aimee0715

21 minutes ago, GPS said:

 

I booked with a Canadian agent, Tour radar as I was able to pay the deposit in my own currency, but they no longer sell this voyage on their site.  I did get linked up right away with Albatross for questions, etc, after I booked with Tour radar.  Who did you go through?

We booked with Eclipse Travel out of Sydney, Australia.  That is the only site that I found this particular cruise on. I subsequently found it on another site but that company was also in Australia.  I'm going to have to figure out how to do a bank draft to them before final payment because they charge 3% fee if you use a Visa or Mastercard.  3% on a trip of this cost really adds up. 

 I just watched a video that someone shared in another post on this board.  The man who made the video was on a different ship but the same itinerary.  It was just amazing. 

11 hours ago, GPS said:

That's great to know someone else on our sailing!  You could probably ask Albatross. They helped me pick my cabin which is right next to the door to the outside deck. I chose not to take the 700 cabin due to privacy concerns with people walking by the window.  I found the B category to be the best value. They seem larger than the A and C, just on the top of the ship rather than lower down.

Did you book directly with Albatros or with an agent?  

On 8/2/2020 at 1:50 PM, GPS said:

For those of you who sailed, who was the operator for your expedition?  The solar eclipse itinerary for next year is run by Albatross, so experiences onboard may differ even if we go on the same ship. @aimee0715 we are booked on the sailing you are interested in.  We decided on a 800 deck cabin due to the responses here and help from Albatross.

We are in Category B as well.  I'm not sure what cabin number though.  I hope we are on deck 8 but there is one Category B on deck 7 by itself.  I read about some people getting stuck on the ship due to Covid and that made me decide to splurge on a larger cabin, just in case 😀

20 hours ago, kinipela35 said:

 

Passengers were split into 4 groups. We did 2 zodiac cruises and 2 shore landings per day. I thought the organization of it all worked really well for switching between groups and getting everybody on land and in the boats pretty effortlessly. It usually worked out to about 45 mins to an hour in the zodiacs per ride and 1-1.5 hours on land each time. They would adjust the timings as needed, depending if there was more to see in the water vs on land at any given stop. We were extremely fortunate with the weather and didn't miss anything. In fact, it was sunny and warm for all but 1 landing. 

 

The food was pretty good for a non-luxury ship. I actually thought the variety was quite good for a small ship. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style, with dinner being a more traditional restaurant, set menu, style. I think we had a fair number of vegetarians in our group and I didn't hear any complaints. The dining room has 2 buffet counters, 1 was pretty much all veggies, fruits, desserts, etc. The other had the main foods, with several options (meat and veggie) at every meal. Omelet station available at breakfast every day. The dinner menu typically had 4 choices for each category (starter, main, dessert). Some nights had 1 veggie main option. Other nights there were 2. We found ourselves ordering the veggie option a couple times as it sounded better than the others, and was!

 

I will say our passenger demographic was over 50% Aussie, as the chartering company was based in Australia, so I'm not sure if the food was more catered for that or not, but overall, I thought it was very good. 

 

You will have an amazing time no matter what, as the destination is just magical. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Thank you!  The travel company that I'm trying to book through is also based in Australia.  

On 3/21/2020 at 9:45 PM, kinipela35 said:

 

Yes, I struggled immensely to find any reviews or information about this ship from people who've been on it, prior to our trip. Thus, I kept an open mind and just went with it. Trip turned out to be absolutely amazing and I would love to go back some day. The ship itself is more than adequate for a trip of this kind. Not luxury by any means but definitely comfortable. It also has a lot of outer deck space for its size (most in class I think I read somewhere), especially the top deck. It never felt crowded, which was a huge plus. I'm happy to answer any questions if you or anyone else has any about the ship or trip in general. 

Hello, I am just beginning my research into an expedition cruise to Antarctica.  We would like to go during the solar eclipse next year.  I started looking into this yesterday in anticipation of our December 2020 South American solar eclipse being cancelled.  Ocean Atlantic is one of the more affordable options.  I would love to know how many landings per day you were able to do and also, would love to know about the food on board.  My husband and I are both vegetarians.  I am a little concerned that there won't be many food options for us on these tiny ships.  I understand if you are not vegetarian, you may not have noticed if this was an issue.  Many thanks for any guidance!  I was looking at Hurtigruten but I see they only have one landing per day due to the large number of passengers.  

I have many thousands of pictures taken on cruises.  I have had photoshop elements for years but I never really learned how to use it.  I have been watching youtube videos and learning how to make simple edits like taking out power lines.  I have been going through my wonderful cruise photos and making them even better.   I'm supposed to be on a Virgin Voyages cruise today.  

21 minutes ago, 2beaglesmom said:

Perhaps the Grand has been sold?


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I hope not!  I love Grand Princess. I have been so nervous about her fate.   I was hoping to be able to sail on her again.  

