ShopperfiendTO

2 hours ago, Nuka said:

I see you are from Canada.  Manulife sells Covid travel interruption insurance: covers medical/quarantine for both Covid and non-Covid medical coverage - doesn't cover Cancellation though.  I bought it - was fairly inexpensive compared with 'regular' travel insurance that included cancellation. I looked around and couldn't find any other coverage easily that covered Covid since most insurers are saying that it is a 'known risk' and insurance is for unknown risks. Its refundable up to departure which is nice and you don't need to buy it when booking the cruise/putting down deposits etc;

 

 

Thanks for this.

But does Manulife refund me or give me credit for the prorated amount of my cruise fare that I spend in quarantine if I test negative before the cruise but I contract Covid during the cruise?  That's what Oceania was doing until this announcement and is going to keep on doing this only for cruises that sail before September 3 (unless I'm interpreting the SailSafe incorrectly).

15 minutes ago, Pvbgirl said:

I wonder if fully vaccinated is one or two boosters for cruises departing from the US?

According to the SailSafe document, you don't even need a booster to be considered "fully vaccinated" for US or Canada (I assume this means for sailing from these countries): 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/sail-safe-new.pdf

"United States’ and Canada’s definition of fully vaccinated means to have completed the full brand vaccination protocol at least 15 days prior to embarkation. Therefore, two administered doses/shots of AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sinopharm or Sinovac, etc; or a single shot of a single dose vaccination + 15 days equals fully vaccinated. A single shot of a dual dose vaccine or antibodies from Covid-19 recovery is NOT considered being fully vaccinated."

However, O does at least give this caveat:

"PLEASE NOTE: Guests must ultimately comply with all destination-specific vaccination requirements and definitions which may change without notice. All guests are strongly recommended to get a covid-19 booster prior to traveling. Oceania Cruises cannot be held responsible for any guests who are denied entry to a destination or denial of boarding due to lack of proper vaccination documentation or failing to meet a specific destination’s covid vaccination definitions or requirements."

Make sure you read this new development before deciding/booking!: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/sail-safe-new.pdf 

10 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

At least for O and Regent, this is a MAJOR mistake - particularly the “no vaccine” requirement! 
In any case, the sure-to-increase onboard Covid numbers will eventually reverse that decision. 

Based on the SailSafe effective for sailings after September 2, it looks like Oceania is also not covering you any longer even if you take and have a negative test before travelling: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/sail-safe-new.pdf

These are not the terms we signed up for when we booked the cruise and we are past final payment!  How does Oceania expect people to get coverage this late in when travel cancellation/interruption insurance usually has to be bought shortly after the booking is made?

30 minutes ago, Giantfan13 said:

Then we would need a ride to our ship's terminal, is this again a taxi thing?  We are on the Voyager (RCCL) Aug 28, 2022, can someone tell me where exactly it leaves from?

Voyager is scheduled to dock at Oceankaj Terminal, quay C332, according to this website (you have to select the Copenhagen port and then narrow down by date range and then the types of ship i.e., "Cruise ships only"):

https://www.cmport.com/terminals/ships-in-port/

The port map is here but please note that the default orientation is that north is to the right when it is usually to the top:

https://www.cmport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CMP-Map_Copenhagen_18_10_2017.pdf 

On 7/31/2022 at 5:15 PM, Scots Caz said:

my Onward cruise paperwork for December shows

". You may bring your own favourite spirit, beer or wine for private consumption in your suite or stateroom. If you wish to consume your spirit, beer or wine in any shipboard restaurant, bar or dining venue, each bottle is subject to a corkage fee of $25." 

Can anyone confirm what the corkage fee is right now?  Is it $10, $15 or $25?  I cannot find this information on my cruise paperwork.

If it is $15, any idea when (before December) it is going to increase to $25(!)? 😲

2 hours ago, Tango99 said:

Keep in mind that carry on has weight restrictions and should be stowable under seat. 

