Heidi13

Having both a Canadian & UK passports, I have experienced a multitude of Visa issues when booking World Cruises, or cruises in Asia, South America etc. Therefore, Visas are not just an issue for non Americans/Europeans. You also need to consult your cruise contract, as every cruise line I have sailed with includes a clause that the onus to provide all required documentation is the sole responsibility of each pax. This sheds the liability from the cruise line, as having a vessel refused entry into a port due to Visa issues is extremely expensive. This is the primary reason liability of transferred to the pax. Cruise lines could make money providing a Visa service, but they could quickly lose more, in the event of an error. In researching Visas, I use the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website and the Canadian equivalent. They maintain a database of every country in the World, which is updated on a regular basis. These websites advise what, if any, Visa is required and any limitations. I then pick the passport which has the most favourable requirements. In addition, they provide extensive additional information relevant to tourists. You may want to check your Govt's website to determine if they provide a similar service. The other option is contracting with a Visa procurement company, but they can be very expensive, and you still retain the liability of ensuring your documentation is correct prior to embarkation.

You are so correct that a single poor culinary experience may not be representative of the overall quality of the culinary experience due to the number of variables. The cruise line's daily budget per pax is a major determining factor, but in our experience, the Executive Chef and Sous Chefs are also a major factor. On the same cruise where the Executive Chef changes in the middle of the cruise, we have seen the quality change, sometimes better, others not so much. Therefore, a poor experience on a single cruise may not be reflective of the normal quality on the ship and certainly not the cruise line. With respect to Princess, we experienced their quality deteriorate for almost 40 yrs before we gave up and stopped sailing with them. It was a combination of menu planning reducing the daily cost/pax, cheaper victuals and on the last World Cruise a very poor Executive Chef.

The arrival time at LHR will depend on the traffic conditions and which terminal you are using. If the M3 and/or M25 motorways are congested your arrival at LHR could be delayed. Even traffic around Stonehenge can be busy.

It is a weather buoy permanently moored at the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian. It is secured to the ocean bed by a long chain.

There is nothing to prevent you from disembarking in Victoria, but since you are sailing on a foreign-flagged cruise ship, you would be in contravention of the Coasting Trade Act. The cruise line is liable for a fine of up to $50,000, which in accordance with their terms & conditions will be charged to the pax. Returning from Seattle may be less convenient, but disembarking in Victoria could be rather expensive. If you experience heavy weather in the Pacific, the cruise line could easily cancel the Victoria call, as it is not required for PVSA compliance. So you may not have the option of disembarking in Victoria, being disembarked in Seattle. If the cruise is late in the season, the potential for heavy weather is increased.

Whether you feel an obligation to tip tour guides is predominantly based on your Nationality. Personally, I feel no obligation to tip any guide. However, if a guide provides my wife or i with exceptional service, we will provide a tip, with the size of tip relating to how we valued the service. If they just did the minimum, they get nothing, but a thank you.

Unfortunately, the Master has a number of additional factors to consider in addition to berth availability and weather. Currents are also a concern, with the current favourable until you reach the Equator and then you are bucking the current. Delaying departure by a day means the speed required is the key factor. I'll suggest that if the vessel departs on time, if the speed required is over 15.5 to 16 kts, you have a risk of being late at the next port. Using 16 kts, the vessel steams 384 miles in a day, discounting any cloxs, as the voyage is predominantly Northerly. If you delay departure by a day, those 384 miles must be steamed on the now only 6 available days, so each day requires and additional 64 miles, or an additional 2.7 kts. If the original speed was 16 kts, to delay departure, the new speed is 18.7 kts, which would place a significant risk of being late for the next port, if you encountered any weather.

I can relate to the disappointment. While Viking can't control the weather, they can build ships that can be handled safely in higher wind speeds. Based on the fixed props, basics rudders, installed HP and thrusters, my best guess is the Master can comfortably hold the ship against a sustained 25kt beam wind, possibly as high as say 28 kts. I would be surprised if they can comfortably handle a sustained 30 kt beam wind. My last command was comfortable up to 33 kts and I have seen cruise ships handle 40 kts. I suspect the Queen Victoria, waiting outside Cape Town could handle 40 kts. The Viking ships are well designed to handle ocean seas, but not so much for docking in winds. This is becoming more evident, as I am seeing increasing instances where Viking ships miss ports due to wind, while other ships are docked safely. Some may be due to the respective Master's risk tolerance, but it happens too frequently, to only involve risk tolerance. I'll suggest the Viking ships need high-lift rudders and double/triple the HP in stern thrusters and a little more thruster capacity at the bow. This would require an additional DG in each E/R. Even with high lift rudders, they require more power on each shaft, as they have about the same as my last command, which was about 1/2 the gross tonnage and 200' shorter.

Which port will you board the vessel?

Just checked Marine traffic and they have departed.

The breadth of a ship is actually known as the "Beam". Length and beam have totally zero impact in a ship's ability to manoeuvre in wind. The ability to dock has nothing to do with sea and all to do with wind speed and the resultant force applied to the ship's windage.

Sorry, but Queen Victoria and Viking Neptune aren't even close to being comparable vessels with respect to handling characteristics. Queen Victoria has 2 Azimuthing thrusters, which are commonly called Azipods, whereas the Viking ships have fixed bladed props with non-high lift rudders. Any vessel with Azipod type propulsion is considerably more manoeuvrable than a vessel with conventional rudders & props. Also consider the installed horsepower, with Queen Victoria having almost triple the installed power than Viking ships. Masters are also required to operate the vessel in accordance with the company's Safety Management System, with the latest SMS providing Master's with limiting wind conditions. The Master cannot sail, as that would be a serious non-conformity. The only option provided to the Master in these circumstances is the ISM Code 5.2, where the Master has overriding authority to take any action required for the safety of the vessel. This would only apply if the Master deemed the risks of staying alongside were greater than the risks of departing. Having spent almost 30 yrs in command of pax vessels, I have made similar decisions many times. If you believe the Master can sail, please advise regarding your professional experience in making this determination? BTW - gotta love the "Armchair Experts"

Naw Jim, you need to remove 922 pax for the ultimate experience, but retain the full crew.😁

Territorial waters extend for 12 miles off-shore, so the casino can open at that point. Ships also need to be 12 miles offshore before making fresh water from the evaps or RO's. Therefore, unless cruising narrow channels, or similar passages, the Master normally sets courses at least 12 miles offshore and in my experience, it is usually further offshore. The Hotel Supervisors are not ship's officers, as they do not require a Certificate of Competency. Viking does an excellent job differentiating the Officers from Hotel Supervisors/Managers, with the Master and Officers (Deck/Engineering/Medical) having gold stripes and Hotel Supervisors/Managers silver stripes. You may be surprised at how many and how often auditors/mentors are onboard the vessels, and they rotate through the ships on a regular basis, so no, it is not a "Very Small Chance", as it is very possible with having a small fleet, that auditors/mentors have been on the old Viking Sun at some point during the past 3 years. I have performed this role extensively as a Master and shore based manager, visiting most of the ships in the fleet.

That may not be an accurate statement. They clearly can't work in an operational capacity, unless they were a Chinese National. However, if the vessel continues to use the Viking Safety Management System, any auditor or mentor does not require to be a Chinese National. Vessel audits by the company are a regular occurence, especially in preparation for Class Document of Compliance Inspections and SMS Audits. Therefore. it is entirely possible that Viking Officers have been aboard the vessel in a auditing or mentoring capacity. I also note that at least one of the senior managers in Basle also relieves onboard as GM, and he has been aboard the vessel in China.