I really hope Grand Princess is not on the chopping block. It was the first ship we sailed on and I love it so much!  Also, I hope it's not Pacific Princess.  We have not been on Pacific Princess but we have been on Azamara Journey which is the same "R" class ship.  We loved the size of the ship and the places you can go with a smaller ship.  I have been looking at Pacific Princess itineraries for 2021.  

Right.  I was working on this for a client tonight after hours and thought I would ask in case anyone had it.  Also, the travel agent has already said that payment had to be made in full in order to get a refund so I was just curious if that was actually the case since it is not for the June 16 cancellations.

Hello,

Does anyone happen to have a copy of refund request form, the FAQ for voyage suspensions, and any other information that was put out by Regent for the May 20 round of cancellations?  When I look at the website, all of this information is updated to reflect the latest round of cancellations from yesterday.  I would like to see what was put out for May 20.

I would also like to know if passengers who had their voyages cancelled on May 20 and had not yet paid in full, were actually required to pay in full if they wanted a refund rather than the FCC?  What I have been able to find certainly indicates that but I was not sure if they relented on that.  I can't imagine that was a very popular position.  I see that does not appear to be the case for the June 16 cancellations:

Q) What is the compensation? A) Guests who have paid in full will receive 100% Future Cruise Credit plus a Bonus 25% Future Cruise Credit, or 100% refund. The default compensation will be the Future Cruise Credits. Guests with bookings that are not paid in full will receive a 100% Refund for amounts paid for voyages canceled with the June 16th suspension.  (emphasis added)

I have read through all of the posts that I thought might have this info but didn't find anything other than some comments from Mrstanley which seem to confirm my suspicion about full payment being required in order to get a refund.  

Just now, Mahogany said:

Might their reluctance to consider the October sailing the inaugural, because it's iffy if that one will sail?

That's my guess.  I think they just want to have it when they are sure that it will be able to actually happen.  Between hurrican season and Covid-19, October is definitely not a sure thing.

On 6/11/2020 at 10:39 PM, garymfreedman said:

Considering they have not had any official public voyages, and it is the voyage I am on, it is the inaugural cruise. All the ones that had early on were tours for media/family.. I expect we will find out about special stuff when we board.. 127 days to go!

It's not going to be the official inaugural.  I was booked on the April 1 inaugural and I was rebooked on the August 7.  When i called to rebook for the first voyage in October, assuming it was the inaugural, they told me the official inaugural with the special events will be sometime in 2021 and the first cruise in October is a "soft opening." They advised that I hold off until that date is announced later this year.  I was able to rebook Richard's Birthday Bash which was rescheduled to July 14, 2021.  It annoys me that the cruise in October is not going to be the "inaugural" since it doesn't make sense to me to have the 'inaugural' after the ship has been sailing for months.  

18 hours ago, gkbiiii said:

I posted this on Virgin's facebook page, I think I asked fair questions:

 

Virgin Voyages Based on Sir Richard's near bankruptcy, the refusal of the UK to bailout Virgin Atlantic; what guarantee is their that our money is safe, Virgin will actually sail their first voyage, and that your cruise line will make it to 2021? I am deeply concerned, due to your horrible contract provisions, which are an absolute disgrace for a Luxury Line! Again based on the sad state of the Virgin Group, how can we purchase a cruise with you, knowing that our funds are safe and that the product will be as described at booking? You cheapened suite benefits, removing both the comped liquor setup and limo transfers to the pier. I really want to like Virgin Voyages, but I am deeply concerned, as a Miami Beach resident. George

Have you ever even had a cruise booked on VV?  And what has proven to be "so shady" with VV?  I was owed a refund of over $600 for excursions I had booked for the original April 1 sailing and taxes.  I received it much quicker than people are receiving their refunds from the other cruise lines. 

On 6/8/2020 at 2:05 PM, bones774 said:

Is VV not associated with the larger online T/A? I don't see them listed on one of the larger sites? Have to book directly thru them?

Thanks

I usually book with V T G and they do not book VV cruises.  I haven't checked any other online booking places.  

We're booked on Richard's Birthday bash and the August 7 Inaugural.  I'm definitely going to rebook for the birthday bash next year and I hope that we can get booked on the October 16th sailing.  We were supposed to be on the April 1 cruise so it appears that we won't get anything further in perks for this cancellation.  That's fine.  Like someone else said above, I'm just happy to know one way or the other.  

I'll gladly take a refund if they rethink that policy.  

2 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

You seem to have, erm, an agenda here.

People love to hate Virgin Voyages. I don't get it.  I'm booked on Richard's Birthday Bash and the August 7 Inaugural.  I'm pessimistic that they will be able to sail in July or August but I hope the line will succeed.  I hope that all the cruise lines will pull out of this. I see so much doom and gloom on these message boards.  It doesn't cost anything to be optimistic.  

