mancunian

I do not know which of us misread it but it was listed together with everything else and I thought it implied before boarding and then sitting waiting for the results.  I had thought from the Ben and David and the visit with us videos after they completed the test in the cabin they were free to set off round the ship.

I was also puzzled when we booked a time that they are between 8,30 and 12.30.  I had expected them to be much later.  At 8,30 the previous passengers will be leaving and they would be on full cleaning.  We are driving from Falmouth where we are on holiday the previous week.   Think we will have to leave at the crack of dawn to make it.  Apparently it takes four and a half hours and then getting the car parked.  

Wondering how many people there will be.  Still many cabins left

Actually I will add that as we are being tested onshore and not when we reach our cabins as previously that the included excursions for Liverpool and Falmouth seem more restricted I think things are going to be tighter on these cruises

Had a letter today from Viking re booking embarkat

ion times bejtween 8,30 and 12.00 - half hour slots.  It seems different to what we have seen on videos or heard on the boards where people seem to have been tested as soon as they reach the cabins.  We are to be tested shoreside and then sit and await the results.

 I have still not seen any optional shore excursions and we are in a Pjs cabin.  I agree with Tom that I think they have dropped that.   I was more worried from the point of view of it meaning they had tightened things since the earlier UK cruises.  We really just want a good rest and good food as one way and another we have had a tough year with extra forages round the corner to Mamsens and the bar.

I have asked on the Iceland Live thread if someone would ask onboard why Star is in Iceland,  I am sure the officers and possibly crew know the answer to this.

Could I ask someone to filed out from a member of staff what Viking Star is doing in Iceland.  Many thanks 

Yes such as they are.  Only the included ones and except for the Scilly Isles all coach trips with an occasional photo stop..  Even Liverpool is a coach instead of a walking tour.  The Falmouth day they previously had a garden and the supplementary trips have gone.   Someone is seriously worried about things.  It looks like there is no chance of going ashore by ourselves.  

I also wonder why the site was down over the last few days and is down once again for updates.  I just so hope we are not heading for cancellation.

Having said all that we personally are not too worried about the excursions.  We are in need of a cruise and sea air more.  We used to live in Cheshire before moving to Derby and know Liverpool well, and quite by chance we are in Falmouth the week before the cruise on a long ago booked holiday.  I am however looking forward to the Scillies which we have not visited before.

This could be a long shot guess but could it be that there is something wrong with Jupiter or Sky, not serious enough for them to stop sailing but Viking is using the opportunity of Star being free to sort it out before cruising programme back to normal.  It may be that J or Sky would then take over the Uk sailings.  As I say an wild guess perhaps

Thank you everyone for your help.  Tabatha1 you have given the solution when we hoped for.  I will phone t,omorrow as many of you have suggested.   My husband is quite fit apart from arm which needs another month to heal.  The ideal would be leaving me, rollator and luggage at the dock and him taking the car on the way out and collecting the car on the way back but I what’s unsure if he would be allowed back.  Anyway I will confirm.

Can I ask advice from those of you have done this parking before at Portsmouth.

How far is the walk to the car park.   I am partially disabled and use a rollator and my husband has recently had a complex operation on his arm. This means I am not sure about him pulling suitcases.

We are at present torn between the two firms.  The advantage of CPS would be that they drive the car to the park.  Of course my husband could drop me and luggage and then take the car.  However coming back is more problematic.  CPS reserve disabled spaces the other firm says they have them but you cannot reserve.   The bigger problem is of course the luggage.  Do you think if my husband went to collect the car he could get back to pick up me and the luggage

Finally if we use the other firm and you are taking and collecting your own car does this mean you keep your keys which we would prefer as we are coming on from a week in Cornwall so will be leaving stuff in the car.

Many thanks

44 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

Many thanks. I did search in the end and found what you refer.

 

Appreciate it is what it says, but hopelessly out of date given the recent changes. This was certainly not something I'm aware of and believe Viking and all CL have a duty of care to make you aware of this little sting in the tail.

 

The fact you can now visit amber countries and not need to quarantine, kind of supersedes this.... or should! Being on a cruise ship given the testing done each day, make a cruise ship a very safe environment. 

 

 

 

Yes I totally agree with you.  I cannot understand,, as I have said in a previous post that it defies logic that ugov  says we can cruise in UK despite rising figures but cannot cruise in Iceland a green list country with all the protocols cruise lines are undertaking.  We expected them to remove restrictions according to where the cruise was going.  Must admit we have been a little more doubtful about Malta which although green list Croatia and  Montenegro were not but that too is .changing with the new regs and in our case we have to mid September to make a decision.

