Little Monty

Yes, grins all round !

Hi Jim ... the Orion is staying overnight in Darwin, then Thursday Island, Cairns, Hamilton Island, Townsville, Brisbane and Newcastle into Sydney. I recall some of your adventures on board the World Cruise and look forward to your reports again next year. 

Happy days. 

Excellent .. see you on board 

Quite exciting for us Aussies ... Viking Orion arrived in Darwin today on its way to Sydney. Other than the Viking Sun on the World Cruise earlier in 2018 this is the first time a Viking ship has visited Australia. On 16 December the Orion departs Sydney for Auckland New Zealand and on 30 December it returns to Sydney (we will be boarding on 30 December, which is even more exciting). To those on board today, welcome to Australia. To those who will be on board on 16 or 30 December - not long to wait 😁

Hello Mahogany. In no particular order and based on my experience .. re the Silver Spirits package, you can pre-order or arrange after boarding. To pre order, go to My Viking Journey and log in, select Menu and 'Enhance Your Trip'. The package appears there (with pricing etc). For us Aussies, it is better to pre-pay as the cost is charged in Australian dollars, once on board the charge is USD (which is more for us, but I guess for you no difference). We were lucky last year and had an OBC which we used.

You are welcome (in fact Viking encourage you) to buy locals wines etc whilst on shore and bring them on-board where you can enjoy them in your room or take to the restaurant etc where they will be served to you - no problems, no issues, no charge.

We take the SS package simply for the convenience of being able to walk up to the bar anytime and ask for a drink - not that I am suggesting we drink all day, simply we just enjoy the convenience.

Separately ... and I hope I understand this part of the question, if you are in a Penthouse Junior Suite you will have your mini bar topped up every day. I can't remember exactly what was in the mini bar, but if there were a couple of beers and a bottle of white wine in there every day (which there was) we were happy. Interestingly we preferred to spend time in the Explorers Lounge and on our Homelands cruise last year on probably half of the days we never touched the mini bar (which means they didn't add anything if we hadn't consumed anything).

We could have saved money by not taking the package and just enjoying the mini bar offerings, but again we took the package for the convenience (and to use up some of the OBC).

In terms of what is offered under the package, I think that varies by location and itinerary. From our experience I considered the package wines to be of better quality (and there was a wider choice) than those which were 'included'.

We board the Orion on 30 December and after that cruise (Auckland to Sydney) I will come back and update you on our SS package experience on that cruise. 

11 minutes ago, Pushka said:

 

Yes, I’ve just seen that it discusses substitution of another person in our terms too. So because it is so close to the cruise, one person was cancelled with no refund due. Then the second passenger is then asked to pay for the cabin as a solo, ignoring the fact that the original booking covered two people because that persons fare was cancelled and not refunded so it’s almost like that payment never existed. 

 

Now this is where it it gets tricky with Insurance. The cruise would have to be cancelled by both parties and you would need to show the insurance company the cancelled booking before they would pay up. So if something happened to one person but the other one still wanted to go, then they would not get their insurance money back because the trip wasn’t fully cancelled. 

Thanks Pushka .. good point.

This does not help the OP and, again, I am no expert - but I would be surprised if Australian Consumer law allowed this to occur. Either the insurance company would have to pay (for one person's cancellation) or the cruise company would have to off-set the full payment of one person's fare being cancelled against the usual single suppliment.

For the same reason the 'pay in full 12 month before sailing' rule does not apply in Australia I expect the local rules would offer more generous protection for the consumer. An interesting discussion, but we probably wouldn't know the answer for sure unless someone wants to cancel and test the system. 

As an aside - I asked last week why the 3% e-check discount available in the US is not available if we pay by Bank Transfer here in Australia (as opposed to paying by credit card). The answer was ... Australian consumer law does not allow discounts for cash payment and, as such, regardless of which way we choose to pay (by credit card, bank cheque, bank transfer, cash in a brown paper bag etc) the price must be the same. 

