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Everything posted by Hobson1754
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Yes that was our impression on our last Viking cruise.
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Shuttle in Reykjavik from Skarfabakki Harbour
Hobson1754 replied to miami mama's topic in Viking Ocean
Yes that was my experience in September last year. -
May I just reiterate what #janetcbl has said above. Many, many thanks to all the WC travellers (particularly Clay) for their sustained contributions. I have to hold my hands up and say, from personal experience, good intentions at the start of a cruise to begin & sustain posting throughout a journey demands great discipline - I applaud you all šš
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I would normally agree with you Kent about this however on our recent Saturn cruise we had the lobster one night and we enjoyed it - seemed better than weāve had previously. Donāt know if Iād have cancelled reservation at Chefs Table for it howeverš¤
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Well Kent - get shopping for that new bed
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Iāve never seen a diffuser - there is a concentrator nozzle, but donāt suppose that helps you. I believe you can buy a Universal diffuser online at Amazon if that helps- would save you having to take a hairdryer.
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We love the beds and have no problem sleeping whilst on board - wish I was nowš
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Really only you can decide! We get it because I can no longer drink wine š¤ due to acid reflux, however G&Ts, cocktails, non alcoholic cocktails etc I donāt have a problem with and it works out well for us.
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Which airline(s) does Viking use within Europe?
Hobson1754 replied to tom_uk's topic in Viking Ocean
Weāve always been booked with KLM and other British passengers weāve spoken to have also used KLM. Think they may also use BA. Whilst weāve not been not overly impressed in recent years with BA, our experiences over our last 2 VO cruises flying with KLM have been less than satisfactory so think I would have preferred BA. Our difficulty will and has always been our need for connection from Newcastle so think KLM is their preferred option. -
As Iāve said before on this forum - it still amazes me after COVID the amount of people who visit restrooms and walk out without washing their hands. On our last cruise in February, I lost count of the number of times my husband would tell me, of men who either walked out without washing or gave a quick rinse under a trickle of water. No lessons learntš
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Yes we do the same - does make a little extra room
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Love the bird sounds - cannot visit the rest rooms next to the Living Room without smilingš They were still on when we left Saturn 4 weeks ago.
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My thoughts exactly š
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Yes, Le Bon Marche is wonderful, however to miss seeing the architecture of Galleria Lafayette (itās like being inside a wedding cake) & the view from the roof would be a great shame.
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Laundry on board - as self-service, and as a service
Hobson1754 replied to Steerpike58's topic in Viking Ocean
Shocking - obviously his rules!! I personally wouldnāt have a problem with someone removing clothes from the washer/driers and placing them in the provided baskets if the cycle is finished & machine is needed - but definitely would if theyād been thrown on the floor!!!š¤ -
Weāre on Viking Homelands, May ā25 and weāve been advised by letter (via our TA) that the port has changed to Tallin from Mariehamn.
