CPT Trips

On 6/3/2023 at 4:24 PM, gnome12 said:

I thought ships were always “she”. The “Gentleman II”?

The “gender”/ pronouns of a ship need not match its name.🌈 Particularly if it is a US Navy warship, eg USS Ronald Reagan, USS Gerald R Ford, and USS George HW Bush, just to name a few big non-binary boats. 

That creation was a result of De Gaulle feeling snubbed by not being invited to Yalta. 

Fortunately, the Vantage problems are the exception rather than the rule. And booking a week out, you can find out whether the river levels are likely to be  favorable. 😉 
To be honest, we were basically clueless. Had a great time, got hooked, and have yet to find a reason to switch vendors other than to get specific itineraries.  

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

They could if Vantage has stopped paying the charter fees, right?

Repossession implies an ownership stake secured by a lien/mortgage. But it’s all just details, the ships owner now has the ships. 

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

According to the consumerrescue link.  Immoral, IMHO.

I totally agree with you. Perhaps legal, but…

Yet they are still selling trips and taking payments? 

On 6/1/2023 at 1:12 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

New article on SeaTrade:

Vantage Travel's Ocean Explorer, Ocean Odyssey go into layup

 

The news may not be as bad as we have been expecting (yet).  The article says that the layups were at Vantage's request (i.e. SunStone did not repossess the ships).  It also quotes a tour operator who said they placed Vantage on a pre-paid basis in 2022 but that Vantage's account is current.  Finally the article says that Vantage is looking for investors (which could be good news, except that it says they have been trying to raise capital since late 2021).

My understanding is that SunStone owns the ships and charters them to Vantage. . Wouldn’t that mean that they can’t be repossessed? Not knowing the specific charter terms, it would seem like a lay up would, ant a minimum, eliminate or reduce costs of maritime crew and ongoing maintenance. 
 

The tour operator that put Vantage on a prepaid basis isn’t positive news. It means that vendor doesn’t trust Vantage to pay for services and requires advance payment before delivering their service. They don’t want to be “stiffed.”

18 hours ago, Canal archive said:

JoyMBee wow they’re getting very intense here, I can understand why as we are all really river cruise fans (fanatics). For your first river cruise step back, decide if you want active or more laid back, old history or newer, you could go to the extent of a pro’s and con’s list. Or make a list take a pin blindfold yourself stick in the pin and go for it. We went on our first cruise after seeing an advert in a Sunday newspaper we’re just about to go on our tenth so just a word of warning it’s addictive. 
Whatever you choose enjoy.

Good point! Our first river cruise was seeing a post here on CC that GCT had a last minute special on Vienna to Amsterdam. Wife called, booked, and we were on board less that a week later. 
No idea what we were getting into. No overthinking. No planning. We enjoyed every minute and got hooked. 

On 5/29/2023 at 10:20 PM, Hlitner said:

Stuff happens.  Some adjust and move on..and others do not!  No different then all those folks who now go through life with constant fear of COVID (I wonder if "covidphobia" is an accepted term).  Most of us have adjusted and move on with our lives.  But others will never be the same.

 Emphasis added. 
Such as those with long Covid or dead relatives and friends. 

On 5/29/2023 at 10:52 PM, kidz_rn said:

“Such is life on the high seas.”  HAHA

 

The question is: “how high”?

“High seas” are roughly 19 to 29 feet. 😉

@JoyMBee I can’t imagine that you can go wrong with any of the options you are considering. And chances are that you will book again with the first line you travel with. 
I would recommend that once you settle on an itinerary you spend time researching the places you will visit. You usually can stay in town after the morning excursion and then do something on your own if you find that there is something that interests you more than the ship’s excursion(s). Skip lunch on board and hit a museum or whatever and get back in time for the port talk. The exceptions are when the ship is due to leave “early” such as to cruise the Rhine castles or if it makes a short stop to  drop you off for a bus tour and then pick you up at another location. 

21 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

all modern ships are 135m long and the same width too

For a moment I thought you meant the ships are square. 🤔😎 Then my other brain kicked in. 😉

I just reread OP’s post and see no mention of an all aboard time for the first day. Does Avalon always do boat drill on boarding day? If not, that first afternoon may be open until port talk/dinner time. 6:30/7:00 (?). Dinner is most likely to be “leisurely,” so I wouldn’t plan anything for after dinner. 
Still I would plan on “museuming” on the full day. 

A schedule that is provided now will give you a general idea of sailaway time, but all timing issues on river cruises are subject to change. If I were in your position I would get 12:30/1:00 tickets and head over to the House right after the canal cruise. A snack of street food should do for missing lunch onboard. 

‘82, a three day cruise to nowhere out of NYC on QEII. It was scheduled by Cunard at the last minute as it was the first cruise after being requisitioned for the Falkland’s War to carry regular pax. There were still signs of her wartime service that were being removed as we cruised.

https://www.beyondships4.com/queen-elizabeth-2-falklands.html

We have been asked to complete medical history forms on our GCT/OAT cruise and land trips once we met up with the group. The trip leader kept them in their duty bags as we discovered when a traveler required medical attention. 
The form asked for medical conditions and medications. It seemed reasonable for them to have this information as they would be the interface between the traveler and the medical provider. 
 

On 5/24/2023 at 8:23 PM, Bohemond said:

@Roadlamp Vantage said we would be reimbursed but did not say when.

Don’t worry, “the check is in the mail.” 😉

seriously, I really feel for all that are stuck in this mess. 

Belize, best diving of any Caribbean destination. Set it up with a local provider rather than a ship’s excursion. 

4 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Yes we are nearly completely metric but we still have miles not kilometres.

wonderful cruise you’ll enjoy every minute.

PSI or kPa when checking the tyres? 

17 hours ago, Canal archive said:

I’d leave longer whichever ticket so you get the ambiance listen to the piano players and watch the world go by.

Is this one of those piano players?

Unless I am misreading the posts on informative port talks, I need to find Mr. Peabody and see if he and Sherman still have this. 
 

@John Bull Sadly, those days of meaningful port talks are long gone on the major lines. And certainly in the Caribbean. Don’t even try to get an island map that shows anything other than the jewelry chains. 
 

4 hours ago, edinburgher said:

they didn't even attend any port talks

Based on our experiences, cruise sponsored port talks are a waste of time.  
If you had good experiences, what line(s) and itineraries?

20 minutes ago, deec said:

Why would Allianz not cover a medical problem.  they are not owned by Vantage.  Unless your payment was with vouchers and then many Insurances do not cover voucher payments.

Vantage self insures cancellation with Allianz doing the administrative paperwork. 

Not new news, but it’s now here. Might be another reason to avoid CDG for EU entry. 
 

From Morning Brew newsletter citing https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65687665?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew

Stat: You know those flights where you take off, chug one ginger ale, and then prepare for landing? France is outlawing them. A rule that bans short-haul domestic flights on routes that would take less than 2.5 hours to travel by train went into effect yesterday. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions from aircraft (which account for 2% of all global emissions), though critics call the move mostly symbolic. By our estimates, here in the US, a similar law would essentially ban flights between NYC and Philly (and probably a few more).