Heidi13

When Viking cancelled cruises due to COVID, pax were provided an offer of a full refund of the cruise fare (cash) or Future Cruise Vouchers covering all payments to Viking, which initially were provide a 125% premium, which was later reduced to 110%. The initial vouchers also had a clause that if unused after 2-years, Viking would refund the actual cash paid (not the inflated 125% offer). FCV's also came with some rather onerous Terms & Conditions. They were also issued to the named passenger(s) on the reservation, with 1 FCV issued per person, per cruise. The terms and conditions changed over time, but with the cruises Viking cancelled due to COVID, pax always had the option to take a cash refund of the cruise fare. On the COVID cancelled cruise, you should have received the offer of cash, or a FCV in each of your name and your husband's name for 125/110% of everything paid to Viking. The cruise line clearly wanted pax to accept the FCV, but it came with Terms & Conditions, which frankly favoured the cruise line. If you cancelled another cruise due to the passing of your husband, you should have had a number of options, depending on whether you had the Viking Cancel for any reason guarantee. You always had the option of taking a cash refund, less the cancellation penalty, which could then be claimed against your travel insurance policy. You did invest in travel insurance? We cancelled a World Cruise valued at over $100,000 and Viking tried everything possible to encourage us to accept FCV's. On completing a risk assessment, the risks were excessive, so we took the cash refund and paid Viking the cancellation fee ($2,000), writing off the cost of the insurance premiums, as we claimed the cancellation fees against the insurance. When you cancelled the 2nd cruise, since you again declined the cash refund, you should have received 2 new FCV's in your and your husband's names. Some FCV's were transferable, so in accordance with the Terms & Conditions, you can transfer the FCV to another person, which Viking has permitted. That person, must now use the FCV in accordance with the Terms & Conditions. Upon booking a cabin, you can use the voucher to cover your fare and any single supplement, but another person in the cabin must pay cash, as they are not named on the voucher. This will also apply to your sister. She can use the voucher to pay her fare, but any additional person in the cabin must pay cash, as they are not named on the voucher. This was readily available in the T&C before you accepted the vouchers. Your situation is one of many unfortunate experiences with pax not adequately researching the T&C before accepting FCV's, instead of a cash refund. Prior to accepting any FCV, you had to be an informed consumer and research the Terms & Conditions. Once you accepted the FCV, the Terms & Conditions clearly stated they had ZERO cash value and must be used in accordance with the Terms & Conditions. While not all terms & conditions were printed on the FCV's, they were readily available by request. Our TA requested the full T&C, so I could make an informed decision. If you didn't use a TA, then you are required to ask the right questions prior to making a significant financial decision. At no time have pax been able to use any FCV as they see fit, they have always been used in accordance with the Terms & Conditions, which you agreed to by accepting the vouchers. I also note that upon request, for large value vouchers, Viking will issue multiple vouchers of lower value. For our $100,00 voucher, Viking would have issued them in multiple $10,000 values, so you could have received multiple lower value vouchers to book multiple lower cost cruises.

Since you are in transit from 1 cruise to the next, you should have no issues staying aboard the vessel. You will be advised of any specific requirements of the local authorities, but usually it entails going to the gangway, swiping out with the old card and swiping on with the new card. Since your husband is departing the vessel, he will have to disembark by the requested time and will have no further access to the vessel as a pax. However, during the first cruise, you could submit a request to the Master or Staff Captain, explaining the situation and asking if he can come back aboard as a guest. The ship's security manual in accordance with the ISPS Code, most likely has procedures for approving guests. If the Master approves the request, you would then follow the requirements for bringing a guest onboard. Please don't waste time asking the shore staff in L/A, as they will have no knowledge of onboard security procedures and will provide a negative response.

Yes, smaller yacht type cruise ships can be very stable, it all depends on the design. Again, ship stability is a completely different discussion from sea keeping ability. The best example I am aware of is the RNLI All Weather Lifeboats, with the largest only being about 60 feet. These are extremely stable boats, licenced to operate in all weathers and are self-righting. However, in 50' seas, the ride may not be the most comfortable, especially as they can maintain a reasonable speed. Since I have been retired > 10 years, I haven't followed the latest design changes. However, the straight or vertical stem is meant to be more efficient, as per some of the old ocean liners. They do have a significant difference in that the old liners increased beam gradually, reaching max beam at about 1/3 of the ship's length. The structure was also built to sustain high speed in rough seas. The new ships, attain max beam very quickly and i doubt have similar design criteria (scantlings) as the old liners, so time will tell if the modified straight bows are an improvement. In heavy weather, I expect significantly more green seas and spray at the fwd end of the ship.

