dreamercruise

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

If, however, a passenger is ill and contagious, it would be up to their insurance company to get them home.  I do not see why prices would need to go up.

Just because Regents includes air in cruise fare does not make it different than other cruiseline who offers air for an additional price.  In both cases, it is the cruiseline’s responsibility to fly the passengers back home, based on your answer.  The question is, as pointed out by Grey kitty, in case of a cruise with sick people onboard, who pays for the special chartered flight back home for passengers who are not infected and those contagious virus carriers who do not show symptoms?  Would Regents charter flights to each country?

i expect the cruise fare would go up due to disruption and cruise cancellations as a result of the virus outbreak.

No need to explain to me how many thousands of dollars Regents each Regents cruise costs.  My last cruise costs about the same amount, but for one person only.

1 hour ago, greykitty said:

I think any of the first cruises out should have passengers signing in virtual blood that they understand they will not receive repatriation from their governments and that all expenses will need to be paid by themselves.  Especially if any cruise line is foolhardy to set sail before verified, legitimate medical treatments and/or vaccines are available.  

 

And, maybe more than time that crew receive compensation more in line with their duties and risks - based on US salaries, since the cruise lines seem to like to headquarter here at least.

I asked the question, because I think it is unfair for cruisers to expect someone else (such as taxpayers) to pay for their risk taking decision.  I like your idea of the cruiseline making a rule for the passengers to bear the expenses.  Perhaps, the rule would encourage more people to stay quarantined at home and help stop the spread of the virus.  As much as I sympathize the cruise industry and staff for loss of revenue and jobs, I feel very sorry for the hospital workers, public transportation workers, and all those who are potentially exposed to the virus due to infected cruise passengers.

When the danger of Coronavirus is over, I expect the cruise fare to be higher, and am willing to pay the higher price.  After all, the cruiselines need to recuperate the loss from the virus disruption.  Just hope that the cruiselines can hold on longer and stay in business.

I assume that AA would automatically refund you for everything your charged for your air.  Just to make sure, call AA.  It is possible that AA, while busy with rebooking and cancellations, would not know about the extra you paid for seat selection.  Of course, you can do nothing, and wait for the credit to appear on your credit card account to find out.  The refund process may take long nowadays.

Last year, I booked British Airways.  My flight was cancelled due to pilot strike.  When I called BA to rebook, the new flight had only three seats left to choose for my husband and me.  All three seats were middle seats far apart.  I had to remind the agent about the extra money I paid for seat selection.  The agent then talked to his supervisor, and refunded me the charge for seat selection.

I voted not until a vaccine is available, even if I have to pay higher fare for both cruises and air.

Some side questions for those who plan to cruise before a vaccine is available - do you expect your government to send a ship and/or plane to transport you back to your home country?  If so, do you expect someone (govt or taxpayers or cruiseline) other than yourself and/insurance to pay for expenses of evacuation and medical expenses outside of your home country?

Forgot to mention some tips for flights.  It is much less expensive to book a round trip international air between your home country and Narita or Kansai International Airport and then take local flights (e.g., Nippon).  I usually stay one night at Narita or Kansai airport before heading to Sapporo Airport the next morning.  The rest is much needed after a long haul flight and before adjusting to time zone difference.

For your information, I visited Nagasaki and Hiroshima in my two previous cruises years ago.  In comparison, I enjoy Kansai and Hokkaido much better.

I had explored cruising in Japan, but found that the country was better appreciated by land tours.  One suggestion is to pick itinerary so you can combine with a guided land tour in any one or two of the following regions:  Kanto, Kansai, and Hokkaido.

Airport in Kantos (East) region is Narita.  Best cities of interest are Tokyo (Fuji Mountain) and vicinities.  Flavor is modern.

Airport in Kansai (West) is Kansai International Airport.  Best cities of interest are Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Kobe.  Flavor is culture and ancient history.

Airport in Hokkaido is In Sapporo.  Flavor is adventure and appreciation of nature.

Check out the tour operator Superatour dot com.  This tour operator is my favorite land tour operator, because I like its tour itinerary (excellent), service (excellent), food above average), and accommodation (above average).  As reference for my rating for cruiselines, I would rate Princess good to above average, Viking above average to very, very good, and Scenic or Crystal excellent.

