katlew

Our travel requirements for NZ/Australia on MVJ do not say we will have daily testing, but that there will be frequent testing, if that makes any difference. Anyway, there is some discussion of it here. There was another thread, but I can't find it now. I did find the Eastern Seaboard and Western Australian Cruise Protocals on the NSW government site. It does call for testing before boarding. "6.2 Passengers must have a PCR test within 48 hours before boarding, or a self-administered RAT within 24 hours before boarding. Cruise lines will advise passengers embarking in Australia that pre-embarkation PCR testing must be done at a private laboratory." It also calls for testing of anymore with symptoms while on board, "6.6 Passengers who have symptoms of COVID-19 must be tested, including ahead of shore excursions, and are encouraged to wear masks while symptomatic." I can see Viking being careful and having everyone test from time to time rather than just trying to catch those with symptoms.

Yeah, I noticed it wasn’t online either, but thought I was missing something too. Apparently from what others have said in other threads, it’s actually a deal the cruise industry made with Australia, because Australia wasn’t going to allow cruises yet. So, I guess the NSW thing wasn’t correct. Either way, we’re just gonna roll with whatever is required & enjoy our cruise.

Exactly. I had seen in some other threads people saying this was Viking being over the top, that’s why I mentioned it.

By the way, I was looking online for more information & Viking is not the only cruise line that just announced new rules for testing, at least for Australia.

It has been added to our New Zealand/Australia cruise requirements for December as well. From what I understand it has to do with the requirements for cruise passengers entering New South Wales. We also have to test before boarding now. I personally don't think it's a big deal. I guess, I'd rather catch people who are sick as soon as possible than have it turn into a larger outbreak.

We booked our own flights & have had lots of changes too. They cancelled the afternoon flight from Mpls to Dallas & now we have an 8 hour layover before flying to New Zealand. On the way home they had us flying from Australia to San Francisco & then magically getting on a flight from LA to Mpls, without anyway to get to LA! We keep an eye on it, but American Express also contacted us about the weird change. I was reading an article that the airlines allow you to book way ahead based on the schedule published at that time, but at 100 days out they really start to firm up the real schedule. That is exact what seemed to happen to us, it was just about 100 days out.

We picked all our paid excursions on MVJ which put them in our cart & checked out paying for them all at once. The only reason to pay for each one separately and have to re-enter your credit card information is if you are worried about a particular excursion selling out. For example, some excursions on our cruise say two seats left, I might pick those and pay for them right away. We did all our paid for excursions & them went back & reserved the included ones which does not require a credit card.

There is one included tour in each port & the rest have an additional cost.

I’m going with a group of six, so we have booked some private tours as well as Viking ones, it was cheaper than the Viking tours & we can move at our own pace …. (Btw, are going the opposite direction) Sydney - we are doing the extension, so have two extra days there. We are doing the included Viking tour, a private Southern Alps tour, and a Penfolds Wine dinner cruise. Melbourne - Train, Wine, & Wildlife. We thought this would be a good mix of different things. We all enjoy wine. We are in port until 11pm, so lots of time for a long tour. My husband works with someone in Melbourne who told us to get out of the city. Hobart - Richmond & Bongorong Wildlife Sanctuary - Richmond sounds like a cute village to visit & my MIL wants to see a Tasmanian devil. Dunedin - Moeraki Boulders - we all just thought this would be really interesting to visit, plus going to the village for some regional specialties. We also like the idea of something a little more demanding than being on a bus. Christchurch - We have booked a private tour that day to Arthur’s Pass and Castle Rock. We thought about doing Land of Lord of the Rings, but we’re told by a local guide that it is a very long bus ride. Wellington - We are doing Zealandia, but on our own. Since we are 6, I was able to set up a private tour with the reserve. I was on the Wellington Reddit & Zealandia was suggested as a good place to spend a day. We also looked at Seals & Wine. We are there on Boxing Day which is a holiday, so there were fewer choices. Rotorua - We are doing Hobbiton as a day trip from Auckland before the cruise, so we could do Geothermal Rotorua when there. We have booked it privately, not through Viking. We’ve visited Geothermal areas in other countries & thought this would be interesting. Auckland - we are doing an extension so are there 2 days before Embarkation, which means we have almost 4 days there. We are doing an Aucky Wally walking tour, a Hobbiton & the Glow Worm Caves, and a private wine tour. We booked all these on our own. We also are going to do the included Viking tour.

Because we are traveling over Christmas and New Year's, Napier isn't in the itinerary. We have an extra sea day instead. Otherwise we would have been there on Christmas Day.

We are on the New Zealand to Australia cruise in December this year & have just booked our excursions. They run anywhere from $89 for the 4 hours tour to the Richmond & Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to $2000 for a helicopter tour. Most of the excursions seemed to be between $140 and $300, there are a few $99 tours. Golfing trips were in the $500's. The most expensive one we booked was the Train, Wine, & Wildlife in Melbourne which is 8hrs for $289. We also booked a few tours on our own, for example Zealandia in Wellington cost $99 through Viking, but you can get a ticket on your own for $35 if you a comfortable getting yourself there. If there are any specific excursions you'd like to know about in in NZ/Aus let me know.

