Little Monty
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Posts posted by Little Monty
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2 hours ago, Camden lady said:
Thank you for responding. My sister has difficulty with walking over uneven ground so want to be able to advise her on some of the excursions. One more question, if you don't mind, are there souvenir shops near the pier? Have to have my magnet from the Faroes, lol.
From memory .. we did have some free time after the excursion and we did have a look around some shops. So yes you should be able to buy that magnet.
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1 hour ago, Camden lady said:
Thank you. How difficult is that excursion..?
2 hours ago, Camden lady said:Was that a Viking tour or one you booked independently? Thanks for the info.
Booked through Viking.
Not difficult. There was one time we walked from the top of the hill down to a small village ... but there was the option to stay on the bus and ride down if you didn't want to walk.
The walk to the church with the red roof was easy. From memory the walk to the waterfall may have been a little more difficult, but the guide explains what's involved so you know what you are getting in to. But it was really worth it.
Good luck with the planning and enjoy your trip. LM
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We did 'The Island of Vagar' excursion in 2019. It was excellent. I hope you get into port, it's a great place to visit.
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19 minutes ago, Pushka said:
It is a case of attending the medical center with symptoms and asking to be tested.
ah .. ok, understood. Thank you
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4 hours ago, Mich3554 said:
Notified I get sprung tomorrow in time for Barcelona.
Thankful that my case of Covid made me feel crappy less than 24 hours. That is, unless you want to count the severe case of cabin fever I have right now, but at least I see light at the end of the tunnel. I can do another 12 hours.
Well done to you for a good attitude and a positive outlook. Is on-board testing still happening or did you test yourself ? Does everyone have to test before they board ?
We board in Barcelona in June and Viking haven't sent us any information about testing (not as yet anyway).
Best wishes, LM
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12 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:
And send a message to tellus@vikingcruises.com.
Done, complaint lodged - I've also asked if any dogs have been given approval to board our cruise in June. I'll come back if / when I get a reply.
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.. I've just realised I wrote that we rarely drink in the cabin, but we take a drink back to the cabin every night. I meant we rarely drink anything from the fridge .. hopefully the poster I was replying to gets my point.
Cheers, LM
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25 minutes ago, andyp0911 said:
Question Please............If you pay for the Silver Drinks package, can you get your fridge stocked with alcoholic drinks? We are in a deluxe balcony room think its category is Deluxe Verandah DV2. Thank you
What you get in your fridge and what the Silver Spirits package provides are two separate issues. This is from the SS info in the website ..
"Upgrade and enjoy unlimited beverages in all dining venues and bars throughout the duration of your cruise".
The SS Package is meant to be used in dining rooms and bars etc and is not designed as a top up for the fridge.
So the answer to your specific question is no.
However, when you have the SS package can you pick up a drink from the bar at any time and take it back to your cabin. And you can ask room service to bring a drink to your cabin 1,2, 3 ... 5 times a day if you want. No problems.
We have access to wine / beer / spirits etc in our cabin fridge and the fridge gets topped up every day - in theory. The reality is we rarely take anything from the fridge cos we rarely drink in our cabin and prefer to sit in one of the bars / lounge areas and enjoy the atmosphere.
But we do take a drink from the bar back to our cabin almost every evening as a nightcap.
So my suggestion is don't stress about what's in the fridge (or not in the fridge) - there are plenty of opportunities to make the most of the SS Package.
Enjoy your cruise.
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21 minutes ago, zalusky said:
Does not make a lot of sense to allow a ship in with half untested starting in Bali and the other half originally started in Sydney so we have a mix
Oh well!
In Australia we have a rule for every situation, and an exception to every rule.
I read about this issue every second day and I'm still confused (insert smile here).
Pushka is correct - it all goes back to the Ruby Princess situation, which was literally a disaster in every sense.
As time passed and international flights were allowed to start bringing in passengers again cruise ships were still banned (the stigma of Ruby Princess wouldn't go away). So the cruise line industry and government authorities agreed if cruise ships went over-and-above what airlines were doing they might be allowed to start cruising again.
