LIVE from "Iceland's Natural Beauty" -- All Sailings, 2021

[mcjyl]

Does anyone know whether Jet Blue is cancelling flights from Houston to JFK?  Viking booked us on Jet Blue for Sept 06 for Houston to JFK.  I checked the United Air website and Jet Blue was replaced with Top Air.  Fight #, schedule and plane are still the same.  Does this means United is replacing Jet Bleu with some other airlines?  Any info will be appreciated.

Jim

[mcjyl]

We were in China 2019.  The tour guides and drivers were happy to accept tips, but servers in the restaurants did not.

[patchicago]

11 hours ago, kate7047 said:

So I'm sitting here right now in Explorer Lounge listening to Alan play guitar and thought I would try to catch up on some of these posts. I'm on 8/10 Jupiter. My martini is dry, my flight was boring (good!) and the tour today was fine. I stressed over cancelling but we went.

 

Honestly I am not personally worried about getting (very) sick because the vaccine is doing its job (!) Getting quarantined would suck. But honestly, I am just not feeling threatened here. Passengers and tourists are vaccinated and I haven't interacted much with locals. Wore N95 one plane. The ship is spotless. We spit in the tube and mask and all that stuff. And as we sailed out of Reykjavik tonight I practically cried, I was SO happy to be out again. God bless. Do what you need to do, but this is great!!!!

Jupiter 8/3 sailing

Alan played a Jimmy Buffet song that I hate and planted an ear worm cause that darn song keeps rolling around my head. Otherwise, we really enjoyed having a pre-dinner cocktail every evening while listening to Alan. Bon voyage!

[DAVE & PAT]

I'm aware that saliva samples must be given to steward by 8am each morning. Just want to make sure we are  able to leave cabin prior to that time for coffee, walk or whatever.

[Doc who loves to travel]

27 minutes ago, DAVE & PAT said:

I'm aware that saliva samples must be given to steward by 8am each morning. Just want to make sure we are  able to leave cabin prior to that time for coffee, walk or whatever.

You can leave cabin but you must provide sample before eating or drinking. We left our samples in the room.  It was helpful to me to leave tube in the bathroom by my toothbrush to remind me before brushing my teeth.  A little video about how to do it but it is not rocket science! 

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Doc who loves to travel

[Snit13]

5 hours ago, mcjyl said:

Does anyone know whether Jet Blue is cancelling flights from Houston to JFK?  Viking booked us on Jet Blue for Sept 06 for Houston to JFK.  I checked the United Air website and Jet Blue was replaced with Top Air.  Fight #, schedule and plane are still the same.  Does this means United is replacing Jet Bleu with some other airlines?  Any info will be appreciated.

Jim

Call United for the answer.

[Snit13]

1 hour ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

You can leave cabin but you must provide sample before eating or drinking. We left our samples in the room.  It was helpful to me to leave tube in the bathroom by my toothbrush to remind me before brushing my teeth.  A little video about how to do it but it is not rocket science! 

 

Thanks Doc.  Even a child could follow these simple instructions.  I think the post a few days ago about tapping your tongue to bottom of mouth will be helpful.  I have been practicing so I don't have any issues if we are fortunate enough to cruise on 8/31.

[bbtondo]

13 hours ago, formernuke said:

The science is that you can get infected and not show positive on the test (or show any symptoms) for several days. Makes sense to quarantine 

for very close contacts (like cabin mates) that have a high probability of contracting the disease. Doesn't make sense for more incidental contact.

Yes, I know the science.  The science doesn't say that everyone that tests negative really is positive.  What maybe, if, or  probably will happen is not science to me.  I don't believe it makes sense to quarantine someone that tests negative.  Viking tests every day.  If a guest tests positive, I get the quarantine. This is JMHO.  I respect your views. 

[TayanaLorna]

16 hours ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

We know one couple who were quarantined due to contact tracing for 5 days on our sailing July 13 with negative covid tests all along.  While it seems most contacts have not had this happen, we aren't sure why this couple was singled out.  Maybe Viking has got their act together since then. 

The July 10 Sky and the July 13 Jupiter were the first ships in Iceland to have positive cases.  Viking and and Iceland authorities and town ports were still working out their requirements, protocols and trust at the time.

 Once in sync, it now seems that the established routine of the positive case being quarantined, retested and, if positive again, remains in quarantine aboard or is removed to an appropriate facility.  No one has said what happens to the other stateroom occupant if they test negative.  Do they have the choice of voluntarily quarantining with their partner or can they resume life on board in another stateroom. If my husband tested positive, i would want to stay with him even if i was negative and would voluntarily give up my freedom to roam. 

In addition, since those 2 early sailings, the group who contact traces must quarantine in their rooms until they test negative.  That could take 1, 3 or 6 hours.  Once negative, they are released.  I have not read anything otherwise

Keep in mind this is ICELAND. It could happen differently in any other country.

[JER/MPR]

2 hours ago, DAVE & PAT said:

I'm aware that saliva samples must be given to steward by 8am each morning. Just want to make sure we are  able to leave cabin prior to that time for coffee, walk or whatever.

