mariners

Thanks so much for all of the answers. MikeyB, I should have reached out to you earlier. It appears that every cruise line has their own way of figuring out how to sail the world. One of the things that I love about the CC Viking board is that people share their onboard, and pre-boarding experiences. We were considering not purchasing the beverage package. However, after reading the different posts and the pros and cons of buying a package, we chose to purchase the inclusive option, and will still bring some items onboard. Our friends might choose to do things differently. One of the benefits of sailing Viking is that it gives different options and allows passengers to make choices. We can't wait to be onboard!

I have found an answer to part of my question that was posted by MikeyB on this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2967228-the-spanish-vat-imbroglio/#comment-66212697 where he was told that if purchasing the beverage package onboard the ship in Barcelona, there will be the 10% Spanish VAT added to the cost of the package. As Spain charges 10% VAT for purchases on cruise ships in its waters, and Brazil charges 25% VAT for purchases on cruise ships in its waters, and, according to the information I can find online, that includes beverages, I'm looking for answers from anyone who has sailed these itineraries after these changes were made in 2023. Would anyone with first hand experience please post what happened on his/her/their cruise on Viking Ocean? My DH and I have already chosen to purchase the package, but we are sailing with friends who will be experiencing their first Viking Ocean cruise. I want to make sure, or as sure as I can be, that I provide them accurate information. Many thanks! I should have specified, I'm interested in what happened when one bought individual drinks and/or bottles of wine onboard the ship.

Although I am not giving a specific recommendation as I am not sure what travel arrangements you are trying to make, this general information might be beneficial: https://www.portvancouver.com/cruise/direction-and-transportation/ https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/transportation/taxis For specific recommendations, it depends upon where and when you want to travel as weddings, other events, destinations, etc. impact services.

On our cruise we had the beverage package. For pre-dinner cocktails, we found it was best to go to the bar to get our drinks as our choices were not limited by the alcohol that we had brought onboard. We would then sit at a table on whatever deck we chose in the atrium. We preferred to be away from the music as we wanted to have a conversation while we enjoyed our drinks. Bar service was very slow on the higher decks; however, once our drinks were ordered, they were usually delivered to our table rather than us carrying them ourselves. The lower levels of the atrium were often filled with passengers who wanted to listen to the music, who were playing cards/games (including at the games tables), and groups of passengers who appeared to have been at the bar for an extended period of time and were obviously enjoying the camaraderie. From what I saw, I don't think people taking their own drinks had any impact on crowding and bar service on our cruise. Of course, each cruise is different so YMMV.

On our December trans-Atlantic, people who were jogging or running were asked to use Deck 2 so that the sound of them running was not an issue for passengers who were in cabins below the upper deck. There are multiple issues regarding walking, jogging, running, strolling, etc. that impact other passengers on a ship. I have "walked across the ocean" on Crystal (no issues), Regent (issue only when the deck was wet or the insects on some itineraries), Windstar (a wonderful challenge, but other passengers typically cheered walkers/runners rather than took offense), SeaDream (difficult, but not because of other passengers), and Celebrity (terrible set up as one has to dodge other passengers, deck chairs that are moved across the track, etc.). Viking Ocean was a challenge on our cruise because of the weather conditions that ruled out Deck 2 for most of the cruise, work on the upper decks that meant that one had to walk back and forth rather than complete a circuit so no one way walk/run was possible, one side of the deck that was closed because of weather conditions ... Rather than hijack this thread further, I'll leave it to DrKoob to continue posting about his cruise. I hope that the rest of your cruise is excellent!

In the past, I chose to go to each individual cruise line such as Regent, Seabourn, etc. and searched for World Cruise Insurance. I then looked for a poster who is/was Canadian to find out what the poster had done or planned on doing. I hope this link will work. For some reason, the search function worked for me this time: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2903138-a-silver-shadow-over-the-world-december-2023-to-may-2024/page/37/?_fromLogin=1 It is on the Silversea board, (page 37, post 902 on the thread), and posted by Mysty. She provides lots of excellent information on her thread about the World Cruise (and other threads, too).

Peregrina651, fabulous reporting and photos. Thank you!

CDNPolar, I can't find the threads that contain information, but my search skills on CC seem to be limited. When we were considering taking the World Cruise that Clay just completed, I read a variety of threads on CC that were written by Canadians and described how they insured their World Cruises. At lease one thread included that the individuals had to use more than one insurance company to get total coverage. You might have better luck than me searching individual boards as I believe one of the boards was written by someone who just completed, or is just completing, the Silversea World Cruise. She lives in the same province as you so her knowledge would be specific to your province, too. There used to be some Canadian Insurance Brokers recommended for World cruises, but I can't find that information either. I really miss using Steve for our insurance needs, and have yet to find someone in Canada who could replace him/his knowledge/the company.

Caveat, I don't know how Viking Air works so this might not be possible, but this is what I would try to do if I was not comfortable with the connection time: If your arrival in Miami from Buenos Aires is early enough, if possible, have Viking Air switch your flight from Miami to Orlando to a later time. Or, if possible, keep all of the flights except for the last segment from Miami to Orlando, and book that one yourself for times that work for you? I find it hard to believe that if all other flights remain the same that there is an upcharge of $1200+ for that one segment. For those posters who use Viking Air, or Viking Air Plus, are either of these options possible?

