Holmes4

Prior to joining the “In the Wake of the Vikings” cruise in Bergen last month, we flew to Oslo for four days and then took the train to Bergen to meet the ship.  Oslo was great place to visit - the Viking Ship Museum, Resistence Museum and National Gallery were all well worth the time we spent at those places.  In addition, the train ride was beautiful (it was snowing in Finse).   While everyone has specific things they are interested in seeing/doing, I think Oslo covers a wide variety of interests....

We are scheduled to travel aboard the Ra in January 2020.  Now that it has been put into service, I would be interested to read about any experiences people have aboard that ship.  

We were on the September 22 In the Wake of the Vikings tour from Bergen to Montreal.  Some thoughts...

1. While disappointed that we did not travel to all the destinations we were scheduled to visit, we were very appreciative of the Captain’s concern for our safety.  In our opinion, the #1 responsibility of the ship captain is to provide a safe trip for all the passengers.  Given his access to weather data along with his extensive experience as a mariner, we had no problem with skipping the ports he decided to pass.  

2. Viking provided each passenger with what we consider very generous compensation for the missed ports.  We will apply the compensation towards our next river cruise (to Egypt) in early 2020. 

3.  The staff on the Viking Star was superb.  We have traveled with Viking on 6 ocean cruises and 1 river cruise.  In terms of staff attentiveness, this was the best cruise we have experienced.  

4.  Sailing into Prince Christian Sound in Greenland at sunrise was someth8ng I’ll never forget.  It was spectacular.  In addition, Viking set up tables with coffee, juice and croissants in the Explore Lounge at the front of the ship for everyone to enjoy as we sailed through the Sound.  

5.  Overall, considering the poor weather we encountered, we were very pleased with our trip.  Everything Viking could control was “spot on”.  

6.  Lastly, a “shout out” to our Captain.  Thanks for getting us through the storms with a minimal amount of discomfort!