kate7047

Currently in Viking Jupiter. I booked max number (2, each) for Manfredi's and Chef's Table when dining res opened for our category with no problem. When we got on board I loaded the app and easily got 2 additional Chef's Table and one more Manfredi's. I will add that DH and I are always late eaters so I have no problem with 8:30 res., in fact prefer it. Ate at Manfredi's last night and was disappointed. It's more popular than Chef's Table for unclear reasons to me. Service was off, "lost" our half finished bottle of wine, steak was very tough, had to struggle to get it clear that we wanted FIRST antipasti, THEN primi, THEN secondi. (Ya know, like in Italy.) 

Should be fine. No significant worries regarding strikes. Port Everglades is literally 10 minutes by taxi to FLL if they drive slowly. The weather in January in FLL should be perfect. (I live 10 minutes from the port and have been home drinking coffee by 9AM.)

Log in, go to "plan my cruise", go to spa services and click box for nail services. That said, I am confused about what the different pedicures involve. I'm on board tomorrow, my feet look a fright and my work schedule has been hellacious so I had no chance to go for pedi before I get on. They appear to run anywhere from 40-100 dollars but I can't tell the difference. I just want what I consider an ordinary pedicure with nail polish. I'm guessing that "shellac" means nail polish in some other language. 😄 I guess I will just go talk to them when I get on.

I was told by a friend of mine who works in the industry that the cruise lines have actuarial calculations of how many people they expect to die on a world cruise. It's a bucket list trip for some and they kick the bucket a little sooner than they expected. 

Possibly this has been discussed, but we were taken in by this today. We missed our excursion today on Jupiter. There is no time printed on ticket and the times given on TV in cabin and on app were both wrong, so we arrived 45 minutes late and missed the trip. Only the time in daily paper is correct but I didn't look at it, since TV and app gave same time. I maintain that having the wrong time on the TV and app is misleading and worse than giving no time at all. Pretty po'd about this. If they can't get them in alignment they should remove times on those altogether.

Points Guy reports 27 cases on Carnival Vista ship based out of Galveston. All had been vaccinated. They report Carnival downplaying it (duh) but Belizean authorities reporting. Suspect this is the tip of iceberg there since they only do random testing. Viking's methods have kept things down to single cases, although with "collateral damage" of exposed passengers being removed from ship. I think the policy for how to define "contact" and then what to do about it needs a re-think.

So I'm sitting here right now in Explorer Lounge listening to Alan play guitar and thought I would try to catch up on some of these posts. I'm on 8/10 Jupiter. My martini is dry, my flight was boring (good!) and the tour today was fine. I stressed over cancelling but we went.

Honestly I am not personally worried about getting (very) sick because the vaccine is doing its job (!) Getting quarantined would suck. But honestly, I am just not feeling threatened here. Passengers and tourists are vaccinated and I haven't interacted much with locals. Wore N95 one plane. The ship is spotless. We spit in the tube and mask and all that stuff. And as we sailed out of Reykjavik tonight I practically cried, I was SO happy to be out again. God bless. Do what you need to do, but this is great!!!!

3 hours ago, sinsonte said:

If statistics matter in the go/no-go decision then the following should make a difference.  Notice that the trend line is going down and by 8/31 (our embarkation date) should be in good shape.  The only troublesome locations will be airports.

Thank you for some actual data

Small arrival tip, though maybe this was covered before but it was surprise to me. Arrived KEF this morning, (for Jupiter 8/10). At KEF, first line is immigration. They want passport and barcode only. Second line (brief) is leaving luggage area where they want barcode only. Finally, once out of customs and almost out the door there is a third very official line where they want passport, barcode AND Covid vaccination cards.  I, of course, had put things away after each step thinking that was it. So keep them out.

04AUG2021

Just got this. No outside tours allowed. 

Dear Viking Guest,

This message is to advise you of a change to what was previously communicated regarding independent exploration in Iceland.

On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the travel advisory level for Iceland to a "Level 3." As a result of this change, we do not expect that independent exploration will be permitted. Therefore only Viking-operated shore excursions will be allowed during your voyage. Rest assured, we will offer a range of shore excursions, including sightseeing, special interest and active tours, and each one will be hosted by an experienced guide. We continue to monitor the situation and will notify you of any changes.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please call Reservations at 1-855-300-3970, Monday through Sunday, 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, PT.

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

Sincerely,

Viking

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I suspect they meant 50°c. Approximately 122°f. 

Yikes!. I'm sure it's 50 F.  50 C would be too hot to tolerate, scalding in fact. A hot tub is maybe 104-106 F, or 40-41 C

10 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Mine never flashed and my wife's flashed all the time!   It was actually quite easy to ignore the landyards.  Most of our cruise wore them like red badges of courage!  Hardly any one hid them.

 

Thanks for the pic. That helps a lot.

Thank you, Clay. Very interesting.

45 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

The weather is not cooperating with rain at Heimaey for the Viking Sky today. We arrived on time even after leaving Dyupivogur late. The swells are too high to tender safely and the captain even checked an alternate anchorage to no avail.

 

So we are proceeding directly to Reykjavik where Viking has arranged shuttle buses to the city. Sue and I were really looking forward to our day on  Heimaey as we were doing the ATV excursion!

 

Jack

 

 

 

Aw, sorry to hear it. Looks nasty too. I have read that the south coast is most susceptible to storms and bad weather.

2 hours ago, hoorayy said:

Really hoping someone can help me and this is the correct place to ask.  Just booked Aug 7th with Viking Sky.  We are coming from Canada. I have read about a scan code you can get ahead of time to enter Iceland, is this for passengers from the USA only?  We will need a PCR test to get back into Canada....is this offered on the ship? 