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) is an IMO Code that sets the standards for how ships and ports interact, with respect to security. Under the ISPS Code, each vessel must have a Ship Security Manual, which contains the relevant policies. Bringing visitors/guests on board will be one of the articles included in the Ship's Security Manual. Therefore, you will have greater chance of success by submitting a request, once onboard the vessel, at least a few days in advance. I would submit a request to the Master/Staff Captain, who may approve the request provided the MARSEC Level is low and nothing else is happening onboard. Since shoreside sales/customer service offices have no knowledge of the Ship Security Manual, I wouldn't suggest submitting a request to a shoreside office. Approved requests usually require full name of the guest, passport/driver's licence number and possibly date of birth. The information is forwarded to the Security Officer, who adds the guest's name to the list of approved guests that is sent to the shore authorities, prior to arrival. Upon arrival, the guest must provide photo ID, which is retained ashore, as the guest is issued a visitor badge. Upon disembarking, the guest returns the visitor badge and receives their photo ID back. Note - this was the procedure we used with Princess, so it may not to totally consistent with all cruise lines.

It isn't overly simplistic thinking, it is inherently incorrect thinking to believe more tonnage = more stability. That would be pax that don't understand physics and haven't played on a "Seesaw" in a kids playground. Greater tonnage means a bigger ship, which means numerous parts of the ship are further from the CoG than on a smaller ship. The further you are from the CoG the more movement you experience, so bigger ships can have more movement than smaller ships. Stability is all about keeping the hull in the water and bringing the ship back upright once it leans over, and equally important is how quickly it is returned upright.

Unfortunately, Ship Stability and Ship Construction are rather complex subjects, especially stability, a subject we spent years learning. Jim had the best "Cole's Notes" version of ship construction with the recent bow photo of QE2. For stability, they really don't have a useful Cole's Notes version. To comprehend stability, you need to study Capt Derrett's Ship Stability for Masters & Mates.

When dealing with heavy weather, especially in coastal waters, the actual wind speed can be a minor factor in impacting a smooth sailing. Significant heavy weather requires "Fetch", which is the distance wind blows over water in a consistent direction. It is the wind blowing over water for a considerable distance that builds up seas, and then when the wind quits, the resultant is swell. Swells can travel thousands of miles across the ocean. On the photos, you had significant wind speed, identified by the volume of spray, indicating at least Force 9. However, the wave height was very low, due to navigating in coastal waters, with no fetch. With those minimal wave heights, the ship should have been stable, with minimal pitching and no rolling. If you were in the middle of Drake Passage, with sustained winds of 55 - 60 kts, you would have experienced seas of 40 - 50 feet. In the photo, the wave height is difficult to estimate, but best guess is 3 - 5 feet.

The only area at the bow with pax access is the forward wrap around extension of the Prom Deck. At the fwd end of the Prom Deck P&S are stairs, providing access to Deck 8, which has a walkway around the bow. The Focsle area on Princess ships is not open to pax, as on many ships it is the crew's outdoor rec space.

June and July have lower probability of storms than the winter months, but storms can be experienced at any time in the North Sea.

The size of a ship has no bearing on how a ship handles heavy weather. How a ship handles seas is based on the design, as the ocean liners I worked on were slightly smaller than the Viking ships, but handled rough seas better than any current ship, with the exception of QM2. We experienced a couple of Tropical Revolving Storms and a deep frontal depression on a Viking ship and it handled the seas well. However, In the Wake of the Vikings does transit the North Sea and North Atlantic, which have the potential for being rough at any time. You also have the potential for missing ports due to weather.

Or, the ship was already in the Eastern Meddy and to maintain the future schedules they had no option but to continue through Suez and the Red Sea. Remember most shipping line/cruise lines operate with Safety is our # 1 Priority. Then in small print, provided it doesn't cost money.

Based on the above photo, it appears the hull has breached with cargo leaking out. However, all other tanks appear intact and the inert gas system is working, restricting fire to the impact area.

