Globalfish

6 hours ago, bob brown said:

Thanks, but I like Viking’s itineraries better, and think Viking would be more to my liking, anyway.🙂

Ironically, I was originally booked on the Viking Octantis, but switched to AQVs Ocean Voyager because 1) I prefer a cruise over an expedition (including on-board entertainment); and 2) the Viking expedition was too scientific-oriented for me.  But ironically, AQV’s 14 night Great Lakes cruise turned out to be even more expensive than the Viking Octantis expedition, although on the other hand it was twice the length.

That all being said, the 10-night Ponant expedition (Thunder Bay to Milwaukee or the reverse) looks nice and will consider it for the future.  The itinerary is exactly what I want, focusing primarily on Lake Superior; I did the other Great Lakes last summer on the Pearl Mist (Pearl Seas Cruises) as a 70th birthday present to myself.

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Good luck with the refund.

Thank you.

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

At least they let you know about the cancellation. The itinerary for 2023 Chicago-Toronto was changed, and I never received notification. I stumbled on the information when I was checking for tours.

I think they all do this to some extent.  The itinerary for ACL’s Alaskan Explorer cruise that I am taking this July is no longer the same that it was when I booked it in Sept. 2021 and had I known they were going to change it (several times no less) I would have never booked it.  And ACL never notified me.  Like your Chicago-Toronto itinerary with AQV, I found out by accident.

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

yes, there are plenty of Great Lakes itineraries showing for the Voyager and Navigator. If you were notified last week, AQV should have updated the website by now. 

Yes, I just checked and see that my cancelled Aug 2024 departure on the Voyager is still listed, as well as a Navigator departure that leaves a few days later.  They need to change these quickly before anyone else puts down a deposit on them.

On 2/10/2023 at 8:59 AM, bob brown said:

I  am very interested in whatever you learn and care to share.  I am sailing on the September 28/29 Sep 2024 Chicago to Montreal cruise of the Ocean Navigator.

I would be disappointed if we didn’t sail directly from Chicago, as that was the primary reason we selected AQV, rather than others that started from Milwaukee.

I haven’t tried to research shorex yet…

To Bob Brown and anyone else who has a Great Lakes cruise scheduled with AQV in 2024 (NOT 2023):

In Aug 2022 I put down a deposit on a 14-night Great Lakes cruise on the Ocean Voyager starting Aug 10, 2024 beginning and ending in Chicago.  Last week I was informed by AQV that my cruise has been cancelled because they are temporarily taking the Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator out of service next year because they are revamping their Great Lakes itineraries (what I don’t know is whether they are also refurbishing the cruise vessels).  I requested a refund of the deposit because there is no alternative AQV voyage that I’d like to take at this time.  AQV told me that because I made my deposit by AMEX, it might take up to 60 days to be refunded.  I can live with that, but the posts in this forum about people waiting 4-1/2 months for a refund from AQV are scaring me.  For now I am taking AQV at their word and have not asked my credit card company to take any action, but will keep an eye on it.  Anything after 60 days is beyond the realm of reasonability.  But the main purpose of this message is that if you have an AQV Great Lakes cruise scheduled for 2024 on the Ocean Voyager or Ocean Navigator and have not yet heard from them, you need to get in touch with them.

I think the lesson here to others is to take a Lower Mississippi River cruise in the spring when the water level is most likely to be higher and the cruise company is less likely to pull a “bait and switch” with the itinerary.  On the other hand, high water levels caused by heavy rains or melting spring snow have the potential to cause itinerary-busting alterations as well, albeit not as drastic.   And they all pull a “bait and switch” to some degree or another.  The American Cruise lines Alaskan Explorer cruise that I booked for July 2023 is no longer the same itinerary that I bought into over a year ago and has subsequently been modified twice with ports eliminated (Skagway and Ketchikan), others substituted (Sitka), and more days at sea than originally planned (i.e. one day in Glacier Bay Nat’l Park instead of the original two).  So any riverboat cruise itinerary can be a crap shoot, but sorry that yours was so extreme.

The Hornblower Group, eh?  That’s what we’d call “Tooting their own Horn.”

I’m taking ACL’s Alaskan Explorer Cruise on the Constellation in July 2023.  Sure hope my experience will be more like yours as opposed to that experienced by pilot702 in July 2022.

