CDNPolar

Nexus is for USA / Canada. BUT, it also works if you are departing to anywhere in the world to have a faster line through security. T3 used to have a Nexus line. American and Delta both fly from T3 and it would make sense that Canadians would fly to the USA through T3. As I say, they used to have a Nexus line. So, Nexus works exiting Canada to any destination in the world, and coming back in, regardless of where you are coming from, Nexus has separate machines and lines for Canada Customs coming home. We rarely fly or drive to the USA. We got Nexus for the convenience of what I just stated.

I feel most sorry for the crew as they are often the ones that have to shoulder the brunt of bad behaviour. They have to ask you - if they would - to remove your bare feet from the table. They have to ask you to go and change for dinner. The crew that are so brilliantly nice and accommodating to us work 7 days a week for up to 6 months and are away from their families. I know that this is a choice but often it is an economic choice because they don't have the option in their home country to earn what they earn on a cruise ship. The crew are making huge life sacrifices to serve us and unfortunately some people don't want to recognize this. Here we are spending 10's of thousands on a cruise for 2 weeks and they have to leave their family for 6 months to scratch out a basic living. AND, they always smile and do whatever in their power to make us feel welcome. Whatever is causing any of us to feel that we are entitled to this, that, or the other thing, I think it is time for a reboot. Where did human kindness and consideration go?

I am curious to see how this will work. We have Nexus and if flying through T1 in Toronto then we have a Nexus line that is generally quick. In T3 Toronto which seems to be our Toronto terminal lately as we are flying more airlines that fly out of T3, we have noticed that the Nexus line is not always there. I think that I also read - somewhere other than the article above - that in T1 the service is available morning to night but in T3 it does not start until 2pm or later? Originally with Nexus you would fly through security. (No pun intended) When Nexus became more and more popular, then the wait times increased. I can see with this service that if it becomes popular that they will have a volume issue quickly. They can only dedicate so many staff to reservations and they can only process so many people per minute. The reservations will book up and you will just be in a line because all the reservations are full. Perhaps I am being negative, but to me this is optics for us to think that some revolutionary new system is emerging.

One thing to note is that the "discount sites" for airfare are not always what you think they are. You may already know this, but with Air Canada for instance, they ALWAYS have the cheapest fare available on their site, they give the next fare up to Expedia and other booking sites. You will always then see the best fare on AC direct. We have tried the United vs. AC booking but generally found the fares to be the same give or take a few bucks. We flew to Spain recently and booked on Delta site, but flew there on KLM, and home on Air France. We compared booking of KLM and AF before booking with Delta and again, the fares were so close, we booked on Delta where our miles are. We start looking for flights and prices as much as 300 days out and when we get a deal we grab it. We however do pay higher fares as we want full credit with no change fees and we typically fly Premium or Business as well. Our best guide is Google Flights. We use that as a guide, but again, you have to be careful as the fare that you see that is a steal is not always the fare that is available when you go to booking, or there are no cancelations, no changes, etc. This is why we start so far out to book.

We saw this twice, and two different people with bare feet on tables in the Explorers Lounge. The same as the picture you have posted. We have too seen two or three times people in their PJ's and a robe in the WC for breakfast. Unacceptable. Once was just PJ's with no robe. And... may I just say, that there is a time and a place for sleeveless tank tops for men. They should not be worn in dining venues, not even the WC. WE choose Viking because there is an understated elegance about Viking ships. Viking delivers superior customer service, food, and experiences. We felt a higher level of guest pre-pandemic too. I would agree that there are more people since the pandemic with a very low level of decorum. And... if someone came and inferred that I was interfering with their view of the sunset, I would tell them to move. The ship is for everyone, and if they want a front row seat then they can stand at the railing outside.

Wow... thank you for that update. Problem for me is that Detroit is a 4 hour drive plus crossing the border both ways. It may have to be an overnight trip! Not important enough for me at this point. Canada and the USA need to get the issues sorted with the Canadian sites.

Love this....

I would not assume that. Money does not mean manners or class. Some people - and have seen this many times - are just out for themselves and they are immune to what or how anyone else feels and void of basic courtesy. (Don't hate on me, this is a VERY SMALL % of those that travel Viking, but there are always some.)

You are not piggish and rude because your spouse was there reserving the seat.

I have not flown LAX to AU or NZ but have flown Toronto to Cape Town SA and Japan and China many times. I have had flying times up to 19 hours on some of these destinations. China / Japan direct from Toronto is 13-14 hours. We will suffer "Sardine Class" on a 7-8 hour flight but above that we book either Premium Economy or Business. We also spend a great deal of time looking at not only the schedule, but the type of aircraft and the configuration. Sometimes you can luck out and get a 2 3 2 configuration in economy (rare but possible) and if that is available then we will consider forgoing the premium/business and booking economy. If it is just the two of us in a row, that is ok and not as uncomfortable. Note however that this can be risky as if they change the aircraft you could lose that 2 configuration on the side. Premium is often enough for us in that many of the airlines that we choose to fly always have a 2 configuration in premium economy on the side and this eliminates that troublesome fear of who will be the third traveller beside you. Additionally some airlines have very comfortable premium seats with leg rests and extended recline, pre-boarding, and better food service. Many aircraft that are 3 4 3 configuration narrow down to 2 seats on the side for the last few rows, BUT then you are always with people beside you waiting for the lavatory. Go Premium Economy or Business if you can.

Plan your actions. Have sanitizer for the seats on the plane. Have sanitizer for your hands. Have sufficient masks to change a mask once or twice each day. Do what you feel you must and don't be swayed by anyone's comments or opinions. Do this on your terms. This is how YOU feel and not anyone else. I wish you the best time.

Viking has Med cruises in December???

