Any Canadian Cruising???....doing alot of dreaming

[Kelownabccan]

My wife and I sure want to cruise again and have booked then cancelled a couple as the border remains closed....no driving....we can fly with so much hassle it is hardly worth the effort and the extra stress.....any tips for a west coast couple....have lots of FCC's from Princess and HAL from cruises that were stopped early in the COVID years.....this seem to be going on and on and on.....both luckily have the same dose....lucky us....who would have known...

 

Tips for Canadian please....lol......

[ceilidh1]

I feel your pain! Right now it feels like way too much hassle just to get on a ship, so we are also pushing any dreams of cruising off to next year. I also have a 10 year old that obviously can't be vaxxed yet, so that rules out many cruise lines. Though the rest of us are fully vaxxed, we waited the required 7 weeks between doses, so that also rules out some lines - thankfully, we got the same vaccines and no AZ....I have to admit, it is pure torture following along on all those that are sailing right now - I don't know why I continue to put myself through it. Lol.

[Mud_Shark]

Final Payment for our first of 2 November 2021 cruises is due tomorrow (Sunday).  We made final payment on this cruise, along with another which occurs 4 days after the first one finishes up.  Lots of thinking and rethinking.  We (I) really want to cruise.  DW is not as enthusiastic in this environment of uncertainty.  Will we need to get tested prior to each cruise?  Cost?  Location? Timing?  Will we need to get tested to return to Canada?  Can we get insurance?  Will another COVID variant dominate the field in November?  Too many uncertainties to make me feel comfortable about this cruise, but we will hold on and hope.... for now.

 

p.s. we are vaccinated with Pfizer/Moderna which I have read is acceptable under the Princess Policy.

 

Don

[Kelownabccan]

Yep....too much unknown to really plan anything....reading with interest the new ones to Alaska out of Seattle.....love the menus and trying to decide what we would have...lol......and now having to wear a mask in some of the ports....and in some cases on the ship....what a bummer.....so we just watch, read and wait.....

 

 

[caribill]

5 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

Final Payment for our first of 2 November 2021 cruises is due tomorrow (Sunday).  We made final payment on this cruise, along with another which occurs 4 days after the first one finishes up.  Lots of thinking and rethinking.  We (I) really want to cruise.  DW is not as enthusiastic in this environment of uncertainty.  Will we need to get tested prior to each cruise?  Cost?  Location? Timing?  Will we need to get tested to return to Canada?  Can we get insurance?  Will another COVID variant dominate the field in November?  Don

 

If you do, Princess will provide the test at no charge before the end of the cruise.

[Steelers36]

14 hours ago, Kelownabccan said:

My wife and I sure want to cruise again and have booked then cancelled a couple as the border remains closed....no driving....we can fly with so much hassle it is hardly worth the effort and the extra stress.....any tips for a west coast couple....have lots of FCC's from Princess and HAL from cruises that were stopped early in the COVID years.....this seem to be going on and on and on.....both luckily have the same dose....lucky us....who would have known...

 

Tips for Canadian please....lol......

Getting a test to fly isn't the barrier AFAIAC.  It's all the restrictions and mask-wearing that makes me wait for a better day.  Not looking to cruise until 2022.  But we'll be returning to FL again this Winter.  And I do not expect to have to ship the vehicle on a truck this year.

[Kelownabccan]

Looks like lots of us in the same "boat"...lol......keep looking at the ones out of LA and San Diego....they are usually so easy to get to and go on but not yet.....had one on HAL booked for early Nov out of SAN but cancelled as had to do full payment....was not going to do that as still tooooooo many unknowns....oh well can read the blogs and dream..

 

and the testing...need one to leave Canada, and another one to get back in, one to get on the ship....wow.....and it seems no getting off the ship and catching a flight right back to Canada....how do you get a test and then get on the plane all within a few hours....very complicated....

[Lady Arwen]

We cancelled all for 2021 and booked two on Enchanted Princess for 2022, one in the spring and a TA in the fall.  We’ll see how that goes before we even look at others.  We have the wrong mix of vaccines, so not sure how that will work out.  Hoping to get a third dose, but who knows.  So much uncertainty right now!

[ciana]

We are suppose to cruise in Jan 2022 but it's not looking good for that cruise to go ahead as it is from Capetown. Saw an interview on CBC yesterday with Martin Firestone re: insurance. He says Canadians will not have any medical insurance coverage as our Government still has a ban against non-essential travel and a ban on all cruising. As long as it's in place no insurance company will pay for any issues arising from covid. I checked with ours about our cancellation insurance if we make the final payment -- they told me no we would not be covered. Another set-back! We will probably be home this winter -- no way we will go without insurance! *sigh*  I will keep watching and hoping for things to improve!

