austinetc

I was born and raised in Rome, New York.  Rome, Italy holds a special place in my heart. It was a shock when I realized that the distance from the Coliseum to St. Peters (and all spots in between) was less than the distance from my home to my middle school. So much history, so little real estate.

I honestly can't say that I ever had an unforgettable meal in Rome, but I've never had an unforgettable experience while eating in Rome.  Eating in a basement sounds wrong.

Can you explain the seating options at the Restaurant? MyVikingJourney offers us the option to reserve a table for two on all of the nights. If we don't reserve these, do we sit first come, first serve at a group table? (This is one of those areas where Viking, with a miniscule effort, could provide more words on the web site to explain themselves better.)

Love these updates. FYI, I plan to carry it forward for our Venice to Istanbul cruise, beginning with a two day pre-cruise extension on 4/21. The Roll Call I created has had two respondees. CC participation still needs a lot of renewed interest to return to its glory days.

Side note: It's still a disappointment to me that Pompeii is discussed and visited far more than the Herculaneum. It's understandable, considering the better transportation and parking availability at Pompeii. But for me the Herculaneum was a vastly better experience.

4 minutes ago, stretchcruz said:

I'm on Orion as well and wish they had continued masking. Yesterday in the Daily it said that no reservations were needed for the thermal spa. We had a reservation and went down. We were told that reservations were still needed, that the ship is on high alert because of new cases.

Is contact tracing still a thing?

48 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

I don't get the convenience argument so many out forth. Either way you are ordering something to drink and paying for it. How can one way be more convenient than the other?

There are people, like me, who cannot help but keep score in their heads. I hesitate at a bar before ordering a Knob Creek Rye ($9) over a Jim Beam ($5.50), or a Brazin Zin ($8.50) rather than the House Red ($4.50). The package removes that kind of stress. Of course, it replaces the stress with "Am I taking full use of the $20 per day drink allowance?" aspect. So it's a tossup for me. At the moment we're not buying the package for our next cruise.

6 minutes ago, Cadodge said:

On the Orion right now. Masks became "recommended " yesterday, rather than mandatory. This morning about 1/3 of passengers seem to be maskless. That said, we seem to have a lot of passengers coughing and sneezing, and some don't seem to have learned much over the past 2 years about how to not spread your illness to others, whatever it may be. Finally, I got a scare upon my return from an excursion yesterday afternoon in the form of a phone call from the Dr. He said I to remain in my cabin until they re-ran my morning test because the first was "inconclusive." It took another two hours (no new sample, they used the same one from the morning) and he called to tell me I am negative and could again leave the cabin. Whew!

How many passengers does the Orion have on board?

2 minutes ago, Maryann221 said:

I am sailing another cruise line, embarking on the 9th. Do you think the announcement is cruise line specific or general for European cruises? Thanks!

The announcement I received was via an email from Viking.

Did the ship have a shuttle bus option to visit the old town?

33 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

But daily testing is still required (?)

The email is silent on this point, so I assume so. 

According to an email from Viking for our upcoming late April Med cruise, today (1 April) the shipboard policy is changed. Come aboard, take test, wander around with mask on, get [negative] results, take off mask (optionally). Ashore policy must comply with country rules.

I'm hoping the aviation rules are relaxed on April 19th. We'll probably still wear masks, but it'll be good for flight attendants' morale to not be the mask police.

I've heard that Viking excursion cancellations are a thing now. I'm easy-going, so it is what it is. But I just noticed that our Rhodes portstop on May 2nd lists all the excursions as sold out, even the Included Excursion. That's remarkable, considering we're still a month out.

11 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Please correct me if I am wrong but I am under the impression that check-in for all passengers is at the Cruise Terminal in Venice, even those who are arriving independently. 

 

Unless all passengers have assigned, non-negotiable  check-in times at the Cruise Terminal, the question that I would be asking is how late will check-in be available.  It is much easier to let Viking handle the logistics of getting you to the ship -- and considering what Heidi13 said in post #63, avoids a lot of possible pitfalls.

Are you suggesting that passengers go to the Cruise Terminal to check in, even though the ship WILL NOT BE at the Cruise Terminal? I've been assuming that people would have to get to where the ship is. Your assumption would be certainly make things easier.

We have been on one ocean and three river cruises with Viking. We've used both included and optional tours. In all those times we have had one bad excursion, totally due to the guide. ("There's a fountain. I don't know what it's called.") People with another guide had a great time. 

Some of the included excursions were less than spectacular (usually the bus "look out the window" tours), but others have been phenomenal. In many cases, the walking tours have provided enough information to suggest what to do after the tour. In our opinion, the optional excursions have been worth the money. But one must be selective. If the description doesn't excite you, the tour probably won't either.

Caveat: Bus rides are no fun in any scenario, but you've got to get places somehow.