There will always be exceptions to the rules.... certainly if you are at risk of missing a meal, exceptions must be made.

Interesting because we have seen everything including bath robes in the WC for breakfast? This has often been a topic of discussion. We adhere to the written dress code for all venues, but we have seen jeans and even sleeveless shirts on men in the dining venues and the theatre. I have also read on CC that sometimes a dining venue has turned someone away from The Restaurant for wearing jeans, but we have never experienced that. We travel on Viking because we do NOT want the formal nights that other cruise lines have, but we do like to come back from an excursion and shower and change into something that is a little more dressy and it just makes us feel better and "lifts" the whole experience to a higher level. We also enjoy seeing everyone else lifting that standard.

We do a lot of research on flights and where they originate especially as in North America we are moving to winter. If my flight is originating out of Chicago in January, I am going to be concerned with weather conditions, however in the winter the weather can be a cascade impact from many other locations the day before, etc. We often now fly a day early, so that we have that buffer. Yes, it costs an extra hotel night, but that is a piece of mind that we are willing to pay for.

Very interesting question.... I studied in a 4 year hospitality degree program back in the 80's. There was a movement that happened when I was studying that was known as "Tip the Dishwasher" and at the time we had no social media, so these were major newspaper stories that ran in the national papers. The theme was that the most important person in that restaurant was the dishwasher because without that person tirelessly working during the day/evening, you would not have clean pots/pans for the cooks, nor clean dishes/utensils to eat from/with. For a period of time, people were asking to meet the dishwasher in person and would give them a tip. This members comment is valid. We are tipping the people we have face time with, but what about those that are behind the scenes? The auto gratuity is supposed to take care of that person, but when we tip that face time person, there is still an army of people behind the scenes that produces that meal or drink down to the person washing dishes or in the stores department that is lumping the heavy supplies around. I am not suggesting that tipping the face time person is right or wrong because the truth is we do tip specific people for above expected service. I am just provoking thought about the practice. If you go back in time T.I.P. stood for "To Insure Promptitude" (17th Century) and was a practice that was done in advance of the meal or drink to ensure better or more prompt service. Kind of like the practice of tipping the Maitre d when you walk into the restaurant to get a better table. Many tipping cultures have grown out of this 17th century practice and for me the fact that it is just expected now in a restaurant (not talking Viking now...) and the % expectation keeps going up regardless of the quality of the service or food baffles me.

There are people who legitimately leave the chairs for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, but there are many that toss something on the chair way in advance to when they want to use it. For us, this is just an odd thing. If we feel we want to sit somewhere, we go there and if the chairs are full, we go somewhere else. We always find somewhere to sit. I have friends that go to an all inclusive in Mexico and I listen to them talk about how now they have to get up at 4:45am to 5:00am to get the chairs that they want - their favourite chairs. They set an alarm, get up, put a towel and a book on two chairs and then go back to bed, then get up have breakfast and they finally make it to the chairs by about 9:30am or 10:00am. I just don't get this, this is not how I want to vacation. I have been to resorts like this and we go down for breakfast at 8am and almost every chair has something on it but NO ONE is sitting in the chairs. Seems a bit unfair to me. I am ready to sit, but there is no where to sit because they have all been "claimed".

Isn't the World Cafe on the way to most chairs? Could you not get the coffee on the way to the chair? I think hairs are being split here. I would also say that there is a difference between one vs. two chairs being reserved. If you are sitting together as a couple then typically one would leave to go to the Loo or get a coffee/drink and the other stays at the lounger. This is clearly not the case in some of the photos here. Two chairs being held with a bag between them. If you are sitting as a couple and you both leave, then you are on your way to an alternate activity. There is also a more clear look of someone who is using a chair to who has dropped a bag or a book to hold it.

You are on a soap box that is not speaking for my "position" and you do not understand my "position" on this. Silly you.

Thank you for this comment. I am not sure why this member is being so argumentative with everyone today....

You know, that if you can find peace in doing this kind of warm vacation, then more power to you. You have to feel comfortable in what you do, and I am happy to hear that you can find a get away that is safe and gets you into a different environment. Walking the beach and patio dining is wonderful!

I absolutely know that I can buy a refundable ticket. I do know that I can buy a ticket the day before my flight. I am not complaining that the cost of any ticket is crazy? Did I say any of this? I simply stated that airlines have all our money, and all the "power" and we have no recourse if they change, cancel, or whatever. You have misunderstood my position here. The airline have us in an unfair advantage in my opinion.

We have occasionally given a cash gratuity to someone in the Living Room Bar or the Explorers Lounge, but that is for someone who learns our names and remembers our drinks and we see often. No, we should not be tipping per drink or per visit. We generally end up with 3 or 4 people on the ship that we will tip mid-cruise or at the end because of outstanding service. I experienced a housekeeper staff in the Living Room that started a conversation with me when I was waiting to speak with a Guest Service agent. She asked my name, and almost every day I saw her after that and she always greeted me by name and asked how my day was. I gave her a tip a couple days before the cruise ended and thanked her for her pleasantness. This to me is a real Viking trait of customer service.

I started flying when you could book and you were charged when you took the flight. You could change and cancel without any penalty... this of course was when an airline ticket had 15 carbon copies in a booklet kind of thingy... was a dream to fly then. Now, it is the most dreaded part of the trip - for me. We book, give them CASH up front for months in advance and there is absolutely no responsibility to the customer at all.

In all due respect - you may be ticketed but that does not mean that flights you booked will not be cancelled, changed, or an equipment change that will require you to interact again with either Viking or the Airline. We have tickets that were ticketed 6 months ago, (not with Viking) and we are still 3 months to using them and we have had 5 changes so far that impacted time of departure, time of connections, and seating.