MomC, I'm not sure that Regent will be a better option for a child free cruise. About 18 years ago, we took our grandchildren (3 and 7) on a multi-generational family cruise on Regent. There were not a lot of children onboard at that time, but still enough that they started a children's program onboard. Since that time, to my knowledge, Regent has advertised and provided programming for children on specific cruises (school holidays, specific itineraries, etc.). On Regent, Seabourn, and Crystal, we have always had children onboard. As others have stated, if you want to ensure that there are no children onboard, a "child free" cruise line is the best option. Only you know what is/are the most important criteria for you. If it's child free, your options are currently limited. Happy sailing whatever you choose.

Thanks for following up with VO and finding out the answer, CDNPolar. There are lots of options for spending the SBC vouchers before we board the ship, and I have no doubt that our wallet will be lighter, too. It's good to know that it is not a "use it or lose it" scenario if we choose to wait to book some things onboard the ship. It also helps to know the answer when we are looking at the Promotions offered for future cruises.

CDNPolar, I had presumed that whatever response they provided to me in the phone call that they would follow-up by forwarding the information to me in writing. I have not previously had any cruise line that wouldn't put what they told me in writing. If that's the case, how does one have proof of what was stated at the time of the call? The reason I was going to wait until today is that I have previously had to wait as my call is transferred to different departments, escalated to someone who has more seniority, and/or have been told that I will get a response e-mailed to me once a decision has been made. I have found that when I phone on a week day during regular hours that I have a better chance of getting a response on that specific day. It's interesting that you state that you will get a return phone call. Does VO show up on the number display on your phone? Because we get so many scam phone calls, it is a rare occasion that we pick up the phone if we don't know the phone number and no name is provided on the call display. Once again, thank you for following up on this question about SBC Vouchers as I'm sure that there are other passengers out there who will be interested in the response from VO. (Of course, the caveat will be that what is true now might not be true in the future.)

I thought I'd wait to contact them until tomorrow. In my province, getting an answer on anything on a weekend is almost impossible. I look forward to hearing what response you get.

As the World Cruise itinerary changed, come people chose to leave, and others chose to remain onboard. Thank you to all of you who posted on this thread as it has given a wonderful overview of everything to take into account if one was to book a World Cruise as well as what can happen once the cruise takes place and/or changes while one is on a sailing. It has been fabulous to follow you while you were/are on the sailing, and/or when you left the ship. cruising denise, your analogy of a World Cruise to a "small town" resonates with me, and, for me, it makes a World Cruise more appealing. I'm not an "uptown girl" so it's a much better fit than I previously thought. Clay, thank you so much for your posts and photos. The only thing better than sailing with you vicariously would be to sail with you in person! This has been a great thread!

Beth, it appears that you and your travelling companion had a fabulous World Cruise as well as the post cruise excursion. Love the photos, and your posts! I hope to be in touch with you once you are back home (By the way, if gin and tonic, or gin without tonic, would keep mosquitoes away, I'd be good for life. Unfortunately, they, the mosquitoes, didn't appear to get the same message. 🤣 ) cruisin7, your posts and photos of the World Cruise were much appreciated. Although things did not work out the way you had initially hoped, it appears that all is well now. Hopefully, you will be posting "live" again soon from wherever you cruise.

CDNPolar, we have two types of vouchers for this cruise. The first voucher was a credit that Viking Ocean extended to us due to specific "circumstances" on our last cruise. This was unexpected and was extended to all passengers on the sailing. I had thought the credit would be given as an onboard credit. Instead, I was told they could not be converted to a shipboard credit. Those funds are currently being transferred back to my chequing account as I had already paid our cruise in full. The second voucher is a "SBC Voucher" that was part of a promotion. My invoice has the SBC in CDN $ as we paid for the cruise in CDN $. My invoice states, "Will be applied To Onboard item such As: Shore Excursions, Beverage packages and Pre Paid Gratuities. Shipboard Credits will not be reissued or reactivated in case of cancellation." Because we are undecided about how we want to use those credits, I was hoping to find out if, and how, they could be used once we were onboard the ship. If they all have to be used before we board, we will need to factor that into our decision making on how to best use the credits. It doesn't make sense to me that VO would give us an onboard SBC with the CDN $ at par with the USD once we are onboard the ship. I will contact VO and get a written response from them. Thank you for your response!

A World Cruise, or any cruise on VO, at par would be even better. Once again, thank you for your response to my question!

Thank you, CurlerRob! We have friends who are joining us on this cruise and they have been asking questions that I can't seem to find the answers to online. I could contact VO, as could they, but I thought I'd see what other passengers have experienced first hand. Knowing that they/we can spend the SBC onboard is great! It's unfortunate that CDN $ are not at par with USD (understatement) but, if we make the decision to take a world cruise, perhaps Clay or other players of LCR, will accept CDN loonies instead of USD bills. 🤣

On our next cruise on VO, we have SBC vouchers that can be used for onboard items. The invoice has the vouchers in Canadian dollars. How does that work if we don't use some, or all of them, until when we are onboard the ship given that the ship prices are in USD? We do understand that they "will not be reissued or reactivated in case of cancellation". The SBC vouchers were part of a promotion by Viking Ocean if that makes any difference.

