jpintrepid

On 4/19/2019 at 9:34 PM, Heidi13 said:

They can cancel the call at Icy Strait Point and replace with scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. The challenge will be arranging the days, as they normally only permit 2 ships per day.

I'm not so sure about that, since the right to enter Glacier Bay is awarded competitively, and the new contracts that pertain to Viking do not become effective until October 1, 2019. So this summer's itineraries will likely remain the same.

If you do end up in a hotel far from the center of Amsterdam, say at Schiphol airport, it is easy to get into the city by train, and service directly to Amsterdam Centraal is frequent. Amsterdam public transport goes everywhere and it’s safe.

just off sky a couple of weeks ago ... some points .. we were in a DV

 

 

 

One item 'confused' me but not complaining. We had 'the package' and at dinner usually ordered a glass of other wine from what was the daily included pour. With the package you get a discount on a whole bottle .... usually the opened a bottle for us with our first glass ... and if we each had a second that killed the bottle! (it is a nice pour!) ... We were never charged the bottle price ..... In general I'd say Vik' is pretty liberal with the rules about alc' sales.

My wife and I have killed many a bottle on Viking with the Silver Spirits package. No charge for the bottle, and often the server wold bring a stand and leave the bottle at the table. If you drink wine, the package is a good deal. My only complaint is that sometimes the “premium” offerings are not premium enough, but they are generally quite good.

Going on the Viking Var in December. We were told they have seating on the Aquavit and that they close it in so you can sit out there when it is cold. Is that really possible to eat a meal out there in December or will it really be too cold to enjoy yourself? Interested if anyone has done this.

There are two sections of the Acquavit. The very front is outside, but the section further back can be closed off by glass doors. In the latter section, dining is possible in any weather because they close the doors when it’s cold outside. The forward portion would be too cold to eat a meal in cold weather. It is a very pleasant space.

Iwannacruz:

We recently returned from the Viking Basel to Amsterdam cruise. Tables in the dining room are for six to eight, with several other long tables that accommodate more where you can sit opposite your partner or side by side, as you prefer. I was a bit concerned about the dinner seating arrangements, but it was no problem at all. We sat at tables that were already occupied — “may we join you” — and had others sit at our table with the same request. No problems. We spent many of our meals with two other couples we met on the ship, and we would arrange to go to the restaurant together when it opened and claim a table that would accommodate us. Most of the time we could sit in the section where our favorite servers worked, but no money changed hands in order to do so. We simply came to dinner on time and found a table. Previously on cruises m wife and I have sought tables for two, and sometimes that is very nice. But overall, the experience of dining with strangers who became acquaintances and then friends was a very positive one, even for a shy person like me.

We are on the Viking Tialfi at Rudesheim, having left Basel on Saturday headed for Amsterdam. Originally we were to have been on the Alruna, but she could not make Basel in time so Viking substituted the Tialfi. We learned last night while docked at Kehl (for Strasbourg) that the decision had been taken that we would not have to switch ships and would go straight through to Amsterdam. The river levels are up a bit, hence the decision to go on. However, in a chat with the Captain earlier today I learned that rain was not expected and that levels would there fall — so we, in effect, lucked out. For those worrying about their chances, be assured that Viking will do everything in its power to give you a good cruise. This morning we saw two Viking ships, only minutes apart, going upstream, and the Captain told us Viking were doing this in order to have ships in the right places in case they needed them. It’s a good company, the ships are lovely, and the cruise has been everything we hoped.

nota mermaid: Thanks for your information and updates! We leave for Basel this afternoon. At the moment I'm worried less about water levels and more about airplanes departing and arriving on time -- both of which are out of my hands!

notamermaid,

Well, the Goethe was a pipe dream -- we'd been on her several times in the past and just love being aboard (and watching the paddle wheel). I'm confident Viking will do their very best to make ours a good cruise.

jpintrepid

Late this afternoon we were informed that for our Viking Rhine Getaway leaving Basel on 25 August, the originally scheduled vessel, the Viking Alruna, would be unable to make it to Basel -- the implication being because of low water levels -- and we would instead embark the same day on the Viking Tialfi. As far as I can tell from tracking sites, the Alruna is presently at Braubach, south of Koblenz but still north of the Rhine gorge. I haven't yet determined where the Tialfi might be or what itinerary it is sailing. So, the adventure begins. At least Viking is keeping its promise to supply us with information as our sailing time approaches. I live in hope that they will find a way to charter a smaller river craft to take us through the gorge, and my fantasy is they will charter the Goethe. But of course that is about as unrealistic a fantasy as one can imagine. Who knows -- perhaps this will all work out well in the end.

notamermaid: Your insights are excellent and entertaining. Regarding future water levels: While I fully realize that predicting levels two months in advance border on the ridiculous, they also shouldn't be ignored out of hand. "Record heat", "record low water" aren't usually thrown around casually. Justification for my personal concern is that for this trip I chose a two-room suite. (An attempt to connive my wife into finally retiring!) Two-room suites don't translate well into bus seats. I think a call to Viking is in my future.

I feel your pain! We have a Basel to Amsterdam on August 25th, and I'm not keen on a bus trip on any part of it. We have Viking insurance purchased at booking, so I'm presuming our "Cancel for any reason" provision applies if we elect to cancel, in which case the full cost (except insurance) would be refunded in the form of vouchers, including air since we booked through Viking.

