CDNPolar

I fortunately am a few years from retirement and still have corporate/company travel insurance that covers me regardless of pre-existing conditions. HOWEVER, a year ago, I was faced with potentially leaving my company and started to shop around for medical insurance as we are regular travellers. At the time I started to shop around I was four months from a "heart scare" and on medications. Today thankfully, I am 99%. Because I was under 6 months "stable" and over 60, every online insurance quote that I approached first presented me with a medical questionnaire and then when I did that I would receive an on screen message saying that I need to contact the underwriters directly. I started to get discouraged if I would find medical insurance, and if I could if I could afford it. I get that you feel your husband is stable over two years, but the underwriters job is to look at the potential risk factors based on the sum total of medical conditions you have - diabetes, pace maker, medications, etc. - and what is the risk to the insurance company when you travel. Long story short. I had a lot of experience with Medipac as my Mother was a snowbird and used Medipac for over 17 years. I thought that this would be the company that would insure me. NO - they refused me insurance. I thought that this company insures so many Canadians going to Florida and Arizona, that they would be the one. NO. I had to fill out a massively long questionnaire and mail it in. The day came when the reply was in the mailbox and I felt like it was my admission letter to my preferred university! Oh, how I was disappointed and discouraged with their decline. The two companies that I landed on that WOULD insure me were: Manulife CAA You will have to go through a lengthy telephone question session with an underwriter, but they will eventually get to the premium and hopefully agree to insure you. My personal choice at this stage would be CAA, but I have not purchased insurance through them as yet. Be very careful about the "stable period" as this includes new medication start, dosage adjustment up or down of existing medication, stopping a medication, etc. You also have to be aware of a medical test that has been ordered or suggested on your medical file that has not taken place before you travel. This one is key too. This can be used to deny coverage. Basically, if you are not stable under all categories then you can still get insurance, but it will not cover you if there is an incident that relates to that condition. You are covered if you break your leg, or something else happens, but if it has to do with the stable period of the heart or diabetes, you may be out of luck. All this language in the policy is very confusing and can be different with each insurance company. You must be very careful answering their questions. You may not think it important to say that in the last 3 months the dosage or type of insulin has changed but it can be key. When it comes to health, policies are written to mislead you to think that you have coverage, but you may not.

Oh, oh... that was a typo missing the 2. We fly December 26th 2022. Haha...

We fly on December 6th. We are yet to see, but all indicators on US government sites accept Astra and mixed vaccines, so this is a glitch with the Delta site. Delta are still asking for upload of all these documents and proof, but in essence, it is not required for me to fly into the USA.

Somewhere on the thread you mentioned that your sailing did have positive covid cases? In another discussion here one member stated that last year Hurtigruten cancelled their Antarctica cruise because the previous cruise had 10 positive cases on board. In the end, did you know how many cases your sailing havd and how does Hurtigruten deal with Covid? Thanks!

Interesting scenario. I never really gave thought to that as a possibility. Hurtigruten are testing us in the hotel the night before leaving for Ushuaia, and indicated that a positive means you are not getting on the charter flight - or the cruise. A previous sailing that had a a semi-live thread on here did indicate that there were positive cases on board but never updated past that. We are still in very uncertain travel times. Being so many days away from full medical care, it does not surprise me if Hurtigruten assessed the risk based on the most recent sailings and decided to cancel.

As we are prepping for departure and packing, we want to ensure that we are within luggage size and weight limits. We are clear on 17lbs for carry on and 50 lbs for checked bag. What none of the Hurtigruten paperwork mentions is a "personal item" as well as the carry on. Has anyone experience with this? Are we allowed a personal item as well as the carry on?

Thanks so much for this information! We have been waiting a long time for this. We paid our deposit November 2020 and here we are more than 2 years later about to embark! Hope you continue to enjoy. Stay Safe!

Taking my own discussion off track... LOL... This is our first time on Hurtigruten and we are packing lighter than normal because we read that the expedition cruises are more casual overall. We will change from our daily landing clothes for dinner but not as "dressy" as we do on other cruises. When you say that laundry is reasonable and overnight - I assume that you mean that the laundry department does the laundry? Or are there self-serve laundry facilities available? Why we asked about boots is that we see many pictures like these below and they kind of encourage us that boots would be a good idea?

I know that Hurtigruten provide boots for landings, but: Do we need to bring our own winter boots for on the ship decks outside? Do we need to bring our own winter boots for kayaking or do we wear the ship supplied boots? Winter boots are heavy to pack and if we don't have to we don't want to. Thank you to the experienced ones on this forum!

