uktog

Currently no

They’re also good at topic up ice and putting lime and or lemon slices in the fridge. It’s only if you want something more complex that this plan might go unstuck. I’d wanted a Long Island (you know that bad drink 😜😜) with a meal in the room and that was a no. I just went and got it in the Den and brought it up

We were told this benefit was not available on Onward in November/December so it is possibly not a fleet wide offering

It’s been number of days since pre pandemic in terms of that event. Prior to that it was number of cruises. Neither of those measures is influenced by type of cabin you sail in. The type of cabin influences the number of points which is a multiple of days sailed x points for the cabin category. As of today the calculation for your loyalty level is points The calculation for the top cruiser is days. The top cruiser event is either a celebration of loyalty or a recognition of conspicuous consumption- you choose your view. On our last cruise it meant so much to the top cruiser they forgot to attend!!!

Well said!!! - and patience is a virtue, In the scheme of things - something will happen - we dont know what, we cant change what happens, there are many worrying about far far more Sorry if that is harsh but as I said elsewhere, wait until mid April and look at it all then.

It varies from ship to ship, tapas were from 4.30 on Onward in November and afternoon tea was not available every day (we went up one day hoping) but sandwiches were available from 1 if I remember. The trouble for your spreadsheet is maybe now its not possible to go into detail and you have to tell people to look in their Insider for some things as the ships are now all doing their own thing and you do not have a consistent product

They’ve enough on their plates with the migration let’s leave them to get on with it and not chase them. As @Rioccasays there will be parallel running and probably a file of manual adjustments to bring over. I’d leave it until mid April before chasing anything. I’m sure if you’re sailing during that period the onboard team will make sure your level is correctly recognised during your cruise even if they system may be lagging a little PS on the website mines been wrong for 2 years in terms of points but they always knew the correct points onboard

It depends when you board. You first must go to the safety briefing. After then there is a buffet available until about 1600 on Deck 9 or coffee and cakes in Mosaic Deck 5. Room service is not available until about 1800

They use keycards. Boarding procedures do differ at various points. Since the pandemic the cards have more usually in your room where you are escorted to after your safety briefing. You attend the briefing as soon as you board. Sometimes though they are still given out at pier check in

Azamara do not exclude non ship excursions guests from going ashore before all the shorex guests are off.

@American Queen Voyages when are you confirming to those guests who have reservations showing they disembark in Chicago that in fact are disembarking in Milwaukee if that this is what is happening for them . You might not be aware but that’s likely to be judged a significant deviation under UK/EU travel legislation and guests who booked in these countries could even cancel their whole cruises for no penalty. It’s no problem under the law if you are transferring them to a point In Chicago at no charge but is an issue if you charge them as seems to be the case.

Funny this highlights the issue cruise lines have balancing frequent cruisers wishes to “annual or less” travelers. With only one Viking cruise to date but really counting down to our next one we are so looking forward to the Abba and Beatles nights. We enjoyed them last time but were tired from long days out so didn’t fully appreciate everything. Compare to Azamara where we are at 40+ now don’t even go to White Night (combination of less good food experiences on some trips, being cold or wet and same old same old playlist BUT it works for others). Rarely go to cruise director shows because they never change. It’s the over familiarity with the entertainment rather than its content that rightly puts people off. I do think cruise directors and guest entertainers who come on regularly should have “2023” “2024” versions of their shows and playlists at parties likewise. As they say familiarity breeds contempt.

Never used the service. I’ve struggled to understand the value especially as it can add stress. Far easier to take it with me and cheaper to prebook extra bags if needed plus engage help at the airport What is the benefit of using it given the eye watering costs

Azamara do provide speakers but my experiences are * their presentations are very dated, not necessarily well delivered and having listened to two presentations about the area I live in not necessarily accurate. They are not in the league of Viking at all * the timing can be suspect - Azamara is port intensive so we ended up with the ridiculous situation in the Caribbean last year that the presentations were AFTER we had visited the ports ( luckily I know not to rely on them) Having sailed last year on Viking I would say that * food used to be better on Azamara but recent experience on Azamara says the two have come together more in terms of standard and presentation, * the entertainment is different - you have more individual players on Viking between the classical due/trio, the small band and other lounge players plus the stage show. Azamara does not have that flexibility but some of the cruise directors really can put on great combinations from their existing pool so its probably equal *amenities, not sure what you mean but as they are older ships with much smaller cabins especially the bathrooms that might be an issue for you but offset that with the usually more engaged and involved officers its a different vibe

Absolutely agree. Many of us have banged on about this in the past. The previous "excuses" were things were done by RC etc etc etc. That excuse no longer washes

Hasn’t been that way of switching post pandemic. In many ways having four variants each of red and white is better and far more transparent than the old system. Some used to insist on a wine from the previous day and would get it and others who politely accepted what was given and were from backgrounds where you were taught to graciously accept what you’re offered put up had a wine that they werent so keen on so having everything available all the time is much fairer. It’s also easier to avoid the “paint stripper pinotage” which a choice of 4. I’d like to see 4 named bottles not who knows what vat this came from. I’d also like wait staff trained FAR better on what wines they are serving and also not be told to tell guests an inferior wine is a better wine especially if they are on a package. My tip even though it might mean a wait the first few nights if you’re on the package ask to speak to the sommelier before ordering anything . After the first two nights the sommelier will immediately acknowledge you as you arrive and be over with suggestions very soon after.

Please no preset pre approved playlists. That would be awful. Let the professionals that these musicians are identify the right music for their audience at each moment. I felt on Viking admittedly 12 months ago that the musicians were more plentiful and of a far wider skill set than on other lines and were very adept at reading all their “room” not just one or two folks. That’s what I’m looking forward to again in August. I don’t expect to like every musician’s repertoire every night and I realise sometimes it’s a question of timing at venues but my timing isn’t your timing and I’m on a ship of 900 folks not a private yacht 😜

That was the same all last year on Journey Onward and Quest can’t speak for Pursuit

Are you emailing the guests whose itineraries are impacted or their travel agents?

I am interested in knowing the shuttles on the Japan Intensive this year as I am in the early stages of excursion planning

Ah two "guess the storage tanks" still - neither of these tank ones ticked the box for me but as you say it is all a matter of taste

Interesting, they have moved away from the Azamara labelled "guess which storage tank I came from because it wasn't the same as yesterday" varieties to named sources. Like it!

Nice range of activities there! Looks like a new phrase - not Enrichment Lecture, but Special Interest - and the topic looks good. Hope the delivery matches. Oh dear with Derek, a fellow Fifer in the Den I would be up way too late many nights on your cruise!

There is a lot more information about their land offerings pre and post cruise. They look high end. For comparison I looked at the one being run in Scotland after disembarkation in Glasgow in early September. If I was going to recommend a Scottish experience without reference to a budget, what they have put together is exactly what I would go for. Very high quality not cookie cutter

Some of the Brits and Europeans got there at 10 or just after because all their flights land between 7 and 9 and they take them straight to the ship (Im talking those who have flights done through the cruise line and Travel agent packages). Its always been an issue in South America.