Eaches

What? 60 of you are stranded at the airport? What happened?

We left the hotel and we all (100) went to the airport , 40 got on the plane and the rest are now stuck in the airport . Not sure why Viking has dropped the ball but it’s not Right !

Karl Erle , VP OPERATIONS just came aboard the Viking Sun to apologize for their poor showing at their Hong King Christening , now this ! Karl, you are using up our faith in Viking ! And that’s not Good !

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Here is a good one ! Thank you so much for stranding 60 of your WORLD CRUISE PASSENGERS in the the airport in Cambodia! Not a way to run a cruise ship line . We have no firm way of getting to our next port . First of all, there should have been an experienced person running the operations while we were in a very distant port Our tour guide tried but she should have done flight checking instead of laying by the pool.

We signed up for the next WC but not now ! I’m a Loyal Supporter but this plus the Christening have really broken my spirts towards Viking. Someone should answer for this !

 

 

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We’ve had to stand in an uncomfortable airport since 3pm sitting on the floor due to no seats being available. Still no word on Viking’s response to our

Mess . Viking remember you have people stranded here in Cambodia.

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Again Jim’s post too long to quote but sounds nice.

 

We took the bridge tour, then shuttle to town. I talked Carol into walking towards the beach, stopping first to get a few $$ from ATM as I forgot to take extra from the safe. Good thing that they use USD so leftover is no big deal.

 

After a couple of miles to the Lion Statue Roundabout, we wanted to eat and, seeing nothing close hailed a tuk tuk and had him take us to Sandan, a restaurant run by a school for underprivileged children whom they train to cook and serve. After graduating, the students get job placements in restaurants.

 

The food was quite tasty. We had glass noodle salad and eggplant with pork over brown rice and an Angkor beer. Bill was $15!

 

Next I contributed to the local economy by keeping our tuk tuk and hiring him to take us to Wat Krom, the temple with the reclining Buddha and then to the market.

 

I had resolved to give him whatever he asked but $20 was too much. I knew I would overpay because why not so I said $15 to which he agreed, since it was probably triple the going rate.

 

We spent about 15 minutes at the temple the he dropped us off at the market. Carol said to give him $20 so I did. It should make up for slow days or fierce bargainers. The only developing country in which I bargain hard is Việt Nam only because I speak the language and tell them I can’t pay what the tourist do. They usually laugh and agree and I tell them I’ll recommend their shop if they don’t charge way too much!

 

The market was nothing special, compared to the ones in Hà Nội, Sài Gòn and Yangon but we spent some time before going to where the shuttle dropped us in the morning. Somehow they had changed the pickup point so I ran after the bus as it sped by. Luckily the new stop was in a parking lot so we caught it easily.

 

Tonight Ferry the pianist has promised to play a Grieg favorite of mine during Munch Moments and the show inthe “Beautiful Star Theatre” is four opera singers who will not be singing “Time To Say Goodbye” or My Heart Will Go On!”

Here is a good one ! Thank you so much for stranding 60 of your WORLD CRUISE PASSENGERS in the the airport in Cambodia! Not a way to run a cruise ship line . We have no firm way of getting to our next port . First of all, there should have been an experienced person running the operations while we were in a very distant port Our tour guide tried but she should have done flight checking instead of laying by the pool.

We signed up for the next WC but not now ! I’m a Loyal Supporter but this plus the Christening have really broken my spirts towards Viking. Someone should answer for this !

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Trying to add pictures of the band

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More opinions:

I wrote to Viking on the exercise area. Way too many treadmills, many are often unused. Only 2 ellipticals. Hogged by folks setting personal endurance records. Put up a 30-45 minute time limit sign to discourage way over one hour runs. Nice free weights appropriate for us geezers.

 

Like the idea of a French or whatever replacing the underused "demo" Chef area. Or use it to expand Manfredi's.

 

Dislike moving the tea. It fits beautifully with Wintergarden decor. Admit that we never got there for tea as it was full for late arrivals and with 3 meals we're too stuffed for more. Suspecting you need to show a British Commonwealth passport for seating.

 

Dislike expanding Mamsen's. My least favorite.

Well , I’m glad they didn’t build , staff their ships by your guidelines! To each his own .

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Glad there is hope that the Orion will be docking at the Ocean Terminal. We don't embark until April 2019 so a lot can happen. Thanks Joel.

 

 

 

Cynthia

Either terminal is ok- Viking runs a shuttle service to the shopping areas . Just a little bus time from the new terminal.

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Yes, that is a challenge.

 

 

 

My wife and I have an approach that we take on World Cruises. In fact, on the first one we each lost weight and that has happened a couple of other times.

 

 

 

Our goal is to leave the ship at the same weight we boarded.

 

 

 

We know people who bring three sets of clothing with them and switch as they gain weight. Then after they leave the ship they take the weight off and then do it again the following year.

 

 

 

Keith

I still can fit into my original clothing but it’s getting a little tight ! I think we will be ok - we are about 90 days out of 141. We are signed up for next year’s WC and it has a bunch of sea days - not good but fun so I need to go to the gym prior to leaving !

