All Ocean Victory Alaska 2022 Cruises

[Missouri travel girl]

On 7/13/2022 at 6:29 PM, elegantlotus said:

There is also a retractable clothes line in the shower, and I hand washed small items. Then I would use the hair dryer if things didn't dry in time.

 

Honestly,  I did wore the same thing all day long... to the excursions, to the talks and briefing and to dinner.  I also wore my flip flops every where on the ship because it's most comfortable... some people dressed up for dinner... nice casual... but no one really cared. There is a dress code for the dining room.. I think it was no jeans, no slippers, no caps.... but no one said anything.. (hahah maybe they were just being polite)

 

I wore my rain jacket and my water proof pants ( I brought my  marmot full zip precip pants.. but that is because i have them.) In the zodiacs you might get splashed a bit.. not nothing unbearable... However, it did rain on day when we were kayaking and it was pretty wet and all my rain gear was appreciated! 

 

Again.. very important... the only time we were able to walk on and off the ship was for embarkation and disembarkation... if you are not able to get into a zodiac, then you will be stuck on the ship the whole time. 

 

The food... I thought it was pretty good for an expedition ship.  24/7 coffee and tea available, breakfast and lunch..  pretty much standard.. dinner... your choice of appetizers, soup, salad and entrees.. choice of  vegetarian,  seafood (never crab),  meat dish (good lamb dishes) and maybe a pasta dish. Then several choices of desserts, sorbet, ice cream, cheese and fruit platter. And there was always lobsters tail or steak and a couple of other choices. one night I wanted to eat a cheese burger, fries and a coke float which was not on the menu and they happily obliged!  Let me say that I never went hungry!! (although, i did take some of the butter oatmeal cookies to the room to munch on).. Oh they also had "afternoon tea" a couple times with scones and finger sandwiches and cakes and pies...

 

sorry, I am jumping from subject to subject... I am only trying to give helpful advice.. for the Anan Wildlife observatory bear tour... I booked with Alaska Vistas and saved a bunch of money.. $340 + tax .. we went to the same place and did the same thing as the ship's premium excursion. 

 

Also for disembarkation, we caught a taxi right outside Canada Place in Vancouver.. we shared the cost with another couple and it ended up costing us less than $20 for each couple.

 

Hope I answered all the questions and more.. !!

 

Thank you for all of the great answers! My sister is booked on the Anan bear excursion but I’ll tell her about Alaska vistas. That is a big savings!  We are doing Vancouver to Sitka and staying over one night in Sitka before flying home.  Although I am now a bit worried about about some of my group getting sick on board or anyone for that matter. A real waste of a trip to be quarantined! I was aware they had a few cases on the first sailing but not since then.  But we can’t hide under the bed the rest of our lives and hope to not catch Covid either!  Glad you had a great trip and I appreciate your time❤️

[BJHeard549]

12 hours ago, JAT0303 said:

Thank you!  I understand the cruise line doesn't offer any compensation for guests who get Covid on the cruise, is that correct?

I haven’t checked with them, but I doubt it.   We all know we are taking the risk of getting COVID by going on a cruise.  We took the risk and lost.  It was a very expensive cruise to have ruined the way it was.

[BJHeard549]

It’s really interesting to see the difference in opinions about the food on the cruise.  Other people on the cruise with us thought the food was good, yet we were both very disappointed with it.  It got boring very quickly.   🤷‍♀️ 

[donaldsc]

24 minutes ago, BJHeard549 said:

It’s really interesting to see the difference in opinions about the food on the cruise.  Other people on the cruise with us thought the food was good, yet we were both very disappointed with it.  It got boring very quickly.   🤷‍♀️ 

 

Just as a matter of interest, what cruises have you done before this one.  Specifically what expedition cruises have you done.

 

DON

[Missouri travel girl]

1 hour ago, BJHeard549 said:

It’s really interesting to see the difference in opinions about the food on the cruise.  Other people on the cruise with us thought the food was good, yet we were both very disappointed with it.  It got boring very quickly.   🤷‍♀️ 

Well my husband loves lamb so he will be very happy! I’m sure it will be fine and again sorry you were both quarantined.

