Heidi13

The Metro Port Vancouver cruise schedule shows Orion on the longer East berth with Celebrity Eclipse. However, the berth is only 1,660' in length and the Celebrity ship is 1,040' and Viking ships are 745'. Even without an allowance for gaps, the ships combined are more than 100' longer than the available berth. Therefore, it could be a similar situation to Viking's first arrival in 2019, when they did spend time at anchor.

The route follows a scenic narrow channel that includes 2 large 90 degree alteration. At the narrowest point, S'bd we were only about 500' from the rock face, making good about 20 kts. The tides could also exceed 6 kts. In summer you had numerous small boats and in winter you had weather issues. Great trip for the pax.

We also had never used this service until we docked in Bali back in Feb/Mar 2020. Since cruises were shutting down at this time, we were fortunate that we got 2 of 3 days in Bali. Both the Canadian & US Consulates had set up information tables in the arrivals building, with the Canadians providing the website address to sign up for the service, which we did. Received regular updates for the remainder of the cruise.

Provided you are only taking short cruises, the credit card insurance may work. However, best to check the limits, as even some premium cards have fairly low limits and may require a top up. All of our cruises in the past 10+ years exceed our credit card coverage.

We all have different preferences, as personally I am most interested in the working areas of the ships, specifically the Bridge & MCR. Although I have done many arrivals & departures on the Diamond Bridge, it is interesting to see the changes and how the Bridge Team comply with the Command & Control Policy.

Our initial thoughts of a World Cruise are that it was one and done, considering the cost and commitment required. However, our first WC on Princess was a huge disappointment in that the ship resembled a Greek tramp ship and the meals/entertainment were rubbish. If fact, after 40 yrs of both working & cruising with Princess, that was our last ever cruise with them. Since the first was a disappointment, we eventually decided to try another one, spending a couple of years researching and selecting a new cruise line - Viking Ocean. We booked the 2020 WC with Viking, which was a spectacular cruise, with standards comparable to cruising back in the 70's. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we didn't get into many ports. Therefore, we have now booked our 3rd WC, again on Viking, departing in January 2023. Some pax on our first WC were on their 9th, booking the same WC every year.

Total BS. The large doors she refers to are Fire Screen Doors, which are designed to restrict the passage of fire and smoke for at least 1 hr. Yes, they are heavy, but they can be opened. Every space on a ship must have at least 2 ways of egress.

Unless notified otherwise, your Assembly Station is what is posted on the back of the cabin door. By changing cabins, you comply with the information in the new cabin, unless notified otherwise. Crew are assigned to sweep all cabins, so anyone that doesn't proceed to the Assembly Station on hearing at least 7 short + 1 long (GES), will be cleared out of the cabin by the crew.

It may have changed since I left UK. As cabbies, provided they didn't try to pad the fare, the tip was rounding up the fare to the next quid. In restaurants, excellent service received about a 10% tip, poor service got nothing. Have the standards changed appreciably, as we are flying over in November for a couple of weeks, prior to the Trans-Atlantic.

Glacier Bay permits are issued for 10-year periods, with cruise lines submitting proposals. Viking were awarded a permit, as were Seabourne, when last issued in 2019. However, I'm not aware that Viking have actually used the permit, as they are on a 10-day schedule, rather than the mega ship's 7-day schedules.

The best insurance policy depends on your personal circumstance and level of risk tolerance. If you have pre-existing conditions, it is critical to read the fine print to determine what, if any, coverage is provided. Most important to also check the exclusions and how to submit a claim, including any time restrictions. With respect to single trip, or annual policy, it again depends on your travel goals. I always find it best to research using the assistance of insurance brokers, both local and online. I also note that insurance companies also change their terms & conditions, so what was the best deal last year, may no longer be the best this year. When working, we routinely used Blue Cross, as we had their extended health, so received discounts. When getting quotes for our 2020 cruise, we noted they changed the pre-existing conditions coverage, which no longer worked for us, so we no longer use them. Please note, I'm not recommending against Blue Cross, just providing an example of how changes to previously acceptable insurance can render it unacceptable at a later date.

Dee - brilliant idea, as some of the smaller ports are spectacular.

The OP, as per the title, indicated flying into Vancouver (BC) to board a cruise. The US CDC requirements do NOT apply, as it is the requirements of Transport Canada that apply. They require 100% fully vaccinated, with minimal exemptions, most of which are for kids that can't be vaccinated.

