cccole

Thanks so much for the stats. Monterey Park was not the result of a cartel and police responded. L.A. - 9th worst...what is the first? Thanks for letting me know that I am not safe, maybe I should start locking my front door. I still feel safer in L.A. than across the border. I think we should agree to disagree on whether traveling to Mexico is as safe or safer than traveling in the U.S. Sorry you have had unfortunate personal experiences in U.S. cities. JMO. Cherie p.s. I have served on a jury in Federal Criminal Court of a member of the Sinaloa cartel. Still feel safe in L.A.

Thank you tupper10, We just need to have room in our luggage to bring the jackets home. Can't wait for the adventure. Cherie

Really? Just NYC or other cities? I live in L.A. and don't fear the cartels unless I were to compete with them for drug sales. I think it's all personal experience and your recent experiences in NYC, LA, and other large U.S. cities have been different than mine. But also I have not compared the crime rates of Mexican cities to U.S. cities. Possibly you can provide the comparison. I think one thing that affects my opinion is if I encounter a problem can I contact local authorities and they will respond. Not sure this has changed in Mexico since the 1970's. Differences of opinion are what CC is for. Cherie

We did not do the December 2022 HAL cruise and after reading all of the posts we decided to book a smaller ship, Viking Octantis in February 2023. I think the ship has @350 passengers. I'm not getting any younger and really want to experience Antarctica as close as possible. We will also be cruising to South Georgia Island and the Falklands. I know that we will not have a landing every day, but I am also happy in a zodiac, kayak, or expedition craft getting up close and personal with all that is Antartica. For those who recommended Hurtigruten, we seriously considered this line also. Fortunately Viking provides us with outer wear so no need to worry about boots and jackets. Thank you all for the responses which encouraged me to look at smaller ships. Cherie

Shippy, You will have a great cruise but be careful. News is not always about the bad stuff. I love, love, love visiting Mexico but am very cautious now. I don't consider Mexican cartels the same as going into some of the "worst" areas of L.A. I've volunteered in these areas. As said, don't try to look like you are walking Rodeo Drive. No jewelry, cameras, etc. No one can guarantee you will not have a problem but you should be fine in the tourist areas. Our last trip to PV we came thru a town on ATVs where the federales were getting out of their vehicles in masks with lots of fire power. When someone says it's safe, no worries, that's BS. Use your common sense and enjoy your cruise. You might check out Copper10-8s posts on his cruises. I think he is a good source for cruising to Mexico. Hopefully you will have some great weather!! Cherie

Thank you. Something less to pack. Cherie

Thank you!!! I was wondering about the laundry. I'll pack a couple laundry pods to use. We will be in a DV cabin also. Good info on the goggles and sunglasses. My husband wears glasses or contacts so may need the googles. I have Maui Jim's that should be fine. THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH for the info. Cherie

Thank you for answering my questions!!!! The pools could be wonderful!!! I have "hot hands" and will be packing them. Thank you for the other packing tips. Is there any "stuff" that you didn't need or wear that you would definitely not pack again for this cruise? I hate overpacking but seem to always do it. Thank you again for your help. Cherie

This is such great info. It will be fun to take a look at the excursions when they become available on line. Is the thermal pool available to everyone or just those with a spa treatment? I prefer to wear shorts and flip flops so will need to purchase warm socks and gloves. Did you find you were able to keep your hands and feet warm? Thank you again for the detailed and helpful info, Cherie

Thank you so much for this review and the offer to answer questions. We will be doing the 19 day cruise in February 2024. I'm happy to hear that you did not make all of your dining reservations prior to leaving. Do you think that making specialty restaurant reservations are best on "sea days?" Was the dress code in all of the restaurants fairly casual? Really looking forward to the grill, I could eat lobster 7 days a week! When you were not on an excursion did you bring another jacket to wear on the ship or did you and most passengers wear the jacket given to you by Viking? Were there specific excursions that you booked when the booking window opens? Did you explore any other areas in Argentina before or after your cruise? Thank you so much. We are so looking forward to this adventure. The cabin window that goes down half way seems fabulous for Antarctica. Thank you again, Cherie

So happy to hear that they are not the couple that had to leave the ship, info from another live from, for a family emergency. I always love the positive, informative, and fun posts by Diane. Cherie

