sailingdutchy

We were on the same cruise with Ann and Pat on the Eurodam in Europe and the Canadians received the PCR test on board ship which enabled us to return to Canada and to make our flight from Munich to Toronto . Our papers with the proof of being negative were from an Italian Laboratory which we received a day after our tests were taken . So everything went very smooth and there was not a problem once we arrived in Toronto . 

But since we have booked another cruise from and to San Diego I would like to hear from Canadians cruising now and who arrive back in the US if they are getting the PCR test on board ship to be able to fly back to Canada with proof from a laboratory .

Thank you @Florida_gal_50 for raising this question !

Tony 

6 hours ago, Altamira said:

While I waited on hold the HAL agent asked someone, (possibly a supervisor?), to explain the discrepancy that I had brought to her attention. When she came back on she said that the reason was that the CDC guidelines for cruise ships allow for a small number of passengers (it’s 5%), to be unvaccinated and still have a sailing considered fully vaccinated. That’s why there were the statements about unvaccinated passengers in HAL’s website.
 

I have no way to judge if these calculations are or aren’t perfectly valid for assessing likely risk of  viral transmission on a cruise ship. I’m sure that the CDC with the best scientific minds in the world in the field of virology, either know or are in the best position to make those judgements. 
 

But 95% and 100% are two different numbers and I just didn’t like the statement on HAL’s website about the 100% vaccination requirement, applying now and through February, followed by comments about the unvaccinated passengers. Facts are important. They should absolutely make those crystal clear. 

Sorry to read all of the statements that you are making @Altamirajust based on a phone call with one employee who is working from home , we were told there are hardly any people working from the main office  in Seattle at least none that work the phones.

. We were on a Holland America cruise last month for 25 days  and I can tell you that everybody had to be 100% vaccinated and those vaccinations had to be either Pfizer or Moderna  .  Astro Zeneca or J& J  was not a valid vaccine to be able to get on board . There were no children on board because of these rules .  Masks were worn in all interior places on the ship , on embarkation and disembarkation  with the exception when you were in your own cabin , enjoying your meal or having a drink or on the outside decks. 

Sometimes even after all the months and months we have worn masks we were almost immediately politely told  if we forgot in the Lido for instance when getting some extra food or a desert  to please put on your mask.

We had to have a PCR test within 72 hours of getting on board , this is a rule NOT a recommendation we  than had an antigen test at the cruise terminal had our temperature taken a couple of times and another antigen test on the B2B portion of the cruise .  Because the Canadian government insists that we have proof of a PCR test before we enter our country  Holland America provided that test at no cost to us . 

If people had a false positive you would get isolated for the required number of days , if you had to go to the medical centre for any reason you might get tested for Covid even more.  

So please do not guess what the rules are or make statements or guesses about the procedures on board Holland America cruises .

They are doing an amazing job in very difficult circumstances . 

Can you imagine we were in 25 days in 8 different countries each having different regulations and guests were allowed to get ashore in each country . Mind you in Italy only on Holland America Tours .

So I was not a teacher , as a matter of fact I am an immigrant to Canada and am not perfect in my English reading or writing  but I felt the necessity to make my statement and tell you about our experience on board of a Holland America ship which was fully vaccinated. 

Holland America is taking this very seriously !  Sorry I did not read the Norwegian rules ........

Tony 

As per the new rules there are NO more free bottles that you can bring on board at embarkation .

If you are on a HAL tour where the tour might take you to a winery or have some wine tasting during that tour they will allow you to bring a bottle for your consumption on board without having to pay the corkage fee of $ 18.00 .

During our Eurodam cruise last month I had organized wine tasting on a personal small group tour I purchased a couple of bottles of Croatian wines because they were so reasonable with the thought I had to pay the corkage . The bottles were scanned when we came back on board I heard somebody say ,  " bottles " and I was allowed to carry on and we consumed them in our cabin . 

Sometimes it is also a toss up if the scanning machine is going on board ship and you might get scanned in the port  ( Naples comes to mind ) and other times there will be crew standing at a small table when getting on board and charging you for the corkage .

Sorry for the long reply but this was our experience recently , 2 nice bottles for the cabin a Posip and a Grk ! 

