SempreMare

Hi Peregrina, sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. I have been listening each Friday to the twiv podcast this week in virology From doctors epidemiologists in New York City actively treating patients. You can find this in your favorite podcast player. Last Friday’s update number 120 with Dr. Daniel Griffin They emphasize that paxlovid should begin to be taken immediately upon testing positive / showing symptoms. In the June 24 podcast, they talked about the latest data Supporting this, especially in high-risk age groups and people They said there is something like a five day window when Pax Lovid can be effective after the person shows symptoms If this were my sister-in-law I would ask her doctor to show me the data supporting kidney related aspects. I would say, “the time clock on effectiveness is five days. Five days to begin paxlovid upon first showing symptoms. Please respond today if it all possible” In an earlier episode Dr. Griffin described how doctors are saying no to patients but there Is plenty to go around in inventory. My doctor told me that it would be a good idea to Bring it with me on next vacation in case I can’t get a hold of it while away Please listen to the episode first hand. They focus on what actions the hard data supports

Am trying to visualize the "critical moments" on this British Isles Explorer trip carefully. (am healing from hot air balloon crash landing --> torn rotator cuff --> surgery --> now in this sling...) In general, mobility is good besides left shoulder. Hit > 16,000 steps on Kings Day in Holland. But still, at the moment, I feel a lot less stable now. Tender ports shown with the red anchors on Page 3, Guest Statement include: London (Greenwich) The Highlands (Ullapool) Orkney Islands (Kirkwall) Edinburgh (Newhaven Habour) On my first and only cruise so far, Holland America to Alaska, I don't think we had any tender ports. So am not sure what to expect... I searched for Viking Tendering process on YouTube. Closest hit was a video about Princess. Any advise on how to be safe while tendering at these ports? I don't recall reading anywhere that Viking gives priority access to tendering occurs based on room category, correct? (Or if they do, it's not publicized.)

Darn. No Saturday evening Dublin hijinx. By a vote, 3 online sources say Sun 6:00pm Dublin departure. Only my Guest Statement PDF says Sat 11:00pm Dublin departure. Related rant: It still makes my brain explode that I can't download that !@#$ Guest Statement PDF on demand in MyVikingJourney. What is Viking's logic in making that PDF hard to retrieve? @Heidi13, I knew you'd have a sneaky way to check ! OK, fess up, what link are you checking? Google shows a ton of sites contain this info. They all look spammy with 1,000,000 ads.

Many thanks for all your detail @Heidi13 Some context for this question: I've gone from begin dis-interested in cruising to being an avid fan based on how awesome viewing the Alaska coastline was from my first cruise. My first and only cruise so far was Aug 2019 to Seward to Vancouver on Holland America in a Neptune Suite. I was so intoxicated by simply watching the coastline change from Seward to Vancouver that I literally missed dinners and went to bed hungry. The coastline stayed visible for so long into the night that I didn't want to miss any of the awesome views just for a meal. I eventually became wise to the deadlines for ordering room service. The Neptune Suite desk was perfectly situated up against the window to see the coast roll by. Even though by most anyone else's standard's here in this forum it would not be "Scenic viewing", I'll probably be jumping up and down excited just by seeing the crowded ships go by. 🙂 I've copied and pasted your notes into my cruise doc for that day.

I was planning a Saturday late afternoon /evening in Dublin since my guest statement sent to me this week by my travel advisor shows port departure time was listed at 11 PM. However, My Viking journey online calendar + public website itinerary shows Dublin on Sunday with a port departure of at 6 PM For planning purposes, should I trust the online calendar or the statement PDF? Direction of this British Isles explore is London to Bergen. Is Viking reversing the order of ports Holyhead and Dublin common?

Thank you all!! Odd that searching did not show that thread. Ah - i see why. Since my arm left arm is fully immobilized in a sling, I'm using dictation, or one hand plus Breevy, a text expander I must have searched with the full words penthouse junior suite instead of the acronym. Yep... In any event, as someone extra fire paranoid I'm happy to hear about the extra fire protection on the side of the room.