Over time these cruise line protocols were written into a document known as the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocols.
Under the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocols, cruise vessels must report COVID-19 cases 12-24 hrs prior to arrival at a NSW port. Once reports are received from cruise vessels, their tier level is published below.
I can't get the link to work .. but if you are interested just search for
Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocols
I can't find any reference to this document being superseded so I assume it is still in effect.
We are dealing with 3 scenarios;
1 passengers on a cruise ship in international waters heading for an Australian port. Basically if passengers show symptoms the cruise line is responsible for testing them. Positive numbers have to be advised to local authorities prior to arrival.
2 passengers who are about to disembark. If nobody showed symptoms prior to arrival and there was no need to test (perhaps your situation) everybody is free to disembark. This assumes people who showed symptoms advised medical staff on board, and assumes medical staff on board did the test correctly, and assumes any relevant information was passed on to authorities.
Of course there may have been other people on board your cruise who did test positive - but of course this information is not shared by the cruise staff so you would not know.
3 passengers who are embarking on a cruise from an Australian port. The need for testing is driven by the desire of cruise lines to prevent COVID positive people from boarding.
Interestingly I am flying to New Zealand on Saturday and I don't have to test before I depart nor when I arrive. If however I was boarding a cruise ship to NZ I have no doubt I would need to be tested and negative.
This is of course all unrelated to the Wellington cancellation issue, but thought it might be useful.
Cheers, LM
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5 minutes ago, tocruiseguy said:
Didn't NZ get hit by a cyclone a few weeks ago?
Cyclones are typically tropical but the weather systems which result from them do occasionally go far enough south to impact NZ.
The weather in Wellington today was fine and 22 degrees (celsius).
I assume there is more at play than the weather, and hopefully OP will provide an update over coming days.
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10 minutes ago, Relaxing Rita said:
We have boarded Mars in Sydney today ready for our long planned New Zealand Cruise.
Check in was standard, every passenger needed proof of negative Covid test, which was different than we were told by Viking but we did our tests in the tent. All good.
When we reached our cabin we saw the Daily News and noted that Wellington was no longer listed. We have now checked with guest services who told us this has been a last minute change. Now we have 2 ports cancelled… Dunedin and now Wellington.No refund of port fees has been offered or anything else. We have been told we need to contact Guest Service Main Office in California.
Has anyone had any experience like this? Please let us know, we are so very disappointed in the way this has been handled.We have cruised many times on other lines and have been offered an OBC or the like.
What will they do with the 2 spare days (any ports added ? stay overnight somewhere ?).
They might be still working on a Plan B. There might be more information to come.
We did Auckland - Sydney in 2019 and missed Christchurch and Hobart and were offered compensation. However that was pre COVID and the T's and C's for such things might be different these days.
Stay calm, enjoy the ship, and hope for more information shortly. Please come back and let us know what happens.
Oh, and please take good care of the ship. We board Mars in Barcelona in June.
Cheers, LM
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10 minutes ago, Relaxing Rita said:
Thanks for your reply katlew, I think there is some sort of rule about leaving Australia on a cruise ship, not entering Australia...
Depends who you ask and whether you are flying or cruising.
Seriously, they make it so complicated. There is no need for any person arriving into Australia by air to be tested or vaccinated.
However there are different rules for cruise ships. There is a requirement that cruise ships notify authorities if they have COVID cases on board prior to arrival in Australia ....
Update on cruise vessel COVID-19 status
Under the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocols, cruise vessels must report COVID-19 cases 12-24 hrs prior to arrival at a NSW port. Once reports are received from cruise vessels, their tier level is published below.
The tier classification is from the Critical outbreak thresholds for COVID-19 reporting purposes. For more information please also see the CDNA National Guidelines for Cruising in Australialaunch.
So I guess this means if you are in Australia and departing on a cruise ship you don't need to be tested or be reported to authorities if COVID positive.
