Fouremco

But this is the heart of the issue: does the US federal government still have a requirement for non-citizens to be vaccinated when entering by cruise ship? If flying, driving or arriving by ferry, there is a well documented requirement. But I've been unable to locate any current documented requirement for arrival by cruise ship. For example, the State Departments travel website (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html) states the following: "If you are considering travel on a cruise ship, please review the latest CDC guidance." But if you go to the linked CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-travel-during-covid19.html) seeking guidance on the requirements for vaccinations, it simply states: "Check directly with your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination protocols before travel." Now, it's time for me to start a go fund me account for my ongoing research! 😉

True, but US requirements also changed during the course of last summer. It's possible that CBP updated the questions during the Alaska cruise season, but they may also have done as many of the cruise lines and decided to wait until the end of the season and start fresh for 2023. I guess I should book an Alaskan cruise for this Spring to conduct in-person research! 😇

International travel to the US by air, land or ferry still requires vaccination. But ever since the CDC dropped its regulations for cruises, it has been left to the cruise lines to determine when vaccinations will be required. No US federal agency, including DHS, seems to have moved to introduce new legislation that would cover arrival in Alaska by cruise ship. A random sampling of lines (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival) shows that they all have destinations for which vaccinations are required. Alaska is not one of them. But that's just a small sampling, and the OP should check with his intended cruise line as suggested previously. The GOC removed COVID-19-related travel restrictions at the end of the Alaska cruise season last October, including the requirement for vaccinations to embark on a cruise. Whatever the kiosk questions were last year, they will be different this year.

With all of the chatter these days about AI, I started thinking about all of the questions posed here on CC that could be answered by some of the publicly available AI apps. As a former resident of Halifax who has hosted many friends and family members and taken them on tours of the city, I thought that asking ChatGPT for suggestions might result in some useful information. Here are the results: What are the top 10 things to see or do in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during a one day visit? Halifax is a charming city in Nova Scotia, Canada, with plenty of things to see and do, despite being small. If you only have one day to spend in Halifax, here are the top 10 things to see or do: Visit the Halifax Citadel: This national historic site is a star-shaped fort that overlooks the city and is a symbol of Halifax's military past. You can take a guided tour or explore the fort on your own. Walk along the Halifax Waterfront: This vibrant boardwalk is one of the city's main attractions, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and activities to enjoy. Don't miss the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which highlights the city's maritime history. Visit the Halifax Public Gardens: These Victorian-style gardens are a serene oasis in the heart of the city. Stroll through the lush lawns, colorful flower beds, and tranquil ponds. Explore the Halifax Central Library: This state-of-the-art library is a must-see for book lovers and architecture enthusiasts alike. Check out the innovative design and extensive collection of books and media. Visit the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: This museum features a range of Canadian and international art, including works by the Group of Seven, Maud Lewis, and contemporary artists. Enjoy a seafood lunch at the Seaport Farmers' Market: This bustling market offers a wide range of fresh seafood, produce, and other local products. Grab a bite to eat and soak up the lively atmosphere. Take a Harbour Hopper tour: This amphibious vehicle takes you on a fun-filled tour of Halifax by land and water, providing unique views of the city and its surroundings. Visit the Alexander Keith's Brewery: This historic brewery offers tours that take you back in time to 1863, when Alexander Keith first started brewing beer in Halifax. Learn about the brewing process and sample some of the brewery's famous ales. Walk along Point Pleasant Park: This scenic park offers stunning views of the ocean and is a popular spot for picnics, hiking, and birdwatching. Visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: This museum tells the story of the millions of immigrants who arrived in Canada through Halifax, with interactive exhibits, artifacts, and personal stories. These are just a few of the many things to see and do in Halifax. With its rich history, stunning natural surroundings, and vibrant culture, the city has something for everyone to enjoy. While the personal tastes and preferences of my guests might result in the inclusion of some other items, such as substituting the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, overall I think that the list is very good. While I doubt that it will be my only source when conducting research on future ports to be visited, it may become my starting point.

OP, you'll get a wide variety of responses on this divisive topic. Here's a link to what RCI says, without the spin you'll receive from posters here. "Shorts are welcomed for breakfast and lunch" does not say that they can't be worn at dinner, even if that's the implication, and is not necessarily interpreted in the same manner from ship to ship. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/generic-onboard-dress-code

In a post last month, you mention that lugging around car seats isn't much fun, from which I gather your "younger kids" really are quite young. Quite frankly, I doubt that they would appreciate what Norway has to offer, and given the higher cost, I'd go for Alaska now and hold off on Norway until they are old enough to benefit from the experience. I'll add that, having done both and having loved both, I'd always recommend cruising Alaska first. Alaska is spectacular, but Norway is just that much more stunning IMO.