Yes, just leave it for your steward to pick up and go about your day.  Very easy, no fuss.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

You can leave cabin but you must provide sample before eating or drinking. We left our samples in the room.  It was helpful to me to leave tube in the bathroom by my toothbrush to remind me before brushing my teeth.  A little video about how to do it but it is not rocket science! 

 

I tend to be very dry mouth in the morning.  I also wake up several times at night, roll over and go back to sleep. I kept the tube on the bedside table and every time i woke up, i spit into it, took a drink of water afterwards and went back to sleep.  It would be at least an hour or more before i woke up again.  There was no difficulty filling the tube before coffee and breakfast.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

47 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

I tend to be very dry mouth in the morning.  I also wake up several times at night, roll over and go back to sleep. I kept the tube on the bedside table and every time i woke up, i spit into it, took a drink of water afterwards and went back to sleep.  It would be at least an hour or more before i woke up again.  There was no difficulty filling the tube before coffee and breakfast.

I have dry mouth too. Was hard first day and needed maybe 5 tries.  But it got easier. Leaving bagged tube in bathroom (spouse's on table), spitting into tube over sink (was messy once, learned!), and rolling tongue around vigorously for a few seconds helped. I got this down to as little as two spits, less than half a minute.  You only have to fill to 2 ml line, second line. Our steward quickly figured out our schedule, knocked very softly and said our name a few days around 8 to see if we had something for his bag of samples.  If so, we dropped it in the bag.  If he hadn't come by the time we wanted breakfast or coffee, we left bagged samples on the table. If you're on Jupiter and have Eesa (Isa?) and Cyril (deck 3 aft, starboard/odd numbers) please say hello from Howard & Ruth, 3063.  They were awesome.   

[Bruce4fun]

 

I have friends on Jupiter August 10 departure and now they have at least 1 positive case onboard.

They called to report, as internet is so slow on the ship right now they cannot use it.

My friends were notified they were on the same bus as someone who tested positive but no symptoms.

They have been ordered to stay in their room for 7 days. They have tested negative, but are not being allowed out at all. Viking told them they can get off the ship in the next port and fly home, but otherwise they have to stay quarntined in room for a full week(the entire remaining cruise).

They were told this is Iceland Protocol now.

I have to say it does not seem to make sense they can get off and get on a airplane if they have been exposed to someone?

Anyone else have more information?

[Rappersmom]

26 minutes ago, Bruce4fun said:

 

I have friends on Jupiter August 10 departure and now they have at least 1 positive case onboard.

They called to report, as internet is so slow on the ship right now they cannot use it.

My friends were notified they were on the same bus as someone who tested positive but no symptoms.

They have been ordered to stay in their room for 7 days. They have tested negative, but are not being allowed out at all. Viking told them they can get off the ship in the next port and fly home, but otherwise they have to stay quarntined in room for a full week(the entire remaining cruise).

They were told this is Iceland Protocol now.

I have to say it does not seem to make sense they can get off and get on a airplane if they have been exposed to someone?

Anyone else have more information?

This is a game changer from what we've been told was the recent protocol. Being on the same bus with someone means a lot of people have to be quarantined. And Viking is totally silent about the protocol so people won't cancel. We may have to reconsider this cruise. It's just not worth all the potential stress.

[gramfrog]

What is the current situation on the two Viking ships as far as mask wearing is concerned?  Must you wear masks on the ship in public areas, or just on excursions?  What are you being told currently?

 

[Rappersmom]

11 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

This is a game changer from what we've been told was the recent protocol. Being on the same bus with someone means a lot of people have to be quarantined. And Viking is totally silent about the protocol so people won't cancel. We may have to reconsider this cruise. It's just not worth all the potential stress.

I just called Viking and they said their official protocol is to retest someone who tests positive. If they get another positive test, that person and anyone in the cabin is removed from the ship ASAP to go into quarantine on land. The other passengers are tested twice and once everyone tests negative twice the cruise continues. No one else is required to quarantine. I asked if the captain had the latitude to change the protocol. The Viking customer service rep said the captain had a little latitude but not that much. So not sure what is going on here. I am trusting that cases will drop before my Sept. 7 cruise.

[Independent]

15 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

This is a game changer from what we've been told was the recent protocol. Being on the same bus with someone means a lot of people have to be quarantined. And Viking is totally silent about the protocol so people won't cancel. We may have to reconsider this cruise. It's just not worth all the potential stress.

I think you’re right about reconsidering this.  It may not make sense to go ahead.  Darn.

[TayanaLorna]

15 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

This is a game changer from what we've been told was the recent protocol. Being on the same bus with someone means a lot of people have to be quarantined. And Viking is totally silent about the protocol so people won't cancel. We may have to reconsider this cruise. It's just not worth all the potential stress.

Looks like Iceland got more strict since their numbers went up.  Being allowed to leave the country gets people out and less risky for more Icelanders becoming infected.  They also have a negative test to fly home with.