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, ciana said:

We are suppose to cruise in Jan 2022 but it's not looking good for that cruise to go ahead as it is from Capetown. Saw an interview on CBC yesterday with Martin Firestone re: insurance. He says Canadians will not have any medical insurance coverage as our Government still has a ban against non-essential travel and a ban on all cruising. As long as it's in place no insurance company will pay for any issues arising from covid. I checked with ours about our cancellation insurance if we make the final payment -- they told me no we would not be covered. Another set-back! We will probably be home this winter -- no way we will go without insurance! *sigh*  I will keep watching and hoping for things to improve!

There are insurances that will cover Covid-19 illness.  What you may not get covered is trip interruption or cancel for that reason.  There is no "ban" on travel.  People are leaving the country and returning every day.  Trust the vaccine.  Do your own research.  We have had too much of the scare tactics.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Kelownabccan said:

Looks like lots of us in the same "boat"...lol......keep looking at the ones out of LA and San Diego....they are usually so easy to get to and go on but not yet.....had one on HAL booked for early Nov out of SAN but cancelled as had to do full payment....was not going to do that as still tooooooo many unknowns....oh well can read the blogs and dream..

 

and the testing...need one to leave Canada, and another one to get back in, one to get on the ship....wow.....and it seems no getting off the ship and catching a flight right back to Canada....how do you get a test and then get on the plane all within a few hours....very complicated....

Unless you are traveling to the ship well ahead of time, your test to fly can be used for Princess check-in as long as within the 3-day timeframe.  Princess will administer the test on-board for your flight home at the appropriate time to both qualify and get you a timely result.

 

[ciana]

I agree that everyone needs to determine their own level of comfort with travel. Insurance is just one of the considerations that people might wish to take into account. I personally would make sure I knew what coverage I had or didn't have with the current Canada Travel Advisory.

1. Canada.ca
2. Travel
3. Travel abroad

Official Global Travel Advisories

• Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice
• Avoid all cruise ship travel outside Canada until further notice

[ceilidh1]

46 minutes ago, ciana said:

I agree that everyone needs to determine their own level of comfort with travel. Insurance is just one of the considerations that people might wish to take into account. I personally would make sure I knew what coverage I had or didn't have with the current Canada Travel Advisory.

1. Canada.ca
2. Travel
3. Travel abroad

Official Global Travel Advisories

• Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice
• Avoid all cruise ship travel outside Canada until further notice

As someone that sells travel insurance as well as cruises, I agree 100% with you. Double, triple, quadruple check what you are covered for. Many of the policies I sell do cover Covid-19 BUT the fine print is the bit you want to really take note of. Almost all say that you are not covered if there is a government travel advisory in place. I have no first hand info/knowledge that would say if they would/would not cover you if you chose to cruise and needed to claim...but I, personally, would not risk it just yet.

[Jldevlin]

We just cancelled our Grand Princess cruise out of L A in September    We keep booking hoping we can go and we really thought this one was a go....The mask thing I can live with but the testing is a bit of a problem because we had Vegas booked at the end of the cruise and would have to test there...and then it all just became too much.     We have done a lot of cruises and this one just seemed to have issues from the beginning when we had to do the medallion thing and could not get it to work it started to not be fun anymore...So we will wait a little bit more  

[007colocruz]

45 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

As someone that sells travel insurance as well as cruises, I agree 100% with you. Double, triple, quadruple check what you are covered for. Many of the policies I sell do cover Covid-19 BUT the fine print is the bit you want to really take note of. Almost all say that you are not covered if there is a government travel advisory in place. I have no first hand info/knowledge that would say if they would/would not cover you if you chose to cruise and needed to claim...but I, personally, would not risk it just yet.

Princess website updated Covid info. 

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, 007colocruz said:

Princess website updated Covid info. 

I don't know what that means? Princess insurance?

[Steelers36]

15 minutes ago, 007colocruz said:

Princess website updated Covid info. 

Not sure either what is attempting to be communicated.

[Kelownabccan]

Steelers86.....like your response....but prob still not go...until more details about covid on the ships....sounds like some have it and this color system the cdc has.....hard to follow what really is going on....then there is the insurance ..cover this cover that or no cover....lol

 

Unless you are traveling to the ship well ahead of time, your test to fly can be used for Princess check-in as long as within the 3-day timeframe.  Princess will administer the test on-board for your flight home at the appropriate time to both qualify and get you a timely result.

[dog]

I think this refers to:

 

In thr FAQ: cruise with confidence- there was an update regarding how Princess will handle the situation if you book by Sept 30/21 to sail by Dec. 2021.

I will not repeat it & can't post a link, but have noticed they have been adding to this over the past few days.

Edited August 8, 2021 by dog

[andrewp]

Taking the plunge!  We are booked on the September 12th Majestic from Seattle.  

 

Looking at the testing, mask requirements and insurance requirements, it's going to be a test for sure but we trust the vaccine and both have Pfizer, not mixed.  At some point we have to get back to normal and this is our first shot at it.