1 hour ago, Pilot70D said:

This was our third cruise with ACL. There will not be a fourth. 

Sorry that happened to you just as you became eligible for their Eagle Society benefit reward of complimentary premium level shore excursions after 3 cruises.

See https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/American-Cruise-Lines-adding-national-parks-post-tours

Interesting!

I am booked for Azamara’s 7-day Canary Island cruise in Spring 2024 (not 2023).  Assuming there are no ship restrictions preventing me from doing so and providing that no one on this forum advises against it, I plan on booking onshore excursions through Viator.  They appear to have excursions from all the ports that the Canary Island cruise visits.

I have previously been to Funchal, Madeira (not on a cruise).  The toboggan ride is a must!

Thank you for the explanation.

What I wish ACL would do is merge their sister company Pearl Seas Cruises (which does the Great Lakes) into their own brand, similar to what American Queen Voyages has recently done with Victory Cruise Lines.  More to the point, I wish that by doing so that ACL offers a wider choice of itineraries on the Great Lakes, such as one similar to Undiscovered Great Lakes (focusing almost exclusively on Lake Superior) that I am taking with Viking in May 2023.  ACL, are reading this?

1 hour ago, twototravel said:

It will be interesting to see what happens with ACL cruises in the next few weeks/months since CDC is now telling people do not cruise even if you are vaccinated.

Yeah, if that doesn’t do it, nothing will.

ACL has entertainment on all their riverboat cruises; it is part of the riverboat experience.  See https://www.americancruiselines.com/about-us/entertainment

We had wonderful entertainment onboard Queen of the Mississippi on the Ohio River last September.  On most nights it was a band called Professors of Pop and the name was most appropriate because there wasn’t a song they didn’t know.  Each night they performed was devoted to pop music in chronological order by decade:  the sock-hop music of the 50’s; then the early 60’s; then the psychedelic 60’s; then the mellow 70’s;  then the groovy 70’s; wrapped up by the totally awesome 80’s. They also played songs that weren’t on the chronological theme, including my favorite Irish pub song, “Whisky in the Jar” and … Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (well, heck, we weren’t on the Great Lakes!).  On the 3 consecutive nights that they weren’t performing we had excellent guest musicians, including a barbershop quartet; a jug band; and in Louisville, appropriately a bluegrass band called Kentucky Blue.

Although I didn’t watch them, featured movies were The Adventures of Huck Finn; Mary Poppins Returns; Little Women; Splash!; Ride with the Devil; Around the World in 80 Days; and My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Didn’t watch TV other than to see where we were on the river when we weren’t in port and to see what locks were up ahead of us.

16 minutes ago, maidaweb said:

Yes, they changed it in March and I didn't catch it. When I researched in February it was mandatory; then it changed and I just didn't see it until our cruise documents showed up in December.  It's truly hard to comprehend their thinking but that's where it stands as of this week so we canceled. So disappointing. 

 

They must have changed it later than March because in Sept. 2021 vaccines were still a requirement.  In any event, looks like GREED got in the way of health and safety … and common sense.

I am totally shocked that ACL did away with the vaccination requirement.  When I took their Ohio River Cruise on Queen of the Mississippi last September, we had to show proof of vaccination at the pre-cruise hotel in Pittsburgh several hours prior to boarding.  My understanding is that one couple was not allowed to board because they weren’t vaccinated (heard that directly from the vaccinated family member who was supposed to have travelled with them, who was allowed to board).  I can only suppose that ACL wasn’t happy that their ships weren’t filling up, so they did away with the vaccine requirement.

OK, thank you, I will try.

]

3 minutes ago, May B said:

Hi Globalfish. It’s nice to have choices, isn’t it?

 

I also thought the final payment thing was ridiculous. You can actually sometimes get it extended, by booking another cruise on Viking. 

Yes, I think that Viking will do a more professional job in the dining and kitchen department than either ACL (based on personal experience) and AQV based on what I’ve been reading in the board devoted to them on this website.

