Oceans 818

8 hours ago, broberts said:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/pilot-project-at-canada-u-s-border-crossing-offers-hope-for-stalled-nexus-program-1.6163840

Thank you.

This article explains all the questions regarding Nexus appointments at the Landsdown, ON location. As it seemed odd they were booking appointments when none others were.

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

That was with our new card.  

That's just crazy!

5 hours ago, Josie201 said:

We renewed ours as well until 2027.  However, we have just returned from a cruise, flying out of YUL to FLL.  Our Nexus card would not work at the kiosk.  We had to see a US Border Services Officer who told us it was not in fact officially renewed and could not be without an interview.  She did a bunch of stuff in the computer and told us we were good to go.  However, on our return, we could not get the card to work at the kiosk, and again had to see a Canadian customs officer.  Luckily most of them are "nice" enough to recognize we have tried, and allowed us still to use the shorter Nexus line.

 

Was that trying to use the expired card? Or with your new card? An interview shouldn't be required after notification of acceptance. It took almost 5 weeks to get the new card after the approval went through.

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Thanks for your responses, but I am only thinking about purchasing cancellation and interruption insurance with NO medical attached.  I have medical through work that is a very good plan.

 

More so, my question is does anyone have experience with a claim to Blue Cross?  Especially interruption or cancellation?  My insurance broker tells me that they have a very poor claims payout timeframe and high frustration level for claimants.

 

Under the annual interruption and cancellation plan, you can have a year of coverage for unlimited trips up to 31 days for about $1000.00 (for the two of us based on age) but it only compensates up to $5,000.00 per person regardless the cost of the trip.

 

We are considering doing some land based tours over cruising in the next couple of years and we could do multiple that are under the 5K limit in a year.

 

This would be a considerable saving on cancellation and interruption insurance, but is the saving worth the hassle?

 

Our broker wants us to buy single trip cancel / interruption insurance through Manulife instead.  

Sorry, but in all our travels (touch wood) we've never had to use cancellation or interruption insurance. Manulife is generally way more expensive than other companies.

Unless you foresee an issue in your travels, I would go with the best coverage at the best price.

I have coverage through my credit card but on our last last cruise, I purchased additional insurance from Desjardine as BMO was having issues with covid coverage at that time. The year plan for two of us was only about $30 more than a single trip plan. I researched mulitply companies and read wayyyy too many policies, that had clauses buried in the fine print that wouldn't cover cruise ship interruption. That was after speaking to agents and specifying exactly what coverage I was looking for and being reassured the policy was good for that. One agent said she'd been selling that policy for several years and didn't know the clause existed. It was in the 54th clause near the end of dozens of pages of fine print. With covid many companies have reworded policies.

Blue Cross we've bought many times through the years.

A friend of ours spouse fell and hit her head on holiday. She was in a coma and their trip was interrupted and delayed. They had to put out over $50,000 in expenses for medical and travel. They were reinbursed later but their insurance didn't cover it until their return as they weren't contacted prior to initial treatment. Due to it being immediate emergency. The insurance company did assist with the arrangements for accomodations and return to Canada. Something to be aware of. Insurance companies are rarely willing to part with money easily.

3 hours ago, Mickey101 said:

I just got an appointment in Landsdowne, Ontario 10 November for an interview!  This is for my initial application that was conditionally approved six months ago! 

That's fortunate as the Nexus cite is still showing all Canadian locations as closed. Perhaps they all are going to be opening soon!

Just wanted to add and FYI. Many US phones are only useable on the network they are made for. IE: sprint or verizon, etc. Also, many of their phones don't have access to the different bands. IE: 1800, 1500. Something, I learned a couple years ago when looking to buy in the US and use here. Also, as others have said, if the phone is locked to a carrier, it won't work here.

If you happen to be lucky enough to live near the border, I'd just buy a prepaid sim for AT & T or T-mobile as that is the easiest and has options. If you can, Ultra Mobile has a tourist card, good for Canada-USA-Mexico good for 21 days. Data, text, calls $30 US. They also have a $19 US 30 day plan that's almost as good. Both are prepaid and include the sim card. AT & T is the most expensive, but it is also the only one that we never had any issue with at all, but it was $50 US for 30 days.

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Wow... thank you for that update.  Problem for me is that Detroit is a 4 hour drive plus crossing the border both ways.  It may have to be an overnight trip!  

 

Not important enough for me at this point.  Canada and the USA need to get the issues sorted with the Canadian sites.