Another vote for Oli's. And here's a useful map should you decide to explore the town after your excursion:http://www.shipdetective.com/ports/ports_of_call/pdf/BHbyFOOT_09_web.pdf The Shore Path (#13) is a lovely walk.

We cruised from Boston to Montreal, so no New York or Saguenay suggestions. We also lived in Halifax previously, and had visited all of the ports and surrounding areas many, many times. Bar Harbor we had only visited once before, but it was for a week's holiday. During the cruise, we rented a car and enjoyed DIY excursions in every port except Bar Harbor. There we took the Acadia National Park Tour with Oli's Trolley. It's a great tour and comes highly recommended. https://olistrolley.com/tours/acadia-national-park-tour/ After the tour, we had lunch and wandered around the town, using this map for a guide: http://www.shipdetective.com/ports/ports_of_call/pdf/BHbyFOOT_09_web.pdf The "Shore Path", #13 on the map, is a lovely walk. In Québec City, you can't go wrong spending your day exploring Old Québec (https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/old-quebec-city). But we've done that before, and I lived there many years ago, so we decided to head off to see the Montmorency Falls (https://www.sepaq.com/destinations/parc-chute-montmorency/index.dot?language_id=1) and then tour the bucolic île d'Orléans (https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/tour-ile-orleans?gclid=CjwKCAjwzuqgBhAcEiwAdj5dRg_GoZsrxvlLh9aQ2K5KYaE_ay6qrcu2MwvgBFAjVjXXJBbYHlen4xoC8vYQAvD_BwE). In PEI, we decided to explore the one region that we hadn't spent time in previously and do the Points East Coastal Drive. PEI's tourism website (https://www.tourismpei.com) will give you some ideas of things to see and do, including visiting the Green Gables region (https://www.tourismpei.com/places-to-go/green-gables-shore). Sydney offers a really wide variety of things to do outside the city. Again, we rented a car and spent the day at Fortress Louisbourg. It's a quick and easy drive, and will cost you far less (car rental + admission) than taking the ship's shore excursion. Plus you'll have a lot more time at the fortress. (https://www.novascotia.com/see-do/attractions/fortress-of-louisbourg-national-historic-site/1583) Nova Scotia Tourism's Doers and Dreamers Travel Guide (https://www.novascotia.com/travel-info/travel-guide) will give you lots of other options should touring Louisbourg not be your cup of tea. It will also give you options for Halifax and area. For Halifax, we once again rented a car at the Westin hotel across the road from the cruise terminal. We headed out to Lunenburg for lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, then drove back along the south shore to Peggy's Cove for a short visit. But if this your first time visiting Halifax, there's so much to see and do within a short walk from the ship. Using this map as a guide (https://discoverhalifaxns.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Leisure-Walking-Map-2019.pdf), I'd walk along the waterfront from the cruise terminal as far as the Historic Properties (Purple 17,6). There are numerous places you might want to stop in and visit along the way. From the Historic Properties, head up George Street, cross through the Grand Parade (Yellow 7) and up to the Old Town Clock (Yellow 22). From there, you could head to the Citadel (Yellow 9) or descend to Sackville Street and head for the Public Gardens (Yellow 12). After viewing the gardens, exit onto Spring Garden Road and head through the shopping area to Barrington-South-Hollis-Terminal and back to the cruise terminal. Whether or not you could complete this walk would depend on how many places you decide to stop and visit. At no point are you more than a 20 minute walk from the cruise terminal, so if you are running short on time, head to the ship. Whatever you choose to do, and there are lots of good suggestions from other posters, I hope you have a wonderful time!

It does complicate things. For example, one of my grandsons plays hockey for a team that has a US team in the league, and his team also plays in some US tournaments. Parents who are Nexus members and used to the speedier crossings seldom get to use the faster lane when car pooling to these games, as very few of the players are Nexus members.

No, and that includes border crossings by car. Everyone in the vehicle needs to have Nexus or you are stuck joining the regular lines.

A number of years ago, a TA with a good, reputable agency specializing in cruises, somehow made a mess of our booking, which included a free beverage package for DW and I under Celebrity's 123Go promotion. I wasn't very happy to be told this when checking in at the terminal, and kept all of our receipts for purchases that would have been covered by the package. After the cruise, I submitted the receipts to the agency and requested payment in the full amount. They paid promptly. The interesting thing was that after totalling up the cost of the drinks, I realized that we had paid less than had we paid for the drink packages. Now, this was on Celebrity 9 years ago, so different lines and different times, and I don't know if the same would hold true for us today on an RCI cruise. I hope that the OP comes back after the cruise to let us know the results of his tracking.

Go to https://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov, login and you can edit your passport information.

It's a real pity that the experienced cruisers in the group didn't provide any advice to those booking their first cruise.

