OneSixtyToOne

Most hotels place a minimum pending charge to cover incidentals then they reverse it. Is the charge no longer in the “pending” state and is actually due?

The price of most cocktails is $8.50. IMO unless each person in your cabin drinks more than 3 drinks every day, you can’t justify the $25 per day per person cost. Beer and wine is included with meals and the SSP doesn’t offer anything exclusive as far as wine selection. You can still order anything and pay for it. Also, Viking allows you to bring your own beverages aboard. There is no corking charge.

That is typically of river cruising. River traffic is regulated almost like a railroad. There is typically something like a dispatcher as getting through a lock may be first come first serve. On our European river cruises, the schedule was released right before dinner the night before. Even then, river traffic might dictate an early or later departure time.

10”x12”

Yes, that is the one. At first I thought they might have converted the Wintergarden into a casino, but the ship diagram still shows it. The only name change I see is the nightclub. I’m also curious to read the first reviews of the new China itineraries and the changes to the ship.

No giant World Cruise brochure? Got one yesterday.

Here is a blog posting from a few years ago about cabins to avoid. https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/p/cabins-to-avioid.html?m=1

Did the Chilean Fjords expedition cruise in October so we saw our share of glaciers. 😃

Wasn’t the ship that China leased back to Viking modified to have a casino? I see on the website of the ship diagram that the nightclub is now called 1872. Seems like it could double as a casino.

Thanks for the info. It was a long phone call and after I heard Alesund was replaced, I lost track of the changes. I really want to see the Art Nouveau architecture there. I also was hesitant of what shore excursions will be available on the alternate route. It is a one-off change, all the other sailings are the same.

Your invoice should indicate which are which. Look for the red tender icon on the right side on the listing of ports and times.

I just booked Iceland's Majestic Landscapes cruise and I had a interesting phone conversation with a very helpful Viking agent. Originally I was going to book the August 7 sailing of the Saturn from Bergan to Reykjavik but was told that there is an itinerary change, substituting 3 of the ports with other unpronounceable cities. The stops shown on the website are not accurate for this sailing. The Venus is sailing the same day in the opposite direction and that is accurate along with all the excursion information. I opted for the Venus rather than dealing with the unknown. I also asked the agent if the payment deadline for our Far Eastern Horizon's cruise for October 2025 could be moved and after consulting with the powers that be, we were able to have that moved to 6 months out. Very happy about that. We missed the chance to book onboard the Octantis last October because the 2025 schedule wasn't released for another three weeks. As had been stated on this board many times "I never hurts to ask." We also booked the extension to Oslo by train from Bergan. As a train buff, I'm really excited about that. This will be our first trip to Iceland and Norway. Video of entire train ride is online: Please feel free to offer up any tips or advice for any of the above.

Just used ESE24 to book Iceland's Majestic Landscapes. Great deal.

I wonder if there are plans to sell the 2 older ships (Sun and Sky) and replace them with newer ones that may be more cost effective to operate? The newest ships are hybrids and can be used in sensitive ecological areas. Norway’s zero emissions regulation goes into effect in a couple of years. https://www.dnv.com/expert-story/maritime-impact/latest-updates-on-proposed-rules-for-zero-emissions-in-Norways-World-Heritage-fjords/#:~:text=The new rules would only,needs time to gradually develop.

MVJ closes right before your cruise (48 hours?). You need to use the Viking Voyager app once you are on the ship. It has you calendar as well as other information, such as menus, and allows you to make reservations. All your information is in your final document email. I always store the PDF locally as a file on my phone so I can have offline access whenever I need it. Viking informs you of the inability to access MVJ after a certain date and tells you to install the app. Maybe you missed it in the email.

On our Grand European Tour we took the Prague extension instead. Budapest was Ok but Prague was amazing.

Current promo code is AAM24 Free stateroom upgrade and discounted fare. Possibly free air. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/north-pacific-passage/index.html?startLocation=tokyo&endLocation=vancouver-british-columbia&year=2024

We had a similar experience on a river cruise. We had a terrible guide right from the start. At the first stop at the town’s clock tower we saw another Viking lollipop and switched channels. There was no bus involved so we just joined the other group.

We docked right in Monaco with Viking, but I have read that some people tender or use a different port, it depends on availability.

You’ll also get an OBC for your current cruise if you book onboard. This should cover your gratuities (one good reason for not prepaying them)

I took a picture from Greenwich Observatory and on the Thames Clipper. We took the London Walks tour of Greenwich, which included a boat ride down the Thames.

River cruise French Balcony D to Veranda B Upper deck has French Balcony C, Veranda A, Veranda Suite AA. Next deck is French Balcony D and Veranda B.

The point of my post was that even the “all dolled up” crowd is now dressing down. It’s a trend. IMO a trend that accelerated after the pandemic isolation. Many people see no reason to dress up for dinner after not doing so for a few years.

No. Upgrades are like unicorns, everyone has heard of them, few have seen them or can explained why they happened. It has to be a very specific set of circumstances to occur, such as lack of availability in an easier to sell cabin class and too much availability in a higher class, overbooking, or some other reason for loss of availability (maybe your booked cabin has mechanical issues).

We have had included SSP on two cruises so it’s something I keep an eye on, particularly after we’ve booked and come across another promotion later for the same cruise. What I’ve observed is Viking uses different promotions at different times to market to different people. The value of SSP might be perceived higher for some people, while others see more value in “free” air. Viking uses a mix of discounted air fare, SSP, same pricing within cabin class, booking discounts, OBC, etc. When I did the math on our last trip the different combinations of promotions offered over several months all magically came to approximately the same net price. If one combination of promos doesn’t fill the ship, they may try another, but the net cost tends to be very similar. I would venture to guess that if you see your cruise with the SSB offered, some other change will also occur to make the net price almost the same.