cruising denise

Suggestions included doing the full M&G in midafternoon so as not to conflict with other events. Maybe in The Restaurant, though I'm not sure that is conducive to mingling. Torshavn would be too small. I think Wintergarden could certainly accommodate ~100 but they need to set up for tea at 4, so we'd prob have to be done by 3 latest. Torshavn too small for our group. We had GREAT attendance, all the ship's officers were there, the Captain gave a little welcome speech, they served hors d'ouvres and cocktails, it was really wonderful. After all the initial scheduling confusion. I will post pix later or tomorrow but the limits on devices with wifi means I can't be on the computer and use my phone (since DH needs one of our connections, too!).

Thanks Steve! Yes. You should all have gotten a voicemail with the new time and invites are supposed to be delivered tonight. There was confusion among the Viking team about our CC meet and greet vs the World Cruise Welcome. So the 6:30 World Cruise Reception is still on tonight, and in addition, we will have our CC meet and greet on Dec 23, 5:00, Wintergarden. Don’t ask me to tell you what day of the week that is…I have already lost track!

Thanks so much for this! We are almost certainly doing it now....thinking through how many opportunities we will get for something like this, we should jump at the chance while we have it...

Looks like someone on this year's Neptune cruise has organized a private one. Jim: someone on this year's Neptune has organized a private one (see link below). I don't know whether their group is full. Looks like Diana is on it. It is different in itinerary than the Viking offering in that the safari part is on the second day, while there are other interesting activities on the first day. At least at the time the organizer booked it, the overland was not being offered for the Neptune. Maybe a date conflict, or perhaps it has been added since then. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2791619-‘23‘24-neptune-world-cruise-ft-lauderdale-and-la-departures/?do=findComment&comment=66275212

To anyone from the 22/23 WC, or prior, there is a new overland excursion now posted for Sri Lanka (see below). Has anyone had experience with this, or know of anyone who does? It's quite expensive but might be one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences (like a world cruise!) that could be worth the extra expense. We'd be cancelling $700 total in other excursions if we were to do it. TIA for any thoughts..... Sri Lanka Safari Overland $1,699 Per Person Day 94 – Colombo, Sri Lanka Saturday, March 23 7:30 AM 2 Days MODERATE NATURAL WORLD SIGHTSEEING MEAL In Search of Island Wildlife Explore the wetlands and scrub jungles of Sri Lanka while on safari in search of intriguing wildlife. Depart the bustling commercial capital and head south toward Hambantota, your base from which to explore Sri Lanka’s wildlife at one of its leading national parks. Yala National Park is home to large populations of elephants; keep watch for them during an afternoon safari, along with wild buffalo, crocodiles, sloth bears and more. Return to Yala at sunrise and journey through the jungle, passing brackish lagoons in an open air 4x4 vehicle. Your knowledgeable guide will point out various species of migratory birds and animals, and you will have ample opportunity to capture your experience on film. After a hearty breakfast, depart your hotel, stopping in Galle for lunch. Arrive in Colombo and enjoy a panoramic drive to admire the colonial architecture of this historic port city before rejoining your ship.

There is also a great free app, Turboscan, which will create PDFs with your phone's camera, and easily allow you to send them. Probably the newer phones have built-in features but considering I just upgraded today from my old iPhone 8 to a 14, I wouldn't know.....😅

Thanks so much, Andy! I appreciate you weighing in!

Ha. Do we ever. Digital cameras/phones are great but lend themselves to WAAAAY too man pix. I was pretty happy that we came home from our recent 2.5 weeks river cruise / Eastern Europe trip with "only" ~2100 between two phones and a camera....I'll weed through them and try to get it under 1500 😅

Thanks for sharing these thoughts and pix - it's nice to see you and Linda during your travels ❤️

Thanks, I appreciate this! Lunch might be a welcome addition to the crawl...!

Thanks, Jim! I knew I could count on you for some good info!

For anyone from class of 22/23 WC who may still be monitoring, or any others who have familiarity with Sydney - those of us on the 23/24 WC are considering an alternative to the Sydney pub crawl offered by Viking, since it sold out. And a few of us thought we might have more fun just winging it on our own. @Heidi13 @Jim Avery @NY Nick Maybe any or all of the 3 of you have some experience to lend here. We already have some thoughts about a good itinerary but would love to hear further thoughts - thanks on behalf of the Sky Pub Crawling Club (haha I just named it that)

It would be a great option. Let's all ask when we get on board 😃 our respective ships

I'm assuming you were also in steerage! 😁

Thanks to all of you. This is consistent with my understanding. I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond!