I'm glad that everything worked out for you with the Taj hotel. Congratulations! Thank you for the information for Buenos Aires. It's been a long time since we stayed there, and, as it was pre-cruise, we played everything "safe". We stayed at one of the top hotels, hired a private guide who was fantastic, and went to the recommended restaurants for dinner. Fabulous memories, but not to be repeated on this trip as we are looking at having a different experience and staying in a totally different area. In this rapidly changing world, the more current information that I get from others, the better it is for me.

CDNPolar, we have booked directly with hotels in different countries where we had to pre-pay to get the lowest price, with the most inclusions, and with no cancellation fees if cancelled more than 24 hours before arrival. There are lots of variables that I take into account before making the decision on what makes the most sense for us. Because you have stated that you don't use some of the sites others have recommended, I'm hoping some of this information might be useful to you. If you use a third party site, it has been my experience that they often state that, if you choose not to pay now, that there is a disclaimer that your rate will be at the currency exchange at the time you pay. For example, we have a hotel booked in Buenos Aires that we booked in CDN, that the invoice has in USD, and states the price we will have to pay in USD will be converted to ARS (local currency) at the "exchange rate on day of payment". Because we know the amount that we will be paying in USD, we chose to book the hotel despite knowing that the CDN might be less (hopefully, not much less) when we are there. We also know that we can cancel the booking and stay elsewhere if it becomes necessary for any reason. We have prepaid our accommodations in Barcelona directly, and they are in CDN dollars. We can cancel our booking up until 30 days before arrival without penalty. Because we have been to Barcelona before, we are flexible about where we want to stay, and feel comfortable making any changes necessary given the cancellation policy. As well, anything that makes us cancel (emergency, medical, ...) within the 30 days should be covered by our travel insurance. When we have booked our accommodations in local currency in some countries, we choose to pay the additional cost of booking and paying in full at the time of the booking (most of the time where cancellation is still permitted with no additional fees). So, when you discuss the cost of breakfast, (could be any costs such as transfers, etc.), depending upon what your concerns about pre-payment are, it might make the most sense to book directly with the hotel now.

We did a pre-cruise 4 night stay booked on our own. We stayed at the Taj Mahal Tower in a Deluxe Sea View Room that overlooked the Gateway of India, and loved the hotel, location, the restaurants, and the service. It all depends upon what you want to do, and how you want to do it while you are there as to whether it would be the right location for you. When we travel, I often use GPS My City as a resource. Here is a link to an introduction walking tour in Mumbai that shows you the area and distance to sites from the Taj Hotel: https://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/mumbai-introduction-walking-tour-1096.html We chose a combination of walking, taxis, and pre-booked tours. Post 76 on the Regent Board by Flossie has some excellent insight into what they recently chose to do on their own from the ship: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3001591-bangkok-beyond/page/4/ We have not stayed at any other hotel in Mumbai.

JTor, I only have only taken one Viking Ocean cruise, and did not use Viking Air for that cruise. However, please don't give up on asking for assistance on the Viking board as the majority of posters are very helpful. I have been reading threads on Viking Air because it is an included "bonus" on some of the cruises we are considering booking. I've now stopped reading what has been written as, for us, I don't think Viking Air works well. Similar to you, we book most of our travel well ahead of time. When using points, we book air as soon as flights open because of the "dynamic pricing", and our desire to follow our own schedule. We have not used cruise air since COVID, and much has changed for airlines (and cruise lines) since then. FYI, we are booked on AC through Toronto on points for our next Viking Ocean cruise. On our previous cruise, we were booked on TAP with a code share with AC. AC is definitely not EVA air, Singapore airlines, etc., but nor did we/do we expect it to be the same. Wishing you a fabulous cruise, and hope that you will post either when you are onboard or once you return home.

It's always a pleasure to read your updates, and see your fabulous photographs, Clay. Thank you!

For those who have not sailed on VO before, spend time the first night figuring out which switch works for turning on and off lights in each area before you need to use them during the night. Great options once one learns how to use them as we learned on our first VO cruise). For anyone who "overpacks", take hangers that allow multiple pants, skirts, etc. on the same hanger (additional regular hangers can be requested but there is only so much room in a closet). As suggested by many others on this board, use your suitcase(s) under the bed as additional drawer space for items that are not regularly needed. If you take "sticky notes" with you, you can leave them in the cabin/suite and let the individual(s) know what you would like. If you want something kept the same, or something changed; this worked well for us. If you are having issues with your cabin onboard, other passengers who have sailed on VO before are are a great source of information. Unless it is an urgent situation, those passengers are often the best resource, and also provide the most relevant assistance. I am giving a shout out to previous cruisers who provided me with information before our cruise who post on this board, and also to those individuals who are providing information on "live" threads. VO is a wonderful CC board (and also an onboard experience)!