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Great pix! Lots of good photo ops in that Old Town area.

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Long story short my parents in 70s who have been cruising for very long time now, booked a 30 day cruise. They were suppose to sail from Buenos Aires on Feb 18. They got their boarding pass and everything but when they arrived to board they were denied. They were told they did not have proper Brazilian temporary visas. They got email 4 days before they left for cruise that they needed Visas and they filed paperwork online right away and apparently Brazilian embassy did not clear them in time for cruise. They could not contact embassy on day they were suppose to leave because it was holiday and Holland America did not allow them to board (even thought they were not going to get off ship in Brazil or even hit Brazilian waters for 3 days after they started cruise). The frustrating part is they got confirmation from embassy next day but ship already left. They flew home and that was end of it. They are out close to 20k and even though they had 2 insurances neither one of them is covering it. Issue I have is that they had no idea they needed visas till 4 days before cruise and Holland even gave them boarding passes! If they were not clear to board why would they get boarding pass? This is very frustrating for my elderly parents who spent a lot of money on this cruise an now looks like they will not get any back. I contacted several lawyers in Seattle (where Holland is based) but most only take injury cases. Any help would be appreciate it.

My question is “ Where is your travel agent? If they used an agent, it’s then their responsibility to inform you of any additional visa requirements. We are currently on a 141 day WC. Our agent notified us in writing that we needed. 7 visas and that our cruise line would pick up the cost, if we used their visa company . They sent us the paperwork and sent us back the completed visa. That saved us over a grand and a lot of sleepless nights.

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Larry, that is a great question.

 

If you are on a World Cruise with assigned dining you can easily have the Maitre d' have you sit with each people at each succeeding segment. Over the years we have found that many people do exactly that. Once in a while a table really clicks with one another and everyone stays together the entire time but that is a rarity. Also our experience when we used to sit with others is that we would be placed at tables with some people doing the full world cruise and others who were not.

 

My recommendation is during the first segment of the world cruise that you speak with the Maitre d' about what you would like for the next segment.

 

Keith

We are on the current Viking WC for 141 days and meals are no problem here . You can have the whole family dine together or you can let everyone eat wherever they want . Eating is not a problem but waistline’s are . Get ready to gain a few pounds!

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Haikou was great. City was so very welcoming. There was a concert and puppet show put on by local citizens in the park and we were told they had been practicing for 3 months. Our tour guide sang a song on our return ride to the ship. Some of the guides even exchanged money for us since some of the merchants did not want USD (understandably ) and credit cards were not accepted. Perhaps Eaches has some photos of the bronze statues that were on the street.

Viking has done a great job with shuttles except in Hong Kong where our location was not the greatest!

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Yesterday we stopped in at Haikou on Hainan Island. Another rapidly building area but with a more spacious feel and less hectic pace than Shanghai and Hong Kong. The shuttle dropped us in the Old Town area which was full of interesting old buildings full of small shops and various eateries. A drizzly day but not so much as to stop us. After a few hours doing walkabout we found a restaurant up one floor that had an owner that managed to communicate a bit of what each dish was. I like trying new food but really like to know at least a bit about what is in it. We had quite a few dishes that were very flavorful and filled us up. One beef, one shrimp, one ground "mystery meat" in a fried wrapper similar to a spring roll but much meatier. It was so good we had a second order. After that walked off some calories and managed to escape a jewelry store because all the bracelets were a bit too short for Western wrists. Saved again!:eek: Today is a much welcomed sea day enroute to Viet Nam. Supposed to be 95F or so in Viet Nam. Back to the tropics. I think we all enjoyed the cool weather in China but no more cool till probably London. Hard to believe we are down to only 51 days left. We have some very port intensive stretches coming up so time will fly by even faster. More from Viet Nam in a couple of days. :cool:

Jim,

Sorry I was going to add additional photos but we must be limiting output . Will try later ! Good photos

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We will in Dubrovnik from 08.00 until 21.00, 13 hours on Saturday 17th March, so weather will probably not be too hot, however if it rains a guess the walls could be very slippery, therefore I'll be wearing my walking shoes. It's good to know that Viking are offering a shuttle bus service. I found the shuttle buses very useful when we had our Baltic cruise in 2016.

Remember to bring their local coins with you ! We had to use the local facilities during our time in Dubrovnik and had only Euro’s and I was out of luck . If you wanted to make a few bucks get a bunch of their coins and sit outside of the Men’s room .You can play “What’s your price “

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Yes, we were in a PV on the Star recently, and were able to request preferred non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. I "think" the original mix of provided liquor mini's was vodka, gin, scotch and bourbon. We asked for all vodka, and they happily complied. Also, we swapped out the welcome bottle of champagne for white wine. Just leave a note near the cooler. They restock each morning.

And, on the Star, they were putting the potato chips in the cooler with the chocolates... so watch for them in the cooler as well as near the coffee maker.

Well, you can forget about the chips. They are now subbing mix nuts instead of the chips . I liked the chips better, but who am I ? If you need a chip fix, go buy a can of Pringles ! in the ship’s store .

