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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 2453427" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>Yes, the lockdown and its subsequent variations have been a tough time for people with itchy feet. Like me. And Jacky.</p><p></p><p>From February 2020 until the present we have undertaken one journey, and that was to visit our son and daughter-in-law in western France for a week. We had booked a cruise with American friends in the Mediterranean late summer 2020 but that was cancelled by Viking, the cruise line we had booked with.</p><p></p><p>We had paid most of the cost and Viking gave us a choice - we could take our money back or leave it with Viking to be used towards our next cruise once Covid allowed and Viking would add 25% to our cash. We knew that we would want to try to meet up with our friends in the future, so we accepted the second offer.</p><p></p><p>And lo and behold, in summer this year Viking began opening up its cruises to passengers again. We knew that we would love to be on board on one of the early cruises so we booked for 30 September for a trip from Budapest to Amsterdam. We would be travelling without our friends as they were not ready to face the risks associated with the pandemic.</p><p></p><p>I didn’t realise at the time how many difficulties we would face, as we not only booked this cruise but looking ahead to our 60th wedding anniversary and considering how best to celebrate it we chose another Viking cruise, this time from Paris along the Seine to the D-Day beaches in Normandy and back to Paris with excursions along the way.</p><p></p><p>I called my usual contact at Viking in England but was told that they couldn’t take bookings from non-UK residents because of Brexit and that we would have to phone their US office in Los Angeles. But that’s another story.</p><p></p><p>Most of the other difficulties we faced were caused by Covid, principally because the rules seemed to change weekly, if not daily. We had at least had our two vaccinations in good time so that was one potential difficulty out of the way, but as our departure date approached they began to pile up.</p><p></p><p>Viking always send their passengers some labels to attach to your luggage when you land at your destination airport. These labels are preprinted with your name and stateroom number so that when the bus from the airport to the ship arrives the passengers do not have to lug them from the quayside as crew members are waiting to carry them on board and deliver them directly to your stateroom while you check in at reception on the ship.</p><p></p><p>When our tags arrived I couldn’t believe my eyes as they had the wrong name and the wrong stateroom number. I called Viking to ask for new ones, only to be told by the lady I was speaking to that it had never happened before, but that she would have correct ones sent. Nothing happened for several weeks so I called the Customer Helpline and explained. The answer was identical to the first time I called. I waited a few more weeks and when nothing had been sent I called a third time. Finally, I called a fourth time and was assured that new ones would be sent. Which they were. They arrived two days before our departure and when I opened the envelope, which had my correst name and address, I found the tags bore exactly the same wrong name and stateroom number as previously. The first time it had ever happened? It happened twice to me within a matter of weeks!</p><p></p><p>Our cruise’s scheduled departure from Budapest meant that we had to fly from Heathrow to Budapest and to do that we had to fly from Luxembourg to London. We booked a BA flight to LHR as the most convenient since our flight from LHR to Budapest would depart from Terminal 5 and the flight from Lux to LHR would also arrive at Terminal 5. There was a slight problem in that our Lux to LHR was due to arrive in the evening, so I booked a room at the Terminal 5 Sofitel hotel for that night.</p><p></p><p>Just 2 days after making the booking we received an email informing us that the BA flight had been cancelled and they would be returning our money. Sorry for the inconvenience, and all that.</p><p></p><p>Not long after, we received a phone call from Viking, saying that our BA flights from LHR to Budapest had been cancelled and we would instead be flying by KLM from London to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Budapest. I suggested they change the name from British Airways to British Groundways but I was ignored.</p><p></p><p>The only choice we had was a Luxair flight to London City which departed early evening. Now another problem arises as we discussed the best way to cross London from east to west in the later segment of the rush hour. We figured that ordering a limo would be the least stressfull way of doing it. I went online and discovered a company called Black Lane which sounded just right. I went onto their web site and found it simple to navigate and easy to reserve a limo. I paid there and then.</p><p></p><p>One of the pieces of red tape demanded by Her Majesty’s government of thieves and liars is a passenger locator form. We accessed it online, filled it in and printed it out. We placed it in the file we would be taking with us.</p><p></p><p>Departure got closer and it was time to see about our PCR test which was required by airlines and by Viking, though the same test would be good for both. A friend of ours, a frequent flyer ,suggested the testing station set up at Luxembourg airport which he always uses and which often sends him the result within 6 hours. We drove up to the airport, were greeted by a charming, friendly and efficient young lady, posed our questions as to timing of the test in conjunction with our departure, and booked appointments. The cost was €169 each, which was somewhat eyewatering, for a 12 hour test (we would have the results in 12 hours or less) and paid in advance. The young lady and a colleague even ensured that our phones would receive our test certificate which we could show at airports, hotels, etc.