ccrain

VERY IMPORTANT

I really hate to do this on the first sea day, but we found something yesterday that could really affect people’s health on the ships. We bring our own shampoo and conditioner for long cruises since Princess started using the bottles in the shower instead of the packaged Lotus Spa stuff. Usually our steward gives us new or empty/cleaned spare bottles and swaps them out for us. This time we had to dump the old stuff out and clean the bottles, but what we found in and around the bottles was GROSS.

Behind the bottles on the chrome attachment plate was black moldy goopee gross stuff. We used a healthy dose of Lysol spray and Clorox wipes to clean it up.

Even worse though was that the black moldy goopee stuff was in the shampoo/conditioner and the body gel bottle as well. Especially on the cap threads. (Judy had to clean the pump head threads with Q-tips.) After rinsing for several minutes in hot water, we got it all cleaned out, black stuff everywhere.

I’m not sure if it was bacteria, fungus or just some kind of chemical reaction between the soaps and the containers. I don’t want to know. I wanted it gone.

The reason the stuff is there is pretty clear – these particular areas just don’t get cleaned very often – they probably don’t think its important. But anyone that might be sensitive to mold or fungus might have a reaction to the stuff when the shower is running and dispersing some of this in the air.

So pull the caps and look at the threads in bright light and look behind the bottles with a flashlight and see what you see.

09-20-2018 – First Day At Sea to Ketchikan

The coffee klatch has hereby begun with me, myself and I. Still too early for most. But I have changed the location. The music was way too loud in the Deck 5 bar for even a minute conversation. So I came back up to the IC. But now with coffee and computer, here goes a recap of yesterday.

Embarkation day was a breeze. Never stopped walking from the time of drop off to the cabin. The star was in the main spot of the terminal. We were at Pier 92, but still no issues all the way in. We are in a starboard balcony bumpout. Nice view forward along the whole length of the ship. Will be perfect for whale and bergy bit watching.

The ship is in pretty good shape in the public areas. You can see the ravages of the sea if you look closely in the nooks and crannies, but overall really good. Add to that the fact that she was not butchered like the Island and actually has an IC, on deck 6 next to the casino open 24 hours, and a Patisserie on Deck 5, both with coffee machines, it has all the makings of a really good cruise.

Luggage arrived and the chore of making all of this stuff fit started. Ran out of hangers, of course, used the plug under the bed for Judy’s machine, used the power strip, non-surge suppressed of course, on the spare plug behind the TV, and then plugged in the USB power brick to set up the charging station under the TV. This is the most ‘stuff’ since the 61 day Ruby cruise a couple of years ago.

First Patter information – this is the most important patter of the cruise and gets put on the wall. Let’s see. We have Andrea Poggi as Captain. Leonardo Pavan as Hotel General Manager, Miranda Mclean is the CD, Mike Witte is the ED, Luca Baudoino is the Customer Services Director, Giancarlo Iaccarino is the Food and Beverage Director, Saverio Brattoli is the Executive Chef and Jean Paul Musiu is the Matre d’Hotel.

BTW – The Pizza is already lots better than the last cruise. The crust is seasoned! Yeah for the taste buds, bad for the waist line!

So now for the schedule. We have 3 formal days on the way to Shanghai; 9/21, 10/1 and 10/15. The schedule is only to Shanghai, the first segment of the cruise. Elites booked for the entire 60 days get 500 minutes each segment. There are also daily data packages from 200 to 500MB per day at a daily rate. I went ahead and got an extra 200 minutes. So far the internet is VERY slow from the cabin. Elites are also getting two bar setups, one here and one in Shanghai and after the cruise will get an extra cruise credit for the 60 day duration if booked on the single 60 day cruise.

Entertainment – We have 2 production shows in the theater, Encore and Motor City. Soprano is Jennifer Fair – seen her before and she has a great set of pipes! Comic is Scott Wyler and he is actually pretty funny. His intro show last night was a hoot. We have also, Vocalist Sonia Selbie, Guitar Comic Gary DeLena, Instrumentalist Duncan Tuck, Juggler Jeff Taveggia, Vocalist Claude Eric, Vocalist Monique Dehaney, Comedian Simon Colter, Tribute Act of Sonz of Soul, Acrobat Wheel Sensation, Female Vocalist Anna Fegi-Brown, Novelty Les Sandros, Juggler Kikyo Brothers.