Ckeck out superatour’s “Island of Hokkaido”.  The tour is given in four seasons, each of which has a special theme for the season.  Itinerary for each season varies a little.  I took the Spring tour for Sakura Cherry Blossom, and want to take the tour again in Winter.

Note that it is easy to travel to different regions or cities within Japan.  Besides air, the public train transportation is excellent.  Non-Japanese visitors pay half fare for bullet trains if they apply.  I applied for the discount voucher near airport or railroad station.  Since most Japanese do not speak English, it is best to inquire information at the airport’s Customer Service counter or hotel concierge.

Will look into flying Delta in future.

Wish AA also extends deadline of travel credit.  I was being naive for purchasing air tickets way too early.  No way I shall fly in a few months time.

No cruises booked.  I shall wait until early next year to assess situation before deciding.  Do not care if the cost will significantly increase then.  My safety is much more important than money, and I do not want to take valuable medical resources away from others in case I get infected during trip.
 

Booked two land tours this year, in June and October.  Will cancel June tour (more likely cancelled by tour company), and watch situation before cancelling the October one. 
 

Agree with others about waiting for vaccine and doubt other countries will be ready for visitors.

Jben999,

yes, Metropolitan Touring often allows cruise liners and independent tour companies charter their ships.  My favorite land tour company also charters La Pinta on a total of eight sailing trips per year.  The accommodation, food, and excursions are the same for booking independently as on a chartered sailing (with any other operators).  I imagine (not proven) the difference would be the onboard experience in terms of educational experience and the various grades of the naturalists/guides.

I am a big fan of Viking (number one in enrichment in my opinion), but I would try Silversea or Celebrity if I were to do the trip over.  Reason is that Silversea and Celebrity have their own designed ships, and I think their cabins, food, and service would be better.  I am not suggesting that you try Silversea or Celebrity instead of Viking.  I am merely thinking it out loud, after I experienced an outstanding luxury expedition cruise to Antarctica recently.

We booked directly with Metropolitan Touring (package 7-night on LaPinta plus 2nts in Sheraton In Quito, includes RT air between Quito and the island and all transfers).  Like, donaldsc we are pleased with the tour.

As you know, Metropolitan owns and operates La Pinta and Santa Cruz.  Most premium and luxury cruiselines and land tour operators contract Metropolitan for Galapagos Cruise.  Other than the land portion, the cruise is basically the same.  In our case, we met many different travel groups from all over the world on LaPinta.  In the pre-cruise hotel in Quito, I saw Regents people taking the Santa Cruz.

If you want different ships/yachts, you may want to check out Celebrity or Silversea, who have their own ships to the islands.

1 hour ago, TSUmom said:

I found this out when looking into canceling our Alaska flights.  I purchased the flights in Feb so will have to use them by Feb 2021.  Unfortunately our next cruise is in April 2021 out of NY so now I will have to find an alternative trip to use them.  Not even sure what travel will be like between now and Feb or where we could possibly travel to.  

I have exactly this problem, but my new flight will need to be much sooner.  This challenge is why I want to delay cancelling my flight, hoping that AA will cancel or change my original flight.  My chance is great, because my flights involve multi country bans.  One country bans US travelers, and US govt bans the second country.  Even if AA does not cancel the route completely, it may combine flights, making me take a flight from a different airport.  As for your case, you may want to assess the possibility of AA canceling or changing your flights.  Another option is to talk to AA to see if you could have your new air date extend 3 more months.

Lesson learned is book air through cruiseline or tour operator or not purchase air too early.

I read from AA website that if AA changes or cancels, my flight, I have the option of rebooking or asking for full refund.  If, however,I cancel the reservation, I must take another flight within one year of ticketing date or end of this year, whichever is earlier.

i do not mind about not getting refund, as long as they give me one year from original travel date instead of ticketing date.  There is a slim chance that I shall fly this year not to mention in a few months’ time, given the Coronavirus situation.

i am not stressing as much as I should at the moment, because the chance of AA changing or cancelling my flight is very high.  Right now, not too many countries accept US travelers.  We are number one scariest country, thanks to our great leaders who think Coronavirus is nothing but a common flu.