Of course the cruise lines have their own rules. Friends of ours did a 7 day out and back from Brisbane pre-Christmas and were required by the cruise line (P & O I think?) to undertake RAT test and show results 24 hours prior to departure.
There is nothing that I can find which suggests either the Federal or NSW government require you to be tested prior to departure. So it would only be something Viking would require - but as previous post by katlew indicated - they were not asked to test.
But to be sure, it might be worth a phone call or an online chat with Viking head office in Sydney.
Enjoy the cruise.
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From the Viking Aust website ...
CRUISE DETAILS
TRAVEL DATES
Jan 10 - Jan 24, 2023
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1 hour ago, Lonedaddy said:
Why is the Viking mars still in Auckland it was to dppart Jan 10th?
Passengers would have boarded yesterday - Day 1 but the cruise does not leave Auckland until Day 2.
It's late morning now NZ time. Assume they will depart late afternoon. Hopefully all is well.
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FYI below.
I'm not sure where to post this to get the best line-of-sight, so I thought I should post in separate thread.
Obviously it's not Viking specific, but very relevant to upcoming cruises in the region.
The cruise industry in NZ might not survive if these rejections continue.
Cheers, LM
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A lovely day in Sydney today and a beautiful view from the ship's camera.
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30 minutes ago, oskidunker said:
Who.cares if someone is cleaning my room. I would be upset be cause I go for the ports.
Mate, I'm not sure who you are or why you are replying to me - I was trying to be helpful to the person who asked the question. If you disagree with what they had to say, tell them.
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There are multiple ships affected. Hopefully it is just a one-off for Viking, but every trip involves some risk.
A related story ... Cruise ship too dirty for Milford Sound after sea snails found | Stuff.co.nz
Also, from the 'live from Orion' thread.
katlew
- May 11, 2018
- Minneapolis, MN
- Author
Well, I was going to tell you about holiday activities on board, but the cruise has taken a bit of a turn. New Zealand authorities found snails on our haul & say they have to be removed, but no one in the area can do it. So, we are at sea tomorrow, going to Wellington on the 26th, and then will have 4 days at sea missing Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hobart. We will instead sail to Adelaide, Australia, which wasn’t on the itinerary, and spend two days there. We are getting our tour money back and a voucher worth 50% of our cruise fare. We are rolling with the punches as I read one Princess cruise just went through the same thing & was told another one just got the same news! Yeah, we are bummed to miss done ports, but we aren’t in a blizzard, someone cleans my room everyday and brings me drinks.
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Pre-COVID, yes they did provide an on-water ferry shuttle service from White Bay to Circular Quay. The drop-off point was in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art (ie across the water from the Opera House). I assume they will do the same, but in these COVID days nothing seems guaranteed.
Depending on the time of day, a regular taxi will be caught in Sydney's pretty hectic morning or afternoon rush hour, so you will waste time sitting in traffic - so a water taxi might be a better idea (but more expensive).
Sydney Harbour Water Taxis. Best prices. Online fare calculator.
Enjoy the harbour, I hope you have fine weather.
Cheers, LM
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1 hour ago, CharTrav said:
To those who have done the world cruise or the Australia/New Zealand cruise, how does this incoming passenger card thing work if you're not flying into and starting your cruise from Australia but from Auckland and then doing a week long post extension in Australia? Do we have to download a copy and fill it out here at home before we leave or is it like I've experienced when flying? I.e., the flight crew provides the cards for us to fill out before landing so that we have them ready for the customs/immigration folks to review when we arrive? In the case of Viking -- will Viking have us pick up a blank IPC card for us to complete before we arrive at our first port stop in Australia? I'm thoroughly confused. Thanks in advance.
Hello CharTrav.
Cruise ships provide the incoming passenger cards (IPC), usually a day or so before the ship first arrives in Australia. We did the Auckland - Sydney cruise in 2018 so my memory is getting a little hazy ... but I believe the room stewards left the IPC's for us on the desk in the cabin.
The forms will be collected at the first port of call (I assume Hobart) by Immigration / Customs officials.