Tony 😁😁

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

Tony phoned Pat a little while ago to say that the FCC had called to advise him they could now book all the way to FLL.   Just a bit late….

yes too bad this is just a little too late getting a call at 9.22 this morning . 
 I have already made some appointments for after we arrive home on Sunday otherwise we would have been very happy to go across the Atlantic to Florida and have a much shorter flight . 
 

BTW the price I was quoted for the TA was not a special deal , which also was disappointing , I would have thought that they would have liked some Canadians on board ship . 
 

Tony😁

On 10/26/2021 at 1:27 PM, Vict0riann said:

I can’t remember if I posted the Canaletto menu…

 

We’ve tried a lot of the small plates, this time we added the veal meatballs to the antipasto, beef carpaccio and the mozzarella.  Then just two large plates, the spaghetti all’ astice ($18 for lots of lobster) and the braised beef short ribs.  Then Pat and I shared an orange blossom ricotta tart.  Think I overdid things?  
 

 

 

 

 

we have been to the Canaletto a couple of times this cruise and I thought the the menu has improved a lot from a couple of years ago .

Tony I 

On 10/26/2021 at 12:00 PM, Rooanna said:

Ann,

 

Enjoying this wonderful LIVE review/blog.  Loved the food tour you did in Zadar, Croatia and would like to know the name of the tour company/tour for future reference.  Glad you are having a fantastic time.

 

Thanks,

Barb S.  

hi Barb our group really enjoyed the itinerary and also the guide of the Pag Cheese Factory Tour and the visit to the Degarra Winery . The spread that Pag put on was delicious with lots so cheese and wine , olives and prosciutto . The guide is Sime Botica , he has some good humour is very good in his English , explains the area very well and the area that this is in is very interesting . You can reach Sime at simebotica (at ) gmail ( dot ) com . 
 

Tony , sailingdutchy 😁😁

11 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Did he say why he is heading out into the weather again?  Seems contrary to all good sense.

Where is your next (planned) port?

next port is Naples , Colin . You can see from the shape of the boot that there will be some open seas again . 
we are now looking out to seeStromboli , see if there is any action going on there 

Just now, sailingdutchy said:

 

yes things have quieted down a lot and the ship is back in the upright position .

Also Martha found her way back home after the captain gave the all clear and people could move around again . 
 

time for a small glass of grape juice and a little nap before going out on the town again ! 

6 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Yes, the whitecaps and spray are gone, there is salt congealing on our verandah, I think we are seeing Messina on our port side.  There are other ships in the strait, maybe sheltering from the bad weather beyond.

 

Excitement over……

9 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

 

13 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Captain just came on again and said we now have 70 knot winds.  He has spoken with the Messina pilot and the winds are lower there, around 10 knots, so we will speed up and try to get there sooner.

 

I definitely am hanging on tight, @0bnxshs,  things are beginning to slide around in the room…

i had to place the extra bottles of wine on the bed so they would not roll away .  The glasses in the cabinet fell over …………and the drawer under the bed came all the way out . 
 

a little motion of the ocean here near the straight of Messina .  Here on the aft cabin I can really see where the wind is coming from and how much we are leaning to the West . The stabilizers are not doing a lot with this kind of wind . 
 

have to see where DW is hanging in out or hanging on ……. 
 

T 

Greetings from the Eurodam and best wishes to all of you at home . We decided to get some wifi on board ship to get in contact with family and to let them know we are thanks to all the measures from HAL safe and well and are having a great time on board ship with our good friends Ann and Pat . We have had some nice independent tours in Croatia and Slovenia , tasted a lot of wine and cheese and saw some beautiful areas in these countries and also in Greece . 

Today it is a sea day and we are on our way to Naples . Holland has decided that we can not have independent tours in Italy so we will be staying on board ship . I do not enjoy sticker tours , too many people on a large bus on a scripted tour for us .  

So far we have had a fantastic time finally cruising again and if we are still not allowed to cruise into Florida , we are on a “ we will call you list “ if in the mean time this decision will be reversed . 
Despite much better vaccination and Covid case figures in Canada it still much easier for our Southern neighbours to cross our border than we do theirs ???
 

