CurlerRob

A few folks need to take a deep breath ... let's briefly review the "bidding". On Tuesday, the OP raised a question about the status of several dogs on the trip and their behaviour. Further information and pictures followed and many posters expressed their displeasure that what appeared to be ESAs or pets were onboard, as well as indicating their concerns about the behaviour of the animals. Three days later, on Friday, Viking responded to the concerns on this same forum - making it very clear that only true service animals were welcome onboard. They specifically excluded allowing ESAs (which were the focus of most of the concerns). As pax, we have the right to expect Viking to enforce their rules and policies. Only a bit of time will allow us to judge their performance regarding the new policy in that respect. Wasn't the whole idea of the early concern to ensure that only proper service animals were to be allowed onboard? Isn't that exactly what has been accomplished with a new, clear and restrictive policy? Personally, I'm gratified that Viking listened, took rapid action and communicated that action. Lots of companies fail on all three. 🍺🥌

I'm not sure I'd classify it as a nightmare, but yup, there will be upset pax for the reason you cite. That happens with any noticeable policy change. There are only 3 options: ignore those affected by the change; let them cancel without penalty; or delay implementation of the change until a future date (likely not acceptable to the many folks who have sparked the policy change). It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. My personal bet is that the number of pax who would bring an ESA is so small that Viking can choose either of the first two options. 🍺🥌

There seem to have been some changes from the MVJ "lock" on March 26/27. My daily calendar shows excursions and arrival/departure times (if there is an excursion booked). The summary view removed all the arrival/departure times (and refuses to show just one of our ShoreEx as well). I agree, would be helpful to show port times on all pages, daily or summary - even though we know they will change along the way ... 🍺🥌

Well, they seem to have made a decent start with the new policy: ONLY service dogs as defined by the ADA or applicable legislation. NO "therapy dogs" - (which is how I suspect the dogs in the pics got onboard under the old policy). NO emotional support animals - specific to the new policy. Clearly, scrutiny of service dog applications will be required going forward and may need to be beefed up to ensure compliance - perhaps a good idea to wait and see if Viking does so? As to how to catch pax who fake/forge/manipulate service dog credentials, that's a hard one - as it is for other areas where people lie (anyone remember self-monitored Covid tests?). I'm not all bent out of shape by what I think was a poor choice of words (service animals) when they were referring to the current situation and pics. I'm actually very impressed with the speed of Viking's response and their willingness to put their answer out in the same public forum that raised the question. 🍺🥌

The new Viking FAQ is quite different from the old one (changed from only yesterday) - I find it encouraging to see increased specificity and the removal of the reference to "therapy dogs", as well as specific exclusion of ESAs. 🍺🥌 New FAQ: Are service animals allowed on board? In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar laws in destinations where we operate, Viking allows service animals. Guests who request a service animal must provide appropriate documentation to support the request. Requests for pets or emotional support animals are denied, as per our policy. All service animals are reviewed according to ADA or applicable regulations, and only service animals that have the appropriate documentation for admittance into the countries on an itinerary are permitted on board our ships. We are aware of isolated instances of improper behavior from service animals in public areas on board our ships. We have updated our policies accordingly to ensure such incidents do not happen in the future. Old FAQ: Are pets allowed on board? No pets or other animals are allowed on board the ship, other than service animals and certified therapy dogs as Viking may choose to permit at its sole discretion. Guests who require the aid of a service animal or certified therapy dog must advise Viking at the time of booking, and complete and submit the Service Animal Request Form to Viking before final payment is due. Failure to do so may result in a denial of boarding.

My rule of thumb is to buy twice as much data as I'd use in the equivalent period at home - my logic being that I may tether more when in port for the faster speed, and use the extra data that way. Basically treating the ship as my "home" and providing for use "out of home". As @OneSixtyToOne says, you can always top up the data - usually in varying amounts. 🍺🥌

Viking, like most lines, does require advance permission - from their FAQs: Are pets allowed on board? No pets or other animals are allowed on board the ship, other than service animals and certified therapy dogs as Viking may choose to permit at its sole discretion. Guests who require the aid of a service animal or certified therapy dog must advise Viking at the time of booking, and complete and submit the Service Animal Request Form to Viking before final payment is due. Failure to do so may result in a denial of boarding. I was curious, but unable to find the request form online. Acceptance of an application and / or enforcement of the policy is, of course, a different matter. 🍺🥌

Thank you for speaking up. I'm also pleased to hear that the pax acted accordingly when notified. Sometimes, people need reminding that what goes at home does not translate to public spaces. 🍺🥌

Well, a simple search found at least one EU organization that would disagree with your statement. https://www.esaorgeu.com/ I recognize that they are an advocacy organization, not the force of law, but why express your opinion as a fact? (And no, I don't think ESAs belong on ships - I just prefer accuracy in postings). 🍺🥌

Thank you. One of the hardest things I've experienced is wanting to meet and greet a working service dog, but knowing that it was not appropriate - even though they are so spectacular in what they do. I always wished that I could be around when they were "off duty". 🍺🥌

Killing two birds with one stone ... @Clay Clayton, do I get free popcorn? 🍺🥌

I'm curious to know where this information came from? I'm also unsure as to what you mean by "TA". I would normally interpret that to mean Transatlantic, but you said you were on Sky, which is in Corfu today. 🍺🥌

