twototravel

@t341 Luckily no. Glad you were not that sick as to be bed ridden. 

@wp bob Sorry to hear that. We wore our masks as well for the rest of the cruise, and then also on transport to airport and on the flight home. 

@GT38 Breakfast in the dining room opens at 7:30. There is an early riser breakfast with pastries, coffee, and maybe some other items starting at 6:30 in one or both of the lounges. If an excursion is due to leave before 8:30, they may open the dining room a bit earlier. The crew eats in the dining room before it's open to the passengers.

Would love to take the Bali to Singapore cruise on their new Ocean Odessey ship, but the price is just too darn high for both of us since we'd need to add business class air flights (we don't do economy anymore). For those that don't know, on their website under Ways To Save, there is a section with last minute cruise deals and some are unbelievable. If you can travel this summer, check them out.

Looks like the Havila line, at least the Castor, is up and running. 

Havila Castor ferry current location is at North East Atlantic Ocean (coordinates 70.24964 N / 21.21322 E) cruising at speed of 13.7 kn (25 kph/ 16 mph) en route to Kirkenes. The AIS position was reported 4 minutes ago.

@miklinga I was not on the Alaskan cruise, rather the Puget Sound cruise. Sorry.

We just completed our second ACL cruise. We enjoyed both. As others have mentioned, the ship is primarily US built, and all the crew are Americans. Cabins are much bigger than what you would get on the bigger ships without having to upgrade. The size is what is nice. I'm not interested in sailing with 3500+ of my not so close friends. Max on both our cruises was 175. Amenities, both food and entertainment, are great. The majority of passengers are a bit older, I'd say 65+. If you like the slower pace, but still want to see some of the USA, these cruises are perfect. As other cruiselines, they went thru a rough patch during covid and were slow to return to normal standards, but I think they have their groove back now. 

Our cruise ended on the 26th and we got our post cruise survey by email today, 28 April.

@Host Jazzbeau @Flyinby Thanks for the update. All good news.

@Flyinby Have you heard anything about the other ships, specifically Castor? I'm booked on that ship in Sept.

Back home from our cruise. Only 80 passengers and over 60 crew. Wonderful time. I've submitted a review here, but it's not posted yet.

We had a mid cruise survey a few days ago. Fully expect to receive the end cruise one once we are home.

Due to the federal ruling yesterday, ACL announced masks are not required, at least for now. 

We found out that this ship was recently renovated and it is beautiful. The cruise before us was actually cancelled because the Reno was not completed, so we are the first cruise of the season. We had the Eagle Society gathering yesterday. Snacks were chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Gift were greeting cards with scenes from the ports we go to on this cruise. They said cruisers in the past complained gifts had been too heavy for the flights home so they changed to these cards.

@Izena You most likely will see whales both coming and going outside of Boston while cruising. There is a bay where several whales are usually sighted.

We embarked yesterday from Seattle. Pleasantly surprised on the number of crew onboard and the cleanliness. Our cruise last year on the Constitution needed improvements. We only have 80 passengers! We booked a cabin on the 2nd deck and we were moved up to 3rd deck once we arrived to the ship. No ship wifi as expected. The Crowne Plaza was very nice. About 5 blocks uphill from the water. When we did the Covid test before getting on the bus we all swabbed ourselves. The medical officer was present. Mask wearing is being enforced at least so far. It’s nice having so many crew and officers. I think some are in training and will move to other ships. 

Unless this gets resolved, I don't think any of us will be traveling on the Havila line.

The passenger ship MS Havila Capella was due to sail from Bergen on Tuesday evening. By midnight that evening, the ship was still docked in the city.

Now the communications manager at Havila, Lasse A. Vangstein, confirms that it is due to sanctions against the ship's Russian lender GTLK.

There is uncertainty about insurance coverage that puts the departure at risk. This is a situation that has arisen as a result of sanctions against the leasing company that has financed Havila, Vangstein told BT.

Due to the sanctions, any payments to GTLK go to a blocked bank account, Vangstein adds.

Vangstein adds that they are in contact with the Norwegian authorities to clarify the situation.

"It is deeply regrettable for all our passengers who were looking forward to travelling. It is a situation that is beyond our control," says Vangstein.

Havila Capella left Ålesund on Monday evening and arrived in Bergen at 13:00 on Tuesday, and was supposed to sail onwards at 20:30 on Tuesday evening.

Hubby and I are booked on the Havila Castor as part of a OAT trip. I believe we embark on 8 Sept. The pictures of the Castor and the Capella look wonderful. Maybe once people actually sail on these new ships, Havila can get its own category here.

Georgia is one of those states where even in the height of the pandemic, many didn't wear masks. Most people now don't wear them.  For those sightseeing on Jekyll, you will probably never see someone with a mask.

Just received another email from ACL about our upcoming cruise in 12 days letting us know that masks will be required on the ship indoors and in motor coaches and that a rapid antigen test will be given just prior to boarding, either at the pre night hotel or at the ship. We also will need to show proof of covid vaccine and sign a covid 19 waiver. 

@BaumD You mentioned being in your cabin awaiting covid test results. Is ACL still testing before boarding even if fully vaccinated?

Thought I'd share this photo. Saw the American Star passing Jekyll Island this morning heading south toward Amelia Island in Florida. I hope ya'll enjoyed our little island.

If we can get internet on airplanes now, surely ACL can provide it as well. If their internet doesn't work well, what makes them think people's cell data will work any better? I agree, just makes one less thing for passengers to complain about 😞

Received today an update to our upcoming Puget Sound cruise. Since Canada has dropped the PCR test requirement, the all the day trip to Butchart Gardens and Victoria City on the second day in Port Angeles has been readded! Cost is $180. You do have to create an account on the Arrive Can app or website and upload your vaccination card, passport, etc.

We also received the no internet email that others have posted about.

19 days until we embark!

We leave on 16 April on the Constellation. Have not received anything about stopping wifi yet. Although as others have mentioned, the ship-supplied wifi was usually awful anyway. Hopefully all the ports the ships will be anchored at will have cell towers nearby. Those with Verizon should have little problems. We have ATT and there's big holes of no coverage going west.