Seabourn Venture

[Bigdogwon]

As final payment nears for our Venture cruise (Feb for June) what is Seabourn doing about the needed QR code to enter.  Viking has secured a method, but no word from Seabourn.  We will cancel if we do not hear.  

 

[twodjs]

Sorry, kind of a cryptic question. We're on the Venture in 2023. QR code to enter what?

[Bigdogwon]

You need a QR code for the EU vaccine status which is not currently available to USA passengers, currently USA cannot enter Norway with out it. Hopefully by 2023 this will behind us. If you are a traveler you would read up on this sort of thing. SNAP!

 

[Fort_Worth]

Forgive the pun but we're in a similar boat but with a different cruise line. We're booked on the Silversea Silver Moon departing Iceland May 30, 2022 and doing a B2B which, after Iceland, goes to Norway and ends in Copenhagen. Iceland and Denmark  recognize the CDC vaccine card but, as the OP pointed out, Norway does not. 

 

I've been continuously pestering our TA on what Silversea's process is for getting approval to enter Norway. No plan yet offered. Our cruise is 100% paid for but I can get essentially a 100% refund if I cancel before Jan 29, 2022.

 

My wife and I have had COVID and 3 shots. I'm not worried about dying from COVID but I'm sure as hell worried about a 24-day overseas trip being disrupted by a logistical snafu completely out of my control. I want to believe the world will be sorted out by May but I just don't know. Truth is, if I were starting from scratch today,  there's no way I would schedule a multi-country international trip for May.

 

I probably should quit kidding myself and pull the plug while the cash is still on the table to be picked up and put back into my pocket. 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Fort_Worth
grammar

[Covepointcruiser]

Believe this is similar to the QR code required to travel to Hawaii.   If a passenger can’t jump through the correct hoops to get the code maybe they won’t be permitted to leave the ship in Norway.   I doubt the cruise line will be able to get QR codes for all of the passengers.

[cruiseej]

4 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If a passenger can’t jump through the correct hoops to get the code maybe they won’t be permitted to leave the ship in Norway.   I doubt the cruise line will be able to get QR codes for all of the passengers.

 

Since the Venture's June cruises are 100% in Norway, it's not a matter of simply not leaving the ship in a few ports; it simply wouldn't make sense for anyone from the US to go on one of these cruises unless they can be cleared for Norway.

[Covepointcruiser]

If you are on this cruise this summer you will need to keep checking Norway’s rules.   Who really knows what the summer will bring for COVID infections.    I am sure Norway will do whatever they can to protect their citizens.   We are scheduled on a Venture round trip from Iceland in September so we will be watching their COVID restrictions.

[Fort_Worth]

Here's a link to a post on the Viking Ocean board that should make you feel better ...

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2768896-in-search-of-northern-lights-viking-venus-january-12-2022/page/11/

 

Apparently Viking has a process to obtain digital vaccine cards that are acceptable to Norway. This is a long thread but go to Post #255 for the key info. Later in the thread, passengers report that they are receiving their digital card.

 

I'm optimistic that, whatever Viking is doing, the other cruise lines can mimic. Good luck!

[klkaylor78]

There are two apps available on iOS Common Pass and Clear that can do QR codes/vaccine certification for US folks. You upload your data and the (clear/common pass) verify the data and issue a QR code for travel.

 Some states have QR codes (CA and NY for two) that can be uploaded to your wallet.  Might be worth a deeper search.

I did a quick look and could not determine whether these programs would work for Norway but might we worth some time to avoid quarantine.

Seabourn sadly has great ships and crews but its digital footprint is lacking a bit.

[Catlover54]

Given Norway's super, super, super cautious behavior over the last two years, compared with other Scandinavian countries  (including very short notice banning foreign tourists which disrupted many cruises last summer), and their very generous social welfare system (i.e., they don't really need our tourist money to be able to stay fed and sated), I would not yet trust them to stay open -- *reliably* open -- for cruises summer of 2022.

 

[Fletcher]

11 hours ago, klkaylor78 said:

 

Seabourn sadly has great ships and crews but its digital footprint is lacking a bit.

As someone who does not own a smart phone this seems like a recommendation.  And as a UK citizen I am currently confident that our Venture trip to Svalbard in June will go ahead.

[klkaylor78]

Seabourn has put a lot of effort into it Seabourn Source.  On our Ovation Cruise it was nearly mandatory to have either a phone or ipad with the Source app loaded.  While you could print your boarding passes, as we left home three days before embarcation and they were changing the boading times/passes up to the morning of us getting on we had to update the Source frequently and the data being supplied to it.  While on board they still printed and provided the daily information at evening turndown it was nice to have a portable edition with us via the app.  I would recommend for those on Seabourn to consider having an iOS or Android device to make the most of the data Seabourn is providing.

[Hlitner]

On 1/14/2022 at 12:07 AM, Fletcher said:

As someone who does not own a smart phone this seems like a recommendation.  And as a UK citizen I am currently confident that our Venture trip to Svalbard in June will go ahead.

At the risk of going off topic, we have suggested (elsewhere on CC) that having a functioning Smartphone has moved from a luxury to a necessity for most International travel.  For folks such as yourself you might want to reconsider and look at purchasing a Smartphone (there are some low cost options) and getting it activated.  When we resumed International travel/cruising last July (from the USA to Europe) there were multiple steps that would have been very difficult (if not impossible) if we did not have functioning Smartphones.  At one point Greece was requiring a QR Code on a phone (or other smart device) in order to enter their country and they would not even forward that code until the day of arrival.  Some folks did not actually get these codes until after their plane had landed in Greece (as soon as their phone connected in Greece the code was downloaded).    While there were some ways to get around not having a phone, as several places it meant long waits (in a queue) and various additional steps.

