OneSixtyToOne

I had the same thought. Also, maybe their domestic cruise industry is at play here.

This is an interesting observation... Craig Harris, managing director of McKay Shipping, said it was unusual to see cruise ships needing to be cleaned. He believed the lay-up of ships during the pandemic may be part of the problem. "They are generally dry-docked and have their hulls cleaned and painted. At the moment, there's a shortage of facilities all around the world of underwater divers or cleaners. "My suspicion is that's the reason why the ships just have not been able to comply fully." It was the first time Harris remembered cruise ships being cleaned in New Zealand as they were normally cleaned to a high standard.

It appears it applies to all ocean cruises less than 35 days on the website.

If you click on Terms and Conditions, it appears free airfare is only applicable to one cruise, Eastern Seaboard Explorer.

One other thing to consider is the Mediterranean/Adriatic and Italy/Adriatic are combined cruises, meaning there will be different passengers booked on different legs. There will be a disembarking/embarking day in the middle of the cruise with limited, if any, excursions available on those days.

FYI Today (Jan 1) Croatia switched to the Euro and entered the passport-free Eurozone.

Our upcoming Mediterranean Odyssey in April has a Kitchen Table listed for Barcelona.

Until the items in your cart are paid, your reservation is NOT booked. People have reported not getting an excursion because it sold out before they completed checkout. That is why people recommend prioritizing your optional excursions then selecting and paying for each one separately. Included excursions can be done last.

Even if it it is sold out it may open up in a few days. Keep checking MVJ everyday. Sometimes they will add additional tours and sometimes there are cancellations. Our upcoming cruise opened excursions in mid Nov and a couple were sold out. Two weeks later they were available for a few days, then sold out again. Also sometimes there are cancellations when aboard. Ask to be placed on a waiting list.

No, sorry, the card is only for on board purchases. You will need to enter your card information at checkout.

Viking and every other cruise line doesn’t want to sail with empty cabins. It’s a wasted fixed asset. If DVs and Vs are filled and they have a waiting list, they probably offer upgrades to existing paid customers to free up lower priced and easier to sell cabins. How they choose customers to offer upgrades is anyone’s guess. It may be past customer history, but I was on a river cruise that offered an Explorer Suite upgrade to a first time cruiser. As I said, it’s one of the great mysteries of the universe. To the OP, Viking doesn’t negotiate the price. If there is a “last minute sale,” it’s advertised via email, direct mail, social media, or other marketing channel. That discount code is available for anyone to use.

That is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

Egypt 2025 just opened. EBD Offer

I had the same experience on a different booking. Reservations were suppose to open at 8:00 PM Pacific Time. Logged in a little after 7:00 AM and they were already open.

Hoping they return to their roots and play some Viking Death Metal. 😉

Christmas just came early! I’ve been checking MVJ everyday to see if anything has changed. A few minutes ago there were tables for two available on 3 different days. I was able to reserve a table at Manfredi’s for our anniversary. The Chef’s Table now says reservations will be available once on board. I wonder they are responding to all the complaints and finally opening up more tables?

Rollo is buried in the Cathedral in Rouen (the same Cathedral Monet famously painted). If you take the Viking Normandy river cruise, they explain the history of the Viking conquest and the connection. Some of the suffixes of towns and families in Normandy are Nordic, not French. The Normans are very proud of their Viking roots and there is a model of a viking ship in the Cathedral. If you take the Commonwealth D-Day excursion instead of the American one, it includes a visit to Bayeux to view the tapestry. The tapestry was suppose to be on display in England for the first time in 900 years but it was decided it was too fragile to move. The V&A Museum is in negotiations to obtain it on loan.

We have Enchanting Taormina booked on our upcoming trip in a few weeks. For what it's worth this is where the latest season of HBO's White Lotus was filmed. The Greek theatre has a spectacular view of Mt. Etna.

Offer OML

Just got an update from Viking. Our January pre-cruise extension hotel will be the Athenaeum InterContinental Athens. Is anyone familiar with this hotel?

From a financial standpoint, vouchers will sit on Viking’s books as a liability. The issuance of all the COVID related vouchers probably increases this amount by a fair amount, well above previous levels. I’m sure their bean counters want to clear their books of this liability as soon as possible, for tax reasons or otherwise.

You beat me too it. To the OP, if you see something on this thread that you like, book it. No one really knows when Viking will run a promo or on which cruises. So far we have booked two cruises this way, both times getting a DV1 for the lowest price in that class, free air, and the Silver Spirits Package thrown in on one. I don't use a TA but people have mentioned you can transfer it to a TA after you book. They may offer you an onboard credit. We'll be doing the Mediterranean Odyssey cruise from Venice to Barcelona in the spring. You might want to research that itinerary. Whatever you book, be sure to add a pre-cruise extension at your departure city, either through Viking or independently. You don't want to run the chance of missing the embarkation because of airline delays or other unforeseen events.

You also have the option of selecting which apps use cellular data. I turn them all off just in case I accidentally turn on cell service.

Misposted

My favorite Dunning-Kruger meme: