I enjoyed seeing a cruise experience thru' the eyes of an enthusiastic first timer.

Thank you

1 hour ago, ladysail2 said:

I wish there was a better way to evaluate risk factors. 

 

I guess I still feel vulnerable even though fully vaxxed..so perhaps the best course of action is to continue what has protected me so far until I feel that Covid isn’t waiting for me around every corner.

We share your feelings of vulnerability, even though like you we're double vaxxed.

For now there's probably no perfect answer other than what individuals decide is best for themselves.

Ruth

You most certainly have provided extensive reports of your ongoing saga.

As I said before it merits wider coverage.

I guess this too will end for you, but COVID and cruising do not hold such promise.

Thank you,

Thank you so much Trazz007 for your complete and detailed summary of your COVID experience and all its trials and challenges.

Such reports need wide coverage so that individuals can make informed decisions.

Ruth

6 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

The paperwork does say they have the right to hold refund until the excursion date.  No sign of cruise deposit yet.

We have NEVER had excursion costs withheld until the excursion date, whether pre cruise, cancelled cruise or one on which we were sailing.  There's a  2 or 3 day advance time limit once on board of course.

Ruth

Before final payment we cancelled and rec'd our full shore excursion payments within a couple of days (well over $2 000) and our deposits within a couple of weeks.

We were most pleasantly surprised as there were long delays during the COVID lockdown.

Ruth

Thank you Cate1 for sharing your experience.  We too are comfortable taking all precautions but because of age, we're convinced we've made the wise, for us, decision to cancel our 24 day August cruise.

Ruth

29 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

My mother used to say; ""If Johnny jumped off a cliff, start a bungy jumping business and profit from that lunatic!"

 

My but you're a young one!  Only cliffs and bridges were part of my youth.

Even though restrictions are lessening weekly,  and the latest variant, while contagious, seldom causes serious problems, we've reluctantly decided to cancel our Aug. 24 day HAL cruise.

We will qualify for the second booster in a few months, but after final payment.

We're just back from an overnight stay in a Holiday Inn Express near Toronto and upon check in were handed a letter stating that rooms would only be refreshed every 5 days and even then only if this service was requested.  We revisited the possibility of being quarantined in a small cabin for an extended time.

We're of an age where we're not interested in FCCs and so will cancel next week thru' our TA.

Safe and wonderful travels to each of you,

Ruth

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2510-canadian-cruisers/

There are plenty of generous Canadian experts on this thread who can assist with particulars.  

Ruth

I do appreciate your honest and detailed report.

For a pair of seniors it's all rather sobering.  We're comfortable wearing masks but they're not foolproof by any means.

I hope your recovery is speedy and your wife, like several friends under similar circumstance remains covid free.

Ruth

We used it frequently when travelling independently, but not in recent years when cruising.

On 3/15/2022 at 1:24 PM, Lois R said:

.  I did wear something like this under my shirt so I never carried any kind of purse or crossbody bag (which is my normal type for walking around Europe)

https://www.rei.com/product/129767/rei-co-op-rfid-neck-wallet

We've used these for decades around the world.  We started of course long before Cell phones.

We fondly call them our 'Dolly Partons'

11 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Just a couple of things given the excellent information in the previous replies.

 

The other person who doesn't have a cell phone can use the online ArriveCAN webpage. To set up an account, they can go here:  https://arrivecan.cbsa-asfc.cloud-nuage.canada.ca/en/auth/register

 

, for peace of mind download the attestation form now, fill it out, print it and keep it with your passport and other travel docs. 

And most of us need a touch of peace of mind when travelling these days.

2 hours ago, CKCruising said:

I remember the last set of fuel surcharges circa the late 2000s.  I think they added the charge to your cruise and if the price was below a certain amount the quarter before your cruise, it was waived.  I think that amount was $60 or $70 a barrel...lol

We'd booked a Mediterranean cruise during this time period and at the time of booking the cruise fare included a fuel surcharge and was clearly identified as such.  

We book early and before sailing, and after final payment,  the surcharge was lifted and the amount we'd paid was returned - as an OBC I seem to recall.

Ruth

We'd already cancelled an early May 14 day cruise on Princess but today rec'd a call from a Princess Cruise consultant to share 'exciting' news.

And almost immediate immediately we rec'd a follow up Email.  

This is a first ever from Princess as we use a TA.

We're waiting for the COVID testing 'dust' to settle but still hoping to take a 3 week HAL cruise round trip from Boston in early August. It stops in several Canadian maritime ports at both ends with Icelandic and Greenland ports in the middle.  

Ruth

https://em.princess.com/pub/sf/ResponseForm?_ri_=X0Gzc2X%3DAQpglLjHJlTQGymzcze7nlLsl2r3WIyJ1YzePazbhLzdzgSkFl0E31pk1jtze7bMbzeutafImRVXMtX%3DAQpglLjHJlTQGymzcze7nlLsl2r3WIyJ1YzePGgNWvK553bFSKnhvzc1zbzdP55rGzblpL9dO&_ei_=ETiOZStMWXeox-yIOz6PdYta7LaxcSxUJw&_di_=78on804h32cd9drijdu10t7998njj30mgfhbadv2q3o1diqckk50

I hope this link works - it seems rather long.

Now I didn't read all the fine print but we just rec'd an Email stating that for Alaska cruises Canadian dollars are at par with USD.

While we won't be booking one this could be a good deal for other Canadians.

Ruth

The fact is the Canadian thread was barely limping along until COVID hit.  As I'd noted in a much earlier thread most followed the threads for their favourite cruise line.

I'd love to dream that we'll continue to share interests long after the challenges of COVID testing have passed.

I now first check here and then move onto HAL where we have two booked cruises.  

For us a great pleasure of travelling is meeting fellow travellers from afar.

Proud Canadian, Ruth

And we've always contacted our server, Bell, when travelling beyond the US and purchased at very reasonable cost world services for the length of our holiday.  We frequently extend a cruise at both ends. 

We've never had to use it for emergency calls but that was all pre COVID.

This doesn't solve the on board charges but given these challenging times it might be something to consider.

Ruth

9 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Is there a possibility of a stop over to break up the flight for a day so you can rest and see another city as well?

We've done it both directly from Ottawa thereby adding almost 5 hours to your west coast time, and broken it up.  We've never felt able to splurge on decent business or even first class plane seats.

It's NOT easy but our extended stays exploring Australia have been phenomenal and well worth the horrors of getting there and back.  We've not cruised around Australia, although in the late 60s we sailed there from Vancouver when steerage passage was much less expensive than flying.

But we were younger and sure couldn't undertake it now.

Ruth

LONG before easy DNA testing, we took our first ever cruise to Bermuda as it was the least expensive way to visit paternal origins.

I suspect that's not the current sort of offerings.

39 minutes ago, 1kaper said:

Of course, this could all change....

Change and flexibility are the new orders for COVID travels.

24 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

This recent article should be of interest to those contemplating a change in cards or the acquisition of an additional card.

It's an interesting article, confirming that our TD card is the right choice for us.

Thanks for the link.

Ruth

5 hours ago, NaiNoNo said:

 We are so disappointed but on the brightside - we tested positive before we got on the ship.  Also - after a 5 hour hold (!) with Air Canada Vacations,  and we received a 100% refund (air/cruise/pre-hotel).

 

We will try again in March!  Stay safe and healthy everyone 🙂

I wonder if Monty Python is a close relative or if you've burst forth with a rousing rendition of 'Always look on the bright side of life'?

You'll sail again,

Ruth