Tango99

29 minutes ago, phabric said:

I know Vancouver has something like YYZ Express and maybe Ottawa and other big airports have it.

Nnnnope! From Fouremco’s post it looks like only the 4 major International airports as designated during the pandemic has that EXPRESS benefit and only to customers in the immediate vicinity of airport at Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. And Ottawa is still waiting for those flights to return. I have Nexus and it doesn’t help as much as EXpress seems to.  Aaaargh! We just got our first international flight resumption from Air France last July … once a week. It’s hellish trying to get direct flights even to Florida. So we’re travelling at home this year. 

3 hours ago, phabric said:

If leaving from Pearson, google - YYZ Express - you fill in the information up to 72 hours before your flight - airline, flight #, date, number of passengers, email - you will receive a QR Code.  At both USA and Canada/International Security there is a sign for EXPRESS, they scan your QR Code, you are first in line going through Security.

 

If coming back to Canada, use ArriveCAN app, fill in your information up to 72 hr before your flight.  Follow EXPRESS at Immigration/Customs area, since your information is already attached to your passport.  When I used ArriveCAN in Feb, only one family in front on me at Immigration/Customs vs the regular line which had a long line for the kiosks then Immigration/Customs.

That’s really fantastic…I suppose this is only when your point of departure is Toronto. We don’t have any chance to get onto this if we’re stuck there for long periods due to connection issues. But if we decided to find our way from Ottawa to YYZ …. that could be a game changer …if not for me then my kids! 

8 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Did people find it easy to get the benefit as canadians? Interested in possibly getting it as sail princess.

No problem for me with NCL and there’s few conditions to apply the benefit. It’s on my cruise booking in less than a week. CCL doesn’t issue OBC if you book with special rates with that brand name cruises. So you may want to read more of the official details, especially if you plan to sail a subsidiary line. It may be better to invest in the space you plan to travel, if that’s available. 

2 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

A while back there was a posting in which it was said that people interested in Alaska cruises should book really early because they fill up long in advance. While this may be the case on some cruise lines, it is not my experience.

 

We have taken four Alaska cruises from Vancouver in the past nine years and all had significantly reduced fares - some even before the final payment date when discounts are common.  This year we have received several offers from Cunard and almost every day we receive an e-mail from Holland America offering several discounted cruises, with Alaska being the first one mentioned. We also get a brochure in the post every week from HAL.  Even Princess, on which we have never cruised, sends us a lot of brochures and even makes phone calls to us. 

 

We were not intending to take another Queen Elizabeth cruise to Alaska this year, but the offers have been so good we just booked one at a sharply reduced fare. We booked a Queens Grill suite (not something usually in our budget!) at a per diem rate less than half of what the equivalent would cost on the Queen Mary 2 for a short cruise or Atlantic crossing.  Another reason we are taking this cruise is Cunard is moving the base of Alaska cruises to Seattle next year, and that doesn't please us at all.

 

I think there may be an over-capacity of ships on the Alaska run.  I suppose enough people book at full fare vs those who book at "sailing soon" discounts to make them feasible.

 

Other peoples' experiences would be appreciated.

 

Many more cruisers are returning to lower cost cruise lines though they’re also not at full capacity due to the increased cost of fares and their far lower disposable income than pre pandemic, like myself.🤣 You’re likely seeing more of the same on Cunard as I’m guessing clients might have migrated to other vacation options. I’m guessing that Seattle, due to its proximity to Vancouver, is likely to attract more US clients and $ to Cunard’s sailings than Canadians. We also still have the lack of international flights into Canada from abroad….and a bit more hassle for US clients sailing from Vancouver. Alaska after all is a US state, and the mandatory port stop in Vancouver is much easier to navigate for US citizens than actually embarking there. Glad you’re getting a good deal this time around. Happy cruising!

2 hours ago, daisy-mae said:

I think I know the answer, but will ask anyway, in case someone has some insight.

 

We are about to apply for our Nexus card renewal and must list all of the countries we have visited in the past 5 years. On a recent cruise we did not disembark in Jamaica. However, since the cruise manifest must list the names of all passengers as well as their passport information, are we deemed to have entered the country? And would CBSA have a record of our visit? We want to be as accurate as possible to avoid jeopardizing our renewal.

I just got my renewal and I recall the form included details of all destinations in the last 5 years. Tedious process but worth the effort. 