My sister went there as she's the only one in her family that needed an interview and her 2 yr grace period was up. She had no issues crossing into the US but Canada gave her grief coming back as she's awaiting her passport as well. We turned it into a road trip and stopped in Windsor at a pizza place we love. Niagara Falls doesn't have any great pizza places!

Good luck with getting an interview relatively soon!

9 minutes ago, ctlyf said:

My apologies... the rates I was looking are the bank rates I believe. Banks and CC bump their rates so they profit. 

Yesterday they were showing $1.37 but they processed all my charges on the 30th and 31st! Or today at the higher rates. On the plus side one of my refunds actually was a little more than what I had paid 🙂  

On 10/16/2022 at 9:46 AM, CDNPolar said:

I am in the Toronto area and the only locations US based are Detroit and Niagara Falls, but when you go to the site and attempt to book, these sites do not have any appointments available.

 

I think we have to be content to wait...

Detroit, MI was showing some appointments tonight for Nov. 3 & 7th

On 2/1/2022 at 11:28 PM, son3cruisers said:

Any predictions on when they might open for interviews for new applicants? I understand it's just a guess, but we are new to this program. We unfortunately were late to the game and only applied last Nov. Waiting on interviews to open up.  I knew when we applied the wait for an interview could take many months but now two years behind??? Yikes. 

If you are near a border check the US side for openings in appointments. Many are not taking appointments. If you are near Detroit, MI there are a few openings on Nov 3/22

1 minute ago, ctlyf said:

Another reason to book earlier is foreign exchange. Unless you have USD already and are using it to pay for excursions, forecasts are for USD to cost $1.38 by the end of Dec and $1.44 in the next 12 months.

It's already costing $1.39-$1.42+ for the US dollar. I just checked my CC statement and that's what the rates been over the last couple weeks. It's been higher for the last couple months.

5 hours ago, MomIsTheBoss said:

I agree with the express pickup with proof of travel plans. My partner applied for his children’s passports in April for an August trip to Europe. It’s now November and he still doesn’t have the passports (mailed in)
 

My spouse's co-worker had the same issue with his 18 month old. Applied by mail in January for a mid June trip. Had to cancel but had trip insurance. 

On 10/28/2022 at 10:16 PM, kchobbs said:

Next question is in regards to all of the ports that we enter if we risk the chance of using her existing passport.  Will I have to look up the rules for each of the countries we enter to see if they have the 6 month rule in effect or if they are like the US and have different rules for those under 16? I have no problem getting a new passport for her but don't need the stress of it somehow getting bogged down in the system.

 

I would check to see if the passport office in Edmonton posts wait times or if you can book an appointment time.

Our son & his GF went to Georgia this summer and the GF needed her passport renewed. She is a procrastinator. She ended up taking a day off school (University) and waiting in line about an hour before the office opened and handed in her application with her original ID. She took a copy of the hotel booking with her to prove that she had travel plans. Which the Agent told her helped with the process.

She was going to pay extra for the expedited but the Agent told her she didn't need to as it should arrive with in 21 days. She was told that if it didn't arrive by a specific date to bring in her reciept and they could push it through so that she would get it in time. She had her new passport in 16 days.

Fill out the online application and take it to the office. If you do it online or mail it in, it could take months. Another option would be to contact Princess and ask them how strict the 6 month policy is. Went to Cuba last December with friends and one of them's passport was expiring mid March and it wasn't an issue.

Hope this helps

On 7/24/2022 at 7:59 PM, erber said:

I received an email from MSC discussing registration of credit card and debit card on board and it specifically mentions providing a PIN code.

 

We have  registered a credit card, not a debit card, on 2 other MSC cruises and do not recall ever having to provide a PIN code.  All cruises we have taken on MSC departed from the U.S. and went to Caribbean and Mexico. Does anyone know if a PIN code somehow is now required for such cruises when using a credit card, not a debit card. If so, we will call our credit card company and select a PIN code to go with our card. 

It may be they are actually asking for the security code off the back of the CC if you are registering online. I've never given my pin code to anyone. My bank doesn't ask for it when dealing with them. They actually tell you not to disclose it to them. I do however have to input a pin code for chip or swipe transactions. So it might be something that you would do to verify when using the card and not actually provide to them. Canadian credit cards require a pin verification for anything over a certain amount.

2 hours ago, zackarykeef said:

Hey, y’all!

