Heidi13

Thanks, are they the new outfit resurrected from CMV.

HAL & Princess have the most Alaska experience and have the best overall experience.

There are only 4 adult only cruise lines I am aware of: - Viking Ocean/River/Expeditions (18+) - Virgin Voyages (18+) - P&O UK (18+) Note: Only Aurora & Arcadia are adult only - Saga Cruises (50+)

That sounds like poor seamanship, as something wasn't properly secured. Drydocking wouldn't help that issue.

Personally, when it comes to my health, I don't trust anyone but a professional medical doctor, especially one that specialises in travel medicine. I certainly wouldn't be talking to a customer service rep at a cruise line. Did the customer service rep ask what tours you are planning and any pre/post stays ashore, as they also impact any potential vaccinations you may require.

Sorry, but that wasn't a race. If it was a race all you would see was the stern of the QM2 disappearing over the horizon. She could make good double the speed of your ship in a storm.

On this itinerary you need to be accepting of the high probability of missing 1 or more ports due to weather issues. I expect, based on your research, you are also aware of the potential for severe weather in the northern reaches of the Norwegian Sea, North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. The days are also rather short.

Due to the difference in technology I believe that the sat domes are not required for Starlink. When using the IMARSAT geostationary sats, the ship locks onto a single satellite which is in orbit about 22,000 miles above sea level at the Equator. This provides a fixed point above the earth. Since the ship moves, the dish must be in gimbles to maintain the fixed point and also slew the azimuth, as the ship's head changes. This is similar to receiving satellite TV, where you have to aim the dish to maximise the signal. My understanding of Starlink is that it is similar to GPS, in that you receive signals from multiple sats concurrently, that are above the horizon. Therefore the dish is simply aimed up at the sky and not at a specific satellite, since they are not geo-stationary, as they move across the sky. Since the Starlink dish is not aimed at a fixed point, it does not require gimbles or a slewing mechanism. Our son uses Starlink on his boat, with a single receiver, and he positions it towards the sky with no obstructions. No aiming of the dish required.

As with all cruise pricing, they charge what they believe the market will bear and I'll suggest this cruise will not be overly popular. Don't know if your navy career involved navigation, so I will provide a brief summary of the most probable route. The shortest distance between 2 ports is a Great Circle, which starts on a NNE'ly heading from Miami and ends on a SE'ly heading on approach to the Western Approaches to the English Channel. This also tends to follow the prevailing currents - the Gulf Stream, which then becomes the North Atlantic Current. Therefore the shortest route takes you into fairly high Latitudes, which have the potential for inclement weather, especially in January. Weather forecasting and routing services provided to Masters have improved significantly, so the Master will have a number of routing options, especially given 10 days to make the transit. Alternative routes, based on weather could be a composite Great Circle, where they could Great Circle to New Foundland and then Rhumb Line across, or even take a more southerly route, but that steams against prevailing currents. In Europe, the northern regions and UK can be rather chilly, but with the influence of the ocean, are not as cold as comparable latitudes in North America. Once you get down to the Meddy, it can be very pleasant in January/Feb. If you were planning a few months in Europe, I would start around the Meddy, then move up through Spain, Portugal, France before heading to central and northern Europe.

Affirmative, the entire NW coast is getting hit with a succession of frontal depressions. A severe low is heading to the panhandle packing storm force winds.

Longest is 32 sea days from Bali to Gibraltar, as ports were closed.

You will find multiple 3rd party websites, but all are of questionable accuracy. Personally, I research the port's own website.

Our last China Visa in 2019, I did it myself, did not use a procurement company. Once you complete and submit the lengthy online application form they give you a date to turn up at the Visa processing centre. Our passports were with China for 5-days, although I could have paid more and got the back in 2 to 3 days. With respect to India, when we got those Visas it was all completed online, so no need to visit the Embassy. Although I read a few days ago that India are no longer issuing any Visas in Canada. For Egypt, I have always got the Visa on arrival, but am aware that has also changed.

As has been discussed many times regarding this subject, the cruise lines to not have access to the Criminal Record Database, so have no way of knowing that you are ineligible to enter Canada. Therefore, the cruise lines have no information to deny you boarding. On departure from the last US port, the ship sends the Crew/Pax Manifest to Canadian Border Services, who review prior to the ship arriving. When Canadian Border Service are concerned with specific individuals, the ship is requested to deny shore leave and may also be requested to have pax meet with Border Services. If you have a serious criminal conviction, such as Impaired Driving, you are ineligible to enter Canada, so are at the discretion of the Officer(s) reviewing the manifest and also those present if an interview is required. Your personal experience this time could be different to others and also any subsequent visits you make. If they request a meeting, you have 3 potential outcomes: - Being permitted ashore - Being denied shore leave - Being removed from the vessel in restraints and deported As per the previous reply, not going ashore is irrelevant, as you have already entered Canada by being aboard the ship.

When applying for the Chinese Visa you leave your passport and associated paperwork at the Visa Centre and they provide a date to pick it up. The amount of time is dictated by how much you pay. From memory, the basic service was 5-days and expedited could be had for a higher fee and faster turnaround.