Make sure you call or read the cancellation policy very carefully.  The credit can be a bit complicated, because there is a deadline for its use.  In some cases, the deadline is until end of this year, or one year from date of ticketing, whichever is earlier.  Thus, if you purchased your ticket early to mid last year, you will have only a few months to use the credit.  

If the cruise itinerary is what I want very badly, then I would have done the same.  If it is not on top of my list, then I shall cancel and wait.  Too much anxiety is not worth any savings.  There is always a next to take the cruise.

2 hours ago, 13cheermom said:

I know for a fact my daughter booked with Delta and in similar situation, booked last December so her credit is only good through 12/20/20 of this year.  Whereas they aren't charging a cancellation fee, I feel some leniency should be given to extend from a year from cancellation date rather than ticketed date.  She also doesn't know if she will be able to use it by the end of the year with the state of affairs going on.

Totally agree with you about the need for some leniency In light of the situation.  I do not think the airline should encourage/force us to travel at this time, spread virus, and overwhelm the medical system.  I shall try to plea for extension to next year (at least one year from original flight departure date).  If refused, I’ll wait for airline to cancel on its own (not unlikely possibility) and end up refunding me cash 100%.  Worst case is that I would waste the $$$ ticket instead of flying, and avoid the airline in future.

53 minutes ago, travellingnana said:

Not sure about AA, but JetBlue (which was a nonrefundable ticket) allowed us to cancel, and while we didn't get $ back, we got a credit from them with a year to use it.

Thanks for reply.

is your air credit good for one year from date of purchase?  I bought my ticket very early, so one year from purchase means I shall have only months to use the credit.  Do not think the virus situation will improve much in a few months.  Just look at China.  Although there are no new cases (if we can believe the data), people can still get infected if they travel within China now.  If the outbreak started way back in December, the virus can last many months.

1 hour ago, travellingnana said:

Our return flight home on March 28th was booked through EZ Air.  We got a message from American Airlines today telling us that one leg of this flight has been cancelled, and they are attempting to re-route us.

A question for you regarding your AA flight.  If AA cancels one segment of your flight, are you able to cancel the entire trip with 100% refund?  I have a similar problem, but I booked a nonrefundable ticket on my own.  Wonder if I can get 100% refund with no penalty.  I do not want to change flight, because I cannot see myself flying this year as I do not think the Coronavirus situation will be under control this year.

We did not get to keep the orange rain jacket.  It was loaned to us, because our parkas were stuck at Customs.  Scenic diligently tried and later succeeded in obtaining replacement parka for us to wear and keep.  I do not care much about the replacement parka, because I prefer the original one that probably has the Scenic Eclipse logo (and may be of higher quality material).  I prefer the rain jacket, because I do not need another winter jacket, and the rain jacket s suitable for the expedition weather.  The cut of the rain jacket is not tailored fit, so there is room for me to tug my binoculars and iPhone inside the zippered jacket, thereby shielding them from water droplets while doing zodiac cruising.

RockyandMoose, May I offer some answers to your questions?  I was on the Dec 29, 2019 - Jan 16, 2020 Antarctica cruise (included Falkland Islands and South Georgia).  The boots provided by Scenic are waterproof Muck boots (long boots which end below knees).  I wore two pairs of merino wool socks (one long pair and one short, below ankle pair) underneath.  The layering kept my feet comfortably warm for a 2-hr excursion on land or in zodiac cruising.  Some people found it helpful to wear 2 pairs of socks, so their small feet could fit comfortably inside boots.

In terms of trekking poles, Scenic provided plenty onshore.  I brought my own, but used it only once in the beginning, but found it cumbersome boarding and disembarking the zodiac.  Scenic’s trekking poles are good quality kind.  There is no need to bring your own.  Save your luggage room.

Agree entirely with TahoeTraveler about the parka.  I never wore the provided parka, because I did not need warm jackets.  Instead, I wore the orange rain jacket provided by Scenic.  The multi, thin merino layering was sufficient to keep me warm.  The rain jacket or parka was good for waterproofing and wind proofing purposes.  What I found necessary to bring are waterproof or water-repellent pants, head/neck coverings, and waterproof gloves.  I wore thin waterproof pants in Falkland Islands and the northern-most parts of South Georgia, and insulated Gortex pants in Antarctica, both with merino baselayer pants underneath.