Penthouse Junior Suite 7000 questions Is there a door next to this room that connects to the Explorer's lounge? Any issues with noise in this location? https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-mars.html

Any guesses as to 1) Which would be the most scenic times during English channel cruising day? 2) What location on the Viking Mars would be good for viewing beyond the room's balcony? Details: Thursday: Depart Dover at 6 PM Friday: "Scenic Cruising: English Channel" Saturday; Arrive Dublin 8 AM Viking Mars in mid-September Penthouse Junior Suite 7000 port (left) side. Looks like it will be facing France's coast line after leaving Dover. First Viking cruise

Done: called viking air, Signed up for air plus and the deviation Light scene booked. I did get one competitive bid but Viking could beat it by a little. Plus, having read @Heidi13 Post tipped it in that favor as well. Many thanks.

Thank you @Heidi13 THAT Pdf is where i saw the level of detail needed for planning / deciding Do I cancel viking air or Book my own Odd the online calendar has so much less information. I wish I could access the latest version of that PDF online without going through my travel advisor. I would probably remember the FAQ better but right now, post hot air balloon crash landing post fully torn rotator cuff repair surgery, arm and shoulder immobilized, it feels like someone is standing over my shoulder injecting a needle directly into my shoulder bone. I'm just trying to not make a colossal mistake.

darn At the time I booked, I did not know about air PLUS, and my travel agent did not mention it. now they are on vacation How do you work with your TA when they are on vacation? Does their parent company staff take over or? This makes me wish I booked directly with Viking and did not use a TA.

If I used a travel agent, I need to go through that travel agent correct? Instead of calling Viking air directly?

When I tap on “ calendar “ in My Viking journey, Day 2 London (Greenwich) clearly shows departure at 4 PM. however, nowhere on either Day 1 London (Greenwich) or Day 2 London (Greenwich) Is embarkation ever mentioned. So odd. How would someone know that they could embark on day one instead of the day of departure? Will it appear on my calendar at some point in the future?

Has this happened to anyone else: I purchased an extension to a cruise, British Isles explorer. My return flight looks like it's scheduled to start on the same day as Day 4 of my extension. I can't believe Viking would make this mistake given people buy cruise extensions all the time and viking books air all the time. Right? --------------- <-- return flight starts on day 4 instead of day 5 Day 4 - Oslo. This morning, join a guided tour of the city’s highlights. You will see the Akershus Fortress, which has guarded the harbor for centuries; the Royal Palace, home to the beloved Norwegian royal family; the Parliament; and the National Theater. You will also visit the Viking Ship Museum, featuring the best-preserved Viking ships in the world along with many artifacts that were in use more than 1,200 years ago. This evening, enjoy dinner at your leisure. (B) Day 5 - Oslo Check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)

How long before the cruise could I have viking air refunded with no penalty?

hi there Firsts Viking cruise - British Isles Explorer Which date and time is embarkation & which date is Sail away? ( see pic below) Are those always the same day on Viking cruises? Trying to figure out what day I should schedule check out from my hotel. If the Viking cruise includes hotel the night before, ( I thought it did) where would I see that? I booked this eons ago and I’m recovering from a painful rotator cuff repair surgery so do not remember…

Thank you @Babr

Update: I did use my Chase Sapphire Reserve to book the trip. Anyone happen to know if they'd cover the co-pays?

Darn...

