lovemylab

Travel agents are certainly worthwhile for some people; however, after a few bad experiences I now handle all my own travel plans.  

The most I've ever received in perks are things like beach towels or beach bags that have the travel agency logo on them.  We don't book expensive cabins so getting hundreds back in OBC is never going to happen.

When things have gone wrong, I've always been able to rectrify the situation myself in a timely manner.  

We've done this excursion twice and loved it each time.  Probably one of our favorite ships excusions we've ever taken.  Fun boat ride, beautiful views and the BBQ lunch was fabulous.

As others have mentioned, some TAs will offer additional perks such as OBC. 

We tend to book the lower priced cabins on the ship; therefore, we won't be reciving thousands or even hundreds in OBC.  The most a TA has ever offered us is free beach towels and tote bags.

We booked our first few cruises through a good TA.  She then went part time.  After having to fight with someone in the office to get a significant price drop honored, we startied handling all our own bookings.  Price drops, cabin changes or any new promotions we see online can quickly be applied to our reservation by calling Celebrity ourselves.   

23 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

So use a travel agent already.  No muss, no fuss.  And you might get a nice amount of OBC.

I am not a fan of using travel agents for numerous reasons; however, I have to agree with this. 

If having to enter information on the website and listen to the same automated message every time you call is something that annoys you then just book with a travel agent to avoid all that!

14 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

That should make it very interesting for citizens of other countries booked to cruise after the 14th, because most countries have not yet approved the vaccine for children under 12 years of age.  They are predicting that it will be just before the Christmas break in Canada before 5-11 year olds will be eligible to get their 1st of 2 shots, so they likely will not have their full shot regime anywhere near January 14th.  I am not sure where other countries in the world, other than the US who have already given approval, are currently with approval of the vaccines for children under 12 years of age.

My guess is cruiselines won't care and the policy will be enforced.   This won't be any different than how "mixed doses" was being treated until recently.  The cruselines had their own policies in place and if you didn't meet that criteria, you were considered "unvaccinated".  The other option was to cancel.

The recommended interval between doses in Canada is 8 weeks, so even if Health Canada does approve it by this week it's going to be impossible for any kids booked in January to meet the rules.  Especially since fully vaccinated means having the 2nd dose 14 days prior.

10 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

That's what the "delete" button is for 

It's also what the "unsubcribe" button is for.

Of course you can delete them; however, my preference is just to unsubscribe.  I have no interest in my inbox being filled with marketing/spam/promotional emails that I'm never going to read.  I personally find it easier and less time consuming to just "unsubscribe". 

I unsubscribed from marketing emails.   I can find out about sales on the cruiseline website or on cruise critic.  I'm not interested in paying more to "upgrade" my cabin.  I book the cabin I want based on location and have no desire to pay more to change to a different category.

On 10/27/2021 at 8:16 PM, Diver2014 said:

I always carry my passport when outside the USA.  That's what it's for.....proving who you are and what country you're from.    Why bother having a passport if you don't have it on you when you need it?  Forget photocopies....anyone can fake a photo.   If you get left behind because of an accident or get arrested for something (or anything in another country), you'll want your passport to get back to the US.

Try showing a drivers license to police or security in another country.  They'll look at you like you're joking with them.

As a law abiding person, I'm not concerned about being arrested.  Furthermore, cruiseships don't travel to places where people are randomly arrested on the street.  In the unlikely event that happened, a passport isn't going to serve as a "get out of jail free" card.  You won't be flying home until the local authorities release you and by the time that gets sorted out the embassy would have already had more than enough time to prepare travel documents for your return home.    

In regards to photocopies,  both the US & Canadian government recommend making copies of your passport as the information can be used to more quickly faciliate a replacement if needed.  This information is listed on both their websites.  So definitely not something one should "forget".

On 10/27/2021 at 7:18 PM, njkruzer said:

There is one situation where you need at least a copy of your passport.   If you are in Europe or Israel and purchasing something with a VAT you want refunded.  I can recall the store needing my passport to complete the form I would need to submit at the airport or post official to claim the refund. 

 I've been able to do this with a copy of the passport 🙂

I feel there is a stronger chance of my passport being lost/stolen vs. me missing the ship; therefore, in most situations I leave it onboard. Like others, I carry a copy (or have one saved in my web based email account).

I've been told by numerous cruise staff members that if someone is going to miss the ship, they will check the safe for the passport and give it to the port agent.  I've personally seen this done on a Celebrity cruise in 2013.

If carrying it with me, I don't carry it in a purse, backpack or in a pouch around my neck.  It gets carried in a hidden pocket or a bra stash. When off the ship I always have the port agents contact information with me.

9 hours ago, abby1257 said:

Wait....what??? No one checks to see if you have already had 2 shots???

 

Provincial health records are not shared between provinces.  Therefore, a pharmascist in one province has no way to verify whether someone from another province has already recevied both shots.