Surprisingly to me, as Adventures ahead noted above in Post #7, at least on Air Canada and WestJet, there is no official weight restriction for carry-on, just that you (I would assume or your travelling companion) generally must be able to lift and store it the overhead bin unassisted: 

Air Canada

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/baggage/carry-on.html#/

"Although no weight limit applies to carry-on baggage, your bag must be light enough that you can store it in the overhead bin unassisted."

WestJet

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/baggage/carry-on

"The carry-on item must also be light enough to allow you to place the bag in the overhead compartment unaided. If you are a person with special needs or a person with a disability, assistance is available upon request."

Also the websites indicate that only the smaller personal item is expected to be stowable under the seat.

Hi,

Can any provide their recent experiences checking in at the port later than their selected time slot?

I asked my travel agent to let Azamara know that we will be checking in at the port late (at the end of an all-day tour) and to expect us even though we do not show up during the time slot we selected (which was the latest slot available when we checked in online).  We will still be at the port well before the ship is scheduled to sail.  I was hoping that this would be a quick and tidy entry in their system for our booking/file.

However, my travel agent said that Azamara told him that I had to call an emergency "Day-of Sailing Help" phone number on the day of embarkation and to let them know only then.  I find that inefficient and a bit bizarre, especially as the number seems to be a RCCL Miami number (Googling the number produces hits with RCCL but not Azamara) and embarkation is in Europe...

Any insight is appreciated.

1 hour ago, loman said:

booster doses are the same as a vaccine 

 

Are booster shots the same dosage and formula? – IN.gov

I may be wrong, but I believe that only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved as boosters in Ontario. 

If this is the case, then what you posted earlier still has nothing to do with boosters (at least not in Ontario), even if booster doses are the same as a vaccine.

Unless you are saying that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are also soon to spoil, but if that is the case it would be nice to cite a reputable source.

Soon to spoil or not, I'm glad that they have opened up eligibility for second boosters.

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

I do not think I have seen a Captain welcome dinner  in many years  ???

They do have the party with free drinks 

Sorry, I was referring to the GDR menu with more "special" items on it than is usually found on the GDR menu, usually coinciding on the night that they have the party with free drinks.  Items such as lobster, caviar and foie gras on the GDR menu for these nights.

58 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

This question pertains only to the GDR. The rotation is on an appropriate continuous 14 cycle. On Embarkment one never knows which day of that cycle they are on. Really doesn’t matter because for them, it’s Day 1 and they won’t see a repeat for a couple weeks.

 

The Specialties never change the menus. Only variant is an occasional fresh fish. The Terrace has a changing menu with different buffet themes thrown in.

I wonder how accurate this is (for the GDR) because the Captain's welcome/special dinner seems to always be the second or third day after embarkation as well as the farewell special dinner seems to always be the third- or second-last day before disembarkation. 

Unless these menus are in addition to the 14 in the cycle?

Also, we did notice a repeat on Day 11 on a few (not all) of our previous cruises (have not sailed a 14-night cruise yet).

47 minutes ago, loman said:

Gov just tossed out a bunch , about 13 million

 

COVID-19: More than half of Canada's AstraZeneca vaccine doses will be thrown out | CTV News

That has nothing to do with boosters.

1 hour ago, loman said:

Ah, ok thanks , i missed that update . 

Guess there is an overabundance of inventory again and they move the goalpost so they dont  throw away soon to expire vaccine .🙂

No, it was well covered in the news and the expansion was in response to the 7th wave that Ontario is in: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/07/07/ontario-fourth-booster-shots-dr-kieran-moore-covid19-omicron-variant/

Also, it is not that easy to get the booster (e.g., walk-ins) so I don't know where you are getting that there is an overabundance of it.  The urban centre pharmacy I booked at said my appointment is delayed because they didn't have enough doses.

On 7/23/2022 at 4:07 PM, Eagan Mom said:

We also want to book the Sky Lagoon. I understand the bus information from down town area. We are struggling to figure out the actual bus schedule for September. Are plan is to take a bus from the port at Skafabakki Harbor to down town area. Take a self guided walking tour then catch the bus to the lagoon and back to the port. Does anyone know how often busses run? I haven't booked the time yet at the lagoon because I'm trying to figure out the transportation first. Would a taxi be better? 

