CoolBeansVA

Yes, my husband and I had doctor’s appointments before we left. Given our ages and health, and the fact that we were going to be on the other side of the world for six weeks, she agreed that it was prudent for us to carry Paxlovid “just in case.” Of course, she ran the appropriate tests (renal panel), discussed alteration of our chronic meds, and told us we’d still have to follow local quarantine rules. We’d never taken it before because we’d never had Covid before.

Wish I could edit my last post, but can’t from my iPad. I didn’t mean “coercion”; I meant “charade”. I do not think the medical staff are being coercive in any way. I do have another quibble with them, however. They state in person and in print that the mandatory isolation period for Covid-positive passengers is “5 nights.” However, the night count starts the day after the testing day, which is called Day 0. So, I said to the medical officer, then it’s actually 6 days, right? No, he said, it’s 5 nights. Day 0 plus 5 nights adds up to 6 days, I argue. No, it’s 5 nights, he repeats. (Who’s on first?) We get daily calls from a nurse to check in our how we’re feeling. After 5 nights of isolation, my husband asked if his time was up, No, Day 0 doesn’t count, you have another day, the nurse replied. GeezeLouise. It’s six days! Call it what it is! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

TayanaLorna’s observations in the infirmary — passengers being told that if they tested positive for Covid, they’d have to isolate for six days, did they want to be tested, no thanks — imply that Viking has replaced its focus on passenger wellness with indifference. I am deeply disappointed. We didn’t experience this look-the-other-way coercion because we showed up in the infirmary announcing that we’d self-tested positive that morning. So the jig was up.

We’re on our fifth Viking Ocean cruise. We were very impressed with Viking’s leadership in establishing science-based Covid policy, and had no qualms about taking our first post-Covid cruise last year. At that time, Covid tests were mandatory at embarkation and daily while onboard. Passengers all wore contact tracing devices on lanyards, crew members were masked at all times, and we were encouraged to mask in crowded areas such as the Star Theater and on busses. I never heard anybody complaining — we all had agreed to these conditions before booking — and we were rewarded with a heathy and enjoyable two-week adventure. On our present cruise, we knew they had dispensed with contact tracers and were offering onboard Covid tests only upon request, but we were surprised that there was no Covid testing at embarkation. We assumed that a negative test would be a routine entrance requirement. Once on board, it’s as though Covid is fully behind us. Neither passengers nor crew members are masking. A note in the Viking Daily recommends onboard masking, but also says, “Face masks are optional while moving about the ship, but highly recommended for those guests with a persistent cough.” (Ahem, perhaps passengers with persistent coughs should get themselves tested). Anyway, my husband and I continued to mask in the theater, on busses and whenever we shared an elevator with others, because we believe that judicial masking in indoor public places was one of the practices that helped keep us from ever getting Covid in the last three years. But we didn’t mask at meals or when having drinks in the Explorer’s Lounge or coffee in the Living Room. And Covid finally caught us. Fortunately we came prepared with Paxlovid, which we started ten minutes after our positive tests, and we are improving each day. Unfortunately, we are in mandatory isolation in our stateroom for 6 days, during which we are missing two key ports of our itinerary and, frankly, going stir-crazy. So here’s a question: Do you think it would be helpful for passengers to know approximately how many Covid cases are on board? I have friends at home who live in retirement communities that are ‘cruise-like” in their social and group dining amenities, and they always know the daily headcount of cases among residents and staff. When numbers go up, they take more precautions. I asked for a case count at the infirmary when I got my positive test results confirmed, and was told that information is not disclosed. Huh. There are indications that the number of cases is not insignificant. For one, we heard a fair amount of coughing on busses and around the ship before we got sick. Two, most every time we call room service for meals, we’re told that delivery time will be a little longer because they’re very busy. Three, all passengers had to go through immigration when we docked in Australia. Because we’re in isolation, our passports were picked up in our room for processing. The person who picked up ours had a box with what looked like over two-dozen passports already in it. I do get that we’re all tired of Covid and just want to move on and live our lives (that’s why we’re on this trip). But I also feel that a few more precautions (such as pre-embarkation testing and more routine masking for passengers and crew members) are a modest nuisance compared to spending nearly a week in isolation. Not trying to incite a political discussion, folks!! All politics aside, what balance of precautions and information feels right for you?

The fridge is large enough to hold a bottle of wine horizontally. I think there will be a bottle of bubbly awaiting you in your PV. Whether they’ll replenish it with wine, I cannot say.

Cheesy grits are awesome ❤️, but I’ve never seen them on Viking Ocean. The made-to-order omelettes in the World Cafe and crispy bacon are my go-to’s.

I agree with others that you’ve made a great choice upgrading to a Penthouse Veranda, and that you need one with a slider. We found the hinged door difficult to use. I can’t imagine dealing with it with a walker. I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

It’s really quite simple: Get dressed for meals. No pjs and bathrobes at breakfast, no exposed chests and bathing suits at lunch. We really like spiffing up a bit for dinner when we’re dining in a nice restaurant, so that’s what we do in The Restaurant, Chef’s Table, and Manfredi’s. On our Viking cruises a few years ago, that seemed to be commonplace. On our one cruise post-Covid, not so much. We saw lots of men wearing baggy chinos or cargo pants and athletic shoes, the same attire they wore all day while touring. I think Viking’s dress code for dinner would be much improved if it specified “real” shoes instead of sneakers. When you put on a pair of nice shoes, cargo pants look out of place. Switch them out for a nice pair khakis or trousers, and voila! You’re ready for your dinner date!