Eaches

I’ve read all the comments regarding the christening of the Viking Sun with some amusement. Yes, it didn’t go as probably planned or hoped for by Viking, but what do you want Viking to do - comp everyone a free cruise. My wife and I stayed in the ship and had a great dinner at Manfredi’s. Didn’t see any “special” guests at all in the restaurant. We’ve heard more petty complaining on this cruise than any we’ve taken in the past. My hats off to Viking. They don’t nickel dime their guests to death with fees for everything; the food’s been great; the drinks free flowing; and the tours have been fun - need I go on. Sure, I think some things could be better, but I’ve been on big cruise ships with 3,000+ of my favorite friends and I’ll choose Viking every time. Thank you Viking!!

 

 

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WELL SAID, We should have stayed on the ship, you live and learn. Please don’t change a thing - the ship, crew couldn’t be nicer and the can do attitude is Very Refreshing hub this industry.

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Can't wait to hear of your next adventure ashore. A learning curve for Viking for sure as far as the tours. Ship and service sounds perfect just the bus tours need improvement from what I have read. I'm loving reading and seeing pictures of your adventures.

I just want to do a little follow up on tours . Viking has done a good to Great job with both their included and paid tours. You just have to remember that you can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig . You also have to remember, many places we’ve visited aren’t set up for or have near by interesting places to visit, especially the commentary tours . There’s a limit to Everything!

Early on in their First World Cruise, Viking realized they had issues with their tours, they LISTENED AND THEY FIXED IT! .

THANK YOU !

I am looking forward to extra time in Malta over a brief stop in Tunis. We have had our share of "drive by" ports. Malta sounds right up our alley and a welcome change from the tiring (but exciting) treks of the last week or so. But then there will be some that howl that Tunis was the purpose of their whole trip and they will demand a free cruise as compensation...;p

Jim,

Well, the 4 day Egypt Overnight is now in the books and it’s the only civilized way of seeking the sites . No long bus rides to the sites each day and Viking’s hotels/ food were top notch! We did them all , except Australia’s bush country. Everything and everyone

Involved did a Wonderful Job! and each should be “Thanked “ for their performance.

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Other than South America, of course....

 

 

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No Hong Kong or Singapore, Vietnam, and fewer ports in New Zealand

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Mark & Tweeter,

Don't know how to PM on Cruise Critic. Just slow I guess. I thought I mentioned the company in one of my earlier posts. :cool::cool: Check the Petra post again.

Jim,

To Continue, we now focused in on the Egyptian pyramids today . No need to discuss these Wonders of the World , they speak for you themselves! Hope you enjoy these photos -

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We figure to get home in time for triple digits! As DW often says "stupid has a price".:eek: Yes it was very hot in Luxor. A few had heat issues and/or falls. Hopefully they are doing better today. First though, we went to Petra from the port of Aquaba, Jordan. We had hired a car and driver with a guide through Memphis Tours. We have just had our fill of long bus rides and this gave us the ability to move at our own pace, stop when/if we needed to, and avoid the "shopping" stops. See more in less time was the goal and it worked well. We arrived in Petra after a fairly scenic drive through mountain type terrain passing occasional Bedouin tents and camels. At the entrance to the Petra site we met our guide who spoke very good English and made the tour come alive. We learned much about the site and the future excavations. The "money shot" of course was the first view of the treasury. After a walk of maybe a bit less than a mile through narrow rock canyons suddenly there it was. Just as magnificent as expected. I didn't buy the Indiana Jones hat though. The fun part about the Petra site is it is all downhill. You are lured in easily and before you know it you are several miles downhill from where you have to return. By now, it is getting hot and the crowds from the busses are showing up so we head back up to the treasury. At that point we decided the horse and buggy ride back to the entry was money well spent. Be advised those carts have no springs and the cobblestones are very uneven. Quite the bumpy ride but thankful for it as we were getting quite hot. We decided to skip lunch and just guzzle water so headed back to the ship a bit early. Petra is one of those "must do" places that actually lives up to the expectations. If you get to this part of the world make sure to visit this historic place. You really earn your shower and drinks aboard.:cool:

Jim, Here are just a couple of photos from the Valley of the King’s

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I haven't posted much, to leave room for your very informative posts, but just want you to know how much I am enjoying the posts and commentary and pictures! Thank you all so much!

