CDNPolar

You can tell that I believe in insurance... I am sure that it will all work out for you. Ask any questions along the way.

My experience on River is not on lines with Butlers, there are probably some, but I am not aware, or have not looked at them. Viking for instance only offers room service for breakfast and only in the two suites. That's it, there is not room service on most river lines. Again, limited kitchens and staff.

Most all river cruises have the one seating and it is generally 7pm. You can arrive 10 or 15 minutes after others, but like I said, they serve the table and the food is prepared by course. Viking River would not like you coming in at 7:30 or later for sure. The appetizer service would be done and they would be on the main courses. The galleys of river ships are very small and the number of Chefs are limited. They don't have a galley that can produce on demand at any time. The resources are engaged with the course going out at the minute. Likewise, the serving crew are limited. You will see the same crew serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. River cruises are not set up for multiple seatings. Pretty much you sit for lunch and dinner at the same time. Breakfast is more open as you get those coming and going depending on their plans for the day. We are always first into the dining room for breakfast at 7am and we always have a table to ourselves for breakfast, but we are not lingering.

I don't think that you are nuts to consider a River Cruise, but there is not comparison in my experience to Ocean. We are Viking loyal and have been on both Viking Ocean and River. Viking Ocean are 930 guests but we always feel "space" on a Viking Ocean ship, and dining for 2 is abundantly available and never an issue. On River, the space is much more tightly packed. Only one dining venue (most ships and lines for the main dining room). One lounge for per and post dinner and if everyone is there it is tightly packed too. Generally one seating for dinner, and the courses tend to come for the table all at once. Not that you cannot take your time, but they tend to serve the table rather than the individual. So, if you are going to take more time the table will all be taking more time. Again, you are not nuts, you are doing the right thing to consider and read and look for the negative and not just the positive. Interestingly, given a choice I would choose Ocean, and my husband would choose River, but I will go on any cruise I am invited to go on...

Oh, and when? Do it sooner rather than later.

First, I am very sorry to hear of your situation and I hope that you speed through the list... Agree with @TheOldBear and if you have a legitimate medical reason ( I believe that you do ) then you get your medical doctors to agree that they advise you don't go, then you cancel for the medical reason and get all your money back except the cost of your insurance. Consider this: Most often, if you have a medical reason to cancel the CFAR is not an option, because most often the CFAR is underwritten by the cruise line, and they would rather the insurance to pay out. (Most CFAR gives you the option to CFAR, but is most often a credit for future cruise.) Whoever is underwriting the CFAR will ensure that you have exhausted the medical route first. I don't know Travelex and so don't know their program... is that connected to Carnival? Cancelling for medical reasons in your case should be fairly straight forward, but will require you to get doctors reports, etc. Call Ca

Thanks for the responses... this is what I am seeing and thinking... Hoping for someone who has flown Egypt Air that has taken wine on to post. I have found other sites where people talk about discretely pouring their own rum into coke from the miniature bottles, but I am not looking to go against any rules. I don't HAVE to have wine, but it is nice to relax and have a glass or two with the meal.

Hey... I did a search of CC to see if there were any previous discussions about Egypt Air and alcohol, but came up dry. No pun intended. I do understand and know that Egypt Air do not serve alcohol or wine on their flights, but I have heard conflicting stories that suggest that you can take a bottle of wine on board - that you bought in the airport duty free - and either have them serve it, or you can serve it to yourself? Anyone know? Even the Egypt Air site is unclear.

