ssawjo

Hello, We are thinking of cruising on Arvia in October 2023 from Barbados. We (four of us) are US citizens. I contacted my travel agent who will not book anything on P&O because of the insurance requirement. She stated that P&O "requires" a £2 million (@$2.5 million USD) policy coverage. Otherwise, boarding will be denied. The P&O recommended insurance provider will not issue policies to US citizens, reason unknown. I checked with my usual travel insurance provider, Allianz, and they do not issue policies for that amount. If, however, I do find a policy if would cost @$3000 USD per person, or probably more for my spouse and I due to our age and pre-existing conditions. See the statement below from a travel agent that was sent to my agent: "Dear Mr. Selby, Thank you for your email. I am pleased to hear you are joining us on board Britannia. We do recommend Holiday Extras for travel insurance, but unfortunately you do have to be a UK resident to take out a policy with them. I am unable to recommend another insurance provider, however we do require for you to have comprehensive, cruise-specific holiday insurance including medical and repatriation cover of £2 million minimum that includes cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses related to COVID-19. We would also recommend that your policy includes cover for travel, cancellation and curtailment, and full cover for any and all existing medical conditions worldwide, or as a minimum, in the countries you are due to visit.  For more information on our travel insurance requirements, please visit P&O Cruises - travel insurance." Can anyone provide any help for this insurance issue? Not sure how to proceed. Thank you for any answers. I will try to answer any questions to make things clearer if possible. Cheers, Bill O. Carefree, AZ USA

Cat Shepard, I really enjoy wine from this particular South Africa vineyard. However, I have not been able to source any in the US. Do you have or know of any distributors that have this wine or any of their whites? You can email me at ssawjo at cox dot net if you prefer. Thanks much, Bill O

Agree. It is nothing but a hallway between Martini's and the GDR.

Totally agree with your comment! I was disgusted! Actually complained but the waiter just shrugged his shoulders. Ordered something else.

If you turn your TV to the bridge cam channel you can hear all of the announcements from the CD or captain. There is a few second lage between the hall and the TV.

I do like that kind of service.

Thank you for your comments. I don't play bingo, BTW.

Thank you. I will be contacting my usual TA, if we decide on this particular cruise, and see what she can do. Or there is a way to contact P & O directly to book on the website.

Greetings, Two couples from Arizona are thinking of cruising in late Oct. 2023 on the Arvia from Bridgetown. I was just wondering if Americans would be ok being with all of the Brits onboard. I am sure we will be welcomed but stand out a bit. We have been to England on a few occasions. The accent sometimes is difficult but I am sure an American accent is the same to the English. We have sailed in Australia, and we had no problems and loved the people. Also, we are active cruisers, but would like to try a different cruise line. Any tips/hints you can pass along would be greatly appreciated. For example, is it the same/similar to Princess? Cheers, Bill and Kathi Carefree, Arizona

Which hotel did you stay at while in Cape Town post cruise? The college town you visited was most likely Stellenbosch.

We are, at the moment, booked on NCL Sun, Seattle roundtrip, to Alaska, Oct. 20-30, 2023, the last cruise ship that I can see in Alaska. I realize that the sun will be setting early and rising later. I also realize that some of the usual tourist attractions may be closed along with shops and restaurants. Further, I am aware that the weather may not be the greatest, with colder temperatures and rain, along with possible rough seas. So, the question is: Is it worthwhile to go that late in the year? Will we (four of us) have a good/great experience? The itinerary is: Sitka, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Point Strait, Ketchikan (Ward Cove) and Victoria. Is it worthwhile to go that late in the year? The ship has less than 2000 passengers and probably no kids considering the time of year. Any input is greatly appreciated. Bill

Very recently, our ship, Regent Seven Seas Voyager, was due to make a port call in Abidjan but the "authorities" kept changing the health requirements. Or rumor had it, the "authorities" were asking for a "donation" (read bribe), so the company decided to do a sea day. Too bad, I was looking forward to visiting.