Jim,

We are on the 4 day Egypt trip that was offered by Viking to the World Cruise travelers . Today we got up a 4 am and did a Hot Air Balloon ride over the Nile River . What a Blast ! It’s a first for me . Will have additional photos out in the next few days .

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Are cigarettes available to purchase onboard? What about over-the-counter meds, such as cold medicine?

No smoking materials are available ! It’s no smoking ship except in the designated smoking area on deck 8! We Love it ! Thank You Viking! I have a question - why would you buy cold medicine aboard a ship and pay 4 times the amount . The ship’s are in port almost every day , have someone in your party go ashore and get what you need and save a fortune!

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This cruise has several segments now not 2 as it was before. All segments have the same top categories through PV3 as sold out. The rest of the cabins are available. Well, at least this is what I saw an hour ago.

We maybe talking about a different cruise . The just announced World Cruise from Viking is for one or two or three segments. The first segment starts in London to LA or the complete World’s Cruise starts in in London and ends in London or you can go from LA to London , your choice . The only category sold out are the owners suite , Explorer Suits. The other cabins where not reserved but availability may be spotty .

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According to Viking's website 2019/2020 World cruise is sold out already - all cabins in all categories. I don't understand how :confused::confused::confused:

The 245 day World Cruise which is broken down into two segments was given to the cruiser’s on the Sun last week, but not to the general public until today . It can’t be sold out yet . We are doing the 1st segment London to LA including the English Isles, Iceland, Greenland and North and South America leaving us off in LA. Should be fun and a Great Adventure. This cruise starts August 31, 2019 and ends January 4, 2020 for the folks getting off in LA .

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Excellent Eaches .. I am looking forward to your 2020 photos already. Any Viking cruises in 2019 for you ?

No the 135 is for two, wife and I .

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Is there generally an issue with cabin noise aboard the ship? We are sailing on the Sun in a few months and are very light sleepers. Has anything been done to fix this problem?

What floor are staying on ?

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Don’t forget about the business cards with name and stateroom number....I have a thousand left!

 

Eaches...I love your ability to post GREAT photos on this thread...thanks!

Thanks for your comments!

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What do the Viking fridge magnets look like? Can you post a picture. Have suggested that Viking River do a magnet of their ships. Are they going to be putting the magnets in the gift shop? Might be a nice souvenir.

 

Thanks.

Sorry they do have small - plastic coated magnets that they have in sets . They have given us two sets . I like the magnets we pick up in ports we visited better but the ones from Viking are a nice touch .

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What do the Viking fridge magnets look like? Can you post a picture. Have suggested that Viking River do a magnet of their ships. Are they going to be putting the magnets in the gift shop? Might be a nice souvenir.

 

Thanks.

I haven’t seen them yet- they may come aboard in London.They did introduce a ship model made of metal of the Sun . Not sure if it’s only for the WC or others . It’s approx 10” Long with nice detail . Early on we could only book the model to be picked up in London .

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We booked an Ocean Cruise on the Viking Sea in March of this year and were told the promotion of 2 for 1 fares and free air fare was good until March 31, 2018. Stupidly, we paid for the cruise. Now, a month later, a new promotion for the same cruise is on, with free Silver Spirit packages and $500 onboard spending included, along with the free airfare, and the usual 2 for 1 price. I called Viking to see if we could get that promotion as well and was told no, they cannot honor the new promotion. I feel penalized for booking early. Of course, the cabins now available are more expensive than the one we booked. I did not expect this from Viking, and am most disappointed. Hope it’s the only disappointment. We usually cruise with Holland America and have not had this happen.

