dawnvip

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Hmmm....how many of us have no idea what "green" and medallions relate to?

I think medallions refers to Princess? They now ship the medallions (fancy room "key" with all info stored) to Canada.

No idea about the "green" though.

 Old Spaghetti factory is what my DH calls "shlock italian" - its really just sit down fast food.

Much better options are Zefferelli on Robson (about 15 min walk) or Tavola at the far end of Robson (about 10 min longer than Zefferelli if walking) 

Agree with Milhouse. Skytrain is right across Main street from the train station and will take you very close to Pan Pacific/Canada Place but with a cane and luggage, may be a struggle.

Depending on time of arrival at Pacific Central, Uber fare will be somewhere around $20 CAD and much more convenient and comfortable!

13 hours ago, bookbabe said:

Did you have to leave your passport with them for the five days?  Or do they just take a copy of it when you go to the first appointment?

Most physical visas (as opposed to e-visa) require the physical passport for a period of time because they process the application and then affix the visa directly into your passport. I remember the Cambodian consulate kept our passports for about 2 weeks.  

Looking forward to hearing more - sounds like a fabulous itinerary!

Bon Voyage! Looking forward to hearing more about your cruise

On 9/21/2023 at 3:06 PM, martincath said:

We are aware, but thanks anyway - anecdotally a LOT of folks get tripped up the first time they cross the border after getting new PP or buying a new car and forgetting to keep things all matchy-matching!

I don't think Nexus is keeping track of vehicle details any longer. Just like they don't hand out declaration booklets (thank god!)

On 9/2/2023 at 1:32 PM, JoRoy218 said:

We’ll be there Feb ‘24, have reservations for the Hotel Plaza San Francisco. Saw a few reviews/comments about “marginal” neighborhood. Wondering if you happen to know anything about this hotel? Thanks! 

We're staying there in December and will report back!

We have an Andes bird watching tour booked as a day trip because we will be spending some time in Santiago post-cruise.  If nature is your bag, then check out https://farsouthexp.com/chile-trips/santiago-chile-day-tours/ 

My cruise is less than 2 months away, and I have a reservation for Canaletto on the 12th day of the cruise (Friday). I'm watching the changing menu specials because I would much rather have scallops than tenderloin!

I still have time to change my reservation if the specials change on a set schedule. I'm assuming it will be by day of the week?

I logged in and my price is significantly higher - $3282 CAD for an inside (plus tax!)

Interesting question! The x-ray machines in Vancouver are similar to those at the security check at the airport, so I doubt a full-size suitcase would fit. 

It may also depend on your cruise line's policies. All luggage that is handed off at the port still goes through a security x-ray, looking for weapons and contraband. (I've been called to the naughty room once - lol). 

Glad to hear you are enjoying Oosterdam! We are booked for 17 days this fall and its coming up quickly!

Lyft and Uber are available, yes.

You could also walk 2 blocks and take the skytrain to the airport in less than 30 min. Trains leave every 6 min or so. 

Following! I really want to do Amazon river too!!!

Not sure where your river cruise is, but Wifi is readily available throughout western Europe.  Unless there is an emergency, or you are in a remote location, you will likely not need the roaming.

Enjoy your cruise!!

For clarity, the OP will be on a river cruise, so their cell service/esim/etc will work the entire time they are on board. Many river cruises offer free wifi, so save the roaming charges for those instances that you really need it.

7 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I did it over Christmas/New Years 2022/23. I mailed the package December 10, the payment for the passport was put through December 20, and, if I had been home I would have had both the new passport and my old one in my hands January 4. Since I had to go pick it up I got them both January 5. All this despite it going in during the Christmas rush and all of the extra statutory holidays. (Despite living in Ontario, my passport was issued in Surrey BC. My guess is that for mailed in applications, they send them to less busy offices.)

 

I think there was a spot on the application to ask for the old one back. I don’t think it was automatic, but my memory may be faulty. 

LOL, I highly doubt that Surrey would ever be a less busy office. Surrey is probably the largest office in BC, and only one of 4 for all of BC. My recently renewed passport was issued in Mississauga. I think this means that applications are uploaded to a central database and the next available agent (wherever they may be located) reviews/issues.  Just my guess!

You are right, there is a box to tick if you want the old one back.

Costco does not sell alcohol in Canada, sorry. 

I second the BC Liquor store at Harbour Centre, which is only a few blocks away from Canada Place. 

5 hours ago, calvin81 said:

Dawn and Alan - can you give any advice for getting Vietnam and Cambodia visas? The online information I've seen is a little confusing. 

 

It was pre-covid, so things may have changed since I applied, and there may be some differences for Canadians and Americans, but I'll try!

For Vietnam, I had to go to the consulate in Vancouver and submit my passport, application form, passport photo and fee. It took about 2 weeks to get the passport back with visa attached. I see there is a new website for Canadians to apply on-line, but they still send a physical visa back:

https://vietnamembassy.ca/consular-services/visa-application/

For Cambodia, I can't remember exactly, but I think we had to submit the application, passport, passport photo, and fee to an "agent" here in Vancouver, who dealt with the embassy on our behalf. I see Cambodia now uses eVisa (both E and T available).

There are visa on arrival available for both Vietnam and Cambodia, but that was not an option for us due to their restrictions at several border entry points (VoA not accepted).

10 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

My actual booking is $82.33 Cdn pp pd 

Ouch!

44 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

I just paid $60 for a 2025 Med cruise.   Includes gratuities.  

Is that $60 Canadian or USD? 

Another thing with visas is they are only valid for a certain time, usually indicated by yourself in the application. Your passport will be valid for 5 or 10 years (depending on issuing country).

I have visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Kenya in my passport. All are stamped on date of entry and then stamped again with "used" once I left. They cannot be used again, so I would have to apply again if I want to go back.

I can confirm that the Oosterdam is changing the specials daily and updating the menu in the Navigator App. Today's special is seared scallops 😍

Just so I understand this correctly, you are saying that FE does not cover flights that arrive at cruise departure city earlier than actual day of cruise departure? We have booked FE to MIA three days ahead of cruise departure.