OnTheJourney

I've seen similar. Crew probably has to do this every so often.

Ha Ha....Well, given that they're located underneath the seats, that's a bit impractical, don't you think? In this older thread, I was just trying to convey that the newer (very relaxed) video-oriented drill presentation likely doesn't prepare one as well for an actual emergency compared to doing a more 'hands-on' sort of drill or at least having to stand out at the muster station and receive the explanation. Unless you've been part of an actual emergency on a cruise ship, you really can't relate to what I'm trying to express. Let's face it, most on the plane pretty much tune-out the flight attendant going through the spiel. Probably the same for whatever takes place on cruise ships since likely the attitude for most passengers is that 'nothing bad will happen anyway'. I was probably about the same way...till March 23, 2019.

Oh well, perhaps unnecessary but I figured submitting the form can't hurt. I had no idea there was a special request form like that. It pretty much includes most any sort of special needs situation. Mark...weird how our total number of posts are nearly exactly the same - difference of two!

One thing I've learned to really like about cruising with Viking is the quietness. Nice, subdued (sort of new agey) music in the background in certain public areas. Very unobtrusive and soft (well, perhaps not quite as unobtrusive for musicians since, again, I find myself listening to it since it's all so pleasant - although it's all very enjoyable to listen to). I find the more high-powered, much louder, pop-oriented stuff playing in the Celebrity or RCCL Windjammers during lunch as being a bit offensive and just makes me feel a bit stressed. As for "quiet spots"...LOTS of them on Viking. Small areas to just sit and read especially near their "Wintergarten" - one of the loveliest spots on the ocean ships. I seem to recall the Summit has a library area - not sure anymore. I'll have to check around on the Summit next time we're there but mostly if we want quiet for reading we just sit out on our balcony, except that often you can easily hear the music coming from the pool deck.

Kathynorth...Thanks. I completed the page of the form that applies to sharps and then scanned and sent it to them. BTW...how was your Antarctica cruise? Saw that you did it. We did that same cruise on Infinity back in '17. Pretty amazing. No zodiac / landings, etc. but we still really enjoyed it especially since we had never been anywhere in South America. Our sailing across the Drake, both times, was smooth as glass. Got super lucky. The day at Port Stanley was unbelievably warm - only had a sweatshirt on.

You are correct, and glad you found the video useful. .You're to be commended for watching it more than once. Some people are more visual vs. auditory learners. Being a musician, I'm more auditory but totally agree with you about various types of sounds or volume levels being too distractive from whatever else I'm trying to concentrate on. I, too, have trouble with ambient noise interfering. If there's music playing in the background and people are trying to talk to me, it makes it very difficult since my brain focuses on the music instead of the conversation. Looking forward to more of your entries!! We were on the Summit right after she was "revolutionized" back in fall of '19 and thought they did a great job with her. Looking forward to boarding again in a few months. Enjoy!!!

dc....thanks! I'll take a look at the form, but sounds like it's probably a simple matter to take care of once we board.

And that's the extent of the emergency drill procedure? Sorry...but...as one who was on a ship that ran into a REAL (and almost disastrous) emergency situation and had to be partially evacuated by helicopter, I just don't agree with this relaxed a form of doing a drill. Even after being physically given the life vest to hold and look at (this was not on Celebrity), when the actual time came to put it on, in the confusion, stress, and nervousness of the moment, I had NO idea what to do with it. Watching a video is truly not really enough. Sorry to mention these thoughts, and I wish you a fantastic and safe cruise, but this is just one of my pet peeves.

Agreed! Some people don't like that overhang. I'm fine with the extra shade provided. We're in Aqua on 9 for a Summit cruise later in spring.

Wow! Livin' it up before even boarding the ship!! It all looks great!!

I came across older threads about this but thought I'd check for more current information. I'll need to know about disposing needles from diabetic and other medical self-administered procedures, etc. Thanks...

View from the hotel looks awesome....love that 2nd picture.

even better doing a cookout on the beach 😆

Uh-huh...as good an excuse as any I suppose. 😁 "Can't cook" = doesn't really want to. Just razzin' you....

Prayers for all the families and everyone in Greece affected by the recent train tragedy. 🙏 So very sad...

Yeah..you're always going out for lunch...and breakfast....and dinner......😆

...yeah, or keep it till whenever the next chance might be to use it, and so pretty much the same story here. Not much shopping abroad and basically just eat on the ship. Often we'll do some quick duty-free shopping at the airport before flying home as time allows. We had a pile of rubles left after our days in St. Petersburg during a Baltic cruise and so gave them all to our Alla tours guide as a tip - all that after fretting for days over getting rubles onboard. Every day there was a huge line. Eventually they ran out. Not even sure if they provide much foreign currency on ships anymore. That was with Royal Caribbean.

Enjoying this thread! Looking forward to more. We've done Aqua Class once before on the Summit and found it quite nice. Doing it again in a few months. Wishing you a great cruise!

Same cruise I was on! I have no idea where the extra charges came from but I'm not going to spend additional time trying to find out since I don't think I can anyway. Did you do the Athens extension also?

Quick update...I just got a picture from Barbara, so if anyone from the group wants a copy let me know.

Interesting replies, for which I'm appreciative. I contacted one of the merchants in question, and they assure me that nothing was added directly from them. He referred to possibly a POS company that tacked on extra fees or possibly some other more obscure foreign transaction fees. Guess there's really no more to be found out about it, other than going back to BOA and asking them again if they'd have any idea where the extra charges may have come from. Just so I understand the process, once the purchase is made at the vendor, what exactly happens next? Is the charge than passed through some other agency before making it's way to BOA and my statement charges? I don't really agree with this, having used BOA for a long time and never had any issues, to the best of my knowledge, with "extra" foreign charges. That was, however, with an AMEX card, not VISA. Not my experience! We got a pack of 200 euros before going on the trip and they charged me a handling fee (or whatever) of 50 euros! Talk about getting ripped off! Wish we would have waited and just got some once arriving in Rome. Oops...just saw your correction!!! We'd gotten euro packs at AAA before but...sheesh...should at least have a gun if you want to rob me. Most interesting, although some quick research shows around a 1% fee (?). The charges I incurred are roughly 8% on each transaction. Also not my experience at all. I've never had trouble getting through to an agent at BOA. Sounds like the most likely explanation. I was going to call BOA one more time and just see if I get any further with it. All this is not a huge deal, but it's nice to at least know whom I'm paying my money to above and beyond the original charge. Guess I may never know. Your explanation is very thorough and presents some concepts and business practices I wasn't aware of.

Had this been done, wouldn't the individual transaction listings on my statement be in all USD rather than any mention of the initial amount in euros?

Just read through my account info - under the list of "transaction fees" there is nothing referring to any sort of "foreign" fees. I also confirmed this on the BOA website for my specific card. The agent confirmed that they didn't assess anything - so it must have come from the individual vendors. Perhaps a combination of VAT and whatever they typically charge for credit card purchases in general.

No...my statement, under "purchases and adjustments" is in euros for all the foreign transactions. Then, the far right column (total amount per transactions), is in $ No charges. I (allegedly anyway) verified this. I wound up talking to 3 different agents. They kept passing me along to 'someone who could help in that area' (??) correct...no conversion info whatsoever I don't think so. Been dealing with the same bank for decades; however, it changed from a longtime AMEX card to Visa a few years ago. Unfortunately this involved a new card number. Hate when that happens. So many people to notify.

Yeah...and probably whatever they see fit to tack on at the time 🤔 I don't recall ever running into this before.