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The very first Viking Ocean ship will dock in Hong Kong on March 12,2018. It will be the Viking Sun, currently doing the first World cruise. Check out their WC threads and they should be able to tell you.

We docked at the new Terminal KAI TECK , where the old airport was in Hong Kong

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hello Wagnerite

 

 

 

It's raining in Brisbane, so I don't have much to do outside - and can't look away from the Viking Ocean CC Forum at the moment. I am reading each of the World Cruise posts with interest to see if there is any reaction from Viking executives. All that aside - and I don't know where you will be berthed - but if you can get onto the Hong Kong MTR / subway system that might be your saviour. It is a really excellent subway system. You may already know all of this ... but FYI just in case;

 

 

 

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hongkong/transportation/metro-subway-map.htm

 

 

 

http://www.feetonforeignlands.com/2016/04/18/using-hong-kongs-mtr-system/

No reaction to the mess they created, not one word! I wish that there was more of a reaction from the people who paid good money for both this WC and the next . What are you waiting for ?

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We skipped the christening, opting for the fabulous Shanghai acrobats. I couldn’t think of any circumstance under which we would enjoy the self-serving ceremony and I appear to have guessed right.

 

So far, most of the feedback has been negative.

 

Apropos of Shanghai, I have it on good authority that the American crew members were not permitted to get off the ship.

You are correct - we should have done anything but go to that Christening. Even dinner at a local restaurant would have been better than go to that self serving excuse of a Christening.

I think the company owes us an explanation on why their World Cruise customers where subjected to that mess of a celebration. The company had one mission and that was to announce their partnership with the Chinese money lords and we where just there for window dressing.

Shanghai was spectacular! We were here 16 years ago and can not believe the change! Viking docked in a wonderful place and the shuttle bus was helpful. Watching the night come alive with the glittering lights will always be a highlighted memory from this cruise. Eaches’ pictures are great but the panorama can’t be captured.

 

The Christening was hugely disappointing. We did not feel part of the festivities.

You are correct- no personal involvement!

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We did not attend the Viking party so others will have to offer their take on it. We had such a spectacular time in Shanghai that we bagged the idea of going when the bus boarding (to go one block) started backing up . China put blocks in the way which caused a few issues. It was originally due to be a short walk from the ship to the venue but then someone required it to be done by bus. As you might guess, it is hard to make something "special" when it involves 900 people and busses. Shanghai exceeded our expectations. We have a port side cabin so had the spectacular night view of Shanghai two nights. Simply amazing. And had the very best Peking Duck ever at the Peninsula Hotel. Walked 4,000 miles all over the city too! :cool:

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Thanks for the tip.

 

I hear they have some very nice sweaters and other clothing in their shop.

Yes their shops are quite nice! I’m sure you won’t have a problem spending the credit !

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Yes indeed [emoji91]

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Lovely photos. We love Viking's new ocean ships. Yes, awkward closet in DVs. My concern is over staffing and getting new staff up to speed. Uneven service in the buffet was an issue for us on the Sun on our Oct-Nov cruise. Great service if all you wanted was a wine refill. Exceedingly difficult to get anyone's attention to get ice water, coffee, etc. - BTW, they have to go to the bar to get ice for each glass. Eye contact was rarely made except for wine. All the staff were really nice but definitely differences and more training needed. The staff only focused on wine and clearing tables and there was a lot of staff turnover for a 2 week cruise. We also questioned their system of closing one side of the buffet before "official" closing times as it rotated rather than keeping the side with a view open. We didn't appreciate dining with industrial views when there was a nice alternative at hand. All in all, loved our cruise and have booked another. All in all, we'd rather have good ships which Viking has and chose for itinerary which keeps us traveling.

You are being hard on a brand new ship (The Sun) and new crew . The crew on board are both brand new and experienced crew members from other VikingOcean ships . We have been on the Sun since December 15th and the crew has been excellent. We are about to loose a number of them to the opening of the Orion and wish them well in their travels . The reason for closing the one side of the buffet is to keep the volume up and the food fresh ! If you don’t like the view you can always take your food to the side with the view. Why not try the aquavit terrace by the pool, they have great views and plenty of fresh air . We been on the Sun for over 82 days and EVERYONE (crew) have been wonderful!

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Thanks for sharing about the hotel offering for families of the crew members while in Manila. Viking did GOOD.

Are you getting ready for the christiening of the ship on the upcoming schedule?

It should be a good party.

Here-Here looking forward to it !

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Hi again, I did a search on google and noted that this was often a problem when using Safari however when I changed the browser to Firefox - I could see the photos. Thanks again for a very enjoyable thread.

Great!

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Peregrina, We will take Viking Homelands cruise in July - this is our first cruise with Viking. I love this post - if we were not already booked, we would probably do so because of your thoughts. I have followed threads for months, and you are a wonderful source of information.

You know, my wife and I did the Viking Homeland Cruise two years ago and the only issue I could come up with is, the cruise could have been two days longer so that we could enjoy the ship . Think about it, when was the last time you could SMS’s your that about your cruise . It’s a no brainer !

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