Goosebear Mum

Not with Viking obviously, as it was 2008, but when I went, it mattered not one bit whether I was in a port or starboard cabin, in fact I ended up in our outside view cabin only to sleep (no balconies on that research/icebreaker vessel.) You’ll want to be ‘up front’, ‘out back’, or ‘up top’ (!) as much as you can. Take a warm coat you can throw on with ease, for when unexpected (wildlife) sights appear.

Having been down there (in 2008) I’d still go, unless you’re really confident life wouldn’t stop you again in a year or two… It’s an amazing place, and zodiac cruising was the best. Yes I landed in the continent, but I never ever mention that, I never even think of it. It was the landscapes and wildlife which was amazing, often better from the zodiac than land. However, if I were on a Falklands/South Georgia cruise, I would think twice, as those wildlife beaches are just incredible on land. p.s. if they think it’ll help reduce bird flu, I think it’s important to restrict tourism. Some of our wildlife reserves along the NE of England have been devastated by bird flu 😞

You’ll be able to book the excursions on cruise 2 earlier 😉 I’ve read of a few instances where Viking combined bookings. There are minor advantages to customers, and a few disadvantages. One disadvantage is when someone has needed to cancel just one cruise, the whole thing got cancelled, with considerable consequences

Sorry, I’m confused. You booked two separate cruises. Viking has merged the bookings. why has this got anything to do with that one land night in between? You need to book a hotel for that night, not Viking.

Hi. After 8 years on P&O (mainly Aurora) we are thinking of trying Fred, now P&O are not really doing the routes we prefer… Trying to work our Fred’s website and some things confuse me… 1) What is the implication of the dotted blue line from the Seine back to Southampton please? I cannot find a key. Any ideas?! The itinerary doesn’t mention anything different. The itinerary talks about sailing the Seine on Dec 21st (2024) and then arriving back to Southampton on the 22nd. 2) Doing a ‘dummy’ booking for a Christmas market cruise this December, to find availability, the website only shows me an availability list of about 6 cabins for a category… I thought it suspicious, as the ones shown were all next to each other…. but if I manually search cabin numbers, others are available. How do I see a full list without having to tediously search each cabin number? (The drop down list won’t show all, just the few at the far bow, whereas one was available manually searching mid-aft). I am using an iPad, not sure if this makes a difference, and their drop down lists don’t work properly… Anyone else seen this? Many thanks GBM

Agree with Tetleys (and PG tips) but Yorkshire tea is most certainly not ‘builders tea’, it’s even owned now by Bettys, the most exquisite gentrified English tea room for afternoon tea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Tea Builders tea is cheap.

Fevertree is British hence why some of you poss have not seen it before) and tastes great, no awful artificial sweetener, etc. I've given up on Schweppes now it just tastes of sweetener. Fevertree ginger ale is delicious.

No gap showing here till April 2025 https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Aurora-648

Just saw this on BBC, hope he recovers soon.

Removal of the children’s play area, when Aurora became adult only

We appreciated the old ones, the new ones are totally useless and pointless. Our recent Aurora cruise just listed cafes, and random shops, etc. The map was pointless, didn’t even show where we’d be docked. Total waste of development time. Even more confusing for new cruisers.

Agree, shame, as I spent 248 Euros in one shop in Helsinki (planned purchase)

No trays now on Aurora. Resulting in far more table hogging as one person reserves a table, and the other keeps returning to the buffet for items. Far more movement. A pain to be fair. We do not hog tables, but do now need to go to for cooked breakfast. Go up for orange juice. Go up for croissants or toast, etc, etc. always previously in one trip. Now far far too many people at a table waiting for partner to return, which we have never seen previously on Aurora (otherwise staff will clear the table of previously obtained items!)

We have some in our cabin on Aurora at the moment. Maybe because a previous occupant asked, or our good steward thinks they’re required?! I am tired of finding things missing, and having to ‘ask’ for them (E.g. flannels, conditioner). There’s no way I’d have travelled with bags, if I’d still needed them

We are on a cruise currently in the Baltic (P&O, not Viking yet!) and we were in Kiel today. It took a long time for the tug to help pull Aurora off the dock at the EOD, with the choppy waters. We’re now on our way to Helsinki, and conditions are supposed to ease tomorrow 🙂 We kept being told in Kiel by our tour guide, that these are unusual conditions for Kiel. Enjoy the enforced rest, and watching the sea 🙂

I am going crazy too, my ‘checkin’ is complete, and has been for 2 weeks. Shows complete. I have a cabin assigned, as I chose it (select fare) but it still shows the luggage labels link greyed out ‘unavailable’. I will be phoning them tomorrow as I need them by Thursday. Never had this issue before 😞

Yes, we went up as soon as it started to clear, late one morning (earlier I wasn’t sure if it was going to). By the time we came down (after glimpsing views as the clouds rolled in/out) the queue at the bottom was so very long, we’d not have bothered to queue! It really is easy to make your own way there. Bergen is known for its rain. I love Bergen, but I’d never commit to an outdoor excursion, or one that relied on views.

