arlowood

17 hours ago, Canberra forever ! said:

We have booked the Aug 14th as our first Viking Ocean cruise, we have done a few river cruises with them so we're very excited for this one. 

Please does anyone know when the shore excursions will be released? and also how we book parking at Portsmouth? I looked on CPS but they don't have Viking as an option.

Many thanks. 

We've also booked on the 14th August cruise. WE have also done this itinerary on 5th June on Viking Venus. For that cruise, the excursions/dining bookings in MyVikingJourney were opened up about 2 weeks before the cruise date if I remember correctly. Viking claim that they will email you when the bookings can be made but my advice would be to log into your MVJ account every couple of days so that you don't miss out.
As far as parking goes we booked through CPS for the June cruise but CPS are currently not showing Viking as an option. I called them and they were unaware of the upcoming August cruises. The Viking representative I spoke to seemed to think that Viking were still in discussions about arranging the parking. With the June cruises they negotiated a special deal with the Local Portsmouth Cruise Terminal parking company (£55 I think from memory). No evidence yet if that deal will reappear. I will just keep checking the CPS website every few days to see if Viking pops up as an option.

We did the Venus 5th July sailing and jumped at the chance to book the 14th August sailing on Viking Star. They are offering Double Loyalty discount (£200pp) on these cruises if you book before this Friday. No prices or details yet on the 21st sailing but that one wasn't even announced when we booked on Sunday morning. Would probably have gone for that instead just for the change of itinerary but we are happy to do a repeat of our June itinerary just to enjoy the onboard Viking experience again without the need to wrestle with the hassle of flying at this time.

Hoping that Viking's bubble excursion policy might be relaxed by mid-August so that we have the chance to explore a bit on our own. After all we were let loose on Tresco on the 5th June cruise and there were quite a few visitors in the gardens who were not in our bubble and we survived that.

21 minutes ago, robinhood1 said:

We have our insurance with Nationwide - as has already been said the subtleties of the policy wordings are interesting. It is clear that the policy does not cover Inadvised countries but no mention if I advised methods of travel! The Global Travel Task force report is interesting - it says that international cruising should restart in line with the traffic light policy - it is also due to report tomorrow ( 28/6). We shall have to see what they say. Viking must have a lot of bookings hanging on this - they have been selling Malta, Iceland and River Cruises from around the 20th July so. They must be expecting things to change.

If I remember correctly, I think river cruises were exempted from the international cruising ban or at least released from the ban some time ago. This link suggests the exemption was given as far back as July 2020

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/5464/

9 hours ago, Dave W 10 said:

Iceland cruise booked 24th July from UK.

UK govt currently advise against international cruising in which case travel insurance is invalid. Any thoughts? Is this due to change on 19th July.

I know Iceland is on the green list but international cruising is still not advised.

I will ask Viking but that is not easy at present so wondering whether anyone had an answer already.

Yes - there appears to be a major disconnect between the Government Traffic Light System and the FCO advice. When the traffic light system was introduced there were some significant anomalies where countries appeared on the Amber list - so effectively you could travel there but would have to quarantine on return - but several of these countries were still on the FCO list advising against any travel. I'm still not sure whether there has been any change to align the FCO list and the traffic light list of countries as far as general holiday travel is concerned.

Where things stand vis-a-vis cruising just adds another complicating layer to the whole picture.

Viking have cancelled the repositioning cruise of the VIking Venus planned for 3rd July. This was supposed to sail from Portsmouth to Malta (Valetta) via Porto, Lisbon and Gibraltar. One reason suggested for the cancellation was that a significant tranche of USA based passengers cancelled en masse when they discovered that they could not transit the UK without the need to quarantine. Other suggestions point to entry restrictions for the 2 Portuguese ports. Whatever the reason it just emphasises the fact the cruise travel will be a constantly evolving entity while we navigate our way out of this pandemic.

However I do think that the |Government should get a grip of the FCO/ Health Guidance disconnect to remove at least one source of confusion.

Malta now added to the Green List for UK travelers so the returning quarantine issue has been removed for the time being at least.

You will have to consult the Malta Government requirements to see what is need for those entering Malta but I'm sure Viking will be up to speed on that.