@GeezerCouple ! Gah! My apologies - I 100% should have included you in original list. I added names from a single thread that I read a lot, and now can't edit you in to above list. You have written so many helpful replies. >> FIrst, I'm glad you are basically "OKAY", even if not fully intact. YES. Balloon ride was surprisingly quiet and felt wind-less when at the highest points. Stunning beauty and serenity. Will do as you suggest re: extra help. Definitely will be needed. 4 family have died in past 2 years + 1 local dear friend while helping a disabled motorist. Friend's death was actually the most difficult to take. I thought I was being punked when I received The Call. Then in Q4 last year: Routine mammogram --> call back imaging --> stereotactic breast biopsy --> bilateral mastectomy. Sutured each side from sternum to behind shoulder. Chose "aesthetic flat closure". Recovery: any twisting motion felt like I was being stabbed repeatedly. Random bees sting feelings for months. I told my surgeon, "Hey, great job with the incision, but why did you inject bumble bees into my thoracic cavity before closure?" Net: I now know I can handle lots of physical pain. The breast surgeon was adamantly against prescribing narcotics. Instead, she prescribed 2 Tylenol then 2 Advil every 8 hours. On my long term ToDo list: Start rebuilding my life. Start playing the lottery. (Kidding. Mostly kidding.) re: Size Before I left I purchased Old Navy men's Medium long sleeve shirts that fit well as extra warmth layer for the 50-ish degree April Holland weather. Yes, I am femalle. But Old Navy men's long sleeve shirts create a wonderfully soft extra layer + the longer sleeves to roll down and help keep hands warm when needed. Nurse said to find a a top 2 sizes larger so I just ordered this arriving tomorrow in XL after looking at what you linked.

Purchased GeoBlue Trekker Choice policy thanks to becoming aware of the importance of trip insurance via this forum Extra thanks to @Hlitner @erdoran @Jersey42 @AlanF65 and the Trip Insurance Store professionals - the articulate, thorough, and thoughtful brainiac, Steve Dasseos @iamtrustworthy, and awesome team Kim and Deanna. They answered a couple remaining questions and made the purchase easy. — Trip recap Holland in April - amazing. Tulips + land - stunning. King's Day - fun! Dutch people - so kind. The Dutch seem innately happy. Then… final adventure before leaving: One breathtaking balloon ride. Balloon ride crash landed. Shoulder motion --> pain. Hoped it would be temporary. Could not put airplane carry-on in overhead without help. Xray - nothing broken. Yay! Maybe it will just heal? Lots of shoulder pain still. Range of motion limited. Scheduled MRI. — MRI findings Torn rotator cuff. “IMPRESSION: Full-thickness rotator cuff tear of the conjoined tendon junction of the supraspinatus / infraspinatus tendons at the footplate attachment without retraction or muscle atrophy. Moderate degenerative arthrosis of the AC joint. Fluid in the subacromial-subdeltoid bursa in keeping with a full-thickness rotator cuff tear. Increased signal intensity at the posterior/superior labral junction suggesting degenerative tearing.” — Surgery next Friday. Procedures listed on the surgery sheet: LEFT SHOULDER A/S RTC REPAIR, SAD, DCE, BT" Asked the surgical coordinator what each acronym meant. She wrote: Rotator Cuff Repair (RCR) Subacromial Decompression (SAD) Distal Clavicle Excision (DCE) Biceps Tenodesis (BT) — Yesterday Just received all the phone calls about the co-pays. Wow. Huge surgery center co-pay. --- Phone call w/ nurse re: What to expect after surgery: 6 weeks - in a shoulder immobilizer “Ultra-Sling by DonJoy”. "...so you must keep you elbow near your ribs." Https://www.djoglobal.com/products/donjoy/ultrasling-pro 12 weeks - in something else I didn’t write down. I stopped thinking clearly after seeing that sling. Can’t visualize getting dressed successfully. Thoughts of 6 weeks in same tee-shirt. Trying to breathe deeply, think calmly. --- Next Call GeoBlue Trekker Choice on Monday. I remember the advice: "keep all your paperwork". Request: Could you please be psychic and share the insights you know or have already said here? Especially what I'm forgetting in the fog of pain and feeling overwhelmed? Need to start receipt tracking. So many channels for receipts. Online only. Paper only. etc Most efficient way to deal with receipts? Started critical ToDo list to prepare for life with 1 arm for a long while. Time needed to complete list is now > than available minutes ( now - next Friday at 6:00 am) --- if you'd rather email me than reply here my public CruiseCritic gmail prefix is: TravelInsuranceCompared @ gmail.com Created that eons ago when I had grand plans to create a matrix of insurances vs features to ask CC'ers to add to it. I verified I can still access it. Instead, I just read this forum thoroughly. Matrix became unnecessary for a decision after asking Steve D. my questions. If I don't personally reply to your email please ping me here in a reply.