Primus

We were very happy with the food on the World Navigator for our Feb 10 cruise. Breakfasts included a large buffet along with order off-the-menu option and specials of the day. We especially liked the Eggs Benedict and ordered it multiple mornings. Lunch was mostly a buffet which changed every day and included a different carving station and a station where the chef cooked to order the daily special. Our favorite two lunch dishes were the chef-cooked pasta which was finished in a carved out parmesan cheese wheel and the lamb chops. Except for 2 evenings, dinner was order from the menu with a different themed cuisine each evening as well as an always available menu. There were a number of dishes we wanted to try from the always available menu but never got the chance since we selected mostly from the menu of the day. Our favorite entrees were the salmon confit and venison. Tasty ice cream/gelato was available at lunch and dinner in addition to other desserts. Room service menu was also available in the dining room. Dining room service was excellent. There was only one dinner that was slow. That was at the beginning of the cruise and all the guests seemed to come at once that evening. Our drinks were refilled often during every meal. The staff greeted us warmly by our preferred names, even those who we only interacted with occasionally. Shore excursions in Europe are not yet available to book online but I received a 116-page pdf excursion booklet on Feb 3 for booking available through my TA. I think 1 free specific excursion is provided for each Med cruise and four of the cruises include 2 free. Most ports have 3 - 6 paid tour options with pricing mostly in the $50 - $125 range. There are some exceptions like the $525 for the Luxury of Caviar tasting at Caviar de Riofrio in Malaga.

Our 11-day February 10 Antarctica cruise was pretty close to perfect. The weather was great (with both sun and snow) and both Drake Passage crossings were fairly calm. There was only one afternoon when the wind was too strong to get off the ship. Sea Kayaking happened twice, paddling 4 times, SUP once, and camping once (with two weddings). Planned stops were sometimes adjusted from what was planned the night before due to weather, animals, etc. We even stopped and detoured once to spend a long time watching a large quantity of orcas and humpback whales feeding. The wildlife viewing from both on and off the ship was pretty spectacular. The Expedition Team was outstanding during off-the-ship activities, on-board lectures, and knowledge. Everything was well organized. If my notes are correct, this was our actual itinerary including activities that were offered: Charter flight, embarkation Drake Passage Drake Passage Crossing the Antarctic Circle Jenny Island: landing, zodiak cruise Bongrain Point, Pourquoi Pas Island: landing, zodiak cruise, paddling Lagoon Islands: zodiak cruise, sea kayaking Detaille Island: landing, paddling Andresen Island: zodiak cruise, paddling Polar Plunge Wordie Hut, Argentine Islands: landing, sea kayaking Lemaire Channel Melchoir Islands: zodiak cruise Cuverville Island: landing, paddling Pendulum Cove, Deception Island: landing, SUP Drake Passage Drake Passage Disembark The World Navigator is a beautiful ship with extremely friendly and helpful staff. We plan to cruise with them again soon.

We stayed at the Glu Boutique Hotel in Palermo Soho for 4 nights before our Feb 10 cruise on the Navigator. Fantastic experience and room, and loved the location. Personalized service throughout our stay. It also included an exceptional breakfast. We'll look forward to staying here again.

My experience with the Atlas travel agency has been the complete opposite. I have received fantastic service and have even booked 3 more weeks on Atlas and my first cruise doesn't leave until February 10th. I will likely use this TA for other travel as well.

This article provides some options. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/government-covid-test-for-international-travel/. I used the same company as TPG with some free at home tests and the virtual testing fee was covered by my insurance. The company handled the billing and I didn't have to file for reimbursement. I booked identical times for the 2 of us and one virtual proctor took care of us both at the same time with one connection while we were in the Netherlands. Completely happy with the entire process, from booking to receiving test results.

The 9292 app for public transportation in the Netherlands worked great for us earlier this month. I bought 2 tickets to where ever we were going using my smart phone. The e-tickets would then be on my phone. I would scan the first ticket and husband would go through the turnstile and then I would scan my ticket and follow. The trains and buses all ran on time. The default connection time is usually pretty short but there is an option when searching to increase that time if desired. We also traveled some by Uber and that worked really well too.

