OneSixtyToOne

The term “herding cats” comes to mind. This would be a logistical nightmare. Viking isn’t a taxi company.

What country’s stamps do you plan to use and where do you plan to mail them?

Viking tends to send a lot of email. You might want to check and make sure you have the one labeled “Important – Viking Final E-Document: “ That one contains everything.

The first page of the final e-document has a “Your Journey Summary” page. Near the bottom you will find the ship docking location. For example:

On the Octantis last month, our trivia partners brought a bottle of their own champagne to the living room where the staff corked it and served us. Even though we finished 2nd, we had better champagne than the 1st place team.

Not sure what your definition of “normal expedition” is. The toys were deployed on the days we were anchored all day at 3 glaciers and at one port day (Puerto Chacabuco). The toy excursions were scheduled all day long so I’m not sure what you mean by “twice daily.” We were able to take two SOB and two Zodiacs excursions including a landing to see one of the glaciers (we had no interest in sub or kayaks). We found this more than adequate. Basically the toys were used whenever possible. This is a scenic cruise and the scenery was incredible. The only real “at sea” day was the 2nd day out of Valparaiso. Every other day was a port call, anchoring at glacier, fjord cruising, and rounding the horn. Every day was filled with spectacular views and wildlife sightings. This was definitely a bucket list cruise. We’ve never been on any itinerary quite like it and throughly enjoyed it.

I highly recommend buying advance tickets to enter La Sagrada Familia now, as it sells out quickly. All tickets are sold through the church but Barcelona Day Tours has a great Barcelona highlights tour where they will purchase the tickets for you. Tour busses are now restricted from approaching the basilica, so unless a tour includes it on the itinerary, you aren’t going to see it.

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We were on the 11:00 AM flight. We were the last group to leave the ship and went straight to the airport. We were on the Buenos Aires extension and upon landing were taken straight to the hotel where we checked-in around 2:30 PM.

Don’t know what to tell you. We were just on the Octantis in a DN1 and there were two pairs. Maybe pax are taking them home? Maybe you need to request another pair (we didn’t) but a previous pax in our stateroom did?

Oct 2023 - 2 pair There should be 2 pair in each room.

No, you are encouraged to bring them with you on outings. BTW they are pretty good quality, not like the ones on Viking Ocean.

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Every stateroom has 2 pairs of binoculars.

No, landings are by Zodiac. SOB: IMG_5076.mov Zodiac: IMG_5381.mov

I believe all the Viking Ocean and Expedition ships have Starlink. Bandwidth will vary greatly depending on where on Earth you are located. Polar / high latitude regions have less coverage. From the Star in January, in the Mediterranean, we were getting 180 Mbps, from Octantis at the tip of South America it was 20.

Last night we walked around the riverfront district where the hotel is located. They have converted the old dock area, turning the brick warehouses into luxury apartments and a college. The cranes remain as decorations. Today it’s raining so we will probably just hang out until the bus leaves at 4:45 PM. We fly out tonight to Houston > SD.

For those wondering about not having a post-cruise extension, we arrived in Buenos Aires around 2:30. Those not staying were grouped by connecting airline and then led towards international departures. For those with the extension, it was 45 minute ride to the city. After check-in, we were in our rooms by about 4:00 PM.

While departing Ushuaia we caught a glimpse of Octantis from the airplane.

We came back to our stateroom to find an “official” certificate.

Day 16 - This is the End, My Friend Today we’re all the way at the end of the Earth, at the bottom of South America, rounding Cape Horn. We woke up early to head to the bow to watch the 7:00 AM passage. Coffee and hot chocolate was available in The Shelter. We were able to pass extremely close to the cape, much closer that other cruise ships are allowed, because we had a Chilean pilot who has been with us all the way from Santiago. During lunch we entered the Beagle Channel where we passed a ship wreck. After lunch the announcement was made to place you expedition boot in the hallway for collection. So sad. Final briefing was at 4:00 PM. Learned about Ushuaia, the Beagle Channel, the native population. They gave the name to Tierra del Fuego because the European explorers would see their fires. The science team gave us recap of the studies conducted during the cruise. They wrapped up with a photo montage taken by the passengers. We dock in Ushuaia at around 8:00 PM. Don’t think we will go ashore. It’s Sunday night and most places are closed. We have an 8:40 AM disembarkation for Buenos Aires. Stay tuned.

Day 15 - Pool with a View The rain and snow stopped this morning and it’s a cold but calm day to explore the Garibaldi Fjord and Glacier. All the toys were deployed this morning. We had another weather balloon launch at 9:00 AM. Today we took a ride on the Special Ops Boat around the fjord and by the glacier. Lunch featured a special chocolate dessert buffet. After lunch we sat around the pool and enjoyed the spectacular view. Tonight was the Captain’s farewell reception in the Aula. Returned to our stateroom to encounter the saddest part of the voyage, disembarking instructions. They did leave a special treat to ease our pain. So sad to leave this marvelous ship, but tomorrow morning we round Cape Horn at 7:00 AM.

We have the post extension but I just asked guest services about your situation and the answer was “It depends.” If there are enough people, they do a bus excursion to see the highlights of Buenos Aries before going to the airport. As of yet, nothing has been confirmed for the Polaris.

Day 14 - Run Me Out In The Cold Rain & Snow It’s 37F with rain and snow, the perfect day to do a zodiac landing at Agostini Glacier. We did a beach landing on the rocky, snow covered shore. This will be the closest we get to what Antarctica landings must be like. The expedition team had placed trail markers ahead of time to guide us on our mile long trek to view the glacier. Along the way a member of the team talked about the plants and rock formations we encountered. It was an invigorating walk with spectacular views. On the way back the kayakers from the ship paddled by. Later in the day the wind gusts picked up. The zodiacs and SOB were like an amusement park ride. IMG_5718.mov Tonight’s daily briefing was on Garibaldi Glacier, which google has listed as closed. There was a presentation about Captain Cook and his search for a cure for scurvy. The natural science presentation was about glacier ice dynamics. It described how glaciers moved and what causes the different shaped fissures. We topped off the evening with our 4th trivia win of the cruise. Cheers.

Day 13 - Happy Feet The weather cleared this morning as we arrived in Punta Arenas. We docked across from two US flagged ships heading for Antarctica. We were advised to bundle up and when we exited the ship a blast of cold air told us why. The wind was brutal, with gusts of 30 MPH. We’re heading for Magdalena Island Penguin Reserve. After clearing the bag check at the port, we boarded the catamaran, which was docked next to the Octantis. It was a 90 minute trip across the Magellan Strait to the island of penguins. The wind on the exposed island was even worse than at the dock but the tour was worth it. Penguins are so cute. Magellanic Penguins are mostly solo birds so when you see a huddle of them on the shore, it means they are about to go out to sea. There are safety in numbers and makes it more difficult for a predator to capture one. The male penguins arrived in September when they prepare their underground nests. The females arrive soon after to lay one or two eggs. No chicks yet. The should hatch mid November. IMG_5570.mov After about an hour on the island we return to the dock. We decided it was too windy to explore the town so we went back to the ship to warm up. Tonight’s daily briefing was on tomorrow’s visit to Agonstini Fjord where we are scheduled to have a zodiac landing. Forecast is for rain an sleet. The science segment was about the extinct Great Auk, the Arctic flightless bird that was similar to a penguin. It was hunted to extinction for its feathers, meat, and oil. Tonight’s lecture was about Shackleton and his attempt to cross the Antarctic continent. There was a clothing demonstration showing what the expedition wore. Burberry was their outfitter and advertised the fact in the papers.