Well, it has started in Sapphire Princess docked today at Ogden Point for a full day,
See at
https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/how-local-businesses-are-prepping-for-victorias-busiest-cruise-ship-season?utm_source=CapitalDaily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=tues-april-11-cruise-ship-season-kicks-off-today Attached link from CapitalDaily News Victoria (Copy Credit)
Effective April 5 2022 the first cruise ship should be arriving in Victoria Canada Ogden Point after almost 2 plus years closed due to the pandemic.
The Canadian government requested all passengers and crew must be vaccinated prior and tested at times on board.
Local pandemic rules must be followed
Like other areas in the world , tourism staff are short staffed by all businesses looking forward to this recovery
Welcome
A few days ago I was reading an article of how CEO’s of major cruise lines made decisions to save their industry during 2020 and 2021.
The astonishing part was twofold they still were given large payouts in the millions and also decided not to pay the crew on board aside from room and board. What was outrageous in my mind was to charge the crew for basics like soap, detergent, Wi-Fi usage such families had to send monies to help out else they would owe the companies monies.
https://www.ibtimes.com/virus-crisis-leaves-thousands-cruise-ship-crew-stuck-sea-2972490
I know cruise lines were denied access to ports early in the pandemic and had to find a way to get majority of crew home but I am personally upset to know executives and CEO’s still got paid with bonuses.
What happened to we are a team and in this together to keep our ships ready to go once CDC allows us to cruise again. 😳🚢
April 30, 2021
It seems and I did not pickup on this new cost model in WordPress moved away from including ones private domain in its overall site usage charge to billing you in two methods.
One was the usage of WordPress itself in its many ways to build and operate ones blog so I pay $60 US annually for my Premium plan while my Domain private name is now billed separately at $24 US annually.
As of April 30, 2021 I have elected to go back to the free domain usage of /wordpress.com.
So, my new name is now /robbarcruises.wordpress.com instead of /robbarcruises.com
Rob Holloway
Happy cruising everyone for certainly 2022 and partial 2021 in parts of the world.
As of April 29 2021 , the Alaska cruise season is still cancelled per the Canadian Government till February 2022. Currently in the UK , the Mediterranean and Northern ports Cruise;s have recommenced with limited ports and new methods for excursions locking passengers to controlled access transportation. In the UK, only citizens are allowed to book and board with COVID tests but asking for Vaccine proof to board. Most of the ships are practising distancing, mask wearing in public places and operating at around 50 to 60 percent capacity.
In the US , the CDC just announced allowing cruise ships to commence operations around July 2021 with limited ports and new rules. The Industry needs a major recovery as thousands are effected in job loss and tourism revenue.
Some senators are lobbing the USA Government to open up cruises to and from Alaska without International port stops as in not stopping in Canadian cruise ports to satisfy the Jones Act. I see no success in this venture as other USA ports are at major risks
As I write this paragraph, June 2020 it is now three months since the Conovo-19 pandemic was announced for this part of the World and we are now into June 2020 . Our expected cruise season for Ogden Point Victoria Canada of May – September 2020 is fully cancelled as the Canadian Government deemed October 31, 2020 as a potential start of the cruise season but in our part of the World, an impossibility. As in other ports our whole tourist season is closed. Princess , HAL, RCCL, Cunard NCL could not make a short season work and the USA CDC has essentially closed all ports.
We in this part of the West Coast on Vancouver Island look forward to welcoming all of you back to our port in 2021. It will be a new way of cruising , more safeguards and health precautions, hopefully a vaccine available. I predict smaller cruise ships will be used, balcony cabins to be favourites, less crowded dining rooms, buffet to be where you are served , masks to be worn in embarkation and disembarkation procedures and perhaps in main theatre though that might be seating separation.
Especially look forward to the return of our wonderful crews from all over the world and time for all of us to appreciate the world and people around us.
Happy Cruising / Rob Holloway aka RobBar
As I ended our QE Alaska June 2019 blog I alluded to we had just come back from a wedding , month prior in Barbados 🇧🇧
After we had booked our cruise mid 2018 we then were informed my Niece in Barbados had decided to get married in May 2019, well one cannot ignore that invitation.🇧🇧🎉
Though married to a Barbadian for many years we had always stayed with family either on the East Coast or Sunset Crest or in my in-laws house in the countryside.
Liz and I decided we should stay at a five star resort for part of the short stay so with our daughters we shared a suite at the Crane Resort
The Crane Resort has its own shops, restaurants, bars, numerous private sun bathing and pool areas.
Our suite had its own private pool and garden lounge area.
The master bedroom had a 12 inch mattress on top of its bed frame such I needed a step stool to get into the bed😂
It had its own washing / dryer unit as well as a stove and microwave
My sister-in-law also came to the wedding so Charlotte had her overseas family who all traveled from Vancouver Island
it was great to give her Mum support and to enjoy the wedding.