1 hour ago, Cienfuegos said:

This is a great question.  Previous posters have inferred that individual taxi or private cars are not welcome at Fusina

The key question I have is whether Viking, for some obtuse reason, require that people booked on the precruise extension travel to the ship per some set schedule?  I am hesitant to ask Viking about any of this because, frankly, I don't trust corporate Viking to give me a reliable answer. I desire an answer so I can best plan for my two(?) days in Venice. 

My online research suggests:

1) It is 800 yards from the entrance of the Marine Terminal to the ship. I get this from MarineTraffic showing where the ship was yesterday and Google Maps telling me where the entrance is.  If, as expected, Viking will transport our luggage from hotel to ship, this is a trivial distance.

2) The hourly scheduled water taxi to Fusina ($9 each) delivers people to a dock outside the Marine Terminal fenceline. From there it's a roundabout 2 miles to the ship. Assuming one can get a cab from there, it's again just an 800 yard hike.

3) A taxi from Venice to the Ternimal entrance would cost about $25. This would be my choice I think.

1 hour ago, 20Cruise20 said:

Pre-Excursion Response: 

 

We learned about 3 weeks before our sailing of the change of hotels. We were disappointed in the change from the Hilton to the JWM as we understood that the island with the Hilton had local restaurants and enjoyable exploration.  

 

We clearly understood the challenge of large hotels being outside the historic area and the usage of the hotel water taxi, but, were not satisfied with the experience compared to the cost. Pleasantries were abundant at the hotel, however, the details were just not in place. Many Viking guests had challenges at the hotel restaurant. (We did not.) The breakfast buffet was filled with quantity, not quality. Our room was very nice, but, very warm. Based on the time of year, AC was not available within the guest rooms. 

 

I cannot provide a factual answer to the sightseeing question. We were provided with a specific time to meet in the lobby for transfer - 1015 AM. (Along with about 40 others.) I do know that there was a 915 transfer group as well. I would suggest that you speak with the on-site Viking host to understand transfer time options and if the ability exists. (It very well might be accomplished.) 

 

I've seen some other discussion regarding on-board day one test results. We submitted our samples about 1215 PM and had our TV notification @ 5 PM. 

 

I'll close with a just in case you need to know note. Be prepared to place your luggage outside your room the night before departure similar to the end of your actual cruise. 

 

 

This is wonderful intelligence! But I'd like to get clarification on some points.

We arrive on Day 1, meeing a VIking host at the airport for transportation to the island.  On Day 2 we have the day to ourselves. In the evening we leave our luggage outside the room. We don't see our luggage again until we enter our stateroom on the ship.  So far, so good.

On Day 3 we have two VIking departure options: leave at 915 or 1015. We board the ship, take a saliva test, and roam the ship with masks on until we get an all clear from the test.  MY KEY QUESTION is, can we check out of the hotel and ignore Viking's transportation to the ship?  Rather, can we wander the streeets of Venice all day and on our own arrive at the ship later in the day, at which time we'll take the test? I'm not comfortable sacrificing an entire day to await a saliva test.

2 minutes ago, curmudgeon98 said:

The cruise lines are always a bit challenged on Venice hotels.  Too many passengers have a set of expectation for the hotel that are hard to meet in the old city.  There just aren't that many rooms in the Danielli or Gritti Palace, and they are very expensive.  Away from Venice proper they've had more flexibility to build modern buildings, so you get places like the JWM, Hilton Molino, and Kempinski;  they aren't really part of the city, but at least they have that water access feel.  Mestre is just generic suburb. 

 

We have a favorite hotel, but it's small, quirky (no elevator), and still not cheap.  But it works for us.  

Thanks for explaining. This will be our first visit. 

Maybe only of interest to me, but the aircraft carrier USS Truman is wandering around the access point to Split. She’s been there for a few days, doing NATO exercises. Perhaps you’ll get a glimpse on Wednesday. 

22 minutes ago, 20Cruise20 said:

The JWM is a beautiful property on a peaceful island. (We walked the island one morning and enjoyed the fresh air and extra movement.) The water taxi was easy to use to access historic Venice at St. Mark's Square. Viking also ran shuttles on the hour. Regardless of the testing situation, we would not join a pre-extension again. Staying in the right area and maximizing every minute of vacation is more important than the minor transport convenience.  

 

Thanks for this information! It's obvious that corporate Viking is being as conservative as possible regarding testing guidelines (worldwide), but it makes for a bad first impression when one gets to the locality and ship and has the test results waved away. You'd think that corporate would ask the local people for updates, but my experience is that they never do.

I'm a little unhappy that the precruise extension places us at a hotel 20 minutes away from Venice, dependent on a scheduled water taxi. I don't travel for hotels. What I want is a bed, a bath, and a map.

