bobchico

1 hour ago, patchicago said:

I just watched a YouTube posted by someone on the Orion. Their DV cabin had what looked like a stack of 2 or 3 drawers in the closet. I’m pretty sure there were no drawers in my DV cabin closet the last time I was on a Viking ship (January 2020). It looks like Viking may have retrofitted some needed drawers in their DV cabins. I hope that this is the case for all ships.

 

Can somebody who is currently sailing on Sky in a DV cabin confirm the closet drawers, please? Thank you.

I think the closet drawers on on the newer ships.  I know the Jupiter has them.

2 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

Just got back from the first port talk.  In the theater as always.  No seats blocked off.  Probably 100 people there.  All masked.  We had a glass of wine and enjoyed it, just like in old time.  We placed an order with our steward for what we wanted in our mini bar.  It will arrive tonight.

 

I thought you did not need to wear a mask when seated.

2 hours ago, USI said:

Wondering if this will have any implications for contract tracing and the related quarantining requirements? 

Restrictions lifted not tomorrow but July 1.  That's how I read it

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

We have just completed the first leg of our trip.  A report on check in.  The gate agent wanted our passport and vax certificate.  She then said, so, you know need a negative test and printed our boarding passes.  They said DOCS OK.  She had no idea about the bar code, and didn’t want to see it.

Please clarify "you know need a negative test"

14 hours ago, AndreaB said:

Arrived in Iceland this morning. Immigration and customs went very smoothly (have the barcode you received from your preregistration with the Icelandic government handy). The tests are done in a tent outside after you go through customs. My mom received her results within 4 hours and I did after seven (despite taking our tests at the same time). There were atms in the airport, but also plentiful around Reykavik. Viking sent us a tour medication this evening so clearly some things still in flux. But the country is beautiful and the residents happy to have us. 
 

Andrea

What is a tour medication?

19 hours ago, philw1776 said:

I don't believe that the Viking person is anywhere near correct with just 195 bookings

You can ask this question.  Is a booking considered as 2 people (or a cabin) or one individual?  195 bookings might equal approx 400.

14 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

If you are concerned on what your flights will be, why not just pay the AirPlus fee and choose your flights now? That way, you can chose the non-stop flight from Chicago, choose your seats (before everybody else does) and know exactly what you flight plan will be.

 

We have Air Plus and are flying UA from ORD non-stop to KEV July 12

On 5/20/2021 at 8:24 PM, JeriGail said:

Several other cruise lines are doing this with buffets.  Passengers will go to the buffet (which is behind plexiglass) and tell the staff which items they wish to have.  Dining staff will place the desired items on a plate and give it to the passenger.

We experienced this on HAL cruises we took 4 and 5 years ago.  The buffet was not self serve.  They did this to lower the risk of Noro virus.

14 minutes ago, EJLobster said:

Iceland has tried to clarify it's Covid rules:      https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/05/17/a_simplified_guide_to_iceland_s_covid_19_travel_rul/?fbclid=IwAR176zend1kD4Z9_jkW6gzLjbCQsDzkbyw1JglzsYvM0-15wea1kQUwJPT0

After being tested at the airport, where do we quarantine?  At the airport, the ship, somewhere else?

We are taking Vikings bus.  Also, I don't mind leaving early since we will have more time to spend in the Lufthansa business lounge.

We are on a Viking cruise Budapest to Regensburg.  We will be bused from the ship in Regensburg to the Munich airport ( about a hour drive).  Our flight leaves MUC at 4pm.

When do you think we will be leaving the ship?

Our Viking cruise air has us flying ORD to MUC then fly LH to Nuremberg to meet our ship. We are coming in one day prior to sailing.   The connection time in MUC is approx 1.5 hours.  Is that enough time for our luggage to make the connection also?  Has anyone had this routing?  Any comments?

What itinerary are you on?

We just returned from the Viking Rhine cruise (Basel to Amsterdam) in mid-May. Here are my observations an answers to your questions.

 

No 15% gratuity on drinks. We did not get the beverage package, but you just give your cabin number if you order a beverage in the lounge. The trick is (if you are not heavy drinkers) -- get your wine/soda/iced tea glass refilled before you leave the dining room at lunch and dinner, and just take it with you. REALLY, no one cared!!! You can sit in the lounge or up on deck or in your room with the beverage. A couple of evenings, a wine or sparkling drink was provided free in the lounge during the evening orientation, and sometimes an appetizer or two. You'll want to attend that -- every day just before dinner. You go from the evening orientation directly to dinner. They give you a preview of the next day's activities and time schedules (in addition to the newsletter in your room each nite), so it's a really helpful way to prepare. No charge for soda or iced tea in the dining room, and I got really hooked on these small bottles of cold, Italian lemonade -- delicious! Hot tea was available in the dining room -- I need decaf. Also, just outside the lounge on each side were coffee/tea/cocoa/water stations. You could go fix yourself a cup anytime and take to your room, etc. Tea was in bag, and a variety was available. Also in that area were baskets of fresh cookies (variety rotated, such as oatmeal, chocolate, etc.) and in the mornings, pastries were there instead of cookies. The dining room would have buffet style breakfast -- omelets or eggs made to order, fruits, sausages, bacon, bread and pastries, etc. Then you could order off the menu also -- french toast, eggs benedict, etc. If you're rushed for time in the AM, it works well. They also had champagne sitting there, so you could have a mimosa if you liked and had the time on a more leisurely day. Each day when you get off the boat, you are supposed to pick up your personal card from the desk, and you return it when you reboard. It's not computerized like on the ocean ships, but they do supposedly keep track that everyone is on board. You also get a card as to which tour group you are on (they split the boat in to about 4 groups), so you know which bus you get on. It also has the location of the boat in that port so that you can call or have a place to give to anyone if you are on your own and have an emergency or get lost. Take your listening device, which works quite well. They are small and not very heavy at all and have a neck strap. Each day when you depart, they give you a free bottle of water for your day. Pretty thoughtful, and usually when you get back on they supply you a little treat or small shot of a smoothie. No, they do not check your bags, and in fact they encourage you to bring back beverages or snacks and offer to cork wine for you at no fee if you bring it back on board. One time we had a thing where there were a few boats in port and the other boat had to walk through us to their ship. The staff was a bit more cautious then when we returned, making sure we were on the correct ship and actually belonged there. The hallway doors were secured to prevent anyone wandering through. If you want to purchase anything from the very small shop, you just tell them your room and they put it on your tab which you pay up the night before you debark. Actually the staff seemed to know us on sight after the first day or two and were very friendly and helpful. We did the precruise in Como. Our tour director in charge of us there went with us on all the tours in Como and was always available for help or suggestions. She went with us on the bus to Basel. We stopped in Lucerne for a few hours for lunch, a bit of a walk around, and then time on our own. Very nice lady, and she continued as far as Basel where she told us good bye. I'm assuming Amsterdam would be the same, except your hotel isn't very far from the boat. Getting on the boat was a breeze. We showed our passports at the desk and a staff member took us to our room and ran us through the amenities, quick and easy. The room has several electrical plugs for US needs, and a good hair dryer, so no need to pack that. There are bottles of nice shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion supplied as needed. There is a mini frig in the room, and your steward will bring you fresh water as needed, too. There's adequate drawer and closet and bathroom storage, and store your suitcase under the bed. We had a veranda room, but honestly, we were not in the room all that much. The boat is so much smaller than an ocean ship -- you're up to the dining room or lounge or up on deck in just a minute. It seemed like most days we didn't have a whole lot of time to pretty up between our tour and lunch or dinner, so often I'd just wear what I had on or maybe change my shirt and head to the dining room. It is casual dress. Most ladies had a pretty or nicer blouse or top, but just capris or slacks or even shorts for dinner. I'd imagine by the time you go on your trip it would be warm enough to throw on a summer or sun dress and be comfortable and feel fresh and pretty. BTW -- the room is air conditioned, but you do have to put your room "key" (a plastic card) in the slot to activate the a/c and lights. I put my AARP card in the slot and it worked to keep the a/c running as needed while we were out on tours and not be stuffy when we returned and just made sure to turn the lights off to conserve. A good hint I heard was when out on your tour, set your phone alarm for 30 minutes BEFORE your tour guides meet-up time. That way if you get carried away walking around or relaxing, when your alarm rings you'll have ample time to make your way back. One couple on one of our tours got lost and missed the bus back to the boat, even though we waited 30 minutes for them and we were all concerned. You'll be in the same time zone your entire trip. I think there is a number you can give to your family in the final document booklet that Viking mails to you. I took along my Kindle for reading books on the long flight, and I could check my emails on that while on the boat. Internet isn't that great on the boat, but it works eventually. You need to put your cellphone on airplane mode though unless you purchase an international plan there before you go (mine was $60 for a month). There are also a couple of computers you can use outside the lounge area. It was a wonderful trip. I have no real complaints, except we did have some gloomy, rainy weather. We're from California, so we're not that used to rain. It didn't really interfere with anything with did, and your weather should be much nicer. Viking did have some large umbrellas you could use if needed, but I brought my own small collapsible umbrella and a windbreaker. If you have any other questions about the cruise, the ports, tours, etc. just write to me. We did and saw so much -- it was just amazing.

