All Ocean Victory Alaska 2022 Cruises

[Luschei]

A couple of questions:  We are on the next cruise: Sitka to Vancouver, beginning Aug. 8, 2022.

1.Has the salmon to eat on board improved, or is it still farm-raised from the Atlantic?

2.  When landing in Vancouver, did you need another Covid test, or did the Ocean Victory folks have a list to give to ArriveCAN of those that tested positive on board?  How much time did it take to get back into Canada and make it to your gate for your flight home?

3.  Upon arriving in Vancouver, should we just catch a cab from the ship to the airport, or pay AQ to get us back to the airport; which takes less time?

[donaldsc]

27 minutes ago, Luschei said:

A couple of questions:  We are on the next cruise: Sitka to Vancouver, beginning Aug. 8, 2022.

1.Has the salmon to eat on board improved, or is it still farm-raised from the Atlantic?

2.  When landing in Vancouver, did you need another Covid test, or did the Ocean Victory folks have a list to give to ArriveCAN of those that tested positive on board?  How much time did it take to get back into Canada and make it to your gate for your flight home?

 

From the time we got off the ship until we were on the streets of Vancouver it took us maybe 20 minutes.  We did not need another Covid test to get into Canada,   I don't know how they handled the people who were positive because we were not tested on board and we were not positive.

 

I can't tell you what the total time from ship to airport gate was as we got on a bus at Canada Place which took us to Seatac and we flew out of Seatac.

 

27 minutes ago, Luschei said:

3.  Upon arriving in Vancouver, should we just catch a cab from the ship to the airport, or pay AQ to get us back to the airport; which takes less time?

 

I don't see why getting to the airport w an AQ transfer should take less time than taking a cab.  

 

DON

[NavyVeteran]

1 hour ago, Luschei said:

3.  Upon arriving in Vancouver, should we just catch a cab from the ship to the airport, or pay AQ to get us back to the airport; which takes less time?

We took the AQ transfer to Vancouver airport. A taxi would have been much quicker.

 

This is one time when the large ships do a better job. On a large ship, they have many buses to the airport. As soon as one fills, it leaves. AQ appeared to have only one. They checked the passenger list and waited for late passengers before leaving. This delayed us.

 

Also AQ used the same bus for transfer to the airport and transfer to the post-cruise hotel. They normally would go to the hotel first and then to the airport, further delaying the airport arrival. On our trip, they only had one couple going to the hotel and the bus was an hour late leaving - with some people looking at missing their flights. Because of that, they went to the airport first. This left the couple going to the hotel with a long ride. With only one couple going to the hotel, they should have paid for a taxi to take them.

[Luschei]

Anyone know anything about the salmon on board being ALASKAN SALMON?

[adstz]

For those who haven't sailed yet (like me) there are some great videos on YouTube. The one I really enjoyed and found very informative is this one. Enjoy!

 

[JAT0303]

On 7/31/2022 at 5:15 PM, donaldsc said:

There were not any wet landings.  We wore them so that our feet would not get wet if any water splashed on our shoes in the zodiacs.  In reality there was no water on any of the zodiac trips that we took so we really did not need the muck boots.  Some people just wore hiking shoes (shoes - not boots) which I assume were waterproof.

 

As far as clothing we had very warm weather on our cruise so we certainly did not winter clothing.  I thought that they went a bit overboard on the clothing list but as I said our weather was not normal.  

 

I have gone on a number of expedition trips of this type and this one was one of the best.  The ship is wonderful and the expedition staff was superb.

 

Couple of additional thoughts.

 

1) Food was good but not great.  If you are into lobster, this is one of the things that you can get every night.  On a number of my meals I ordered one of the mains with 1 or 2 lobsters as a side dish.

 

2) They supply enough binoculars for everyone and they will check them out so you have them in your cabin.  They are pretty good Nikon binocs and not the $19.95 Walmart binocs that most ships have.  I brought mine but I really did not need to have done it.  They even have spotting scopes on board although the tripods that they are on are pretty bad.

 

3) If she is still on board, Olga is a wonderful bartender.  The is from the Ukraine and she was planning to go back home so she might not be there any more.  She makes one of the best bloody marys I have ever had.  If you like bloody mary drinks and she is still there don't let anyone but her make them for you.  Bet you thought that you would not get a bartender recommendation on CC.

 

4) You have not said if you have done any of the  AQV Mississippi riverboat cruises.   A number of the people on board had done AQV riverboat cruises and they were expecting the same type of cruise and the same ambiance as the riverboats.  The Ocean Victory is a great expedition ship and I have been on a bunch of them but it is not a riverboat.

