BigBee51

Thanks for the response. I remember the pods were in Italian so I was guessing at what crema meant.

The refund schedule is actually on page 2 of your guest statement. You will only be on the hook for $100 pp if you cancel more than 120 days out

I believe if you look at your Viking contract, down near the bottom you should see a chart with the refund timeline. Full refund greater than 120 days and a reduced amount as the cruise time gets closer.

I've been resisting asking my question about the Nespresso coffee maker but here goes. Viking provides two creme (sp?) pods. How do you use them? I assumed that they are some sort of "cream" for the coffee? They are shaped exactly like the coffee pods and didn't have an obvious way to open them.  

We just returned from the Baltic / Midnight Sun 28 night cruise. Ship was very nice. Every member of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. The room stewards were fabulous. They anticipated needs we didn't know we had. They provided bookmarks for the books we had on the  table and after having a bucket of ice delivered to our room, it was refreshed every day without asking. We ate in both Manfredi's and the Chef's Table twice each. Chef's table was very good Manfredi's was ok. The Restaurant was hit or miss.  Apparently, there was a new Head Chef, so I assume some of the kinks will be worked out in short order. I think this was only the second or third "real" cruise on the Mars. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and we have 3 ocean and 2 river cruises booked.

We just returned from the Baltic / Midnight Sun (starting from London) cruise and found it doesn't really matter which side of the ship you are on. We were in 5109 at the rear of ship with views to both sides of the fjords. The fjords are narrow and beautiful on both sides. You will need to get up early though. Most of the transit through the fjords is very early. Of course, it is in day light exiting in the evenings. The captain did not do any 360's on our trip

page 26 of the document:

"7.4. Testing of passengers on the day of embarkation All passengers (except children under the age of 12 years) should hold proof of a negative:  NAAT performed within 72 hours before embarkation, OR  RADT performed within 48 hours before embarkation"

maybe here: 

https://www.healthygateways.eu/Portals/0/plcdocs/EUHG_Operational_guidelines_CoV_June2022.pdf?ver=2022-06-10-140149-413

From personal experience, I am in the group for no stems. Alcohol and stemware is an invitation to disaster

can we now go back to the tried and true discussions centered around never before asked questions regarding TIPS, acceptable clothing at dinner and my personal favorite, the definition of "premium" wines and/or cocktails?

The CDC requirements for cruise lines who "volunteer" to follow their guide lines is for passengers to provide of not having COVID with the 72 hour PCR or 24 hour antigen test OR the cruiseline could do the test prior to allowing the passenger on board.

Viking chose to leave the burden on the passenger. Dang It!

Having re-read the Viking pre-cruise requirements for the zillionth time, all it says is "Proof of negative COVID-19 Test (laboratory-certified)... PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to boarding first international flight". As long as the paperwork received with the test results says something about PCR blah blah blah, I don't see how they can reject it. If it needs to be some specific PCR test they should provide more specific guidance. That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

38 minutes ago, Haqdeluxe said:

There was a time, as recent as March of this year,  that Viking would NOT accept a Rapid PCR test but would accept a proctored Antigen test.  A Rapid PCR was the ones like CVS and Walgreens does in hours. The RT-PCR test are the gold standard and typically take 24-72 hours to get your results when administered thru most labs.

This may have changed. 

We are taking a XpresCheck administered PCR test (nasal swab) for big bucks at BOS with results returned usually within 60 minutes (lab on site).  I sure hope this is acceptable to Viking

Logging in to our booking now though no longer provides the opportunity to cancel The Restaurant reservation. Don't know if there is a change to the system or just a glitch. We are 22 days out and that seems a long time to lock out the system for changes to dining reservations.

But I did have to log out and back in for MVJ to update

I believe (its been a month since I did it) I went into the specific day in the calendar and selected The Restaurant reservation I had and was given the option to cancel the reservation. Then was able to make a reservation for Manfredi's. Memory is a terrible thing to waste.

Try logging out after you delete the reservation in MVJ and then logging back in. That is what I did to accomplish the new reservation for Manfredi's

We also are on this cruise on the Mars. The cruise actually starts on Saturday the 25th. We booked the pre-cruise extension and will be arriving on the 23rd for a 2 night stay prior to boarding.

I don't think just setting up your e-check data in MVJ will initiate the payment. I believe you may need to contact Viking directly to actually make the payment.

17 hours ago, burnabyjean said:

This is how my "Before you go" document, effective April 1, 2022,  reads on My Viking Journey: 

"- PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to boarding first international flight, (or joining Viking if traveling independently,) or

- Antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to boarding first international flight (or joining Viking if traveling independently,)

 

This pretty clearly says "first INTERNATIONAL flight" and also clarifies for folks travelling independently. I'm from Canada - do folks from other countries get different instructions?

We're in the US and our MVJ information is exactly as you posted.

I'm with duquephart on this, "Champagne bottle stopper?". It never occurred to me that someone would not consume the champagne, hence, no need for a stopper.

I really don't want to get involved with this but, I book through a travel agent. That agent provides us with a copy of the Viking invoice she receives. The invoice contains pertinent information including the Viking passenger contract. The passenger contract provides a link to the Viking terms and conditions which includes a long section on COVID 19 Policy and Procedures. I don't understand why if you are booking directly through Viking that information is not provided directly to you in the invoice.

yes

We use Meclizine 25 mg chewable tablets. Usually take one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are non-drowsy. Three 100 tablet bottles for less than $15 on Amazon. Dramamine and Bonine are way more expensive and make us very drowsy.

We are 58 days out from our international flight and have not been ticketed yet but our reservations are in the Delta reservation system so I am not going to fret just yet.