But let’s see how this Great Lakes cruise works out before I book another Viking cruise.  I took a Viking River Cruise in Ukraine a few years back (when the Crimea was still part of Ukraine) and wasn’t happy with it.  The tour director was burned out (I didn’t dare approach her when she was standing on an outside deck away from it all smoking a cigarette) and I was given a headset (“whispers”) in Sevastopol that didn’t work and they had no replacements.  I had to stand next to the guide all afternoon so that I could hear her.  There were also 50 people on my excursion bus, which was like being on a large group tour.

Recently booked Undiscovered Great Lakes on Viking Octantis for 26 May 2023 Thunder Bay to Milwaukee.  Very long way off; can’t believe final payment is due 31 March 2022, 14 months in advance.  Booked Nordic Balcony (N1).  Expensive summa cum laude — single supplement makes the Expedition almost twice the price as for a couple sharing a cabin (will pay by E-check to somewhat reduce the cost).  But am not complaining — really looking forward to the unique itinerary.  Could have gotten a Great Lakes cruise for cheaper with another company.  A previous cruise with American Cruise Lines (ACL) would have entitled me to a discount with ACL-owned Pearl Mist Cruises, which offers Great Lakes cruises, but none that focuses almost exclusively on Lake Superior.  Also considered the 16-day Lakeside Treasures cruise with American Queen Voyages, which goes to Duluth, Thunder Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie, but otherwise spends 4 full days at sea and covers destinations I’ve already been (Chicago and Mackinac Island).  Also didn’t like the idea of no balcony, or at best, in Category AA, cabin access to a promenade deck instead of a private balcony.  Plus Viking has a better choice of dates to choose from.  So Viking wins by default.  Not only does it have the itinerary I am looking for, but it ends in Milwaukee where I can spend a couple extra days to visit the art museum and the aquarium (after all, I’m Globalfish). 😀

AQV and ACL better shape up or else once Viking starts offering US riverboat cruises, it will blow them both out of the water (figuratively speaking).

On 9/7/2021 at 11:39 AM, Globalfish said:

Will definitely look for the boats on Friday.  Hopefully I’ll be able to see them from my private balcony, but if Marietta is on the opposite side, will look for them from the deck.

 

We did indeed pass Marietta today and the captain went by slowly so that we could all see it and get some good pictures.  We were all eating our hearts out that we couldn’t stop there as originally planned.

6 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Bon voyage, Globalfish!

Thank you, shipgeeks.  Today’s embarkation went well and we’re off to a good start.  Hope you finally saw the ship.

1 hour ago, stowite said:

Ugh. You posted while I was replying. Sorry you will miss my historic hometown. You should plan to be outside as you pass Marietta as the sight of the boats will still be cool to see and you should still be greeted by the boats in for the festival   

Will definitely look for the boats on Friday.  Hopefully I’ll be able to see them from my private balcony, but if Marietta is on the opposite side, will look for them from the deck.

Thanks for the wishes for a good trip.  Hope there are no other changes.

Oh no!  Latest version of Ohio River Planned Itinerary dated today has Queen of the Mississippi still leaving Pittsburgh at 1:30 PM on Sept. 9, but skipping Marietta, OH altogether.  We arrive in Maysville, KY on Sept. 11 at 8:30 AM.  That means that Sept. 10 is a wasted day not spent in any port.  Goes to show that no cruise itinerary is final until it actually happens.

6 hours ago, stowite said:

I saw the QoM was in Marietta today. If you are stopping there on the September 9 sailing it could be a little busy as they are having a sternwheeler festival from the 10 th to the 12th.

Thanks for the heads-up.  We’re due there on the 10th.  Sternwheeler festival sounds like fun in spite of crowds.

44 minutes ago, GSSDB said:

I am currently on the Queen of the Mississippi. Marine traffic is incorrect. The only change to our itinerary was that we left from Alton instead of St Louis. It put us a little behind schedule so we were a bit late arriving in Paducah. They still had the tours just shuffled around a bit. Everything is running smoothly including in the dining room where the service has been good. 

Great to know!  In a previous response to Host Jazzbeau I wrote that I will not report about the  comings and goings of Queen of the Mississippi anymore as listed in marinetraffic until it returns to Pittsburgh.  Heck, now I won't even look at that site anymore!  It's BS!  Thanks for confirming it.

Glad that the dining room service has improved markedly since earlier this summer.  If the dining room staff is all college students, now let's hope that they don't all quit next week to go back to school.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!