Product tankers and chemical tankers must provide and maintain an inert gas blanket in the void space of all cargo tanks. On the tanker I worked aboard regular cargoes were provided an exhaust gas inerting, while the super nasty stuff got nitrogen, with lots of nitrogen bottles loaded before departure. The inert gas is topped up daily. Suez was closed for 6 years from 1967 to 1975, so all shipping had to use the Cape route. I did my first transit in 1976 and the single channel was much smaller and shallower than it is today, so the VLCC's of the 1970's couldn't use the canal. Even today, Suez is limited to Suezmax size tankers, which from memory are < 200,000 tons, with max draft of 65 - 70'. Therefore, when loaded, most VLCC/ULCC can't use Suez, even when it is open, so must route around the Cape. Back in the 70's & 80's, everyone that I knew that worked for P&O Bulk and other tanker companies, all used the Cape route and I suspect a significant portion of European destined oil still uses that route today.

When booking cruise ship shore-ex there is NO guarantee that the ship's Master will definitely wait, if a tour is delayed. The Master will endeavour to delay departure, subject to operational requirements, which are numerous - berth availability, tugs (if reqd), pilots, line-handlers, wind, tide, speed required to next port, etc. If the Master must depart, at best, the cruise line will pay the costs and make the arrangements for you to re-join at the next port.

All spa services on ocean vessels are provided by a 3rd party contractor, with Steiner providing the service on most cruise ships. Liv Nordic have also entered the business, on at least 1 cruise line. Years ago I recall seeing another non-Steiner vendor, but can't recall the name. The spa employees are all hired, trained and employed by the 3rd party contractors, so while they are crew members, they are not HAL employees. On Princess ships, the Steiner's employees had to pay the cruise line a daily room & board fee. Spa pricing is not set by the cruise line, it is set by the 3rd party contractor, with the cruise lines also adding a mark-up.

If the Flag State's Shipping Act and pursuant Regulations do not permit the Master to conduct onboard weddings, any wedding held onboard is not a legal marriage. There may be others, but Bermuda is the only Flag State I know that permits the Master to conduct a legal wedding.

Since Princess & Cunard changed Flag State from UK to Bermuda, the Master on those ships can now conduct a legal wedding ceremony. The UK Shipping Act does not permit the Master to conduct weddings, whereas Bermuda does. Similar to yourself, I do not know of other cruise lines and Flag States that permit the Master to conduct weddings. I don't believe the Netherlands Shipping Act provides the Master with the authority to conduct a legal wedding, so any weddings onboard would be symbolic, or have no legal standing off the ship. Unfortunately, I have zero knowledge of the Netherland Shipping Act & pursuant Regulations, so I don't know if it would be legal if the couple provided a licenced official, to conduct the ceremony. On Canadian tonnage, the Master does not have the authority to conduct weddings, so any interested couples had to bring licenced Marriage Commissioner onboard with them. The Commissioner conducted the ceremony and signed the certificate, and I provided a Electronic Chartlet showing the ship's position when they were proclaimed husband & wife. While they normally requested the Captain be present, I had no official standing.

To delay the entire daily convoy for late vessels is most unusual, as ships normally must arrive at least a few hours early. Since you indicated they waited for warships and other cruise ships, those ships were not anchored and waiting for the convoy to start, they sailed straight up and joined the convoy? From memory, Suez has a single N'bd convoy that departs at 06:00 and 2 S'bd convoys. The timing of the N'bd convoy is subject to any issues with the southbound convoy, as they must meet in the lake and the area between the lake and bridge, which has 2 lanes. It is not uncommon for the N'bd convoy to be delayed, as I have experienced up to a 15 hr delay on one of my cruise ship transits. The canal convoys have a pecking order, with warships at the head of the queue, followed by any ships chartered for carrying military cargo, then cruise ships, box boats, etc. Negative on US warships protecting any other ships in the canal, other than being present, they are simply moving from 1 operational area to another. Being in Egyptian waters, security in the canal is the responsibility of Egypt. Cruise ships make reservations in advance, and subject to operational requirements, will transit on the day they reserve. They don't hold cruise ships to make a convoy. Been through Suez a few times and sometimes we had warships at the head of the queue, but most did not. With the number of commercial ships using this region, it is unlikely all Allies combined have sufficient warships available to provide effective convoy protection, especially for a prolonged operation over a huge area, with Iranian missiles having a reported range of up to 1,250 miles.

