Heidi13

Although a specific World Cruise question, you will get more knowledgeable replies on the Viking Board, where a number of us are experienced Viking World Cruisers. We have already completed 1 Viking WC in a DV cabin on Viking Sun and have another booked on Viking Neptune. In 4-months we never found any problem with storage, especially as the newer ships have the 3 extra drawers in the closet. Note - as we don't drink coffee, we request the cabin steward removes the coffee machine for extra storage. We also stored cold weather gear in the cases below the bed.

Varies with the port, depending on the extent of the compulsory pilotage area, Can be 1/2 hr to just outside the breakwater to 12 hrs in Vancouver to the top of Vancouver Island.

The Royal Observatory is another of the not to be missed attractions in Greenwich, with the obligatory photo stradling the Prime Meridian a must. Here are a couple of photos from the Prime Meridian and Cutty Sark drydock.

Prior to the arrival in every port and after the departure, the local pilot departs the ship. Pilots on cruise ships actually have it fairly easy, as they use the lower deck shell door, which is only a few feet above the water line. They also rig a pilot ladder, but in most cases the pilot can step directly to/from the ship and pilot launch. Since the side used by the pilot is unknown to the pax, the best place to watch is probably fwd of Explorers on Dk 7, as you can view down both sides of the ship.

I can clarify a couple of points. Stability The size of a ship is another myth perpetrated by many passengers, but in fact, the ship's stability has little to do with size. It is affected by the ship's design and how the ship is loaded. When considering sea keeping abilities, again the ship's size has little bearing, as ship design and scantlings are the primary factors. Personally, I would much rather sail on the old smaller, steam powered liners (if they were still around), rather than any of the massive, modern mega ships. On SS Oriana & SS Canberra we could handle most seas at 20 to 25 kts. Your modern mega ships would have to reduce speed significantly, probably to around 10 kts. Cost Comparison After spending 40 yrs both working for and cruising with Princess, we now sail exclusively with a "Premium" cruise line. We completed World Cruises with Princess and a premium line. While the base fare of the premium line was double the Princess fare, the final per day cost was identical, with the standards on the premium line, vastly superior.

Lots of factors are taken into account when anchoring a ship, with the primary ones being - wind, current, depth of water and holding power of the bottom. However, on cruise ships the safety of operating tenders and the pax comfort will preclude anchoring, well before it isn't safe to anchor. The anchor is only required to take the chain down to the seabed, where the chain is laid out on the bottom. It is the chain that holds the ship in place, more than the anchor.

You fastest way would be downloading the excellent spreadsheet maintained by one of our regular posters CharTrav. She updates the schedule usually within days of Viking making changes. Probably more accurate than any of the 3rd party websites. Here is the link to her thread. Scroll down through the posts to find the latest version. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2651194-viking-ocean-combined-cruise-schedule/

With a number of North American outlets and USB ports, we did not require adapters.

Have a chat with the guide to let them know that you would like to remain in the town and not return to the ship. If the last stop on the tour doesn't work, they may be able to work with the driver to stop briefly on the return to the ship and drop you off. A number of pax will depart the tours at the end and do additional exploring. Having departed the Viking excursion, you are then responsible for getting back to the ship prior to all aboard.

Unfortunately, that isn't an option, as by the time everyone was aboard, tenders secured and the ship got underway, it would require a speed well in excess of 30 kts to make Invergordon. If you don't want to stay overnight and drive up to rejoin the ship, you could easily arrive a few days early and fly/train up to Edinburgh for the Tattoo. The train service is brilliant, high speed in 5 hrs or less.

Flash Evaps - flash evaporators, make fresh water from sea water using the hot cooling water that comes out the engines ME - Main engine, which is normally attached to a gearbox or generator. Most cruise ships now have medium speed engines DG - Main engine connected to a generator, which is connected to the main bus supplying propulsion, operations and hotel RO - Reverse Osmosis, a membrane used for removing impurities from water. Sea water in and fresh water out

Monaco can handle cruise ships up to about 1,000 feet.

To make FW the ships must be off-shore. The flash evaps use the high temperature cooling water coming out of the ME's/DG's, so therefore they must have sufficient engines running to use the flash evaps. Not aware that the RO system requires anything more than circulating pumps, but yes this still requires a DG running.