You'll have a welcome aboard meet and greet tonight? All the officers should know, or be able to point you to someone who knows. The front desk would know. But it's not important. Enjoy!

How many passengers are on board? Please ask.

9 hours ago, Sprigs616 said:

 Thank you for doing this.  My brother, SIL, and their friends are on your sailing. They did the pre-trip extension through Viking and are at the JW Marriott, which looks lovely but (according to Google Maps) appears to be on a separate island and removed from the main canals.  Unfortunately, my brother and SIL aren't members of CruiseCritic but I'm sure I'll get updates from them from time to time.  In the meantime, I'll be following your thread. 

 

Happy Anniversary!

We’re sailing from Venice later this month. We also booked the pre cruise extension. I would appreciate anything you can pass on about your brother’s experiences. I’ve read that the hotel only offers free water taxi service hourly starting at 9AM. That’s disappointing. 

We are headed to Venice to catch the Sky later this month, though our cruise goes east after Corfu, not west. We're booked for VIking's 2-day pre-extension. Normally we'd do what you're doing, but murky Covid testing rules and an unusually reasonable price were attractive inducements.  

I was in Dubrovnik just a couple weeks ago on a land tour and loved the old town. The wall walk is fun, with a view of perhaps the world's strangest basketball court. I highly recommend Dingač wine. 

On the last river cruise I did with Viking I learned that a version of sparkling wine was offered at meals. It seemed to be an unadvertised option.

I know for certain that they serve beer and wine at the World Cafe on Deck 7. I'm pretty sure they don't serve gratis beer or wine at any bars during meals. But (pre Covid) at the World Cafe you could pop in, sit at a table, get your drink, then wander away without getting any food. Servers actively suggest topping you off before you leave the retaurant or Cafe with your drinks.

The big rub to the SSBP is that both of us have to buy into it. While I would certainly exceed $20 per day, my SO would not. I like the idea of not mentially pricing each drink (which I can't resist), so the package is tempting even if we don't hit the average. But there are other factors to consider. Perhaps the chief one is that we can bring alcohol on board. I believe the restaurant will even hold our unfinished bottle until the next day. Our next cruise is from Venice, so I can stock up on fine wines at amazingly good prices on day one.

On 3/13/2022 at 9:22 AM, longterm said:

Today was the 3rd day for us in Venice. We originally scheduled an optional excursion for a tour of the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica.

 

When we got the last batch of excursion tickets 2 days ago, I noticed we were missing a ticket for the 13th (today). I went to Guest Services to inquire, and it's a really good thing I did...

 

We were told that our excursion had been canceled because St. Mark's Basilica is closed to tours on Sunday mornings, and that we had been notified with a letter to our stateroom. 

We got the letter later that day, but still too late to do much with it.

I was not a happy camper; I was told we could take any of 3 remaining tours (the free tour + 2 others); the 4th, a tour of Doge's Palace, was full.

Of the 3 remaining tours, we had already taken 2 of them, so that left the freebie, which was a tour of St. Mark's Square. Wow. Not much to see there, and we'd already seen it on a tour that morning.

I told the Viking person that the only tour we would be satisfied with, having now lost our chance to go inside St. Mark's, was the tour of the Doge's Palace. He wouldn't budge; he put us on a waiting list behind 4 other people.

I was not pleased, and told him so, politely but firmly. I asked to speak to his superior, and he told me he'd have the excursion director call me. She called while we were out of the room, so I called back. 

She told me that we weren't the only people with the same situation, and said they'd worked out a solution: they organized a private tour for the 12 of us to the Doge's Palace, and we'd be taken there and back by private water taxis, not the large water buses we used for the other excursions. 

It was wonderful; we were whisked there, 6 in each water taxi, got an excellent private tour of the Doge's Palace, and a half hour to spend in St. Mark's Square, where a few of us bought souvenirs or coffee.

Yet again, Viking did the right thing; someone set up this tour without considering that St. Mark's was closed on Sunday mornings--oops--I would guess that it was someone in Venice, but I don't know--but Viking came up with a great solution. Water taxis are 70 euros for a one-way trip for ONE person, and I don't know what they paid for parties of 6 (probably at least 200-300 euros each way), but our excursion was just perfect. I give Viking huge points for taking care of its guests.

We didn't get to see the interior of St. Mark's, but it's an excuse to return soon.

We're booked to do the same excursion on Sunday, 4/24, so I "chatted" with a Viking representative this morning, conveying your experience. For brevity, I didn't say that you were on the Sky or that it happened just last week. Her first response was that I shouldn't trust guidance from others and that Viking was in a unique position that "other" tour groups were not. I replied that the information was both very fresh and from a Viking passenger. I assumed her first reaction was "oh, oops". She's promised to look into it within 72 hours.

I would be fine with the "fix" that you received, but without the initial confusion and dissatisfaction.