Little Monty

55 minutes ago, Marianna49 said:

My hubby and I will be traveling on August 1. This is our first Viking Ocean Cruise. We look forward to your travelogue. Thank you for sharing with us.

My pleasure

2 hours ago, Scootoir said:

 

Thank you very much for posting this.  DH and I don't like to eat huge meals and hate to waste.  This might be one of the most useful things I have read about the ship.

 

We will be on the Viking Sky next month but our itinerary is different.  We start out in Bergen and I do appreciate what has been posted here.  

Thank you. Enjoy the trip.

6 hours ago, Lotusgirl22 said:

LM - did you register for the Meet and Mingle?  If so, what arrangements did Viking make for that event?

Sorry but no, didn’t register. There were very few people in the Roll Call for this cruise.

I know it is possible others who weren’t in the Roll Call May have registered for M and M but I have read stories of Viking putting on a M and M spread and only a couple of people turning up .. so I didn’t want this to happen to DW and I.

As far as I can work out there is no way of telling how many people have registered for M and M (please correct me if I am mistaken 🙂).

9 minutes ago, stampinpat said:

Thank you so much for your posts.  We are on the August 1 sailing and sure hope we don't see snow.  But, it is great that you warned us about the weather!  Enjoy hearing about your excursions, too.

Thank you .. no probs.

I was going to switch off CC Forum for a couple of days but once I got started .. well, you know - it’s hard to avoid 😀

Feel free to ask any specific questions .. if I have time I will do my best to answer. 👍 LM

50 minutes ago, Nonnie1975 said:

LM and anybody else, questions about Bergen.  We are going to Mt. Ulriken.  What are some of the must does in Bergen? 

My Floyen was better than Ulriken .. more to do once you get up there in our opinion. And you can walk back to town.

A cruise on the fjord in the sunshine is fantastic (leaves from in front of fish market).

Bergen has the most wonderful Christmas shop (on the Bryggen wharf).

Lovely home made wares for sale in the alleyways behind the Bryggen.

Just take your time, walk around, and enjoy. 😀

49 minutes ago, Nonnie1975 said:

Thank you LM for all of this info, learned a lot.  This is our first VO, so inhaling all the information.  Will be joining Lotusgirl22 and Jeebg next week in Reykjavik.  Can't believe that  you had snow in Flam, went and pulled out some gloves! Hope you have safe travels!  Please, keep updating.

Thanks Nonnie1975 .. we are presently in the Living Room Bar listening to two young ladies play the violin and the cello - James Bond themes no less.

I have never listened to violin / cello music in my life but somehow being on Viking makes me cultured - cultured with a glass of red 🍷 

Seriously, this is living 😀

1 hour ago, iluv2cruztoo said:

 

We will also be on the Aug. 13th sailing for this cruise and it will be so helpful to have your first-hand account.  Please include comments about any excursions -- through the ship or outside vendor -- you take. I eagerly await your next posts. 

 We visited Bergen a couple of years ago and did the Flam Railway then. Today we did the included tour this morning (2 hours) and ‘Villages and Valleys’ this afternoon (4 hours).

Both were perfectly acceptable with lovely views of snow capped mountains and glorious fjords, with good guides and lots of fun.

Both however are bus tours and come with the limitations (and annoyances) which bus tours provide.

If it is your first visit to the area I suggest you do one of the Flam Railway excursions (7 hours or 3.5 hours). If however you do ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ from Oslo to Bergen (this includes the Flam Railway) then what we did today would be an ideal follow up.

Today we had rain and low cloud with some sunny breaks (we even had a few snow flakes fall) but the weather in August will likely be quite different. 

1 hour ago, cruiser02 said:

Us too.  Looks comfortable and roomy 

Any comments ? 

Silly questions:   Is the mini-bar restocked daily ?  Free laundry ? 

We love it the PS .. our agent told us to book PV the first cruise we booked as she had been in PV and it was perfectly acceptable to her. However my DW had seen a photo of the PS and said to the agent - ‘I want that one’. I’m glad she did. For as long as we can afford it we will book PS.

