Sandytiger

Not sure if this is relevant but when I was on an expedition cruise to Antarctica with Quark on Ocean Endeavour we were told that only 100 people were allowed to land on Antarctica at one time from our ship.

(190 Passengers). 

Half of our  complement went on a ' cruise around'  for a couple of hours on a zodiac then swapped later with those who had landed previously.

Maybe this will be how Seabourn manage the regulations regarding landings in Antarctica.

Sandytiger

Hi 

Thanks for all the responses.  I would personally avoid a cabin at the  rear or  toward the front of deck 6 as they are under pool areas with furniture on hard surfaces.

I thought maybe under a  (carpeted ?) area of the deck would reduce the noise factor.

Does anyone know what is at the end of the walkway around the back of deck 6 i.e. the narrow end of the wing? Is it a doorway? That might also be a potential noise source.

I might try for deck 5 if possible but only if I can get a PV1 room with a sliding door. Otherwise I guess I will have to take a chance with 6073.

Thanks again for all your help

Sandytiger

Sorry

Should have written 6073

Sandytiger

Hi

I have been allocated this cabin 673 for a cruise from Miami to Los Angeles departing December 14th 2020.

I have previously sailed with Viking in a similar PV1 cabin but on Deck 5.

I can see that 673 is under the World Cafe just where the overhanging wings start.

I am concerned about noise coming from the activities above into this cabin. 

Has anyone stayed in this cabin or one in a similar position?

I like the position of the cabin in relation to the lifts and stairs, and also the fact that it has a sliding door. Just worried about noise transfer. 

Thanks for any help

Sandytiger.

Thank you everyone for your very helpful replies. We understand what is involved with the zodiac trips as we did a 3 week expedition cruise to Antarctica with Quark in 2017. Just wanted to know if the views from the zodiacs was any better than those from the ship. 

Did anyone do the ship excursions in Canada? 

Sandytiger

Hi

We are booked on Quest August 6th departure from Reykjavik to Montreal. Can anyone who has done this trip suggest which Ship excursions are worth doing?  Particularly interested in the Ventures excursions especially for Lady Franklin Island, Monumental Island and Akpotok Island.

Also how easy is it to explore the various ports independently? Are there any ports where the Ships excursions are the best way to get around? 

Not interested in kayaking or long walks. 

Thank you to anyone who can offer assistance.

Sandytiger

Anyone wearing a good quality polo shirt and slacks, or no?

Does the shirt have to be a dress or business shirt or is a collared smart open neck shirt also acceptable ( not a polo)? I mean acceptable to the maitre d' , not the self appointed dress code police. 😊

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Thank you everyone for your replies.

Are the tender docks close to the villages or do they involve a bit of a trek?

I am happy to just wander around on my own as I am not as mobile as my husband who will probably do one or two zodiacs in Nunavit.

I have a few scary memories of zodiac landings in Antarctica so I will give them a miss:eek:

Thanks for the suggestion. We

I have looked at the SB website but although the itinerary is there I can not see any information about the shore excursions offered. I thought perhaps only booked clients had access to these. That is why I have asked for info from anyone who had been on this trip or was going on the 2018 trip.

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Does anyone have any info about what sort of tours are available for the various stops, particularly in Greenland?

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I am considering taking this cruise but have some questions I hope CC members can answer as I can not find the info on the Seabourn website.

Do the zodiac tours include landings or just "drive by" tours?

Are all landings by Tender or are there docking facilities at some sites?

Does Seabourn give all passengers a waterproof parka?

Are gumboots available for loan or hire and are they even necessary?

Do you have to pay for all landings if not taking a Ship's Tour or are they considered as free shuttles?

What sort of tours are offered at the Greenland sites?

I have travelled to Antarctica with Quark expeditions and just did a Baltic Cruise with Viking Ocean.

I am tossing up whether to do this Seabourn Cruise or the Viking Cruise in the Wake of the Vikings.

I love Viking but Husband likes the longer itinerary in Greenland offered by Seabourn.

Thanks

Sandytiger

Hi

Our walking tour guide offered to take interested people to an amber workshop after our tour finished . Not sure if that would

be the case with all guides.

Wish we had longer in Gdansk and also in Aalborg. Nothing comes alive until about 10 am.

Sandytiger

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We left Stockholm at about the right time.

It was Helsinki that disappointed me most.

If passengers have signed up for Viking excursions the changes may not inconvenience them as much .But passengers who are doing their own thing may have their plans disrupted.

I do not know why the changes have been made. I just assumed my initial itinerary was out of date and the Australian site I was working from had not been updated.

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I have reached out to the email address that you mention. Will not hear back until next week. Just met tonight with our cruising companions and we are pretty unsettled by this. I certainly hope that Viking is not really cutting this many hours out of our total time in port.

I am on Viking Sky right now and can tell you that yes the arrival and departure times have changed for the ports you mentioned.

Helsinki departure was 2 pm instead of 5pm. I was surprised and annoyed by this as we had to rush back to the shuttle bus after taking an independent canal cruise. We had anticipated a leisurely time in Helsinki.

Copenhagen departure will be 6pm instead of 9pm.

Stavanger arrival is 12 pm instead of 10 am meaning we have no chance of a quick visit to the Oil Museum prior to our Pulpit Rock Cruise.

Eidfjord has an arrival time one hour later and departs one hour earlier than the original schedule. This does not really affect us as we are on an all day ship excursion

I am disappointed that Viking did not email passengers with the updated times prior to the cruise.

The ship is beautiful and the staff are very friendly. It is a shame that the "back room" staff are not on the ball regarding communications.

Sandytiger

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Me again!

Just went into Roll call for May 12 Homelands Cruise and Post #109 from Alexis Marinovich (Viking Cruises Service Specialist) says that arrival station is Ostbahnhof and Departure station is Gesundbrunnen.

Hope this helps other cruisers. Shame Viking Australia are not in the loop.

Sandytiger

Just found the info about Berlin from our Homelands cruise in July 2017. The train arrived at station Ostbahnhof and departed from Gesundbrunnen. The train ride was approximately 2.5 hours. All Berlin tours had to meet at 5:30 a.m. and then walk 5-10 minutes to the chartered train. I don't remember/can't find notes about what time the train actually departed or came back. It was about a 12-hour day on the Historic Berlin tour.

Thank you Moatenote

I have tried unsuccessfully to get this info from Viking without success. Told they do not know where the train arrives and departs in Berlin but not to worry as all will be revealed when we board the ship. A bit too late!

Also told the train stations can vary!

We do not really want to go on a long bus tour after sitting on the train for hours.

It would be easier if I can plan out a walk and consider when I might need to catch public transport before the trip to Berlin.

Hope Viking is a bit more organised with the rest of the trip.

Sandytiger

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Does anyone know which station the included excursion train arrives at in Berlin and if it is the same station it departs from?

I was planning on just doing my own thing and assumed that the train would arrive and depart from the main station but perhaps this is incorrect.

Sandytiger

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