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We have very recently returned from our 3rd Viking Ocean cruise and would like to give a brief summary of our impressions. Firstly the Pros:- We had been on Saturn last September and it was exactly as we remembered it. Felt a little like ācoming homeā, although I know that Viking ships are all exactly the same. Ship is beautiful and attention to detail, especially upkeep from housekeeping is second to none. All Staff are exceptional in regards to service, courtesy and friendliness - it was really nice to see some crew who we met last September and who remembered us. Maitre Dā and waiters in Restaurant were excellent. In our opinion the food in the Restaurant was better this cruise than on our previous cruises - not that it had been bad before - but it seemed as if theyād āupped their gameā. There was a new Executive Chef and a new menu. On our last cruise we ate 3 times in Chefs Table and twice in Manfrediās - this time we only used them once each as we enjoyed the restaurant so much. Last cruise Iād had a problem with fish being over cooked on a few occasions - this cruise every time was perfect. Whilst we donāt tend to use the theatre much we do like to sit and listen to the classical duo/artist, pianist, guitarist/singer and often the Viking Band in Torshavn. This cruise we felt was the best weāve seen especially the classical duo Pablo and Zsofia (violinist and classical guitarist). They were so talented. We were very pleasantly surprised by the good weather for a lot of the cruise - this was a real bonus in February and the roof was even opened on a couple of occasions on pool deck during lunch. Loved a lot of the Ports even though weād been to a lot of them before and most of the included tours were OK. The walking tour of Naples was really good and we really enjoyed the paid for tour of Lucca. We ditched Venice tour as it poured and we didnāt fancy being there for hours getting soaked, so a bit of a disappointment there although we have visited before. Now for the Cons.:- Dress Code or lack of it!! Iāve never, in over 20 cruises, seen such a lack of dress code in restaurants on board a ship. I mentioned it to the Maitre Dā and was told that āAmericans donāt like to dress up and as long as the jeans arenāt ripped they are allowed inā. It wasnāt just jeans. Iām certainly not advocating formal attire for Viking, but as I stated in another post, one night I saw 3 women all very casual, exiting Manfrediās after dinner and one had on baggy joggers tucked into UGG boots. To say a lot of people were very casual is an understatement - what is the point of a dress code if itās not being enforced. It is a slippery slope to allowing shorts & swim wear in. We and others we spoke to, felt that the ship was very loud and noisy, more so than the other Viking cruises weāve been on. Especially around the bar areas - there seemed to be people shouting & talking very loud and, if the guitarist or classical duo was performing their voices were raised even more so that it was difficult to hear the entertainment. So rude. At times we just left Torshavn or Explorers lounge. Restaurant was also very loud - people canāt seem to talk in a normal voice and, I know Iām probably going to be lambasted for this, but the voices were always American. There seemed to be a different mix of ages on this cruise and lots of first time cruisers. I donāt know if it was to do with the 4 separate weeks/legs of this cruise - lots of people got off in Rome after just a week. I had heard that there were late offers for separate legs of this cruise so maybe that is related to dress & noise. All in all we had a great time and, as weāre going on Viking Homelands in May ā25, we can only hope that Viking can sort out the niggles otherwise donāt know if weāll be booking another. Fingers crossedš¤
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Approximate transfer time from Marco Polo airport, Venice
Hobson1754 replied to norahs-lot's topic in Viking Ocean
It took us less than an hour in the coach from the ship at Chioggia to Marco Polo - they estimate around 1 hour 10 min. but traffic was good on Wednesday so it took less. Youāll have to allow however for collecting your luggage & getting it on the transfer coach. I think you should be onboard by 6 - 6.30 if flight is on time - you may not have your luggage delivered to your stateroom by then though. -
For Those Who've Sailed Transatlantic...Dress Code?
Hobson1754 replied to strawbs1's topic in Viking Ocean
Iām going to post a prĆ©cis of our cruise when I get myself sorted i.e. unpacked, laundry etc. but felt I had to jump in here in response to Kentās post. We did the Barcelona to Venice legs of Kentās cruise and I really donāt think there was any enforcement of dress code around the ship. One evening I saw 3 women leaving Manfrediās all ādressedā very casually to say the least. One of the women had on baggy jogging bottoms tucked into UGG boots and what I can only describe as a utility coat with lots of pockets that youād wear to go fishing - they would have looked under dressed for the World Cafe!! There was a guy very casually dressed who always seemed to wear a knitted cap/hat in the restaurant. I also saw a man with his bath robe on (no trousers) standing at the bar in the Living Room, it was quite busy, talking to others for at least 20 mins. I could go on and on!! -
It depends greatly on what & how much you drink. To my great dismay I no longer am able to drink wine because it doesnāt agree with me, however, cocktails, G&Tās, Mocktails etc. Iām ok with so the package for me is ideal.
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We really like Chefs Table - ate there 3/4 times (canāt remember which) on last 15 day cruise. Not so keen on Manfrediās.
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Yes - 25% - none of it is refundable, so we need to be very, very certain if weāre booking a cruise 18 months outš¤