The IPC is designed to cover a range of aspects - 1/ 'immigration' issues (ie do you have identity documents - eg a passport - and do you have a visa or an electronic travel authority which permits you to enter the country), 2 'customs' issues (ie what goods are you carrying with you and are any of them prohibited or subject to Customs Duty) and 3/ 'quarantine' issues (eg do you have any food, fruit etc in your possession). The card also covers 'character' issues - do you have criminal convictions which must be disclosed.
NZ and Australia have really strict rules about all of these issues - and there will be loudspeaker reminders on-board every day when you arrive at a port which reinforce the rules.
From memory - in NZ it is illegal to even take a piece of fruit from the ship onto the shore for an excursion and there will be reminders about this before you disembark for an excursion. Anyone who ignores the warning will face the consequences (quite severe). Not that I'm suggesting you would, but others have tried and regretted their decision.
But to answer your question .. the cruise line / ship management is responsible for issuing you with the IPC's and for advising all passengers what is and what is not permitted.
And you are probably already aware, but you are no longer required to show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative COVID test to enter Australia. Mask wearing is no longer a requirement in most locations, but a reasonable number of people are still wearing them in shopping centres etc.
In most locations hospitals, doctors surgeries etc are still considered high risk environments and masks are still required. Any of these locations will have a sign on the door to advise what is required.
Enjoy your trip, I look forward to reading any posts which you record.
Cheers, LM
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22 minutes ago, CharTrav said:
Don't know what's going bonkers again with Safari on my iPhone .. have tried to make a reply to this post twice .. and each time it's gone off into the wild blue ether. So now I'm on my desktop workstation. To wit.. the schedule updates in 2023 weren't as big as I thought. Bottom line for 2023: Sky, Neptune, and Orion are fully scheduled; Jupiter, Venus, and Mars had a few additions; Star and Sea remain unchanged. Will post the updated spreadsheet tomorrow after I do some more double checking to make sure I recorded everything off the VO site correctly.
Fingers crossed this post will land!
Australia / New Zealand and some of the Asia based cruises are listed into early 2024 (.. at least they are in the Australian website).
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14 minutes ago, seaquay said:
We are in cabin 7000 next year (fingers crossed) does anyone know if this is a sliding door?
7000 is a Penthouse Junior Suite.
Sliding doors confirmed.
We've been in 7002 and have 7000 booked for South America next year. We love the space despite the extra cost.
You'll love it as well.
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27 minutes ago, MarkTapley said:
Yes, great work CharTrav - thank you.
I'm not sure if this adds anything to the discussion;
In the Viking website it does indicate 2 ships will be in Aussie waters in late 2022 / early 2023 - which is fine if the demand is there. But what Viking does need to consider ... IMHO .. is something new in the itinerary (eg add Milford / Doubtful Sound in NZ, or a new 'around Australia' itinerary etc).
Obviously not something which will happen overnight .. but I did suggest something similar to them after our NZ cruise in 2018 / 2019 and got a reply from the local Viking office to say they were 'looking at options'.
But MarkTapley might be right. Time will tell.
Cheers, LM
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Scenic Cruise Lines NOT Spectacular
in River Cruising
Posted
I've had good experiences with Scenic but am aware things don't always go to plan. I do feel for you and your fellow passengers. The whole experience sounds dreadful.
I'm not sure if you are aware of this case below ... which took more than 10 years to resolve ;
Scenic forced to pay $26 million in settlement - Cruise Passenger
This is a summary of the actual court case;
High Court uncaps damages for disappointment and distress in cruise ship class action | Australia | Global law firm | Norton Rose Fulbright
As best I understand, the complainants in the court case were all Australians protected by Australian consumer legislation.
I note in one of the attached reviews the word 'bankruptcy' is used. There is no suggestion that I am aware of that the Australian operations have faced such a situation and Scenic continues to advertise and operate as normal - so I assume this may be a reference to a UK based subsidiary or something similar.
Best wishes.
LM