Worryingly I've just read on another forum that Viking have cancelled the repositioning cruise of the Viking Venus from Portsmouth to Malta on July 3rd. No explanation given to the passengers affected. Full refund or 125% FCC offered. Venus was due to call at Porto, Lisbon and Gibraltar so maybe there were issues with obtaining clearance for a largely UK complement of passengers being allowed ashore in Portugal???

5 hours ago, GonzoWCS said:

What party?

It appears that the organiser/moderator of a group on another nameless platform, arranged for a get-together of several members of the group in the main dining room. A sort of "Meet & Mingle" but in the restaurant rather than in a stand-up communal area. It was reported elsewhere that around 35 people attended. The group appear to have been accommodated on several tables of 6 on the evidence of pics uploaded by the organiser.

There is no information available to confirm or refute whether the person who tested positive was an attendee at this "party"

On 6/15/2021 at 12:35 AM, jonikal said:

Is PCR testing (a US requirement)  offered to passengers onboard Viking ships operating in Iceland, allowing them to proceed directly from the ship to the airport? 

Not sure what procedures are planned for the Iceland "Welcome Back" cruises. We've just completed one of the UK Scenic Shores cruises on the new Viking Venus. The COVID security procedures on our cruise involved a temperature check and questionnaire at check-in followed by a COVID saliva test as soon as we were in our stateroom. This test involves an NAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification) technique which has been shown by several research groups to be equivalent to the PCR tests. We were also provided with face masks which had to be worn in all public areas around the ship except when seated for eating or drinking. A track and trace dongle was also provided which had to be worn at all times outside your stateroom. This recorded any interactions with other guests so that you could be contacted if a positive COVID result was discovered in a passenger with whom you had close contact. Finally there were daily temperature checks using devices at the entrance to the main restaurant or World Cafe.

This might seem quite onerous but we quickly go used to it and it did not detract from the enjoyment of the cruise. On the final evening we were provided with a certificate confirming a negative test on that date.

If your cruise ship is using the same technology for testing it might be worth questioning the Icelandic authorities or your flight carrier if they are happy to accept the NAT saliva test result

3 hours ago, kcpvwill said:

J an D, thanks for the reply.   I didn’t spot there was a different one, I thought they were all England’s Scenic shores. This one appears to be Scenic British Isles.   Was it because one or more of the ports couldn’t accommodate them or just to offer an alternative?     Perhaps someone might have done a B2B just to celebrate being back on board!  
I hope all on board are enjoying the cruise.  

I think several people may have done a B2B. We were on the previous cruise which docked in Portsmouth last Saturday. While on board we heard that they were offering some excellent deals for anyone wishing to stay aboard and do the B2B. Unfortunately we had commitments this week otherwise we would have been sorely tempted

2 hours ago, jenna37 said:

Thank you J and D for a most comprehensive and informative review of your sailing. I have made reservations in the restaurants using MVJ and have reviewed the diary which shows the reservations have been logged. Do you know if that means that they are on the system or will we have to re-book once onboard.

Thanks again for taking the time to post your excellent review.

Jeff

I wouldn't count on it. We're currently aboard Venus and pre booked all our dining slots through MVJ about 3 weeks before departure. When we boarded last Saturday none of our dining  choices was showing up on the onboard Calendar. This is a known glitch apparently but Viking have not yet sorted it AFAIK. We managed to rebook Chefs Table and Manfredi's but on different nights to our original bookings. No need to book the MDR ahead of time - just roll up when you fancy - there's plenty of room

21 minutes ago, JessM66 said:

I read that someone was denied boarding on the 5th June as a result of covid test issues. How absolutely heartbreaking that must have been. I guess being vaccinated is no guarantee of being able to embark. Not sure if they tested positive, or that they just didn’t test negative, anyone onboard have anymore details?

 

We're currently on that cruise. We were delayed leaving Portsmouth until about 11pm I understand. Can't confirm exact time as OH and I were in the land of nod by then. Announcement the following day said the reason was due to an inconclusive result which I think meant isolating that passenger until a repeat test could be performed. No info on anyone being denied boarding although technically it would be a "get off the ship" order since all passengers are already on board while they do the initial tests.