If I was travelling right now, I'd do an All-Inclusive instead of a cruise.  Main reason for me is there is too much uncertainly with cruising.  A covid outbreak onboard could negatively impact my vacation and not all ports are allowing cruiseship passengers.  

Our preferred AI resorts are the Couples properties in Jamaica.  Smaller properties that are never crowded even at full capacity, plenty of a la carte meal options and very easy to social distance.  They offer free testing to fly home and if you happen to test positive they'll provide a free room for 14 days until you test negative.

On 9/29/2021 at 3:22 PM, lots-of-km2 said:

I don't want to have to resort to any lying (big or small) to get a third shot, or to take a booster shot away from someone who needs it, if supplies are limited.   That's just me. 

 

If another province has a surplus of Pfizer shots and is able and willing to administer a third dose to an Ontarian, and if by the beginning of December, the cruise ships still won't accept a passenger with a mixed dose,   I'd be more than willing to get on a plane for a weekend trip there to get a jab.  If it's Saint John, even better.  Beautiful place. 

Personally, I don't see how this would work.

1) The federal government is in the process of implementing mandatory proof of vaccine in order to board a plane in Canada, and is expected to be in place by end of October.

2) Due to the 4th wave and an increase in Covid cases, New Bruswick has implemented a travel registration program.  If you're not vaccinated, you need to quarantine for 14 days.

Therefore, showing up at a pharmacy in New Brunswick with Ontario ID and asking for your "2nd dose" is likely going to throw up some red flags. If you choose to go this route, you'll definitely want to have your story straight.

This was easy for residents of NB/NS to do during the summer months due to the Atlantic Bubble.  Residents of those provinces could travel freely back and forth with no vaccination or quarantine requirement.   Not as easy for someone from Ontario to pull off in the middle of the 4th wave.

3 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think they would let you on the plane if you tested positive.  And tbh, I would hope not...as that would mean that anyone sitting next to us could be known covid positive.

Okay, and that makes sense.   If covid positive people aren't allowed on a plane though I'd be curous how the cruiselines would fly people home in that case.

6 hours ago, LuCruise said:

My biggest worry with an AI is testing positive on the PCR test we get done to return and then we can't return for 2 weeks.  

As long as you have a valid Canadian passport, you can return to Canada regardless of the covid test result.  

From my understanding, a positive test result means you need to quarantine for 14 days upon your arrival.  You would enter the details of the quarantine plan in the ArriveCan app. The same would hold true if testing positive and returning from a cruise.  

A negative covid test is needed to qualify for the fully vaccinated traveler exemption which allows you to avoid quarantine upon arrival back in Canada.

6 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

We've decided that an AI is probably more worrisome than a cruise - people all around buffets, crowded into pool areas and so on. 

These same things would be an issue on a cruise as well though.  Personally, I've always found the  pool and buffet areas on a cruise ship far more crowded in comparison to AI resorts.

For AI resorts, we prefer the Couples chain in Jamaica.  Small resorts that offer several a la carte dining options and plenty of pool and beach loungers (i.e. no crowding).

We have an AI resort booked for 2022 and are hoping to start cruising again in 2023.

I love inside cabins primarily because I sleep better and we don't spend a lot of time in the cabin to justify the extra cost.

We've had a few balcony cabins (including those with the oversized balconies and the "hump" cabins on the Radiance & Celebrity Solstice class ships) and while they were nice we found the cruises with inside cabins to be just as enjoyable.  

Our last Celebrity cruise was in 2015 but it was definitely the case then.  We had multiple crew members tell us that it's a 10 or nothing and received several "sales pitches" regarding it.

1 minute ago, DirtyDawg said:

I asked because reading the information from Quebec it seams to suggest this third dose is for travelers visiting countries who do not accept mixed vaccinations at all for entry into their countries. It might be premature to assume this would also include companies or industries within another country that do no accept mixed vaccinations. For example, would it apply to a traveller who could fly from Montreal to New York but could not get in to see the Bruce Springsteen concert (if this had not already been changed)? Or a Quebecer who could fly to their winter home in the southern U.S., but couldn't shop at the local Piggly Wiggly  because Mr. Pig required full vaccinated status to enter the store and they did not not recognize mixed vaccines as being fully vaccinated?

 

All this talk about getting a third dose for cruising out of the U.S. might be moot. 

 

  

 

The article I read about Quebec offering a third dose implied it was only for essential travel.

“In the meantime, certain exceptional measures are possible in Quebec to accommodate people who have an essential trip planned in the short term,” the department said.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/quebec-offers-extra-dose-to-travellers-whose-vaccination-status-isn-t-recognized-1.5523936

44 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

They can keep their damn cruises. There’s plenty of places for me to spend my vacation money. I didn’t realize that the cruise lines were so well off that they could be this anal. You know, up until I cancelled my November cruise I actually was feeling bad for the industry? Now? I’ll go on to other things. Maybe next year I’ll cruise, maybe I won’t. Between the CDC, Desantis, the US courts and the cruise lines, the confusion and frustration I’ve dealt with trying to spend my money just ain’t worth it. The lot of them can rot afaic.

