Fouremco

Yes, a real mess for anyone wanting or needing to enter the US with their dog. I hope that a solution can be found quickly, or that the implementation date be delayed until a fix is developed.

Thanks, I missed that. I've now posted there and provided a link back here.

As these requirements may have a sizeable impact on Canadians, whether cruising with a service dog or simply travelling to the US, I started a thread on the Canadian Cruisers forum yesterday not having seen your earlier post here.

I initially started this thread on the HAL forum in error, but asked the mods to move it here as soon as I noticed my mistake. The vast majority of cruisers (or just travellers) who will be affected by these new regulation are Canadians, so I think that this is probably the most appropriate forum. Like a number of topics, it could be potentially of interest to readers interested in a variety of cruise lines, but I'm personally not in favour of starting the same thread on multiple fora.

Needless to say, I much prefer @leerathje's post! 😇

We'll be on the Koningsdam for 18 days in October, so this is excellent news. As the jingle said, "A Day Without Orange Juice is Like a Day Without Sunshine."

Yes, there are a number of differences between the FAQ and the description provided by @MikeD4134. In addition to the number of drinks, I see that the package no longer covers any fresh squeezed juices.

Having lived in Europe, including the UK with its strict requirements, I'm well aware that many other countries have similar rules. But we don't have land borders with these other countries, and Canadians are used to being able to drive into the US with no restrictions. As a result, I think that there may be a lot of surprised people come August 1. Hopefully, no one crossing the border with a service dog to embark on a cruise will be caught out, which is why I thought that a heads up might be appropriate. Some similar paperwork is required by some cruise line, but not all of it. Moreover, the new paperwork must be submitted to the CDC, not to the cruise lines, so while some of the information may be duplicated, there will still be a whole new set of requirements to be met.

According to this article (https://apple.news/A3ZwI2WS1S96wmez7a41PlA), starting next month, anyone taking a dog into the US will have to fill out papers before visiting, documenting that the dog is healthy, has a valid microchip and is vaccinated against the rabies virus. Photos of the dog (face and body) are also required. There's no indication that service dogs will be exempt from these requirements, so if you are cruising out of the US, or just visiting, you'll need to complete the paperwork in advance. There's no information in the article indicating whether the requirements would apply for cruises visiting the US if the dog remained on board. For example, during a Vancouver-Hawaii-Vancouver cruise, or a transpacific cruise with a port stop in Hawaii.

As the OP also mentions Google Pay and payment "methods", I don't believe that Apple Card is the issue.

There are often anecdotal stories of breaches of the rules, but it is very clear that non-NEXUS members are NOT permitted to use NEXUS lanes, whether or not you ask nicely. From the CBSA webpage "How to use NEXUS to enter Canada": Travelling with non-members If you are travelling with non-members, you can’t use dedicated NEXUS lanes or NEXUS reporting procedures for the Telephone Reporting Centre. A non-member can’t accompany you through a NEXUS kiosk or eGate. To use NEXUS, everyone accompanying you must also be a member, regardless of their age. As the driver or operator, you are responsible for making sure everyone in your vehicle or boat is a NEXUS member and is carrying their NEXUS card. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/travel-voyage/prog/nexus/how-utiliser-eng.html

I've no recommendations on which esim to buy, but don't forget that both Google maps and Google translate can be used offline. If that's all you plan on using the esim for, you could skip buying one. I regularly use the Google maps offline for turn-by-turn directions when renting cars in foreign countries, downloading the required map area at home before the trip. I've not tried the offline translation, but it appears quite easy and, like the maps, you just need to download the languages that you are likely to need before you start your trip.

@PappyFam, welcome to Cruise Critic and to the Canadian forum. I've no related experience upon which to draw, but here's a thread that should be of interest:

Good point, one I'd forgotten. We always bring our own, which collapse quite small and are easily carried in our day packs, just in case. Whether in the cabin or at the gangway, HAL's are quite large, great for heavy or persistent rain but a bit cumbersome for those days when there may be on-and-off light showers.