I can give you a few ideas as someone who has done one Viking Ocean and has another coming up this winter. 1. It sounds like you like all the things Viking is about, smaller, quieter ships. They don't have casinos, kids, auctions, photographers, & that sort of thing. They have pretty good wines included with meals & also a list you can pay for or get with the Silver Spirits package. 2. At the main restaurant and World Cafe (buffet) you can eat anytime you want. We've never been seated with anyone else. The two optional restaurants, Manfredi's and the Chef's Table require reservations. 3. The included excursions tend to be what they call panoramas or highlights which are bus tours with maybe a few stops. We've had some we enjoyed, like the one in Lerwick Shetland took us to a Shetland pony farm. The guide was a local with lots of wonderful information. Some are not great, in Edinburgh we ended up stuck in terrible traffic & stops were a little tricky. Typically, they do not take all your port time & will leave you in the city center to explore on your own after if you wish. I think if you just want a basic overview of a place with very little walking, the included tour is just right. 4. The price range on the other excursions is all over the place. On our upcoming cruise, they range from $89 for a nature preserve visit to $2000 for a helicopter tour. I would say most though are between $150 and $300. There are other higher priced things such as golfing which runs around $500. 5. We did not experienced a cancelled port on our last cruise, so I can't speak to that.

I think one thing to remember is that people with complaints are often more likely to post than people who are happy. One thing to note, is I've noticed people who have complained recently about Viking have also booked another cruise with them. That says it all. Food is very subjective, I throw a big event every year & in the reviews for every person who loves the food another hated it. Viking has always offered lots of choices from the restaurant and buffet to make most people happy. We are foodies, but have traveled Viking with people who are probably more like you & everyone always found a meal they enjoyed. As for the beds, I don't remember anyone in our group ever complaining about the ones on Viking. That said, we love the beds in Scandinavia that are on the very firm side. The beds on our Viking ships never seemed different than the ones we had in many hotels. I think staffing is an issue for the travel industry as a whole. (It's an issue for most industries right now.) I don't think Viking is experiencing anything different than any other cruise line. I will say we have always found the service very good & expect the same this time. Based on what you said, I think Viking is a good fit for you. The boats tend to be on the quieter side. There are no big drunken parties by the pool, no casino, no kids running around, etc... We've often been the loud group playing a game of cards in the Explorer's Lounge before dinner. There are lots of quiet spots to sit and enjoy a view of the sea.

We had a birthday in our group & they sent champagne & cake to the room that day. I can't remember if we told anyone, but we decorated the birthday boy's door, so I'm sure his steward knew from that.

We did do the Norway is a Nutshell which was the Flam Railroad and a boat trip through the fjords from Oslo to Bergen before our cruise. It was a wonderful day!

With Viking Ocean, we found a lot of the free included tours were mainly a sightseeing bus tour with a few stops. (With Viking River, they tended to be walking tours.) Sometimes, that is all you want in a town & some were very enjoyable, like the one we had in Shetland. They often allow you to get off in town after the tour and you have time to explore on your own. The optional tours tend to go to somewhere further out or a more specific place. For example on our upcoming cruise some of the optional tours will take you to tour old homes, or to a nature preserve, or on a wine train. For our up-coming trip we've decided to do a mix of included, optional, and book our own tours. We are booking our own tours in a couple ports for a few different reasons. 1. We tend to be on the younger side for Viking passengers, so we like to do things at a little faster pace than some of the larger Viking tours. Booking a private tour lets us see what we want at our own pace. 2. Based on some of the comments in the boards lately, we are worried that a specific tour we want to take will sell out, especially since we are a group of six. Rather than wait and see if that happens for something we really want to do, we are booking our own tour. 3. Finally, we found that booking a private shore tour is often cheaper than booking the Viking optional tours. For example, Viking is charging $99 for a tour of a nature preserve on our trip. I discovered it is easy to get there from the port and set up a private tour with the preserve for us for just $35 each. Booking your own tours has cons though too. The boat will not wait for you if something happens and your tour is late getting back. Also if the cruise has to skip a port, you may not get your money back. It's important to know the tour company's policies.

So, from what I understand the only difference between PV1, 2, & 3 is where they are on the ship. The window difference can show up in any of the categories, also based on where they are on the ship. Someone recently posted numbers for some of the rooms that had the door and window, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I'm not sure about pricing, but there was recently a thread about getting manicures onboard that might have the answers.

I think Viking is experiencing the same issues the tourist industry as a whole is, not enough people to work. It's hard to find bus drivers and your guides. We are doing the NZ/Aus cruise in December and I've heard from folks in New Zealand that it is a real issue there. We've decided to book our own private tours in some ports and are finding many companies are out of business, or tours are all sold out already, and so on.

We are doing the Auckland to Sydney cruise in December and are booked for the Auckland extension beforehand. The ship stays in Auckland for another day after embarkation day. We are thinking of booking a private tour for embarkation day. Our thinking is there is really no rush for us to board the boat as it isn't leaving that day and, because we are on the extension, Viking should handle getting our luggage to the boat for us. I'm wondering if this thinking is correct? Does anyone know if there is a time the stop embarkation for the day? I figure they have to be available for people who arrive later. Thanks for any insight!