On 4/8/2024 at 6:30 PM, missyprincess said:

Hello fellow Canadians, 🙂 

 

Just wondering if i can get your opinion on a situation. 

 

We are planning our first bahamas cruise with RCL and received quotes on two Itineraries. 

 

One sailing on Sept 29th (XB), and the second one sailing on Oct 17th (4D). 

 

Both are guaranteed with differences in price are $400. 

 

Upon researching, hurricane season is June to November and Sept is the peak. 

 

I understand it’s very difficult to predict the best date to cruise….. however, i would love to hear what your thoughts on this and whether it’s worth the $400 to delay it for 2 weeks. 

 

Thanks so much!! 

You might want to look into trip cancellation insurance as well. I suggest that as most cruise lines shy away from cancel without penalty once you’re in the zone of 90 or 120 days payment in full due. (Some lines payment in full is either 3 or 4 months of sail date.). 

On 3/24/2024 at 3:36 PM, Memory77 said:

 

I took a cruise on the MTS Oceanos a few years before it sank (around 1987?) I’m looking for the itinerary for my Christmas cruise that departed from the Bahamas. I’m sure we ported in Venezuela and Grenada I believe we may have stopped in Aruba and Curaçao as well as an island that we needed to ferry into. Can anyone help me with where I could find ports of call information. Thank you

You may want to browse sites with “maritime history/archives”, “passenger manifest records” (only works if you’re over 75 or someone with you who is),  “ship log”, “port departure schedules”, or arrivals from/to the Bahamas. The US have national archives. Many rabbit holes to cover that you might find interesting. Last September I used GGArchives.com to find the Halifax landing records of the arrival for a 96 year old friend who’d travelled home from England to Canada at 19 years of age, on the Duchess of Bedford. And back on the Empress in the 1940’s. We even laughed about the menu, the cost of her travels, and how the dining room worked. Not much but it might help. 

On 3/24/2024 at 3:36 PM, Memory77 said:

 

I took a cruise on the MTS Oceanos a few years before it sank (around 1987?) I’m looking for the itinerary for my Christmas cruise that departed from the Bahamas. I’m sure we ported in Venezuela and Grenada I believe we may have stopped in Aruba and Curaçao as well as an island that we needed to ferry into. Can anyone help me with where I could find ports of call information. Thank you

Edit to add “Oh. Tomorrow. So to add now I see your destinations include Honduras….your friend could be flagged to stay on board when the ship ports in Honduras. Fingers crossed”  Hope you can get a renewal quickly. There may be issues with the airline (depending which one) as you won’t have a US address to supply when you check in for your flight. And If the expiry falls within the actual cruise you may have issues with the cruise physical check in. Last year my partner’s passport and the 6 month rule meant expiry 2 days before the end of our 3 week cruise (Carnival) and he was notified by email a week after e-checkin that he’d need to to provide a passport valid for the sailing or be denied boarding…even though we were going TA from Florida to Europe destinations that have a 3 month requirement. Thankful we are in Ottawa and could get passport renewed. It was close as he received the notice the day before Good Friday and Easter Monday. And Tuesday the city was shut down due to a snowstorm. We picked it up Wednesday and flew as planned the next day. On our cruise over Christmas in the S Caribbean we had to present passport at almost all of the gates to get back on the cruise ship (NCL). Fingers crossed that you get a good agent at the port check in….I’m told that person can be the key on boarding or not. 

13 hours ago, jy_cruisefan said:

We are booked on the direct flight from YOW to FLL later this week. From what I have seen, when checking the flight status for the same flight for the past two weeks, this flight is regularly delayed 2 hours or more. Any ideas why? Cannot get a hold of Porter to find out. Hate to admit it, but I should have paid the extra few dollars and booked with Air Canada.

I hear you. It’s an awful situation. Porter have a bad rep for delays and converging flights, even within Canada. Passengers also feel the brunt of their pilots being poached by the big guys. Only 7 of their 12 flights have departed within half hour of the plan since Jan 25. If you want to get up at zero past dark hour the AC flight at 6am (on one or two days a week) has left on time every day during the same period. The posted rate today is ~$265. That’s far less than Porter if I remember.  The later flights are all via YYZ or YUL and over $900 which is insane compared to the 180-190 pre pandemic. I feel for you. Wish there was an easy solution but it’s going to be a long time coming. Airlines are flying full. And AC sales are at an all time high….is it any wonder? 

