babydoc2

The benefit includes the 25 minute "Signature Massage". If both you and your traveling companion have this benefit but only one wants a massage, they will generally let you combine into one 50 minute massage for one person. You will need to arrange this on board.

Witt's, thanks again for your help! Safe onward travels.

On 4/18/2022 at 5:38 PM, witt's end said:

I just asked at reception and they are firm about 72 hours - not 3 days. We did an antigen test at YVR before boarding our flight and our RT-PCR in SFO and it was easy (and cheaper than in Canada). If we had done a PCR in Canada it would have been 73 hours with the 3 hours difference and we didn’t want to risk it. Our friends did it at the Intercontinental the day before we sailed - very convenient.

Remember an antigen test does not suffice.

I hope that helps.

 

That helps a lot! Thank you and good to know it can be done at the Intercontinental. We are staying there for 2 nights before embarkation. 

If you don't mind another couple  questions, what is the mask situation on board currently, and are there American type electrical outlets for 110 volt appliances like curling irons?

Thank you for offering to answer questions and I hope you are having a great time! We are booked for May 7-14 and have seen the 72 hour advance testing requirement. On other lines, such as Seabourn where we cruised in February, the 72 hours is interpreted as 3 calendar days so that one doesn't literally have to count hours and take time zones into consideration. I am wondering if a test anytime on May 4 (eastern daylight time) will suffice for boarding anytime on May 7. That's the way it works with Seabourn but PG may see it differently. Would you be willing to ask someone on board who would know? Thank you so much!

20 hours ago, Northern Swan said:

Babydoc2, is there anything specific you would like to know? I could write an essay on all the things we did and saw, so it would be helpful to be able to zero in on those things you are looking for info on.

Swan,

We enjoy seeing beautiful things, living and not, in the natural world. Especially away from crowds of tourists (yes, I know we are tourists too 😉 ). Private excursions with our own driver or a rental vehicle are best, though that might not be feasible everywhere. We like to hike, bike, kayak. We always like going up into the highlands wherever we go to enjoy the open views. My wife is sensitive to the sun so we need to be able to seek shade and limit or avoid time in totally unprotected places. Snorkeling is fine if we can get out of the sun after doing it. Pretty beaches are nice to visit but hanging out isn’t our thing. Cultural and craft-oriented experiences are less important to us though we always are interested in seeing how people really live in the places we visit. 
 

BTW, I love your province - so much to see and do!
 

These are all great suggestions! Gonna look into all of them this weekend as we plan for our one week cruise of the Society Islands.

On 3/16/2022 at 5:25 AM, Northern Swan said:

We are on the PG now. We just arrived in Papeete after a 10 day cruise and will be disembarking tomorrow. Since this is our first trip to French Polynesia I have nothing to compare, but I can say the service has been phenomenal, the food amazing, and the scenery spectacular.  The crew have gone above and beyond and I am so impressed with everyone.

 

We did both private and ship excursions and all were great. 
 

I am happy to answer any questions but please know that Internet service is very spotty and it may be a couple of days before I can respond.

 

We would not hesitate to cruise the Paul Gauguin at this time.

I would love to hear about your experience and excursions if you can find the time. If you would rather email me I'm jrsmd at outlook dot com. Much appreciated! 

We are on for one week May 7. Our first PG cruise. Also very excited. Any excursions a first timer shouldn't miss? 

We're booked for May 7-14. Anyone else?

Don’t know if you enjoy live music and dancing/tapping your foot, but the Band in the Club lounge, as well as the Seabourn combo in residence, are reliably great and the venue stays open as long as there are dancers. We love it. We’ll be on February 13.

Leaving for our 10th SB cruise on the 13th, on Ovation. I have been told numerous times that formal nights are at the discretion of the captain and are generally not announced until the cruise starts. Others may have different takes on this.

On 1/21/2022 at 12:25 PM, Kamfish642 said:

Just booked a cruise on the Encore for August 2023 on Deck 5, V1 Veranda Suite (543).  Does anyone have a photo of veranda railing, since it is described as partial metal and glass?

 

I know your cruise isn’t for another year and a half but, with COVID, those suites (on Ovation) have been reserved for quarantine of new crew, and others. If COVID is still an issue then, you might get upgraded to a higher deck.

A poster on the January 11 Ovation cruise says they were tested at the pier.

3 hours ago, Lois10028 said:

I don't understand the lack of testing before boarding either.  Does anyone know how booked the February 13 cruise is?  It seems that COVID peaked on the holiday cruise when they were heavily booked .It also peaked in New York City at the same time.

No matter what happens as long as the ships sails I'll be there.

We feel the same. Feeling like the surge will be close to done by then.

Nothing new here. Final dose of vaccine refers to second Pfizer or Moderna, or first (and only) J&J. Until CDC changes definition of fully vaccinated, boosters are not part of the requirement to be "fully vaccinated". As far as masks, SB "recommends" higher grade masks such as N95 or KN95, even providing the latter, but it is not "required". The cleaning of surfaces, as you note, is not just about COVID, and it makes sense that they would address this public health step as part of their overall attempt at keeping cruising as safe as possible.

Just as @Covepoint stated above, these were the rules/recs in October when we were on Ovation and what we will expect when we sail February 13. The only difference is the lack of testing pre-embarkation. I am curious about that and the reason behind it.

7 minutes ago, texanaust said:

I guess you need to be a Crisis PR PRO to get Barry's quality of service.  The article he wrote may have involved compensation from SB too. 

However, Seabourn's response to Covid is still a lot better than what the folks over at Crystal receive.

That is cynical...

Beautiful! 

41 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

In addition to Nitemare's suggestions, you might also want to email some of the reputable, bigger tour operators, like Saga Travel/GeoIceland, and see if they have anything to offer.   Even though they won't be located in the small ports, the nature of Iceland is such that some of the tour providers have a sort of "regional" operation.  If they can't help you, they may be able to recommend someone.     

 

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you both very much. I already tried Saga and another major operator. Will definitely try the "Google Machine" some more but may have to swallow the bullet and go with ship's tours.