Scan code is basically from Iceland government, not US thing. You will get link and need to do it 3 days before arrival. PRC tests on Viking will be PLENTIFUL. You will be PCR tested every day on the ship (spit test) and can use the one from the next-to-last day for return to Canada, unless you are spending a few extra days in Iceland after cruise, in which care you will need to get tested there. Viking has installed PRC equipment on the ship to test everyone every day.

11 minutes ago, Steve NH said:

I just received a call from Piper at Viking. (As well as an email from them regarding the remaining steps, including the COVID PCR test. I have a feeling right now there are some surprised passengers for the 7/27 cruise.) I specifically asked her if there would be any issues with Viking when guests arrive having had the antigen test and not the PCR test. She said that was not a Viking requirement per se, just that the requirements are changing so frequently that Viking wants to ensure that everyone is covered. She agreed that if the airline accepts the antigen test, and we know Iceland does because she went to their website and verified it, there would not be any issues with Viking.

I think you (and Piper) hit the nail on the head. Viking doesn't care about PCR vs rapid.  The government web site clearly states rapid (antigen) OR PCR is OK for vaccinated.  I have some concerns that some person at the IcelandAir gate will not know this and be a hindrance, but the rapid test is so much easier to schedule. The situation is very fluid and nobody is exactly certain, so they want to cover all bases (and behinds) and advising the PRC covers all behinds better.  I expect it will be nailed down soon, so those of us flying in a couple weeks should be OK. But I hear a G+T calling me from Explorers Lounge too.

2 hours ago, Retired2016Cruiser said:

I thought I read the Jupiter case was suspected only,not confirmed. I’d be interested to hear about any confirmation. 

I think that’s a fair assumption, though there was no official word. Personally, I assume this based on the “fuss” the Sky case produced with the Icelandic authorities in contrast to the lack of fuss on the Jupiter. (My personal suspicion is that the Jupiter case was a false positive.) There was comment that the Sky passenger was asymptomatic and it can be assumed was fully vaccinated per Norwegian and Icelandic requirements to be on the ship.

Ah- here it is from the government web site- PRC or rapid, 72 hours old or less so testing at airport OK-

https://www.government.is/news/article/2021/07/19/COVID-19-test-certificate-required-before-departure-for-vaccinated-travellers/

Iceland Monitor seems to be repeating the PCR or rapid test line- 

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/07/19/vaccinated_travellers_must_show_a_negative_test_sta/

50 minutes ago, jtwind said:

Yeah.  I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense to go through the expense of bringing up testing capacity if you think that arrival testing won't need to continue for very long.

 

Hoping they make the right decisions (whatever that means) and keep Iceland safe.

 

I like the idea of heavy entry requirements and then being good to as you please on the island.

Yeah, problem was the Sky case was negative on board for days 1, 2 and 3 and only turned positive on day 4. So surely would have tested negative at KEF for that matter. 

36 minutes ago, jtwind said:

Just found this: https://www.icelandreview.com/society/covid-19-in-iceland-uptick-in-infections-marks-a-new-chapter-in-the-fight/

 

Authorities in Iceland met to discuss the recent increase in cases, including the appearance of delta.  Preboarding and/or arrival tests could be back soon.

From Iceland Review-

"While authorities will review border measures, Þórólfur stated there is simply not enough manpower to test all arriving travellers since their numbers have increased."

87% vaccination rate in Iceland, 100% incoming tourists screened for vaccination status and none with severe symptoms.  

18 minutes ago, Jgg630 said:

We booked helicopter tour to volcano and original date and rescheduled date have been cancelled due to weather. I think with the amount of fog in Reykjavik it might be iffy so don’t get your heart set on it like I did. It very likely won’t happen. 

Yup, weather issue is a given. Not heart set and it will mean earlier dinner in Reykjavik. (Still haven't successfully managed a hot-air balloon ride anywhere either due to same issue.)

16 minutes ago, vabeachlady said:

Good morning.  I know I read somewhere about a website for doing day tours.  Hubs wants to go see the volcano when we get in.  We arrive on 21 August and will be gone almost all day on the Golden Circle tour on 22 August.  Does anyone have that website?  

We are doing a helicopter tour to get the most out of it quickly. There are also LOADS of walking tours. People with car rentals can just drive out there and walk, but the path seems to change quickly (lava) and so certainly recommend a guide. Our helicopter tour is with https://helicopter.is/.  I also looked at walking tours with https://guidetoiceland.is/book-trips-holiday/nature-tours/volcanoes and as you can see there are over 75 tours on offer. I have no opinion as to quality.

7 minutes ago, sleepybobo said:

I understand Viking has to comply with whatever the local health authority dictates.  Unfortunately, in this incident, there seems to be conflicts and/or misunderstandings between lcelandic Coast Guard and the Icelandic Health authority.  

 

I was just saying if daily testing is not a requirement, then should Viking just drop this?  May be daily test is one of the criteria Iceland considered when approving these cruises?  I don't know.  

I also suspect the local government of these tiny towns or districts had some input. I suspect these was some anxiety there and they "called in the cavalry" (ie Icelandic Coast Guard) who exerted authority to keep them happy. Not sure how much the Icelandic Public Health service had to say, but there may be a conversation or 3 that will occur now about who is in charge. We will never know, of course.

1 minute ago, rbslos18 said:

I’m not sure this is correct. The highest vaccination rate in the world is Israel. They have found nearly 50% of the people infected with the Delta variant are vaccinated.

https://apple.news/AVm3BQ02xSaalQmPhAkb57A

In no way is this a comment about the risk of getting infected (Delta or otherwise) once vaccinated. It is just a basic statistics principle. ALL tests have a sensitivity and specificity. The likelihood of a false positive increases as the prevalence of the disease decreases. The lower the prevalence the more likely that a positive test is a false positive. This applies to literally any test for a disease.