</p><p></p><p>On the appointed day, traffic being unusually light, we arrived earlier than our appointment but as we were the only customers we had our samples taken immediately and sent on our way, feeling that at last something had gone right.</p><p></p><p>After 12 hours we had not received our results, but we had allowed a margin so we didn’t worry. After 14 hours we still hadn’t received our test results so Jackie went on to the testing company’s website and sent them a message that we were still waiting for our results. We didn’t expect a rapid reply but that’s what we received. Our correspondent told us that this was a new situation and promised that he would get on to the laboratory straight away. Next morning we still had not received our results but Jackie called as it was 8 am and we still hadn’t recieved our results. The man at the other end promised that he would get on to the laboratory immediately and within a few seconds we each received a message that our results were negative and we printed our certificates. </p><p></p><p>Jackie sent an acknowledgement that we had received both negative certificates and that we were good to go.</p><p></p><p>The next day we finished our packing, arranged a cab to take us to the airport and checked in. Nobody asked to see any of the myriad certificates we were toting and we were soon alighting at London City airport. Our bags came up quickly and as they came in sight my phone beeped. It was the limo company to tell me the name of the driver and give me the news that he would be at Arrivals in a couple of minutes. We went through the arrivals procedure: passport, customs and out. The only question we were asked was “Did we have our passenger locator forms?” When we said yes we were allowed on our way without even having to show them.</p><p></p><p>Once out into the Arrivals hall we immediately saw a man holding an iPad with our names in large bold type on its screen. We introduced ourselves and he took our bags and led us out to his car. It was a nice new Mercedes into which he helped Jackie, then slid our bags into the boot and we were quickly on our way.</p><p></p><p>It couldn’t have been an easy drive for him because on top of the traffic there were numerous holdups when cars were queuing at petrol stations and the line built up out onto the road. When the road had two lanes the queue built up on the left hand lane, leaving the right hand lane for moving traffic. When there was only one lane we joined the line for petrol and drove straight on when we reached the end of the line.</p><p></p><p>Our driver knew quite a few shortcuts which had less traffic and took advantage of them. We were grateful for his skill when we arrived at the Heathrow Sofitel in good time for dinner. I was more than satisfied with Black Lane’s performance and would happily use them again.</p><p></p><p>When we checked in we asked what was the best way to get to Terminal 3 early the next morning and were recommended to take a taxi. We said we would and reception called and reserved a taxi for us at 7:15 am.</p><p></p><p>We went up to our room, dumped our bags, freshened up and went down for something to eat. An apéritif didn’t go amiss before our meal either.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 2453427, member: 9985"] Yes, the lockdown and its subsequent variations have been a tough time for people with itchy feet. Like me. And Jacky. From February 2020 until the present we have undertaken one journey, and that was to visit our son and daughter-in-law in western France for a week. We had booked a cruise with American friends in the Mediterranean late summer 2020 but that was cancelled by Viking, the cruise line we had booked with. We had paid most of the cost and Viking gave us a choice - we could take our money back or leave it with Viking to be used towards our next cruise once Covid allowed and Viking would add 25% to our cash. We knew that we would want to try to meet up with our friends in the future, so we accepted the second offer. And lo and behold, in summer this year Viking began opening up its cruises to passengers again. We knew that we would love to be on board on one of the early cruises so we booked for 30 September for a trip from Budapest to Amsterdam. We would be travelling without our friends as they were not ready to face the risks associated with the pandemic. I didn’t realise at the time how many difficulties we would face, as we not only booked this cruise but looking ahead to our 60th wedding anniversary and considering how best to celebrate it we chose another Viking cruise, this time from Paris along the Seine to the D-Day beaches in Normandy and back to Paris with excursions along the way. I called my usual contact at Viking in England but was told that they couldn’t take bookings from non-UK residents because of Brexit and that we would have to phone their US office in Los Angeles. But that’s another story. Most of the other difficulties we faced were caused by Covid, principally because the rules seemed to change weekly, if not daily. We had at least had our two vaccinations in good time so that was one potential difficulty out of the way, but as our departure date approached they began to pile up. Viking always send their passengers some labels to attach to your luggage when you land at your destination airport. These labels are preprinted with your name and stateroom number so that when the bus from the airport to the ship arrives the passengers do not have to lug them from the quayside as crew members are waiting to carry them on board and deliver them directly to your stateroom while you check in at reception on the ship. When our tags arrived I couldn’t believe my eyes as they had the wrong name and the wrong stateroom number. I called Viking to ask for new ones, only to be told by the lady I was speaking to that it had never happened before, but that she would have correct ones sent. Nothing happened for several weeks so I called the Customer Helpline and explained. The answer was identical to the first time I called. I waited a few more weeks and when