DocW lives in Marple

Following the cruise on the Grand Princess which experienced Covid-19 I am pleased to say that the UK travel agent did, eventually, refund the cost of the cruise and flights. Princess cruises have given us the option of another cruise ("free") but the amount offered is much less than we paid for the cruise initially. Are they excluding flights in these prices?

We sailed on the Grand Princess from SF to Hawaii when the Covid-19 outbreak occurred onboard. Princess Cruises has generously refunded the cost of the cruise to a friend who booked with a different tour operator to us. Our tour operator is hiding behind recent ABTA proposals (not yet ratified) and will not release funds until July 31st. The ABTA proposals were introduced after Princess Cruises gave the monies to the tour operators so the "legislation" does not affect us. Are other passengers having the same problem? We do NOT want a credit note (Princess Cruises have offered a free cruise) and the TA has the money in their account. Any thoughts? 

We sailed on the Grand Princess from SF to Hawaii when the Covid-19 outbreak occurred onboard. Princess Cruises has generously refunded the cost of the cruise to a friend who booked with a different tour operator to us. Our tour operator is hiding behind recent ABTA proposals (not yet ratified) and will not release funds until July 31st. The ABTA proposals were introduced after Princess Cruises gave the monies to the tour operators so the "legislation" does not affect us. Are other passengers having the same problem? Thanks

Thank you for the information. Most useful.

Thank you for the information.

Best wishes,

Glyn.

Go on the website

Seabourn provides jackets gratis and boots u can rent. At some point we order They also have a store where u can purchase other gear but cheaper to buy yourself

 

 

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Thanks for the information. Much appreciated.

Glyn

Does anyone know how far in advance we order gear from seabourn?

 

 

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We must be naive but we expected Seabourn to provide necessary equipment :')!

Signed up for the November cruise in 2017. First trip to Antarctica and so welcome any advice on (a) what to pack for the trip, and (b) what special measures to take against the freezing cold. Thanks

Hello. We are on for 42 days. What shore trips are you planning? Do you think they are a trifle expensive? Look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Glyn

Hello, My wife and I are taking a 42-day cruise next February in South America and are looking at on-shore excursions. We are seasoned cruisers (QM2, etc) and are keen to see the local sites, etc. We are a trifle perturbed by the prices. As an example:

Trekking in Ushuaia

Departs: 3:30 PMApproximately 4 HoursPrice $114.00

How does a simple trek cost so much? What are others on this ship contemplating? All hints and advice gratefully received.

Thanks,

Glyn and Lis

The price of $114 pp for a 4 hour tour offered by Seabourn is in line with this cruise line's pricing. Their tours generally are priced between $79 pp for a short (3-4 hour) casual driving tour of a port's highlight, to several hundred dollars pp for a 6-8 tour in a port. From the title, I'm guessing it's guided hiking in the national park or forest in Ushuaia, which is not in the Falklands by the way, for 4 hours with transfers, so $114 would be reasonable for Seabourn.

If you were just taking an Antarctic cruise, then most to all of your tours would be included in your total price, but your cruise is a longer sailing that includes Antarctica in the itinerary, so you'll have port excursions offered along the way.

Why don't you arrange some private tours separate from the ship in the non-Antarctic ports, such as Ushuaia? If you need help filling them, you may do well to post them on your Roll Call for your sailing to interest fellow cruisers.

Thank you for the information. Will explore your ideas.

Suggest you ask this on the board here for Seabourn. Perhaps they can help you with the pricing structure for that line. Some of those ports are pretty small with few options for independent excursions. thus the excursion operators can charge whatever they want, and the cruise line will add their cut... You might visit the Ports of Call board here for South America and see what options are available. EM

Thank you.

kbwinn, My husband & I were on the Seabourn Quest's Antarctica cruise in January and did the Volunteer Point excursion in the Falklands. It was so much fun and incredibly memorable! The King penguins were magnificent, and the getting there by 4x4 was quite the adventure. I have a blog post on our day there with photos & info on our excursion, which you might find helpful.

http://www.themodernpostcard.com/the-falkland-islands-a-bumpy-boggy-journey-to-volunteer-point/

 

Best of luck with your plans!

Mary

Travel Blog: www.themodernpostcard.com

Hello. My wife and I are due to cruise from Valparaiso to Manaus next February (2018).

We are seasoned cruisers (QM2, etc) and are keen to visit the ports of call and the surrounding sites.

We cannot understand why some of these events are priced as they are.

For example: Trekking in Ushuaia

Departs: 3:30 PM Approximately 4 HoursPrice $114.00

We think $114 for a stroll in the area is a trifle pricey. What is it that costs so much?

There are many other shore cruises that seem to be quite high. We have been to India, Sri Lanka, etc and have found the trips quite reasonable.

All comments gracefully received.

Thanks.

Glyn and Lis

Hello. My wife and I are due to cruise from Valparaiso to Manaus next February (2018).

We are seasoned cruisers (QM2, etc) and are keen to visit the ports of call and the surrounding sites.

We cannot understand why some of these events are priced as they are.

For example: Trekking in Ushuaia

Departs: 3:30 PM Approximately 4 HoursPrice $114.00

We think $114 for a stroll in the area is a trifle pricey. What is it that costs so much?

There are many other shore cruises that seem to be quite high. We have been to India, Sri Lanka, etc and have found the trips quite reasonable.

All comments gracefully received.

Thanks.

Glyn and Lis

Hello. My wife and I are taking a Seabourn Cruise of 42 days in length next year to Antarctica. We are seasoned cruise people (QM2, etc) but are a trifle shocked by the prices of the Onshore Excursions being offered. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Thanks.