Our first cruise with Viking was Empires of the Mediterranean and it was probably our best choice because it started our love for Viking. The variety of ports and cities really interested us and it did not disappoint. We also met what we consider life-long friends on this cruise, so, overall it was very special to us. We chose Athens to Venice and we flew direct to Athens and boarded the same day. You have one night in Athens and to us that was plenty. (Don't hate on me, but Athens was our least favourite port). We stayed three additional nights in Venice in a lovely little hidden gem hotel and that was the icing on the cake. We knew that Venice would be a stretch to get back to because there were so many other cities in Italy that we wanted to see in the future and why not see Venice while there. When we traveled, ships still docked in Venice and I don't see this as a negative now as that was the end of our cruise which means disembarkation day anyway. You don't get any tours or excursions with this port, so stay and explore on your own. Good luck with your planning.

I have many friends that say: "Oh my, I would never sail Viking because they are so expensive. I have looked at their cost and it is just too much." But for the friend or two that finally agreed to sit down and actually compare what they paid for AFTER the cruise fare that only included their stateroom, then they were amazed at how close the cost was sailing with Viking. It all depends on what you are looking for and how you perceive price vs. value. We have looked at Oceania vs. Viking, and we have looked at Uniworld vs. Viking and it gets complicated because it is not apples to apples - ever - in our opinion. Some of the things that Heidi13 has said, I never considered before as well. I think that the only way to start to compare is to only compare exact itineraries and then do so on a spreadsheet side by side. I have an Excel Spreadsheet that I have designed that I put all costs in to compare. Everything is included in this spreadsheet from our airport transportation to insurance to pre/post stays. The spreadsheet takes into account if there are additional fees to dine in specialty dining rooms, or for specialty coffees. In the end, we can afford to travel on some of these luxury lines, but we do our comparisons, and in some cases we have found HUGE difference with some cruises and we have found Viking to be better value. We have also found other cruises and lines to be better value too. We have also decided that some are virtually the same cost and therefore we choose Viking because we just like Viking very much.

Yep - that is what we will do. We know that we are compliant with all requirements - in fact, we do not have to prove vaccination to anyone before boarding the ship. It is just the frustration that we have to now go and have the paperwork validated by a person and cannot just drop our bags and go through security. However, because there is no requirement now, we may get to check in online and sail through anyway. Yes, we have had other situations where we had to show paper... again, just frustrating that one of us is pre-cleared - so to speak - and the other is not.

We have both had covid. We have supply of home test kits and have used them many times. The home test kits and antigen test kits are unreliable IMO. Most stats that I have read say that if the home antigen test is positive, you are positive, but a negative is only 50% accurate and you could still be positive. The RT-LAMP kits are $119.00 each, but have the same accuracy as the PCR test. We are willing to spend that because if we test positive before flying to Buenos Aires, then at least we preserve the value of the flights (Delta One) that we have. (No cancellation, no change fees). If we fly to BA, and then test positive then we cannot take the cruise, then insurance will only fly you home coach and we lose out... We have many friends that had symptoms, tested negative with Antigen for several days before finally testing positive.

Unfortunately Shoppers only offer Antigen in the time frame that we need the results. These RT-Lamp tests are the equivalent of PCR results in one hour. We are being shipped new tests direct from the manufacturer so all is good.

I am not suggesting that Switch Health is not a good company, as this is our first experience with them, but I want to post a caution on the expiry dates of the test kits that they sell. (Switch Health sells for Air Canada with an Aeroplan discount) We are leaving for Antarctica starting from YYZ on December 26th. The first night is in Buenos Aires in a hotel and the cruise line has instituted a PCR test that first night and if you are positive you do not continue next day to the ship. Vacation over. We decided that we would test ourselves before getting on the plane, so that if by chance we were positive we could still cancel (insurance covers this) and not even start the travel. Because of the travel date we need to test on December 25 or 26. Who is open? We found that Switch Health has many good options for testing in clinic or at home with video based tests. We decided on the Switch Health RT-LAMP home test kits and after calling they assured us that the video call that we need to make to validate this test is fully available both December 25 and 26. The RT-LAMP are supposed to be equivalent to a PCR result and you can do from home with an internet and video connection. The test kits arrived a couple days later at a cost of $268.94 for the two. I opened the shipping box and there was a very confusing paper insert explaining the expiry date of the kit and how they may appear expired but in actual fact they were still valid kits. The problem was that the pictures on the paper insert did not match the labeling and expiry date info on the kits I received. My kits clearly had an expired date on them. I called the number on the paper insert and I actually reached LUCIRA who is the manufacturer of the kits. The agent that I had reached - Mary - was amazing and after she had me peel Switch Health's expiry sticker off their original expiry, give her that information, then the LOT numbers and expiry on the pouches inside the kit itself, she informed me that what was important was the manufacture date of the kit which she did not have access to. She let me know that she would escalate this to manufacturing and if the kit was not valid they would ship replacements to us. Thank goodness we still have a few weeks before we need them. Next day - yesterday - email from LUCIRA and in fact the kits we have are not good and they are shipping replacements to us. The total CAD value of this trip, cruise hotel extensions, and airfare is about 28K and I was about to put that potential cost in the hands of an expired test kit that came from Switch Health. If you are going to use such a test kit, order early, and question the expiry if it is not clear. I will report all this to Switch Health once I receive the new test kits, and again, this is not a slam against them as a company, just a warning that someone is not watching their expiry dates well.