I assume you are making reference to the initial conflict in Israel, which started in early October. All cruise lines I am aware of implemented revised itineraries on cruises visiting ports in Israel. Since this region has experienced numerous conflicts, which haven't impacted commercial shipping through the Red Sea and Suez, shipping companies/cruise lines had no historical data to expect the current troubles being experienced in the Red Sea. I have sailed through the Red Sea and Suez a couple of times when Israel experienced conflict, with no issues. Therefore, based on my experiences in this region and historical data, I see no need for cruise lines to have started contingency planning for Red Sea transits as early as 8th October. Eastern Meddy cruises, most definitely. However, hindsight is a great tool. Planning entails more than developing a revised itinerary. The initial planning phase is completing a risk assessment, which will entail extensive dialogue with external agencies. If the risk is deemed excessive, a revised itinerary is one of the risk mitigations available. However, they will have others and they all require evaluation, before determining the overall best mitigation option.

San Pedro has 2 cruise ship berthing locations - World Cruise Centre Berths 91 - 93 and the Outer Harbour Berth # 46. If using Berth # 46, the Doubletree is well located for access to that berth, but has few retail/restaurant options in the local area. The Crowne Plaza is almost mid-way between both berthing locations and in addition to an in-house restaurant, has numerous options within a couple of blocks of the hotel. Prior to our World Cruise, we found the hotel open to negotiate room rates, when we had multiple pax from our cruise. We stayed 2 nights pre-cruise, having breakfast in the hotel and lunch/dinners at a local restaurant/pub.

Only officers on US Dollar contracts, as they make considerably less than those on UK Sterling & Euro contracts.

When considering the experiences of others and their recommendations, it is critical to consider where they live and the climate they experience. Many years ago, I returned to UK in mid-April, after completing an entire Aussie Cruising season. Since I had accustomed to the heat, I almost froze in St Andrews, dressed in parkas while everyone else was in Spring attire. Having lived on the BC Coast for >40 yrs, worked a couple of Alaska cruise ship seasons and also been to Banff a number of times, these are my suggestions, accepting that when dealing with weather anything is possible. Banff - day time temperatures in early May are probably 10 - 15 C, cooling off to 5 - 9 C early evening and down as low as 1 - 2 at night. Chance of rain is probably 25 - 50%. Overall, I suggest it will only be a few degrees cooler than you experience in UK by day, but colder at night. Personally, I would be in shorts, with a t-shirt, sweatshirt and have my gortex rain jacket available. I have 2 pairs of good walking shoes. Always have a brolly available. Columbia Icefields - Personally I haven't done this tour, but know it will be cold at the glacier. However, since you're from UK, I highly doubt you will require thermal gear for the visit. Definitely gloves. Vancouver - Our May temperatures vary considerably based on the weather systems. Expect daytime temps of 15 - 20 C +. I expect our temperatures to be very close to what you experience in UK. Rainfall again depends on the current weather system, but could be 50% chance of rain. Alaska - May is normally one of the driest months and I would expect temperatures a few degrees cooler than Vancouver, especially up by Icy Strait. Personally, I'm still in shorts and t-shirt, with a rain jacket and sweatshirt. I change into long trousers and a collared shirt in the evening.

Discounting the restaurant at Ogden Point, the closest restaurant with some views of the sunset would be the Blue Crab at the Coast Hotel. Haven't been for about 10 yrs, but when we had meetings at the Coast, the food used to be good, but it is pricey. You may also want to consider one of the local pubs - The Irish Times and Bard & Banker are both downtown and have reasonable meals and great selection of beers. No sunset views from either of these options. Spinnakers is across the Johnson Street Bridge from downtown and is a brewpub with reasonable meals and great harbour views. Wharf Street also has a number of restaurants, with the Keg being the only one I have tried. The best local fish & chips at Fisherman's park, a short walk from Ogden Pt, probably closes at 19:00, but you also have Barbs down at Fisherman's Wharf. Food is OK, but not as good as the Finest at Sea Market & Food Truck.

On the original ships, they also had bulk wine tanks - 1 for white and 1 for red.😁

Don't forget the cruise lines aren't paying shore based retail or the highly inflated airport duty free prices. The cruise lines are purchasing alcohol at real duty free pricing. At $20/glass, each glass probably pays for the bottle of Remy XO.