We did hear a PA announcement for a specific passenger to contact Guest Services immediately but that was late afternoon I think and could have been unrelated to any Covid issues.

12 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Hi.  I'm not taking a UK cruise, but looking for the answer to a question or two.  Since Venus has (apparently) already gone out, I was hoping someone on here could tell me how easy (or hard?) it was to change reservations at The Restaurant (main dining venue) after those were made on My Viking Journey.  We like to eat at World Cafe a lot, and also like a good amount of freedom on when we eat.  So I was curious when Viking added a way to make reservations for The Restaurant. Is that just an optional thing, or is it advisable that I make reservations?  I don't want to snag coveted (for U.S. pax, anyway) 7 pm dining times if it means others will have to eat earlier or later.  But I also don't want to end up dining at 9 pm.  

 

And I know things are changing, and may change even more before I board in August, but just wanted to find out what I could right now. Thanks. 

We are currently on Viking Venus docked in Liverpool. I made reservations for the Main Restaurant,  Chef's Table and Manfredi's using MVJ some weeks before our sailing date. However when I got aboard last Saturday the stateroom TV was not displaying any of my reservations in the Calendar. I spoke to Guest Services and they confirmed there was a technical glitch. They said there was no need to book for the Main Restaurant- just roll up when you like and you'll be seated. It may be due to the reduced numbers on our cruise that it's effectively freedom dining. We have also managed to rebook the 2 speciality restaurants but on different nights to our original. There were slots on the dates I chose originally but at much later times - too late for comfort for us.

It's difficult to know what will be the situation on later cruises as the pax numbers may be higher and freedom style dining more problematic. My advice is to to Guest  Services as soon as you board and check out the booking options at that time.

1 hour ago, MikeD1000 said:

Still looking for more info and hints from the cruise returnees please. We love Anstruther fish and chips and their ice cream also.

If you have access to Facebook there is a users group called "We Love Viking Cruises (UK)" where several passengers on the first cruise have reported what procedures were in place and also their impressions of the ship, food and the various excursions

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Aren’t we lucky - and we can enjoy Sunday walks on the Old Course in St Andrews. We regularly play at St Andrews ok let’s be honest we play The Himalayas, the best and most challenging putting course in the world. 

Don't forget the other potential gems in the East Neuk - Balcomie links in Crail and the course at Elie. If you're pushed for time then you could also try the quaint little 9 hole course in Anstruther.

2 hours ago, jenna37 said:

We have just booked the 19th June cruise . Looking forward to sailing on this brand new ship and getting back to sea again.

Does anyone know how the trivia was conducted on sea days? Also does the current cruise have a  optional Beatles tour which can e purchased once onboard?

 

On our UK Shores cruise there is a Beatles Experience optional shore excursion iun Liverpool at £144 per person. It lasts 4 hours according to the description. It takes in various key sites around Liverpool and end at the Beatles Story exhibition

1 hour ago, timbloom said:

welcome from the pretty stormy seas approaching Scilly Isles. 

A couple of other points - If your cruise is at same capacity as this one you won't actually need reservations for the Restaurant. Social distancing is not a problem, possibly apart from the Spa and Gym which have much reduced capacity. 

People asked about comfort check in. Is that just the online check in procedure? We did that and printed off the boarding cards and had them saved on my phone. No one was remotely interested in seeing them at any stage.

If anyone is worried about the all the health checks, don't be. You do your saliva deposit first thing in your cabin [before cleaning your teeth they tell you] and you get your temp taken only once a day by photo recognition at one of the screens around the ship, and do a very simple health questionnaire once a day - 4 simple questions such as have you got any flu like symptoms etc.

Lastly I really would recommend doing an excursion in Liverpool, particularly the one we did. I wasn't keen on getting off as I did some business there in the 80's and remembered a pretty tatty and dirty centre. I was pleasantly surprised. We did the Maritime history of Liverpool with Debby, who was terrific - funny, engaging, informative and irreverent at times. there were only 4 of us, as many didn't seem to want to tour at all. At the end she and we wanted to do a group hug but we didn't of course. I Really would do this tour which took about nearly 3 hours gentle walking around the centre and sea front. 

