mstadleraz

8 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Do any of you remember if there is a scanner in the little computer area on the ship?

I believe they were all printers only. However, some of the newer phones act similar to scanners when taking photos and using the edit feature.

10 hours ago, johnhst said:

Can anyone describe the services at Saigon port.  The WC desk tells me we dock at the SPCT (Saigon Premier Container Terminal). Can tour operators enter the port and pick you up at the gangway or do you need to take a bus to the gate?  Thanks - from a future WC traveler

Taxi services cannot access the port. If I remember correctly, there may be a shuttle to the port exit. Viking also offers shuttle into Saigon. The walk to the port entrance though is not difficult and there are outside previously scheduled tour operators waiting. Hope this helps.

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

 

Did any of you past WCers have any luck changing your flights without facing a cost?   
 

When we booked Sky's Jan 6 World Journey, we paid the deviation as we knew we wanted to come into LA early and stay in London longer. We picked a return date almost out of a hat as we are coordinating meeting our niece  (who graduates two days before we disembark).  That whole plan is now a little firmer and we would like to adjust the return.  Every change on MVJ has a cost associated with it (even though in some cases the price online I see is less than the online price for our current flights).  No biggie I thought, I'm sure the WC desk can make it happen.  
 

Nope!  "Sir, I'm happy to help you but I can only see the same flights and costs you see on MVJ". I asked if I paid for Air+ would it make a difference, nope he said. 
 

Before I call back and ratchet it up since this isn't what I was told, thought I'd ask if anyone else has had any luck.  If so, please share how you did it!

TIA

I know a few WCers the past year had to change flights for various reasons and received the same response. They escalated the request and were able to change without a fee. However, a year has passed and many complimentary adjustments may no longer be granted. Good luck...

13 minutes ago, BobCatter said:

Obviously that is an option. However, it would be much more convenient to have the option to download a PDF of the entire document instead of screenshotting each page. But thanks. 

Unfortunately, there was not a PDF file for the daily.

12 minutes ago, FortWorthCruiser said:

I have the same question as Denise regarding the length of this tour/drive.  Does anyone have any insight/recommendations with regards to this tour?    Thanks!!!

The excursion is about 13 hours. The guide and driver stop twice on the way for a rest stop and a stretch. You have a total of 3 hours at 12 Apostles and town as most eat lunch there. On the way back you do not take the scenic way and is much shorter with one pit stop. The scenery on the way there and AR 12 Apostles is well worth the travel ( as is the lunch ). Hope this helps...

8 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Can any tall men provide their thoughts on the WC jackets. The size chart provides info about waist and chest size but even thought I'm not petite I sometimes have to get a size larger or two in order to have the length or sleeves be long enough.  
 

By the chart I am a 3xl but wonder if I ought to order the 4 or 5 xl🤔

Clay, I am not that tall. However, my jacket order was incorrect. I tried a large, 2XL and XL. I normally wear XL and the XL jacket fit well. A 2XL was like a tent for me. Hope this helps.

8 minutes ago, cruising denise said:

Was your understanding that these visas covered you regardless of whether you were on a Viking shore excursion, or off doing something on your own?  That has been the question.  Someone was told by a Viking rep that the visas prepared by the ship only cover passengers while they are on a Viking tour.  This would mean that even if you step off the ship to explore on your own, you would need a visa you procured by yourself.  This does not seem right to me, but I figured I'd check with all of you!  Thanks again.

My understanding of visas is that they are not specific to a group or tour. A visa allows you to visit the area as a tourist using independent or ship sponsored excursions

23 minutes ago, cruising denise said:

I'm piggybacking onto Clay's questions re: visas.   GenVisa will be providing us with NZ, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, India, Sri Lanka.  We have to get AUS on our own now (new process).   I have been assured by GenVisa that the visas we will receive for Vietnam will cover our travel, private or not. I think the India overland groups have been told the same. So the real question is the group visas which the ship prepares for us.  This will be of note especially where a number of us are doing private tours:  Indonesia, Jordan (Petra), Egypt and Turkey.  I have already been assured by Jordan Horizons that our private Petra tour includes our tour visa.  Waiting for answers on the others.  

 

But for all of you who either did private tours (anywhere), or simply stepped off the ship on your own, did you ever need a visa beyond what the ship provides?  (other than in the countries which GenVisa is handling for us)   This seems very inconsistent with what I've experienced, and I don't think it's what others have experienced when going anywhere off the ship without a Viking tour.  Yet this is what someone was told when they called Viking.  We're investigating all avenues, so any of your experiential help is appreciated!  TIA!

I believe those visas are done while on the ship by the Viking purser's office.