Brief comment. Breaking your post into paragraphs would make it much easier to read.

I just checked with Viking on the uses of your room key card. It is not used for room charges, only for the door. Room charges are entered manually on paper by the bartender or the front desk.

Do you have to wait until you are on board before you make a reservation? Maybe someone can post a menu.

Does Viking always dock in the same place in Lyon? Is their dock within walking distance to Les Halles Paul Bocuse ( food mall)?

Just off the Rotterdam and noted this sign on the Lido Deck Hot Tub steps. Now since the majority of Holland's customers are more mature than passengers on most ships, what do they define as "Elderly"? ;)

 

https://billthekid.shutterfly.com/pictures/9

Just got off the NA. We were sitting by the hot tub and were quite concerned about some of the elderly individuals using the tub. Some had a difficult time just walking up to the tub. It was scary watching them try to get into and out of the tub.

I have not had a USB port on any of my recent (4 ships). Hopefully HAL adds this as they enhance!

There was one on each side of the bed on the NA during our cruise 2 weeks ago. I think this was added during the last dry-dock.

Does the bar in the newly renovated Crows Nest Bar still serve alcohol? If so, is it still one of the bars that holds a happy hour?

If it doesn't, where besides the Ocean Bar do they have happy hour ?

While on a Rhine Getaway last Oct, the hotel manager said that Viking would implement using our room key as a charge card starting in 2018. Has anyone heard more about this?

The Explorations Cafe does and I have had no problem getting one to take down to the Lido.

Some preliminary thoughts and more tomorrow.

The ship is beautiful. Lincoln Center, just added had a quintet playing in mall and beautiful concert setting.

The atrium has lost the staircase and revolving skyline. It was decorated with a pretty Christmas tree and it had a gingerbread village with trains running through it. Very impressive.

When we embarked (very fast) we headed to the lido where the staff were just standing around the salad bar talking to each other. A senior officer had to telll them what to do. Then service was very good and as soon as they saw I was walking with a cane, someone rushed to carry my food outside and then went back to get me ice tea.

Our first dinner was in Tamarind. Most of the food was very good, but my DHs steak took two tries to make it rare and they missed. Manager was very apologetic and refunded his dinner.

Do you mean that the glass circular stairway in the atrium is gone? What did they replace it with? No stairway in the Atrium sounds strange.

Just an FYI

Was able to make res for Sel de Mer, Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind and Canaletto for our 3/3/18 NA cruise yesterday.

We just got back from an Amsterdam-Basel cruise on the Vidar. We arrived approx 6 am from ORD the morning of departure ( had to do this since our KLM flight the day before was cancelled) and got to the boat at approx 7:30am. We left our bags with the crew and had breakfast in the dining room. We were pleasantly surprised that our room was ready at 9:30. It was nice to unpack and take a shower.

You might be lucky and have the same experience.