Games shows in Explorers will be Yes/No, Karoke, Marriage Match, Majority Rules, 50’s night, 70’s disco, 60’s dance, Liars Club and dancing ala Skywalkers after 2300. Universe Lounge will be On the Bayou, NFL Football, Zumba, Ballroom Dance Class.

MUTS will have The 15:17 to Paris, Avenger’s Infinity Wars, Battle of the Sexes, Black Panther, Book Club, The Bookshop, Breathe, The Commuter, Finding Your Feet, The Greatest Showman, Hearts Beat Loud, I Feel Pretty, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dog and “many more…”.

The party band is The Sound. Wheelhouse bar is the Blue Jade Quartet. The destination lecturer this morning is Mark Harris and we do have a ‘shopping advisor’ (Allyson) till we leave Alaska. I suspect there are another couple of lecturers in the wings.

Miranda is running two Zumba classes, one at 0900 (she is leading and she is a tough Zumba instructor) and one at 1500 with Karen. They have pickleball on the sports deck 0900 to 1200, morning trivia, mah jong and bingo in the mornings. They are running several cruise length events like a Mini-Olympics, scrap heap boat challenge, egg drop and scavenger hunts.

In the afternoons they have a destination lecture, bridge play, a cruise long trivia challenge, ballroom dance class, ping pong, afternoon trivia, something called tailgate@sea related to football.

In the evenings we have elite lounge in the Universe, canned music dancing in Explorers, Duo Adamant is the atrium strings. Solo guitar vocalist Lou McMahon kicks off in the wheelhouse. Then the Blue Jade Quarter. The Sound resides in Explorer’s.

They have BOGO! Sort of. Pre-show in the theater. Buy one glass of wine, get another for $1. Interesting. Must have gotten a good deal on a container of wine!

So that is a quick and dirty synopsis of the first patter.

Later!

Have a great time. I'm so jealous. And I hope there's good dance opportunities for you - we were on the Emerald a couple of weeks ago - not so much.

We hope so too. No dancing = no eating!

I'll see you in the am Charles. This is going to be fun.

Fun?!? You're the one bringing all the wine!!!

Yep, this is going to be a lot of fun!

See ya!

Just got back from Dinner at 22nd street landing with some of the roll call group. Fresh grilled swordfish...mmmm. On the expensive side, but this is Cali on the water.

Nice to put some names with faces finally. Roll call started in May 2017 and we have over 300 CC members signed up.

On the 11:30 shuttle in the morning to the port. Two ships in dock tomorrow, Star and Coral. Hopefully our luggage doesn't end up on the Star. That would not be good.

First coffee klatch, with Holomoku's coffee mascot is scheduled to start at 0700 at the Deck 5 coffee bar area on the 20th.

Meet and greet at 1000 in Explorer's.

See you all there!

BTW - Ask any questions, but I can't guarantee an answer right away. I will be composing updates off line and then simply pasting them in and I might not have time to read all the question posts. So I apologize up front. I'm not ignoring you! I'm just not reading all the questions! And sleeping, and eating and dancing and drinking...and...and...and...

Hopefully others will pop in with answers as well.

For what we are doing on the ship, the plans we've made, the cruise website is in my signature line below. It pretty much summarizes all the activities we have planned on-board, as well as all the private excursions we've collectively put together. Feel free to download or copy any of the information from the website for your own future cruises to the area.

So we just had a great breakfast at the Doubletree and now its time to stroll around the marina area. One of our favorite things to do...

Later!

09-18-2018

We have finally arrived in San Pedro to prepare to board the Coral Princess tomorrow on its 60 day Northern Pacific Circle Route that will take us from Alaska to Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, Guam and Hawaii. A pretty epic adventure on one of our favorite classes of ship.