 

Does anyone have photos of recent drink menus from the Seashore? Even better if from the champagne/wine bar! Last time we were on MSC, we had the premium package when it included anything you could possibly want to drink. Now that the premium package has a price limit, I’m interested to know what wines/champagnes are now included.
 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

We were offered a choice of Merlot or a Cab/Sauv for reds with our meals in the MDR. I did not care for either but my husband reallly liked the Merlot. Sorry but I couldn't tell you what they were. They do offer a discount on bottles of wine.

On 7/24/2022 at 8:45 AM, cruiseracer said:

Thanks to everyone who replied to my earlier thread concerning whether or not to sail with MSC. Excellent information was shared by knowledgeable folks. We've already completed the status match and are ready to begin choosing a sailing. We're an active middle-aged couple, experienced cruisers, who enjoy sunny, salty, sandy vacations. We (mostly she 😉) enjoys dressing up and enjoying the elegance of a nice ship. We have kids & grandkids that we spend much time with, however unless they're sailing with us, we tend to shy away from kid-filled cruises.

 

Balcony is a minimum-must for us and always enjoyed. A suite would be considered, however the value-added must be there for us to consider.

 

Looking to book an 8+ night cruise on either the Divina or Seashore. We live in Central Florida and Pt. Canaveral is an hour away while Miami is a few hours away. We enjoy sailing into & out of Miami, but hate getting & leaving there by car. (If that makes sense...) Really - either location works for us.  

 

Due to our location and similar itineraries to places that we enjoy - Divina or Seashore makes the most sense.

 

Which do you recommend and why? TIA...

Hi, we sailed Seashore out of Miami Apr. 23/22 with an inside cabin. On return we sailed May 1/22 on Divina out of Port Canaveral with a balcony. The Seashore is a state of the art smart ship and the inside cabin was very spacious and lots of storage space. The Divina balcony was a smaller cabin and less storage. Both ships had their own charms. The biggest difference for me was the buffet on the Seashore was a zoo and the MDR was nice and the food was delicious with excellent service. The Divina, MDR had excellent service, but the food was lacking in many areas but the buffet was preferable even for breakfast. Of note the menus were the same on each ship in the dining rooms.

We found driving in and around Miami to be a nightmare for both driver and passenger! We will use Canaveral in December.

9 hours ago, jscruise said:

Hello All,

 

I know that these questions have been somewhat beaten to death, but I have a theoretical testing question.  If I was leaving on a MSC Seashore on a Saturday and due to my travel arrangements, needed to test at 12:30 in the AM on Thursday, the test results would still be valid as I am within the two day window, correct?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

When we sailed in April they included with the embarkation that for the Saturday sailing, testing should be done on the Thursday. It gets a little confusing and the information isn't always clear with them. Seashore is a beutiful ship, enjoy!

On 6/10/2022 at 11:40 AM, 1kaper said:

it also depends on where you are from. 

I am from Canada, sailed out of US and I was required to get insurance.  Which they never even looked at. 
It is frustrating because I had insurance and confirmed it covered COVID 19.  But it considered Covid an illness, like anything else, and doesn't specifically say it is covered. 

Like you, they did not even look at ours.

Depending on the insurance company how it is worded. We found that making sure we had coverage for our April cruise out of Miami, it was hard to get the specified coverage for a reasonable cost. Many insurance companies have changed the wording of their policies since the lifting of the travel advisories. Covid is an illness, unless it is a pandemic, which is usually in the what is not covered, along with acts of war etc. 

MSC states in the requirements that US residents do not require additional insurace for sailing in the Caribbean.

5 hours ago, tmc057 said:

Thank you. I did see that post, that is now 6 months old, and was just wondering if that was still the case out of a different port. Stuff changes all the time & quickly. Anyone with a recent experience?

Hi, we sailed out of Port Canaveral (May) and Miami (April) and used Walgreen's and CVS for PCR and Antigen testing. As well we were able to get testing at the Port of Miami Terminal J with results before we left the parking garage. All were at no charge. If you go online and book your tests prior the hotel will print out your results for you. Or you can go to an Office Depot and get them printed in minutes for about a quarter. We had driven to Florida, so had a vehicle, but the Walgreen's was close to our hotel and could have walked there. The hotel printed our results for no charge. We plan to do the same for our December cruise if they are still required.

7 hours ago, marcfj said:

To put this too bed and help others, below is the email I received yesterday from MSC when I asked the same question regarding boarding in Miami in April:

I reached out to existing reservations and haven't heard back, but it's only been a little past a week.

The person (won't say customer service rep) I spoke to at MSC when I called to ask; told me that unless I was buying something, he couldn't help me as he doesn't know anything about anything but sales!

