kml246

Thank you for confirming your positive experience with Overlord Tours. We contacted them about next August (2023) and though they don't have booking set up for then, yet, they've added us to the waitlist for when they open. I've also posted information on the Roll Call for the cruise. I have saved this thread and will refer to it often! Thanks again! Kevin

For UK passengers, they don't have a vaccination card like we do in the US. I believe they have electronic records from the NHS that displays each shot on a separate page.

We've been on seven Princess cruises over three sailings since August. You will be fine with the paper records (take originals if available) and they are easier to manage at the port. You need to hand your passport anyway, so just hand all the paper to them. It's easier than juggling a phone. If you want to upload your three pages, place the three pages side-by-side on a table or desk and take a photo of all three together. Then you can upload that photo. HTH, Kevin

Did you purchase the six pack from eMed? That's good to know about their expiration dates. Last year, they were near the expiration date when shipped. I agree about the pre-cruise testing. I think the charade will last a while longer. We still have four more cruises this year, so I'll order the six pack now if the stock is that fresh. Thanks, Kevin

Maybe. Here's info from the eMed website about the six pack: Can I share my 6-pack with others? Yes. However, for travelers, please be aware that eMed recommends that each individual travels with at least two testing kits at a time. Additionally, each person who tests on eMed.com is required to create an eMed account.

eMed does the proctored testing for the test purchased at Optum. You can buy two packs ($69.99) or three packs $99.99) at Optum and if there is a membership requirement, it's free. I've ordered from them before and all I had to do was register. They now moved the free shipping to $75+ so you'll need to order a three pack or add $5.01 of other items to get free shipping. Otherwise, standard shipping is $5.99. Here's a link: COVID 19 Home Tests - Where to Buy Online | Optum Store eMed sells direct, and it used to be only six packs at $150. Now they also sell two packs at $69.99. They don't have free shipping for these, and it's showing $20.88 shipping for either item shipped to FL. Here's that link: Category: COVID-19 at-home test with verified lab report | eMed

Certainly is. Glad I didn't order my six-pack of tests, yet. Now it will just be a two-pack for next month's cruise!

Great News! US to eliminate testing requirement to fly into US from international destinations effective Sunday! US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel (msn.com)

Dear Kitty & Jim, Thank you for sharing your excellent chronicle of your cruise. We were on Emerald Princess for fourteen days in the Caribbean a month before. It was our first Elite cruise and we enjoyed the free laundry! No tender ports so we'll wait to appreciated that perk. The captain and crew were wonderful, but the ship is a bit tired and in need of a drydock (scheduled for Oct 2022). The captain apologized for her condition. It did not detract from a great cruise. We'll be in Southampton next month (our first UK trip) for a cruise to Iceland and Norway on Enchanted Princess. We appreciate your overview of your pre-cruise stay. We'll be spending two nights there before the cruise. We are also taking the same International Friends debarkation tour you took. After reading your review, looks like we made an excellent choice. Thank you for your tips. In August 2023 we're booked on Emerald Princess for the cruise you just completed, adding the six-day land tour in Ireland prior to the cruise. I've bookmarked this thread and will be referring to it as we book our excursions. A question about the Overlands Tour in France: you mentioned about the rude couple that didn't care about inconveniencing all the other participants. Do you think the tour company was wrong in not being more considerate of you and insisting the late couple get back on time, and certainly not allow the additional time to mail the postcards? You seem like a lovely couple. I hope we have the good fortune of crossing paths on a future cruise. All the best, Kevin & Nan

We're originally from Long Island, growing up in Massapequa and moving to SWFL in 2007. We'll be on the Dec 12 sailing.

We've been considering Amazara for a while. Thank you for this thread and feedback. Today, we put a hold on a cabin for a 10-night Eastern Caribbean cruise in December. We've been to all these places before, but since we live in Florida it's an easy and inexpensive way to give Azamara a try before booking a more extensive (and expensive) cruise with Azamara. Kevin

Yes, I uploaded the front and back in one JPG. I did a scan of both sides and then combined the front and back. I don't see any facility to upload QR codes. Sorry. Kevin

Just uploaded our vaccination/booster records to the MC app. Says pending approval. Wonder if anyone actually looks at them and approves them, negating the need to show the cards at embarkation. We sail out of Southampton in July; will certainly have my paper documents just in case. Kevin

Sorry for the delay in thanking you for your reply. I got involved reading your blog (well done!) and forgot to reply. In any event, your blog was helpful in making our decision. We did cancel the Atlas Antarctica cruise for January, but we're going to go with Silversea. We're concerned with the number of people on Octanis and Polaris and there just hasn't been enough actual cruises yet to get adequate feedback. I'm so glad you had a great time. I hope you have an even better time on your World Cruise next year! Kevin