 

Hope that this helps.  If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

DON

Thanks so much for the information!  We haven't done any AQV cruises, just a Silversea Expedition in the Galapagos.  We have however, gone to Alaska many times on a cruise ship but not an expedition cruise.  I am constantly working on reducing the things I take on a cruise so your information was very helpful and I will leave my binoculars home :).

[rljan]

We received our cruise docs for our September cruise on Oceania.  Still waiting for our cruise docs from AQV for our cruise next week. 

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, rljan said:

We received our cruise docs for our September cruise on Oceania.  Still waiting for our cruise docs from AQV for our cruise next week. 

 

On our cruise the docs came very close to the cruise date.  However I would call them and ask about the documents.

 

DON

[Babcia7]

We leave for our pre-cruise trip on Sunday and still haven't received travel docs from AQ.  We were told we would get them electronically. We did get an email with a printable copy of the AQ luggage tag, which we were instructed to print out and somehow attach to our luggage.  We're spending thousands of dollars for this trip, and the company couldn't sent luggage tags?!? I sure hope the experience on the boat far exceeds the pre-trip woes!

 

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, Babcia7 said:

We leave for our pre-cruise trip on Sunday and still haven't received travel docs from AQ.  We were told we would get them electronically. We did get an email with a printable copy of the AQ luggage tag, which we were instructed to print out and somehow attach to our luggage.  We're spending thousands of dollars for this trip, and the company couldn't sent luggage tags?!? I sure hope the experience on the boat far exceeds the pre-trip woes!

 

 

I agree that AQV does have a problem with their back office.  However they have been responsive when I have called them w questions.  Also your problem w the luggage tags is a bit of an over reaction.  You print them out at home and cut them out.  When you get to the cruise hotel you go to the front desk and ask to borrow their staple or some tape and attach them to your luggage.  Really easy.

 

DON

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I agree that AQV does have a problem with their back office.  However they have been responsive when I have called them w questions.  Also your problem w the luggage tags is a bit of an over reaction.  You print them out at home and cut them out.  When you get to the cruise hotel you go to the front desk and ask to borrow their staple or some tape and attach them to your luggage.  Really easy.

 

DON

Or you buy luggage tag holders from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=luggage+tags+for+cruise+ships&crid=3MHBZA2PNW91P&sprefix=luggage+tag%2Caps%2C303&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_11

[Babcia7]

Thanks! Finally received all travel docs electronically yesterday. Also, was told that luggage tags would be available at the pre-cruise hotel. Leaving Sunday for what we hope will be a wonderful adventure!

[Missouri travel girl]

Just back yesterday and sadly no Olga😔. Loved the staff, expeditions were great and the teams.  First time kayaking on the ocean was awesome!  Being in the zodiac that close to a glacier, seeing the stellar sea lions, orcas and humpbacks! Had a great humpback group bubble feeding on our last night and they slowed and circled for a while so everyone could see them.  We used the frog togs they have onboard for zodiac and kayaking. I actually bought a pair of extra tuff boots in Ketchikan and I love them, plus I will use them here in Missouri.  If you already own water proof pants or jackets I’m sure they will work better, but I just wore theirs over my jeans and over my parka and I was never cold or wet. We had rain, so the waterfalls were running full force and so beautiful.  
Don told us about the one bag of laundry and it is a big bag free of charge one time during the cruise. They say in the “brochure” they have irons and ironing boards on board to use, they were shocked when I asked. Not the crews fault, lack of communication from AQV. But they have pressing service and it worked great!  If all of your electronic devices are fairly new you should be fine. I know for sure there were several fried curling irons. I asked before using mine and they told me it would not work. My cpap machine and phone charger worked just fine.  I’ll be very happy to answer any questions. I was concerned about a few things and Don and Navy Veteran were great. You will love it.

[NavyVeteran]

30 minutes ago, Missouri travel girl said:

If all of your electronic devices are fairly new you should be fine. I know for sure there were several fried curling irons. I asked before using mine and they told me it would not work. My cpap machine and phone charger worked just fine.

Most electronic devices, such as phone and camera chargers and CPAP machines, are dual voltage. However, many heating devices, such as curling irons and immersion water heaters, are not. If you plug a 120v device into a 220v outlet, it will fry. You really need to check the specific device.

[Missouri travel girl]

I knew you could explain it better. Thank you. 