Thanks for any help.

Thanks to Nitemare for the link to the public bus website.

The links to the schedules are here: https://straeto.is/en/route-planner/timetables

Assuming that the schedules on that website apply year-round unless changed, then the first question is if you are going on a weekday or not.

Port to Downtown

The only bus that goes to Skafabakki Harbour is Bus #16 and it does not operate on Saturday or Sunday (not sure if there is an exception if a ship is in port but I would be surprised if it is because the route is more than just to get to and from Skafabakki Harbour).

If you are going on a weekday, then that bus runs every 30 minutes (the stop is Kænugarðar or Skarfagarðarr in the direction to Hlemmur which is the last stop near downtown): https://straeto.is/en/route-planner/timetables/route-16?direction=1

Downtown to Sky Lagoon

Using the directions from the Sky Lagoon website, the schedule for Bus #4 is here (every 15 or 30 minutes depending on time of day): https://straeto.is/en/route-planner/timetables/route-4?daygroup=1

The schedule for Bus #35 is here (every 30 minutes): https://straeto.is/en/route-planner/timetables/route-35?daygroup=1

Sky Lagoon to Port

The quickest route seems to be Bus #36 to the southern hub, then Bus #4 to the northern shore of downtown, then Bus #16 to the port (from the Route Planner feature using the start as Hafnarbraut and destination as Skarfagarðar): https://straeto.is/en?from=64.11116,-21.935524|Hafnarbraut&to=64.153769,-21.869665|Skarfagarðar&date=2022-07-27&time=13:34&arrivalBy=0

With this many transfers involved (and what could be a pretty long wait at Hamraborg), it might be better and more relaxing to just take a taxi back to the port.

2 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

We fly exclusively with WestJet. We’ve never experienced delays, cancellations, or lost luggage. Not to say it doesn’t happen with them but we love them. When we used to fly air Canada one leg of the flight (usually a connection in the USA) was always oversold or delayed. 

on a side note the Wj Mastercard is one of the best travel cards on the market imo. Between the 99$ companion flight (in NA) and free checked bags it’s worth it.  Even if you never use the card, simply having it gives you the free checked bags and annual companion flight. For our family of four that saves us 200$ alone in bag fees every trip. If my family comes with us I’ll book their flights on my card when I book mine and they get the free checked bags too (up to eight). Annual fee I think is 120. No I don’t work for WestJet haha. 

The companion flight fare for continental NA was increased to $119 a while ago.

Also, keep in mind that this is just the "fare" part of the price of the ticket.  There are oodles of other charges on top of that so that the actual final amount paid for that companion's ticket ends up being twice that or more. 

In some instances (i.e., seat sales), you could actually be paying more if you used the companion fare voucher than if you just bought the sale fare for your companion (in which case you should not use the companion fare for that itinerary). 

Note that companion vouchers are not combinable with codes that you usually have to enter when there are seat sales (for example, you can't use a 15% off seat sale code for yourself and a companion voucher to have the $119 fare for your companion).

Thanks for the responses, but the responses seem to suggest that the charge does still exist in theory but appears to be unenforceable?  Or do these tickets no longer say anything about the no-show charge?

Can you elaborate on what type of information is on the ticket?  For example, even though the tickets might not have our names on it, do they have (serial) numbers that could be traced back to them having issued it to us?

Does anyone have knowledge on how flights at LHR work in terms of terminals and time needed to transfer from the "domestic" (Europe to/from LHR) terminals to the "transatlantic" (LHR to/from North America) terminals?  I recall you have to go through security again even though you already went through it at the initial departure airport, but do you have to go through any other line(s) such as customs/immigration/passport control even though you're just in transit?  If it depends on the airline, then for simplicity's sake let's assume it's all BA flights.