It was hard for us to figure out what isolation rules applied and HAL provided no information. The best we came up with was 5 days isolation on the ship, then out of isolation if fever free for 24-hours and symptoms improving. We already had plans to stay in the Netherlands after the cruise so didn't fly back to the US until 10 days after symptoms started. HAL did not test us again before disembarkation.

My husband and I just returned from a 14-night Voyage of the Midnight Sun on the Rotterdam, June 26 – July 10. We learned a lot on this cruise that I wanted to share. We both tested positive for Covid on July 5. We are double boosted, wore masks, didn’t go to shows or bars, and ate outside when possible. We didn’t have interactions/exposure in ports since our off-ship activities consisted of hiking and walking. Our risky behaviors were going to the main dining room, hydro pool, 3 port talks (masked), and 1 shore excursion (masked). Masks are “required” on HAL shore excursions but this in not actually enforced and guests are not reminded to wear masks. We may have been the only mask wearers on the return bus ride to the ship after our hike on July 1. This is the second time we have sailed with HAL after re-start. Both cruises changed from masks recommended to masks required at the end of the first week, specifically on July 2 for this cruise. The announcements were not consistent about the mask requirements. Sometimes the CD and Captain would say mandatory and sometimes they would say recommended. Both of our HAL cruises after re-start had a lot of Covid cases. The Rotterdam had sections of quarantine cabins forward of the aft elevators on decks 4 and 5. Deck 4 section was blocked off on both sides of the ship at the start of the cruise. Deck 5 section was blocked off on one side to start and the second side was added after one week. We were experiencing mild symptoms on July 5 so requested a Covid test. Medical expected our test results back in an hour but it took 3 hours. They told us the delay was due to the high number of samples that were being tested. The ship ran out of quarantine cabins so we got to stay in our original cabin on Deck 4 and saw others on our hall being escorted off the ship at the end of the cruise. Our 5 days of isolation required by the Netherlands was met by the time we were to disembark. If we tested positive earlier in the cruise, the isolation period would have been at least 6 days on the ship. HAL provided no information about Netherlands requirements. We were on our own to figure that out. Anyone reporting possible symptoms would be quarantined for at least 24 hours even if the test was negative. After Testing Positive We each received a dated Covid detected certificate. Medical sends emails to the various departments after someone tests positive. Housekeeping and In-room Dining got the memo on July 5 that we were Covid positive. Guest Services did not. Medical supposedly sent them the information at least 3 times during the next 5 days. I called Guest Services the first day to get information about being in isolation and future cruise credit information. They said they were waiting on instructions from Medical. Despite calling many times, Guest Services kept claiming day after day that they didn’t know we had Covid which is why no information was given to us. On July 8, we received the standard disembarkation packet and a personalized invitation to go to a wine tasting while isolated. I asked Guest Services if we were really supposed disembark with the rest of the guests and go to wine tasting. It got their attention a little bit but not much. They finally acknowledged we had Covid on July 9 after I called Medical again. This was in the afternoon the day before our disembarkation. We received our first FCC form letter that afternoon. It was wrong. I requested it be corrected. A new one was delivered correctly referencing a 12-month expiration late that afternoon. And a 3rd version was delivered after dinner with a slightly different date. It's just a form letter with our names and expiration date. No value is included. Overview Letter An isolation overview letter was finally received at 5:45 pm on July 9, the night before disembarkation. The details in the letter were not followed. For example: - Staff was to check in with us daily. This was never done. - Someone was to contact us to arrange meals and beverages. Not done. - Stateroom was to be provided with complimentary bottled water. Nope. Guest Services Clearly this department has not been trained properly. The bad information started when I called about getting a Covid test. I was instructed to go to the Medical Center when they opened up. Wrong. If you have any symptoms, you are supposed to call 911 which is what we ended up doing. Medical was not even open for drop-ins. Then there was the denial we had Covid and wrong information being sent to the cabin. So frustrating that we had to continue to call for basic information that was not provided and fight for a FCC letter. Medical Center The only service we received by Medical was the Covid test. No one ever checked in with us during the cruise or to see if we were healthy enough to disembark in Amsterdam. No guidance was provided about isolation off the ship or traveling home. They have very limited hours. Sea Days: 09:00 – 12:00 and 15:00 – 18:00. Port Days 08:00 – 10:00 and 16:00 – 18:00. The facility was available by appointment only. Symptoms to Report You are supposed to