[Babcia7]

15 hours ago, Missouri travel girl said:

Just back yesterday and sadly no Olga😔. Loved the staff, expeditions were great and the teams.  First time kayaking on the ocean was awesome!  Being in the zodiac that close to a glacier, seeing the stellar sea lions, orcas and humpbacks! Had a great humpback group bubble feeding on our last night and they slowed and circled for a while so everyone could see them.  We used the frog togs they have onboard for zodiac and kayaking. I actually bought a pair of extra tuff boots in Ketchikan and I love them, plus I will use them here in Missouri.  If you already own water proof pants or jackets I’m sure they will work better, but I just wore theirs over my jeans and over my parka and I was never cold or wet. We had rain, so the waterfalls were running full force and so beautiful.  
Don told us about the one bag of laundry and it is a big bag free of charge one time during the cruise. They say in the “brochure” they have irons and ironing boards on board to use, they were shocked when I asked. Not the crews fault, lack of communication from AQV. But they have pressing service and it worked great!  If all of your electronic devices are fairly new you should be fine. I know for sure there were several fried curling irons. I asked before using mine and they told me it would not work. My cpap machine and phone charger worked just fine.  I’ll be very happy to answer any questions. I was concerned about a few things and Don and Navy Veteran were great. You will love it.

Thank you for your comments! We'll be on the ship next Saturday after a few days on the Rocky Mountaineer. So glad to hear that you had a wonderful time. 

[Babcia7]

Also, glad you confirmed what Don told us about the laundry, since we will be traveling for 6 days before the cruise!

A question:  Did people change out of their day clothes for evening/dinner? I'm not packing anything fancy, but I thought I'd want to change out of jeans for dinner.

Was the top deck restaurant/bar ever opened during your cruise?

[adstz]

Leaving home on Friday to join the Ocean Victory group at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. As of this morning I hadn't heard anything - no travel docs, no luggage tags. Called AQV this morning and they said the emails with the information are going out "starting today". I will check with my travel agent tomorrow if I don't hear from her before then.

Just an FYI for those boarding on Saturday August 20 as I am.

[rljan]

We got our docs today.  We’ll see you at the Hyatt. 😊

[adstz]

For those who care - no need to change for dinner.  All meals are come as you are (except swimsuits)

Here was our schedule for the first full day.

So far very calm seas and decent weather.  Saw some whales and Dahl dolphins.

[craftygrandma]

What hotel was used in Sitka?

 

[adstz]

1 hour ago, craftygrandma said:

What hotel was used in Sitka?

 

We chose to fly home when we got off the ship. If you look at the excursions you will see their preferred hotels as they are listed.

In Vancouver the pre cruise hotel was Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Very nice and only a few blocks from Canada Place. Our only complaint was that it is in the financial district so most restaurants were closed. The only ones open were very expensive.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, craftygrandma said:

What hotel was used in Sitka?

 

 

As a general statement I called AQ whenever I had questions about my cruise.  Hold times were very short and they were very responsive.

 

DON

[adstz]

On 8/13/2022 at 5:26 AM, Babcia7 said:

Also, glad you confirmed what Don told us about the laundry, since we will be traveling for 6 days before the cruise!

A question:  Did people change out of their day clothes for evening/dinner? I'm not packing anything fancy, but I thought I'd want to change out of jeans for dinner.

Was the top deck restaurant/bar ever opened during your cruise?

1) Free large-ish bag of laundry done midway thru cruise. They hang your shirts and pants but some of my things were quite wrinkled.

2) Clothes for dinner were all over the place. Shorts and t-shirts with running shoes all the way to some women with very nice almost cocktail outfits. They tell you the first day that you do not need to change. It's not that type of cruise.

3) There is a buffet on deck 8 (top) that is open for breakfast and lunch only. We ate there twice but it was usually too noisy for us. Lots of hard surfaces so the conversations and moving chairs create quite a racket.

There is also a bar on deck 8 forward with wonderful views. Bar opened some time in the afternoon and stayed open in the evening. There were servers who would come around even when the bar wasn't open and take your drink order. I spent lots of down time up there just taking in Alaska in all its glory.

[Gumpy1]

We are booked for the June 16-27 2023 cruise  Vancouver to Sitka.

I’m looking into flights  now. Can anyone tell me what time you actually disembark in Sitka?

There is an Alaska Air flight at 10:45  Sitka to Seattle and than onto SF. This morning flight is the most convenient.

I was told to book flights after 1:00.The next flight is 7:28 pm with double connections. UGH or stay over night in Sitka and take the 7:00am .

Should I just book the 10:45am flight and hope there will be no delays ?

thanks

Ronni