Scenic did a good job guiding us to/from airport (from hotel and ship).  Any long wait problems had to do with Argentina airport system.  For example, it took us three hours to go through immigration when landing Buenos Aires from US.  Expect 45-min to an hour’s wait for luggage in Ushuaia, if you are lucky to find your luggage arrived on the same flight.

Do not worry about any minor problems.  Just relax and enjoy.  My expedition cruise was on the top of my list of wonderful and memorable trips, thanks to Scenic.  Attention to details is evidenced in Scenic’s excursions, which focus on safety and enjoyment (with pampering and enrichment).  Kayaking in Antarctica waters filled with frozen ice pieces surrounded by serene, snow/iced covered shores/hills was an amazing experience.  Helicopter ride provided a different perspective of viewing ice landscape and whales from above.  Lastly, the many visits to colonies of penguins (various species) were amazing.  I kept using the word “amazing”, just like my fellow Scenic guests.

Lastly, I want to thank TahoeTraveler for her fantastic, detailed review.  I kept referencing her thread to prepare for my trip.

For your information, I purchased all of my merino wool clothing from Minus33 dot com. I find their price reasonable and quality superior.  I bought waterproof and wind proof pants from Northface, and find the active clothing best quality, design, and comfort.  I got my gloves from llbean.

Background for judging relevancy to your cruise-by trip - I just came from an expedition cruise to Antarctica (sail date December 29 to January 16 via Scenic Eclipse, starting from Ushuaia to Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica).  The weather was “balmy” thirties degrees F, and I have experienced colder weather in New Jersey.  We were very lucky to be able to make all landings (except skipping one zodiac cruise due to strong wind).  The kind of weather that you will be facing cannot be more severe than what I experienced while participating all outdoor activities such as kayaking, 2-hr zodiac cruising, landings, hiking, and scenic cruising on deck outside.
 

I found sufficient wearing mid-weight, 100% merino base layers (double up if prolonged stay outside) underneath a thin waterproof/wind-proof pair of pants and outer jacket.  For the outermost layer, I did not need to wear any thick parka; instead, I wore a thick hooded raincoat provided by Scenic.  What I found a must to wear were neck and head coverings.  I wore either a thin merino wool baclava or cotton beanie with a wool scarf.  (A better option is to wear two merino wool neck buffs and use one to cover head when needed.). For keeping my legs and feet warm, I wore merino wool socks (one short pair plus one long pair) undernearh Scenic’s provided Muck boots when riding zodiac or landing and hiking shoes onboard.  If the excursion required a prolonged stay outside, I wore insulated Gortex pants instead of the thin outer pants.  For keeping my fingers warm, I wore thick waterproof gloves.  I did not need merino glove liners, and I wore them only during kayaking (Scenic provided the outer gloves attached to the paddle).

If you are not used to cold climate, you can add a warm mid layer top (long or short sleeved).  I think layering multiple thin layers are warmer than one thick layer.  More importantly, do not wear cotton next to your skin.  Merino wool is the best for baselayer. The wind-proof, waterproof outlayer, hooded jacket along with the buff/baclava will protect you against wind and wetness (from blown sea water or melted snow).

I just came back from an expedition cruise to Antarctica (plus Falkland Islands and South Georgia), so I can share my experience.

I got seasick from the 2-hr long zodiac ride in Antarctica. When I went back to my suite after the zodiac cruise, I threw up everything that I ate in the last two days.  Good thing that I was prepared in bringing along motion sickness wrist bands and patches (purchased from Amazon).  Since I put on both wrist bands and ear patches, I did not experience any more discomfort.

The ship Scenic Eclipse was as steady as a rock (as expected of its design), so I did not experience much motion discomfort throughout the cruise including Drake Passage.  The only time I felt some minor motion discomfort was during breakfast, because the buffet breakfast is located at the end of the ship.  In terms of rocking of the ship cruising through Drake Passage, I did not feel much except some minor rocking when I was in bed.