OCPD (Obsessive Cruise Planning Disorder) is one of my major ‘issues’. And this cruise was certainly no exception. The roll call was started in May of 2017 and for the past 15+ months all of us on the rolls have been planning and scheduling and thinking about this cruise. So hopefully, the internet gods willing, you will all get a little taste of the trip with us. I’m hoping that several of my fellow cruisers chip in and provide different perspectives on this cruise in this Live From.

So let’s get the basics out of the way, shall we?

We are Charles and Judy from Colorado Springs. Flew in yesterday because I could not stand one more day staring at a pile, and I mean a big pile, of suitcases. Originally planned to be in today, but that went away. We are staying at the Doubletree in San Pedro. I am a HHonors members and try to stay at Hiltons because I use points. The last time we stayed here I was disappointed. Not this time. The remodel is over with and its very nice. Not to mention the chef is pretty good and the food is tasty. A room upgrade to a suite didn’t hurt either. Now we have plenty of room to lay everything out as we re-pack from boarding.

Speaking of re-packing, this was the most we’ve every packed since our first cruise in 2001! 4 checked, 2 carryons and a backpack that did NOT fit in the RJ overhead (I hate those Canadair 200’s!). With 48 pounds for each checked piece in the cart I am wheeling around the airport, having forsworn years ago the use of one, this cruise has proven to be a packing challenge with 3 seasons to pack for, a ship full of elites to delay laundry service, and 60 days of ‘stuff’ to consume. We did 61 days in the Med on the Ruby with only one checked and one carryon each several years ago! But the cameras are bigger, the pharmacopeia more extensive, the need for better quality shampoo, conditioner and body wash, and the number of vitamins and supplements in the pack took up almost all of one carry-on! Then there are the shoes! 5 pairs each! And my 14’s take up most of a suitcase all by themselves!

Oh, I can hear it now – the gasped ‘5 pairs of shoes each!?!’ – so here is where OCPD comes into play. One pair of hikers, one pair of deck shoes, one pair of dance shoes. That’s the bare minimum. But for 60 days, shoes get wet one day and you have to have a spare for the next day while the one dries out. So we bring a combination shore/deck shoe as a spare. Dance shoes? Last cruise my dance sneaks/formal shoe soles tried to abandon ship. We ended up in the Victoria Market in Melbourne buying shoe goo as our supply of super glue, in our first aid kit for wounds, was insufficient to fix the problem. So now, for these longer cruises, I am bringing a complete spare set of dance/formal shoes.

See what trouble OCPD can get you into? Spare this, spare that, pretty soon you are packed for survival at sea! And yes, there are even spare laces for the shoes as well. (They also double as sign holders for the Halloween costumes and for fire bow drills if we get stranded on a desert island with all of our luggage.) Of course the signs are laminated! What do you think we are? Amateurs? Then add 20# of candy for the crew, Halloween door decorations, rain gear, emergency rain gear, wipes of every type imaginable (body, hands, insect and unmentionables – indispensable in Asia), energy and electrolyte drink mixes and the electronics – oh don’t get me started on the electronics!

Enough about packing. Let’s talk itinerary.

Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Kodiak – 2 ports in Alaska we’ve never been to. Across the Northern Pacific, maybe the Bering Sea? Down to Kushiro, Yokohama, Osaka and Hiroshima Japan. Been to two of the ports, but this time we will do different things. Kyoto from Osaka, Yokohama itself instead of Tokyo, the fish market in Kushiro and Miyajima Island in Hiroshima. Then its Beijing, Incheon, Shanghai, Okinawa, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Been to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, but have not seen everything. Okinawa, Incheon and Taiwan are new to us. On to Vietnam and two new ports, Ha Long bay and Hue. In Phu My we will do Vung Tau and avoid the scooter chaos of Saigon. Over to Manila, Guam, Honolulu, Kauai and back to LA.

Most ports have nice long port times. As in docking by early morning and leaving at night. Looking forward to having dinner in several ports. We have a mix of private excursions and DIY planned. One of our fellow organizers on this cruise (Pam of pamandcookie) organized a whole bunch of excursions. I took the easy way out and found a vendor in Vietnam to take care of everyone at all the ports. Then several other people jumped in with private excursions as well. Princess made a big mistake by pre-charging for excursions. That removed the final incentive, for me, to book with princess.