DeepFreeze63, you meant to say that we missed Cote Ivorie instead of Ghana. For one more "Dislike", when the ocean was rocking, our cabin (742) sounded like my knees. It was very creaky and there was nothing that could be done about it. I realize the Voyager is an older ship but it was hard to sleep fitfully. We are light sleepers anyway. We found our cabin steward to be a bit off standish. She was nowhere to be found when we boarded which was around 3PM (we were on the Lisbon pre-cruise). Did not meet her until the next morning. So, we did not receive certain items we had requested beforehand the first evening. I found the guest speaker, Mr. Alex Tanner, to be very good and very informative. The other speaker, I can't recall his name, knew his stuff but was a rather dull presenter. He had a tendency to wander off topic. It was hard to get specialty restaurant reservations. I guess having a butler helps immensely. Otherwise, we had a great time. Would have liked to have spent more time in Namibia. Bill and Kathi

The lack of french fries was just at dinner, otherwise, there were plenty at lunch. They did not have anyone manning the fryer in the evening. This was on the Voyager.

We were on the same cruise as your Turn 8A. We used the Pool Grill a few times and found the service good and the food was very good. However, if you wanted french fries with your cheeseburger or whatever, you were out of luck. They usually had baked potatoes or something else. On those rough sea evenings, it was fun watching the pool splash away!

Your hotel is in a great location. There is a Capetown Cruise Terminal that is not far away. However, it is a bit complicated to get there from your hotel. It is walkable but with luggage it is or may be difficult. There are a lot of twists and turns and some steps. Just take a taxi for a five minute ride (@300Rand) or walk for 30 minutes. Other thing to factor is that it might be hot that day. Enjoy your cruise.

We have to get together and talk Arizona. We like the Oro Valley area but rarely get down there. See you soon. Bill and Kahti

Well, just received an email from Regent stating that our visit to Lome, Togo, on Nov. 27, has been cancelled due to changes in visa requirements. They say they are looking for a replacement port. We'll see. Bill

We will see you in Lisbon and onboard. We leave tonight. Yes, it was an experience about malaria pills and yellow fever vaxes. But really no big deal. We are flying British Air Phoenix-London-Lisbon. The connection in LHR is tight so timing is everything. Safe travels everyone. Bill and Kathi

Jim, yes, we were able to check in online and submitted our security photos. No, we have not received our travel documents but rechecked with Regent Air and we are good to go. My TA is traveling at moment but once she returns, I will have her inquire about the documents and a cabin assignment. (We are still GTY.) We are also flying in on Nov. 9, but we are taking the Regent pre-cruise Lisbon tour. We are staying, I think, at the Olissippo Lapa Palace. Should arrive in Lisbon via BA at @6:00 PM. Hope to see you onboard. Looking forward to this cruise. It will be our first Regent cruise. Bill and Kathi

Just living that carefree lifestyle! LOL

Thank you. We were looking at a trip to Bagan either a private tour or if Oceania has a tour.

Enjoy the cruise and please keep us updated. We leave on the Voyager on November 12 from Lisbon. I have been to Cyprus a few times and really enjoyed the people, food, beaches, etc. However, I have never been to Northern Cyprus. Bill and Kathi

Thank you to everyone for your answers and support. I will be checking in online tomorrow like everyone else. Always an adventure with us! We'll see all of you onboard! Bill and Kathi

Hello, we are on the Voyager's Lisbon to Cape Town sailing leaving Lisbon on November 12, 2022. We arrive in Lisbon on November 9 for the pre-cruise tour/excursions. We have received or been booked on our flights to and from and no issues there. We are in a GTY E suite, and a cabin assignment has not been made. Question: According to the roll call, one fellow passenger has received his cruise documents, and probably others have also. Would anyone know when we will receive our cruise documents and/or when we will be assigned a cabin? Our TA has been in touch with Regent, and they only say a cabin has not been assigned. I already know that Regent. My DW gets a little anxious when things are not in order. She doesn't want to get to Lisbon and find out we are not getting onboard for some reason. So, any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.