Have a very nice Sunday everybody , I will do some more posting again once we get back home . Tonight it will be Tamarind again after we had a delicious Sell de Mer last evening . Ann will possibly show you some nice “ food porn “ 

Tony 😁

9 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

I think that was @Vict0riann on the Eurodam thread. Post #441

 

Hope you hada good voyage home Colin , until we meet again . 
 

tony and Martha

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I wish you a wonderful cruise and thank you for the live from thread.  I actually really like the Vancouver airport.  I’d rather take a bullet in my head than go through Toronto.  Toronto is easily the worst airport I’ve been through.  Good luck with your test on Monday!

I agree 100% with you  , not with the bullet but with the worst airport part !  Another one is Ft Lauderdale where often you have to sit on the floor because there are not enough seats .

Martha and I are really happy to join you and Pat @VictOriann ! We are looking forward to see you again on the Eurodam , sharing some meals and a few tours together and on being back at sea after so many months of being away from this wonderful escape of our daily lives ! 

Sea You Soon ! 

Martha and Tony 😍

On 9/28/2021 at 7:42 PM, Kelownabccan said:

Checked the Princess blog....they seem to be giving a free covid rapid test as you get off the ship for Canadians...makes it easy to fly back home.....HAL???....no testing?????.....if not I prob will look at Princess for our first "kick at the cruiser cat"

We will be on the Eurodam from Oct 6 until Oct 30 and we have been assured that HAL will be giving us a Covid test on board ship so we can fly back from Barcelona to Toronto according to the current rules .

6 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Sorry Tony, you didn’t post on the FCL with this one 😞 

Definitely a big Bon Voyage to you and Martha 🥂  Hope you have a WONDERFUL cruise !

I must have forgotten to change our dates from the 18th until Florida to now the 6th until Barcelona on the 30th .

Cheers , Tony 

OOOOOHHHHHH Please do not leave us behind @kazu  we are almost packed and ready to go  and join our friends in Venice , it's nice to have other CC'ers on board .

Thanks for trying to keep track of all of us Jacqui specially with all the cancellations and re bookings .

Tony 😅

3 minutes ago, RGEDad said:

On the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Eurodam, the starboard covered area is one of the smoking areas, so I never go to that side of the ship as it is always smoky/smelly. 

Is that the same for the Pinnacle-class ships??

The smoking area is always on the starboard side of the HAL ships , possibly something to do that it is I believe on the opposite side of where the ship is being refuelled . 

3 hours ago, zgscl said:

We always used to do this but the current $25 OBC on a 7 day is a lot less attractive though the reduced deposit is nice. 

Still $ 25 OBC on a $100  or $ 200 FCD that is a very nice interest rate ! 

On 9/25/2021 at 6:15 PM, zgscl said:

Hi All, Sorry if this isn't new but I just noticed on three separate bookings I made yesterday that the best price now comes with a non-refundable deposit. Thankfully I caught this and was able to switch to the HIA bookings, but wanted to warn everyone. As recently as last week all of my new best price reservations had refundable deposits. Not sure if this is sailing specific or a larger change but applied to both my 2022 & 2023 Alaska and 2023 Hawaii sailings.

In the past I have found that we should have a number of 100 or 200 dollar  Future Cruise Deposits ahead of us so they will usually accept a FCD as a total deposit for almost any cruise . So I stock up on FCD and have at least 3 for each of us on hand .

4 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Greetings from the lovely Eurodam!

Everything has been absolutely wonderful and it’s so good to be back on a ship. We had 2 nights in Athens, and our first night onboard last night. I feel like I’m finally over my jet lag. 

We’re having our first Gala night tonight and tomorrow the first of 2 days in Limassol. 

When we boarded yesterday we were greeted with cheers and waves —everyone is happy and excited. Such a sight for sore eyes!

 

 

Hope to be there on board in a couple of weeks , suitcases are on the beds ............. so busy with last minute stuff that I cant post my nice pictures of Pisco  

Few pictures of our Cairns visit in 2015 , on the way up to Kuranda we took that nice train ride and on the way back we chose the Skyrail over the rainforest which was wonderful .

I wonder if they will allow the Canadians to disembark in the Azores we can stay thare for a few days and If I am correct there should be direct flights from the Azores to Toronto and other Canadian cities .

Just trying desperately save our cruise ! And a few days in the Azores would be wonderful ! 

Tony