elegantlotus

Our ship had covid cases... I think about 16 cases... I sort of lost track. Maybe Don can clarify. You of course need to test negative before getting on to the ship... but then from the post covid cruises that we have taken, I usually notice that the covid cases come out on the 3rd day. So, I wore a mask from the start.. because in Hawaii, a lot of people are still wearing masks, indoor and outside. Anyway.. just be careful... the same old thing that we have been hearing... there are hand sanitizers on the ship as well as a sink to wash your hands as you go into the restaurant. Because both the main restaurant and the 8th floor restaurant were open, there was a lot of room to spread out.. and the 8th floor has outside seating. The staff (who wore masks) did give us a heads up covid count during the evening briefing, and towards the end of the cruise guests had mandatory mask wearing. They provide masks on the ship, both N95 and surgical masks. Covid positive guest were isolated and a group got off at one of the ports. I brought paxlovid with me. We offered it to the infirmary, but they declined so I guess the covid cases on the ship were mild. Atleast there was not mandatory covid testing and GPS wearing... when we were on Viking earlier this year that was their policy. Don, are you asking me about expedition cruises? We have been on 3... Crystal and Silverseas X2. Very nice... but a lot more expensive! Is there a way to PM me? I don't want to bore everyone...

Don, Yes you were on the same cruise as we were.... thanks for the clarification. Our Anan tour was exactly the same as the premium excursion, except that the people who took the premium tour got picked up from the ship where as we had to zodiac to the dock where Alaska Vista met us. Our tour took us on the same trail and the same viewing area, and we saw all the people from the ship... I "compared notes" with another couple who went on the premium tour... haha.. our tour had better snacks... the ship's tour had "lunchables", we had sandwiches, and cookies and chips and nuts and candy and water was passed out. We saw the same 5 bears.. but it was early in the season and not much salmon running. I loved the walk thru the rain forest and seeing all of the eagles..I thought it was fun, but glad that I didn't pay the price of the premium excursion. Over all, yes, this was a good expedition cruise (good value for the money, as we have been on other expedition cruises with Crystal and Silverseas.. with more perks and better food selection but much more money) ... they just need to iron out the embarkation process and their process of getting people in and out of the mud room.

Sorry, the taxi was from Canada Place to the airport... came to less than $40 CAD. Much cheaper and perhaps faster than taking the bus to the airport thru AQV.

There is also a retractable clothes line in the shower, and I hand washed small items. Then I would use the hair dryer if things didn't dry in time. Honestly, I did wore the same thing all day long... to the excursions, to the talks and briefing and to dinner. I also wore my flip flops every where on the ship because it's most comfortable... some people dressed up for dinner... nice casual... but no one really cared. There is a dress code for the dining room.. I think it was no jeans, no slippers, no caps.... but no one said anything.. (hahah maybe they were just being polite) I wore my rain jacket and my water proof pants ( I brought my marmot full zip precip pants.. but that is because i have them.) In the zodiacs you might get splashed a bit.. not nothing unbearable... However, it did rain on day when we were kayaking and it was pretty wet and all my rain gear was appreciated! Again.. very important... the only time we were able to walk on and off the ship was for embarkation and disembarkation... if you are not able to get into a zodiac, then you will be stuck on the ship the whole time. The food... I thought it was pretty good for an expedition ship. 24/7 coffee and tea available, breakfast and lunch.. pretty much standard.. dinner... your choice of appetizers, soup, salad and entrees.. choice of vegetarian, seafood (never crab), meat dish (good lamb dishes) and maybe a pasta dish. Then several choices of desserts, sorbet, ice cream, cheese and fruit platter. And there was always lobsters tail or steak and a couple of other choices. one night I wanted to eat a cheese burger, fries and a coke float which was not on the menu and they happily obliged! Let me say that I never went hungry!! (although, i did take some of the butter oatmeal cookies to the room to munch on).. Oh they also had "afternoon tea" a couple times with scones and finger sandwiches and cakes and pies... sorry, I am jumping from subject to subject... I am only trying to give helpful advice.. for the Anan Wildlife observatory bear tour... I booked with Alaska Vistas and saved a bunch of money.. $340 + tax .. we went to the same place and did the same thing as the ship's premium excursion. Also for disembarkation, we caught a taxi right outside Canada Place in Vancouver.. we shared the cost with another couple and it ended up costing us less than $20 for each couple. Hope I answered all the questions and more.. !!

Just got back from our Sitka to Vancouver cruise. Don't bother bringing your muck boots.. they have them available, and the only thing we used them for was to keep our feet warm (so pack warm socks) and for the occasional times when the water splashed into the zodiac, so if that is going to bother you, bring a pair of waterproof walking shoes. We bought our own rain jackets and waterproof pants which were light and came in handy. The muck boot just took up too much room in the suitcase! Don't bother bringing any dress up clothes. I never took mine out of the suitcase. Bring something to read or do. The internet is sketchy, and the TV stopped working after a few days. There is a small library with a nice selection of books. The staff also had presentations during the day but that only took up a few hours. The zodiacs did pose a problem for some, although the staff is very helpful... (once I saw 4 staff members helping someone get from the ship to the zodiac.. ) However, there were a few people who felt they could not maneuver getting from ship to zodiacs, so they never were able to get off the ship during the cruise as even the ports required shuttling across via zodiac. Last little tidbit... I personally would have brought my own salad dressing.. as I thought the salad dressings had no taste. I was happy with most of the food selection and if nothing appealed to me, could always order a cheeseburger and fries. All in all, this cruise was a good value. The staff was fantastic and really went out of their way. Sure there were a lot of inconsistencies and misinformation starting from embarkation papers, where to meet the bus to get to the ship, .. it goes on and on... not informing us that we needed our government ID at the ports.. but I'm not going to get into the negatives, and I feel that the problems will get ironed out over time. Have a lot of fun future cruisers!! The weather was beautiful. We saw a lot of wildlife... although, isn't it funny that when we see deer in our backyard they are viewed as a nuisance, but when we see deer on the cruise.. all of a sudden it's so exciting!

Has anyone heard more about the ship's covid test results not being accepted by the airlines? I called AQV who said that they have not gotten any reports of the test results not being accepted for travel back into the US. I called Delta, who asked where the results were coming from. AQV could not verify if they have an accredited on board lab. I am concerned because our flight leaves at 1120 am on the day of disembarkation. They also told me that there is 25 hour room service available, and I have been reading that on the Ocean Victory there is limited service... so perhaps the complaints have not cycled thru the system yet. Nevertheless, I don't mind missing a few calories... but I do mind not being able to catch my flight home. I would appreciate any updates! Gerri