Cyber Kat
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Posts posted by Cyber Kat
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OMG! As others have said, the PVs are wonderful! Do be aware that this upgrade could cost you big $$$$. We got an upgrade on our first Viking Ocean and have been booking the same cabin since 😝. It’s so roomy and you have lots of storage. Instead of a narrow space at the foot of the bed, there is a lovely credenza under the TV with drawers and shelves.
We had 5101, so I can’t help with the noise, but I’d advise taking it and bringing earplugs. The parts of the World Cafe over the cabins are carpeted, so I can’t see noise being a problem. Go for it!
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I always use a lanyard on cruises. I have nice ones I got in Michael’s the arts and crafts store. We got plastic pouches from Amazon. You can leave the card in the pouch. It works on the door and when you leave or enter the ship.
I always know where it is -
On 12/9/2019 at 12:24 AM, Haboob said:
That's a frequent location services artifact on most cruise ships. If you have "high accuracy" location turned on, Android will use the location of your WiFi network as your location.
One of the things Android does while your back is turned is to send Google your phone's GPS location and what WiFi network it is connected to. Google combines all the reports it gets on a particular WiFi network to come up with the "high accuracy" location of that network. In doing so, it seems Google discards all the reports that are not near the most commonly-reported location. Eurodam was always at Seattle's Pier 91 and Grand Princess was always at San Francisco's Pier 35 until I turned "high accuracy" off.
I have an iPhone & iPad and my husband has a Windows based laptop, so that’s not our issue. I really disliked the Android OS, so I’m all Apple except for my PC, and I will probably switch to a MAC when MS stops supporting Win 7. -
11 hours ago, just_dont said:
One device at a time PER PERSON. So two devices per cabin.
One side effect I noticed on Viking Jupiter's WiFi was that when my phone wasn't able to connect to land based cell service, its location service grabbed my location from the wifi, and that location was always Ancona, Italy, which is where the shipyard where she was built is located. I like to leave geo-tagging turned on when traveling so the photos identify where they were taken. Unfortunately, during my cruise of Norway and Scotland, I have a whole bunch of pictures that were apparently taken in Italy.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
We had this issue on our Eastern Seaboard cruise. I wanted to check prices on the Viking website for a cruise we were interested in before we met with the future cruise rep. I couldn’t get the US site only the UK site with prices in pounds. Not much helpWe even tried using our VPN but we still got the UK site
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On 12/1/2019 at 11:10 PM, kimcheeboy said:
Greetings Viking CC's,
Wanted to share with you the first episode of new video series from our 1st Viking Ocean cruise onboard Viking Sea travelling through the Mediterranean. This will be a multi part video series so subscribe for following episodes. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SgOHooKWa0
Very nicely done! I will be watching for the next installment! We are doing the Trade Routes cruise next and we end in Barcelona. We have also done 2 cruises on the Viking Sea! Nice to visit a friend 😍 -
On 11/15/2019 at 9:29 AM, janmitch said:
I certainly may want to chat with you as the cruise gets closer. We’re taking this cruise to acquaint ourselves with Viking and to just chill. We’ve not been to Bermuda or Tortola, but have visited most of the other ports. So, we just may be taking the Included excursions or some water tours. Thanks again for your guidance. 😊
If you have questions about Bermuda, I can help. I run a rather large group on a social media site we’re not allowed to mention here. I have lots of contacts and what I can’t answer, I can find out.
We did the West Indies Explorer in 2018. We booked that later flight around noon. We had a leisurely breakfast, then hung around in the Living Room until 9:00-9:30 am and we didn’t have to rush. Worked out well for us.
Enjoy your cruise!
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3 hours ago, Johnymcc45 said:
Hi My wife and I travelled on the Viking Homelands cruise. May June of this year. We nearly booked the Viking Pre cruise trip. flying into Oslo then the train to Bergen. Can I suggest you did what we did try it independently . We had 2 nights in Oslo then took the train (first Class) to Bergen with 1 night in Bergen boarding our ship at 1100hrs on the day before embarkation. Its worth noting that rail travel for persons older than 67 yrs is half price in Norway, this concession also extends to wife or husband of the 67 yr old even if younger. The train from the airport is fast clean and simple. Just walk out of airport into station and buy a single ticket on the Standard train no need to use the Airport special train "Flytoget". We stayed at a hotel in Oslo that was in the Station with views of the harbour. The Journey from Oslo to Bergen is spectacular with snow and ice on the mountain tops in May. The train is clean, warm and very comfortable with space for cases. The onboard food is also good and inexpensive when compared to prices generally in Norway. On balance 1 more day than the Viking trip and get to join ht ship earlier and more to the point considerably cheaper than Viking
Have a great time in Norway so much to see in Oslo
Our reason for booking with Viking for extensions that involve trains is that they take care of the luggage. I’d rather spend the money, than be carting luggage through train stations and up into trains and worrying if there will be room for it on the train.
