soundcruiser

We organized a private tour with Tzar-Travel (highly recommended by Rick Steves) for 6 of us using our Roll Call. I researched attractions to visit and sent a list to 10 different agencies asking them to created an itinerary. Tzar Travel were the only ones to provide a very full itinerary for us, and even added a visit to the Faberge Museum when we had extra time one evening. We rode in a mini-van that was so comfortable, and our driver slipped through traffic like a hot knife through butter! Our guide, Maria, has an exceptional knowledge of practically everything!

On our Viking Homelands last year, all passengers/devices had wifi access at all times on board! It wan't always the speediest, but it was always available. (Barring technical difficulties)

We had a wonderful light dinner/late lunch at Sfaare, Meripuiestee 6, across from the Russian cultural center. While not one you mentioned, it was one of the best meals we had on our Baltic cruise - it's "new Estonian" with an Italian influence.

Good for you, Nippy! It's nice to have that hurdle cleared, isn't it? These last weeks will fly by!

We booked Tzar Travel for our small group of 6 that we created from our Roll Call on the Sea last September. At $250pp for two extremely full days, it was a bargain! They provided the same services noted above - no lines, great transportation, etc., and were able to accommodate my very ambitious itinerary beautifully, including adding on the Faberge Museum one evening when we had some extra time, and arranging a tour of Dostoevsky's neighborhood from Crime and Punishment. Can't recommend them highly enough!

As someone who gets motion sickness if someone looks at me cross-eyed, I will say that neither the bus nor train caused me any problems. The buses they use are really nice, with huge windows,and there is certainly lots to look at outside, which really helps me! And the train also is very stable around curves - I hardly noticed them! It was a delightful excursion.

Cindy - seeing Connie's post, I think we also departed from Gesundbrunnen. So much to remember!! And our train took about 3 hours each way - a lovely experience from start to finish. Viking provided snacks on both legs, and our Viking tour guide was available for questions along the way.

Hi, Cindy, Your idea sounds like a good one. I'm hoping emptynesters38 will see this, as they did exactly what you are planning. You can talk to the Viking tour guide on the train, who should know the afternoon departure station. This past September we arrived at Ostbanhof and departed from, IIRC, Nordbanhof. The bus dropped us off/picked us up at the Hilton across from Gendarmenmarkt. We took the bus tour and found it to be helpful, as we explored on our own after that and enjoyed getting a "lay of the land" first. But a private guide would be able to take you everywhere the bus did, plus add in places that especially interest you. My husband and I used the 100 bus (great public transportation in Berlin!) to get around quickly, and enjoyed strolling the streets on our own,getting a flavor of both the east and west sides of Berlin.

Pcnw, this is a good question! On our Viking Homelands this past Sept., we took excursions at Stavanger (Pulpit Rock cruise- if you book directly with Norled or Rodne you'll save a lot over the Viking excursion) and Eidfjord (the Flam 6 hour bus/train excursion) and enjoyed them both very much. They allowed us to experience yes, more fjords, but also the high mountain plateaus, waterfalls, and lush valleys that characterize this area. In Bergen, we just walked around the city on our own and took the funicular to the top of Mt. Floyen, where we walked to some picturesque lakes. But there are many wonderful outings from Bergen - Norway in a Nutshell covers much of the area around Flam. I would encourage you to research some of the options and pick at least one that interests you, though I will say that the sailout from Eifjord might have been the most spectacular of all, partially due to the lovely evening and the mirror-like fjord!

We checked at the desk of Manfredi's immediately after boarding the Sea on the first day of our Viking Homelands cruise, because someone was there! They showed us the menus for Chef's Table and the rotation, and helped us move our reservation to the night that looked most appealing. They have the information on all of the computers at the entrances to the various restaurants - if you can find one that is staffed and not crowded, we found that they usually are glad to help, even if it's not at the Chef's Table entrance specifically. Someone else may recall if the info is also on your room TV - I know your reservations are displayed there, but I can't recall if the menus were. I'm jealous that you are going in March - we are booked on the Mediterranean Odyssey May 2019 and it seems so long to wait! Have a great trip!

We boarded the Sea in Stockholm this past September at 10-10:30. Took about 10 minutes as we were one of 3 couples boarding then! While we chose to check our luggage and head out to explore Gamla Stan, the staff invited us to remain on board if we chose that instead. We just wouldn't be able to enter our cabin until our 2:00 assigned time., and I think the World Cafe opened at 11:00., but I think the bar/coffee/snack area on Deck 1 was open. In Bergen, we had to be out of our cabin by 8:00, and off the ship by 10:00, IIRC. We took a Viking shuttle to the airport, and left at 9:15ish.

It looks like the article about visas for EU travel cited by philw is from March, 2017 - has anyone heard any updates? A quick Google search gave no more recent info on planned votes or actions.

We were blessed to have 4 days in Norway with at least partial sun! It rained lightly on our walk to the lake in Eidfjord ( thanks for the suggestion, JiminyC _ fan!) but we wore our Gore-Tex and were fine. Of course, we are from the Puget Sound area of Washington state, so are used to just putting on whatever you need to keep you dry and going ahead with your plans - otherwise we'd never go outside this time of year! But we understand our great luck weatherwise in Norway! Have a great trip, angelbear!

We did, this past September. I think the cost was $189 PP, includes lunch at the lovely Fleischers Hotel in Voss ( sandwiches and veggies). We were also in a DV - don't think it ever sold out, but they took, IIRC, 3 buses. I did sign up for it first when our window opened, but don't think I needed to. It was a wonderful excursion - a great way to see some of the high mountain country as well as the lush valleys on the way to Flam. And we still had time, upon returning to the ship, to hike up the Eid River to a beautiful little lake. We loved this port, and the stunning sail out that evening.

Good points, Peregrina and dauntless! I'd forgotten that there were two stations! So, it sounds like all attended muster the day before departure from Stockholm - not sure what they do from Bergen.

The announcement in the Viking Daily and overhead said it was required of all. They checked our room keys as we entered. That said, there is no way there were 930 pax in the Star Theater for the muster drill! So, I don't know where everyone else was. This might be a question for the kind folks at TellUs@Vikingcruises.com (if that is the right address - I forget!).

Actually, on our Viking Homelands last month, the muster drill was at 5:15 ( or so) the first afternoon. We left Stockholm at 2:30 the next afternoon, so it might depend on actual departure time.

We are just off the September 3 Viking Homelands and took a bridge tour - we just went to the shore excursions desk on embarkation day and signed up. I don't recall seeing any notices about signing up - I just knew what to do from this wonderful forum!

Thanks so much, Desdichado - you're an amazing fount of information!

Hi, Desdichado - what is the current status of construction in the Sodermalmstorg area? We are planning to take the T-bana to Slussen and then walk to the Hilton when we arrive next Saturday- will this be possible? Will we need to walk up to Gotgatan and then turn right? Thanks! And hope your new year of studies is going well!

I hadn't seen this - thanks for a day brightener, Len!

Thanks, North-bound and Desdichado! We'll check these out!

Hi, Desdichado,

Do you have a suggestion of where we might buy a Sunday New York Times near Slussen (either in Gamla Stan or Sodermalm)?

Viking Oceans' Viking Homelands cruise has an itinerary you might like. It covers fjords in southern Norway as well as several Baltic ports, including St. Petersburg ; in fact, we had similar criteria to yours when we were selecting a cruise. We sail on the Homelands cruise this September! I'll be interested to hear what you decide!

Thanks so much, Desdichado!