Robjame

on my return flight from Europe, I am flying LIS-Toronto- ORD. I am not getting off in Canada... will I have to have smart phones and crap to get that silly" arrive Canada I do not intend to set foot in any of Canada?" …that silly arrive Canada is being used by a country that has fared far better than the US In every metric of Covid response - about one-third of the Covid deaths per capita. There are plenty of electrical outlets (same type as at home) where you could plug in your monitor and CPU as the arrive Canada app has a web-based source as well. That quarantine in a foreign country just might improve your chance of Covid survival and there won’t be any astronomical medical bills at the end. 😜

La Lido Loca (vlog) has reported that a $12 a day fuel surcharge was added to his onboard account. He said he was not told that this would be the case. How do you feel about that?

At least one cruise ship, Margaritaville At Sea, has begun adding a fuel surcharge ($12 a day) to guests on board account. This was done without any prior notification - just slipped into the bill. We know from experience that what one cruise line does, others often follow.

It is so annoying that these rules have to be “discovered’. I knew that SB requests had to be sent in more than 15 days prior to embarkation, but it is the first time I have heard the 60 day or less rule. A customer based business should have a clear policy which is readily available - especially to shareholders. ‘And how hard is it to send a reply to SB requests saying, “your SB request has been received and you will receive a reply within 10 business days”? My request went in more than 3 weeks ago and no reply from Oceania. My TA has been trying to track it down and she is getting the run around. In my experience this is typical and someone should clean house.

There was a rumour that something would be coming out July 1…

There is so much supposition that goes along with this but you would have to figure that the cruise line would treat Covid as any other health problem. Like the flu. If you are vaccinated and boosted then you may not even have symptoms. Likewise other passengers may catch it but they may not know it etc, do you obsess about flu, colds etc when on a cruise? You probably take reasonable precautions. Few people who are fully vaccinated (and boosted) become hospitalized, ventilated except high risk individuals who must assess their own risk tolerance - like for any health problems. It would also depend on the rules of the countries on the itinerary. There are many who are ready to get on with their lives after over two years. Several of the vlogs and blogs have suggested that fear and the consequences of testing positive on the pre cruise Covid test is one leading barriers to people resuming cruising - not the fear of getting or managing Covid itself. Therapeutics are available now, too.

Of course, cruising is different from flying in the sense that one is in contact with a bunch of fellow passengers and crew over an extended time. Add to that, the visiting of different ports and countries where Covid can still be a problem. Pre-cruise testing does not mitigate against these stops. Those who support the end of pre-cruise testing cite the fact that though there has been Covid cases, there have been few or no hospitalizations as a result of cruising. Individual risk and responsibility are the future of this endemic.

Probably won’t be a wholesale change like flying. ‘’could it be if you are vaccinated and up to date with your boosters then you will not need to be tested pre-cruise. Just a guess.

Mont St Michel is inaccessible during high tides (at least that is how I remember it). This could affect tours and timing of tours. ‘As well one can no longer drive. All must take the free shuttle bus (or walk) which will certainly lengthen the duration of a tour.

If this becomes the norm for air travel, then it would seem to be possible for cruising. Right? Being vaccinated would be sufficient for boarding the ship and between b2b voyages… a lot of positive possibilities here.

61 page report on Government of Canada website current to November 2021. (Google-able)

Have there been a lot of Covid cases traceable to flying in Europe? There haven’t been in North America.