Roz

Merci beaucoup, @econprofessor.

The last few years I've found the Gala Night menus to be rather uninspired. If I were you I would just keep the specialty restaurant reservations.

I don't understand the 5 day quarantine on the ship and then 10 days on land. Isn't that excessive? At work we only have to stay home for 5 days after testing positive.

I've had a frustrating morning. I'm trying to figure out how to deal with ArriveCAN for my upcoming cruise. I tried to set up an account but didn't have a scanned copy of my vax card to upload. I assumed I could go back in and finish the application but when I tried that, it recognized that I had signed up, but indicated I hadn't entered any traveler information. Groan... I guess you need to have the details of your trip lined up with documents at the ready to upload. Not sure if I need a negative Covid test or not. It looks like I have to submit an ArriveCAN application before I fly into Vancouver and then again when I get there so I can get on the ship the next day. I don't know how this keeps anyone from contracting or spreading Covid.

@terrydtx, I hope you get this all sorted out and can get out of there and back home. Ugh! What a disaster. Not how you wanted to end your cruise. Thank you for taking the time to report your experience.

I wonder if there's statistical evidence that all this administrative hoopla is keeping me from contracting Covid or spreading it? In other words, is the time, money, and effort spent producing the desired results?

You've got to be kidding me! Why??? Wouldn't the Canadian gov't. have the record of me entering Canada the day before? What's going to change? My flight gets in at 11:45 pm and I'll be boarding the ship about 12 hrs. later.

@TFree, hi Tom & Judy! Interesting that my changed flight is also on British Airways. Going over to Amsterdam I'm on American Airlines but coming back from Brussels I'm on BA. With changing airline schedules and Covid requirements, it's a lot to take in and keep track of.

@Lido deck main, thank you very much, your post gave me a lot of useful information.

@DaveOKC and @Ferry_Watcher, that's good to know about Seattle Express. Glad they survived the cruising shutdown.

I don't know if they're still in business, but I've used a company called Seattle Express. They pickedup at certain hotels. I used them when we stayed at the Doubletree at Seatac. I don't know of any downtown Seattle hotels that provide transportation to the pier.

@0106, I've looked at the document several times and that's what has me confused. My cruise (Noordam, Oct. 2 from Vancouver, Pacific Coastal) isn't the enhanced list, but page 2, as @DaveOKC quoted, says this for Canada: TESTING: All guests aged 5 and older are required to take either a PCR COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to embarkation or a medically observed antigen COVID-19 test within 2 days of embarkation. Where does that put me? Used to be cruising was an easy form of travel. Not anymore.

The Enhanced Protocals for Canada on the HAL website say 72 hours. Some cruises are 72 hours and some are 3 days. There are country imposed requirements and cruise line requirements.

Sorry to keep posting but I'm a nervous wreck trying to figure everything out. Turns out my Oct. 2 Noordam sailing isn't on the Enhanced Protocol list, but on the next page it shows Enhanced Protocols for Canada and requires testing. Where does that leave me?

I arrive in Vancouver on Oct. 1 and sail on Oct. 2. Is the testing requirement a HAL rule or Canadian Gov't. rule? Do I time the test based on arrival in Canada or ship embarkation? Do I need test results to fill out the ArriveCAN application?

Now I'm totally confused. 😁 I went back on the HAL website and looked at my specific cruise from Vancouver on Oct. 2 and it looks like I need to be vaccinated with a booster and also have a negative test. Does anyone besides me have trouble keeping up with the ever changing Covid requirements of various cruise lines and countries? Not to mention monitoring changing flights schedules. I have 3 cruises in the next 6 months and everything has to fall into perfect place starting 3 days ahead of embarkation. One misstep and everything falls apart.

Has this been discussed? I saw it on HAL' s website. If I understand it correctly, essentially testing requirements are gone and unvaxed passengers may sail. Unvaxed passengers still have to present a negative test. Simplified Cruising We have relaxed our global protocols and travel requirements. *Starting on Sept. 6, 2022, all travelers are invited to cruise with us, regardless of vaccination status. Vaccinations are not required on most voyages. Vaccinated guests will no longer have to test before boarding and only need to show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated guests are welcome aboard with a self-administered COVID-19 test taken within 3 days of embarkation. Some voyages require Enhanced Protocols. Before you cruise, check our Enhanced Protocols PDF to find out if if your voyage requires additional health regulation requirements. If your voyage is not included on the Enhanced Protocols PDF, you can learn more about guidelines specific to your destination here.

For future reference, go to your booking, click on Cruise Activities, then Book Packages & Gifts, and finally Shipboard Credit. Pay with gift card.

@Vict0riann, the OBC is under "Gifts" where you can pre-purchase booze, flowers, etc. for yourself or others.

I have 2 ocean cruises and 1 river cruise booked over the next 6 months, all involving international flights. I've gotten in the habit of checking my flights weekly on the airline websites. Last night I was checking the flights for my Tauck river cruise and discovered my flight home from Brussels at the end of the cruise had been changed from 10:30 am to 6:40 am. Yikes! 😲 I hate those early morning flights where you need to get up at 2 am and have your bags out at 2:30 am so you can leave on the transfer van by 3 am. After a nice, enjoyable vacation you arrive home feeling like a pile of doo doo. I called Tauck's air dept. this morning and talked with a very nice lady who confirmed that the change occurred yesterday. They weren't able to notify me because they were busy dealing with the Lufthansa strike. I told her there was no need to apologize, I just wanted to confirm the correct flight information. She checked to see if something was available later, but it would mean I would only have 1 hr. and 10 min. at Heathrow to change planes and that wasn't going to work. While she was in my acct. she made the flight changes and sent them to my TA who forwarded them to me, so now I have something in writing from the cruise line.

@LadyBerard, you're welcome. I ended up using the $53 for $50 of onboard credit and I'll just deal with the remaining $3 when I get on board.

Don't give HAL any ideas. 🤣

Found this in the very fine print: "Travel Planning items are purchased in the currency of your original booking. Gift cards cannot be applied towards Travel Planning items." Underlining is mine. That explains it.

I looked at purchasing onboard credit, but then thought it would be a wash, other than not having to stand in line to have it applied and it taking so long for them to process the transaction. I wonder why it wouldn't let me do that? I tried 3 times.

I may be in the minority, but I like Dutch Night. Bami Goreng - so delicious!