Was your understanding that these visas covered you regardless of whether you were on a Viking shore excursion, or off doing something on your own? That has been the question. Someone was told by a Viking rep that the visas prepared by the ship only cover passengers while they are on a Viking tour. This would mean that even if you step off the ship to explore on your own, you would need a visa you procured by yourself. This does not seem right to me, but I figured I'd check with all of you! Thanks again.

I'm piggybacking onto Clay's questions re: visas. GenVisa will be providing us with NZ, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, India, Sri Lanka. We have to get AUS on our own now (new process). I have been assured by GenVisa that the visas we will receive for Vietnam will cover our travel, private or not. I think the India overland groups have been told the same. So the real question is the group visas which the ship prepares for us. This will be of note especially where a number of us are doing private tours: Indonesia, Jordan (Petra), Egypt and Turkey. I have already been assured by Jordan Horizons that our private Petra tour includes our tour visa. Waiting for answers on the others. But for all of you who either did private tours (anywhere), or simply stepped off the ship on your own, did you ever need a visa beyond what the ship provides? (other than in the countries which GenVisa is handling for us) This seems very inconsistent with what I've experienced, and I don't think it's what others have experienced when going anywhere off the ship without a Viking tour. Yet this is what someone was told when they called Viking. We're investigating all avenues, so any of your experiential help is appreciated! TIA!

To the previous WCers: We are considering the Great Ocean Road and Twelve Apostles when the Sky is docked in Geelong. However, it is 10 hours, and I'm concerned that we will be on a bus for many hours. Can anyone provide insight as to what to expect on this? Is it mostly hours on a bus with a few stops here and there (the description mentions a "brief stop for photos at Loch Ard Gorge", for example). Are the destinations worth it? Thanks for any help!

This is great info, thanks so much! Was your included the 3-hour one? This is the description we have for the included walking tour: The Beauty of Monaco -- Set out on a walking tour through the heart of the medieval quarter of Monaco, known as The Rock. The Mediterranean will make a spectacular backdrop as you stroll to the foot of The Rock, then head uphill with your guide. In Monaco’s main square, the Place du Palais, see the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, home to the House of Grimaldi since 1297. Then pass St. Nicholas Cathedral. A young church by European standards, it was consecrated in 1875. This is the burial site of the royal family, including American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly. Also admire the majestic Oceanographic Museum, soaring above the sea on a cliffside. Returning to the Place du Palais, depending on the time of your tour, you may have the opportunity to watch the daily changing of the guard outside the palace walls. Remain in town to shop or have lunch on your own before returning to your ship. We were debating whether we should take the Nice tour, and then just walk around Monaco on our own when we return. Opinions? Thanks!

Please take a look at p. 2 in the attached. You'll see many posts from the 22/23 WC roll call and probably other roll calls, too. This should help. PACKING AND SHOPPING.docx

New question for the 22/23 WC gang: Is the port in Monaco easy access to walking around in Monaco? We've never been and would like to be able to check it out on our own and still get back to the ship easily. I know it's a tender port but that's all I know....

Here's what I have, Clay. As part of our booking info (although it appears to be a separate document than the booking invoice), I have a page titled SHIPBOARD CREDITS ELIGIBLE FOR PRE-SAILING USE. We have $xxxx Shore Excursion Credit and $xxxx VES credits. So both Shore Excursion Credits and VES credits can be used in advance of embarkation, and used for shore excursions. I had this confirmed in a phone call back on 7/18. The Shore Excursion Credits were granted as part of the booking incentive as we booked while on the Sky last October.

Clay, I remembered reading your post about this delightful spot last year, and am sad we won't have the chance to do it. But the cruise is going to be fantastic. Thanks for sharing your info about the Pearl Harbor reservations. I will stay on top of the date by which we have to reserve them. We are keeping fingers crossed for you to join us on the Sky! And even further, sending all good thoughts that tomorrow will be a banner day on the stock market.... 😉

Thank you both so much for this. We will definitely plan to go on our own, and be able to take our time.

Thank you so much for this info. Do you feel that you missed out on anything by not having a guide, or were the sites well documented and explained? Were you able to also go to the USS Missouri, which would be part of this tour?