Alohaaa

Hello robert32asp,

 

 

 

I am pleased to hear they phoned you. Still, as you said, nothing in writing yet. Was going to point out the terms and conditions clearly displayed on Vikings website this morning :)... and still will:

 

http://www.vikingcruises.com/terms-conditions/index.html

 

Look at the cancellation policy.

 

So, you booked through a TA? It would be good to speak to him or hear, especially as regards the rights to cancel because of a force majeure. These rights are given in accordance with specific civil laws in Germany. There are bound some things to consider there, probably different with you from my country.

 

Oh yes, as a previous poster stated: Sevastopol is a big problem, a German river cruise line has already amended their itineraries and cancelled Sevastopol as a port of call.

 

Good luck!

 

notamermaid

Thank You. I now have an option that Viking did not mention. Thank you.

determine HOW they cover you,if you have ins.if you decide to CANCEl.But cruiseline does NOT?

Years ago the ins.we had would NOT reimburse us after Travel Warning for Egypt(but ship still sailing).Said THEY determined it,not US government(or something similar).So we ended up going ANYWAY,wonder if this has changed?

Anyone know specifics re this??

I fully paid for a Russian river cruise on Viking with insurance. I called Viking yesterday and they said the cancel for any reason insurance they sold us only covers medical issues and they could not answer any questions regarding insurance claims, that we would need to contact the insurance company.

NOT HAPPY!!!

Alohaaa

It's definitely 68. (Just wondering what that could possibly mean - 'in later years.')

With my father born in 1912 and his brother the year before, I'm 'guesstimating' my grandparents wedding year as approximately 1910.

 

I met someone from the State Department today, who was just stationed in Ukraine for 2 years. I decided that was fate - I'd ask him what he thought of me going to Ukraine by myself, didn't tell him how old I was, but he could look at me and make his own judgement, told him that I would be picked up in Kiev, put on the ship, that I wouldn't wander off the tour, and that I'd be taken to the airport in Odessa, mentioned Viking specifically - and if he told me that he thought it wasn't safe, I'd cancel. Instead he told me that his parents, who are in their 70s came to visit him while he was there and they went off by themselves from Kiev to Odessa, without a tour and did fine on their own.

 

So, I'm going! I'm going to call Viking next Monday or Tuesday - I like to cut things close! - and charge the balance and - more good fortune or fate (you be the judge) - a brochure arrived in the mail today from a travel insurance company, so I'm going to call them and compare them to American Express, although I'm leaning towards using American Express.

 

So: I will be going to Ukraine 99 years after my grandparents left and I will be the first person in the family to go back there.

 

I'm going to think about using google earth to find the address of the photo shop, not sure I want to look at it right away though, and may look into finding a historian/geneologist to meet me during the free time I'll have in Odessa.

 

Looking forward to this. There's no need to tell my son about this yet, he wanted me to cancel, but since the State Department man told me there's very little street crime, I'll break it to my son when the time is right, and I have a year and 4 months to get ready! :)

Maybe your son can join you on this historic trip.

Our experience flying from Odessa-Istanbul-JFK in 2011 was not as described by the Istanbul Airport Website. Our luggage was not checked through to our final destination, but only to Istanbul; as a result we had to obtain a Turkish Visa and clear Passport Control before being allowed into baggage claim to retrieve our luggage before we could continue to the ticket counter to check in for the continuation of our flight. Fortunately we had plenty of time between connections that it didn't poise a problem for the eight of us traveling separately in the same situation.

 

Our TA verified with Viking twice before the trip that obtaining a Visa would not be required because of her past experiences of traveling to the area and warned us that she was not comfortable with the information provided to her. As a result of the misinformation Viking reimbursed our Visa cost as well as providing a generous credit toward a future trip.

 

The situation may have changed at the Odessa Airport since 2011, but I would be very wary. Odessa Airport was very lax...my wife and I cleared passport control in different lanes with our passports swapped.

Kohola,

Thank you so much for sharing your account. I will certainly fly via a European route.

Dr. Kit

I am booked on the Westerdam March 17-April 6, 2013, Panama canal. Does anyone know if a large group will be sailing than? Has anyone found a way to look it up independently?

Best.

Dr. Kit

For the 2012 Cunard WC, we used cascading hangers, matching hanging travel toiletry bags that hung on the bathroom door, battery candles for the bathroom and veranda, magnets for the walls, 1 pillow and pillowcase from home, a hanging shoe rack, several universal power adapters to accommodate American plugs in Global cities, 3 power strips so we could plug in what we wanted where we wanted. We downloaded connectifyme for free to share the internet time on several devices, adhered strips of duct tape to the exterior of our suitcases (10 total for 2 people). We brought band aids for blisters and small safety pins for wardrobe security. We found that getting currency from the pursers desk was the most economical, and used credit cards globally. We kept in touch with friends/ family via Facebook, FaceTime, Skype and a travel blog http://blog.travelpod.com/members/gillen2012

Enjoy.

Dr. Kit

Bring magnet clips, as the ship is metal they stick to the walls. They can be used to hold the daily papers off of the desk to reduce clutter. On my next voyage I intend to see if I can hang the shoe rack on the wall using command removable hooks and magnets. For long cruises I pack cascading hangers that hold 5 pair of pants or skirts to maximize closet space.

Kit

Great thread