CIBTVisa is one of many Visa procurement services that charge a healthy fee for getting Visa(s) for you. There is no requirement to use this company, or any of the others to acquire a Visa. Twenty years ago, when we got our first Chinese Visa, you queued outside the China Embassy in Vancouver before it opened and on entering they provided a number. If your number was called that day, you got to submit your passport and application, if your number wasn't called, you returned earlier the following day. The process was repeated for picking up your passport with Visa applied. Since I was still working, I did not have the time for this, so hiring a Visa procurement service definitely was worth it. Our last China Visa in 2019, we completed the extensive online application form and were provided a day to visit the Visa centre to complete the application. Total time in the office was about 1.5 hrs. We received a date for pick-up and time in office for pick-up was about 3/4 hr. Therefore, with the new system I don't see any point in paying a procurement service, as it is way more streamlined and less time consuming than years ago. Our Chinese Visa expiry date is tied to the validity of our passports. If you only got 3-years, I suspect that is when your current passport expires, as I received 8-years and DW got 10-yrs, as she had a new passport.

In chronological order - British India SN Co - Orient Lines - P&O Cruises (UK) - P&O Cruises (Australia) - Princess Cruises - RCCL - CMV - Viking Ocean Adding HAL in 2025

It is always best to review the actual port's schedule, if available online. Here is the Kai Tak schedule https://www.kaitakcruiseterminal.com.hk/schedule/2023-2/

Correct, cruise ships pay a significant premium for both making a reservation for a specific day and also a daylight transit. Even if the number of daily transits is reduced due to water levels, the cruise ships and liner service cargo ships with reservations and the ships that bid on the daily lottery, will still go through. The Canal has no wish to lose those additional extra fees. It is the cargo ships that have no reservation that are delayed.

I suspect you may be referring to the RCCL ship Rhapsody of the Sea, which was scheduled for a full season of Panama Canal cruises, with weekly transits. This was a new cruise, with no other cruise line that I am aware of scheduling weekly transits of the Canal. Back in the days when I sailed the Canal Shuttle from Acapulco to San Juan and back, we only went through the Canal every 2 weeks and had lots of other ports. Cruise ships pay a significant premium for reserving transits on a specific day and pay an additional surcharge to guarantee a daylight transit. Although RCCL never provided the operational reason for cancelling the Canal transits and switching to a Caribbean itinerary out of Colon, I suspect they crunched the numbers and realised the ROI was poor. A cruise ship transit, once all the additional fees are included can be $300 to $500K + per transit. The Canal likes the additional revenue received from cruise ships and box-boats operating on a liner service that also make reservations. They also have a daily lottery, with a cargo ships paying $2.4 million for the privilege of skipping the queue. That was above the regular fees of about 1/2 million. Yes, due to lower rainfall and lower water levels, the Canal has initiated a limiting maximum draft, which is higher than any cruise ship. You will also hear or read of queues of ships waiting for a transit, which is also something that isn't new. Most cargo ships don't operate on a liner service, so arrive at the Canal, register for the transit and then wait their turn. One of our new ships being delivered from the yard, waited over a week for the transit, and that was about 14 - 15 yrs ago, long before water levels were an actual issue. I don't expect any changes, as ship continue to transit the Canal daily, especially those the pay the additional fees for a reservation and daylight transit. I also note the Canal also charges additional fees to change and/or cancel a reservation. You also have to consider the Alaska ships are returning to the Caribbean, so based on the ship schedules, the Canal is the only option.

Couldn't agree that fares are so high, as Princess are now selling 7-day R/T Alaska for cheaper than they were when I started in 1979.

1 ship anchored in Juneau, I have seen as many as 3 anchored.

Essential health related items we bring will depend on both the length of cruise and the itinerary. Regardless of the length of cruise and itinerary, we obviously bring a supply of prescription meds, enough for the planned itinerary + a couple of weeks to a month. DW also has her first aid kit, which as a retired trauma RN is quite extensive. Will also have some basic over the counter meds. For a short cruise, of less than 30-40 days we will bring the above noted basic package, unless the itinerary dictates we need more. For World Cruises and Grand Voyages, we bring the above noted and a selection of broad spectrum anti-biotics and other prescription meds. How much we bring depends on the itinerary and ability to resupply during the voyage. On our 2015 World Cruise we stopped in Dubai, which has no requirement for prescriptions. We visited a local Chemist and DW chatted with the Pharmacist to determine the medications she wanted to replace.

It may control many announcements, but the main Bridge Control Station is required to over-ride all others. Announcements made from the main Bridge Control Station must be audible throughout the entire ship and will cut-out any P/A announcements from another control station, theatre audio, casino, piped music, etc. During an evening show, if the Bridge selects "All Zones" the show music/audio stops and the announcement is heard throughout the ship, including all cabins. During annual inspections, I have walked the ship many times with Flag/Class Inspectors proving this fact.

The PA system has numerous zones and an "All Zones" that can be selected on the control stations. Announcements to pax cabins are severely restricted to emergency and urgent content, usually requiring the Master's approval. Since the pax cabins zone is not normally selected for routine announcements, so are usually available from the alleyway and cabin TV channel. Routine announcements through pax cabins are extremely rare, as that is a career liming mistake by the responsible officer/purser.