mightycruisequeen

Our sailings aren't until 2022.  We're going to wait it out 'til just before final payment to see how things develop.  It's not looking promising. 😒

3 minutes ago, ohmycruise said:

I just got an email for my Aug. 07 NA sailing.

 

Please carefully review the information below regarding new, temporary testing requirements:

 

• Effective with cruises departing on Saturday, August 14, 2021, we will require ALL fully vaccinated guests to produce a negative viral COVID-19 test (medically supervised PCR or antigen test) taken within 72 hours of their embarkation on all Holland America Line sailings.
• Fully vaccinated guests will be required to provide proof of this negative COVID-19 test, along with proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to embarkation, upon arrival in the terminal and can then proceed on board.
• For guests embarking in the United States, please note that testing in the terminal will not be available so it’s critical that you have your negative test results with you at cruise check-in. We will not be able to accommodate guests without proof of a negative test.

 

 

In addition to testing requirements, effective with cruises departing on Saturday, August 7, 2021, we have also made adjustments to our onboard mask policy as follows:

 

• We require all guests to wear face masks when indoors.
• All guests ages 12 and older will be required to wear face masks in elevators and in designated indoor entertainment areas, all retail shops, and in the casino, except when eating or drinking.
• Guests will be required to wear face masks prior to being seated in our main dining rooms and in the Lido Market area. You may occasionally be asked to wear a mask in other designated areas where larger number of guests may congregate.
• As a reminder, masks are required during embarkation and debarkation in the terminal, and masks must also be worn during the debarkation process on board.
• We recommend guests wash or replace their mask daily and choose a good quality double-layer cloth or paper medical-grade mask. Please note that bandanas, neck gaiters and masks with exhaust valves will not be accepted as a substitute for a face mask and that visors and face shields are only permitted when used in addition to a mask.

 

Please check our TravelWell^® (www.hollandamerica.com/travelwell) for further details on our updated testing requirements and onboard protocols.

 

These new requirements are being implemented to protect our guests and team members while onboard. Several destinations have implemented their own requirements and all guests will be required to follow the protocols in each destination we visit.

 

As stated above, we are hopeful these requirements will be temporary, and we appreciate your cooperation and look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Not exactly my idea of the way to start a fun-filled cruise vacation.

44 minutes ago, Candlesmith said:

I’m So Sorry, MightyCruiseQueen,

I didn’t think there was anything objectionable in the quote in the first place, or anything rude or particularly argumentative in my response.  I actually didn’t check the thread closely because it was late, I was tired, & I posted with one foot in bed because my travel advisor asked me to Please dispel any inaccurate notions about this policy before rumors spread like wildfire.  Doing so was my only goal;  It is not the policy of Viking Cruises  (Ocean or River) to deny POC users access to their cruises at this time.  Thus it is not “industry-wide”.

I do apologize for any offense!

No offense taken at all, Candlesmith. 😊

5 hours ago, Candlesmith said:

It isn’t “the cruise industry”, at least not at this point.  A frantic phone call to my TA after reading this thread produced the reliable information that Viking has no such restriction on passengers who travel with a POC. (Whew!). Hopefully that will remain their policy through the fall when we are booked on their Amsterdam to Budapest River Cruise…..and beyond as we have three more cruises in the hopper.  (There was no problem on our recent Micato Safari through Kenya, Tanzania & Zimbabwe & that actually required dragging my POC along for internal flights.)

 

And, in defense of those who use a POC for flying; in my own case, I have absolutely no physical condition making me any more susceptible to a medical problem on a cruise than anyone else (& I have been exhaustively tested).  I am merely altitude intolerant, possibly as a result of having lived at 7,500’ for over a decade & skied at high elevations since college.

The post you quoted wasn't mine; it was from another poster that I quoted.

5 hours ago, curtdesilets said:

I sort of like to disconnect on my cruises.  Dunno if anyone else here does.  Too much info, noise, etc during my work weeks.   

 

Yes!  While cruising, the cell phones sit in the safe.  I want no part of phones or ipads or laptops while decompressing at sea.

18 hours ago, KirkNC said:

It would not be surprising if the industry has decided it can’t risk having passengers onboard that have a higher chance of a medical incident.

Well, wouldn't that pretty much eliminate a good 75% of HAL's pax?

Wow, that's what we're all looking forward to seeing again after so very long!😍

1 minute ago, harkinmr said:

Personal insults prove nothing but a desperate need to denigrate when you have no other resource.

 

Yes, I've seen empirical evidence of that.

Have an absolutely wonderful cruise!  I'm so excited for you!

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

Has anybody heard boo from the two judges who stayed the injunction?  They said opinions to follow.  If they had a literally last minute opinion last Saturday night, they should have been able to articulate their decision in a day or two.  It is looking like a decision in search of a rationale.

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

No problem whatsoever.  We booked a cabin for DH & me, and a separate cabin for our daughters, who were 20 and 17 at the time.  Booked it just that way, no need to make any changes at all.  You are accompanying your 20 year old daughter on the cruise, so the age thing isn't an issue.

13 hours ago, matdark said:

You just don't notify it 20 days from departure, when everything has been paid and booked months ago, and after a first cancellation. That's just plain disrepectful. My son's disappointment will be overwhelming. He talks every single day of celebrating his 5th birthday on board.  I'm more than disappointed, I'm outraged and also extremely sad.

For what it's worth, I agree with you 100%, and some of the comments on this thread are even more outrageous, in my opinion.

16 minutes ago, kiwimum said:

To throw another iron in the fire.  Received this from my family this afternoon.  Have no idea of the validity.

 

https://amp.9news.com.au/article/4306cec0-5d9c-403b-8357-efaf315622c2

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

So, governments and health authorities, after consultation (or perhaps at the insistence) of their medical specialists, viral specialists, epidemiology specialist etc, etc, together with their scientific advisors decided it was not only acceptable to mix vaccines, but was in the interest of their citizens.

Now the cruise lines have decided that it is not acceptable (to them).

You could not trump that if you tried.

Wasn't everyone insisting earlier that the cruise lines are businesses, and they're free to set their own rules?   Is that still a popular opinion here , or not so much, in light of this new rule?

Bon voyage!  I'm so excited for all of you!

Just now, nocl said:

. So far the vaccines approved in the US have still been effective against the existing variants.

Let's be clear: none of the vaccines in use have been "approved".  All of them are still under Emergency Use Authorization, not approval.

Wow!  This is the first I've ever heard of "mixed vaccines".  Was that even a practice in the United States?  Weren't they insisting from the get-go, that if you got Moderna, for instance, for your first dose, you had to get Moderna for your second dose?

I'm sure it will get stickier and stickier as things progress.  With all the new variants of the virus, it's really a wonder that they're even still using vaccines that were developed for the original Alpha virus, but who am I to question big pharma?

Wonderful news!  😄

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

It was in November, 2009 that HAL removed the pool, added cabins to the two decks below the Lido Deck, and added a 'running stream' feature on the 'new' extension of the Lido Deck. That changed the shape of the stern, with a new overhang. 

 

I was on that last cruise, ending 10/31/09, before the renovation, and never boarded her again. 
I would love to see what that area of the ship looks like now. 

This video shows Rotterdam as Borealis now.  If you go to about 4:40, you'll see that Fred Olsen didn't really do much to that aft lazy river thing, except doll it up a little.  That aft thing was decidedly not my favorite feature of Rotterdam, but I was completely blown away by a lot of the onboard art, especially the terra cotta warrior and his horse. 

We took our first Hawaii/Tahiti/Marquesas cruise on Rotterdam.  Great cruise, too great to be just once in a lifetime.