CDNPolar

Most are suggesting similar to this, but when we get notification of a schedule change and we go to the airline website and look up our locator number, the airline website usually gives us the option to change online for free because of the schedule change. Some airlines also give you the right to cancel for a full refund because of the schedule change.

You are very right about this, and I am one of the posters that suggested this. I can see that with one dining time/seating that it is about prep time and when things are ready. I would think that they would accommodate a try at meal time, but you would have to pick it up. That however is not going to accommodate the members desire to eat earlier...

I get you on this, BUT, I would encourage you to look at the smaller ocean ships like Viking, Oceana, and others. We cruise almost exclusively on Viking River and Ocean. I am torn over which I prefer, but I will tell you this. I feel significantly more like a sardine on a Viking River ship than I do on the Viking Ocean ship. Viking Ocean ships hold 930 passengers and they feel like they were constructed for 1200 passengers. I never feel crowded anywhere on a Viking Ocean Ship. I do feel crowded every dinner and ever evening on a River ship. I almost dislike going to the lounge after dinner on a River ship because I am so forced into a small space with so many others.

Any Canadians that can comment on Medical/Interruption insurance for a World Cruise? Our options are much different from those in the USA and we don't qualify for TripMate or Steve's options.

Like others have said we pack as many in a day as possible. We are not on the ship - river or ocean - to relax during the day. We will go until we drop. Sometimes however you may sacrifice lunch, or have a severely short lunch period. We have literally scoffed down a small plate of food in the WC in 15 minutes to turn around to the next excursion.

Viking Air Plus is a service that you pay for to Viking. If you cannot find flights that you like that do not have this upcharge, then you can opt for Viking Air Plus. Viking Air Plus will cost you per person and that can be either $100pp or $150pp. What we do now is we wait like you have to see the flights chosen and alternative offered. If there is no alternative that we like, then we go to Google Flights and airline websites and we research what we want in flights. We have 2 or even 3 options. Then we call Viking Air Plus (different number from Viking reservations, but they can connect you.) Give Viking Air department your top choice and let them look it up. Using Viking Air Plus does NOT eliminate the possibility of an Up-Charge. The flights you have been given now are part of Viking's air contract with specific airlines. Some of the alternate choices with an Up-Charge are outside of Viking's air contract so that is why there is an additional charge. Flights you choose yourself may come with Up-Charges. We also before calling Air Plus, look at our choices and decide if we want to book the air ourselves. If the price is comparable, or we can get the flights we want and Viking are asking for an Up-Charge, then we book ourselves. If you book yourselves, you lose the included Viking transfers to and from the airport.

Yes, the galley tour is very interesting. Yes, the bridge is right there on the river ship, but being inside of it with the Captain and having him/her explain all their equipment and gadgets is interesting.

We have been on WheelHouse tours on River, and Bridge, Engine Room, and Galley tours on Ocean. We have asked on some sailings and were told no tours, and never questioned further. We are doing a TA cruise in October and we hope on sea days that we will be able to do the lot...

Everyone we know - family and friends - in Canada have WhatsApp so we are not that concerned. But, it would be nice to be able to call a Doctor at home as we would not be able to do that on WhatsApp.

Never heard of this but going to look into it. (Google Voice) WhatsApp is very common most countries but not as common in the USA. I work in 6 different countries around the world and WhatsApp is a daily use both in business and personal.

Gotcha and hear you on this. I think that we will go to a dive shop and get fitted properly. Thanks!

Good to hear! Thanks!

That is an inline cost for sure and you will also find that their are not many "deals" out there for insurance in Canada. All the carriers are competitive in their pricing. Just be careful that you know about how the insurance deals with pre-existing conditions and if you even have coverage for those. We have opted to go now for Blue Cross annual package. For two of us we pay about $1,300.00 CAD total for an annual package of medical, cancellation, and interruption. This is for as many trips of 17 days or less that we take in a 12 month period. The max payout however on this policy is $5,000.00 per person, but you can purchase a top up if you want per trip. We don't do the top up. This annual package saves us several thousand a year than if we were to insure each trip. We hedge a bit... Our preferred cruise line - Viking - has final full payment 180 days before sailing. There are however no penalties until 120 days in advance and then the amount Viking keep is a sliding scale down to no refund 30 days out. We hedge that we are pretty much fully covered by Viking refund and insurance coverage until about 60 days out on most cruises. Yes, something could come up in that last 60 days that could cost us some money that the insurance does not cover, but we also have a credit card that covers $2,500 per person, so effectively we have $7.500 per person. We are not going to lose much at all.

