Fouremco

I've not sailed on Princess, but have many times on her sister line Holland America, and I've frequently purchased OBC in this manner to take advantage of the exchange rate. It will be USD OBC.

Transport Canada still recommends but does not require that lines test passengers embarking at a Canadian port or cruising in Canadian waters. As noted by @*Miss G*, some lines may still require testing, depending on the itinerary.

As this is only a "pre-test", an antigen test should suffice to determine whether or not you should fly to Buenos Aires to be subjected to a PCR test. In fact, even a free home test kit will tell you whether or not you are likely to test positive when given the PCR test. That said, it's good to see that you have new test kits on their way, and I hope that you test negative for both tests and have a great cruise!

In theory, whatever documents you've used to enter the US prior to boarding should meet the requirements for your closed-loop cruise. But... A couple of years ago, DW and I flew to Boston to embark on a Canada/New England cruise terminating in Montreal, using our Nexus cards at YUL for our pre-clearance to the US. When we went to board the following day, the staff and the supervisor at the cruise terminal refused to accept Nexus cards and stated that unless we had our passports, we wouldn't be allowed to board. Fortunately, we never leave Canada without our passports, so we were ok and had a very enjoyable cruise. Should you need to fly home during the cruise due to sickness, not returning to the ship on time, or for some other reason, an EDL will not suffice for boarding a flight. There might be considerable delay before you can get home. Finally, a number of Caribbean nations now require cruise passengers to have passports, so the documents you require will depend on your itinerary. Bottom line: passports always work, bearing in mind varying expiry date regulations. Other documentation is hit-and-miss, depending on the details of the cruise.

Thank you for a very informative post, and in particular for this TRIP link. Hopefully I'll not need to use it, but one never knows.

Great. I'd looked for this but somehow missed it. It was logical that the exemption would apply equally to land ports, but for air travel it is clearly stated in the policy, while for land entry it's tucked away in the Q&A's under a question dealing with those unable to be vaccinated. Thanks for sharing the link, much appreciated.

The link you have provided applies to those flying into the US. I've not seen any similar exemption for those entering at land ports as suggested in post #16.

AFAIK, since January 22, 2022, the US has required non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination when requested. I'm not aware of any exemption for children old enough to be vaccinated. However, I suspect that your experience is more a question of practise than change in policy. When my son and grandson drove to a hockey tournament in Utica, NY, a few weeks ago, neither one was asked about his vaccination status, but I've seen no announcement from the CDC, US CBP, Homeland Security, etc., announcing that this requirement has been cancelled.

This CDC chart is helpful: Are you Fully Vaccinated for Air Travel to the United States? You are considered fully vaccinated: 2 weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose vaccine 2 weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a clinical trial 2 weeks (14 days) after you received 2 doses of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccinesadministered at least 17 days apart* If you don’t meet these requirements, you are NOT considered fully vaccinated. A booster dose is not needed to meet this requirement. A person who has received only one dose of an accepted 2-dose series and has recovered from COVID-19 does not meet this definition, and therefore is NOT considered fully vaccinated for travel to the United States. *CDC has not recommended the use of mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccine primary series. However, such strategies are increasingly common in many countries outside of the United States. Therefore, for the purpose of interpreting vaccination records for travel to the United States, CDC will accept combinations of accepted COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html#fully-vaccinated

While the US does not require a booster, I think that anyone planning to cruise would be foolish not to maximize their protection. If your grandson is eligible, he should be given his booster.

During that period we did the same with HAL and Celebrity, purchasing refundable OBC at a far better rate than was available from banks or currency exchange outlets. We would buy more than we would need for onboard expenses and pocket the refund at the end of the cruise, keeping us in USD to pay for hotels, meals and other expenses during future trips. At a certain point, the lines changed their approach and their conversion rates were no longer beneficial. From what I can tell, RCI no longer allows non-US residents to to purchase OBC.

There's a wide range of gifts that they can purchase for you, but not gift certificates. If you read the Terms and Conditions, they explain this at some length, although they don't say why. If none of the available gifts have any appeal, the best alternative would be for your children to buy you USD that you can apply to your onboard account.

Neighbours thought that they would avoid the kiddies by cruising the week before the Ontario school March break. Little did they realize that the Quebec school break is a week earlier.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter to RCI what the national requirements are. Illogically, the RCI website requires even US citizen’s sailing with their US passport book must ensure that it is valid at least 6 months after their cruise, even when the country/countries visited have no such requirement. As cruise line agents and webpages sometimes don't reflect the reality of requirements at the port, I hope that someone with recent experience taking their children on an Alaskan cruise with RCI can comment on their experience. If you don't get further information here, you might want to ask on the RCI board.