Wow, that's amazing. I don't think I would enjoy a cruise where the ship moves 30 feet up and then down, or a collision with another large obstacle, whether ship, iceberg, etc. Our son was on a Tiger cruise from HNL to Pendleton in 2004 on the Ogden. That is such a great program for relatives. Unfortunately the seas were such that they were not able to jump off the ship. Britton was a water polo player and really looking forward to jumping off of a Navy ship in the middle of the Pacific. I have toured the Midway and for me it was an emotional experience. Thank you again so much for your posts and responses to our questions. Cherie

I'm sure this is "nothing" to you. Can you tell us what the most frightening time at sea was for you when serving in the U.S. Navy? 12 foot seas must be a walk in the park. Really enjoying following your adventure and the enthusiasm you and Judy bring to those of us not on the WC. Cherie

Peregrina651, totally understand the policies, lots of fine print reading. It's not our first rodeo but the first with Viking. Thank you for pointing out differences between Viking and other cruise lines. So far Viking has really not been much different than other lines. We're looking forward to our 2024 cruise. Cherie

Because of following your thread we have booked our first Viking cruise on the Octantis in Antartica, January 31, 2024. Thank you so much for all of the info and the photos. I have a million questions. Prior to your cruise did you reserve any specialty restaurants? Antartica seems to be the luck of the draw as far as landings but your posts have indicated that if a landing is cancelled Viking does its best to substitute. Is the Spa open to all guests without charge unless you are reserving a treatment? Did you bring your parka home or was it too bulky for your luggage. I loved all of your pre and post cruise adventures and we are beginning to plan. Thank you so much for this "live from" thread. Cherie

I made a reservation last night to take advantage of the $50 deposit and today my TA called Viking and it was transferred to him. First time on Viking, and first time using a TA for our cruise. It is a 19 night Antarctica cruise and our TA is able to gift us $500pp OBC. I'm happy and will watch possible price drops. Really looking forward to this cruise. Cherie

Bill & Mary Ann, so happy to hear that you can bring local produce back on board. That would be a huge treat for me. As you are saying, it seems that taking something off of the ship is more of a problem than bringing something back on board. So many countries and rules to get to know. Thank you. Also happy to hear that you were able to celebrate one of the 2020 WC reunions. I did see that on your February 20 post. So many of us were following along as everyone made their way home. This WC seems fabulous. Cherie

dchip, so happy to hear this. I know that snacks are often brought back, but the local fruit would be so amazing. It's interesting how different countries handle food/produce items brought on/off the ship. Thank you, Cherie

It's too bad that you cannot bring fresh fruits and berries on board when you are in a port. Even though you would expect these to be on-board it seems like fresh fruits and berries often become unavailable. Did you attend the 2020/2023 Fremantle reunion? Sounded like fun. How wonderful to spend such great days/evenings with long time friends. Cherie

Wow!!!!!!!! Beautiful photos of Port Arthur. Looking forward to what your day is like. As many others, I really look forward to your posts and impressions of your cruise. Cherie

So don't.

rd64 and 3rdgencunarder, REALLY? What helpful responses. A blender? Is that what you bring? and a fan? and a microwave? This was about fizzie water. Nothing more. There are options that the OP is looking for, nothing more. Hope you feel good about trying to make someone who wants to bring their own fizzie water feel like they are jerks. Of course you can pay for it on board. If you are paying for a cruise this is not a big deal, but what if you want to bring your own fizzie water on board, thats your choice or maybe not on HAL. REALLY? what is so upsetting to you about options? JMO

Have you thought of bringing onboard something like a SodaStream? You can make your own carbonated water easily, if you can purchase your carbonating cylinder near the port, I think that getting it thru airport security is pretty difficult. I'm sure you can get citrus on board if you want to add it. Just a thought. Cherie

No green mussels? This is such a beautiful spot. I especially loved collecting shells on the beach. When we visited I was sad to hear how hard it is for non NZ citizens to purchase property here. Loving every post!!!! Cherie

Recently we purchased a very inexpensive French coffee press, $18 at Marks and Spencer in Prague, that we can use when traveling. All you need is your favorite ground coffee and hot water. We like milk in our coffee so have it in the room frig. I am not a fan of pods. There are less expensive French press coffee pots available and if you have to leave them at the end of the trip...at least you've had good coffee. Cherie. p.s. we have a cold/hot container that we put the coffee into to keep it warm.