The laundry service is wonderful. Fill the bag, fill out a form and it comes back the next afternoon washed and folded in a lovely box. I should add, we did our own load in the self service laundry the day we boarded as we had been travelling for a few days and didn’t think it was appropriate to dump it on the cabin staff.

We just used the mini bar for the first time and assume it will be replaced in the morning. I’ll confirm tomorrow. We have the SS package and generally just go to the bar.

Last one ..

The ship system is telling us it is 1.6 degrees Celsius outside. 

Arriving into Flam and the sun just peeped through. It’s cold and windy. 

We we are on the first included excursion at 9am but have to meet at 8.15am to prepare for tender transfer.

I’ll check in again later.

LM

Explorers Bar menu attached.

I’m on Sky in Norway. Assume same selections on other ships.

12 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

Like a 5 year old waiting for Santa Claus!!!

 

May the rest of your cruise be filled with the same enthusiasm!

Yes exactly.. thank you 😀

I am at Living Room bar .. having a cup of tea I should mention.

There is a bottle of Tanqueray Imported on the shelf (a green bottle). I’m not a gin drinker so I am not sure if this is good news for you ?

There is also a Hendricks in a dark bottle. 

12 minutes ago, BravoTango said:

Great background ! GLW and I are also ramping up for our first Viking cruise ex Bergen to Montreal on 12 September this year, so this is a good primer for Bergen as a start, plus Ship feedback especially on dining options.

 

Luv ya work 

 

 

Thank you.

Too excited to sleep so I am looking at the snow on the hills as we approach Flam.

It’s not snowing at sea level but there is lots of snow not too far up the hills. The weather app says 4 degrees at present heading for a high of 7 degrees later today.

Mobile phone and wi fi coverage both troublesome so I might not get too many more chances to post today.

All good, loving every minute. LM

6 hours ago, cruiser02 said:

What cabin category are  you in?  

PS1

1 hour ago, AGG3 said:

Looking forward to your reports.  We are on the Aug. 13th Iceland to Norway Cruise.  First time on Viking.  Thank you for your input.

No worries - thank you.

I try to avoid discussions about food as what is perfect for me might be terrible for you .. and just because my meal was perfectly cooked and presented doesn’t mean yours will be.

Suffice to say however, we think the food on board is fantastic.

But .. we have just finished an early dinner in Manfridi’s and have been reminded of one important issue.

Some of the meals are huge, far too large for most of us mortals. The special steak they serve there is great and I have had it a couple of times, but the 9oz NY rib is just as good and half the volume.

Tonight I had a lovely soup - and then the parmigiana chicken .. thinking the chicken would be ‘normal’ size.

It was huge .. covering most of the plate. I hate wasting food knowing so many are going hungry every night but I only ate half.

My suggestion.. ask about the portion size. I know they do the special steak half size if you ask, I suggest you ask for a half size on the chicken parmigiana as well .. unless you are a sumo wrestler or an NFL Linebacker (I don’t actually know what a Libebacker is or what he does, but I think they are pretty big guys 😀).

The food was delicious.. as was dinner last night and lunch today in the World Cafe - but please do be aware of this issue in Manfridi’s. LM

1 minute ago, jbeeg said:

Thank you for starting this thread. We will be onboard with Lotusgirl22 on the reverse trip back to Bergen. We too are packing for cold and hoping warm. Updates are greatly appreciated, shore excursions for sure. But enjoy your trip first!

Thank you 👍

Updated forecast .. 80% chance of snow tomorrow morning in Flam.

Such is life, dinner in Manfredi’s first before we start worrying 😀

Updated forecast is 80% chance of snow tomorrow morning in Flam. A little unexpected I must say.

8 minutes ago, Lotusgirl22 said:

Thank you, LM.  We are on the next cruise starting in Reykjavik,  so I appreciate this.  You have confirmed my plan to assume that it will be cold and rainy, and hope for the best in terms of weather.

