Thursday, September 23, 2021

Last Minute Juggling Act

Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life. – Giovanni Papini

I don't know if it's the greatest pleasure but it surely makes all the others possible. Since being diagnosed with NSIP, the least virulent of all the fibrotic lung diseases, breathing has become near and dear to my heart. And I'm so thankful for the invention of Portable Oxygen Concentrators that allow me to wander the world like anybody else, as long as I have a way to recharge my batteries from time to time.

Except when my POC has technical difficulties...

The DH and I were walking in Walmart yesterday (I'm shooting for 5000 steps a day, which, while not earthshaking, is a lot for me) when suddenly Percival (my sleek, lighter weight purse-sized POC, an Inogen One G5) beeped in distress and sent me an error message. The screen showed O2 and a down arrow. 

Never a good sign.

We cut our shopping short and headed home so I could call Main Clinic Supply in Rochester, MN, my POC provider. Sure enough, Percival needed a new set of columns, but he'd already gotten some in May, so Ricky, the technician there, said he'd overnight me a whole new unit. I thanked him kindly, and crossed my fingers, but I had my doubts it would reach us in time.

Southern MO is a long way from Rochester. 

So I unpacked all Percival's extra batteries, 4 ft cannulas, charger and power cords, and turned to my tried and true Herkimer, an Inogen One G2. It's heavy enough that I need the rolling cart to use it. The DH unpacked Percival's backpack and loaded up Herkimer's bigger, bulkier one with his heavier batteries, 7 ft. cannulas and all the accoutrements. When we go on excursions or are on uneven ground, the DH always likes to carry my POC for me, the way he used to carry my books when we were in college, bless the man! 

Herkimer took me all the way around the world in 2018, so I'm sure he'll get me to Alaska and back. But I'd certainly rather be able to use Percy. It's a lot easier to be inconspicuous with a purse-sized POC.

And then, against all my expectations, my new Percival arrived shortly after 3:00PM today. Kudos to FedEX, and Main Clinic Supply! 

Of course, then we had to unpack and repack all my O2 equipment and supplies, but that's okay. I'm glad to be able to use this new machine.

We're still waiting on our Covid results, but Nephew has his. He's negative! Woohoo! Can't wait to meet him in Seattle tomorrow evening! 

More once we're in the Great Northwest....

9:00PM Update--The DH's phone started pinging a few minutes ago as, one after another, all our Covid results came pouring in. We are all NEGATIVE. (Isn't it odd to ponder that being negative is actually positive in this case?) Thank you, God!

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Two More Sleeps

"Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting.” ~ Khaled Hosseini

The DH told me this morning that we only have, in toddler parlance, "two more sleeps" before we launch ourselves on the next adventure. We've been trying to take our family to Alaska for so long, it's almost a surprise to have the trip hurtling toward us now. Our big suitcases are packed and weighed so as not to exceed the 50 lbs. limit for our American Airlines flights on Friday. 

This time I really did try to scale back and not overpack so the DH and I could use just one big black bag. But I confess that #2 Daughter's blue suitcase did catch a bit of our "overflow," notably the DH's shoes, her grandfather's binoculars and his pocket knife (he feels naked without one!). In addition to these bags, I've got a roller carry-on, a personal item "weekender-style" over the shoulder bag, both of which I'll keep with me. The DH will be wearing a backpack. 

We'll also have a few items that don't count against what we can carry on the plane--Percival (my purse-sized Portable Oxygen Concentrator) and two C-pap machines. Because they're deemed medically necessary, we can't be parted from them. It's a blessing...and a curse. 

Today we're scrambling to get the last minute things done:

  • Pack 3 weeks worth of meds. We're only going to be gone for a week, but just in case someone in our party tests positive for Covid and we all have to be quarantined, it's a good idea to have some extra.
  • Take our 72 hour pre-cruise Covid test. (For a refresher on why we need this please see this previous post.We had appointments for our tests at our local CVS with my parents and #2 Daughter this morning. #1 Daughter and Daughter-in-Law will take theirs during lunch hour. Nephew will take his tomorrow at a rapid result location in the town where he lives. We should have our results by email before we head for Lambert Airport in St. Louis on Friday. Then on Saturday, we'll have one last covid test at the pier before we board the Norwegian Encore. (Kudos to Norwegian for paying for and providing these tests for their guests. To my knowledge, they are the only non-luxury cruise line that does this.) 
  • Print out settlement sheet and closing docs for #1 Daughter's house sale. Wouldn't you know the deal would close when they're out of town? But her realtor has emailed all the docs to her and she forwarded them to her dad so he can print them out for her. After her Covid test, she'll use the rest of her lunch hour to sign everything before a notary at her local bank and then FedEx them all back to Colombia for the actual closing that will take place while she's enroute to Seattle!  