 Like you I admit we had not considered this until posts on here.  Last week my husband tried unsuccessfully to move our insurance without success.  Must say the person at Viking did not seem surprised when I phoned to change Iceland giving our reason.  They should have told people I agree.  Perhaps people with a travel agent have done better.

Anyway sorry to upset the applecart for you but better like us you have picked up there is discrepancy between ugov and Boris

Les37b

Iceland and Malta are on Boris’s green list.   However if you look at You GOv they are still saying advise against cruising except for cruises in UK.   Unfortunately advice against is treated the same by insurance companies as cruising forbidden.  Our annual insurer will not cover us for cruising  outside Uk so husband phoned three others including one who covers a lot of insurers.  They all said the same thing and that we would not find a company who would do this.    I have seen on here somewhere that someone had found a company but of course could not advertise the name.   However I admit we were a trifle unsure about them if the general consensus is otherwise.   

We are not doing Malta until 2 October and just hope it will be sorted by then (or rather 14 days before then).   Iceland we were on 26 July and time was running out fast so we transferred to 14 August UK cruise instead.  We have both had health issues  which although sorted. now but left feeling jaded and desperate for some R and R.

We all want to cruise it is so long we have been going through this. We have had four cruises cancelled up to now and we had to cancel Iceland because of insurance problems ~ Uk green list not matching Govt approval on cruising.  We currently have five cruises booked between July 2021 and July 2022 including a UK cruise this month replacing the Iceland one.  Really this is all we can do and keep booking or transferring until they happen.  Some of us are lucky enough to keep doing this and being able to have paid out for these which we have transferred and at least the cruiselines  have had use of our money.

We have to stay positive and try to understand that all governments are terrified of. what might happen next and trying to make things safer even though some things we have mentioned seem odd.  For instance I do not understand why going on a cruise in the UK on Viking which is Govt approved is OK but going to Iceland which is deemed green on a viking cruise is not.  The cruise has exactly the same protocols.   So we keep booking replacements and one day we will perhaps have a lot of cruises close together and we will try to justify this because we have not cruised for so long!

We are from Uk and on the Malta cruise on. 2 October.  Of course we will not be going either as Viking will not be able to sail without US passenger numbers so we hope it will be sorted.
 

However we also have a cruise booked on Silversea later to America and I must point out that before Malta said this the US were arguing that they would not accept Uk citizens who have had the astrazeneca vaccine.    Same difference really I feel.

Back to Malta they have decided not to accept our NHS app with vaccination details and are insisting  we have to get a printed NHS pass.  I am not knowledgeable in all this but feel the official app is safer than the pass. The whole world is going mad and it is not just Malta

We have transferred from Iceland to the August 14 sailing.   Iceland too uncertain with GovUk not yet approving cruises except to Uk.   Will do Iceland in the future sometime but looking forward to the Scilly Isles in particular

Just spent sometime on You Tube looking at. fred Olsen.   Anyone who many be considering them to get on the. amsterdam or Rotterdam I suggest you look here, pmarticularly the one on. Boudicca cruising to Norway.   The couple doing it did a daily blog which also showed pictures of their dinner each night and part of the evening entertainment.

In the past we have done several short cruises up to five days on Fred Olsen (six in all) and have found them perfectly satisfactory for short jaunts to the continent.  We have always said however, that we would not want to do a 14 day cruise.   The last was a few years' ago, but no we did not think the food was as good as HAL though it was OK.   Our trouble with FO is we do not liked fixed sitting, we do not like having to dress up for formal nights, and a terrible thing to say we are from UK but do not like sailing on ships with all UK passengers.  Part of our holiday is to meet people from US and Australia and Canada (and other places) as chatting with them is generally far more satisfying and I think we all learn a lot.

We are shattered by four ships leaving HAL at one go, Rotterdam is the ship we have been on the most, about 10 times.  We also liked our trip last year on Maasdam - our sort of cruise.  I have nothing against Volendam which we have had three good cruises on but not been on Zaandam.   We do feel however,that with only two smaller ships to choose from there will be a vey limited itinerary choice.  In any case Zaandam will be tied up with the world cruises which would just leave Volendam at the very time we prefer to cruise and unless they switch ships around we have done the Volendam Far Eastern itineraries.   

I will say that FO has had a very good South African cruise which is an area I would love to do.   If it was the Rotterdam or Amsterdam we might just be tempted.

However, we have also now found Oceania and Viking both of which suit us well, just as HAL has done for 18 cruises.

Angela

I think one thing has not emerged on this thread about the actual ships.  I think both Viking and Oceania's Riviera and Marina are pretty equal, with Oceania having better bathrooms though Viking's are very acceptable.   However, although we have been on both Insignia and Nautica they are not a comparison to Viking and as has been said the bathrooms are very small.