On 11/22/2023 at 9:27 AM, 3Shelaghs said:

Connecting in Montreal from Toronto, for international flight. How much time should we allow ?

At least 90 minutes so you don’t have to panic.  It’s a busy airport. It depends on the arrival gate of your aircraft from Toronto. 

21 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

I booked it myself on the AC booking site.  It is a direct routing from Toronto to London Heathrow. I booked it about 11 1/2 months in advance on what would be the first day that bookings became available. Every day the booking period extends by one day, so timing is essential. There are usually four overnight flights from Toronto (no day flights unfortunately) and the cheap fare is usually available on the last flight of the day which is 23:45.

 

I did notice that it was easier to get a cheap flight with a change in Montreal. I see you are from Ottawa so that would be better for you.  You will notice that most flights cost over 200,000 points per person and that is one way. I would never have enough for that. The fare in $ is absurdly high. My travel agent who books my ships says the Cunard Line (and others) can often get us a good deal for a one-way flight, but I am pleased with what I got for free.

Thanks for the tip David. Yes Montreal is an option though not as good prices as Toronto. We used to have direct flights to/from Ottawa as well at similar point:$ cost.   Since the end of the pandemic, YOW has only one international flight a week with Air France that began in July. Nothing since then. It drives me nuts. 

31 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

Unfortunately, Air Canada has devalued Aeroplan points, i.e. they have raised the points fares considerably in the past year or so. I normally pay about 24,000 for Toronto-Vancouver Business Class but most flights are now three, four or even five times that.  A few years ago I got Toronto-Halifax for 16,000 points and it is now 42,000 on most flights.

 

Occasionally there is a really good deal and I accepted a friend's advice to only book after midnight when the best deals appear. For a flight from Toronto to England to board the Queen Mary 2 next year we managed to get Business Class for 58,000 points each and only $60 in taxes. That is about one-quarter the usual fare.

Exactly. It’s a deal for new Aeroplan members but I’ve been collecting since 70’s when Nordik air operated!  And that’s a very rare and sweet deal to England. May I ask the routing you found please? and if you booked with an agent? I’ve family and friends in England and Wales but we don’t get over there enough. 

14 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Also, there is a promotion on for the purchase of Aeroplan points;  it's not particularly attractive from an overall price perspective unless you buy 100,000 points or more @ 3¢ per point and get the 100% bonus i.e. 200,000 points for 3,500 CAD (plus taxes).  Handy if you're planning on traveling with Air Canada.

That’s a much better price than the earlier sales. And even less per point than the 4c value years ago. 

5 hours ago, d9704011 said:

That's not entirely correct.  I can fly from YOW to/from Australia and New Zealand through EWR, IAD and ORD.  The issue is, I cannot do it on Aeroplan points.... business class anyway.

Yeah. Layovers, multi city flights or completely new tickets. Gone are the days. 10 years ago I flew YOW-ORD-NRT-BKK-PDG-NRT-ORD-YOW for 120K points and 238 in fees and taxes. All first class except for AC legs. Nippon, Thai airways have first and business classes. Would have been 800 if I’d used Canadian gateways. Imagine the savings now if that routing was doable. Closing loopholes has lost advantages for consumers. And what? No points redemption on business class? That’s painful. 

4 hours ago, matamanoa said:

And here I thought ALL Canadians were polite.

Too funny. That’s just a euphemism that hails from the UK. For example Q “would you ever eat crickets? A. “Eeeuw no. Id rather have a poke in the eye with a sharp stick”. 

7 hours ago, Keata said:

Hubby and I have accumulated quite a few Aeroplan points (900K) for this trip.  The price of tickets/points right now would only gets us business class one way! Does anyone have any recent routings that might make sense.  We are both retired so we can stop over almost anywhere no real time constraints exist.  Have already looked at Singapore or Hong Kong onward and those tickets are also very pricey. 