DIY for us is a mix of public transport. We are going to try and do Kyoto from Osaka on the Shinkansen – gotta do that at least once. Miyajima via Hiroden and Ferry in Hiroshima. Yokohama via the Akai Kutsu bus. Okinawa via the monorail. Hong Kong to the Big Buddha via metro and Cable Car. For us it is about the journey. I was so tickled to learn, on the last cruise, how to navigate the metros of Sydney and Tokyo during our pre and post cruise stays. Kind of personal, minor victory. Yep, we got stuffed into a Ginza line car in Tokyo and loved it!

So anyway, here we are, ready to get started and I’ll try and update this as we go around the Pacific.

Get on-board! Let’s have some fun!

Later!

La to LA with 2 segments in conjunction with Shanghai.

4 stops in Alaska

5 Stops in Japan

2 Stops in China

1 stop in Korea

1 stop in Hong Kong

1 stop in Taiwan

3 stops in Viet Nam

1 stop in the Philippines

1 stop in Guam

2 stops in Hawaii

And a lot of the ports are late departures, like 2200. That makes a lot of extra time for night foodie runs, Osaka and Keelung, and not worrying too much about missing the ship. The Princess excursions are rather sparse, so there are a LOT of private excursions planned.

We have over 300 CC members on the cruise and one of the most active roll calls since the 2015 28 Day Crown Tahiti run.

The roll call is at:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2503755

The cruise website is in my signature line below. You can see the huge number of private tours planned.

We will be doing a group Live From Thread and others will be doing blogs. After the cruise I should have my illustrated trip report completed before the 2019 WC and may even do a Video of the cruise as well.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Princess will start using the Coral, and Island, for long adventure type cruises. (Like the Island 60 day South American cruise and this one.) And as a replacement for the Sea/Sun in partial and total WC's. The 28 day Tahiti run has gotten so popular they are doing two of them a year and using a SuperGrand.

While I have not been on the Pacific yet, the Coral still remains, IMHO, the most spacious of the ships in terms of 'crowdedness'. I was surprised that after years on Grands and SuperGrands, the Island, even after the butchering, still has a pretty low 'crowdedness' score - although the Universe Lounge was sorely missed.

Morning Charles. Is there a preference with a port or starboard cabin? We're taking this cruise Feb. 2020. Thanks for any help. Also, enjoyed your review. Great information.

 

 

Mike

Not really. There are advantages and disadvantages on both side. I would pick based on preferred cabin type and deck location first. Then pick the side that has the least expensive rate! (We always pick Caribe deck balconies over everything else!)

Yes, most plans require that you cover any and all nonrefundable costs of your entire trip to include airfare, car rental cost, hotel, etc.. Unless they are refundable.

if you purchase refundable airline tickets, you don't have to add them to your insurance. If your hotel rates allow you to cancel before arrival, you don't have to cover.

 

You do NOT have to pay for ALL the insurance all at once. You can book the cruise and buy insurance that only covers the deposit, then as you book more and/or pay more, you just call the insurance company and tell them your new costs and pay the increase. Or, you can just wait until a few days before you depart for the cruise and pay the new costs.

That's interesting. I didn't know you could do that...Do you call the insurance company direct or go through the agent like Squaremouth or Insuremytrip?

It was stated that Nationwide says you must insure your whole trip. Does that mean your airfare also? I booked the cruise and would like to purchase insurance, but I have not booked air or pre-cruise hotel as of yet. Could someone clarify this for me? Thank you.

that is the one thing that bothers me about nationwide - that term is just too legal beagle for me. And for cruises with various penalty times and amounts, who knows?

I have simply insured the cost of the cruise, for which i have a receipt, because if I cancel at the last minute, I will just have to eat the airfare and other costs, but if I cancel within 2-3 weeks, I only have a 50% penalty or something like that and the difference will cover the airfare and other costs.

Ccrain

 

Are the bolded words, “This is your effective date” quoted in the policy in each section or is it your impression that each start of coverage indicates a new effective date?