We thought the food good on Viking in the main restaurant, Manfredo and Mamsen, but did not like the food in the buffet at all, even if roughly the same menu as the dining room at night did not look it.  We also thought afternoon tea was chaotic and not very good.   You have however options and we went for tea in Mamsens.   Afternoon tea on Oceania is very good.   We often do not have lunch if ashore so go to afternoon tea instead.

We have sailed on HAL 17 times and still like it.  We have been on both Seabourn and Silversea but would go on neither again.   Firstly I think the very expensive fares are down mainly to the free alcohol and as we are single glass of wine it can never be good value for us.   Nor to be honest did I think the food that good.

We liked Seabourn and apart from above would not object to going again, but definitely not Silversea.

We do however like both Oceania and Viking.  Just come back from our first Viking cruise and very impressed.  Both these lines are possible for you if you want to upgrade from HAL.   Viking gives you free wine at lunch and dinner which is quite sufficient for many people plus included speciality teas and coffees.  it was also the most attractive ship I have been on except for Marina and Riviera which are also excellent designs.

Me too.   I checked my points before cruise and yes we were due for silver medallion 300 days.  The cruiseline also thought so and we had the presentation onboard Rotterdam.   I was looking at the points the other day and see that whilst we have the days for the cruise in theory, no onboard spend points.   However, they have also altered our total points and according to their new figure we are not at 300 days (which we are).   

Was waiting to see what would happen.

We have been on both but mainly on HAL. Fred Olsen is just not for us. The adventage is that the ships are smaller but we have never found that they match up to HAL in other ways. The passengers are practically all UK. This in our case we do not like although we are from the UK, because half the pleasure on HAL is meeting and travelling with people from America, Canada and Australia. This gives a whole added dimension to the cruise. We have not been on FO for a few years now so unable to comment on food, entertainment. At the time we went with them the food was not as good, but the entertainment was not dissimilar to HA - not very professional. We think that the service on HAL is very good and we love the dining room and cabin crews which has not been matched by any of the cruiselines we have travelled on.

Thank you very much. That is disappointing. I am someone who always hoped for a bath but sadly cannot use one now and even getting over the side for a shower is a struggle. I was delighted when we went on Volendam when we found the baths had been replaced by shower cubicles - same size as baths.

Angela

Can I ask anyone who has been on Rotterdam after the recent upgrade if the oceanview bathrooms have been altered to walk-in showers instead of baths like we had on Volendam in February. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Many thanks

The Maasdam is doing such a cruise in January from Perth to Singapore, 20 days. It is visiting a large number of Indonesian ports.

Since the new website on most days it will not allow me to log in and says my password/email address is wrong. Several days ago I was able to get in using the same details. I wanted to see if mariners had entered my last cruise in March. Was absolutely horrified when it told me I had no cruises and no days. What! We are four star with 17 cruises. I wrote to HAL complaining about difficulties in logging in and about the mariners details. No reply of course! I tried to get back in this morning and was back to not being able to log in. What is going on? They do know, of course they do.

Oceania - preferably Riviera or mARINA

We have been on Oceania three times, twice on Riviera and once recently on a sector of the world cruise on Insignia. We loved the ship in the case of Riviera but had the strange feeling we were on the Marie Celeste - a lot of the time there were few people around. I was really happy on Insignia - a small cabin and bathroom do not really bother us - and everything was fine except reservations with the food. I actually thought breakfasts were better on HAL, and where we had chosen identical things to HAL, HAL was better. My real problem came with four of our 17 dinners. At three of them I ordered steak, carefully reading their chart on how to order and asked for well done. All three came anything but well done. The fourth of the nights I had ordered poached salmon which look beautiful when the waiter served it, but in practice only the top surface was cooked - the inner part was raw. I know you can send things back but you then get out of sync with the others on the table, and I do feel that a line that is supposed to be so good on food should get these things right. I can honestly say, that minus the chart on HAL my steak has always been as ordered.

Why did we go on Oceania. Well we had done 15 cruises on HAL and although very satisfied decided we really ought to try something else to see what was out there, so we did the three cruises on Oceania and one on Seabourn. We would not go on Seabourn again as I think it is far too expensive if you drink only one or two glasses of wine a day. The food was nowhere as good as Oceania, and I was really put out to discover you could not eat breakfast or lunch in the restaurant.

So now we have HAL and Oceania as our two options and are very happy with both. But you know deep down I still really have a soft spot for HAL which is probably why our next three cruises are booked with them.