remain in your stateroom if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms and call 911 immediately: fever or chills, excess fatigue, sore throat, cough, muscle or body aches, congestion or runny nose, shortness of breath, headache, vomiting, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea. Dining In-room Dining service was excellent. No one provides information about options but as best as we figured out, we could order from any restaurant that was open. We ordered from the all-day room service menu, main dining room, Dive-In, and Tamarind. There is normally a charge for Dive-In room service but that is waived for isolated guests. There was no charge for our Tamarind dinner since it was one of our 5* Mariner perks. The hold time to order was 15 – 30 minutes per meal and then delivery was usually 45 - 60 minutes later. We spent a lot of time on hold for our 5 days of isolation. I don’t know why there isn’t an option to place an order on the Navigator App. Standard room service delivery was provided. They knew we were in isolation because that was noted on our order delivery slips. No paper products were used. Food was well presented on dishes under cloches. Cloth napkins and real silverware were provided on every tray. Glass salt and pepper shakers were also provided with almost every order. Coffee was provided in a carafe. The delivery tray was either handed to us or brought into our room. When finished, we put our tray on the floor outside the door, and let them know through the Navigator App that it was ready for pickup. We had the Signature Beverage Package and that continued to work in isolation. Laundry Regular laundry service is available. We requested a change of towels once. Spa We purchased a 9-day couples pass to the hydro pool. Only 3 days were used. I asked Guest Services about refunding the balance and that answer was we had to contact the spa. So, I called the Spa and they refunded 1/3 of the charge to our account. On-board Account We had both refundable and non-refundable balances prior to being isolated. The refundable amount automatically went back to our credit card after the cruise. We asked about the non-refundable amount, hoping that would be credited or provided as FCC. The answer was it must be used on this voyage. I don’t know how HAL expects us to spend money while in isolation. Or it could be that answer by Guest Services was also wrong. What we ended up doing was getting the tip adjust form and making a note to provide that specific amount of non-refundable credit as an additional tip to In-Room Dining. Disembarkation We were given the specific time of 7:15 am for escorted disembarkation. They were 30 minutes late. A crew member followed us to a manned mid-ship elevator and we rode down to A deck with our luggage. We exited the ship in a different spot than the rest of the guests. Not a single crew member said goodbye or wished us well. There was a large pile of quarantined passenger luggage outside the ship. That surprised us since we were told we had to bring off the luggage ourselves. Our guess is either that instruction was wrong or they didn’t want our luggage to potentially be mixed up with the rest of the ship since we weren’t in a quarantined section. Instead of going through the terminal, we had a long walk down to the end of the pier and then around to the front of the terminal building to get our own transportation. We don’t know if anyone was brought to a hotel for additional isolation since that type of information was never provided to us. It seemed like HAL just wanted to be done with us. Not a great way to end a very frustrating experience. Timeline June 22: Flew from US to Amsterdam (masked) June 24: Negative medically observed antigen test June 26: Boarded Rotterdam July 1: HAL shore excursion (masked) July 2: Mask policy changed from recommended to required on the ship July 5: Positive PCR test, isolated in original cabin for remainder of cruise July 5 – July 9: Contacted Guest Services many times to request Covid isolation information and FCC letter July 8: Received standard disembarkation package and invitation to wine tasting on July 9 July 9: Guest Services finally acknowledges we have Covid and are in isolation, received 3 different FCC form letters, received welcome to isolation letter at 5:45 pm, received correct disembarkation packet after dinner July 10: Disembarked ship

Interesting timing. On July 2nd the Rotterdam just changed to requiring guests to wear face masks while indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms due to the number of Covid cases on board.

Oops, I meant to say that we had the same problem with Silversea rather than Seabourn.

It's not just HAL where flights are being cancelled for non-payment. We're 5* on HAL and tried our first Seabourn in November 2021. One week before sailing our flights were also cancelled for non-payment by Seabourn. This also occurred on a Saturday morning so no one was available to assist until they returned to the office on Monday. Super stressful situation for us but seemed of little concern for Seabourn employees. The original flights on American luckily did get re-booked.

The trick I use to see available flights and check prices is to be very slow to click between screens, specifically after I click the green Begin Box and before I click the blue Book & Manage Flights box. If I click the Book & Manage Flights box too quickly after getting to that page I get the red error message.