Sadly the pocruises.com website is a *very* poor substitute for what it used to be, esp for potential excursions, FAQ, etc. Until you have booked there is no definitive list of tours, and even then they may not appear until months/weeks before your cruise. You may find ideas, by searching this/other P&O social media sites for the port name

No, we do not throw our money around, as an insulting ‘look, I have loads more money than you’ People in the UK are on a *minimum* wage. Tips here are TIPS, not bribes. Tips are generally not expected, but are given for service above and beyond that expected in their ‘day job’. People see US tourists as ‘cash cows’. Throwing money around in the UK is seen as very ‘poor manners’ and insulting ‘charity’. People will willingly accept it but say to their colleagues the customer has ‘more money than sense’. A 10% tip in a restaurant here is what one would generally give, if the service deserved it. Never would we bribe a bartender before providing drinks. In fact in a pub, we wouldn’t even tip bar men/women, unless they happen to go way above their ‘job’ The adult *minimum* wage here in the UK is currently £10.42/hr, which is probably near $13/hr. This is the minimum allowed by law. Tips are tips, not bribes, nor are they to pay the staff wages. if I visited the US, then obviously I need to conform to that culture, but I think it’s got totally out of hand over there. It’s not longer just tipping, but bribery and wage paying.

Some popular early excursions have multiple coaches, and require you to turn up to a location onboard. If this is the case, ensure you turn up together to collect the same coach number/same number round sticker!!!

We were last on her pre covid, and we won’t book on her again. Arcadia had too many issues. e.g. Too few tables for two in the buffet, mainly tables for 6, which were being hogged by 2 people who would not share. I think our cruise was exacerbated by being in the fjords and an unusual large number of non Brits were on board, who did not understand they shouldn’t sit in a buffet all day with a drink, enjoying the view, pretending all their table for 6 was ‘taken’. It was way too stressful, with many people trying to find somewhere to sit down and eat. Lunch time was dreaded. Never had this on Aurora or Azura. Also, we suffered from the Arcadia outdoor sewage smell. Beautiful millpond North Sea, and for a few hours, our balcony was unusable. We just did not fall in love with her. Unlike Aurora, who we have returned to

You don’t need to apologise, I didn’t even know I was offending you (and maybe others) by using this standard UK word. I have learnt something about US terms too. The ‘fun’ of international forums, where what is normal for one country is unintentionally offensive for another.

Not sure if it ever made it across to the US, but this brings back amusing memories of the James Herriot books/films and ‘Tricky Woo’, a Pekingese! 🤣. Now that would have been a character expecting her Tricky Woo to be a service animal on a cruise ship!!!

Thanks Heidi13. Yes Camden Lady, I am in the UK, UK NHS site https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/. uncontrollable jerking and shaking, called a "fit" Do you ever say ‘handicap/handicapped or fanny pack/bag? Those are just a couple of US terms, those in the UK think are crude/derogatory/rude, etc. But I never criticise someone on a forum for using them, as it’s everyday speak for some US.

I have not wanted to comment, up until now, but please remember service dogs are not ‘just’ guide dogs, nor are they all Labrador/spaniel breeds. There are hearing dogs for the deaf, dogs for the disabled. Dogs trained to detect a fit is about to occur, etc, etc. In the UK more of these dogs are now ‘hypoallergenic’ cross breeds, usually with poodle in the breeding. So small dogs can be service dogs Dogs for the deaf are highly trained to alert their owners to sounds such as door bells, phones, fire alarms, etc. Dogs for the disabled are trained for all sorts of activities, including loading and unloading the washing machine/dryer!!! Dogs can even be trained to recognise upcoming diabetic attacks, epileptic fits, blood pressure and heart issues, etc, etc. Absolutely essential to their ‘owner’. How would you know if someone on board with a small poodle cross actually has the dog so as to detect one of these issues, so the person can go with their travel companion to the safety of their cabin/take medication, etc? I agree, dogs should not be allowed if they are ‘just emotional dogs’ but don’t tar even all of these as unnecessary, some of these have been trained to support severe PTSD and autism, allowing people to lead relatively ‘normal’ lives, Some of these people have seen true military and other horrors. Sadly there seemed to be an American craze of having pets as supposed emotional support animals, which were totally unnecessary and makes everyone now assume all these dogs are just pets Normally, I agree, all the above dogs have official recognisable collars, harnesses, etc, but not always. Sometimes people would rather others not know ‘what is wrong with them’ all the time. Viking have rightly listened and sound as though they will make changes. Maybe there were a high number on this cruise, as a support network of people decided to travel together? I agree having a couple of cabins set aside as suitable for dogs would be helpful, just as disabled cabins are available. Dogs on board should not interact with any other passenger, nor should they ever be on furniture/fed food at tables/etc. But please don’t assume service dogs, just because the breed doesn’t conform to your opinion, is actually ‘just a pet’