Atlantic Girl

It is so convenient and efficient go to a Service Canada office to get a passport renewal. Online application may be available in the fall, but when you go in person to Service Canada you know when you leave that your passport WILL be issued. Also you know your photo has been accepted and payment verified. We live in a very small town in Nova Scotia which has a Service Canada office, and no appointment is needed. From the day we went to the office it was just shy of 3 weeks until our passports came in the mail. This was January of this year. No stress wondering if it is going to be processed. Service Canada gives you a tracking number so you can check on the progress online.

This was for a new application. I agree why take a new set of fingerprints, but if they follow all other government protocols for identification, then I would suspect that everything would have to be new. Technology is constantly changing with regards to digital identification, and this may be the reason for new updated photos and fingerprints. Passports also need new photos, even for a renewal as do our provincial driver’s licenses. Perhaps someone who has completed the Nexus Renewal interview recently will post.

Probably doesn’t help with time needed at YYZ for the second portion of the interview but in Halifax recently it was about 15 minutes with the agent. I suspect that this is pretty standard amount of time needed to complete the interview as they have to review your application, and also take digital fingerprints. My husband was with another agent as I was doing my interview and we both took 15 minutes. Then the agent took us to the Nexus kiosk and we went through the process there. My husband came up green, meaning he was authorized and complete, but my fingerprints didn’t go through as fast and I got a red light,meaning not authorized as of yet. The agent said she would keep my file open until she saw that it was finalized. It took another couple of hours and then I got an email saying “your status has changed” . It was 30 minutes in total from when we entered the interview area. But we were the only ones waiting for the interview.

We went on our first Azamara cruise last December and loved it so much that we have booked several more. Unfortunately Azamara has consistently has had so many glitches in their new IT system that I have had to call our big box Travel Agency many times to intervene. Although I can get a different agent every time, it doesn’t affect their ability to fix the problems. Every agent has used the approach of all of us being on a conference call and resolving every issue together , while documenting every last detail for future reference. I could not ask for better service than I have received from this travel agency. The shop cards are such a bonus, especially since you can use them for online shopping.

Last year when in Europe we used our Bell roaming/day package and it cost us over $120. We had to really need data to turn it on. This year $18 and data on all the time, except when at sea. I love that you load the esim before you leave and when you land and turn airplane mode off, it automatically connects. Also you still have your Canadian cell provider accessible. The whole process is super simple.

I posted this on another thread about esims. Just got back from an Arctic Circle cruise with ports in Iceland and Greenland and used an European Airola esim for the cruise and a precruise Paris/Amsterdam stay. We had used an Airola esim in Caribbean and US last winter , and tried making phone calls from every port, all worked well. So we did the same this time, called back to Canada using wifi calling, and again calls were no problem. For around $18CDN, for a 2 week period, the convenience was invaluable. We walked all day in Paris and Amsterdam and being able to keep maps on, plus being able to actually research areas as we were walking through them, was why we will always buy an esim now. We do a lot of research for our travels, but being able to understand what we are seeing in real time is another level of enjoyment for us. We had 5G everywhere we were.

Just got back from an Arctic Circle cruise with ports in Iceland and Greenland and used an European Airola esim for the cruise and a precruise Paris/Amsterdam stay. We had used an Airola esim in Caribbean and US last winter , and tried making phone calls from every port, all worked well. So we did the same this time, called back to Canada using wifi calling, and again calls were no problem. For around $18CDN the convenience was invaluable. We walked all day in Paris and Amsterdam and being able to keep maps on, plus being able to actually research areas as we were walking through them, was why we will always buy an esim now. We do a lot of research for our travels, but being able to understand what we are seeing in real time is another level of enjoyment for us. We had 5G everywhere we were.

It was about 3 days for us when we booked through VT . This was a couple of weeks ago. As soon as I got the email from VT with the Hyatt reservation #, I could access my reservation on the Hyatt website. We booked 2 nights at the Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale Cruise Port for Dec 10-12, 2023. The room is a King Bed and the price was $129/night with additional taxes and fees of $16.77 for a total of $145.77/night. We pay at the hotel. First time using VT but very impressed so far, you sure can’t beat the location or the price.

Took my first winter trip with my “puffer” and now it’s a definite go item. Had a cloth shoe bag with a drawstring in my carryon and once I got to the plane , my jacket went into the bag and transformed itself into a pillow for the rest of the trip.

Flew from Halifax via Montreal to Fort Lauderdale 3 days ago, pleased to report that both flights were on time and luggage made it also. Busy in Montreal but used MPC and bypassed a long queue. We flew Air Canada and it is the first time since 2020 that flights were on time.

Have used Medoc for over 15 years on many different types of travel. Our claims have been for medical, trip cancellation, interruption, and delay. 100% of the time were they paid in full and as a bonus there is no deductible. A couple of times there was a back and forth over wether the expenses were eligible, but even those were all paid out eventually. As @Fouremcosays it even includes interprovincial travel coverage. Canadian provinces set their own individual health coverages for their residents and when you are not in your home province, you can incur some hefty medical bills. Case in point here in Nova Scotia, a woman residing in Ontario was visiting her parents in Nova Scotia. She needed an air ambulance to the largest hospital in Halifax. Free to us Nova Scotians, over $50,000 bill to her as a non resident. This would be covered by Medoc. For us who live in the small geographical area of the 4 Atlantic provinces, we are always travelling to another province, I wouldn’t be without Medoc.

In Florida any Publix ATM is also free for RBC debit cards.

We set up a US chequing account with RBC USA. With that came a US Visa card and US debit card. We also have a US savings account with RBC Canada. So easy, to transfer money from our Canadian US account to that one. On RBC banking online, the Canadian and US accounts can be linked. Buy US money when the exchange is better and keep it in our Canadian US account. Then we use our US Visa and US debit cards when travelling and just transfer money to the US chequing account when the Visa bill is due. No charge to get cash from many ATM’s when in the US for those occasions when you don’t want to pull out the Visa. Has worked great for us for 15 years of travelling.

I never noticed Private Journeys before either, but now you have me thinking. 🧐

From the Private Journey Facts: Yes, when you book a Private Journey with Celebrity Cruises, we guarantee that if your tour is delayed, the ship will wait for you. In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, and the ship cannot wait, we will make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at no expense to you.