Leaving Liverpool was quite emotional as they played " sailing" by Rod Stewrat from the quayside with lots of waving. I think they were so delighted to see the first cruise ship back.

Will look every day and happy to answer any more questions if I can.

 

Hi @timbloom

Any comments from the captain about tendering and the weather conditions. I'm presuming you will be transferred by tender although there may be facilities for docking where the Penzance ferry docks

3 hours ago, timbloom said:

Here in Liverpool on Viking Venus. I see someone has already posted on the embarkation process and we found it very easy. It is wonderful be back with Viking's wonderful crew, ship and food. So good we have already booked a cruise next June to the midnight sun. And we already have one booked from 2 years ago this Oct from Athens to Istanbul. I do hope all the guests from USA and all round the world can be back with us all here from the UK.

The only thing not working well is some of the IT with reservations. When we embarked we found none of the dining reservations we had made existed. The Viking App needs a lot of work and apart from completing the very small health check every morning [rather than a paper one which you would have to deliver to Guest Services] I wouldn't use it much apart from seeing your booked excursions. So I would recommend go early to Guest Services to check or make excursion and dining bookings, and keep your own record. Spa & Gym reservations in the early morning tend to go quite quickly, as numbers are restricted for obvious reasons, so again book soon if you want them.

None of these are criticisms as with a new ship and cruising just resuming after so long. The Viking experience is just as wonderful - and no I don't work for them or get paid to say these things!

Thanks for the heads-up about the IT glitches. I've made my excursion bookings and dining reservations through MYVikingJourney so hopefully that should be registered somewhere. As a back-up I will take a print-out of my Calendar summery just in case.

24 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

Another newbie question here: When does the Comfort Check-In open?  We’re on the 26th June voyage, and when I check on line it says that that I have 33 days to go until the voyage, and 33 days, 10 hours before Comfort Check-In opens!  I’m guessing it will actually open a bit closer to sailing day, but I won’t have to wait until the very last second. Will I need to check it every day, or will they notify me when it’s open?

We're on the 5th June sailing of the UK Shores itinerary and I was able to complete the Comfort Check-In on May 15th ie 3 weeks ahead of our departure date. I'm not sure if it was available for completion before that date as I was only alerted to its existence the day before by a post on this thread.

I would keep checking in MyVikingJourney. It's in the Guest Information section as a separate tab.

9 minutes ago, pcolmer said:

 

I guess that makes sense. It allows Viking to make sure that the ship & crew have bedded in and that their health protocols are working.

 

Speaking of health protocols, the captain has just announced a delayed departure from Portsmouth because they are still carrying out the PCR tests... It will be interesting to see how frequently Viking ask us to get tested.

 

Hope they get their act together for the follow up cruises. Delays due to testing of 260 passengers rings alarm bells when the complement jumps to 450. Still they've got a good deal of slack built into the itinerary that a modest delay doesn't mean a great deal.

57 minutes ago, sugarside said:

Great to see photos starting to appear on Facebook in the UK from passengers already on board .In cabins apparently within 25-35 minutes of arrival.

Some seen in explorers lounge and having lunch in World Cafe.

Very encouraging.

Only 230 on board ,will be 460 on next sailing they have been told.

Had a quick FB search but can't find the posts you mention. Any links available or specific search keywords to use?

We also booked a 2020 Alaskan cruise (sadly a victim of the pandemic) while on board in 2018. All the advantages mentioned above were on offer (low deposit, OBC for current cruise etc) but we were also given a free Silver Spirits Package.

We received a FCC for that cruise which we are using for one of the UK Shores cruises. Unfortunately the various perks were not reflected in the FCC.

3 hours ago, timbloom said:

We are on the first of these Viking Venus UK cruises tomorrow so happy to report back or even during the cruise on some of these issues. Friends have just had 3 days on-board on the naming and proving voyage so may get some feedback today.

Initially I couldn't really understand why we had to only go on-shore in a Viking excursion. However I have come to accept that they are being ultra cautious keeping us in bubbles as if there is one case of Covid on board and it spreads the cruising business will be set back months.