In a previous post, I was directed to contact a Canadian government agency that after about 6-8 weeks responded in email saying that they cannot help with Nexus. There is not a phone number that I can find to call. There are no appointments available as the centres are closed, except the one apparently open but that would take a full day for me to travel to and back. Not interested in doing that. My benefits are still there, so I will wait. What I don't understand is that if you want an in-person interview with me to renew my expired card, that has been expired for 2.5 years now, BUT you give me full benefits of the program in the meantime, what is the point of the interview now? For 2.5 years I have been actively travelling as a "Trusted Traveler" on an expired card.

When Viking list as demanding, from my experience listening to many port talks the day before, it often means: More extensive walking Standing still for periods without seating available Stairs / steps (more than a few) Cobblestones and uneven walking surfaces Many non North American destinations do not have the same provision of hand railings and accessibility that we might expect I have seen many guests on Viking not be able to physically complete a non-demanding tour. I know that I have not answered your direct question because I have not done this particular excursion, but until someone does, perhaps this will help somewhat.

Just keep on top of all requirements every couple of days before departure. Things can change overnight.

Interesting.... I have relied on the Air Canada Travel Hub for most of our travel throughout the pandemic. I used it as the first source then I would go to the country specific government sites. I did a test of YYZ to ATL in December and this is what the Air Canada Travel Hub tells me as a requirement for Canadians traveling to USA. Fully vaccinated travellers must complete the full course of COVID-19 vaccination for a maximum of 2 weeks before travelling to USA. The approved vaccines are 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of Convidecia (CanSinoBIO), Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.Travellers must be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and receive all doses in the primary vaccination schedule. A booster dose is not needed to meet this requirement.The US government currently accepts vaccines approved or authorized for emergency use by the US FDA and the WHO. Vaccines accepted are Pfizer-BioNTech (e.g., COMIRNATY/Tozinameran), AstraZeneca-Oxford (e.g., Covishield, Vaxzevria), Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, Sinopharm BIBP, Covaxin, Sinovac-CoronaVac, Convidecia (CanSinoBIO), Novavax/Covovax, and Medicago.Any combination of 2 doses of an FDA-approved/authorized or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 2-dose series is accepted. The second dose in a 2-dose heterologous series must have been received no earlier than 17 days (21 days with a 4-day grace period) after the first dose.For more information about accepted proof of COVID-19 vaccination, please check the source.Travellers unable to present a valid certificate may be required to comply with rules for unvaccinated travellers.

Hey - some of the airline sites do not line up with country requirements. We are flying Delta through ATL in December and I am fully vaxed with Moderna, but my husband's first dose was Astra Zeneca which was not originally accepted in the USA. (Originally, but now it is). Delta has rejected his upload of vaccination information because "one of the vaccine manufacturers is not from an accepted manufacturer". US entry requirements on a government site clearly states that Astra is accepted now but Delta does not see it that way. Just go by the government requirements - study them carefully - and ensure that you have ALL your paperwork with you when you go through US Customs.

I so anxiously read everyone's comments saying that they were approved and have hope that my status will change from Conditionally Approved to Approved. My Husband and I applied for renewal at the same time and he was approved online and I was not. I believe my only change was a change in employment, but that put me in the category to require an interview. I have been waiting in conditional now for over 2 years. I guess that I find it odd that IF they are truly working through backlog why they are not starting with oldest cases first, but then who knows how many are prior to me?

I am not trying to oppose you as I understand your investment and your desire to plan in advance, however this has been discussion in many threads of late... Many tour companies went under during the pandemic and those that survived, like all companies now are crying for staff. Viking may not be in a position to confirm any excursions as yet because of this fact. Every cruise ship in every port uses the same tour companies and so there is demand from more than just Viking. Again, I hear and feel your frustration and am not opposing how you do feel. I have a global position in staffing and every country around the world is crying for staff, and especially in tourism and hospitality.

Well, we have had OBC that could NOT be used before we boarded the ship. It depends on how and why you have the OBC. It is not one rule or situation. We called Viking and they told us our credit was ONLY available to be used once we boarded the ship. I am also an experienced Viking cruiser.

Usually, "on board credit" means that it is available for you only once you board the ship. I think to know for sure, you would have to email Viking or call them. I expect however that this can be used once you have embarked.

This goes back over a year ago. We did Panama on Viking December 2021 and Key West was still listed as a port however all excursions showed sold out on MVJ. We were only told a couple weeks before that Key West would be a sea day instead. This is Key West blocking cruise ships. My understanding was that originally Key West was blocking ships with more than 1000 passengers, and that would allow Viking to dock. Obviously something is still up with this. I do agree however that Viking SHOULD have something on the cruise description and itinerary that speaks to the fact that Key West will probably not happen.