Here are some pics of the wedding
We being the older generation left about 10 pm while we heard the wedding party went into the early hours of the next day.
Their was music, food , dancing and people just having a great time.
It has been two years 2017 since our last cruise on a Cunard ship Queen Victoria thru the Panama Canal and two years prior that 2015 on the QM2 for its TA 175 Anniversary voyage.
So must be a pattern now we are on the Queen Elizabeth 2019 for one of its four 10 day cruises in Alaska Vancouver – Vancouver
Cunard after 20 years has returned to Alaska and for 2020 will be operating a full May – September Alaska cruise season out of Vancouver with the QE such the demand exceeded their expectations.
Liz and I were surprised when one of our daughters and her family ( 2 granddaughters) plus her mother-in-law decided to join us
Cunard has a wonderful kids club so that helped plus I learned to sample a lot of Gins from the Gin Bar
Our first cruise was Vancouver return on Celebrity Infinity August 2001 to Alaska
It included us visiting Hubbard Glacier again
And visiting Skagway again 🚢😊
Course the town has grown a lot and with four ships in very crowded.
We decided this time to take a return ride on the WhitePass railway which is about 3 hours long. Not for the faint hearted if heights bother you looking down from the side of the carriage
I had to add a mascot to my collection of Cunard bears so this time bought Mr Bobby or should I say “Constable 👮♀️ Rob ”
We only had two Formal nights of the ten nights
First night was Black/White and second Formal was Roaring Twenties
Here is my daughter and granddaughter dressed. We were unable due to ships cough , will explain later on
icey Straits is a private island opened up to cruise companies and offers all thing Alaska. A days tender port
Here are some pics around the ship
Easy to walk and find
Our favourite spot was Garden Lounge and to enjoy a midday Hot Chocolate with Cognac and such
Not to forget the Library with its two decks and drop off a book and take one in return
I had forgotten I get a few free hours internet being now Gold but I used my $8 CDN daily mobile roaming plan instead when in port
That way I could easily post pictures
Finally the Fanzine members got a picture together at the World Club drinks event
Mr CC Paul Cunane, myself , Liz and Gillian Heard
Cunard just informed us we only have 31 more nights to move to Platinum status
We have cruised on the three Cunard ships in the last four years for a total of 39 nights. 😊🚢🎉🍷🇧🇧
Our family and granddaughter did get to the Commodore Club early in evening after a show and being Alaska one could enjoy late sunsets
Of course we enjoyed leaving Vancouver and the Inside Passage day
At one point early in the day I saw a mast outside our Cabin Window 1105
Turns out it was the Canadian Pilot boat come to collect the pilots and the waves were choppy
on about the last few days Liz came down with a dreadful cough and fever such she missed the Roaring Twenties Ball and had even bought a special gown which is now gathering dust.
I thought I had escaped but on the day of disembarkation I was now with such plus a fever
When we got here home I slept from mid afternoon till following day and it took 2 weeks to get back to normal, still cough stacks at times
Our final port visit before Vancouver was Victoria and due to Marine shore rules we could not leave the ship. QE is deemed leaving and arriving a Canadian port for the 10 days
Who says kids do not enjoy Cunard. Here is my granddaughter waiting for desert, outside on deck
To close our cruise
The dreaded luggage in the corridor
The only issue I had was changing our meal times to 5:30 pm especially as tour times did not close earlier
They say it was done to satisfy a group but that group had left three cruises prior to us
Of course we had a great family time together
Now I just have to work out how not to get the dreaded Cunard cough in the future
Did I mention we had just returned from my Nieces wedding in Barbados 🇧🇧 month prior 🇧🇧😊🎉🍷
Here we are in San Francisco a day prior to boarding QV for our 17 day voyage https://www.instagram.com/p/BiP2L5xH_1p/
For those of you who enjoy travel blogs, this is a recent one of a few days in Amsterdam by a blogger who recently was part of the second Queen Mary 2 Fashion week voyage to New York .
Enjoy
Well done http://www.bangonstyleblog.com/2017/10/72-hours-in-amsterdam.html Debra of Bang on Style
Alaska Cruise Season- local information on Cruise Ships to our port (Ogden Point , Victoria Canada) and our personal cruises.
Elegant luxury travel on sea, land and by air, past, present and future
Lucy and her journey through TPLO surgery and beyond.
bonkers about botanicals, fifty plus fashion addict and lover of quirky hotels
Alaska Cruise Season- local information on Cruise Ships to our port (Ogden Point , Victoria Canada) and our personal cruises.
Welcome aboard and nice to meet you. My wife and I are seasoned cruisers having first dipped our toes into the world of cruising in 1990, a one week cruise on board the Cunard Countess. The majority of our cruising has been with two cruise lines, Cunard and P&O. We have, however, sailed on 21 different cruise ships, some many times over, on 11 different cruise lines while completing 619 cruise nights on board.
A Memorial Garden to help honor and rescue Golden Retrievers.
robbar's cruises 2024 