Thank you for posting your response from reservations. 

On 3/25/2022 at 2:30 PM, moore1987 said:

is this Rapid Testing free? at Walgreens?

I called the Walgreen's where we're planning to book the test and the pharmacist said it is free, but you have to book online for a time slot. I asked how much it would be for us, as we are Canadian and she said to use our hotel address and select for travel and it is still free, even for Canadians!

On 3/11/2022 at 3:05 PM, Robkat said:

From MSC's FAQ page ("Prepare for my Upcoming Cruise" section), the paragraph below indicates that a NAAT test is acceptable (such as Walgreen's rapid IDNow test) for US residents cruising out of a US port:

Tests must be taken with an accredited test provider, such as a drugstore chain, diagnostic lab, or accredited at-home telehealth provider. Guests will be required to show their negative test results upon arriving at the pier. The results can be printed out or can be presented on your phone, such as the email result from your test provider. Test results will need to clearly show the type of test (Antigen, RT-PCR, or NAAT), testing location/provider’s name, a negative result, the guest’s name, and the date and time the test was taken. Costs associated with this test are the guests' responsibility.
 

 

Thanks for posting this. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out where I'd read this recently. 

Before it was in the main info before they switched to 4/23/22 requirements. I had spokent to an agent and they said they were, but I wasn't 100% trusting as if wouldn't be the first time one of them was wrong! LOL

5 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Walgreens appointments open three days before your desired test date here in Florida.

 

And be careful, many of the Walgreens are cutting back on the days they will test and the hours (our local county Walgreens no longer test o the weekend).

Hi, just checked the Walgreen's we plan to use for our test in Florida and they are booking a week at a time as per the booking site. The only thing is that I'm not seeing any rapid antigen testing only PCR & IDNow (NAAT) testing. I did call MSC and the woman said she believed the NAAT are still acceptable, being molecular. They are FDA & CDC approved. The store said we'd have to book online and to use our address where we are staying to register and there'd be no charge (being Canadian). 

Of note to those booking more than one appointment; you will need a Walgreen's account for each person. I use the same cell to recieve text updates to keep track. I've also downloaded the app CommonPass and use it to show the test results as it's more concise than showing the printout. We've used Walgreens several times for returning to Canada, with no trouble and the resluts are usually less than an hour.

12 hours ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

So uuuh is this the test that goes waaaay up your nose or just the little bit up your nose?

If you do the drive thru at Walgreen's, you swab your own nose from inside your vehicle.

Some are asking about multiple appointments...When our appointments are back to back, they did both of us at the same time. If there is even one appointment between you, you have to come back at the later time.

There is an App called CommonPass that is available at the play or apple stores. If you download your results to your phone you can show them with the app and if is easier for them to read than showing them the download.

I'm happy to see that MSC is accepting the IDNOW as we've found it to be the easiest.

I spent 2 1/2 hours between hold and buying top up insurance with my BMO world elite Allianz Insurance Company. After a lengthy conversation as to the needing the policy to be specific in regards to covid coverage with potential quarrantine on the policy, I made my purchase.

An hour later the e-mailed policy came. After reading the letter accompaning the policy where it clearly stated due to the Oct.21/21 Do Not Travel advisory being in place, we would not be covered for anything covid or cruise related, as we'd be sailing against the advice of the government.

I called Allianz back and spent another 2 hours on hold to be told by the guy that "No, you will not be covered as there is still an advisory in place". I asked where he was getting this info as it isn't on the travel.gc.ca website, and I'd like to know exactly what the advisory is at this time. He couldn't answer my question and just said if it had been cancelled then they would have been notified.

I asked to speak to a supervisor, (one had been consulted by the agent selling me the policy, prior to my purchase). He told me none were available and would have one call me in a day or two.

I cancelled the policy as MSC will not let me on the ship with a letter stating I don't have coverage.

I then spent some time going over every link in the canada.ca and travel.gc.ca website. Called numerous #'s trying to find out who could answer the question on the level of; or if there is; travel advisory in place. I was told several times it was lifted on 2/28/22 when all the advisories were lifted and revised. CBSA finally told me it is Global Affairs and gave me a # to call. I did get an email back from THIA saying there is no longer an advisory in place. 

The stupid part is that if I want to purchase a covid policy on line, from Allianz, I can, now. They weren't offering them prior.

Today, I'm going to try one more time for clarification from the government and attempt to reach the insurance company again to see if they have updated. If I don't have any luck, we'll go with Blue Cross as it's another $100 more than Allanz and they appear to know what is going on!