Any who haven't cruised with Viking before you are in for a treat. 3 years ago we had first ever cruise and that was with Viking. Getting quite emotional at the thought of returning to them.

 

Have a great cruise. Sorry that the weather forecast is not looking too promising but I'm sure the Viking on board experience will compensate. We've had several Viking river cruises and one Viking Ocean cruise 3 years ago. Jumped at the chance for the UK Shores cruise to avoid the hassle of flying to join the ship. We're on the 5th June sailing so would welcome any feedback on your initial impressions of the embarkation process and the general on board ambiance with the COVID restrictions in place.

I somehow don't think it will happen but I would love Viking to relax their "excursion bubble" policy to allow some independent shore exploration

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Anyone checked out the AIS on Venus. Currently shows her destination as Portsmouth, USA. In my day, that would cost the Navigator a case of beer.😁

 

Fortunately she appears bound for the Solent via the Inshore Traffic Zone.

Now docked in Portsmouth UK but the AIS info still insists she is in Portsmouth USA. Will be a long trek for the pax due to join her on Saturday😍

4 minutes ago, pcolmer said:

 

Here you go:

 

Arriving by car: Designated car parking for Viking guests is available at Portsmouth’s cruise terminal. Upon arrival, a port representative will be on hand to guide you to your parking spot and the bag drop area. Your luggage will be delivered directly to your stateroom. Car parking is charged at £10/day. Payment can be made in advance online at https://www.cruiseparking.co.uk or upon arrival on site by card. No cash payments are accepted. The cruise terminal is a 5-minute walk from the car park. Please arrive at the cruise terminal at your allocated embarkation time slot where you will be greeted by a Viking Representative.

o The car park address is: Portsmouth International Port, George Byng Way, Portsmouth PO2 8SP.

 

Sorry I omitted it - I wasn't sure how useful that bit would be.

 

Having read it a few times as I don't think it is entirely clear, I think it reads as if there will be a bag drop area at the car park.

 

Thanks for the clarification. We've pre-booked our parking with CPS so will be looking out for the directions to the designated area. From the info you've provided it does look as if there will be a bag drop area at the designated car park. That's good to know.

Hopefully we'll get more feedback from the passengers reporting back from the first cruise this weekend. We're on the 5th June sailing so I'd expect any possible glitches to be ironed out by then.

44 minutes ago, pcolmer said:

Key points from the latest update received by email from Viking:

• Upon arrival at the cruise terminal, passengers will be provided with a welcome pack containing a cruise card and a contact-tracing dongle.
• After passing through security, a designated shuttle bus will transfer passengers to the ship. Passengers will then proceed to their stateroom where they will be required to provide a saliva sample. Passengers are asked to refrain from consuming any food or beverage item or smoking for at least one hour before submitting the saliva sample.
• While waiting for the test results, vaccinated guests will be able to use the public spaces onboard while observing current mask and social distancing requirements, or they may remain in their statement and enjoy a welcome snack and complimentary refreshments.
• Passengers will be tested periodically on board the ship as required by Viking.
• All guests must leave the ship by 8:30AM on the morning of departure.

 

Thanks for the informative update. Just wondered if there was anything in the joining information about a luggage drop and transfer to the ship. 

I'm thinking particularly about those arriving by car who will be required to park their cars themselves before making their way to the terminal. Will those arriving by car be able to drop their bags anywhere before heading off to the car park? Would be great if we could drop bags rather than having to unload and drag your luggage from the car park 

With all the chat about the NHS App I steeled myself and downloaded it earlier today - not expecting great things with the poor track record this Government has with IT projects. Went through the registration process which was less onerous than expected and received the message that my approval would be sent as soon as possible but also with the warning that they were experiencing heavy traffic on the registration of the App.

Within 2 hrs I had the email confirming success and was able to connect through to my GP records without a problem. I now have my vaccine status available by an officially approved route.

I just need to repeat the process for my wife on her phone with hopefully the same success.

I do have a print out of my vaccine status from my GP records just in case.

It will be interesting to hear what the "guinea pigs" experience this coming Saturday when the first Venus cruise is due to set sail. I'm hoping that someone will enlighten us how things went.