 

As long as they don't impose further restrictions that may hamper us, we'll be on the pier on the 12th!

 

Andrew

[Lady Arwen]

13 hours ago, andrewp said:

Taking the plunge!  We are booked on the September 12th Majestic from Seattle.  

 

Looking at the testing, mask requirements and insurance requirements, it's going to be a test for sure but we trust the vaccine and both have Pfizer, not mixed.  At some point we have to get back to normal and this is our first shot at it.

 

As long as they don't impose further restrictions that may hamper us, we'll be on the pier on the 12th!

 

Andrew

Do you have any concerns that Canada is still in the “no non essential travel and no cruises” stage.  We called a few travel insurance companies and none will offer coverage since we were going against our government’s advice on travel outside of Canada.  How did you get around that?  Thank you for any info you can share.  BTW we live close to you in Thornbury!

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Do you have any concerns that Canada is still in the “no non essential travel and no cruises” stage.  We called a few travel insurance companies and none will offer coverage since we were going against our government’s advice on travel outside of Canada.  How did you get around that?  Thank you for any info you can share.  BTW we live close to you in Thornbury!

What coverage are you concerned about?  The answer should not be ZERO coverage - when I last investigated, there might be an exclusion or two. 

 

[andrewp]

5 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Do you have any concerns that Canada is still in the “no non essential travel and no cruises” stage.  We called a few travel insurance companies and none will offer coverage since we were going against our government’s advice on travel outside of Canada.  How did you get around that?  Thank you for any info you can share.  BTW we live close to you in Thornbury!

Have a look at Manulife's coverage here: https://www.coverme.com/content/dam/affinity/coverme/english/documents/coverme-covid-19-pandemic-travel-plan-policy.pdf

 

If you look at page 7 under point 25 you can see that they have an exception for COVID treatment related to a cruise and a statement that if you illness is not related to the advisory (terrorism etc) then the exception does not apply.

 

"Any act of terrorism or any medical condition you suffer or contract when an official travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada states, "Avoid all non-essential travel" regarding the country, region or city of your destination, before your effective date. To view the travel advisories, visit the Government of Canada Travel site. For claims due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), this exclusion does not apply. Exception: Treatment for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and related complications that you suffer or contract while you are on a cruise or any destination included in your cruise itinerary is not covered if you have not received the vaccine. For claims not due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), this exclusion does not apply if your medical condition is unrelated to the travel advisory"

 

Given that we are young, healthy, close to Canada and by all accounts covered for Covid related items, we felt it's safe to proceed.

 

Andrew

 

 

[Lady Arwen]

9 minutes ago, andrewp said:

Have a look at Manulife's coverage here: https://www.coverme.com/content/dam/affinity/coverme/english/documents/coverme-covid-19-pandemic-travel-plan-policy.pdf

 

If you look at page 7 under point 25 you can see that they have an exception for COVID treatment related to a cruise and a statement that if you illness is not related to the advisory (terrorism etc) then the exception does not apply.

 

"Any act of terrorism or any medical condition you suffer or contract when an official travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada states, "Avoid all non-essential travel" regarding the country, region or city of your destination, before your effective date. To view the travel advisories, visit the Government of Canada Travel site. For claims due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), this exclusion does not apply. Exception: Treatment for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and related complications that you suffer or contract while you are on a cruise or any destination included in your cruise itinerary is not covered if you have not received the vaccine. For claims not due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), this exclusion does not apply if your medical condition is unrelated to the travel advisory"

 

Given that we are young, healthy, close to Canada and by all accounts covered for Covid related items, we felt it's safe to proceed.

 

Andrew

 

 

Thanks for your quick reply.  Unfortunately, we are are not young and my DH has a heart condition, which is well controlled by meds.  I would assume that is why we were refused coverage.  I guess we could shop around, but I’m sure it would be extremely expensive side for us.  Since our booked cruises are in 2022, we are hoping for things to change  by then.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise and would love for you to report back to us.

[andrewp]

5 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Thanks for your quick reply.  Unfortunately, we are are not young and my DH has a heart condition, which is well controlled by meds.  I would assume that is why we were refused coverage.  I guess we could shop around, but I’m sure it would be extremely expensive side for us.  Since our booked cruises are in 2022, we are hoping for things to change  by then.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise and would love for you to report back to us.

No problem!  It's not in the best interest of these companies to refuse coverage which is why I think they believe there it's worth offering the COVID coverage.  No one insured = no profit for them!

 

I'd keep looking and talking to them.  Manulife has been very good to us over the years including a couple of claims for fairly minor items that required a hospital visit. 

 

I'll certainly report back on how things went.  My only minor concern right now is that they'll accept the vaccination information that Ontario gives us since it's not really a "passport".  When we get a little closer to the cruise, I plan on reaching out to Princess to make sure they've seen that before an no one is surprised.

 

Andrew