Any help/ideas are greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately with just 4 international airports operating in Canada and no means to skip Toronto and Montreal as gateways overseas, options to route through Philly, Detroit and Chicago, are gone. Now any direct or indirect fares are subject to much higher taxes and fees whether using currency or points. Fuel surcharge is now buried in fare cost rather than being transparent and showing it as a separate line item. The whole point of saving is lost, though you may enjoy a couple of days in LA, or look at options if you went to BC and made your way to Seattle. Or look at Singapore Air if they still have flights to/from Texas. All things considered points are evaporating very quickly and getting a top notch airline like Singapore or Nippon air, both are great Star Alliance partners and may be worth while for the extra comforts. Hope you find something that works. 

We’ve done Tortola stop twice and we take our time to disembark. That leads me to my next question….we’ve seen the area at the end of the shopping village in port where the vans and taxis can be found, but by the time we get there they’re already away!
 

We have a 12 hour stop here on New Years Day….7am to 7pm any tips on planning something with a recommended tour company would be welcome please. And/or any resorts for a day that you’d recommend. Something laid back. Hiking, scuba and snorkelling are not in our agenda. any haelp alrea Oates. 

On 10/1/2023 at 12:46 PM, PixieMom3 said:

We are on NCL Encore in November and will be here from 6am-1pm. A few in our party have mobility issues so I’m wondering if there are things to do right near we get off the ship.  There is always the option of a cruise excursion but if there are things to see/do without that we would prefer that.  Thanks in advance.  

There’s a nice shopping area, very simple, laid back, low pressure right after the wander along quite a long pier. Nice outdoor patios for coffee, drinks, and wifi. We’ve done this twice. You can make it all, slowly, a couple of hours. Now we’re ready for a tour maybe by cab. Trouble is I couldn’t find any at the end of the main drag. They must have their own spot. 

6 hours ago, kellk said:

Just returned from a Mediterranean cruise and had to check in for an AC flight out of YYZ to our home city.

Was surprised by a new lineup (once we did bag drop) before entering the security lineup where our carry on roller bag was seemingly laser measured for size.

Many people in the lineup had their bags rejected as not meeting AC carry on size limits, like us.  We ended up having to pay $50 for that bag (sent to another lineup to see an agent who tagged our bag and collected the money).  

This same roller suitcase has successfully made it onto many flight and into the overhead bins onboard without issue before.  We were always under the impression that this suitcase met the airline size requirements for carry on, and in fact had been purchased with that in mind.

 

Anyone have similar issues with AC?  I wondered if the tag we had on the bag was the culprit in not meeting the laser's requirements?  Seems like a new money grab to me and I wasn't impressed.

Another perspective…the wheels and that seemingly innocuous side and top handle of carry-ons all add to the dimensions. Not to mention a teeny tiny bulge. I haven’t used a carry on for a long time for that reason, so I just pay for my stowed bag. But I still need to find a spot for my tiny backpack and medical bag as people cram everything they can into the overhead bins. Laser tech is very precise in capturing the slightest deviation that’s out of scope. And who am I to argue this one, when so much time is spent boarding passengers with oversize carryons. (And that isn’t the root cause of ACs current issues with just 4 of the 8 international airports out of use for that purpose). 

On 10/4/2023 at 9:21 PM, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Any experience with Ez air. Princess has identified our home airport as Toronto. We have been able to book one way Detroit to Anchorage and got very reasonable flights. My problem is if I try to put in return from Vancouver to a Canadian city it says that my current air booking excludes flights to my home city.( I wanted to see return flights) Talked to Princess and really got no solution. ( other then cancel my flight and rebook....no thank you! Only really want to see my pricing with EZ air.)Anyone done a one way to Alaska and been successful to book with EZ Air?

You can see if the booking can be made as a multi city. As the original flight puts you into Detroit I’m guessing another air partner is involved. So you might try Vancouver-Seattle-Toronto or via Detroit, or Chicago. 

3 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

Medipac, and I presume all others want an emergency contact. Will they expect this contact to make decisions for you- DNR, removal of life support, probably a bunch of other things I haven't thought of? If this person isn't willing to make these decisions, can they use this as an excuse to deny coverage?