This is how we feel as well.  We had a cruise booked for this fall but it was cancelled.  Rather than take the voucher worth 125% of the deposit or do a lift & shift for a cruise next year, we opted for a refund and have instead booked a 9 night stay at a 5* AI resort in 2022 and will also look at a land trip to Europe.

You can call the cruise line 3 times and you'll get 3 different answers.  Travel agents are also confused over the rules.  One will tell you the 42 day rule only applies to mixed doses.  Another will say it's for all doses.  For us, cruising right now isn't worth the hassle so we plan to do land trips for at least this year and next and will re-evaluate things in 2023.

Many countries in Europe are accepting mixed vaccine doses.  So are many islands in the Caribbean.  There are plenty of places for us to spend our vacation dollars.

1 hour ago, JRG said:

Would Canada do it differently it they had to do it again?   I say they would do it differently.  

 

I think at a personal level I would have questioned somebody trying to give me a non-matching second dose; but then I have worked in a number of hospitals across the US.

 

A simple text exchange or diplomatic exchange beforehand seems like it would have prevented the problem,   maybe yes,  maybe no.  (that is what I meant by speak).   

 

 

The Canadian Governments priority was accelerating the vaccine rollout to save lives.  I highly doubt they'd do it differently just so that a few people would have an easier time going on a cruise in the early days of travel resuming.

Germany, France, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Finland, Norway & Sweden are also mixing doses.  Studies in the UK and Spain have shown that mixing vaccines is safe and highly effective.  Justin Trudeau (Canadian Prime Minister) & Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) both received mixed doses.  The decision to mix doses wasn't made by pre-schoolers.  It was made based on science.

Google is your friend.  Going forward you may want to research things a bit before babbling about something you clearly know nothing about. 

On 6/27/2021 at 7:48 AM, ontheweb said:

A very good and interesting post, but I do have one quibble with it. You say the reason that AstraZeneca has not been approved in the US is that they have not yet applied. But that skips over the fact that there is a reason that they have not applied. In fact, they were scheduled to be the first to apply, but now still have not applied. There were problems with the data in their clinical trials. 

Yes, there was issues with the data but that doesn't change the fact that they never applied for emergency use.  Many people are under the impression that the FDA denied approval and that is not the case.  

With the supply the US has with other vaccines, they no longer need Astrazeneca to meet their needs so at this point Astrazenca will most likely apply for full approval, which takes longer.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/26/us-fda-may-not-review-new-covid-19-vaccine-eua-requests-during-pandemic.html

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

I know that many would like to experience the sunset in Santorini, but getting there at 2PM is smack in the middle of the hottest hours....

 

This depends on when one is visiting.  We visited in October so arriving at 2pm was a non-issue in regards to the temps as it wasn't summer 🙂

I think people need to remember this is a very fluid situation. Accepted vaccines & vaccine requirements will change as more studies are done and more data is released.

Astrazeneca has been approved and is being used in over 100 countries around the world.  Thousands of Americans have also received Astrazeneca from particpating in vaccine trials.  The reason it's not approved by the FDA is because they haven't yet applied.

Mixing of vaccines is being done in several countries such as Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, China and Finland.  The preliminary data in the UK showed it was safe and the data out of Spain showed it was effective.  

Johnson & Johnson is approved in Canada but hasn't yet been used due to concerns with quality.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7941685/eu-jj-covid-shots-u-s-contamination/

I'm noticing in this thread that several people seem to think because they haven't seen any data/reports/news articles on something that it must not be safe or effective.  Just because CNN or Fox News didn't report it doesn't mean it's not happening elsewhere in the world.

When it comes to advice on vaccines, I prefer to listen to infectious disease doctors and not what random people on cruise critic suggest.  

I live in Canada. My first dose was Astrazeneca and I'm getting my second dose (Moderna) next week.  German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, received this same combination.  Our Prime Minister will also be receiving a mixed dose as he got Astrazeneca as his first dose.  Canada's Chief Medical Office has received a combination of Pfizer/Moderna.  Am I worried about not being able to travel when things open up?  Not in the least.  

Favorite ports:  Venice, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Santorini and Monaco.  

All of these ports were small enough that a day was enough to do some exploring without feeling rushed.  Our cruise had an overnight stay in Venice which was perfect.  

Few tips/suggestions:

1) When comparing itineraries, pay attention to the length of time you're in port .  We tend to prefer Med cruises that have longer port days.  

2) If Rome is a priority for you, I strongly recommend that you book a cruise that sails from Civitavecchia and spend a few days pre/post cruise in Rome.  The first time we visited Rome, it was during a one day stop on a cruise.  We were very rushed trying to cram in all the sites we wanted to see that we ended up not enjoying it at all.  A few years later we booked a cruise out of Civitavecchia and spent a few days pre-cruise and it was so much nicer to enjoy Rome at a relaxed place. 

3) Santorini can get very congested with cruiseships.  We had a port stay from 2-10pm which was nice as most ships were gone by 5pm.