  • Call our vet.
    We need to let him know that Miss Ada (aka The Puppy Whisperer) will be staying with Charlie and Albert while we're gone. If there's an emergency, we want her authorized care for them. (BTW, Charlies has been pretty distressed of late. He's been around enough to realize that suitcases never bode well for a dog. However, both he and Albert already adore Miss Ada, so he'll be fine while we're gone.)  
  • Leave a list of important numbers and requests for Miss Ada. Since she's our house-sitter as well, she needs to know when the trash and recycling goes out to the street, when the puppy-boys are due for their next heartworm pill, and how she can reach us in an emergency.
  • Final packs of the carry-on pieces. Granted, this won't be completely finished until Friday morning, but I need to rehearse a bit on where I've stashed the important things I'll have to access during our travel day--passports, CDC cards, hand sanitizer, and travel snacks. (Anyone but me remember the old George Carlin schtick about how the worst thing about traveling was knowing where your "stuff" is?)
So, there's still more to do, but it's a joyous busy-ness. We're finally traveling again! And we're privileged to share our joy with some of the people we love most. 

Life is so very good.  


Tuesday, September 14, 2021

World Cruise News!

"All journeys have destinations of which the traveler is unaware..." ~ Martin Buber

True that!

And wouldn't travel cease to qualify as an adventure if this were not so? Knowing everything that's coming in life would take all the wonder, all the surprise, all the mystery out of it. I'm grateful each day is an unwrapped gift from God that I get to enjoy, fresh and un-predetermined.

That said, part of the reason we booked the 2022 Viking World Horizon Cruise was because several ports of call were huge draws for us--notably, Israel and Egypt. But we have known for a long time that Australia and New Zealand are denying entry for tourists traveling in cruise ships of over 100 passengers. We figured that Viking would have to devise a new plan to fill the month the original schedule would have had us spending in those two countries. Then recently, Santa Barbara closed its port to cruise ships until March 2022. So our hopes were sinking that this world cruise would ever leave the US. 

Then yesterday, we got an email from "Uncle Torstein" with a revised itinerary. Coincidentally, it arrived in the in-box while we were on the phone with our friends Kristy and Dave, who are planning to make this voyage with us.  

Here's what the wizards at Viking have come up with:

Date

Original Itinerary

New Itinerary

Jan. 10, 2022

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Jan. 11, 2022

Santa Barbara, California

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Jan. 12-15, 2022

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Jan. 16, 2022

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii

Jan. 17, 2022

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Jan. 18, 2022

Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii

Jan. 19, 2022

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Lahaina, Maui

Jan. 20, 2022

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Hilo, Hawaii

Jan. 21-23, 2022

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Jan. 24, 2022

Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Jan. 25, 2022

Bahia d’Opunohu, Moorea

Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Kiribati

Jan. 26, 2022

Papeete, Tahiti

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Jan. 27-28, 2022

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Jan. 29, 2022

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

Jan. 30, 2022

Skip into future (due to dateline)