Typically, the ship sets aside a small area, usually with artificial grass or similar for the use of service animals. The location will vary by cruise line. On HAL there was an out-of-the way spot on the promenade deck - complete with a fire hydrant! [ Alternate answer: the poop deck (unable to resist!) ] Cleaning was always immediate - I always guessed that it was assigned to crew at the low end of the performance evaluation scale. 😈 The few real service animals I've seen have not been an issue, but I don't envy the cruise lines this "third rail" item - trying to gate the inclusion of "emotional support" animals will make dress code angst look minor ... 🍺🥌

Sadly true ... and unfortunately your post reminded me that the law changed last year, allowing merchants to charge a CC transaction fee over and above the price 🤬, although so far, the level of uptake is spotty ... https://www.forbes.com/advisor/ca/credit-cards/who-pays-credit-card-fees/#:~:text=You've likely never noticed,0.92% for a basic Mastercard. 🍺🥌

Yes, and all that did was force pricing to the highest common denominator - everyone pays for everything at the price that includes the cost of CC transactions, regardless of payment method. If you believe that somehow you are not paying for the cost of CC transactions when you buy something, you are sadly mistaken. Which is not to be confused with Telus' recent try - which is essentially a double dip in lieu of a rate increase ... https://www.canada.ca/en/radio-television-telecommunications/news/2022/12/crtc-rejects-telus-request-to-charge-credit-card-processing-fee-for-regulated-home-telephone-services.html 🍺🥌

I think we're in violent agreement. Certainly merchants accept CCs to better serve their customers - but they most definitely build the transaction fees into their pricing. If you pay cash at the same price, which may be your preference, then the merchant has made some additional profit on the transaction (they don't have to pay the CC fees). I wasn't being critical of your point, just noting that if a merchant doesn't incur the CC fees due to the payment method, it's reasonable not to charge the customer for that item - similar to the a la carte approach that many Oceania pax like. 🍺🥌

Every seller I know builds CC transaction fees into their pricing, certainly including the cruise lines - you may term it an upcharge, but it's just one more cost of doing business and needs to be recovered in pricing. I fail to see how this kind of option that passes the savings back to the client is a bad thing. 🍺🥌

In the interest of accuracy, Viking has no problems with credit card payments. They also offer a direct payment (what you called a wire transfer) that provides a 3.3% discount. Always your choice. 🍺🥌

Americans are extremely fortunate to have a diverse and competitive set of quality providers. That leads to the availability of numerous options for connecting while travelling - including the ones you cite. Other countries, such as mine, suffer from extremely high cell phone prices and do not have the level of flexibility that exists in the US. For example, my provider offers the $xx per day option, but not an international pass such as you describe. Wish it were otherwise ... 🍺🥌

Some of these issues can be provider dependent. Normally, incoming texts do not trigger the daily charge (otherwise the providers would be inundating us with messages to pump up the top line!). Sending a text, making or answering a call will trigger the charge (and perhaps hidden gremlins in the operating system as well ...). 🍺🥌

That's perfectly viable, as would be other WiFi calling methods that LT mentions - he just happened to pick on a different app to illustrate how to connect via data when not near a WiFi hotspot such as on the ship. Nearly any "call over the internet" app will work over a cellular data network if given access. 🍺🥌

@longterm, you alerted me to the eSIM route some months ago, and I used one on a Caribbean trip to test the multiple country functioning. It worked flawlessly - much appreciated! One thing I did was to keep a printout of the various "allowed" networks in each location - that let me double check that my phone was only connecting to the proper network (it did) and not to a different one. 🍺🥌

Thanks for the link - I've saved it for our next Oahu visit. I was curious, as it appears they also require a "dinner jacket" - I presume that's what I'd call a sports jacket versus a white tuxedo jacket (and the trimmings)? That aside, at least La Mer has a reasonable description in "elegant evening attire" as opposed to Viking's silly oxymoron "elegant casual" (a quick dictionary look up will make it clear that it was an advertising flak who coined that phrase, not a linguist). Fortunately, Viking has also defined that bizarre reference to mean "for ladies includes a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional; jeans are not permitted" (other than in the World Café). I'm a big believer is adhering to stated rules in any establishment - or going elsewhere. I can't for the life of me see how an aloha shirt, especially one as nice as the pictured example, would in any way be outside Viking's policy. It fascinates me how these threads take on such a life when it's so easy to meet Viking's dress requirement. 🍺🥌

You correctly ascertained that this was some time ago - my point was that FCC over 10% was not unheard of. Clearly, times are much tougher for the lines - but if they do believe that customers are disposable, that is a quicker road to an unwanted end. Recognition of issues and problems doesn't have to be expensive - good communications and even a token gesture go a long way to instilling loyalty. That was the point of my final sentence. 🍺🥌

Interestingly enough, here is part of the text of a letter we received during a South America trip on another cruise line (not a luxury one). The highlight, as expected, was to be Cape Horn, which we lost due to extreme weather. "We do share in the disappointment our guests experience in missing a planned port of call or scenic cruising destination and again, we deeply regret that weather conditions have required us to make these changes to ensure your safety. Therefore, as a token of our appreciation and goodwill, we want to offer each of you a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of the base cruise fare paid for the March 31 to April 13 sailing segment. The terms of this credit are detailed on the back of this letter. We hope this gesture will signify our commitment to our guests." We were novice cruisers at the time, had no expectations of any accommodation and were staggered by this level of generosity. We proceeded to sail that line for another 8 years, in no small part due to the company's exceptional treatment. There's lots of mileage in showing your clients you care, even if it's not that significant a recognition ... 🍺🥌