Happy to hear that you have your insurance now. Now, with CFAR, it is not always only available if you buy within 72 hours or some are 15 days, as there are policies available, but they can be expensive and they may only refund 50% with a "for any reason" claim. You absolutely could have taken the Princess insurance as a Canadian. There are some cruise lines that don't offer or sell insurance to Canadians, but Princess insurance is good for Canadians, but you still must read the policy language and understand fully what it covers and what it does not. Viking Cruises for instance, their Tripmate insurance is not available to Canadians. As far as medical evac, depending on where you are cruising and how far out to sea you are, the helicopter evacuation is not always available. We were 16 or so hours into the Drake Passage going to Antarctica, and the ship had to turn around and go all the way back to port to debark an ill passenger. However most medical coverages do have this option, or their promise is to get you to the closest medical facility that can and will deal with your medical situation. For Canadian insurers this is often get you back to Canada where the costs are much cheaper than on foreign soil, and especially if you are taken to a US hospital. If they can get you home to Canada they will. You will have lots of advice to sift through from Cruise Critic, but note where the advice is coming from because insurance has some distinct differences between Canadian and US providers. Our US friends on Cruise Critic are not giving you the wrong information, but it is true information for US policies, not necessarily for Canadian policies. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with Manulife in Canada. No, I don't get a commission for sending you there, but they do in my opinion have some of the best policies. Don't ever buy insurance based on who is the lowest price. Insurance is not about saving a few bucks, it is about protecting you in a time of need. We had to cancel a 14K trip last December very last minute based on a surprise medical situation that was not anticipated and actually quite a shock. The insurance we bought was through the tour company (this was not a cruise) and the cost was about $600 bucks CAD. We got every penny back. Best purchase we ever made. That refund did not even include airfare which we purchased separately, but we purchased fully refundable tickets. Take note of the questions above and start to add any additional you have while travelling and use those to start to build your knowledge. Cruise Critic is a great resource and @GeezerCouple is an extremely knowledgeable resource when it comes to insurance.

You are welcome Rita. Interesting, because I just a few days ago had this full discussion with a Viking Air Supervisor asking all these questions myself. I was kind of shocked when she said that in some countries or some situations that if you miss the embarkation port, that is it for you - you have to miss the entire cruise. She indicated that this is not common, but also not uncommon. Everyone just assumes that they can get to the next port, but that is not always the case based on immigration rules and laws country by country. I was shocked by this one. Fingers crossed, we generally fly in a day early, but we have one coming up in October that we are arriving the day of embarkation. We do however have a direct flight from Toronto to Barcelona and it is early morning arrival AND the next port is also Spain. Flying in the day before should be best practice, and moving forward it will be for us. It always has been, I am not sure how this one slipped by arriving the day of.... I think it was because we have been to Barcelona more than once before and did not feel the need to see more....

We have done many river cruises, but we are very sturdy on our feet and walking is our favourite exercise and we can do hours at a time. BUT we do see a lot of folks on river cruises that are not as able and this always pains me a bit because we have seen some get into difficulty as the walking continues, and then struggle to find a place to sit and sometimes even ask the guide if they can rest somewhere while the group carries on and the guide circle back at the end to bring them back to the ship. I think that the answers above are very good. Where a ship docks and how close to the city centre or market depends on many things. Last year because of high water levels we were docking sometimes 15 minute shuttle bus rides from the city centre. You can never know. Cobblestones can be everywhere. Like another said, you can have snow and ice. Could your wife take something like this? Might be a pain to fly with, and I would assume that it may have to be checked luggage, but could this help? At least she would always have her own seat to rest when she wants. Oh, and last winter the Christmas markets were elbow to elbow crowds. You were edging your way through the crowds, and there is lots to eat and drink, but very few - if any - places to sit.