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Jan. 31, 2022

Cross International Dateline

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 1, 2022

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Papeete, Tahiti

Feb. 2, 2022

Waitangi, Bay of Islands

Papeete, Tahiti

Feb. 3, 2022

Auckland, NZ

Bahia d’Opunohu, Moorea

Feb. 4, 2022

Auckland, NZ

Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Feb. 5, 2022

Auckland, NZ

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 6, 2022

Tauranga (Rotorua), NZ

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 7, 2022

Napier, NZ

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 8, 2022

Wellington, NZ

Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa

Feb. 9, 2022

At Sea

Cross the International Date Line

Feb. 10, 2022

Sail the Milford & Doubtful Sound

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 11, 2022

Sail the Tasman Sea

Suva, Fiji

Feb. 12, 2022

Sail the Tasman Sea

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 13, 2022

Hobart, Tasmania

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 14, 2022

Phillip Island, Australia

Noumea, Grande Terre, New Caledonia

Feb. 15, 2022

Melbourne, Australia

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 16, 2022

Sail the Tasman Sea

Sail the South Pacific Ocean

Feb. 17, 2022

Eden, Australia

Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu

Feb. 18, 2022

Sydney, Australia

Sail the Pacific Ocean

Feb. 19, 2022

Sydney, Australia

Sail the Solomon Sea

Feb. 20, 2022

Sail the Tasman Sea

Honiara / Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

Feb. 21, 2022

Brisbane, Australia

Sail the Solomon Sea

Feb. 22, 2022

Sail the Coral Sea

Kieta, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea

Feb. 23, 2022

Airlie Beach, Australia

Sail the Banda Sea

Feb. 24, 2022

Cairns, Australia

Sail the Banda Sea

Feb. 25, 2022

Sail the Coral Sea

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Feb. 26, 2022

Thursday Island, Australia

Sail the Banda Sea

Feb. 27, 2022

Sail the Arafura Sea

Sail the Banda Sea

Feb. 28, 2022

Sail the Arafura Sea

Sail the Banda Sea

Mar. 1, 2022

Sail the Timor Sea

Sail the Banda Sea

Mar. 2, 2022

Komodo, Indonesia

Komodo, Indonesia

And then we'll rejoin our original itinerary:

Thursday, March 3Bali, Indonesia
Friday, March 4Bali, Indonesia
Saturday, March 5Bali, Indonesia
Sunday, March 6At Sea
Monday, March 7Semarang, Indonesia
Tuesday, March 8At Sea
Wednesday, March 9At Sea
Thursday, March 10At Sea
Friday, March 11Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam
Saturday, March 12Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam
Sunday, March 13Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam
Monday, March 14At Sea
Tuesday, March 15Ko Samui, Thailand
Wednesday, March 16At Sea
Thursday, March 17Singapore
Friday, March 18Singapore

Because Yangon, Myanmar is in a state of political upheaval and is unsafe at this time, Viking has made these changes to substitute for the three days in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma):

Date

Original Itinerary

New Itinerary

Mar. 19, 2022

Sail the Strait of Malacca

Singapore, Singapore

Mar. 20, 2022

Phuket, Thailand

Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia

Mar. 21, 2022

Sail the Andaman Sea

George Town, Malaysia

Mar. 22, 2022

Yangon, Myanmar

Langkawi, Malaysia

Mar. 23, 2022

Yangon, Myanmar

Phuket, Thailand

Mar. 24, 2022

Yangon, Myanmar

Sail the Andaman Sea

Mar. 25-26, 2022

Scenic Sailing: Bay of Bengal

Scenic Sailing: Bay of Bengal

Mar. 27, 2022

Scenic Sailing: Bay of Bengal

Colombo, Sri Lanka

 Then we're back to the original schedule:

Monday, March 28Colombo, Sri Lanka
Tuesday, March 29Colombo, Sri Lanka
Wednesday, March 30At Sea
Thursday, March 31Cochin, India
Friday, April 1At Sea
Saturday, April 2Goa (Mormugao), India
Sunday, April 3Bombay (Mumbai), India
Monday, April 4Bombay (Mumbai), India
Tuesday, April 5Bombay (Mumbai), India
Wednesday, April 6At Sea
Thursday, April 7At Sea
Friday, April 8Salalah, Oman
Saturday, April 9At Sea
Sunday, April 10At Sea
Monday, April 11At Sea
Tuesday, April 12At Sea
Wednesday, April 13Petra (Aqaba), Jordan
Thursday, April 14Luxor (Safaga), Egypt
Friday, April 15At Sea
Saturday, April 16Suez Canal (Cruising)
Sunday, April 17Haifa, Israel
Monday, April 18Haifa, Israel
Tuesday, April 19At Sea
Wednesday, April 20Rhodes, Greece
Thursday, April 21Ephesus / Kusadasi, Turkey
Friday, April 22Istanbul, Turkey
Saturday, April 23Istanbul, Turkey
Sunday, April 24At Sea
Monday, April 25Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Tuesday, April 26At Sea
Wednesday, April 27Messina, Sicily, Italy
Thursday, April 28Naples, Italy
Friday, April 29Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Saturday, April 30Monte Carlo, Monaco
Sunday, May 1At Sea
Monday, May 2Barcelona, Spain
Tuesday, May 3Cartagena, Spain
Wednesday, May 4Strait of Gibraltar (Cruising)
Thursday, May 5Lisbon, Portugal
Friday, May 6At Sea
Saturday, May 7At Sea
Sunday, May 8London (Tilbury), England
Monday, May 9London (Tilbury), England
Then because Viking is sailing the Star back to its home port of Bergen, we have been given the opportunity to add those extra days to our trip and stay on board until we reach Norway on May 11th! 