Thanks Lotusgirl22 .. yes hoping for the best but planning to enjoy ourselves regardless. I will keep you posted.

13 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

LM, I'm with ya! We are doing this trip next year at about the same time, so I will be hanging on your every word.

 

One thing that I want to hear about is if you have to skip any ports because of weather. Another is that I hope you will report on the shorex that you do. Thanks.

 

Hello Peregrina651 .. yep, I will keep you informed.We are doing a mix of included and optional with a private tour on our second day in Reykjavik. We are doing the 2 day extension with Viking in Reykjavik.

We just found out at port talk that tomorrow is tender rather than docking in Flam. That was news to all .. but no problems, roll with the flow.

Hello all from on-board Viking Sky. We boarded yesterday (Monday) and sail away at 6pm today for stops along the coast of Norway and then off to Iceland.

As background - this is our 3rd Viking cruise but we were novices when we took our first cruise in 2017.

I know there are other CC members on-board so I don’t want to hog the conversation, so just a few initial thoughts.

The ship is lovely, the staff friendly and efficient, the food is perfect for our tastes, wine selections very acceptable, and (as this is our 3rd time in the same cabin category - so we are very familiar and comfortable) the stateroom perfectly meets our needs.

There are a number of familiar faces (staff) in the World Cafe, bars etc which also makes us feel at home.

I don’t expect we will have any concerns or complaints .. and if we do I believe the staff will do what they can to resolve.

I am a Viking fan but if something is not right I will take the issue up with staff and I will report the outcome here.

Just a couple of asides .. we arrived via Amsterdam (a very nice place for a stopover) and stayed at the Radisson. We were not part of the Viking group who were also there. We walked from the hotel to the ship. Check-in to the ship was quick and easy - there were about 15 check-in desks and only 10 couples checking in so we were served straight away (around 10.45am).

Today we went to Mt Ulriken  - own arrangements, we walked to the bus near the Tourist Office and purchased our tickets at the bus stop. Very nice, but less to do once we got up there compared to Mt Floyen (which we visited last time). The extra benefit of Mt Floyen is the option of a lovely walk down the mountain to town rather than a return trip on the funicular.

The weather this morning was ok, a couple of light showers but also a few sunny breaks.

A word about the weather. In April Bergen had a number of days where the temperature was above 20 degrees Celsius. In early May it reached 25 degrees. This week it is much colder .. 3 degrees at 10am this morning. 8 degrees maximum today and tomorrow. 

Tomorrow we are in Flam where we have the included excursion in the morning and a Viking optional in the afternoon. Rain is predicted to fall most of the day, maximum predicted 8 degrees.

We are in Geiranger in a few days time, where snow is forecast.

My message is .. come prepared.

Bergen is a beautiful location and we are very pleased to be back here .. but also very excited about the days ahead.

I probably wont be watching this forum every day but if you have any questions please let me know and I will see if I can answer at some stage.

Cheers from me, LM

4 hours ago, Arizona Desert said:

Has anyone taken the floibanen funicular in Bergen?  If so, did you buy tickets ahead online to bypass the line or wait until  arrived in Bergen.  

Also consider the alternative ..

https://en.visitbergen.com/things-to-do/ulriken643-ulriken-cable-car-p824813

We were in Bergen in 2017 and visited Mt Floyen so next week we are going to visit Ulriken.

Tickets can be purchased from the Tourist Office near the fish market (easy to find) and the bus from outside ticket office. Mt Floyen is great on a lovely day .. but if you have time Ulriken might also be worth considering.

We don't plan to purchase in advance - so we can judge the weather before we decide.