Commission levels can vary widely and it depends on the TA relationship with Viking and their level of sales activity. My understanding is that Viking are not paying more than any other cruise line at the premium/luxury level, but they do protect their TA's because still 70% plus of their bookings come through TA's.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and welcome to cruising! Travel insurance is not that mind-boggling, you just need to know what you are insuring. Princess have a good package of insurance, but you still need to fully understand it to know what you are getting. May I ask what this means? "Still trying to navigate CAN"? You are posting as a Canadian resident - I think - but saying that American insurance is totally different? Is this what you are trying to navigate? The differences between Canadian and American insurance? Please don't be insulted by this statement, but sometimes insurance phone reps don't give the right answers because we are asking vague or complicated questions. Our questions need to be specific, very specific. You have a world of options but here in my opinion is what to consider as you are navigating the many options: 1) Age. If you are over 60 and definitely 65 most insurance options have a few health questions that you must answer and depending on your answer you may be moved to a more in-depth health questionnaire. 2) CFAR - do you want CFAR - cancel for any reason? That generally is ONLY available if you purchase within 72 hours or a specific number of days from the first booking date / deposit on your cruise. For example, Manulife (Canada) has a PPP or Premium Protection Plan that is so comprehensive for pre-existing medical and has an amazing cancel for any reason portion, but you can only purchase this if you are within 72 hours of your first booking date or deposit date. Call Manulife at 73 hours and this package is not available. 3) Do you need medical insurance? YES, you do, but do you have this through an existing work policy or your partners policy? If you already have travel medical, then you only need cancellation and interruption insurance. 4) Do you or your travelling companion have any pre-existing conditions which basically means are you taking any medication even for a stable condition? Do you have tests booked, waiting on results, had a medication change, stoppage, etc. These all determine your medical situation for medical insurance. 5) What is the total NON-REFUNDABLE portion of your entire trip - air, hotel pre or post, cruise fare. What is non-refundable. This is the amount you insure. If you buy air on your own, and say you are flying business class and the tickets are fully refundable, then don't include this in the price you are insuring otherwise you are paying a higher premium for money that the insurance company will never pay out. Insurance only pays for non-refundable portion of your trip. Same with hotels pre and post, if you are booking hotels that you pay at the property - which we do - or that are fully refundable a day before arrival date, don't include this in your trip cost. Personally I am not a fan of CC insurance as the primary insurance. We use it as a secondary to mop anything up that is left over. Definitely call in to insurance companies but ask for their policy PDF to read. Most companies - like Manulife - do have all their policies online, but they have many policies, so be sure that you are reading the rules for the specific plan such as Manulife All Inclusive Vs. Manylife PPP or Premium Protection Plan. The terms and coverages of these are so very different. We prefer to go big name insurance companies and our choice is Manulife. We have a friend that is an insurance broker and she has always said that they are the best to deal with when it comes to a claim. You can insure a minimum amount now - with your deposit paid - and then when you are about to make further payments or the final payment, you can up your insurance then. This way you are not paying a big chunk out 1 year in advance. With Manulife I believe that you must insure at least $1,000.00 to start and pay that premium and then add to the covered amount later and pay the increased premium then. This just secures the policy in place for you to hold any coverage like pre-existing conditions, or CFAR, etc. Biggest piece of advice I can give is know what you need or want covered, how much, then read the policy, then ask questions.

Looks like a great plan. Wish Rogers had something like this.

I agree with @Fouremco and would get in writing from the Documentation Centre that the Visa is not required to board the ship. I have always been under the understanding that even if you do not intend to disembark in a country that requires a Visa you still have to have the Visa. This would put significant responsibility on the ship to ensure that this passenger does not leave the ship while in port. I get that passenger cards can be flagged, but still, I would get that in writing on official letterhead so that when you check in you are not denied boarding.

Viking Air is very good, but they can only do so much and they cannot monitor every flight in every city and country around the world 24/7. You will be given an "emergency number" for Viking Air. We are only to use that while travelling using Viking Air. If you have a delay, cancellation, or any event that is going to impact you, you should call that number and inform Viking. Ensure that you have cell phone access, and email access at all times. Having a data plan or a roaming plan while you are travelling is highly recommended. If I understand you correctly, you are asking if you suffer a delay or cancellation and you miss embarkation, will Viking assist you to get to the next port? Yes, and No. Yes, they will try to, but you also must understand that depending on River vs. Ocean and if the next port or stop is a different country than your original embarkation, then there could be immigration challenges. You were pre-cleared to board the ship in country A not necessarily country B. I have heard of situations where the individual was blocked from embarking at the next port therefore missing the cruise altogether. This would constitute a trip interruption claim. Viking may well help you to book a flight to the next port and do what they can for immigration clearance to board the ship, BUT Viking is not going to do this at their cost. Viking is not responsible for the airlines delays or cancellations, even if you book through Viking Air. You would have to pay for this additional flight and then you would claim this on your trip interruption insurance. Hopefully you have trip cancellation and interruption insurance and this is an interruption. This is why you will read again and again, always fly in one day before embarkation.