 

It is logical that trip delay / interruption or medical do not start until you actually travel. Insurance can’t pay for something that hasn’t happened yet. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the effective date changes at every stage.

 

I still think that effective date means the defined time after the company receives payment. Your policy is in force at that point, and coverage is applied as the risk occurs.

 

I could certainly be wrong, so you have raised an important question. It underlines the need to read the policy and to ask a qualified broker for clarification.

The bold typeface is my highlighting the actual certificate words that are causing me concern or non-concern as the case may be...I have not edited them.

And yes, the plain language is clear on the two that concern me - the effective date of medical coverage is the day you depart. The effective date of cancellation insurance is the date of purchase. Since the pre-existing condition language uses the same terminology - Effective Date - I can only conclude that there are essentially TWO pre-existing condition Effective Dates - one for cancellation, one for medical treatment.

My concern with talking to a broker is that unless they can provide something in writing from the company, or themselves, anything they say is moot. This is purely a matter of contract law and even getting another lawyer's opinion on the matter would be pretty much a waste of money.

So the bottom line for me is that I simply avoid those policies completely and go with policies that are clearer in their definition of Effective Date OR simply purchase policies that waive the pre-existing conditions even if I have to sacrifice Primary Coverage to do it.

So of the five policies I picked from Insuremytrip, 3 of which I've actually purchased in the past, two are very clear that the pre-existing coverage look back is from the date of purchase. 1 policy is subject to interpretation - which of course is what lawyers want - and two are pretty clear in the plain text saying that the pre-existing look back for medical benefits on the trip actually starts from the day the trip starts.

So having dealt with multiple lawyers and insurance companies over the past 10 years and knowing that each side will 'spin' the wording to benefit their client, I want travel insurance policies with the clearest wording to my advantage in the look back period issue.

Just another point in making sure you READ the actual policy certificate and not count on the 'brochure' wording or even what people post on cruise critic! Including ME!

And this doesn't even start to address the other issues of travel insurance like secondary benefits, "Usual and Customary", "suitable necessary medical treatment", etc. So far I've only had to deal with cancellations and not medical during a cruise. But as we all get older, and travel more often and for longer duration, the chances of a medical issue popping us becomes more and more likely.

TripAssure:

“Effective Date” means the date and time Your coverage begins, as indicated

in Section IV, Coverage Provisions, When Coverage Begins and Ends.

When Coverage Begins:

Trip Cancellation: Coverage begins at 12:01 a.m. at Your location on the

day after the date the required payment for this plan to cover Your Trip

is received by TripAssure. This is Your “Effective Date” and time for Trip

Cancellation.

Trip Interruption and Missed Connection: Coverage begins when You

depart on Your first scheduled Travel Arrangement (or if You must use

an alternate travel arrangement after Your Scheduled Departure Date to

reach Your Trip destination, on the Scheduled Departure Date) for Your

Trip. This is Your “Effective Date” and time for Trip Interruption and Missed

Connection.

Travel Delay: Coverage begins after You have traveled 100 miles or more

from home en route to join Your Trip. This is Your “Effective Date” and time

for Travel Delay.

All Other Coverages: Coverage begins when You depart on the first Travel

Arrangement (or alternate travel arrangement if You must use an alternate

Travel Arrangement to reach Your Trip destination) for Your Trip. This is

Your “Effective Date” and time for all other coverages.

“Pre-Existing Condition” means an illness, disease, or other condition

during the 60 day period immediately prior to the Effective Date of Your

coverage for which You or Your Traveling Companion, Business Partner or

Family Member scheduled or booked to travel with You:

1) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or

medical treatment; or

2) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine.

Item (2) of this definition does not apply to a condition which is treated

or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine

and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the

required prescription throughout the 60 day period before Your coverage is

effective under this plan.

TravelSafe:

SECTION III. Insuring Provisions

Your Term of Coverage:

For Trip Cancellation: Coverage begins on Your “Effective

Date” which is at 12:01 a.m. on the date the appropriate cost

for this policy for Your Trip is received and ends at the point

and time of departure on Your Scheduled Departure Date.

For Travel Delay: Coverage is in force while en route to and

from and during the Trip.