I don't know if this still hold true, but HAL used to have an advantageous CAD/USD exchange rate when I'd purchase OBC online. I'd purposefully buy more than I could ever use on the cruise, then get my remaining OBC cashed out in USD at the end of the cruise. Then I'd have a nice amount of USD to tuck away until my next visit to the US, at an exchange rate better than I could get here.

If you have a decent pair of binoculars, bring them along. Those provided in a VS, at least in our experience, were low quality and in poor condition. Umbrellas seem to be hit or miss. You may get one or two or none.

How is the MDR any different to land-based restaurants? If you arrive at a particularly busy time with no reservation, you're going to have to wait. No reasonable person is going to assume that you can simply show up with a party of four and be seated. We enjoy the flexibility of anytime dining, but always plan on heading to the nearest bar for a pre-dinner drink with our pager in hand.

According to numerous recent posts on the HAL forum, this has now been reduced to 8%.

I think that the link provided by @broberts is probably more useful than anecdotal posts from recent recipients. As the website explains, there are many variables affecting the turnaround time, including whether you drop off your application at a passport office or simply mail it in. So, for example, everything else being equal, a person mailing an application at a community mailbox after the daily pickup on a Friday heading into a long weekend will potentially take three days longer than someone mailing an application at exactly the same mailbox the following Tuesday.

While meclizine is no longer manufactured or sold in Canada, it is perfectly legal and does not require a prescription in concentrations of 25 mg per dosage unit or less. US Costco requires a prescription, but I don't know whether or not Costco would accept a prescription issued by a Canadian doctor not licensed in the US. On the other hand Amazon.com appears not to have this requirement and ships. to Canada. https://www.amazon.com/Meclizine-Chewable-Tablets-25mg-Bottle/dp/B099KNZVX3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2RVDMR9JG8Q5Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Hb_Lfs2H5TufPzaXaVABxK8FBApT_YC2FWjXYZkBdCrzJm5Utj-0L50LcQk6r2w_JGvMCJ5bmhJFCokgtSGEOUdAV2R96Mvq8RhA-YUEqP1c-Z3I4Y4na-twpDdVjEgThIxrqJNu1JZ27XQod5DipDSiWFUbqQLEqwco574q6LrroqhVMPmLuyoMMFY1DuusdQVqxf2jdl4oERaJRCc1bYodGM4xIZkc3CWlzKhi5Ik.7FzdyXcUpr-bHHD9p9_COBv45-6thIr1eQUZnO7ZfQE&dib_tag=se&keywords=meclizine+25mg+tablets&qid=1719938679&sprefix=meclizine%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-2

According to posts on the HAL forum, it is combinable.

I purchased a single membership, but received the free membership for my DW. The AARP OBC is one per cabin, no matter how many occupants have a membership. The link is available right in the AARP webpage, but you'll need to use a VPN. The link in the AARP webpage will give you the 404 error code if it detects that you are in Canada, but will link to the verification page if it believes that you are in the US. So, use the VPN to set your location in the US, then click on this link: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/community-appreciation-cruise-offers/aarp-member-benefit-offer?XID=EXTHPRTNR20230501VT3I62RMF3, and then click on the yellow "VERIFY YOUR AARP MEMBERSHIP" button. You should get an almost instant response from SheerID Verification confirming your eligibility for the OBC offer. Good luck!

There seems to be no consistency in HAL's approach, some people getting the OBC for previously booked cruises and others being rejected. I decided to gamble and took out a membership a few days ago, then completed the verification process. Now I'll sit back and see what happens.🤞

In my experience, when there is a difference between a cruise line's and a port authority's website, the port authority's information is correct.

LOL. Take a look at these screen grabs from the P&O website: This first one clearly states July 10, and this is what led to my earlier comment about the date. Having read your last post, I went back, pulled up the same page, then clicked on the View Itinerary button, which took be to this page: Here again it says July 10 in the main body of the page but, contradictorily, states July 11 in the header. I've neither cruised with P&O nor spent any time on its website until today. Hopefully their cruise information is normally less confusing.