If your local banks don't provide that service you could try one of the exchange brokers. Knightsbridge FX Inc is one that I follow. I expect they also operate in the US. Normally they transact large sums, but I believe they will also consider small amounts, just don't know how small.

That is the primary reason why Vancouver has continued to hand the cruise ship traffic to Seattle. Ballantyne Pier was refurbished in the mid 1990's to accommodate 2 cruise ships, as overflow berths from Canada Place. However, if memory is correct, they were closed to cruise ship operations around 2014/15, leaving Vancouver with only 3 berths. While it wasn't the best area and it wasn't really walkable, at least it provided berths for 2 additional ships.

The first step is signing up for an account by submitting your personal details, vaccination details, and uploading proof of vaccination. Within 72 hrs of the Yukon Tour, you should access your ArriveCan account and enter the date and port of entry for the tour. In addition, within 72 hrs of arriving in Victoria, you again access you ArriveCan account and enter the date and port of entry details for Victoria.

If boarding in Seattle, my reading of the requirements is that prior to boarding you must have submitted the application to activate an account. Since the arrival submission must be within 72 hrs of arrival, that is not possible prior to boarding. Therefore, within 72 hrs prior to Victoria, all pax should access their ArriveCan account and enter the date of arrival and entry port details. We have an account set up and anytime we return, I can go online and quickly enter the details of our arrival.

Last TA we did in April/May, I was in shorts & t-shirt every day. Agree with previous that the temps were in the 20's most days. However, wind direction can greatly impact the enjoyment on the open decks and that can never be guaranteed.

For planning a World Cruise, I normally start planning & research, well over 1 -year in advance. The research normally starts with developing a Word document for each port. Here is a sample for Bay of Islands NZ. 07 - Russell, Bay of Islands.docx I also research the requirements of all countries, for both of my passports Visa requirements by country.xlsx Since COVID requirements are constantly changing, I will update this 4 to 6 weeks before departure. I also develop a shore-ex/private tours spreadsheet, which tracks the name/cost of tours we are considering and then eventually book. The shore-ex info is automatically added to our calendar on the cruise line's website, so I add all private tours. I then print the calendar and post a page on the cabin bulkhead daily. The Word planning documents are finalised for the actual tours we book, then printed and bound into a book. This is invaluable, as by the end of the cruise we can never remember what tour is in each port.

I believe it is the same incident. Not much was said regarding the disembarkation, as it went rather well considering the circumstances. However, the Port worked right up to the last minute trying to get a similar arrangement for embarkation, while the ship was at anchor. Hence the reason for the late notification. If I remember correctly, Viking hired one of the halls at the Convention Centre, but it was last minute and wasn't to Viking standards. Lots of bad feelings, so the cruise didn't start well for many pax.

June 12th is the only day with 5 ships all season, with most weekends only having 2 ships. When Orion returns Saturday 2nd July they only have 2 ships - Orion and Majestic Princess. As I noted before, the actual disembarkation/embarkation process depends on the number of security screeners and Canada/USA Border Agents available. Like everything else, post COVID, they have staffing shortages. Clearly Viking knew the docking dates, but are not privy to the terminal operation months ahead.

Too early for us, but it's definitely high on the priority list of future cruises. We are thinking 2025, but the reverse.

You can call it anything you like, it is still Master's discretion. Many policies can have different interpretations.

Here is my re-collection of the Orion's port visit. It was Viking's first ever arrival and there were also 3 mega ships in port that day. May 2019, if memory is correct. With 3 mega ships, they have no additional berth space for another 700' ship. In Alaska, Viking are the new kids, as the other cruise lines have berths booked years in advance. The Viking Orion increased speed and arrived about 03:00 to 04:00, docking to discharge the baggage, then anchored within the inner harbour. The Harbourmaster made available their dock for the Viking tenders. Pax completed Immigration onboard, then disembarked by tender to the Harbourmaster's dock, which is adjacent to Canada Place. While the Harbourmaster made arrangements to embark by tenders, it was vetoed by Immigration, as once you clear US Immigration you can't re-enter Canada. The plan was for pax to board a bus for a 1/4 ml trip to the tenders. This delayed embarkation until after 18:00, when Viking Orion returned to the berth. Some pax speculated Viking provided the wrong arrival date due to crossing the IDL, but that was nothing but a poor rumour, as I verified it with the then Harbourmaster.

Another once proud cruise line that's been "Carnivalised"😞