PeabodyMa

Which Viking ship needed hull cleaning?

1 hour ago, 2oldishcoots said:

Our new officers. I hope you can see this. Bruce is our Cruise Director. 

Could you post the whole picture of the officers? I only see 1/2 the photo on my computer and phone. Thank you.

4 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

From my Marine Traffic App it looks like Polaris is on her way to Greece, probably somewhere to be repaired. 
 

Hope she is ready for passengers again soon. Fair winds and calm seas to her and her crew. 

Fournier Bay, Antarctica

1 minute ago, dream rabbit said:

I have a question about excursion times, as I can't tell if all the transport time is included or not. If an excursion to, for example, a museum has a listed end time of 1pm, does that mean the bus leaves from the museum to go back to the ship at 1pm, or that the bus arrives back at the ship at 1pm?

Back at the ship at 1pm

5 hours ago, katlew said:

There is another thread about this which includes a post from Facebook from someone who was in one of the rooms that was effected. 

 

Which thread?

22 minutes ago, amyr said:

We’ve arrived at the Hilton in Buenos Aires.  Polaris apparently has been having a hell of a time with it.  Some sort of bladder exploded on a zodiac while transferring passengers to the sub a couple days ago, and a woman had her leg severely broken.  The weather was too bad for a helicopter evacuation, so they turned around after only the first afternoon there and were heading back across the Drake.  The cruise was then amended to a Chilean Fjords cruise.  There’s a raging storm in the Drake right now, and Polaris got hit by some waves that came through the windows in cabins on Deck 2.  Port side I think, not sure.  Everybody was flushed out of their cabins in the night, but then those that didn’t have a damaged cabin were allowed back in. They got to Ushuaia and inspectors came on board to assess the damage, and the passengers are being sent home.  The next (at least one) cruise has been cancelled.  

 

Meanwhile, Octantis is heading back to Ushuaia 30+ hours early because of the weather (they haven’t had much luck with their excursions since they got there) and the passengers have been told to batten everything down in their cabins.  They left early so they can go slowly to minimize the impact of the storm.  

 

Such is life in the Southern Ocean I guess.  I have been hitting the Windy.com app pretty hard trying to figure out how it’s going to go for us on our December 3 Octantis departure.  I think it will be okay.  

Thank you so very much for this detailed post.

If you request an invoice from MVJ, then the invoice document will show you are flown from Ushuaia to Bueno Aires. It’s a Viking charter flight.

To request an invoice from MVJ:

-Go to Account (right above log out)

-Choose invoice from the drop down list

Invoice sent to e-mail includes several additional documents.

If a travel agent booked your cruise, then you can not access an invoice from MVJ. Contact your travel agent.

Great Lakes: Submersibles, zodiacs, Special Ops boats & kayaks operate in Canadian waters…not in US waters.

22 hours ago, eylarson said:

Submersibles can not operate in US or Canadian waters due to Canadian and US Coast Guard regulations so that isn't a consideration.  

Mini-Sub will operate in Great Lakes in Canadian waters on current cruise.

7 minutes ago, austinetc said:

I know there were driving tours around it, but don't recall any that planned to enter it, which seemed strange. I was told by our guide that, at the moment, the interior is full of scaffolding. But he used that to explain why the mosque we visited was a better overall experience. Perhaps he was just rationalizing.

For reference, optional excursions are listed in your Journey Summary document.

8 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

Two more weeks are coming. We're not done yet! 😀

Is Hâmed onboard until May 25? 

A

3 hours ago, austinetc said:

Wednesday, 4/27. There were two other cruise ships here, but we got the dock space.

12 hours ago, secretcinderella said:

Got Viking's email notification today that our post excursion Churchill on Hudson Bay has been canceled.  I originally booked this as a B2B cruise (Toronto to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to Thunder Bay) which did not pan out due to the dreaded cabotage law (discussed back in Oct. on CC). But the Big Draw for me was the chance to go to Churchill on a post land tour.  Viking has taken away 2 out of 3 of my incentives to sail on this new Expedition Octantis.  Therefore, I have canceled altogether and taken FCC to apply to any other of my 4 upcoming cruises on Viking.  Just couldn't settle for 1 out of 3!  😪

 

Bon Voyage to all the rest of y'all!

Cindy   

Cindy, what a huge disappointment. The post-extension Churchill on Hudson Bay sounds very special. What reason was given for the cancellation?

9 hours ago, eylarson said:

As of 5 April only one location from here north will permit Viking Submersible operations.  New sub crew is eager to best the number of previous dives in Antarctica.   We'll see.  

eylarson, where is the one location that will permit Viking submersible operations north of your April 5 location?

53 minutes ago, eylarson said:

As of 5 April only one location from here north will permit Viking Submersible operations.  New sub crew is eager to best the number of previous dives in Antarctica.   We'll see.  

What is one location?

1 hour ago, CharTrav said:

I have a question for those who've done the Antarctic trips. We are doing Arctic Adventure this Summer and I'm trying to plan for the medical form that needs to be signed by our doctor. The Viking site provides no information about it at all beyond saying we'll get it shortly before our departure date. What I'd like to know is what is the nature of this form?  If it involves making an appointment with our doctor will this be simply to get it signed - no physical exam - or will this form require an actual physical exam? If the latter, would like to be able to plan for the appointment now rather than getting one on short notice. Thanks!

 

The medical form pdf is on page 10, post # 229.

Thank you! I think Manfredi's on the Octantis is one room, not two rooms as the Ocean ships.

4 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 67/152 - Funchal, Madeira (Portugal, sort of) - We put the FUN in Funchal!

 

ttps://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-cruise-day-67152-funchal-madeira.html

Funchal is now on my Wish List. Thank you for sharing. Absolutely beautiful. Your blog is outstanding. 

Is the layout of Manfredi's the same as the ocean Manfredi's? How does it differ?

8 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 63/152 - Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde Islands - Land Ho!

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-cruise-day-63152-mindelo-sao.html

Your blog is remarkable. Looking forward to the 62/152 blog whenever it is ready. Thank you so much for sharing your incredible journey!

On 2/6/2022 at 3:44 PM, Hazard10 said:

No one ended up in the water.

 

The bays we did the kayaking in, it would be impossible to fall out of the ones we used unless you deliberately wanted to fall in. We also wore special suits.

They are custom made and extremely steady. 

 

You use pedals by your feet to move forward and back and a dial to your left to turn. This keeps your hands free to take photos and enjoy the scenery.

The staff who come out with you use traditional kayaks.

 

I have lots of kayaking photos of interested.

Hazard10, thank you. Your info is very helpful.

Are the kayak pedals a push pedal system that you push up and down with both your feet? Or are they rotational  pedals, like a bicycle? 

Do the pedal kayaks also have paddles available to use?

2 hours ago, brosen1 said:

Just read on FB that the submersibles are defective and sent back to manufacturer.

When are submersibles expected back on Octantis?

When kayaking, did anyone end up in the water, even briefly?

7 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

Per the cruise director, all of them had to go through multiple tests before they were allowed to board. No details were given other than that. Given how strict Viking is, I'm sure they were heavily vetted for compliance to Viking's standards before they were booked to perform.

 

As for the saliva test, I usually am up earlier for a...let's call it comfort visit...and do mine then. Then, I get Arlona up just before 8, she does hers, we put them on a magnet clip and slap it on the outside of the door and climb back in bed for another 30 minutes or so.  We've seen several rooms that put them out before they go to bed. You just can't eat or drink anything nor brush your teeth 30 minutes before doing the test.

Nice. Did Viking provide the magnet clip?