nothing had been sent I called a third time. Finally, I called a fourth time and was assured that new ones would be sent. Which they were. They arrived two days before our departure and when I opened the envelope, which had my correst name and address, I found the tags bore exactly the same wrong name and stateroom number as previously. The first time it had ever happened? It happened twice to me within a matter of weeks! Our cruise’s scheduled departure from Budapest meant that we had to fly from Heathrow to Budapest and to do that we had to fly from Luxembourg to London. We booked a BA flight to LHR as the most convenient since our flight from LHR to Budapest would depart from Terminal 5 and the flight from Lux to LHR would also arrive at Terminal 5. There was a slight problem in that our Lux to LHR was due to arrive in the evening, so I booked a room at the Terminal 5 Sofitel hotel for that night. Just 2 days after making the booking we received an email informing us that the BA flight had been cancelled and they would be returning our money. Sorry for the inconvenience, and all that. Not long after, we received a phone call from Viking, saying that our BA flights from LHR to Budapest had been cancelled and we would instead be flying by KLM from London to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Budapest. I suggested they change the name from British Airways to British Groundways but I was ignored. The only choice we had was a Luxair flight to London City which departed early evening. Now another problem arises as we discussed the best way to cross London from east to west in the later segment of the rush hour. We figured that ordering a limo would be the least stressfull way of doing it. I went online and discovered a company called Black Lane which sounded just right. I went onto their web site and found it simple to navigate and easy to reserve a limo. I paid there and then. One of the pieces of red tape demanded by Her Majesty’s government of thieves and liars is a passenger locator form. We accessed it online, filled it in and printed it out. We placed it in the file we would be taking with us. Departure got closer and it was time to see about our PCR test which was required by airlines and by Viking, though the same test would be good for both. A friend of ours, a frequent flyer ,suggested the testing station set up at Luxembourg airport which he always uses and which often sends him the result within 6 hours. We drove up to the airport, were greeted by a charming, friendly and efficient young lady, posed our questions as to timing of the test in conjunction with our departure, and booked appointments. The cost was €169 each, which was somewhat eyewatering, for a 12 hour test (we would have the results in 12 hours or less) and paid in advance. The young lady and a colleague even ensured that our phones would receive our test certificate which we could show at airports, hotels, etc. On the appointed day, traffic being unusually light, we arrived earlier than our appointment but as we were the only customers we had our samples taken immediately and sent on our way, feeling that at last something had gone right. After 12 hours we had not received our results, but we had allowed a margin so we didn’t worry. After 14 hours we still hadn’t received our test results so Jackie went on to the testing company’s website and sent them a message that we were still waiting for our results. We didn’t expect a rapid reply but that’s what we received. Our correspondent told us that this was a new situation and promised that he would get on to the laboratory straight away. Next morning we still had not received our results but Jackie called as it was 8 am and we still hadn’t recieved our results. The man at the other end promised that he would get on to the laboratory immediately and within a few seconds we each received a message that our results were negative and we printed our certificates. Jackie sent an acknowledgement that we had received both negative certificates and that we were good to go. The next day we finished our packing, arranged a cab to take us to the airport and checked in. Nobody asked to see any of the myriad certificates we were toting and we were soon alighting at London City airport. Our bags came up quickly and as they came in sight my phone beeped. It was the limo company to tell me the name of the driver and give me the news that he would be at Arrivals in a couple of minutes. We went through the arrivals procedure: passport, customs and out. The only question we were asked was “Did we have our passenger locator forms?” When we said yes we were allowed on our way without even having to show them. Once out into the Arrivals hall we immediately saw a man holding an iPad with our names in large bold type on its screen. We introduced ourselves and he took our bags and led us out to his car. It was a nice new Mercedes into which he helped Jackie, then slid our bags into the boot and we were quickly on our way. It couldn’t have been an easy drive for him because on top of the traffic there were numerous holdups when cars were queuing at petrol stations and the line built up out onto the road. When the road had two lanes the queue built up on the left hand lane, leaving the right hand lane for moving traffic. When there was only one lane we joined the line for petrol and drove straight on when we reached the end of the line. Our driver knew quite a few shortcuts which had less traffic and took advantage of them. We were grateful for his skill when we arrived at the Heathrow Sofitel in good time for dinner. I was more than satisfied with Black Lane’s performance and would happily use them again. When we checked in we asked what was the best way to get to Terminal 3 early the next morning and were recommended to take a taxi. We said we would and reception called and reserved a taxi for us at 7:15 am. We went up to our room, dumped our bags, freshened up and went down for something to eat. An apéritif didn’t go amiss before our meal either. [/QUOTE]
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