“the Big One”! World Cruise on Sojourn

[purpleally]

3 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

South Africa has mandated that passengers carry their passports. 

 

And because of that unnecessary mandate, passports were stolen 😡

[nancygp]

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

That is horrific. So glad to hear they are ok physically.  They will not soon recover from the experience I am sure.    There is also the hassle of replacing everything.  A reminder take ashore only the money you might need that day.  We're discussing this now.  

 

😢😢😢

 

Nancy

Edited April 24, 2023 by nancygp

[SLSD]

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

South Africa has mandated that passengers carry their passports. 

 

 

5 hours ago, florisdekort said:

 

South Africa has mandated that passengers carry their passports. 

 

I meant that you should not take all the money you had (potentially) in your wallet. I understood that it was mandated that passports be taken.  I've read a bit about passport cards---no African country accepts them.  This is such a frightening situation.  I hope the passengers involved are doing ok this evening.  

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, purpleally said:

And because of that unnecessary mandate, passports were stolen 😡

I would just show the image of my passport on my phone as I have done for a few years now.

All of the information that anyone would need for immigration purposes is there to see when going ashore.

The cruise card has always got me off and on again.

I really can't see who benefits apart from the criminals.

[jeb0816]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:17 AM, florisdekort said:

I’ve spotted one on deck 6, one on deck 7 and one on deck 8… but then again, I haven’t walked decks 4, 9 and 10 yet 🙂
 

Our neighbors were complaining today that their friends are in quarantine “because they made the mistake of asking for cough medicine in the shop”, got sent to the nurse, tested and after a positive result quarantined. I asked what they meant with “mistake” and was told that they themselves would avoid the doctor to avoid quarantine. When I asked “so you’d just go about your day infecting others?” the answer was “Yes, absolutely, it’s time people get over it”. Speechless. Fortunately they’re leaving in Cape Town. 

Seabourn never should have let people board in Seychelles.  With only a 10-day cruise they have no incentive to be considerate, and all these cases have popped up since 70+ have boarded in Seychelles.

 

On 4/21/2023 at 11:17 AM, florisdekort said:

I’ve spotted one on deck 6, one on deck 7 and one on deck 8… but then again, I haven’t walked decks 4, 9 and 10 yet 🙂
 

Our neighbors were complaining today that their friends are in quarantine “because they made the mistake of asking for cough medicine in the shop”, got sent to the nurse, tested and after a positive result quarantined. I asked what they meant with “mistake” and was told that they themselves would avoid the doctor to avoid quarantine. When I asked “so you’d just go about your day infecting others?” the answer was “Yes, absolutely, it’s time people get over it”. Speechless. Fortunately they’re leaving in Cape Town. 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

On 4/24/2023 at 11:30 AM, Mr Luxury said:

I would just show the image of my passport on my phone as I have done for a few years now.

All of the information that anyone would need for immigration purposes is there to see when going ashore.

The cruise card has always got me off and on again.

I really can't see who benefits apart from the criminals.

Since South African government mandates actual passports, if you don’t want to carry yours best remain onboard the ship.

[Mr Luxury]

30 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Since South African government mandates actual passports, if you don’t want to carry yours best remain onboard the ship.

Yes I have said that and would stay on the ship as I often do in ports.

A passport is a very important document.

I travel a lot and wouldn't want to be without it.

[Mycykfamilytime]

On 4/24/2023 at 2:35 PM, nancygp said:

😢😢😢

 

Nancy

Is Shark b8 ok?  Any chance he was on the tour? Haven’t heard from him in a while! 

[highplanesdrifters]

4 hours ago, Mycykfamilytime said:

Is Shark b8 ok?  Any chance he was on the tour? Haven’t heard from him in a while! 

I think he is on safari. 🤞

[labonnevie]

On 4/22/2023 at 3:23 AM, lincslady said:

  Especially as there seem nowadays to be a few less than high class passengers on board, according to some recent reports.

They’re the ones that are all excited about wearing “elegant” you know what’s to the MDR, because they can. 

[shark b8]

Yep, w’ve been on safari, always on the go and  very limited Wi-Fi, thus the absence.  Horrified about happenings at Port Elizabeth.

 

we’re about to board our flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, will rejoin the mother ship tonight. 

 

Loads of pix and vid to come but will need to wait until time and tech allow.

[SLSD]

5 hours ago, shark b8 said:

Yep, w’ve been on safari, always on the go and  very limited Wi-Fi, thus the absence.  Horrified about happenings at Port Elizabeth.

 

we’re about to board our flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, will rejoin the mother ship tonight. 

 

Loads of pix and vid to come but will need to wait until time and tech allow.

You go missing for a day or two and everyone is poised to send out a posse to find you.  I look forward to your photos and videos.  

[shark b8]

“No rest for the weary“. We got back to the ship around 10 PM last night, grabbed some shuteye. This morning we are at the Cape Town airport before dawn, for our flight to Windhoek for more shark-fari adventure, v 3.0, in Namibia. No promises as to the wifi situation there, we’ll see.

[shark b8]

I’ll take advantage of the airport wifi to post a few appetizers.

 

 

 

 

[shark b8]

 

 

[shark b8]

[shark b8]

[lincslady]

Just great, thank you.

[shark b8]

This was a particularly memorable moment.  Sunset over the Chobe River, with elephant silhouette reflections in the water.

 

[shark b8]

“I got toofs”

 

[shark b8]

I figured out that the “antipode” of our home on the Big Island (i.e., if you drilled straight down through the earth, through dead center, and continued straight to the other side, you’d come out in (or near) Chobe National Park in Botswana, our recent home for 3 days.  Kinda cool. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by shark b8

[shark b8]

When we entered Zimbabwe (for Victoria Falls), we stood out in the sun for the better part of an hour, in the immigration line.  When we finally got close, we wondered whether our intelligence was going to be disinfected.  Could only make things better, prob’ly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by shark b8

[shark b8]

Victoria Falls was amazing, there’s video to come, when better connectivity.  Bottom line, if you haven't been and your’re planning to go, I beg of you, I BEG OF YOU FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, do the short helicopter tour.     It will be the best $175 you’ve ever spent, imho.

Edited April 28, 2023 by shark b8

[PSahoy]

Stunning sunset and amen on ‘copter Falls experience. Looking forward to vid! Are all the safaris you’ve been doing with SB or independently arranged? If SB quite a feast offered. Keep enjoying and treating us.

[shark b8]

13 hours ago, PSahoy said:

…Are all the safaris you’ve been doing with SB or independently arranged?

 

We bought them as Seabourn packages, but at this point I’m pretty sure that Seabourn has contracted out the safari details to Abercrombie/Kent and Akorn - I do know that when they had to cancel Mombasa, all of the multi-day overland tours had to be reconstructed starting from Zanzibar instead of Mombasa, I overheard Guest Services working with A&K.  And since, the folks who have met us and guided us through the never-ending maze of security/customs/immigration as we bop in and out of countries, have been Akorn, and when I mentioned A&K to one Akorn guy, he pulled his A&K badge out of his pocket.  So, my guess is that A&K/Akorn are always the bottom line safari planners/operators and Seabourn uses them as middlemen. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by shark b8