[elegantlotus]

Our ship had covid cases... I think about 16 cases... I sort of lost track. Maybe Don can clarify. You of course need to test negative before getting on to the ship... but then from the post covid cruises that we have taken, I usually notice that the covid cases come out on the 3rd day. So, I wore a mask from the start.. because in Hawaii, a lot of people are still wearing masks, indoor and outside. Anyway.. just be careful... the same old thing that we have been hearing... there are hand sanitizers on the ship as well as a sink to wash your hands as you go into the restaurant. Because both the main restaurant and the 8th floor restaurant were open, there was a lot of room to spread out.. and the 8th floor has outside seating. The staff (who wore masks) did give us a heads up covid count during the evening briefing, and towards the end of the cruise guests had mandatory mask wearing.  They provide masks on the ship, both N95 and surgical masks. Covid positive guest were isolated and a group got off at one of the ports. I brought paxlovid with me. We offered it to the infirmary, but they declined so I guess the covid cases on the ship were mild. 

Atleast there was not mandatory covid testing and GPS wearing... when we were on Viking earlier this year that was their policy. 

 

Don, are you asking me about expedition cruises? We have been on 3... Crystal and Silverseas X2. Very nice... but a lot more expensive!  Is there a way to PM me?  I don't want to bore everyone...

[donaldsc]

37 minutes ago, elegantlotus said:

Our ship had covid cases... I think about 16 cases... I sort of lost track. Maybe Don can clarify. You of course need to test negative before getting on to the ship... but then from the post covid cruises that we have taken, I usually notice that the covid cases come out on the 3rd day. So, I wore a mask from the start.. because in Hawaii, a lot of people are still wearing masks, indoor and outside. Anyway.. just be careful... the same old thing that we have been hearing... there are hand sanitizers on the ship as well as a sink to wash your hands as you go into the restaurant. Because both the main restaurant and the 8th floor restaurant were open, there was a lot of room to spread out.. and the 8th floor has outside seating. The staff (who wore masks) did give us a heads up covid count during the evening briefing, and towards the end of the cruise guests had mandatory mask wearing.  They provide masks on the ship, both N95 and surgical masks. Covid positive guest were isolated and a group got off at one of the ports. I brought paxlovid with me. We offered it to the infirmary, but they declined so I guess the covid cases on the ship were mild. 

Atleast there was not mandatory covid testing and GPS wearing... when we were on Viking earlier this year that was their policy. 

 

Don, are you asking me about expedition cruises? We have been on 3... Crystal and Silverseas X2. Very nice... but a lot more expensive!  Is there a way to PM me?  I don't want to bore everyone...

 

I didn't mean to question you about the number of expedition cruises you had done.  If I did it was by mistake.    The question was directed at someone else.  Sorry.

 

DON

[BJHeard549]

On 7/15/2022 at 8:46 AM, donaldsc said:

 

Just as a matter of interest, what cruises have you done before this one.  Specifically what expedition cruises have you done.

 

DON

Hi Don,    We took a Victory Cruise Line St. Lawrence Seaway and a couple of Great Lakes cruise in August 2019.   The whole experience was really great.  That was such a great trip that’s why we signed up for this one.   We’ve been on Grand Circle Travel, RCCL, and. Princess eons ago 😉.   We’ve never been on an ‘expedition’ cruise before.   The crew was really great on this trip.  It seems like everyone really enjoys their jobs.  We were just expecting the food to be ‘all glorious and special’ like food has been on every other cruise we’ve been on.  We didn’t know it would be any different on this trip.   And I suppose the fact that we contracted COVID19 on July 5th may have dulled our excitement about the trip a bit.   Our paperwork that the doctor and his nurse brought in to our cabin when they checked on us had “#23” and “#24” written on them so we’re assuming we were #23 & #24 COVID cases on board.   

[donaldsc]

18 hours ago, BJHeard549 said:

Hi Don,    We took a Victory Cruise Line St. Lawrence Seaway and a couple of Great Lakes cruise in August 2019.   The whole experience was really great.  That was such a great trip that’s why we signed up for this one.   We’ve been on Grand Circle Travel, RCCL, and. Princess eons ago 😉.   We’ve never been on an ‘expedition’ cruise before.   The crew was really great on this trip.  It seems like everyone really enjoys their jobs.  We were just expecting the food to be ‘all glorious and special’ like food has been on every other cruise we’ve been on.  We didn’t know it would be any different on this trip.   And I suppose the fact that we contracted COVID19 on July 5th may have dulled our excitement about the trip a bit.   Our paperwork that the doctor and his nurse brought in to our cabin when they checked on us had “#23” and “#24” written on them so we’re assuming we were #23 & #24 COVID cases on board.   