I might be missing something ... but the quoted cancellation policy says 'substitution of another person for original booked passenger(s)' but it does not say this applies if one of the booked persons withdraws. There is no 'substitution' ... which is why I am confused. It may appear elsewhere in the terms and conditions and I assume Viking are saying the booking was for 2 persons, you want to change that booking (ie cancel it) and make a new booking for 1 person. 

Consumer law / legislation / protection is obviously different in various countries and I am no expert - but I would be taking the issue up with whatever local authority deals with unethical business transactions (not that I am saying Viking is unethical ... just that this policy appears unfair to the consumer).

We take out travel insurance the day we book the cruise and pay the deposit - and this situation reminds me of why we do.

I hope something good comes of all of this for OP / family - but and will continue to follow with interest.

Thank you ... luckily we have been to the Sounds (on past ski trips) so yes I agree inclusion of those would be an enhancement. I hope Myanmar is everything you hope it will be. Cheers.

G'day harbourside. We live in Qld and will be in Auckland on 29 December to board the Orion back to Sydney. We have Iceland and Med cruises booked with Viking for next year.

We looked at an Asian cruise for 2020 but (as you describe) the recent reviews are not so good. We also remember the various blogs written by those on-board the Viking World cruise early in 2018 and the comments those pax made about the excursions.

We decided to book Viking in South America for 2020.

We have been to various places in Asia a number of times over the years and are aware some areas are still very much 3rd world (no offence intended to the locals). Quite simply they just don't have the infrastructure and / or the support services which would provide for top class shore excursions. Great scenery, amazing history, lovely people, interesting food - all yes, but sadly it would seem some of the shore excursions are not yet up to par.

One of the other issues we noted was the long distances from the city / town that Viking had to berth in many Asian ports. 

As one of the recent reviews said ... 'on-board 5 stars, excursions 2 stars'.

I think it is telling that this itinerary has not been continued into 2020.

Obviously I haven't answered your primary question and all I have really done is reinforce your concerns (for which I apologise) - but I just wanted to offer my thoughts.

Safe travels.

Monty.

... in fact Orion arrives in Bangkok ((Laem Chabang) tomorrow on it's way to Bali and then Sydney. Those on board right now may see your question and respond, but if not keep an eye out for further reviews when they post them.

Jamie .. Viking Orion has just completed an Asian cruise. If you look up 'Cruise Reviews' at the bottom of this page then select that ship you can read all about it. Viking is fairly new to Asia and it seems there may be a few kinks to iron out. I think you will find Viking ships berth in Yokohama (on the southern outskirts of Tokyo). Some of the other ports on the itinerary (eg Bali) have not yet been visited by Viking (other than the Viking World Cruise in early 2018). You might find the old thread for the 2018 World Cruise if you search in this forum, but it is very, very long and you will have to scroll through until you reach the items of interest.  

We did Bergen - Stockholm with Viking last year (our first) - we now have 4 more Viking cruises booked (starting next month). Obviously we were impressed. We did a mix of included and pay-extra optional tours. The only place we arranged a private tour was in St P through Alla Tours. It was fantastic. There were 16 in our group (4 Aussies and 12 US citizens). None of us knew each other beforehand but we were best buddies at the end of the 2 days.

There are several tour companies which are highly rated and we can only speak about Alla - but seriously they are good.

The Viking optional tour will likely have up to 40 people in the group and will likely cost much more - as best as I can remember Alla guarantees no more than 16. It makes it so much easier to move around - especially in crowded museums etc. I suggest you get in touch with Alla (they have a private message system they will set you up with) ask some questions, get a feel for what they offer and if you are happy / satisfied, go for it.

We use Tripadvisor all the time, but usually just the Forums where you can ask questions - rather than using the tour booking options. Enjoy

Hello detindy .. we are onboard as well. The information in the excursions shows ‘walk from the ship to Lytteton harbour cruise’ - so this suggests we will be in Lytteton. Regards, Monty

Thank you Pushka

Hello Pushka .. yes we are in Qld and booked for South America in 2020 yesterday. There was no change to previous / existing payment arrangements

hello imcpa ... will you be ok to dress as you describe, very much yes. Will you need a sport coat, very much no.  Would you be out of place if you wear one, equally no.