I never discuss religion or politics on a cruise if I can avoid doing so, but there are a couple of exceptions: If I know that my interlocutor(s) and I are on the same political page, I'm open to conversations in which we celebrate or mourn the latest developments in US politics. And I'm open to political talk with Europeans and other nationalities about politics, on the grounds that I don't have a dog in their fights and nor they in mine. As to religion, my views would probably offend a great many people, and just as I don't want to be evangelized by them, they won't be and don't want to be persuaded by me. There are plenty of people out there whose knowledge and wisdom are, I am convinced, inferior to mine; they undoubtedly think the same of me. As Robert Heinlein put it, "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

Hi, we are thinking about doing Alaska and the Inside Passage (Vancouver to Seward) next year. We would like to add 5 or 6 days after the cruise to travel via train to Denali, then to either Fairbanks or Anchorage to fly home.

 

Appreciate any info from those who have explored Alaska on their own. Interested in routes, what to see, hotels, and anything else we should consider. We’d prefer trains over renting a car. Thanks for your help!

I can't speak to trains, but the drive to Anchorage from Seward is excellent, and would give you access to the whole of the Kenia Peninsula before you go to Anchorage. You could then go by train to Denali/Fairbanks. We found driving in Alaska to be easy -- but we were younger then, and the trip from the East coast to Alaska via the Alaska Highway was long, but exciting.

On October 29, 2017 we sailed on the Sky out of New York harbor and into the teeth of a developing, very fierce nor'easter, bound for the Caribbean. The further to sea we sailed the rougher it became, and at one point the first evening the Cruise Director told me he had just been on the bridge with the Captain, who told him the seas were 6 to 7 meters at that point. Six meters is almost twenty feet. Dining was a bit of an experience -- our chairs kept sliding side to side -- and sleeping is hard when the ship is repeatedly slamming into waves. There was a lot of noise and spray and rocking and rolling and pitching. The wind and waves were so fierce that we were unable to make sufficient time to get to our first port, Bermuda, and headed toward our next port, St. Kitts, on schedule. As it happened, the second night out we had to make a turn to the west to get close enough to the coast in the vicinity of Norfolk, Virginia to permit a helicopter rescue of a passenger with a medical emergency. The remainder of the cruise was quite placid compared to those first two days. My impression was the ship was well-stabilized, and, for me at least, the excitement of the experience outweighed the discomfort.

If you dock close, the Royal Yacht Britannia is worth a visit. By the Ocean Terminal shopping mall in Leith. You can get a public bus right outside of the shopping mall that will take you into Edinburgh.

I was thinking of asking Her Majesty for a ride on her Yacht, but then learned it was decommissioned twenty years ago, just after bringing the Prince of Wales and the last governor of Hong Kong back to the UK after the handover to the Chinese. Oh well, c'est la vie!

We're on the Midnight Sun cruise, on Viking Sea, departing Greenwich on June 26th. We call at Edinburgh on the 29th and looking at 'My Viking Journey' the itinerary shows we'll be docked at Newhaven. Look at Google maps - Newhaven, Edinburgh, and you will see it's not too far from the city (and very close to Leith, where the Royal Yacht Britannia is moored). I understand hourly shuttle buses run from the quayside to Edinburgh city centre.

Thanks! I see Newhaven on Google Earth, though not exactly where a ship would dock. But that would be a great location! Enjoy the midnight sun!

My wife and I will be on the Into the Midnight Sun cruise on the Sky, London to Bergen, July 7, 2018. The first port after London is Edinburgh, but it isn't clear to me which of the three possibilities Viking use -- Leith, Rosyth, or South Queensferry. The Sky may be too large for Leith, and Rosyth is a tender port and quite far from Edinburgh, so I'm hoping it may be South Queensferry. We may want to revisit some Edinburgh places on our own instead of doing a tour.

Anyone with prior experience on a Viking cruise who can tell me where the Sky is likely to tie up?

This will be our second Viking cruise (we did the NY to Miami via a wicked nor'easter and various Caribbean ports last Oct/Nov); and we're booked on an Alaska cruise next year.

Here in the U.S. there are a number of smaller banks and credit unions that do not charge you an origination fee for using their ATM (this is the fee that is tacked on when you first get the money, even before your bank get their hands on it and charges their fees).

 

Does anyone know if there is a similar class of ATM's in Europe, or which of the major banking systems charge the least? We will be in Italy, the Adriatic Sea, and Greece.

We have found that bank ATMs (as opposed to independent ATMs) do not charge fees in Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Great Britain, and Ireland; in Italy we found fees were "hidden" in the exchange rate, which was higher than it should have been. The fee was disclosed and we could stop the transaction, but needing cash, we had no choice. Do get yourself a no-fee US card --- we use Capital One.

So how do you cope with jet lag?

 

We’re flying into Barcelona the day before our cruise, arriving early in the morning. I can’t sleep on planes, so I’m hoping we can check into our hotel early and sleep for an hour or so in the morning, then stay active until evening.

 

What works for you?

Your plan is a good one, I think. In out two dozen transatlantic flights we have followed the same routine: go to hotel or apartment, if it is ready for us, have a one to two hour nap (no more!), then go about a normal day for as long as we can -- lunch and dinner at normal local times, as much walking as we can do, and housekeeping details like buying travel or museum passes, food supplies if we are renting an apartment. If the room isn't ready we go out for a coffee, take a walk, take care of housekeeping details, and return to the hotel. We have mostly lucked out and been in our room before noon, sometimes well before. We find the short nap essential -- if we get to, say Venice, at 9 AM, it's still just 3 AM back home, so some sleep is a necessity. But so is getting on a local schedule as quickly as you can. Enjoy Barcelona and be sure to have some pintxos!