I don’t overpack - at least by my standards - but I’m not packing my needs for a 2 or 3 week trip into a carry on. I do not do laundry on vacation, nor do I trust a third party with my clothes.
In these cases the Viking extensions are worth it. When our trip will only require getting from the airport to the hotel and from a hotel to a ship, porters and taxis work fine!
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22 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:
WARNING: The train ride from Barcelona will not be half as picturesque as the train from Oslo to Bergen.
No, but the attraction for this train is that it’s one of the high speed bullet trains - not sure about the bullet train designation, but it is a high speed train and we have none of those in the US. The tracks are not in good enough shape! -
Thanks for this positive report! We will be doing the Madrid extension post cruise after our Trade Routes of the Middle Ages cruise next fall. We added the Madrid extension a few months after booking because it gave us another train ride (we are doing the Oslo pre-extension for the train ride) and another city! We have never been to Spain before.
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21 hours ago, LeRenardrouge said:
Kath,
This is one of the Twizy cars in Geiranger. No windows. Reviews indicate a bit of a challenge getting in the back.
LOL. That’s like the Bermuda ones except they are Bermuda colors. I’m well acquainted with the back seat. There’s a method 😂 -
We try to do a mix of new and old favorites.
Our last Viking Ocean was Canada and NE and though we have done several of those ports before, we have never started in Montreal. We had new ports - Montreal Quebec City, Saguenay and Gaspe, and old favorites - Portland, ME (the standard itinerary is Halifax, but we went to Portland), Boston and we finished up in NYC, which is our home port. It’s a fabulous itinerary for the fall. It’s cool, but not cold. The leaves are beginning to turn and it was a nice mix of port and sea days. It was really a wonderful cruise all around!
We do like the Caribbean in the spring. I like doing it in the winter, but our last one ended up with a blizzard being predicted for home. Nice not to be there, but we had some anxious moments regarding snow removal and my cat/house sitter, who is not exactly spry!
We don’t do beaches, but we do like boats 😁. We generally look for Catamarans and sailing excursions. Quite often Viking does some nice cultural excursions as well. We had a catamaran sail to the Pitons in St Lucia that also took us to a plantation that grows coconuts and cacao. And we had a lovely Creole lunch.
We did a photo tour in Barbados that took us off the beaten path. No need for only beach days in the Caribbean.
We are doing one this spring - not Viking - shussh. It’s Celebrity. We have never sailed with them before, never booked a suite before, never sailed out of Fort Lauderdale before and all of the ports/islands are new.
We have Trade Routes of the Middle Ages coming up next fall for the great mix of countries and ports. Amsterdam is always a favorite. Other ports/countries are new (Oslo, Bergen, Le Havre, Falmouth, Porto and all the Spanish ports). We have been to Amsterdam and Portsmouth. We are also looking forward to the train rides at both ends! We are train buffs as well!
And for the purpose of train rides, we are doing Swiss Alps to Paris with the Glacier Express pre cruise. It’s the only way I’m getting my husband to Paris!
On our wish list are the Med (Venice to Barcelona), Into the Midnight Sun and I would love to do Alaska and anything that includes NZ!
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On 11/7/2019 at 12:54 PM, moatenote said:
After doing 2 cruises in DV1 and DV2, we splurged and upgraded to a PV and loved the extra space and especially the different location of the closet (across from bathroom instead of alongside the bed). We now only book the PV. We like deck 5 because the view seems a bit better being higher up, and it's very quiet. But it's totally a personal decision.
We were offered an upgrade to a PV on our first Viking Ocean - last minute very good rate. We took it and now there is no going back! Agree - Deck 5 is great! -
6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:
Definitely. Though I hear they offer you a blanket. Winter coat, hat and gloves should be on your packing list even in summer.