Here are two other examples on page one of this discussion where one was reprimanded for not calling sooner, and another that was denied because they did not call.

All I can say to all of this is read your policy. Different policies have different rules. If you are travelling alone and you are incapacitated then obviously you cannot call. It is based on circumstances. Read your policy - call the policy provider - sometimes you can be amazed at what is hidden in plain sight using language that is vague and can be interpreted in different ways. The fact is that if your insurance does not require this - great for you. There are people that this will impact and their claim could be denied if they do not make the necessary contact. It really is not a point to argue if it is language in a policy.

Seems a topic of discussion recently and somewhat controversial too. It is often that the ships are not built to handle scooters, and they most often cannot be kept in the hallways, so they must be in the cabin. Unless you are getting a suite with an outer room from the bedroom, I would be surprised if you could even park a scooter in the cabin and get past it. River cabins are traditionally very small. I would contact ACL directly and get whatever answer they give you in writing before you attempt a booking.

Last year we found the market so crowded that it was almost uncomfortable at times. But this was right at Christmas...

Wow... so that does kill one day completely! You will find that for this kind of question, often the reservations number will not have an answer. When you use the "tellus" email address, you often get a much more detailed and correct response. Glad this worked for you.

I will add that although Viking do not technically do room service, if you needed to eat before the 7pm time frame, the dining manager might be able to put a tray together for you that you can take to your cabin. From my experience they will not deliver it to the cabin, but in personal experience when I was under the weather and others that we have seen in similar circumstances have had trays prepared. This has however always been during actual meal times. The 7pm time is generally because most all excursions are back at the ship no later than 5pm or 6pm and then there is the port talk and lounge time before dinner. There is also only one dining option on most all River lines so the dining option is generally only one seating.

Public WiFi however is something that I would never use to go into my bank accounts or anything sensitive. I agree that this is the cheapest route and might be the best for many that don't need a "phone" to receive or make calls and are good with intermittent access.

Good point. I always forget about this because we buy our phones direct from Apple - always - and therefore don't have to worry about a provider having them locked.

Our TA does NOT consider nights in a hotel even if it is part of the cruise package and not a pre or post extension. OBC always comes to how many nights ON THE SHIP. We argued this piece but it is very clear in their literature and offering that it is nights on the ship.

These kinds of debates on tipping/gratuities are not new on CC. I think that we all should consider that there are different mindsets to tipping in different parts of the world. I do personally blame the US tipping culture for where the Canadian tipping culture has gone and is going, because we are so very influenced by US culture in so many things. In restaurants in the US especially servers are paid very low hourly wages and depend on tips to survive. This is a culture that has made - in my mind - tipping mandatory. The restaurant customer is effectively paying the servers salary, not the restaurant. (This is a generalization across all states, and not necessarily the norm in every restaurant) In Canada we pay our servers much higher minimum wages, and some restaurants are moving to "living wages" and no tips... but the restaurant bill increased by about 20%. In these restaurants the servers are being paid between $23 and $25 per hour. We are paying the tip included in the food bill and the menu item cost. (This is no different than with Viking including the grats in the UK but Canada pay them extra - this is reflected in the cabin cost) To me, anywhere in the world that I am, I believe that a tip is deserved if you go above and beyond, and not just for doing your job. This to me is where tipping culture is out of hand in the USA and Canada. Do NOT expect me to tip you 20% or higher just to carry a plate to my table and never come back and never refill my water and then avoid me when I want the bill...

We are big fans of eSIMs because in Canada, our plan for international roaming and phone service - for the two of us combined - works out to $30 bucks PER DAY. We have spent more on a vacation than our monthly plan in Canada costs. We use eSIMs for this reason, and although we know that you can get both data and call plans, we opt for data only... Just prior to travelling we send an email to friends and family stating our dates away and that we are reachable by email or WhatsAPP ONLY. No traditional phone calls. If someone out of our network of need to know people that we are travelling try to contact us, too bad so sad... we are on vacation. OH, and I change my voice mail on my cell while away to say: This number is not accepting voice calls currently. If your need is urgent, please contact us by email.

I just want to say there that eSIMs if your phone is capable of having an eSIM is an extremely affordable to be connected throughout your entire trip and not having to rely on WiFi connections. This means that you can walk down any street in any city and actively use data for maps or Google searches, and again, not have to look for a coffee shop to get Wifi. Although not as popular in the USA as everywhere else in the world, WhatsAPP is what you use to stay in touch - data calls, voice notes, and texts. I can do a 14 day trip to multiple countries for a cost of $10-$15 CAD which is even less in USD.