Agree. Agree again. There is money there for sure, but like the first quote, in general Monaco is not that special. I had heard so much about Monaco and I felt so privileged to go there, but after being there, I honestly cannot say that I would recommend it to anyone. Nice on the other hand, beautiful city and definitely will go back there to spend more time.

Yep - clear your cabin by 8am. This is a must, and no negotiation on the time. If you are doing your own transportation from the ship, you should arrange with guest services what to do with your 'checked' luggage until you actually disembark the ship. They may give you a luggage tag and time to put out the night before and then it will be waiting in the cruise terminal for you when you finally disembark. If you have rolling carryon bags, or other bags with your essentials, valuables, and medications, you keep those with you, but they have to then be with you at breakfast. You can have a leisurely breakfast in the World Cafe - not sure that The Restaurant is open on turn around day for breakfast. They generally want all to leave the ship by 11am.

I guess that there are some of us that read those 26 pages and some that buy in good faith. I have learned that good faith does not always get you where you want to go. I agree that the insurance company will give you an interpretation that is not necessarily correct, which is why I double check that the call is being recorded, I get the reference number of the call, AND I will call back if I don't think the information I got was correct and ask a different agent. It is all a slippery slope, but I will persist until I have the answers that I feel are correct, and then I am satisfied.

I don't mean to offend anyone on CC with this post, but so many of the questions that come into this discussion forum would be taken care of by reading the policy. My first suggestion is that when you are considering insurance, you get the policy - the complete policy language, not just the highlights. This you should read and understand before paying for your policy. Create a list of questions that are important to you such as: Are my pre-existing conditions covered? What is the stability period for cancelation vs. a medical claim while travelling. These can be different. Is medical evac covered? Is there CFAR What are the actual reasons I can cancel that are covered by the policy. Same as above for interruption. How soon after I put my first deposit of make the booking do I have to purchase the insurance to be covered for pre-existing or CFAR? Can I insure only the deposit and then add insurance coverage as I make payments or the final payment? These are the types of questions that I look for answers in the policy language before buying. Then I call the insurance company for more information or to confirm my thoughts or suspicions. I have not yet bought a policy that I have not read every single word of the policy and I understand inside and out what I am covered for and where I am not covered. It is great to bring your questions here, but that will never - in my opinion - be a substitute for reading the policy.

The cruise line will generally take you from the hotel in line with the hotel checkout policy. Often 11am is the checkout, so the departure from the hotel will be about that time.

My company headquarters in Monaco. I was there for two weeks recently eating out every night and I did not wear a jacket. We were eating in "elegant" places and I was always business casual. One night we were going to a special event at the Monaco Yacht Club and I was advised to wear a jacket but I did not wear a tie. I was fine on all accounts. Personally I would email tellus@vikingcruises.com and ask. I am surprised that the shore excursion description did not say more about dress code, but I agree with above in not wearing a jacket for a walking tour before dinner. That's kind of crazy. Monaco is a "playground" and at the Yacht Club that night other events were going on and I saw the gowns and the tuxedos, but in general dining I did not see that.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I am going to comment on the inside vs. outside cabin first. If cost is a major factor, then I understand and go for the inside cabin. Personally I want to be able to look out at least a window when I wake to know what the weather is that morning. I want to be able to open a balcony door to know the temperature. We spend most of our "viewing" time on deck because then you have a 360 view, and your balcony may only be looking at water and not coastline, but we still want the balcony. Regarding the port stops, I don't know any cruise line that stops at ports that are not listed. I would suggest that the ports listed are the ports you will stop at.

Yes, for us, because we are in Ontario but don't live in Ottawa, we must go through Montreal. I would have considered driving to Ottawa, but not going to drive to Montreal. We will do the mail thing with prepaid, insurance, tracking, and whatever available.

My understanding is that you do have a cabin, and if Viking do oversell the ship, then they send an email offer for you to move to another sailing at a great deal, but this offer goes to many people, not just the GTY cabins. They will never - as I understand it - tell you that you don't have a cabin if you want to sail. The last GTY cabin we had booked on Viking was the going price for that cabin level. No discount. There is the hope that you will be upgraded when you have a GTY cabin, but no promise of that. We paid for what we got.