We have only been on one Viking cruise but slacks and a nice shirt were perfectly suitable. Things are often more casual in the World Cafe and Explorer Lounge. This issue has of course been discussed in this forum on other occasions so please feel free to read those other posts to get a sense of other opinions.

Age wise you may be in the younger group but from our experience nobody cares and we are happy to share our time with those 30 years younger or 30 years older and everything in between.

Melbourne in January will be hot - and cold and dry and wet. Melbourne weather is famous for it variability. We were in Melbourne a couple of years ago in March and it was 20 degrees (about 65) and cloudy at midday and 30 degrees (about 85)  and blue sky at 6pm on the same day.

We'll see you on board. Have a safe trip.

All this talk of the change in payment arrangements (ie 12 months before sailing) got me thinking about insurance.

As an aside, the 12-month payment rule does not apply in Australia - not yet anyway. We booked and paid a deposit yesterday for a November 2020 cruise and no further payment is due till July 2020 (when payment in full is required). Nevertheless we have 3 other future cruises booked and our NZ cruise next month is obviously already paid in full. I checked our travel insurance document (3rd party) and now realise it does not cover bankruptcy / insolvency of travel providers (including cruise lines).

I have searched various other policies and they are the same. Some provide limited cover ($5,000 per person max or $12,000 per family). I have also read various blogs on the issue. Bottom line .. we Aussies do not seem to be able to get full cover for the insolvency / bankruptcy of a travel provider. 

There are suggestions payment made by credit credit card might give cover as you could claim you had paid for a service which was not received (ie if a travel provider becomes insolvent

after payment but before cruise) but that seems unlikely and would no doubt be tightly time limited.

Am I correct in my understanding of insurance cover for this ?

Are there policies available in Australia which do cover this risk ?

What do fellow Aussies do for insurance cover ?

Cheers

This has just been posted on another forum …. quote "So this is what I have received in writing from Viking.
In the past clients could negotiate the final payment date up to 6 months prior to departure. There has been a recent change on this. For new bookings made as of November 1st 2018 (or for existing bookings that revise to a different cruise after November 1st 2018), the final payment date can only be negotiated up to 12 months prior to departure the latest. This is fair across the board in that all customers (all travel agencies as well as passengers that book direct with Viking) can only negotiate up to 12 months prior now." end quote. The OP is US based so I am not sure if she is suggesting this is a world wide change. There has been no change to the terms and conditions showing in the Viking Ocean Australian website. Another US based poster added to the earlier quote "Same thing happened to me yesterday. I was also disappointed. Thought it would give me more time to pay it off if I booked early. The person I spoke to said this is their new rule and no supervisor can override it. They want my 2020 April cruise paid in full by April 2019."

December 2018 Sydney - Auckland is the first cruise by Viking of this itinerary (we are on the return cruise, out of Auckland on 30 December). The ports of call are all east coast NZ and as you say don't include Milford or Doubtful Sound on the west. The inclusion of one of those locations with a by-pass of one of the other ports would be more appealing to many. There is no information to suggest the itinerary will change in future years but you may wish to give Viking some feedback on your thoughts via TellUs@vikingcruises.com email. 

Hello Ernie. We were in 8019 on Star last year. Other than some noise from over excited putt-putt players a couple of time (during the day) we did not hear anything above us or outside. We did have one curious passenger look 'around' the barrier into our room one morning (he was as shocked as we were) but that won't be a problem in 8003 (8019 only has the barrier as it is the last cabin in the row). We have booked 8019 again for next year. 8003 is also right by the upstairs entry to the Explorer Lounge - which is a bonus.  Go for it. Enjoy

OP, there are some additional photos and details here... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2644118

 

 

 

The photos Peregrina651 posted were of persons sitting on the stairs and some standing in the general area enjoying the entertainment that was taking place on Deck 1 of the Atrium. Because of the vantage point the photos were taken from you can't see the surrounding party.