The last time we did LHR, it was horrible and haven't gone through there in over a decade but it seems that with fewer options it might have to be used again.

We are trying to figure out what is a reasonable connecting time at LHR for possible flight itinerary options (North America <-> LHR <-> Continental Europe). 

Is there a penalty or no-show fee for signing up for the Destination Celebration but not showing up?  I know there is a fee of $15 if you have a booking at a specialty restaurant that you don't show up to (or don't cancel before noon the day of) so I wondered if it might be similar here.

For some reason, for our cruise this event is held on embarkation day where we overnight.  We may be arriving at the port too late to make it but would like to have the option to attend if we do arrive in time for it.

What happens if the people in the cabin are of two different levels/tiers?

Also, how does the complimentary nights work if only one of the people has moved up a level/tier on that cruise and they want to book a cruise together again using the complimentary nights?

On 6/22/2022 at 2:49 AM, uktog said:

Why are the numbers crazy?  Like all the lines it’s heading back to full capacity- economically no line can survive running at reduced numbers longer term. Nowhere else is reduced - planes, hotels, tourist venues unless they are using it as a cover for the fact they can’t operate because they can’t get staff. (That’s what some hotels in the US are doing, Intercontinental admitted as much to us in New Orleans when we spoke to management about a shocking service less experience)

It does take a bit getting used to being back in busier places but it’s a step along the road we had to take. 

Perhaps it's because the person was told one thing and was provided numerous first-hand accounts from other cruisers that were completely inconsistent with what he/she was told by the representative. 

Try as one might in possibly deflecting it as poor or still-in-training of the customer service representatives, it doesn't reflect very well on the cruise line, especially if a person booked precisely because there was a capacity limit in place.

Further, unless the definition of full capacity is changed, I wonder how ships can sail at current full capacity if there continues to be a need to hold some cabins empty in case they are needed for in-cruise quarantining.

They said they usually send the actual meeting link a day or two before the appointment day.

32 minutes ago, turnin50 said:

Geez just when I think I have this whole pre-cruise testing stuff figured out I come here and learn something new! 😆So I have online appts booked for my husband and myself thru the company who makes those little green box test kits BTNX and they're $29 each (not sailing till Sept) which is fine but then I started to read here how all the cruise lines are accepting tests done thru Azova and seems no one has used BTNX so I booked mine with them $20 and intend to book my husband's when he gets home since I need his DL and cancel the appts with BTNX. So now I read here about Lifecenters.ca even cheaper still but I saw on their website no refunds, is that true? Anyone booked with them and had to cancel? Maybe I should just stick with Azova?

Yes, there are no refunds if you cancel: https://lifecenters.ca/refund-and-return-policy/

1 hour ago, Codymomma said:

Thanks for sharing.  This is illogical as the recovery letter has nothing to do with vaccines status.  We are boosted and recovered but may test - for 90 days. And they don’t clearly state they will accept the letter if one tests negative.  
very frustrating.   I for one will not be booking cruises for quite some time. 

For your "illogical" sentence, my understanding of why the statement is in that section is to stop the argument that you don't need to be vaccinated because you had COVID and have recovered from it.  This has been used/accepted by some countries to allow entry by unvaccinated people (i.e., to board a flight to that country) and perhaps there was a concern that a similar reasoning would try to be used to board the ship.

This clearly says that even if you have a recovery letter, you still need to be vaccinated.

So it is logical because it is to expressly block people from using a recovery from a previous infection as some justification for not needing to be vaccinated.  Azamara still requires you to be vaccinated to board the ship.

Could you elaborate what "this summer" means, starting July until September 2022? 

I thought I read that some ships earlier this month had over 500 passengers on them which is more than 70%.

5 hours ago, Harters said:

I had an American e-friend on another forum who once asked, quite seriously, how lifelike the murder rate in Midsomer was. He did live in a reasonably high crime urban area in the States, so maybe not so weird a question.

You should ask that friend the same question about Cabot Cove and if it's died down since Murder She Wrote went off the air.  🙃