 

I figured from some of your comments that you had not been on an expedition trip before and I do not mean this in a negative sense.  I feel that American Cruise Line was not clear enough in their advertising that this trip would be different from their paddle wheel or river boats.  A large number of people who did this trip had previously done river boat trips and I know that some of them were surprised and disappointed at the differences.   I would guess that American Cruise will probably lose some customers because of this failure to communicate.  

 

American Cruise had some real back office problems with this trip.  However once we got on board I think that they did an excellent job.  In your case getting Covid must have been a real downer.  If you were #24, that means that more than 10% of the passengers either had or were exposed to Covid.  BTW - my wife tested positive for Covid 2 days after we got off the ship with a very mild case so I guess that we lucked out.  So far I am OK.

 

I have done a number of small ship expedition cruises (my first cruise in AK was on a ship that held 50 passengers) and I enjoy expedition cruising.

 

DON

[Babcia7]

When we were on the American Queen in March, the staff provided a good presentation of what to expect on the Ocean Voyager Alaskan trip.  Needless to say, more than half of the people who attended the presentation left early.  I'm assuming that they realized that the trip might not be for them.  (There were many onboard with mobility issues and I'm sure an expedition cruise might not be an experience they could fully enjoy).

I'm sorry to learn of the covid outbreaks on your cruises.  We will definitely be masked going through the airports!

Thank you all for your trip reports.  Is there anything you wish you had brought along or left behind on this trip?  I'm glad they have boots onboard for our use.  That will give me a little more space in my suitcase!  Did you find a need for gloves, hats or a parka type coat? 

[Missouri travel girl]

Don, when you use the zodiacs as tenders to the town are you sitting on any type of seat? I’m asking because my husband uses a cane and will need help into and out of the zodiacs.  Like you said, this was not mentioned in any information I read about the cruise. Thank you.

[donaldsc]

1 minute ago, Missouri travel girl said:

Don, when you use the zodiacs as tenders to the town are you sitting on any type of seat? I’m asking because my husband uses a cane and will need help into and out of the zodiacs.  Like you said, this was not mentioned in any information I read about the cruise. Thank you.

 

Your seat is the side of the zodiac.  There is no real seat.  However, the zodiac crews are very good at getting people w limited mobility in and out of the zodiacs so if your husband is somewhat mobile with is canes he should have no problems.  

 

DON

[Missouri travel girl]

He is very mobile just slow and off balance with polio and then hip replacement in polio leg, so therefore the cane.  I’m sure he will do great with them. Thank you! 

[donaldsc]

10 hours ago, Missouri travel girl said:

He is very mobile just slow and off balance with polio and then hip replacement in polio leg, so therefore the cane.  I’m sure he will do great with them. Thank you! 

 

You worry too much.  Just relax and enjoy yourself.

 

DON

[Missouri travel girl]

21 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

You worry too much.  Just relax and enjoy yourself.

 

DON

Haha! I like the way you think Don!  I’ll do just that. 

[JAT0303]

We'll be taking the Ocean Victory at the end of August and I'm trying to do some planning on what to take.  I've seen the list from the cruise company but have some questions for those of you who have taken this trip.

 

I saw the discussion about the rubber boots and no need to take them as they have some on board.  My question is when are they used?  Is it for wet landings?  If that's the case, I am leaning towards taking my water shoes and changing them when on shore.  We're from Washington State so used to cold 🙂.

 

I know it may be in the 50's or 60's while we're there but am hesitant to pack all of the winter clothing suggested.  

 

I'd appreciate any input from those lucky enough to have taken this trip already!  Thank you.

[donaldsc]

There were not any wet landings.  We wore them so that our feet would not get wet if any water splashed on our shoes in the zodiacs.  In reality there was no water on any of the zodiac trips that we took so we really did not need the muck boots.  Some people just wore hiking shoes (shoes - not boots) which I assume were waterproof.

 

As far as clothing we had very warm weather on our cruise so we certainly did not winter clothing.  I thought that they went a bit overboard on the clothing list but as I said our weather was not normal.  

 

I have gone on a number of expedition trips of this type and this one was one of the best.  The ship is wonderful and the expedition staff was superb.

 

Couple of additional thoughts.

 

1) Food was good but not great.  If you are into lobster, this is one of the things that you can get every night.  On a number of my meals I ordered one of the mains with 1 or 2 lobsters as a side dish.

