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

[KarNog]

3 minutes ago, BarbRN said:

Lol

Famous Last Words: What could possibly go wrong?

[BarbRN]

9 minutes ago, KarNog said:

Famous Last Words: What could possibly go wrong?

Love the way you think. I have it but won’t drink that much. 

[KarNog]

2 minutes ago, BarbRN said:

Love the way you think. I have it but won’t drink that much. 

My partner and I will gladly take up the slack. And you might be tempted depending upon your contact tracing results.

[KarNog]

Just now, KarNog said:

My partner and I will gladly take up the slack. And you might be tempted depending upon your contact tracing results.

We're in 4069 and my best friend is next door, so I'm thinking about having an auction for the room next to us.

[BarbRN]

2 minutes ago, KarNog said:

We're in 4069 and my best friend is next door, so I'm thinking about having an auction for the room next to us.

Im

on 4

[schnapperin]

2 hours ago, sleepybobo said:

They can't get any laundry and housekeeping services?

Of course not since they are in isolation/ quarantine  - nobody will step inside your room (unless medical is needed)

 

in Iceland you would need to take change your bed cover on your own and place in plastic trashbags- same with your trash And you won‘t be allowed outside your room aswell 

[Bookworm114]

35 minutes ago, KarNog said:

Hey, hang in there. What's your cruise date? I'm going on the 8/21. I think we're gonna be fine. If I have to sit on the balcony all day and drink wine/eat lobster, then I hope you're on the balcony next to us.

Us too. Kevin and Lisa. See you on board. 

[Bookworm114]

24 minutes ago, Bookworm114 said:

Us too. Kevin and Lisa. See you on board. 

We are on 4 also so just down the hall 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Bookworm114

[Camden lady]

9 minutes ago, Bookworm114 said:

Us too. Kevin and Lisa. See you on board. 

Us also.  Doris and Donna from Nashville.   We're on 5..where are the silver spirits folks located?   I plan on having a good time while being as safe as possible.  No guarantees in life.  

[BarbRN]

12 minutes ago, Bookworm114 said:

We are in 4061 so just down the hall 

4015

[jan_az]

I have not seen lobster. Might cross that off your list. Sigh 

[Jimmcdaniel]

14 hours ago, Wander58 said:

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.

Wow! Yes we are on the Jupiter currently.  Docking in Akureyri now. I just read this thread this morning. No announcements have been made. This is the First I have heard about a positive case on our cruise. I am not on FB. Masking is required while on ship and ashore except when sitting to eat or drink. Everyone seems to be complying. We are avoiding long bus trips because we don’t want to sit on a bus for that long. 

[Jimmcdaniel]

Update: we are docked and pax are disembarking for shorex as normal. No sense of panic. Seems very normal. Everyone I talk to is enjoying the cruise. Still no announcement of any covid positive cases. We are not allowed independent explorations but privately arranged tours are allowed. 

[Jimmcdaniel]

Just got on the bus for whale watching. Did see this ominous line of suitcases being loaded into a bus. Still no announcements. According to the cruise director we have 650 pax on Jupiter. 

[Jimmcdaniel]

[Jimmcdaniel]

This is my second whale watching trip from Jupiter. Of note, Viking arranged exclusive use of whale watch boats just for Jupiter pax. We only had 17 on a boat that would hold 60 or so out of Reykjavik and today we had 27 on a boat that would hold over 100. Other whale watching boats were much more crowded. 

[Triptkr]

1 hour ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

Just got on the bus for whale watching. Did see this ominous line of suitcases being loaded into a bus. Still no announcements. According to the cruise director we have 650 pax on Jupiter. 

Thank you for posting the picture and (first hand) updates.  Please let us know if you find out anything further...like what happened with the owners of those suitcases.  That's A LOT of suitcases...😳

[hutch1994]

18 hours ago, Rappersmom said:

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.

Certainly, not the case in this latest incident.  Everyone on that bus is being quarantined for the duration of the cruise or allowed to fly home immediately if they have tested negative.  Don't think that Viking is giving out truthful info.

[rbslos18]

2 hours ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

This pic says it all. The Viking protocol is not working for those who gladly follow each and every one of its rules.

[TayanaLorna]

10 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

 

Breakthrough is still small with vaccinated people, but the Delta variant is capable of infecting twice as many unvaccinated people as COVID before. Not sure about 15 feet for transmission. CDC doesn't have anything about distance on their page about Delta.

 

On our cruise (July 17) there was not 100% total compliance by 100% of the passengers. Mask wearing was the largest problem. But infection rates were lower then. Oddly we were actually glad when the vacation was over.

 

 

We were lucky on our cruise.  There were people not wearing masks on buses.  We politely reminded them and they complied without push back.  Contact tracing then was being within 6 feet of a positive person for more then 15 minutes over a 24 hour period.  So dining at those too close 2 person tables in The Restaurant, sitting across/behind someone on a bus, sitting at the same 6 person excursion lunch table or near someone in the Theatre would qualify.  But not the whole bus, Theatre or Restaurant.  Vikings policy is the same but they are required to report any Covid positives on board but must comply with what Iceland tells them to do which has changed dramatically in the last couple of weeks.

I was ready to go home after a week because i had a fantastic time, was off the ship at least 7 hours a day and i needed a rest!

I was sad to not meet any of our Roll Call.  I asked the few people we chatted with but found no one.  But then we only did happy hour, eat, watch the port talk on our tv and sleep on board.

[hutch1994]

17 hours ago, Rappersmom said:

Of course I don't expect Viking to send me a personal text or email every time something changes. And I didn't say that. But I would expect them to have their COVID policy--updated--on My Viking Journey. And to keep their customer service employees informed. I do my research daily but the US Embassy web site has a lot of errors on it, and covid.is doesn't address these issues. And now I have a Viking employee contradicting a first hand account (well, second hand on here but it seems like something pretty factual). So where do you go to make informed adult decisions about the ever-changing Viking/Iceland policies? I'd like to include that site in my research.

 

In our one and only Viking river cruise I found out by accident that until the week before ours the river water was low and people were being bussed from port to port and had to pack and unpack every day. Viking never once mentioned that. Of course they don't want people to cancel. But it doesn't engender a lot of trust for Viking.

They don't want to lose the revenue.  The mighty dollar is important to them.

[BQEC]

The Viking protocol is designed to work for Viking. There is no percentage for Viking to be forthcoming. 

[KAP1998]

11 hours ago, BarbRN said:

Calling now. We would lose 9000 if we cancel now. I just want to postpone. 

I'm curious what Viking said to you regarding your postponement?  We're supposed to sail on Tuesday, 8/17 and the conversations I am having with them about this are going nowhere.

[BarbRN]

16 minutes ago, KAP1998 said:

I'm curious what Viking said to you regarding your postponement?  We're supposed to sail on Tuesday, 8/17 and the conversations I am having with them about this are going nowhere.

Totally by the  book. No consideration that the situation has changed in that country and that their scary quarantine practices have changed.  Don’t care we are celebrating a big anniversary s d have trepidation instead of joy being forced to go or lose it all.  

[BarbRN]

2 hours ago, Jimmcdaniel said:

Omg it’s true