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Alaska 2021?


dwlmg
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Yesterday, May 14, 2021, according to Cruise Critic, the US Senate passed a law allowing foreign cruise ships to sail from one US port to Alaska without stopping in Canada. The bill now goes to the House and eventually to the President to sign. It begs a few questions. Does Viking have uncommitted resources (a ship) to use if the opportunity opens? Would Viking make an accommodation to allow those who were booked for Alaska in 2021, received a voucher when the cruise was cancelled and rebooked in 2022.  My guess is that I could cancel the 2022 booking and get a voucher for the monies paid into the voucher but I would lose the extra 25% in the voucher value applied to the 2022 booking.

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That is certainly good news.  This will be very tough to pull off.  Not only would ships need to be brought up to ready status, they would have to be relocated from wherever they are laid up.  Then the logistics from docking space allotments to booking Pilotage, to food, fuel stocking, to food in the shoreside spots, to rounding up help for the shops, to making all the stuff you buy in Tongass Trading, to waking up the bears, etc. etc.......😱  Ok, the bears are more or less self tending but you get my drift.  Here's hoping Alaska cruising starts sooner rather than later..🍸

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Agree it would be a quick turn. According to Charwing's spreadsheet, the Viking Star is idle until two cruises in September. Both of these involve Canada. If Canada is still closed, perhaps Viking might find something for the Viking Star to do in the interim.

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I really love Alaska having worked up there, and find cruises a great way to go back to visit some of the old haunts.  I am pulling for sooner rather than later.  I promise to do my part to help and will spend freely in the shops and bars.....😎

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For what it's worth, someone on the Holland America board has posted a list of ships that fall under this bill, and the only Viking ship listed is Orion.  

 

Was that the ship originally scheduled for Alaska 2021?  If Viking smells a viable Alaska season, they may move her and substitute Bermuda with Star?  Or they could just decide to move her after Bermuda and pick up a late Alaska season.  That sounds like it may be easiest.

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According to the article I read the bill has passed the senate, but still has to make it's way past the house and the President. Add that to what Jim Avery said about logistics and they're not going to be sailing in the near future. Maybe a late season, as amyr said.

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The Orion was the ship destined to sail Alaska. At present, the Star is the only ship without a schedule, but Viking are in discussion with Gibraltar.

 

Further to Jim's comment, they would have significant costs in getting a ship to Alaska and then back to Europe. The Orion was also based in Vancouver, so they would require space in Seattle.

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Orion is fully booked for the only Alaska Viking cruise not yet cancelled:  North Pacific Passage, Vancouver to Tokyo.  I put down my money for this one, so I'm watching the situation like a hawk.

 

In order to comply with the CDC's most recent (and absurd) CSO, Viking would have to cancel a bunch of reservations to whittle down the number of passengers, then source a fortune in nearly unobtainable plexiglass for barriers they'd need to erect everywhere.  Not to mention all the other silliness mandated by the CDC...

 

I just don't see it happening.  Viking would be money ahead by issuing FCVs and just sitting it out.

 

Hope I'm wrong.

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Another consideration for resuming Alaska cruises, is that ships based in Seattle must transit Canadian Waters while transitting Juan de Fuca, bound for sea.

 

The US/Canada Border runs down the middle of Juan de Fuca, which also has an approved IMO Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). The inbound lanes are in US waters, while the outbound lanes are in Canadian waters.

 

Since this TSS is IMO approved, Collision Regulation # 10 is applicable, which requires ships to navigate in the correct lane and to avoid the separation zone and inshore zone.

 

Therefore, any cruise ship departing Seattle must negotiate entry and transit through Canadian waters, as Canada currently bans cruise ships from operating in all Canadian Territorial Waters.

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44 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Another consideration for resuming Alaska cruises, is that ships based in Seattle must transit Canadian Waters while transitting Juan de Fuca, bound for sea.

 

The US/Canada Border runs down the middle of Juan de Fuca, which also has an approved IMO Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). The inbound lanes are in US waters, while the outbound lanes are in Canadian waters.

 

Since this TSS is IMO approved, Collision Regulation # 10 is applicable, which requires ships to navigate in the correct lane and to avoid the separation zone and inshore zone.

 

Therefore, any cruise ship departing Seattle must negotiate entry and transit through Canadian waters, as Canada currently bans cruise ships from operating in all Canadian Territorial Waters.

I'm sure Canada will ignore that provided no one attempts to land.  Canadians can be a little different, but they aren't petty.

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2 hours ago, Donaghadee said:

I'm sure Canada will ignore that provided no one attempts to land.  Canadians can be a little different, but they aren't petty.

 

With a fine of up to $1 Million, I doubt many Masters would consider entering Canadian Waters while the Interim Order is still in force. As a retired Master, I certainly wouldn't take my ship into the Territorial Waters of a foreign country, if a ban was in place.

 

If the PVSA exemption is approved and a cruise line does send a ship to Alaska, it is more likely that Cruise Lines will request an exemption from the Order, to cover the Master and comply with their SMS.

 

Would Canada accept requests?  I expect they would be accepted, providing cruise  lines  provided assurances that any medical evacuations from a ship are directed to a US hospital, since overloading our medical system was one of the Interim Order's primary objectives.

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On 5/14/2021 at 6:52 AM, dwlmg said:

Yesterday, May 14, 2021, according to Cruise Critic, the US Senate passed a law allowing foreign cruise ships to sail from one US port to Alaska without stopping in Canada. The bill now goes to the House and eventually to the President to sign. It begs a few questions. Does Viking have uncommitted resources (a ship) to use if the opportunity opens? Would Viking make an accommodation to allow those who were booked for Alaska in 2021, received a voucher when the cruise was cancelled and rebooked in 2022.  My guess is that I could cancel the 2022 booking and get a voucher for the monies paid into the voucher but I would lose the extra 25% in the voucher value applied to the 2022 booking.

We were booked for June 2021 for Alaska.  When Viking canceled, we were not offered the 125% voucher we had received for an earlier cancellation of the Med Odyssey cruise.  Did you receive a 125% voucher for a 2021 Alaska cancellation?????

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We were on the same June 2021 cruise.  They offered us 125% voucher but it had to be used in 2021 or 2022.  We can't book this year and already have a cruise booked for 2022.  They did offer us 110% towards the same cruise in 2023.  It ended up costing us about $200 more for the cruise as the air fair wasn't included.

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4 minutes ago, haydn12 said:

We were on the same June 2021 cruise.  They offered us 125% voucher but it had to be used in 2021 or 2022.  We can't book this year and already have a cruise booked for 2022.  They did offer us 110% towards the same cruise in 2023.  It ended up costing us about $200 more for the cruise as the air fair wasn't included.

Oops, I was mistaken--we were offered the 125% voucher with the same conditions you listed.  And, like you, we had already booked for 2022.  We are now scheduled for Alaska on June 29, 2023.  

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5 hours ago, moatenote said:

We were booked for June 2021 for Alaska.  When Viking canceled, we were not offered the 125% voucher we had received for an earlier cancellation of the Med Odyssey cruise.  Did you receive a 125% voucher for a 2021 Alaska cancellation?????

 

If you paid for the cruise with a voucher, then the voucher was returned to your account at its face value.  Then if there was a cash balance, that would be eligible for a 125% voucher. 

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10 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

If you paid for the cruise with a voucher, then the voucher was returned to your account at its face value.  Then if there was a cash balance, that would be eligible for a 125% voucher. 

Unless the cash balance is $100 or less - then you get a cash refund.

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