 

I have a November cruise coming up but I don't expect Viking to notify me every time there is a positive on board the cruises and what the protocol is for that week.  It is ever changing as are the virus numbers.  It is my responsibility to be informed and make my decision accordingly.  Viking is providing as safe as experience as they possibly can.  It is up to us to evaluate the risk and have appropriate insurance and back up plans.

 

[PacoC]

6 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Looks like Iceland got more strict since their numbers went up.  Being allowed to leave the country gets people out and less risky for more Icelanders becoming infected.  They also have a negative test to fly home with.

 

I have a November cruise coming up but I don't expect Viking to notify me every time there is a positive on board the cruises and what the protocol is for that week.  It is ever changing as are the virus numbers.  It is my responsibility to be informed and make my decision accordingly.  Viking is providing as safe as experience as they possibly can.  It is up to us to evaluate the risk and have appropriate insurance and back up plans.

 

United Airlines, for example, says that passengers won’t be able to travel on the airline for at least 10 days after the date they tested positive, which it says is in accordance with CDC guidance.

[Doc who loves to travel]

1 hour ago, Bruce4fun said:

 

I have friends on Jupiter August 10 departure and now they have at least 1 positive case onboard.

They called to report, as internet is so slow on the ship right now they cannot use it.

My friends were notified they were on the same bus as someone who tested positive but no symptoms.

They have been ordered to stay in their room for 7 days. They have tested negative, but are not being allowed out at all. Viking told them they can get off the ship in the next port and fly home, but otherwise they have to stay quarntined in room for a full week(the entire remaining cruise).

They were told this is Iceland Protocol now.

I have to say it does not seem to make sense they can get off and get on a airplane if they have been exposed to someone?

Anyone else have more information?

That is exactly what happened on July 13 Jupiter- bus exposure but quarantined anyway despite negative tests.  Doesn’t sound like things have changed. 

[Bruce4fun]

58 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

This is a game changer from what we've been told was the recent protocol. Being on the same bus with someone means a lot of people have to be quarantined. And Viking is totally silent about the protocol so people won't cancel. We may have to reconsider this cruise. It's just not worth all the potential stress.

 

1 hour ago, Bruce4fun said:

 

I have friends on Jupiter August 10 departure and now they have at least 1 positive case onboard.

They called to report, as internet is so slow on the ship right now they cannot use it.

My friends were notified they were on the same bus as someone who tested positive but no symptoms.

They have been ordered to stay in their room for 7 days. They have tested negative, but are not being allowed out at all. Viking told them they can get off the ship in the next port and fly home, but otherwise they have to stay quarntined in room for a full week(the entire remaining cruise).

They were told this is Iceland Protocol now.

I have to say it does not seem to make sense they can get off and get on a airplane if they have been exposed to someone?

Anyone else have more information?

 

 

UPDATE: They have not been told they are not allowed on Airplane back to Reykjavik, they must take a 5 hour bus ride from Akureyri to Reykjavik, overnight in hotel, then fly home.

I cannot see how they will allow them on a plane to the USA, but not on a plane from one city in Iceland to another?

[Triptkr]

8 minutes ago, Bruce4fun said:

 

 

 

UPDATE: They have not been told they are not allowed on Airplane back to Reykjavik, they must take a 5 hour bus ride from Akureyri to Reykjavik, overnight in hotel, then fly home.

I cannot see how they will allow them on a plane to the USA, but not on a plane from one city in Iceland to another?

I wish your friends the best of luck because what you posted about their situation was so confusing, I had to read it twice.  And I'm still confused.  It's not even a little logical.

[Wander58]

23 hours ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

Currently on Jupiter (Aug 10 sailing). Although no system is perfect, I have to say being on a ship where we know everyone is vaccinated and being tested daily sure feels about as safe as it gets. Compared to being home and going to the grocery store where you have no idea who is unvaccinated or otherwise behaving badly this is VERY reassuring. 
 

ps. We where having trouble getting a PCR test (before we learned antigen tests were accepted) and we found a CVS who does NAAT (molecular like PCR) tests in 30 min. They billed our insurance. Accepted without a problem. 

Since you are on board, Have you heard anything about quarantined passengers or those who had to leave the ship?  Any information would be helpful.

[TERRIER1]

17 minutes ago, Bruce4fun said:

 

 

 

UPDATE: They have not been told they are not allowed on Airplane back to Reykjavik, they must take a 5 hour bus ride from Akureyri to Reykjavik, overnight in hotel, then fly home.

I cannot see how they will allow them on a plane to the USA, but not on a plane from one city in Iceland to another?

By the time they load people onto a flight from Akureyri to Reykjavik (if enough seats are available), unload luggage at airport, and load them onto buses to hotel,  would probably take longer than 5 hour bus ride. They will need a PCR test to get on the plane back to the U.S.

Edited August 12, 2021 by TERRIER1

[sleepybobo]

My heart sinks every time I hear people are quarantined because of contact tracing.  Cruising to Iceland now is like rolling a dice.  The risk of quarantine is real.