Anyone booked Voyager Dec. 6th. - 16th. ?

Is that 2010? We're booked on Voyager Rio to FLL in 2009, but it's Dec.4-18.

My mistake. The 4th. is right. We are toying with the plan to arrive a couple of days earlier to tour Rio. Pity to travel for 8 hrs. and not visit this fabulous town. I will try to find a hotel near the cruise dock, or a decent hotel anywhere which is not too expensive. We will go for the 11 p.m. flight from Miami which is the only non-stop route. Do you have any flight plans, yet ? We are both Montrealers and have lived in Pompano Bch. for 30 yrs.

Neville,

I don't recall the port area as having hotels. You most likely want to be near the beaches in Rio, which is a nice ride from the port area.

If you can fit in an hour or two at Samba City, it's neat to see the floats being made. It's not far from the ship.

Hi Neville,

Our flights are booked, we're doing 3 nights pre-cruise in a hotel on Ipanema Beach. I know Fred and Pat are on this cruise too, and they're staying on Copacabana. My husband David has been to Rio and he liked Ipanema so that's what I chose this time.

We booked on Copa Air with a connection at Panama City, and are spending the night in Miami beforehand. It was a great deal in Business air, so we grabbed it.

I'd forgotten you were from Montreal!

There is still some doubt that we will make this, but I'm betting we will. When we're certain, there's visas to obtain (Brazilian consulate walking distance from my condo), and yellow fever hots (ugh!)

Mark and I will also be joining the group on this sailing. Wendy, I envy your short walk to the consulate ... looks like a morning in Miami for those of us in South Florida to obtain our visas. :) Should be a great trip, though!

Great, looking forward to meeting you!

Despite the consulate being close, no doubt we will have to sit in the office for hours with a number in our hands. Oh well, small price to pay I guess.

I guess we'll make our final decision about this cruise in July, before the first cancellation fees kick in, then we can get the yellow fever shots in August, then apply for the visas in, hmm, September. I seem to recall we need a letter from the cruise line stating that we're taking this cruise--have to check the consular website on that--ah, it says this: "Signed letter by travel agency with the booking of the trip and dates or print out of the booking with dates". Clear as mud.

Hi, Wanda - I know what you mean about the whole visa process ... just a bit ambiguous at this point. :) Should be a wonderful trip, though, and we're looking forward to meeting everyone onboard!

Hi Wendy. We are doing the same - waiting for July. Are the fever shots mandatory ? We will leave MIA on Dec. 1 and stay for 2 nights at one of the hotels I listed on another board. We did this a couple of years ago when we boarded in Fortaleza on the last leg of a 'world' cruise.
Mia, I have been involved with immigration law since 1986. I think that we may have met on a cruise.

Hi, Neville - Looking forward to seeing you again on RIO! Mark and I were also planning to fly in a few days early, but so far we haven’t been able to make that happen with work schedules. Still plenty of time, though, and I’m hoping we can work it out… BTW, I’m also hoping those shots aren’t mandatory! :)

Going through old notes I found that only certain areas of Brazil requre shots. There is a 'blue' or 'yellow' pamphlet which lists them, apparently. We sailed the Amazon last year without taking shots. I will try to research an old CC web site.

I found the site immediately !! Yellow fever shots are not required for Brazil. There are areas where shots are "recommended". Our ports are not on the recommended list.

You might want to check with Ngaire on this. Her advice in the past is "get the shots".

We have to get them, since we're transitting thru Panama. That's on the list of countries which, if you have visited them within a certain timeframe, Brazil demands the shot.

I would dearly love not to get these, but a small price to pay for the great deal we got on our Biz flights.

You might want to check with Ngaire on this. Her advice in the past is "get the shots". And in fact, our consulate website states that you have to bring the certificate with you when you apply for a visa.

We have to get them, since we're transitting thru Panama. That's on the list of countries which, if you have visited them within a certain timeframe, Brazil demands the shot. This seems to contradict the above, so who knows who's correct.

Before we went on the Discovery cruise last fall (which included several stops in Brazil--probably the same ports on your cruise) there was a lot of discussion about this. As I recall, though, the bottom line was that Regent wouldn't let you board without the yellow fever shots so that kind of settled it.

Peggy is right. Must have yellow medical record card in passport showing proof of yellow fever shot. If you forget your yellow card, there's a Doctor on board before you sail away who will give you a yellow fever shot for $$.

Every passenger must have proof of shot (unless you have medical reason why you can't and have doctor's note) even those passengers who don't plan to get off the ship in Brazilian ports.

I did the Cape Town to Rio cruise last year, and had to get the shot even though I was getting off in Rio and heading home, not heading to other ports in SA. As I recall, it was not a government requirement, but a Regent requirement.

Glad you veterans piped up, that's what I remembered myself. Comforting to know that flying thru Panama isn't the only reason we need the shot!

We were on Cape Town to Ft. Laud. last year and the yellow fever shot is a Regent requirement. They said Brazil changes their requirements all the time; regent does not want to run into a problem mid cruise. So now Regent require yellow fever shots for all cruises going into Brazil. That is what Regent said last year as always things can change.

Carolyn

Wendy, Regent very clear on this once you get closer to sailing or perhaps there is a notation when you call up the cruise on their website. I posted my experience because I seem to remember several years ago on CC Neviboy did not want to get the shot and found a way that he didn't have to. Perhaps he can add more, but today's news is that it is required, by Regent. Not a big deal for me, but it was not offered by my county health department, as it is in some areas more populated than mine.

Yeh thanks jhp, not a problem. We'll get the shots unless there's some cogent medical reason not to, but I can't imagine there being one.

JHP your memory is excellent. The cruise was Voyager in April 2003, Fortaleeza to Ft. Laud. I believe that I used the 'Yellow book' facts to bolster my argument.
Now to get the topic from RSSC's archives. Radisson's statements , and the Yellow book, made shots mandatory if coming on board from a country that required them. French Guiana, for example. My friends live in Panama and know nothing about yellow fever. They travel a lot in S. America.

Do your friends have a yellow fever certificate? Here's what my consulate's website says about this:

Yellow fever vaccination certificate, as applicable, i.e., if applicant traveled within the last 90 days to any of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda or Venezuela.

fyi, PTV at Sea will be on this cruise...Charlie Cook and Gwen Ifill among others will
join you from Rio to FLL. PTV at Sea was with us on our Voyager Cross last Nov-Dec,
their lectures enhanced the enrichment offered...pls see link below:

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2744-52109-rssc-annouces-ptv-at-sea-cruise.html
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I'm getting off in Rio. Will be sorry to miss this. Theater at Sea was so nice on the Navigator crossing.

We are not on this cruise but this is advertised on a radio show I listen to: http://www.hartfordholidays.com/mabel2009b.htm

This is for Cabaret at Sea . . wonder if both will be on board

I looked at the Regent site and the PVT discussed above is listed . . . very strange.