There were about 400 people on board (198 guests) on our ship.  With only 100 guests, your ship/yacht may be much smaller and thus may rock more than ours.  Hope that the meds, wrist bands, and ear patches would help you.

The Antarctica Cruise was one of my best trips.  It was definitely a wonderful and memorable experience.  I am sure that your daughter and you will enjoy yours just as well.

32 minutes ago, Cyber Kat said:

Our reason for booking with Viking for extensions that involve trains is that they take care of the luggage. I’d rather spend the money, than be carting luggage through train stations and up into trains and worrying if there will be room for it on the train. 
 

I don’t overpack - at least by my standards - but I’m not packing my needs for a 2 or 3 week trip into a carry on. I do not do laundry on vacation, nor do I trust a third party with my clothes. 
 

In these cases the Viking extensions are worth it. When our trip will only require getting from the airport to the hotel and from a hotel to a ship, porters and taxis work fine!

I believe that someone already mentioned the availability of luggage transport service.  Few cruise travelers who took the scenic train ride between Bergen and Oslo carry large luggage with them.  The night before we took the one-way scenic train ride from Bergen to Oslo, we had the luggage transport service who picked up our luggage at our Bergen hotel and delivered to our Oslo hotel by 8PM.  We took the long scenic route which included bus, train, and cruise.  All we carried were our valuables and light clothing in our backpacks.  You can sign up for the luggage service online.  Communications about luggage pickup times are through email.

Per our experience, we find doing everything on our own is much better than the Viking extension in terms cost and flexibility.  Since that the points of interests in both Bergen and Oslo are within walking distance or with short public transport rides, that maps/instructions are readily available (information center), and that English is spoken everywhere, we do not need someone to guide us.  It is easier to tour Bergen and Oslo than my own neighborhood/town/city.  We enjoyed all the Oslo museums, especially that we could take our time doing so, in whichever order, and whenever (within opening hours).

3 hours ago, RockyandMoose said:

In referring to the four combinations I am presuming you were referring to the fact that there are both short and long sessions on the helicopters. There is only one duration as far as I recall with the submarine. Having been to antArctica before I would recommend talking with the submarine Captain to see whether he feels that the views will be good or that it would be better to see the sights from the air. I could see doing a short session on the helicopter and a session on the submarine as a good way of experiencing both adventures. For us the issue of clarity of the water makes a big difference in deciding whether to dive on the submarine. If there are strong currents or other ships in the area which would disturb the ocean floor and make it hard to see the sea life and other things under the water then it’s best to skip The submarine. When we embarked on our cruise in September we had to speed to doing the submarine only. When the only day for the submarine originally planned was scratched because the weather we then decided we wanted to experience something exciting in terms of adventures and opted for the helicopter.

 

After we rode on the helicopter within a day or so scenic announced that it had made arrangements for another day for the submarine to dive so we went and did that as well. We enjoyed both tremendously and are looking forward particularly to using the submarine The submarine. When we embarked on our cruise in September we anticipated doing the submarine only. When the only day for the submarine originally planned was scratched because the weather we then decided we wanted to experience something exciting in terms of adventures and opted for the helicopter.

 

After we wrote on the helicopter within a day or so scenic announced that it had made arrangements for another day for the submarine to dive so we went and did that as well. We enjoyed both tremendously and are looking forward particularly to using the submarineOn one of our upcoming Cruises which will have us more north first in the Arctic archipelago and then in the Northwest passage where we expect of the seas may be a bit more steel and visibility might be vastly improved.

 

Whichever choice you make we are sure you will have a wonderful time. The pilots and crew are extremely experienced, extremely conservative and make even the most anxious of first time adventurers feel very comfortable and reassured.

Sorry about my typo.  I meant to mention Falkland Islands as an additional landing, not two sessions of different durations.

Sounds like you enjoyed submarine more than helicopter, although you find both enjoyable. 
The four combinations are

1. helicopter Falkland Islands

2. submarine Falkland Islands

3. helicopter Antarctica Peninsula

4. submarine Antarctica Peninsula

I can do only two.  Which 2 ?