For all other coverages: All other benefits begin on 12:01

a.m. on Your Scheduled Departure Date. Coverage ends at

the point and time of return on Your Scheduled Return Date.

In the event the Scheduled Departure Date and/or the

Scheduled Return Date are delayed, or the point and time

of departure and/or point and time of return are changed

because of circumstances over which neither the Travel

Supplier nor You have control, Your term of coverage shall

be automatically adjusted in accordance with the Travel

Supplier’s notice to Us of the delay or change.

“Pre-Existing Condition” means any injury, sickness or condition (including any condition from which death ensues)

of You, Your Traveling Companion, or Your or Your Traveling

Companion’s Family Member traveling with You which

within the 60 day period prior to the effective date of Your

Trip Cancellation coverage under the Policy: (a) manifested

itself, became acute or exhibited symptoms which would

have caused one to seek diagnosis, care or treatment;

(b) required taking prescribed drugs or medicine, unless

the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is

taken remains controlled without any change in the required

prescription; or © required medical treatment or treatment

was recommended by a Legally Qualified Physician.

My note - This one, while a bit obtuse, is at least reasonably clear.

RoamRight:

“Effective Date” means the date and time Your coverage begins, as indicated in Section IV-Coverage Provisions, When Coverage Begins and Ends.

When Coverage Begins:

Trip Cancellation, Optional Cancellation For Any Reason:

Coverage begins at 12:01 a.m. at Your location on the day after the date the required premium for this policy to cover Your Trip is received by RoamRight. This is Your “Effective Date” and time for Trip Cancellation, Optional Cancellation For Any Reason.

Trip Interruption and Missed Connection: Coverage begins when You depart on Your first scheduled Travel

Arrangement (or if You must use an alternate travel arrangement after Your Scheduled Departure Date to reach Your Trip destination, on the Scheduled Departure Date) for Your Trip. This is Your “Effective Date” and time for Trip Interruption and Missed Connection.

All Other Coverages: Coverage begins at 12:01 AM on the date when You depart on the first Travel Arrangement (or alternate travel arrangement if You must use an alternate Travel Arrangement to reach Your Trip destination) for Your Trip. This is Your “Effective Date” and time for all other coverages.

“Pre-Existing Condition” means an illness, disease, or other condition during the 180 day period immediately prior to the Effective Date of Your coverage for which You or Your Traveling Companion, Business Partner or Family Member: 1) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or medical treatment; or 2) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine. Item (2) of this definition does not apply to a condition which is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the 180 day period before Your coverage is effective under this policy.

Nationwide:

Effective Date means 12:01 A.M. local time, at Your location, on the day after the required premium for such coverage is received by the Company or its authorized representative.

Pre-Existing Condition means an illness, disease, or other condition during the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the Effective Date for which You, a Traveling Companion, or a Family Member booked to travel with You: 1) exhibited symptoms that would have caused one to seek care or treatment; or 2) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or medical treatment; or 3) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine. Item (3) of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the sixty (60) day period before the Effective Date.

The Pre-Existing Conditions exclusion is waived if You (a) enroll in this Policy within final Trip payment; (b) purchase this Policy for the full cost of Your Trip; and © are medically able to travel on the Effective Date.

My note - Nationwide is very straightforward in its definitions. Although they do have the added stipulation of purchasing the policy for the full cost of your Trip....

No problem. Let me show you a couple of examples from the actual insurance certificates.

Travelex:

When Coverage Begins

Trip Cancellation and Cancel for Any Reason coverage will be effective at 12:01

a.m. (Standard Time) on the date following payment to the Company of any

required plan cost.

Car Rental Collision coverage will take effect when the Insured signs the rental

agreement and takes possession of the rental vehicle provided the required

plan cost has been paid on or before the date the rental agreement has been

signed.

All other coverages will begin on the later of:

(a) 12:01 a.m. (Standard Time) on the scheduled Departure Date shown on

the travel documents; or

(b) the date and time the Insured starts his/her Trip.

