sharkster77

We live less than 1 hour from Cape Cod and we don't even think of going near there in July and August.  Spring and fall only.

1 hour ago, Kristelle said:

Coming from Australia one can only bring the amount of luggage allowed on the flight - so no more than 1 suitcase and 1 carry on. 

But can't you pay for an extra checked bag if you want to? You can from the US to Europe with many carriers.

24 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

 

 

But surely everyone does this - we did a 14 night river cruise, surely nobody has 14 completely separate outfits.

 

I didnt even try to look different every day - I had a bag of laundry done twice on the trip and then re wore whatever  I had worn a few days prior, now clean and ready to wear again.

 

in the case of the 2 dressier gala dinners,  I wore same top, just hung up and ready to wear again - had only been in it for few hours in air conditioned dining room

@Kristelle, I would certainly hope that everyone does this---OTOH, there are folks with absurdly huge amounts of luggage, like 2 checked-size bags per person, AND carry-ons.  I wonder if they are on a round-the-world trip, or just overpacked.....

GASP---------we will wear an outfit more than once on a river cruise!!!  By mixing and matching, you can 'look' different every day but re-use items that still look and 'smell' fine.

That's the beauty of 'unpack once'--you can look in the closet and put together a different look everyday without bringing too much clothing.

We also have changed for dinner to feel fresher, then wore those same clothes the next day.  A change of shoes for dinner also makes ones feet feel better.

On our recent 10 day cruise (+ 2 day extension) I had a couple of shirts laundered near the end of the cruise to have fresh shirts for the extension.  Paid 16 euros, was OK paying for that convenience.

24 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Your safest bet is to load the airline apps for the carriers your flights are on. They will give you the latest information. Some airline apps give you important information on the day of your flight like gate changes and luggage tracking. Also some airlines aren’t integrated into Viking’s system and their app or webpage is the only way to change seats. On our last European trip, one carrier would not assign seats until the day of the flight unless you paid an additional fee. (This is becoming more common) The only way to get an advance seat was through the airline’s app/website.

Agree----Viking may have purchased your flights, but the airline is actually flying you there, so I would put my faith in what the airline says, not MVJ.  It's easy to use your air booking # to check on your flights.

Recently did a river cruise---My Viking Journey never showed my correct seats, booked by Viking.  We had aisle/window, but MVJ always showed us sitting in the middle section of the plane.  We figured whatever the airline website showed was correct, and it was!

Just got back from a Viking tulip cruise.  On our Rhine cruise 4 years ago there were people every night who wore suits and dresses to dinner.  This time, folks just seemed to keep on whatever they wore for the day.  There were some jeans, but nobody looked like slobs.  Some threw on a sweater or scarf to dress up their upper torso, but that was it.  I don't believe I saw anyone wearing a suit, sports jacket, or dress.

In Ireland 7 years ago, I was looking for the plain back coffee setting on the machine.  A waitress told me that they called it coffee creme as some there thought there were racial implications calling it black coffee.  Not saying it's true or not true, but that's what we were told by a local.

Personally, I see no racial implication----I mean, black coffee is black in color, so ...

We did get a taste of European football (soccer) culture that was fascinating while in Bruges----

That evening, Bruges was playing a Europa league game against Thessaloniki (sp) of Greece.  During lunch the main square near the Belfry was filled with hundreds young Greek men, dressed in all black, "pre-gaming" (we were told no alcohol is sold in the stadium), loudly singing their chants whenever a group of their compatriots walked by.  Lots of machismo and testosterone in the air!  I guess lots of Greek fans didn't have to work that day (lol)!

The next day I looked up the score---Bruges beat Thessaloniki, 1-0.

@pontac, great recap!!!

We got on the Ve the same day you disembarked.  I posted my cruise comments on the Tulips and Windmills Roll Call.

4 hours ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

WooWee! $9000pp is a significant difference when comparing apples to apples! I like Viking, but I can do a lot with $18000 extra!

In the post that you quote, I see a figure of $900 pp (a comparison of 900 vs 1200 pp).  Where do you get the figure of $9,000 pp?

What am I missing?

Most river cruise lines will even  uncork and provide glasses for the alcohol you've brought on board at no charge.

10 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

If it were just a matter of $$, we'd be sailing on Carnival or NCL. Thank you, no. We'd rather stay home.  

 

Then Viking opened its Oceans division. It was more expensive than the mainstream lines but under a 1000 pax, no casinos, no kids, free internet, included excursions, no formal nights, no ties & jackets and port heavy itineraries aimed at our age demographic were a big draw.

 

It is the intangibles that keep us coming back.

