualified in giving the required sedation and using the equipment. However, most ships I have sailed, the medical centre has the shock machine, pads and the doctor was qualified.

11 hours ago, fellowtraveller said:

Those of us who are neither US nor European citizens face never ending visa issues,Cruise companies are no help and just say refer to Consulates, firstly  getting hold of anyone is near impossible and their answer is always the same  ‘“get a visa “

whilst prior to a cruise the Cruise Companies claim to know nothing yet at check in the ship knows very well what is required..I would seriously caution anyone taking repositioning or multiple country cruises,should consider the cost and hassle of these  endless visa issues for those that need them,

I wonder how long it will be before companies realize the huge market worldwide that is deterred from taking  cruises because of visa issues and start to help and simplify the problems, maybe start excluding counties and ports that are unable to be helpful.

Having both a Canadian & UK passports, I have experienced a multitude of Visa issues when booking World Cruises, or cruises in Asia, South America etc. Therefore, Visas are not just an issue for non Americans/Europeans.

You also need to consult your cruise contract, as every cruise line I have sailed with includes a clause that the onus to provide all required documentation is the sole responsibility of each pax. This sheds the liability from the cruise line, as having a vessel refused entry into a port due to Visa issues is extremely expensive. This is the primary reason liability of transferred to the pax. Cruise lines could make money providing a Visa service, but they could quickly lose more, in the event of an error.

In researching Visas, I use the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website and the Canadian equivalent. They maintain a database of every country in the World, which is updated on a regular basis. These websites advise what, if any, Visa is required and any limitations. I then pick the passport which has the most favourable requirements. In addition, they provide extensive additional information relevant to tourists.

You may want to check your Govt's website to determine if they provide a similar service. The other option is contracting with a Visa procurement company, but they can be very expensive, and you still retain the liability of ensuring your documentation is correct prior to embarkation.

4 hours ago, JanR said:

Sorry I did not see this until now.  

 

I would humbly suggest that while we all can have different opinions based upon our own personal experiences, it is probably ill-advised to attribute the differences in these opinions based upon your perceived sense of "higher expectations."  

 

Fortunately, I am not offended as I know what my expectations of food are as we regularly seek out cuisine from all sorts of venues whether it is the hawker centers in Singapore, curry stands in India, fish markets in Korea, or our regular hunt for Michelin-starred restaurants in each city we visit. 

 

So I think that the better explanation to why we might differ on the food of a particular cruise line is not due to your superior food taste (which I am sure is exquisite), but perhaps that we have had different experiences and it is the difference in these experiences that form our opinion.

 

Did I think that the MSC Poesia's food was at the top of cruise line food?  No.  Did I believe that the food on the MSC Preziosa was worthy of commendation?  Yes . . . especially in the Yacht Club-only restaurant.  

 

But likewise, we found that the food on our recent Viking Sky was far below that on the MSC Poesia--especially its buffet which I would rank as the worse I've experienced on any cruise ship since the Pandemic.  Likewise, I was greatly disappointed with the food we had on our Oceania Regatta cruise and was shocked to discover that I had better steaks on the Poesia than we had on the 24 days on a ship from a line that touted they had the "finest cuisine at sea."

 

With this said, do I believe that from my one sailing on Viking Ocean that their food will always be as miserable?  No.  Would I make the same condemnation of Oceania's food?  Absolutely not.  I am currently on the Oceania Vista and can attest that it is in the top 3 of cruises we've taken since the pandemic--as better than the Marina and Regent Splendor and just a bit below the Explora Journeys. 

 

Now, reasonable people can disagree on the ranking I put forward in my previous paragraph.  But I would chalk these differences upon solely to different experiences and would not be so bold to suggest that their food expectations might be lesser than my own.

 

My two cents . . .

Your mileage may vary . . . 

You are so correct that a single poor culinary experience may not be representative of the overall quality of the culinary experience due to the number of variables.

The cruise line's daily budget per pax is a major determining factor, but in our experience, the Executive Chef and Sous Chefs are also a major factor. On the same cruise where the Executive Chef changes in the middle of the cruise, we have seen the quality change, sometimes better, others not so much.

Therefore, a poor experience on a single cruise may not be reflective of the normal quality on the ship and certainly not the cruise line. With respect to Princess, we experienced their quality deteriorate for almost 40 yrs before we gave up and stopped sailing with them. It was a combination of menu planning reducing the daily cost/pax, cheaper victuals and on the last World Cruise a very poor Executive Chef.

16 hours ago, UWDawg said:

I'm told that at Coffee Chat this morning that the Captain announced a change in the navigational route for the Viking Sky.  We are changing course so that we cross the Prime Meridian at the same time we cross the Equator.  Apparently, there is a buoy in the middle of the ocean to mark that spot.  @Penspack tells me that buoy marks the location of "Null Island."

It is a weather buoy permanently moored at the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian. It is secured to the ocean bed by a long chain.