We are booked on Birthday Bash and the August 7 Inaugural.  It's funny how much the world has changed since the April 1 inaugural was pushed back to August 7.  We took the special offer and used the FCC to pay for Richard's Birthday Bash.  It really didn't occur to me that we would not be able to cruise again by July 15--which is my birthday, so it was going to my birthday bash too!  Of course, as time as gone on, I have gotten more and more pessimistic about the chances of either of these cruises going forward ☹️

I've got a cruise booked right now for July 15.  If its not cancelled, i"m gonna be on it.  

1 hour ago, dockman said:

12 hour drive which would mean for them a stop for hotel...then finally get home and have to eventually drive another hour or two to return rental car....i think they will be happy to be herded into plane after having been herded into a 185 sf room for two weeks plus...

We had to make that drive from North Carolina to Ft Lauderdale unexpectedly a couple years ago.  We were scheduled to fly out the day before our cruise around lunchtime but a storm system caused a full ground stop at the ATL airport.  Finally around 8PM our last chance to fly to Florida that day evaporated.  Drove straight there leaving NC in a rental car around 830PM. That was a miserable drive!  I would definitely not want to undertake it after everything else these folks have been through!

I just hung up with VV.  I now understand how the 200% works.  I thought that I was getting a refund of the difference between April 1 and August 7 but the refund is actually for the taxes I paid for April 1 and the shore things that I had booked.  Oddly enough, the amount of one refund would be $646 (difference in fare between the two voyages) and the other $656 ($350 shore things and $306 taxes)--the similarity in the amounts causing my confusion about what I was being refunded. Also, I was expecting the shore things to be a separate refund.  To further confuse matters, they put $500 of the refund toward the card that I used for the $500 deposit and $156 on the card that I paid everything else with and the $500 just shows up on their end as "pending" and doesn't show up on my card at all as pending.  I feel sure that I will have to revisit that but as of right now, they can't do anything because enough processing time has not passed. 

The good news is she said my account does show $300 OBC.  Also, my August 7 cruise is fully paid and they have no idea why it shows up as "partially paid." 

Now I just have fingers crossed that we will actually be able to sail on July 15 and August 7!  

On 3/22/2020 at 10:32 AM, Kdiamond55 said:

FYI Only some of my refund was received, not my initial deposit from last year, and no credit is showing even though in my account it says “you have credit”.

This is exactly the case with me as well.  I have an email that I received after I rebooked the inaugural which says that I'm entitled to $656 refund due to August 7 being cheaper than April 1.  I received a refund of $156 to my Amex.  On the VV website it says "Cha-Ching!  It looks like you have credit" but then it says $0.  Also, I booked an excursion on the April 1 sailing which they said would be automatically refunded but it has not been.  I used the future voyage credit to book Richard's birthday bash.   After the credit was applied, I only had to pay $62.  That voyage shows fully paid  but the Inaugural shows that it is "partially paid."  I am just going to call and see what they say.  Hopefully, stuff has calmed down by now.  

3 hours ago, onboard2005 said:

Just curious...

Is everyone in their original cabins or have they moved anyone? Like an inside to a balcony? 

We were on Grand Princess a few years ago  when there was a small fire.  This was a hawaiian cruise that was sailing RT from San Francisco.  We were only able to stop in Honolulu.  Princess offered to fly people home from Honolulu, if they wished to not continue the cruise.  Several hundred passengers got off.  We stayed on.  We knew that our dinner mates had been in a penthouse suite and we knew that they had gotten off the ship.  We inquired at guest services if they would be offering upgrades to people who remained on the ship.  They said several people had inquired about that and they were just keeping a list of names of people who were interested.  They were waiting to hear from corporate.   In the end, they did not move anyone around.  

I was highly suspicious of pressing "1" and waiting for a call back.  I went online and put a cabin on hold for both the inaugural and Richard's birthday bash.  Then I pressed 1 and hung up.  It was probably going on 2 hours before they called me.  The representative was so nice and he was so excited when I told him that I had  cabins on hold and gave him the reservation numbers.  He was able to get it taken care of pretty quickly.  I'm booked on the inaugural in a XL sea terrace (an upgrade from the central sea terrace I originally had booked for April 1) and I have a central sea terrace for the birthday bash cruise.  I'm getting a refund of $656 for my cancelled cruise (August 7 is cheaper even with the XL balcony upgrade) and with my future voyage credit, I only owed $62 for the birthday bash.  I am soooooo excited!!!

I really can't fathom cancelling a cruise and taking a $500 loss just because someone said Princess was better.  We usually sail Princess and we have also sailed Celebrity.  They are both perfectly fine.  We took Princess to Alaska and it was wonderful.  I'm sure you'll have a great trip.  I'm sure you would have had a great trip with Celebrity as well.  Alaska is really amazing.  I thought for years that everyone was overselling it until I saw it for myself.