I’m already planning for that! I was one of the few who were warm when it turned suddenly cold on our Grand European last fall! I hate being cold! -
1 hour ago, photopro2 said:
I agree that this is likely to be cruise/port dependent but it was easy to do in Norway. We asked for packed lunches on the two occasions we had hired vehicles (Twizy in Geiranger and Europcar in Lofoten - both companies highly recommended by the way)
I just called room service late in the afternoon and asked if we could have packed lunches for the following morning. It did not seem any problem to the person who took the order. As I remember the first time I was asked what we would like and I said cheese or ham sandwiches or something similar. In the event we got both as well as chips, fruit and a cookie. The second time I just asked for a packed lunch and was not so specific. In that case we got the fruit and sweet and savoury snacks but no sandwiches - I am not sure if this was an error or it may well have been my fault because I not directly ask for them. What we were given was still more than enough to keep us going until we were back on board!
When I placed the order I was also asked when we wanted them and they were delivered to the room just a little ahead of the time set each morning.
Well done again Viking 👍
We rented a Twizy on our last visit to Bermuda. I wonder if it’s the same kind of car. The ones in Bermuda are very tiny with tandem seating and no windows. The last could be a problem in Norway 😆 -
2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:
Thank you so much.
We had been under the impression that Viking booked you in air fare classes in economy that didn't allow for Business Class upgrades. It is good to know that at least in your case, it was indeed possible to fly business class with Viking. That had been the primary reason we never used Viking Air - since we had at one time been told you couldn't do business class if you used Viking Air. So perhaps that policy has changed for the better now!
Both times we did business class with Viking Air and we used Air Plus to get the flights we wanted. On our 2 other cruises we booked our own flights - once to San Juan and this last time to Montreal because we only needed a one way flight as we were ending in NYC.
Though we haven’t picked our flights yet we have business class to Oslo for our cruise next fall.
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We are also doing Trade Routes 9/15/2020. Have you joined us in the roll call? I’m really looking forward to this cruise - such a great itinerary! We are also doing the pre cruise in Oslo and the post cruise in Madrid.
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I can’t speak for the Homelands itinerary, but we just finished the Eastern Seaboard Explorer, and we enjoyed all of our tours included and optional. I filled out all the feedback forms that we received and for those we didn’t, I sent them an email.
Oddly enough the tours we enjoyed the most were conducted by newbie tour guides who had been teachers. We had 3 of these and they were great! Perhaps the enthusiasm was a factor and it wears off after awhile.
I did want to mention the included tour in NYC. This was our last port and also our home port. We didn’t sign up for any tours. - we planned to do something on our own. My husband said he wasn’t riding around NYC in a bus for 4 hours 😆
As it turned out, he was feeling a bit under the weather that morning and all he wanted was to take a nap and a shower. I could have just hung around, but the internet wasn’t working well the last day or so and at that point it wasn’t working at all.
I figured I’d rather ride the bus 😆. I called down to Guest Services and they had room on the 2:00 pm bus. I had a great time. The guide was excellent - informative with a good sense of humor. We had stops at Battery Park for the harbor views and a longer one at the 9/11 Memorial (which I’d not been to). It was a very nice way to spend an afternoon. Who knew.
So even if tour sounds cliche or pedestrian, you never know. Viking does seem to find a way to elevate things. Perhaps they request guides that get good feedback and the tour companies comply where they can.
With 4 Viking cruises under our belts (2 river, 2 ocean) and 2 more booked we feel very comfortable with the Viking tours. I know we can probably do better on our own as far as costs and smaller groups (although many of our Viking tours have not been crowded), I like not having to research every port and worry if the tour company will live up to their reputation.
Been there done that, and now I’m ready to sit back and let someone else do the work - especially since they seem to do a bang up job! The Greyhound bus company used to have a slogan Relax and leave the driving to us. I’m relaxed and leaving the “driving” to Viking!
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14 hours ago, OnVacationNow said:
This will be our 2nd Viking ocean cruise (coming up in September 2020). With the exception of Bruges, all of the ports will be new for us. Would love to hear from anyone who’s done Trade Routes...what were your favorite excursions (included or not), recommendations, etc.?