We're delighted with the new plans. First of all, it's always a treat to spend time in the Hawaiian Islands. Then there are a number of new-to-us countries and ports in the substitutes: Kiribati, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. We're sorry to miss returning to NZ and Oz, but it's hard to resist the allure of a string of beautiful South Pacific islands.

Will our schedule change again? Undoubtedly. Weather. Changes in political situations. Covid spikes in our intended ports of call. Accident or sudden illness. Anything can derail even the best-laid plans. 

But we've been trying to take a second world cruise for a while now. We were originally booked on Cunard's Queen Victoria for 2021, but after spending time on the Queen Mary 2 in 2019, we decided that three formal nights a week was too much to keep up over a long voyage.  So we canceled and rebooked on Princess. We'd had an amazing experience with them the first time around this gorgeous blue ball in 2018. But then when Princess cancelled their 2021 WC because of Covid, we decided to "go big or stay home" and jumped ship to try Viking in 2022 for the very first time. 

We're so in hopes the third time is a charm. 

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Travel in the Time of Covid

 "Precaution is better than cure." ~ Goethe

Trying to organize travel for a party of eight is a little like herding cats at the best of times. During the pandemic, it's even more challenging. Making sure everyone has filled out their passport and CC info on the cruise line website... Encouraging everyone to pack their passport and vaccination card in their carry-on so they know exactly where they are at all times... Checking with the airlines for changes in flight times, (which has already happened for Nephew, who'll be meeting us in Seattle. The rest of us are still a go for our original flights.)  Making certain we dot all the i's and cross all the t's with regard to pre-cruise Covid testing.

This last item is a moving target. The rules keep changing...

As the CDC issues new guidance, cruise lines are adjusting their pre-cruise testing requirements. All the Carnival group lines, including Princess and Holland America, had been requiring passengers to arrive at the pier with a negative covid test within the last 72 hours in hand. Now, that time has been crunched to 48 hours. 

This is a problem for people like us who live in extremely rural areas. There is no rapid covid test facility within 100 miles of us. Fortunately for us, Norwegian does not require us to bring test results with us. They will test us at the pier on embarkation day at their expense, which I think is very classy of them.

But my dad, who's traveling with us, is the "King of What If..." He wanted to know what would happen if one of us turns up positive on embarkation day. So I did some poking about on the NCL site, and came across these little factoids. 

If I am denied boarding, will I receive assistance with travel arrangements?

If a guest is denied boarding due to a positive COVID-19 test at embarkation, the cruise line will coordinate and cover costs for travel arrangements, for that guest and those traveling with them if they are also denied boarding. The cruise line will not be able to assist with travel arrangements if a guest is denied boarding as a result of a violating the cruise line's health and safety protocols.

What happens if I test positive for COVID-19 upon disembarkation?

If a guest tests positive for COVID-19 upon disembarkation the Cruise Line will coordinate and cover the cost of required land-based quarantine and travel arrangements to get the guest safely back to their home.

Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with applicable expenses related to any mandatory quarantine that are not covered by a guest's travel insurance only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 72-hours prior to their sail date. Proof of negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 72-hours of sail date must show guest name, date of birth and date the test was taken in order to be eligible.

Highlighting that little word "only" was my idea. The caveat is neatly tucked away in an otherwise pretty comforting message. 

So it seems Norwegian will take good care of us, but we must come with a 72-hour (not 48 like the other lines) negative result in order to be covered for a positive at the pier. We have a hoop to jump through.

Make that eight hoops! 

Remember, we have no rapid results lab here. So seven of us have appointments on September 22nd for free covid tests at our local CVS, which promises results within 18-24 hours delivered to our emails. Still under the wire for us. Unless the lab is backed up...

And Nephew has no CVS in his town, but there is a rapid result test available at a mom-and-pop pharmacy for a $65 fee. I'm sorry for that, but it seems like cheap insurance. 

Oh, and in case your wondering, we opted for Norwegian's travel insurance for this trip.  

Anyway, a timely covid test before we fly to the port city is one more thing on our to-do list that's never been a pre-cruise worry before. But even so, high marks to Norwegian for providing testing right there at embarkation. That along with their 100% vaccination requirement makes me feel safer than I do at our local Walmart. 

The Encore will be as Covid-free a bubble as Norwegian can make it! 

PS. We're still sort of waiting for the World Cruise shoe to drop. Cunard, Princess, Holland American, Seaborne and Crystal have all cancelled their world cruises. Oceania and Regent have yet to announce any changes to their itineraries. Viking officials still claim ours is a go, but I confess bewilderment at where we can possibly visit. Still, anything can happen between now and January, so I will move forward with hope in my heart!