(l) PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION EXCLUSION: The Company will

not pay for any loss or expense incurred as the result of an Injury,

Sickness or other condition (excluding any condition from which death

ensues) of an Insured, Traveling Companion, Business Partner or

Family Member which, within the 60 day period immediately preceding

and including the Insured’s coverage effective date caused the

individual to incur charges, receive medical treatment, consult a health

professional or take prescription drugs.

Could be the same set up as in the Baltic. There they have multiple ports for disembarkation and embarkation.

This could refer to the Fall/Winter 2019 schedule. The Royal is the only ship that 'stops' regularly in PV on MR cruises. Grand is doing HI and MR out of SFO, Star is doing HI and MR out of YVR and LA. Coral is doing Antarctica. Island is doing SA. Crown, Regal, Sky and CB are out of FLL. Emerald is doing Panama Canals. Everyone else is either in Europe or Oceania/Asia.

So this might be the Royal doing an embark/debark in PV much like some of the Baltics mentioned above.

According to Princess, they will now accept the E-Visa upon check-in.

BUT, Brazil requires you to carry a print out of PDF paperwork that they will issue you with the E-VISA and I suspect its just a good idea to carry it anyway.

Does this mean no visit to the Brazilian Consulate or using a Visa Service?

All can be done on line? Do we have to submit anything other than an application. How about a Photo?

And it means no utility bill or bank statement or first born or proof of extraterrestrial origin....

Much, much less of a hassle!

Paperwork?

 

You need your passport as well as the Brazilian E Visa and boarding passes in order to board

 

Howard

This:

Thank you for using the Brazil eVisa Application Service, provided by VFS Global, on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are happy to inform you that your visa application has been approved. A copy of the e-visa is attached with this email.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: You must print a copy of your e-visa and carry it with you when you travel. You will not be allowed to board the flight or enter Brazilian territory unless you present the printed version of your visa to the Airline or Border Control Agent.

We wish you a pleasant journey, and look forward to serving you again in the future.

If you have any queries or concerns, please visit our FAQs page or Contact Us directly.

Thank you, Customer Support - Brazil eVisa Service.

That paperwork. I even carry my Australian E-VISA approval emails...

According to Scott at Princess this morning, Princess now accepts all E-VISAs, including the new Brazilian E-VISA.

Last month it was 'we don't know yet' - so this is progress.

However, I would still take all the paperwork with you when you board - just to make sure!

Medjet has gotten very good reviews from CC members whom have used it. We have had it for years now, in addition to normal travel insurance, because MedJet will get your home - not to the 'nearest suitable' facility.

Medjet did have a 60 day limit on its out of country continuous coverage, but it now has a new policy called ExPat that increases the limit to 180 days out of country.

You can upgrade your current policy to ExPat by calling them. The upgrade cost will vary depending on which policy you presently have and how many month you have to go in the policy.

From the various accounts I've read, there is a fundamental issue with the data collection software coupled with RF signal to noise issues. While the backbone is wired, this system is heavily wireless dependent on the front end

Remember, in addition to simple tasks like billing drinks to your account and unlocking your door, they are tracking you all over the ship. What's the sample rate? Do you want to track on 10 second, 30 second, 60 second or longer intervals? With 3000+ guests, that's a LOT of sampling and a lot of data. Now couple that with transaction data from these 3000 guests.

How many of you have been on the ships recently with the new IPAD drink ordering system? How many times has the server had to re-swipe your card? Reboot their pad? Throw the pad down, stomp on it and pull out the old reliable pen and paper?

If they are having this kind of trouble with a fairly standard swipe system, now insert a wireless 'swipe' into the software on the PAD and another piece of software telling the server that this particular person likes 'a chairman of the board' while differentiating between 8 different people sitting around a table with no name tags - so is the software also trying to pull up the security photo of the person to the PAD as well in order for the server to know who is who?

Multiply this by several hundred and you have hundreds of MB of data flowing back and forth to the on-board servers - which are probably too small in processing power and in data storage (lowest bidder of course, smallest physical space, lowest power consumption, lowest heat possible).

No wonder the original deployment went so poorly. No one thought about the throughput required to make this kind of system work.

And then of course, Mr. Murphy shows up, the only real constant in the engineering universe, and kicks your tuckus up and down the proverbial hallway!