1 hour ago, Aussie Cruise Nuts said:

 

Thanks LM.     Seems this issue has been resolved.    The Future Cruise Consultant has different terms and conditions sheets for each country.   The Australian specific T&C’s fully cover the 120 day window to kick the can down the road should we desire.   Whilst his verbal advice was “unlimited” number of can kicks/cruise changes can be made, our Aus T&C sheet was missing this important detail.    The very good Future Cruise Consultant is providing my request in writing to me covering the no limitation/expiry date on number of times we can change a cruise and retain all Future Cruise benefits - subject of course to making any change PRIOR to the 120 day mark.   He confirmed the booking is under Viking Australia conditions.  

 

Furthermore,  Viking are linking my booking  to my Australian Travel Agent, and confirming the booking details and attached benefits direct to them.    All bookings, pricing etc was straight off the Viking Australia website and we received the current Aussie promo of $1,000 discount in addition to the Future Cruise and Past Guest discount.  

 

I am confident I have covered all my bases and today paid the AUD$1,000.  

 

I do appreciate your concern and advices.   CC contributors are helpful and look out for each other.   Now LM,   I need you to work on the Dutch Harbour weather.   The forecast of clearing showers started as drizzle, then to pouring rain.    It has just eased off as I write this, so we will shuttle bus into town to explore and find the Bald Eagles.

 

 Rod

Well done Rod .. sounds like Viking has improved the process and you do have all the bases covered.

Good luck finding some Bald Eagles and good luck with the weather .. I am doing my best to make sure Amsterdam and Bergen are fine and clear for our arrival/s at the end of next week.

Cheers, LM

8 minutes ago, Aussie Cruise Nuts said:

 

LM.    As you know we are currently onboard Orion - Sea day  3 of a millpond smooth crossing of Bering Sea to Dutch Harbour.    

 I have been pondering the onboard booking benefits of a future cruise and investigated your news.   We are going to lock in the 21 night Rome to Istanbul departing 6 June 2021.   Not a bargain in Aussie shekels, but it includes a bucket list  gap of ports in our long cruising history - Venice and the Adriatic ports -  2 nights, 2 1/2 days in Venice.  WOW.   We have been to some of the ports previously, but quite a nice list of maiden ports for us. 

 

Onboard booking benefits are pretty good and I like the “Peace of Mind” flexibility which allows the booking to be rolled forward or backward with no penalty (provided within the 4 month final payment period).   It was interesting to compare the different offers between USA, UK and Aussie pax.    I thought we compared favourably.   

 

Cruise going very well and looking forward to our last 11 days of the cruise and 7 Alaskan ports plus a few days scenic cruising.    Glad we tried Viking. 

 

Rod 

G'day Rod .. I'm glad things are going well.

And wow indeed .. 21 days Rome to Istanbul sounds wonderful. I'll have a look at on-line prices once I finish typing this - not that I think we would be able to join you. We are going to South America with Viking in Nov 2020 and probably won't do anything big again until late 2021 - depending on health, budget and other considerations of course 😀

Just FYI .. and I don't want to worry you and I am sure you researched things better than we did - but ...

In July 2017 we were on-board Star enjoying our first Viking experience and after a couple of wines (perhaps a couple too many) we visited the future cruise consultant and spoke to him about a Med cruise. The deal sounded so good (including the '4 month' window where we could swap to something different etc) we signed up on the spot.

The next day I emailed the Viking agent in Australia through whom we booked our first cruise and told her the great news (insert 'ah-oh' sound here) and she said (in an email) bookings made on-board were under US terms and conditions and would not be honoured in Australia - especially the part about the 4 month window for changing.

What ?

Anyway I went back and forward with emails for a couple of days trying to work out what to do. In the end I think we made such a fuss with Guest Services on-board they wanted to get rid of us (well, me) and agreed to refund the deposit paid. The A-based agent told me later the best thing I could have done was get (in writing) the best on-board offer and email her to see if she could match it. If she could we would then book with her under Aust terms and conditions.

What a drama.

In any case, that was July 2017 and the whole process may be much different now and maybe our Australian agent was just trying to get us to book with her .. my only suggestion is that you double check that the on-board booking can be transferred to an A-based agent with all terms and conditions (and price) as described to you.

Enjoy the rest of your trip. LM