2 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

Better to do a driving trip in the Southern Alps in New Zealand. Still better, hike one of the famous South Island trails like the Routeburn Track, Milford Track, and Hollyford Track. The Alps are not at all like the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Wish we disembarked for a day or 2 on the south island. Would have enjoyed a hike on one of the trails...

10 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I generally agree with the beauty of the great ocean road (we did it independently via a rental car when on a land trip in the 90s) but have a comment about the Blue Mountains. If you grew up near or have visited the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virgina, NC, SC or Georgia, then I don't think visiting the Blue Mountains is worth it. They are very similar to each other.  

They did not have the gondolas back then and there are paths to walk. We took an independent Green Mountain excursion. I have hiked in the Blue Ridge Mtns and the Green Mountains are different from my perspective.

32 minutes ago, cruising denise said:

To the previous WCers:  We are considering the Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles when the Sky is docked in Geelong.  However, it is 10 hours, and I'm concerned that we will be on a bus for many hours.  Can anyone provide insight as to what to expect on this?  Is it mostly hours on a bus with a few stops here and there (the description mentions a "brief stop for photos at Loch Ard Gorge", for example).  Are the destinations worth it?  Thanks for any help!

We went on this excursion and it was worth the ride. There were stops both there and back to stretch legs and, if wanted a snack to purchase. It was a spectacular excursion from a nature standpoint. Just don't go to the Apostles. There is a small grotto as well with spectacular wave action. Also, the Green Mountains are well worth the journey as well

14 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

We just finished watching several

YouTube videos of various folks Mekong Delta tours. While none appeared to be with Xuan (he is already booked for two of our days in HCM😢) the description of his tour seems to correspond with all three of the videos we watched.  Bus to boat, boat to island, have some fruit while listening to some Viet music, ride a canoe (along with what appeared to be hundreds of others) through coconut palms, have some honey tea, ride the boat to a different island and have lunch, ride a bike (Xian's is on a tuk tuk) around the island. It seem very touristy and seemed like there were folks hawking something everywhere. 
 

Generally the vloggers said they were glad they had done it but most mentioned the traffic jams and how touristy it seemed but for the $20-$30 they paid, they thought it was worth it. 
 

All that is background for asking what does Xuan's company (since it won't be him) do that makes his Delta tour worth $90 per person IF I find 8 to join us?  (Up to $160pp if I don't)

 

I have similar reservations about his other tours-I don't mind paying a little more for a smaller or better tour but all of his prices seem to be about four times what I find from other highly rated by Trip Advisor companies. 

Xuan did not go where the other tours went. We never experienced a crowd or traffic jam. We were only 4 individuals so he showed us some aspects of the Delta others did not. Never had an issue with pick up or return to the ship either. He knew exactly where the ship was located as we had a two day experience using him as a guide. He also provided information on what to do when we spent the last night in Saigon.

36 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

 

The Viking shuttle in HCMC ran all three days during our stop in November 2019. It wasn’t limited to overnighters; day trippers like us could and did use the shuttle to get into town. (We used it the second day.)

 

 

22-23 WC was the first after the pandemic going from East to West for Viking. Some excursion resources were still scarce...we couldn't dock in Kauai because there was not enough bus drivers to handle the number required. (Think the weather also played a part). NZ just opened up and Australia was still difficult is some ports with qualified guides. 

4 minutes ago, Margaretwelker said:

I want to do the same thing.  Overnight in a hotel. 

I believe the shuttle in HCMC was only the last day. As stated before, there were about 100 people who stayed in Saigon. So Viking arranged 4-5 shuttles that picked us about 1500 back to the ship. Maybe it was a little earlier. We actual walked around and dodged cars as we crossed the streets. That is another story for another post.

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

Another question for y'all.  Sorry.

 

In Bora Bora, our friend, @VAGAL has highly recommended doing Le Truck-here is what she said:

Bora Bora - DIY to Playa Matira.  Took La Truck (seats 8-10 people, was $5 back then.  Beautiful beach, there is some shade under the trees, water is waist deep forever, saw lots of stingrays, drank beer, hailed a taxi and stopped at Bloody Mary's on way back to ship

 

Below is the description of the included tour on Le Truck which sounds similar but doesn't look like it includes stopping  at the beach or being able to stop and have a drink at Bloody Mary's.  (Of course according to their website they are currently closed for renovations so this may be a moot issue). But in case they reopen, did any of you do this included tour and advice?

Ride an Open-Air Truck Through Paradise -- Take in the crystalline turquoise waters, lovely small villages and abundant mountains, and learn about it all from your local guide. There are many photo stops along the way as we drive to the district of Faanui and scenic Faanui Bay. Here, you will see the ancient ceremonial site of the Faanui marae, Bora Bora’s biggest Polynesian temple, with a typical raised ahu altar. Continue your scenic drive and pause for a photo stop at one of the island’s famed restaurants. Here, you will have a chance to strike a pose in front of Bloody Mary’s Bar & Restaurant. A longtime island favorite of Hollywood royalty, it is the quintessential tiki bar with its thatched roof, open sides, white-sand floor, wooden slab tables and stools made of coconut stumps.