The US Department of Homeland Security states the following with respect to entry by land or sea: U.S. and Canadian citizen children under the age of 16 (or under 19, if traveling with a school, religious group, or other youth group) need only present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The birth certificate can be original, photocopy, or certified copy. https://www.dhs.gov/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

I wouldn't say that paying $1.30 CAD for $1.00 USD is a good deal, especially as the price has increased from $1.24 CAD. The only way that paying $1.30 CAD is a good deal is if you assume that the Canadian dollar is going to continue to decline in value and the cost of buying USD is going to rise.

DW and I have driven past Corner Brook but never actually stayed there or explored the area. Hopefully this link will provide you with some more ideas: https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/search?q=corner+brook. As we've not sailed with Regent, I can't comment on their shore excursions, but we tend to be DIY explorers and highly recommend renting a vehicle. Having visited Sydney and Cape Breton on many occasions, both for business and pleasure, and having seen everything to be seen in the area, my vote would definitely be for a visit to the Fortress of Louisbourg: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/louisbourg The last time we visited the fortress was during a HAL cruise, and we rented a car from Enterprise. It's very convenient, as they'll pick you up at the beginning of your day and drop you off at the end. The actual drive to the fortress is quick and easy, and the cost of admission for two plus the car rental and gas was far less than the cost of the ship's excursion for two. But the main advantage was the ability to stay for the better part of the day and see everything at a leisurely pace instead of rushing to meet the ship excursion's limited time. For other ideas about Cape Breton, should Louisbourg not appeal to you: https://www.cbisland.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsoycBhC6ARIsAPPbeLvsB0MGmHB7IBs3Y8uEzfZQhWEVT7t2zqG4gX46HrD_6LvW6MCuyHcaAkAyEALw_wcB During our aforementioned cruise, in Halifax we again rented a car, at the Westin hotel across the road from the port terminal. We drove out to Lunenburg, then back along the scenic route through Mahone Bay, Chester and Peggy's Cove. That's perhaps a bit ambitious, depending on the amount of time you have in port, so instead I'd recommend driving out to Peggy's Cove and upon your return, taking a walk along the Halifax harbour boardwalk. A visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic would be a great way to spend a few hours. Of course, you could spend days just exploring everything that the city has to offer, so if the iconic Peggy's Cove doesn't appeal, or you are looking for greater variety, here's more for you to consider: https://www.lunenburgregion.ca/themes/user/site/default/asset/files/guides/DoersDreamersTravelGuide2022ENG_0.pdf

Sorry, my attempt at humour backfired. I've lived most of my life with Lansdowne Park as part of it, enjoying the Central Canada Exhibition until its demise in 2011, watching the Rough Riders as a season ticket holder, and participating in countless other activities there. I'm also aware of its history and the fact that it was named after Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, who served as the Governor General of Canada from 1883 to 1888. The town, on the other hand, was named after his great-grandfather, William Petty-Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne and British Prime Minister from 1782 to 1783. Interestingly, the town was originally named Landsdowne and only later was it shortened to Lansdowne. https://lansdowneontario.ca/about-us/history/ Given the town's name change and the number of British webpages with historical references to the 1st Marquess of Landsdowne, including this British Museum page ( https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG153298 ), it begs the question as to whether the spelling of the Marquess' title itself had changed.

My computer must have a super wicked spell check function as it shows the article with the proper spelling:

For some destinations, your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your departure from the country visited. In other cases, it's only 3 months. And for a good number of other countries, your passport only needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. (@Travelexpert35, this includes the UK and Ireland.) Unless travelling to a destination with a 6- or perhaps even a 3-month requirement that conflicts with the expiry date of your passport, I agree with @broberts that early renewal is unnecessary.

To what line are you referring, as there are several cruise lines with loyalty programs that include a Diamond level?

Before he became the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Moore did an excellent job in Kingston and was one of the leading proponents of masks, vaccines and other preventative measures. Unfortunately, since his appointment to his current position, he has been forced to follow the political direction imposed upon him from above.

We've been very happy with Medoc. In addition to two major claims resulting from medical issues while travelling abroad, they also covered a smaller claim for a cancelled trip to Montreal. The interprovincial coverage is a nice bonus.

No, COVID isn't finished. 😢 https://apple.news/A4XuQsAu8QtG9xImsvE3IlA

Oh, that's a shame. A few years ago, we had a Boston-Montreal Canada/New England cruise. We decided to drive to Montreal, leave a car at the airport and fly to Boston. WJ could only route us through Toronto, while AC had several direct flights daily. In our case, not only was the AC flight much quicker and easier, but it was actually cheaper.