 

2) They supply enough binoculars for everyone and they will check them out so you have them in your cabin.  They are pretty good Nikon binocs and not the $19.95 Walmart binocs that most ships have.  I brought mine but I really did not need to have done it.  They even have spotting scopes on board although the tripods that they are on are pretty bad.

 

3) If she is still on board, Olga is a wonderful bartender.  The is from the Ukraine and she was planning to go back home so she might not be there any more.  She makes one of the best bloody marys I have ever had.  If you like bloody mary drinks and she is still there don't let anyone but her make them for you.  Bet you thought that you would not get a bartender recommendation on CC.

 

4) You have not said if you have done any of the  AQV Mississippi riverboat cruises.   A number of the people on board had done AQV riverboat cruises and they were expecting the same type of cruise and the same ambiance as the riverboats.  The Ocean Victory is a great expedition ship and I have been on a bunch of them but it is not a riverboat.

 

Hope that this helps.  If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

DON

[NavyVeteran]

2 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

3) If she is still on board, Olga is a wonderful bartender.  The is from the Ukraine and she was planning to go back home so she might not be there any more.  She makes one of the best bloody marys I have ever had.  If you like bloody mary drinks and she is still there don't let anyone but her make them for you.  Bet you thought that you would not get a bartender recommendation on CC.

I second this comment. In addition to her skill, she had a great personality and was always friendly with everyone.

 

Unfortunately, she was planning to return home after our cruise. My prayers are with her and her country. I hope she will be safe.

[donaldsc]

6 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

I second this comment. In addition to her skill, she had a great personality and was always friendly with everyone.

 

Unfortunately, she was planning to return home after our cruise. My prayers are with her and her country. I hope she will be safe.

 

+1 on that.  Welcome back.  I trust that your cruise experience was as good as ours.  Our next one is a bit different - 2 weeks on a full rigged sailboat in the Greek Islands followed by a week on a Viking river ship in southern France,

 

DON

[NavyVeteran]

Just now, donaldsc said:

 

+1 on that.  Welcome back.  I trust that your cruise experience was as good as ours.  Our next one is a bit different - 2 weeks on a full rigged sailboat in the Greek Islands followed by a week on a Viking river ship in southern France,

 

DON

We did have one problem at the end of the cruise. DW didn't feel well on the flight back and tested positive the next day. She took Paxlovid and recovered quickly without major symptoms. Thank goodness we didn't have to quarantine in Canada.

[donaldsc]

1 minute ago, NavyVeteran said:

We did have one problem at the end of the cruise. DW didn't feel well on the flight back and tested positive the next day. She took Paxlovid and recovered quickly without major symptoms. Thank goodness we didn't have to quarantine in Canada.

 

Your wife and my wife must have been hugging each other and have also gone to the same doctor.  She came down Covid 2 days after she got back and also got Paxlovid.  I didn't get it.  I guess that both of us have good immune systems.

 

DON

[Babcia7]

12 hours ago, JAT0303 said:

We'll be taking the Ocean Victory at the end of August and I'm trying to do some planning on what to take.  I've seen the list from the cruise company but have some questions for those of you who have taken this trip.

 

I saw the discussion about the rubber boots and no need to take them as they have some on board.  My question is when are they used?  Is it for wet landings?  If that's the case, I am leaning towards taking my water shoes and changing them when on shore.  We're from Washington State so used to cold 🙂.

 

I know it may be in the 50's or 60's while we're there but am hesitant to pack all of the winter clothing suggested.  

 

I'd appreciate any input from those lucky enough to have taken this trip already!  Thank you.

We'll be on the trip in two weeks.  I haven't seen a packing list.  Would you share how/where you found it?  Thanks.

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, Babcia7 said:

We'll be on the trip in two weeks.  I haven't seen a packing list.  Would you share how/where you found it?  Thanks.

 

They sent it to my TA about 3 or 4 days before we left which is really useful if you have to go out and buy some stuff or if you have left home early.  I would call them directly and ask for it.  

 

DON

[JAT0303]

12 hours ago, Babcia7 said:

We'll be on the trip in two weeks.  I haven't seen a packing list.  Would you share how/where you found it?  Thanks.

I found it on the website at the bottom under Travel Guides.  Here is the link https://www.aqvoyages.com/travel-guide/

[Babcia7]

53 minutes ago, JAT0303 said:

I found it on the website at the bottom under Travel Guides.  Here is the link https://www.aqvoyages.com/travel-guide/

Thank you so much!