The tour for us was not that good. Not because of the tour operator. The weather did not cooperate as we had heavy showers. The Bloody Mary's and Bloody Mary were very good. Not the best we have had but above average...

17 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

More questions!

Our friends who were on the 21/22 WC (ended up going east rather than west) have told us about the many special events that Viking held when in ports multiple nights.  Additionally, Bloggers on Neptune's 22/23 mentioned the rooftop event in Mumbai for example. Can y'all advise if there is any consistency of when these are offered?  We are considering overnighting off the ship in Mumbai (to go to the Taj) and in Ho Chi Minh City.
 

If we have a choice we would rather not miss the special events. So knowing which of the nights they are typically held in a double overnight port would be most helpful. 
 

As always thanks for your advice.

They had special events for both those ports if I remember correctly. However, the off ship activities were worth missing the Viking events; especially the Taj Mahal...unless you plan on returning to India.

23 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

We were there in April and they had already set up the temporary grandstand and repaved the streets. It takes over a month to prepare for the May race. Here is a picture of the temporary grand stands and finish line from The Rock.

Like your upcoming cruise. We are headed to Antarctica in January with pre-cruise stop in Iguazu Falls and post cruise stop in Patagonia - El Calafate. Enjoy the cruise...

3 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

@Clay ClaytonYou asked Dave and I last year for suggestions on excursions, tours & guides for the SE Asia cruise. Unfortunately, the WC is only stopping in HCMC in Vietnam, but we can highly recommend a young fellow named Xuan (pronounced like “sue-un”) at https://www.tourwithxuan.com. We had eight people from the cruise who toured with him first at Hoi An, & then in HCMC. He’s from the Mekong Delta a few hours outside HCMC. His email: tourwithxuan@gmail.com.

 

Also at TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293925-d12204583-Reviews-Tour_With_Xuan-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

 

 

 

We had Xuan as a tour guide. He was fantastic. A group of four, we toured the Delta and Saigon (HCMC). Best two days in SE Asia. We are the photo of four sitting having a drink in Saigon when you click the above link...

1 hour ago, Dcsfuture said:

I heard there was a shuttle provided to HCM city from the ship. Would love to confirm that as we are doing what you suggest. In any event we’ll make it happen. 

Yes, there was a shuttle. This occurred because so many wanted to stay in town.

10 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

Yes, that is the tour. The early tour will leave you at the palace about 45-60 minutes before the changing of the guard. Plenty of time for a restroom break, shopping, and to line up to watch the changing of the guard. As I stated in my write-up, we bought a combination palace tour and Oceanographic Institute tour, went back to the ship for lunch, then walked back up to the palace and stopped at the Institute on the way back. We didn't go to the Casino but we still hit the jackpot.

Depending on your physical condition, everything in Monaco is walkable. After the three hour tour you mentioned, we had lunch at a cafe near the castle, then walked the alley shops close by. Subsequently, we walked to the casino. We remained at the casino about an hour. Then walked back to the ship.

11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

But am I correct that we won't be able to use the non excursions one to book excursions before boarding?

No, they will be available for any use after embarkation.

1 hour ago, Dcsfuture said:

Can previous wC-ers tell us if there are Viking shuttle buses from the port in SIngapore to the main city area?

yes

3 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I'm not worried about the views, our concern is how hot and humid it is going to be for the cruise and the impact of being on what I think will be the sunnier side of the ship.  

Same outcome

20 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Question for all you who booked port side staterooms:

 

If you had it to do over would you pick one on the starboard side instead?   
 

Mike and I are 99% ready to book the Jan 24 WC on Sky and at the moment can have a select a DV on either side.  Typically we would pick starboard on a cruise heading west as we prefer a shady balcony to a sunny one and have found generally the room stays cooler on the side of the ship that doesn't face south or west during the heat of the day. 
 

Our conundrum is that the starboard side rooms still available tend to be located immediately adjacent to the elevator lobbies so we worry about the potential for noise.  
 

TIA for your thoughts as to how problematic the heat and sun on the port side (likely to be deck 4 or 5 midship-ish) was for y'all. 

On a world cruise, it really doesn't make much of a difference because you will have land scenery on either side about half the time. We were on the starboard side and had beautiful views. Port had great views as well. 

38 minutes ago, DJVKN said:

This is what we are doing with a small group of 8. I did not organize it myself except to put the group together. Memphis Tours is our organizer to secure air, hotel and tours. 

https://www.memphistours.com/