You just state your emergency contact person when booking. It’s assumed this person is knowledgable in the next of kin who would know the people who can say where and how to meet the patient. They may not have PoA (Power of Attorney) for health decisions and if there isn’t a PoA the ships medical team are more than well equipped and can be trusted with the care and well being of the patient with the intention of their being kept alive. When they reach land the patient may be taken to hospital from the ship. You need to show your insurance coverage and contact info at that company so they can be made aware of claim. You’re likely to have to pay up front but having the med centre advise your insurance when stuff happens will help coordinate benefits. The captain has a lot 

10 hours ago, latebuyer said:

My parents may have to travel in canada as my dad is still having tests due to my dad’s heart condition but they are wondering if they could get out of province insurance instead of the global travel insurance. I found a cruise where all the ports are in canada except the last port so i thought maybe they could leave early to stay in canada. But would the cruise ship have canadian or american doctors on it so they need the global travel insurance anyways?

The insurance could get complicated and expensive to recoup costs if anything were to happen on board ship or on excursion. Be assured the medical team are well equipped so they could even treat your dad in their medical centre until the end of cruise. Or he may be transferred at the next port for hospital treatment. If this is a cruise in the east it’s also likely that you’ll be travelling in international waters as the cruise ship meanders overnight. Maybe through US, or even a swath of waters of France around St Pierre et Miquelon if your in the Gulf of St Lawrence and out to the Atlantic. For peace of mind your dad should be cleared by his cardiac specialist to cruise, or any cautions explained. Some companies have just a 90 day post op wait period. So insurance may in fact be doable. If all goes well hope they have a lovely cruise. 

7 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I've posted this on the RCI board as well, but in the off chance that someone knows a workaround, I'll post it here as well.

 

 

 

Our son and our son-in-law both have their birthday next month, and I was thinking about giving them gift certificates that they could use for our family cruise in January. Searching the RCI website, the only page (https://www.royalcaribbeancertificates.com) I could find on buying gift certificates says that they are available for US residents only:

 

I called the Help number, and they confirmed that the recipients of the GC must be a resident of the US, although the purchaser doesn't need to be.

 

I'm not sure that I understand why I can buy a wide assortment of gifts for them, but not gift certificates. Can someone explain the rationale? Or better yet, provide a workaround?

I think the issue is that the gift card has to be redeemed before cruising. They cannot be redeemed on board. They may be using a US broker that can’t manage the exchange transactions and bank charges. We’ve had gift cards from family in Canada applied to our on board account on NCL and on CCL. When we we sailed with RC they tried but couldn’t make it happen so we got a nice gift in our Christmas card. 

6 hours ago, Sominex said:

Hi all, planning a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, FL next March; do cruisers still ask for an egg crate topper to be placed on their bed?

 

Also, are the doors magnetic so I can put our name on the entry door?

 

Thanks all,

 

BJH

When I see full names it’s just cringeworthy. You don’t mention the cruise line but in my experience it has never been the practice of cruise lines. Our stewards always have taken the time to get to know us by name … so posting for all to see serves no purpose and can be a vector to privacy breaches. Just my 2CW. 

5 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

Hi everyone, I know this is a popular topic on here.  We will be in Europe for 12 days in Oct. I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that I won't buy any sim card or data.  We will use Whats App or Messenger to stay in touch with family at home, we will be together so won't be calling each other.  We are on a river cruise so will be partaking in their tours/excursions.  There is wifi on the ship and hotels.   Staying two nights before the cruise and one night after.  We will need transportation to the airport but I have heard from others that the hotel will call you a taxi.  I think it is $15 a day to add it to my current cell phone plan.  So am I missing anything?  Any reason I need a cell phone or data?

 Check what services you already have on your phone. Sounds like you have data already if you are already using What’s App and Messenger on board and in hotels. But check anyway. When you board the airplane turn your phone to airplane mode to avoid inadvertent calls once you reach Europe. (Airplane mode prevents your cell service provider from tracking you using wherever you are on the planet. It’s also essential to use that while on board ship.  Only turn off Airplane mode when you really need to call home. It might cost you just 15-16$ a day but that includes your regular data (assuming you have it already). Keep in mind that daily Roam like home (or whatever the daily out of country rate plan is called)  starts and ends in the time zone you’re in. So you might need to leave your phone on for a while longer if you’re waiting for family to get gone from work. There’s a 6-7 hour time difference minimum depending on where your home is and it could be 9-10. Best to leave airplane mode on if you get stuck anywhere and then you can snag wifi close by (hotel, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, etc…ask for their password) and use to wifi call or email or messenger whoever you need to pick you up and the landmark and/or intersection where you are. Or just ask the hotel to call a cab. Enjoy your cruise. A.