Silver Sneakers has dozens of YouTube videos for seniors. In YT, just search on "silver sneakers" or "silver sneakers chair" if you only want chair-based routines. If you get internet for the cruise, you could do the exercises in you cabin following the video. If you're not planning on buying an internet package, you could download a number of these videos at home before the cruise. There's some debate over the legality of downloading YouTube videos, but I believe that there is tacit agreement that if you are downloading them for personal use only and for a limited period of time, you are ok. If in doubt, get the internet package.

You might also want to ask on your roll call. Enjoy your first cruise!

But it's NOT the "exact same excursion". The fact that it is given in a different language makes it very different, just as two, otherwise identical cabins, can vary in price depending upon their location.

I guess it depends on your table mates. We had a table for 12 for our last family cruise and enjoyed having all of us sitting together. As we often went separate ways during the day, this allowed everyone to catch up on what others did. There was never a problem with conversations, sometimes a single one with everyone contributing and at other times several smaller, simultaneous conversations. We're not against having two tables (see post #9), but would prefer a single table if possible.

We too are a family group of 11 spread over 5 cabins. I took the lead and first linked all of the other bookings to mine once they were completed, with everyone on MTD. I then went day by day and made two reservations each night for 6:45, one for 5 people and one for 6. When we get closer to the sail date, I'll request both tables to be next to each other. We will change who sit where from night to night. As for you switching to the early seating, I don't know as there may or may not be vacancies. As for sitting together as a group, the last time we travelled as a group we totalled 12 and they accommodated us at a single table.

No personal experience, but this GOC website estimates 67 days. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html

This will give you some idea of the two possible docking locations. Local tour operators are very good at determining where a given ship will be, so it's probably more important to ask where the tour operator will meet you at the docking location.

CF One members get a Park'N Fly discount.

When WestJet started its rewards program in conjunction with the RBC World Elite Mastercard a good many years ago, I jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of its offerings. We flew almost exclusively with WestJet, and were very happy with their flights and service. Our son and his family later followed suit. But by 2018, I became increasingly disenchanted with their flight availability and their inflight service. With a Boston-Montreal cruise booked, we looked for a Montreal-Boston flight. AC had multiple direct flights, but with WJ we would have to fly Montreal-Toronto-Boston, a routing that was both more expensive and about 4 hours longer in duration with the wait time in Toronto. The final straw was when my wife received her pre-paid dinner but mine wasn't delivered. It turned out that the pilot had helped himself to my dinner! The cabin staff were most apologetic, but that did nothing to satisfy my hunger, and there were no extra meals that they could give me. Our son and family kept with WJ, but has lived to regret the decision. We have a family cruise booked, and DW and I, and our daughter and her family, have booked direct flights to and from FLL with AC. Son and family have to fly through YYZ, and that's not the worst of it. WJ is reducing Ottawa-Toronto service to one flight daily, and it arrives in Toronto too late to catch a connecting flight to FLL that day. So they have to book a hotel room for the night and fly out the following day. After the cruise, the same applies, no available connecting flight to Ottawa until the following day, so another night in a hotel. Not only do they have to pay for two nights' accommodation thanks to WJ, but our son and daughter-in-law both have to take two additional days off work. While WJ may be fine if you live in Calgary, possibly even Toronto, but certainly not Ottawa or anywhere east.

We haven't flown through YYZ since the pandemic started, so things might well have changed during the interim, but there was never a separate line for connecting passengers. All passengers headed to the same customs/immigration hall, where there was a separate line for NEXUS members, and after we all headed to the baggage carousels before exiting the secure area. Those with connecting flights then headed to the appropriate terminal and had to go through security again. Until a few years ago, you had to pick up your checked baggage at the carousel, exit the secure area, and then drop off your bags before heading to security at your new terminal. Now the bags are simply checked through to your final destination. I don't know what happens if CBSA refers you to secondary and wants to see inside your checked baggage.

Yes, but I erred in the amount. For North American flights, it's only $15 USD per person: Q Do I pay any additional fees for using Air2Sea? A Yes, there is a nominal service fee to use Air2Sea. Royal Caribbean International charges a service fee of $15 USD per person for travel within North America, and Canada, and $25 USD per person for International destinations. Please visit the website or speak with one of our air travel experts at (844) 278-9745 for the most updated information. I find it amusing that they don't consider Canada as falling within North America. Or that they don't consider the US an international destination when flying from Canada. The writers must be the same ones who say that "each guest of drinking age may bring one (1) sealed 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne." Last time I checked, champagne was a wine.

Well, it looks like I'll be booking directly with AC. I just priced it out on Air2Sea and the cost is just under $170 CAD more, based on today's exchange rate. And that doesn't include the $25 USD per person fee for booking with them.