You know this sales tactic is done by all the cruise lines to try to fill their cabins including Holland America/Carnival . The trade off is your cabin placement. You agreed to pay a price and got your cabin of your choice ! Now they need to sell the higher price cabins and now you want the deal too, it doesn’t work that way ! You may talk to customer service and tell them that you are open for an upgrade if available and see if that helps .

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So far, a large wall/fridge magnet of the world with our route on it and a movable spot marker, a Viking folding umbrella, two sets of Viking fridge magnets, a Lindt chocolate bunny for Easter. That's about it that I can remember. :cool:

For the people who started in Miami on the World Cruise , does anyone remember the (credit) money that was applied to our accounts for all the changes that Viking did because of the Cuban government? That amount should have bought you a couple of cheap nylon windbreakers and a meal In Havana. I know it was part of the pre cruise but it was a nice jester. I’m sure Viking has something up their sleeves before or after you get home to remind you of their first World Cruise . I’m. Sure it will be better than a inexpensive windbreaker, but I could be also dead wrong .

Oh well ! I’ve really enjoyed this cruise and all the sites we visited , the guests we’ve met during the cruise and especially the staff and CREW .

An Early Thank You !

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My wife and I always laugh at “Wiking’s” claim that we should be travelers, not tourists. We have been both and cruising on a ship and visiting places in buses with guides and squawk boxes in groups of 40 seems touristy to us.

 

I suppose we all like to think we are travelers, but tourists are not bad people.

No one said they where .

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What a rude comment....I am proud to be a tourist. I may not have your extensive travel history but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy visiting new places. Your “tourist instead of travelers” comment smacks of elitism.

 

 

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I’m not claiming to be among among the Elite far from it . Viking’s own ads say that their tours are made for traveler’s - People who would like to see areas of the world , not seen by the other cruise lines, in a pleasant unassuming way , at a reasonable cost . There is no cast system in Viking ! You may have a larger cabin, but you enjoy the same amenities as the folks in all cabins. It’s up to you and what you can afford .

 

 

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Actually we were asked to refrain from posting anything pertaining to security preparations. I didn’t get that the Captain meant refrain from all postings of “normal “

 

I checked with my Better half and she said the same thing , so I’m going to post the pictures of the Beautiful Brunch they are putting on for us .

 

 

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Enclosed are pictures of Thursday’s Mega Oman Brunch . Thank you goes out to Chef Eric his staff , all the pastry chefs and Captain Knutsen for looking out for our safety .

 

 

 

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Actually we were asked to refrain from posting anything pertaining to security preparations. I didn’t get that the Captain meant refrain from all postings of “normal “

 

I checked with my Better half and she said the same thing , so I’m going to post the pictures of the Beautiful Brunch they are putting on for us .

 

 

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Excuse me. Last time I checked I was still on the ship. He said something about pictures? Pictures of what? It may have been announced when we were in our cabin or in the Pool Grill where there is a big echo.

They asked us from using public media for a time . It was in letter form sent to your cabin .

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Whether or not it's "worth it" depends entirely on you. If you're cruising on a tight budget, and have booked an interior cabin based solely on what you can afford, then spending an extra $470.00 is probably not a good idea. There are several videos posted on Youtube of cove balcony cabins. Even though you'll see videos of cabins on the different ships that have them, and the decor will differ, you'll at least get an idea of what they're like. If you like what you see, and can afford the upgrade, then go for it. If not, then be happy with your current choice and enjoy your cruise.

Well said! Thank you .

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Hi Char,

 

I sure hope there is armed security. Somali pirates are not known to be very responsive to polite requests. A lovely near flat calm sunny sea day today with temps around 80F. A bit of news. Two deck has been locked, according to a frequent walker, due to the crew observing passenger behavior on the security cameras. Seems some of our brain trust just had to lean over the rail and touch the razor wire to see if it is sharp in spite of numerous signs warning against such dumbness.[emoji33]

Jim,

Who said we have brain trusts on this ship ? . I guess we still have tourists on board instead of travelers .

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Excellent Eaches .. I am looking forward to your 2020 photos already. Any Viking cruises in 2019 for you ?

No not at this time .

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