 

We were pleasantly surprised by how fun and well attended the party was and we were definitely not bored. There were people on the 'dancefloor' from the start of the event until well after its scheduled end time...the photo I posted of folks on the dance floor is actually a screen grab from a video that I took at 12:47...the crowd started to really thin out around 12:30, but there were plenty of people celebrating until after 1.

Thank you trinicruisegyal - we are on board Orion this New Year and had been discussing what might occur. Looks like fun.

Sorry, but Captains don't cancel ports for no reason, or even make hasty decisions. Port calls are a significant source of revenue and missing them also causes extensive negative reports.

 

While the Captain will endeavour to provide the cruise you signed up, his/her primary consideration is your safety and the safety of all other crew members, passengers and the ship.

 

When dealing with wind, passengers ships are significantly more challenging to handle rather than cargo ships, box boats, tankers, etc. Cruise ships have a substantial windage, but comparatively shall drafts, so are more susceptible to high winds. Cargo ships are the opposite - deep draft and small windage area. Passenger ships must also maintain a schedule, whereas non-passenger vessels tend to wait out the weather and dock when conditions improve.

 

Having spent almost 30 years in command of passenger vessels, I know many old Captains, a few bold Captains, but I do not know any "Old & bold" Captains. BTW - the Captain is most likely aware of significantly more information regarding why they cancelled a port, than they may release to the passengers.

 

I also note on our last World Cruise, we missed Halifax, supposedly due to ice. We never saw any ice, which resulted in many passengers grumbling. However, while I also never saw any ice, I would never 2nd guess the person ultimately responsible for my safety.

 

While your cruise was obviously a disappointment, may I suggest these types of statements regarding the Captain are of no real value to others, unless you have experience commanding and handling large passenger vessels and can substantiate the statement with facts.

G'day Heidi13/ Andy

I don't mean to be disrepectful to the many other CC members who provide worthwhile / useful comments, information and opinions in this forum, but I just wanted to let you know experienced, informed Members such as yourself, Jim Avery, Capt BJ and others with ocean going experience add real value to this forum which can't be replaced. Thank you for taking the time to provide input and comments, I just wanted to let you know you (and Jim and Capt BJ etc) are appreciated. Cheers from me.

hello Parsley Cruises .. we were in PJS on Star last year and every morning after breakfast we would put our washing in the laundry bag, fill out the laundry list sheet, and leave it on .the bed.

24 hours later our washing was washed and folded beautifully inside a cane basket. We then repeated each day (except the last day before disembarkation as the laundry service was closed).

We have booked 3 further cruises and I asked my wife ... do we really need PJS, what about PV ? She said, I'm not doing the washing so yes, we need a PJS. Of course the PJS is much more than free washing, but it is a real bonus.

If two people are listed on one booking, one person can book for both.

Wish list info below ...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/showthread.php?p=56788670&highlight=wish+list#post56788670

If you go into Viking website and select your cruise and then the itinerary for that cruise then scroll to the bottom of the page, examples of what might be available are always listed.

The 'actual' tours for your cruise will be listed between 100 - 120 days prior to sailing. However you access the 'actual' tours through the My Viking Journey page (which requires logon access). We set our access up when we were talking to the Viking agent on the phone.

The date you can book tours is determined by your cabin category. We are booked on Auckland - Sydney cruise for 30 December 2018 (91 days away) and can see the actual tours which are available, but can't book until we are 87 days from departure (ie 4 days time). The more expensive cabins get to book prior to us, the less expensive cabins after us.

Sometimes this means some tours are booked out before the later cabins get a look in - and if this happens to you talk to your agent or to Viking as they will usually add additional tours as time goes by.

This is an area which is not well explained in the Viking website but if you search in this forum many CC members with much more experience than I have explained the process (and offer some tricks and tips) in great detail. Enjoy.

CC Member ronbe65 has written a wonderful overview (link below). I hope this is of assistance.

From the Cabin Guide in the Viking blog.

https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/