CDNPolar

I beg to differ.

We have done far more ocean cruises, and often had excursions available to us before the published date.

Personally I would file immediately - if your intent is to cancel. Is your intent to cancel regardless of the outcome of father-in-law's health? Are you cancelling based on how he is now? You will need doctor's letters, diagnosis, and all that jazz, but if a covered reason is your father-in-law's health and it is precarious then I would do it NOW. Don't underestimate what they will require from doctors and you will have to get the docs to fill the necessary forms and possibly supply reports of diagnosis too. We just recently cancelled a trip and we did so on the day that the diagnosis was made because we were cancelling regardless. If you wait, and father-in-law's prognosis improves later, they may not accept the cancellation and you are now out the money. I hope others chime in too!

This is all based on itinerary by itinerary. We are booked on Grand European Tour in November of this year and we picked and paid for both included and optional excursions 2 months ago - more than 12 months in advance. We personally have found that sometimes the excursions are available to book and you don't even have an email telling you so...

Yes, that is absolutely the way that it should be, but what you are doing is not common practice by everyone. I am simply stating that if you are travelling solo, you have a certain responsibility to your own enjoyment of the cruise or tour you are on. I am simply stating that as a solo traveller you must be comfortable putting yourself out there.

We just came off a Viking Rhine cruise where there were three wheelchairs on board. We had some disembarkation from the top sundecks and quite steep ramps down to the ground, and then of course the busses. Viking crew often helped, but I cannot say that they were always there. Some disembarkation from river cruises can be quite challenging especially when the boats are docked side by side and you have to travel through - or across - several ships to get to your ship. Also the added issue that the elevator often does not go to the sun deck if you are embarking or disembarking from the top deck. I would say that you have to be very confident in what you are booking and where you are docking. The other part of it is that so much of Europe is cobblestones. They are everywhere. On our recent Rhine trip I would say that the pain in my calf muscles was from the cobblestones and the uneven surfaces because I walk miles and miles everyday and never experienced this kind of discomfort before and the only difference was the cobblestones.

You can start this practice in the World Cafe at Breakfast and Lunch. We often find travelling as a couple that the tables for 2 along the windows are always taken, so we just take a table for four. We have had many times singles, and couples come and ask if they can sit with us and then strike up conversation. We have never said no to anyone. It does however take YOU doing this to make it work. Too often I have seen a single cruiser come in and search out a table for two where they can sit alone, when they could have sat with us.

Funny... I was just on a river cruise, and the Hotel Manager told us during a port talk that we could apply to any booking that full payment had not been made. I questioned this and this because a topic of intense conversation between the Guest Service Crew. The end result was that - NO, you cannot apply to anything already booked, BUT we could call reservations, cancel, rebook the same cruise, same dates, same cabin, apply the voucher and all is good. To us, this was not worth the hassle because you would call reservations and get different people with different opinions. We did not buy the vouchers. For us the option to save $100 / $200 was not worth the potential hassle of cancelling and rebooking. We have Viking cruises booked through 2025 and I will not give Viking that money to sit in their account until we decide what we are booking for 2026.

Viking River

We consider the added gratuities to our bill as part of the cost of the cruise. We budget for these on every cruise. We also freely tip directly to our cabin steward(s) and servers that go above and beyond.

We use the Viking Voyager App the moment we are on board and we always get the reservations we want at both Manfredi's and The Chef's Table. We have never booked in advance of arriving at the ship.

That is odd... we just came back from a booking that we made two weeks prior to sailing, we paid the cruise line in full, then transferred to our TA. We got OBC and a rebate from our TA for this booking and all this happened days before sailing.

Curious to know this too. I use Tripit and it often gives me the gate information when I am sitting in a lounge long before the airline departure boards show this information. And, it is rarely incorrect.

We find cruise ships today want to be accommodating where possible, but don't leave it until you board the ship to address food allergies, sensitivities, or restrictions. Start long before boarding. Note also that you likely want to go further than the reservations team. You want to ensure that your food concerns have been sent in advance to the ship's Chef and Restaurant Manager. Ask for the email address of these people or to the Guest Services desk on the ship itself.

My only comparison so far was one Nile cruise on Uniworld vs. 4 Rivers on Viking. To date I prefer Viking, but The Nile was not a good comparative option in my opinion. I still need to experience Uniworld on a more mainstream river itinerary to be sure.

What city is the bike ride in? If Porto it is a hilly city. I would think that if bike riding is not a daily / weekly activity of yours at home and in hilly areas - not just flat - then probably not for you. "Strenuous" is a bit more descriptive than "demanding" and I would pay attention to that.

I also think that as a solo traveller, you must be the one stepping forward and starting conversation, keeping conversation going etc. If you are too introverted, then they may just speak among themselves. I think key here is to ask the host for tables where people are ASKING to sit with others.

We found Hurtigruten dinner menu options limited against other cruise lines. The menu at night only had a couple of choices where other cruise lines typically have the daily specials and the always available options. Definitely contact Hurtigruten before - long before - sailing. We did find that the breakfast and lunch buffets were very extensive, but we were not looking at themm in relation to food restrictions.

We have been very pleased with BA business class regardless of the aircraft. To us it is not just the seat but the service. We find BA Flight Attendants in Business Class to be a step above many other airlines in their efficiency, and friendliness. We choose BA business class where possible for these reasons.

There are 360 tours here of the Douro ships here https://www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/ships/360-ship-tours.html https://www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/content/douro/start.html?secure=true. Specifically the Duoro ships.

We were on this cruise. Basically the cabins are the same size (give or take) as the traditional long ships, the ships are just shorter to fit the locks. If you go to the booking page there is an artist rendering of all the cabins... Not sure if this is the right cabin for your booking or not.

No. If you are on Viking Ocean, you have the options in all the restaurants of asking for a table for two and sit by yourself or ask for a table for 6 or 8 and see who is seated with you. Just talk to the host if you want new table companions each night. Many people want to meet new folks.

Asking what cruise because I just returned from Treasures of the Rhine which is Amsterdam to Basel, but this has different ports than Rhine Getaway.

The Viking Spa is one of our favourite things on the Viking ship. There is a large co-ed section that has a huge thermal spa, a smaller hot tub, a steam room, a snow grotto, and ice water pails. In each separate male/female change room, there is a sauna and a cold plunge pool. The change rooms are well appointed, your key card locks and unlocks your locker, they supply all the towels and robes and sandals, and there is a spinner in the counter that you can put your bathing suit in and it spins is close to dry.

This all changed a long time ago now. You can only do the USA interview if you have completed the Canadian interview first, and to do the USA interview at an airport, it can only be done if you are flying to a US destination. You cannot walk into the airport do the interview and leave. You must have an air ticket. Otherwise, you can do like I did. Book your Canadian interview at a site like Fort Erie, then driver across the border to do the US interview and then come back to Canada.