This is not technically correct. Most of the Inside Passage is deep water, where the ships could safely go alongside the shore cliffs. You are most likely making reference to Seymour Narrows, which is 100 miles north of Vancouver. Although this is shallower that other parts of the Inside Passage, since they blew up Ripple Rock in 1958, ships are no longer constrained by their draught. The channel is fairly narrow and includes 2 turns, but the challenge is not the tight passage, but the current, which can run as high as 16 kts. The BC Coast Pilots minimise the risk by only taking cruise ships through within 1 hr of slack water. The primary issue with the Princess ships based in Vancouver that use the Pacific Ocean, is not so much their size, but their lack of manoeuvrability. This is well known and is an issue that was also raised by the Alaska Pilots.

Technically the Inside Passage extends from south of Seattle all the way up the coast to Skagway. The cruise line marketing depts take some liberties, stating "Inside Passage" cruising, if they use any of these channels, even briefly. Unfortunately, the Inside Passage is not consistent the entire length. As others have mentioned, Johnstone Strait between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland, is fairly narrow and very scenic. Further north in BC, the scenic Inside Passage continues with Lama Passage, Princess Royal Channel and Grenville Channel. Sadly, the mega ships do not use the northern portion of the BC Inside Passage, as we did weekly, when I worked as Navigator for 2 seasons in Alaska, sailing out of Vancouver. Your Seattle based ship will sail up the Pacific Ocean, only entering one of the channels to access the ports of call. Most of these channels are much wider than the Inside Passage in Canadian Waters. Darkness will also depend on the weather, but expect it to be getting dark around 20:00 in early September. I recall we used to lose about 1/2 hr of daylight every week in September

At slow speed the fuel consumption is significantly reduced and the additional fuel costs for the scenic cruising is probably less than the additional port fees for arriving early. The ship cannot reduce speed too much, as it requires a minimum speed to maintain steerage and if the stabalisers are required.

Affirmative, Viking Lifesaving Equipment are a completely separate company from Viking Ocean. They are a Danish company based in Esbjerg, on the West Coast. I believe the tenders are from Schat-Harding, so the FRC are probably also from them, or one of their associated companies. Unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge with the European boats, as I've never used, or purchased any of them, as we had 2 excellent manufacturers locally in Metro Vancouver, who got all our business after competitive bids.

In some ports the cruise line must advise and receive approval from the local authorities. Some countries require a different Visa to stay ashore for the evening. It is also a good plan to provide them with contact info, so the ship can contact you, should departure change, or the ship moves berth.

We have attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo a number of times over the years. We prefer the stand facing the castle and usually book seats for the 2nd show on the last night. Definitely worth a visit. If you wish to visit the Tattoo, you could always request approval from Viking to remain ashore for the evening and rejoin the ship at the next port. Assuming the next port is Invergordon, it is an easy drive up the M90/A9. Less than 200 miles.

In addition to my previous reply. Stowed on the deck are also smaller Fast Rescue Craft. Can't remember the brand Viking uses, but they will be about 20 - 25' with lots of horsepower. They are used for man-overboard situation and to assist marshal the liferafts.

Affirmative, we have seen the middle boats lowered, as SOLAS requires each boat be lowered at least every 3 months. All 6 of the boats sitting under the davits meet the SOLAS standards for lifeboats. In addition, boats 1, 2, 5 & 6 are designed as tenders, having a dual capacity for tender ops and being a lifeboat.

That is our experience as well. When we ask for a beverage that isn't stocked in that bar, they dispatch a crew member to procure a bottle.

If I had to pick one, it would be the 3-week 1977 Christmas cruise R/T Sydney to SE Asia, on my favourite ship - SS Oriana.

Welcome to cruise critic, just noted it is your first post. Without more details, it is a tough question to answer. Some cruises, such as Trans-Atlantic may receive reduced fares as the cruise approaches, but since many Viking cruises sell out more than a year in advance, many of them increase in cost. Since we booked our next cruise, the cabin has increased $12,000 pp. If you review the website, you will see they provide monthly incentives, such as reduced deposits, discounted air, etc on some cruises.

I'm at a loss as to why you find a need to ask the question. The Viking "Rig of the Day" standard, for the Expedition ships, is very succinct - "Jeans are not permitted". Personally, I couldn't care less what people wear to dinner, but having worked in the industry, I do know that published standards/policies must be upheld, unforeseen circumstances excepted. If jeans are being accepted, in contravention of the policy, Viking need to address the performance of the Restaurant Manager and GM. They have a process where they can submit changes to policies/standards, but they do not have any discretion on which ones they comply with. Therefore, to ensure their employment prospects, I can only hope the Restaurant Manager and GM are diligent in managing the Viking standard.