Having all vaccinated passengers on board MAY help reduce the spread of COVID, but it doesn't prevent it. Vaccinations help you, primarily. Perfect example: We were up in NJ for our grandson's First Communion last weekend, arriving Friday evening. On Saturday morning, our son, a doctor who is vaxed and boosted, called to us downstairs and said he just tested positive. We kept our distance the rest of the weekend, wore masks, and washed regularly. On Monday, Nan had a scratchy throat, I was fine. Wednesday evening we did home tests - Nan positive, me negative. We slept in separate rooms since then and I'm wearing a mask around her. Yesterday, we had PCR tests done with the same results - Nan positive, me negative. She started Paxlovid yesterday and is doing well. She is 70, I'm 68, but in good health. Nan says it's like a cold - sneezing, slight cough, runny nose, no fever. Bottom line, it's getting more and more contagious with each variant, but less serious, especially for those in good health. It's time we accept COVID is here for the foreseeable future and live our lives as normally as possible. The requirements, especially in the US, are lagging behind the virus. It's ridiculous we need to test before flying back to the US but we can arrive by ship, car, train, or even walking, and no test required. Does not make sense. Princess' constant revisions to their rules do not make sense either and add undue stress to what should be an enjoyable experience. On the plus side to Nan's COVID, she won't need to test for our Iceland/Norway cruise in July! Kevin

I hope this is the right thread to ask this, but I couldn't find a Viking Expeditions forum, yet. We had an Antarctica Expedition scheduled for this past January on Atlas' World Navigator. 45 minutes before we were to board our charter from Orlando to Ushuaia they canceled the cruise. The prior cruise had several COVID cases and Argentina was requiring a thorough cleaning and inspection of the ship, and Atlas did not feel they could turn around the ship quickly enough. We rebooked for January 2023, but Atlas has made several changes that we aren't happy with, so we are cancelling the cruise. We've been looking for a replacement expedition and like much of what Viking offers with the Octanis and Polaris Antarctica sailings. What's keeping us from booking is our concern with the large passenger count. Can anyone that sailed Octanis to Antarctica this past season give feedback on how having almost 400 passengers on an Antarctica expedition ship impeded your ability to get on excursions while in Antarctica. I know Viking guarantees one landing per day (subject to weather), but I would like to do multiple outings each day. Were you able to do multiple outings each day and how difficult were the additional outings to arrange? Thank you, Kevin

Right - you don't count sail day. I just had this feeling they were going to have an issue with the three-day rule, so rather than stress, we had the second test ready to give them.

That's the way it should be and the way the Princess website explains it. I just got Princess employees that didn't know their rules.

The Princess example of two days before, with a Sunday sailing you can get tested on Friday or Saturday. That's the way it worked with three of the four sailings we've taken since August. When they expanded it to three days for some tests, we took advantage of this for our sailing last month. We were sailing on Saturday, April 2 out of Port Everglades. That meant we could get tested three days before and that would be Wednesday. We tested on Wednesday (we qualified for an antigen or PCR test three days before) and did a PCR test just to make sure. However, we had a feeling the check-in people were going to screw up the new guidelines, so we did an antigen test on Thursday, two days before Saturday boarding. When we got to the port to check in, the rep asked for our vaccination cards and verified we were fully vaccinated and had a booster shot. We then handed her the PCR tests done on Wednesday. She said these aren't good because they had to be done three days or sooner. I said they were - today's Saturday and three days before was Wednesday. She checked with a supervisor who said you count the day of sailing, so three days is Thursday. I told them that's ridiculous, read your own website for the explanation of two days before. I told her we've sailed three times already and got test two days before (Thursday for a Saturday sailing) and didn't have a problem. Didn't matter - she said we had to get tested again by Princess because our test was too old. Rather than pursue higher up, we pulled out our antigen tests that were done on Thursday and they were fine. Unbelievable. One of the things that annoys me about Princess is they don't ever contact you about the survey responses you fill out after the cruise, especially if you document some problems. It's quite annoying to spend all the time completing the lengthy survey and not getting feedback from Princess. I documented the above on the survey and have not heard anything from them. You're right about the 48 hours vs 2 days, with 2 days being the more liberal requirement. However, it's my belief they would go with 48 hours before you check-in and board, not when you sail. If that was the case, what would happen if the sailing was delayed? It's crazy to have two different measurements - two days or 72 hours. Kevin

Agreed. Since UK, Norway, and Iceland are not members of the EU, I would expect three days would be good. However, my Travel Summary on the website still shows one day. Since we're leaving the US on July 19 for our July 22 cruise, I won't be able to get the test done in the US even if it's three days. We land at LHR on July 20 and spending two nights in Southampton. I'll see about getting the test done on July 21 at the local Boots or Lloyds. Haven't made an appt yet. Figured I'd wait until June to see if anything changes. Kevin