 

There are now other travel related functions which require a phone.  Just getting into some hotel rooms can require a "smart key" on one's device.  This allows folks to bypass waiting in long queues at check-in counters and minimizes personal face to face contact with the increased COVID risk.  There are now many airline functions that can be accomplished with a phone with the only alternative being on hold (using a real phone) for many hours.  And then there is this very annoying system, used by many restaurants, where the only way to access menus is by using a Smartphone (or device) to read a QR code (often on each table).  We witnessed this issue at an airport restaurant where a couple, without a phone, had to listen to a waiter recite an entire menu (without prices) because that particular restaurant did not have any available hard copy menus.   And finally we have the COVID related mess where more and more countries/cities are requiring folks to show a QR code (proving vaccination) in order to enter the facillity.

 

Hank

[Fletcher]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

At the risk of going off topic, we have suggested (elsewhere on CC) that having a functioning Smartphone has moved from a luxury to a necessity for most International travel. 

 

Thank you Hank for your very considered post.  I think I should start researching this a bit and, until now, my approach has been 'stop the world I want to get off.'  But  you are right, things will only get more difficult for us, though I speak as someone who began using Mac computers and laptops in the early 1980s.  The phone thing just seems to have passed us by, perhaps because it has always looked like something for kids and not people like us in their dotages.  

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

 

Thank you Hank for your very considered post.  I think I should start researching this a bit and, until now, my approach has been 'stop the world I want to get off.'  But  you are right, things will only get more difficult for us, though I speak as someone who began using Mac computers and laptops in the early 1980s.  The phone thing just seems to have passed us by, perhaps because it has always looked like something for kids and not people like us in their dotages.  

We truly understand.  DW and I were "shamed" into getting iPhones by our DD because we needed the darn things to Facetime with our young grandchildren :).  Within a few months those phones became an integral part of our lives although DW would still admit that she was dragged, kicking and screaming, into the modern smartphone world.  She truly loved her old simple flip phone.  But there are times when even we seniors must obey our children.

 

Hank

[Bigdogwon]

Norway lifted its travel restrictions and we get the go ahead at least for now, they are setting up testing sites in the airports, so if this new development holds true and there are no "new variants" before then we should be on our way. We are flying through through Finland but they seem to open with vaccine, booster.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Bigdogwon
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[PAllinson]

Clear does offer a verified QR code for vaccinations

[cruisr]

Apparently cruises before July 27 have disappeared.  No notice on the “Cancelled Cruises” update.  Bye Bye Svalbard in June. If you try to book there are no cruises in April, May or June anymore.

TAs know as they can’t book those dates on the Seabourn TA site. My friend is a TA and heard no official annoucements.  She would not have known but she was trying to make a booking for us.

[sfvoyage]

Seabourn just announced today that the Venture inaugural has been delayed till July 15th.  My July booking has therefore been canceled and will need to be rebooked for next year.  All affected passengers should get an email tomorrow with various options for rebooking or refund.

[Cantara24]

My DH mentioned to me a few days ago that he had been following for Venture to go live on the Marine AIS system. With plans to have the ship in service in April is should be on or approaching sea trials, and certainly live on AIS. So now our speculation is confirmed.

Resilient Lady, also in Genoa shipyard has been live since beginning of February..

Feel bad for those affected, clearly head office was well aware this postponement was necessary.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Cantara24

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Our story on Venture and the delays: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6745/

 

[cruisr]

Seabourn should have sent out the emails before it became known to the guests.

[Fletcher]

6 hours ago, Cantara24 said:

My DH mentioned to me a few days ago that he had been following for Venture to go live on the Marine AIS system.

I have been doing the same and began to have my suspicions.  We are/were booked on Svalbard in June and had paid 100 percent to get a major saving.  I spoke to Seabourn in the UK only last weekend and they said they were positive everything was still OK with the Venture.  I was planning a trip to London to watch the ship come into Greenwich.

 

We are  deeply, deeply disappointed.

[Fletcher]

I've now had two emails about the cancellations.  Seabourn are saying it was supply problems that's delaying the completion of the ship.  They are saying they will transfer our booking to 2023 unless we tell them otherwise - in which case we can transfer to another cruise with a 10 percent reduction on that cruise's price, or get a full refund.  All this seems quite reasonable and I think we'll opt for the refund as there isn't another cruise we fancy.  

 

BTW, my wife was searching around the Seabourn website and came across a lot of info about cold weather gear which would have been issued to us.  The parka seems much less impressive than the one given out in Antarctica but what really amazed me was the rental for wellington boots.  It seems that the Venture lacks the space to store boots so these will be posted to your home, meaning that you will need to take them to the ship in your luggage, take them home again and then post them back to Seabourn.  NO WAY!!!!

[mikewomb]

On 1/6/2022 at 6:02 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Believe this is similar to the QR code required to travel to Hawaii.   If a passenger can’t jump through the correct hoops to get the code maybe they won’t be permitted to leave the ship in Norway.   I doubt the cruise line will be able to get QR codes for all of the passengers.

We went to Hawaii in November, and there was a ton of,paperwork, no QR code required. They did check everything out and our vaccine cards