Are you on the September 15 sailing of the Viking Sky? We doing this next year as well. I’m really looking forward to it. If you are on the Sky 9/24, come join our roll call.
We have been to Amsterdam and Portsmouth. All the other ports are new for us. We will likely do something on our own in Amsterdam, as we are comfortable getting around on the trams. I’m thinking of the Resistance Museum - we haven’t visited that one yet and we keep wanting to visit the Begijnhof gardens. We might do one of the day trips to Hoorne.
In Portsmouth, my husband wants to go to the Victory again, but I want to do something different, so we’ll see. We have been to London and Stonehenge. Between the 2 I’d recommend Stonehenge unless you don’t mind the long bus ride.
On my wish list are the Alhambra and I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for Falmouth because I want to do Lands End. I think we will do Honfleur or Monet’s Garden in France. We are booked on the Swiss Alps to Paris in 2021.
Are you doing any pre or post extensions. We are doing the Oslo one pre and the Madrid one post because of the trains 😁
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21 hours ago, bookbabe said:
Cayman does not have that type of vendors, especially at the beach clubs like Royal Palms.Your minimal admission fee ($3?) to Royal Palms includes use of all facilities, including the adults-only pool.
That’s great! Thank you! I’m looking forward to it. -
We have been on beaches in the Bahamas and there are vendors bothering you to buy something every 5 minutes. I don’t find that relaxing. Is this the case with the Caymans as well?
I’m looking at Royal Palms and maybe a Cabana. If you get one of those can you use the pool and the ocean? I love a beach but I don’t want to sit in the sun all day and DH prefers a pool.
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Neither option is a hard and fast rule for us. We go with whichever path works for us at the time.
On our Grand European river cruise last year “free” economy air was included in the cruise fare. We upgraded to business class for $3000 pp. When I checked for booking with airlines on our own, it was $7000 pp. We also paid the $50 pp for Air Plus and the $100 pp deviation fee so we could fly into Budapest early and out of Amsterdam late.
On our recent Eastern Seaboard Explorer cruise we only needed one way air, so it worked out better to book on our own.
Do your research and book what works best for you.
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On 10/20/2019 at 1:55 PM, agnesd said:
Someone commented on the high cost of transfers and how easy it was to transfer to the Montreal pier at half the price. Why I decided this was a good idea I don’t know! When we arrived at 10:45, we were awake since 3am and very tired. Luckily the Viking transfer was right there and had extra seats, They took our bags right away and we were whisked off to the ship. The extra $ we’re well worth It!
We don’t generally pay extra for Viking transfers. We only use them if they are included. We flew up 2 days early for our recent Eastern Seaboard Explorer on the Viking Sea. We just took a cab to the hotel from the airport. It’s a set rate and I think it was $40 Canadian.
When we do an extension on our own, we usually either take a cab or arrange for a car service through our hotel. That’s a wonderful option for early arrivals - especially when flying to Europe.
It worked out well this time. We had a 2:30 flight out of JFK and arrived around 3:30pm, got to the hotel around 4:00 and were able to check in right away. We had 2 wonderful nights at the charming Auberge du Vieux Port.
We loved this whole itinerary and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
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On 10/21/2019 at 1:39 PM, LeRenardrouge said:
Mamsen’s is right there.
And their famous Success Cake and waffles and yummy little Scandinavian style sandwiches-
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On 10/13/2019 at 8:50 AM, philw1776 said:
Follow Viking's passport advice.
It is port dependent and a function of that day's THREAT level often posted on port signage.
Italy most always request that cruise lines tell passengers to take their passports. Other Western European countries not so much.
That said, only on one Italian port did they ask for our passports.
Didn't bring it that day? You're taken out of line to be dealt with after all busloads of returning tour guests are processed.
In Canada it seemed like just a rote thing without much thought. Apparently the port authorities were not “advising” them because the port security wasn’t asking for them. We have been to Canada many times. There was no “threat level” at all. Canadians are quite civil. 😍If they didn’t have such wicked winters, I could happily live there.
Help! Cabin upgrade on Viking Sky and we sail in 2 days!
in Viking Ocean
Posted
Exactly! We were so happy with the cabin, we keep booking that level - and so it’s costing us more for each cruise. Of course we don’t have to but we’re spoiled. We had a tiny veranda cabin On Azamara with a bathroom the size Of the closet on Viking and it was making me nuts!