 

 

AND---no extra charge for special dining venues, all cabins with a verandah, a more cerebral and less hedonistic vibe (trying NOT to sound snobby, but some of us aren't into the heavy drinking/party scene)

3 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Daffodils finished as are the Snowdrops but it looks like the Bluebells are going to be superb.

Here in Massachusetts daffodils are just starting.  We've had a return to temps in the 30's (Fahrenheit of course) and that's slowed things down.

6 hours ago, pontac said:

I'm off first thing tomorrow, 28 March, to Amsterdam for Viking's Tulips and Windmills cruise. I'm not taking my laptop and I will be 'digital detoxing'* so I won't be around for the rest of this week or all of next.

 

But, as Arnie said, I'll be back!

 

 

 

*Apart from reading books on my Kindle, and I'm not suggesting this friendly forum is toxic.

We sail April 5---try not to trample all the tulips at Keukenhof so there's some left for us to see!

Bon Voyage!

PS--I read that the tulips, etc., are blooming a little early this year, so even though Keukenhof just opened March 21, you should have a great display to check out.

What @DinnyClaire is going through is the exact reason why we dumped our Fire tablet and got a Samsung galaxy instead.  Couldn't be happier.  Have access to all of the google apps, and with the Kindle app, I do not miss the Kindle at all.  I found Fire's browser to be terrible, and couldn't replace it with Chrome or Firefox without hacking into the Fire's OS.

2 hours ago, DinnyClaire said:

Has anyone tried to load the Viking Voyager App onto an Amazon-Fire (tablet) ??  

Is it available from the Amazon app store?  We replaced our Fire tablet years ago when that version of it would only allow apps from the Amazon store--no android apps.

I would check the Amazon app store--it it's not available there, you have your answer.

We usually spend our OBC on optional excursions long before the ship ever sails.

35 minutes ago, HSBC said:

Either OBC or SBC can be paid for the suggested tip after boarding the ship, Right?

Does this suggested tip add to my bill daily (same as other ocean cruise)?

Thanks!

It's been 4+ years, but I believe the tip shows up as a lump sum, not daily entries.  It's listed as a lump sum that can be paid in advance on MVJ.

7 minutes ago, HSBC said:

CDNPolar,

Both OBC and SBC can be used to pay for the compulsory daily gratitude after boarding the ship, Right?

 

 

Thanks again!

The tipping is suggested, not compulsory--the suggested tip is added to your bill, but you are free to change the number.

There may not be  roll call for your particular cruise but they're might be something like:

"2024 Avalon Tulip Cruises"

"2024 Avalon Cruises"

With no more than 180 passengers per river cruise, and a small number of cruisers who read these threads, the odds of finding someone on your cruise is slim.

Having said all this, just type a list of your questions and the community will certainly answer them!

1 hour ago, hutch1994 said:

Had the disaster of the New England clam chowder on the Star yesterday in the World Cafe.  It was watery and definitely separated. Didn't eat it.

Unfortunate---my Viking clam chowder was tasty, but the flavor profile was completely different from traditional NE clam chowders.

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Everyone has such a great option available to them now with the $25 deposit in North American bookings.  You can book a second cruise in the future and get the 180 day payment terms on your existing booking.

 

We always keep at least one future Viking booking out there as much as two years out to ensure that we get the 180 days payment terms.

 

Having that booking is not a firm commitment, you can move the 50 bucks to any other cruise before final payment, or lose 50 bucks max.

That is a great strategy!  We will keep that in mind, as we sail in 2 weeks, then again in June 2025---after our next cruise we will consider booking something else during the interim waiting for our 2025 trip. We are 1000% satisfied with Viking river, and are trying Viking ocean next year.

3 hours ago, HSBC said:

I booked my Viking River Cruise through a travel agency, I'll get some OBC.

Would this OBC reflect in My Viking Journey?  If yes, where can I find them?

Thanks!

When you pay for optional excursions, the OBC will show up in your MVJ. IF you don't use it, it should stay there for onboard use.

1 hour ago, allyg said:

Capital One Quicksilver — you are right— no foreign transaction fee. Think we had a different one in the past. Although that is not the card we generally use, it’s good to know we can when traveling. Thanks.

Ooops---I said we had a Cap One Venture card, when it is in fact a Quicksilver card as well.  My only gripe with the card is that when COVID hit, I guess fewer people were paying their bills, so Capital One had to reduce its debt, so they CUT MY CREDIT ALLOWED BY TWO-THIRDS!!   We always pay our balance in full every month--I tried to explain why good customers like me had to suffer because of others who don't pay their bills--they pretty much said too bad, sucks to be you! (my words not theirs, but that was the vibe)

I said OK, and now I use that card as little as possible--found the AARP card from Barclays, no foreign fees, and a nice healthy amount of credit allowed.