johneb2

When you did not stop at the Falklands, was another port substituted or was it just a sea day?

My wife & I will be on the Feb 7th, 2023 cruise to South America & Chilean Fjords. We are looking for feedback for anyone who has taken this cruise in the January or February time frame. What was the weather like? What excursions do you recommend or avoid? What clothing is suggested? We appreciate any input offered. Thanks, JohnEB

Thank you for the kind words.

A little bit more info. It was asked if the photos of the NL from the ship came out okay. Yes they did. At the time it was taken, the ship was barely moving. Keep in mind these pictures were taken on a tripod, with a Canon 90d DSLR. Some PAX had camera phones with Apps on them, with a few having success. I do not remember what the App they used. The first picture was taken from the ship on the way to Narvik, while the other was on a Viking excursion outside Narvik. While the pictures represent some of my better results, please know I had many failures! You will find many seminars on board, as well as on the excursions to guide you on setting up you camera. Also, the ship makes announcements when the NL has been sighted. It is important that you turn on the TV to the designated channel during the later overnight hours as announcements are made only through the TV, not the general PA system. If I remember correctly, 9pm was the hour they changed from the PA to TV announcements.

On our March 2019 cruise, we used Viking for all our excursions, and were satisfied with them. We did speak to some fellow pax who also used GLOD Explorer and they had very positive things to say about them.

We are on the November trip also. I looked up the average low to high temperatures for the last week in November and the first week in December. All are in Fahrenheit. Rome 49-66, Naples 53-69, Heraklion 51-62, Jerusalem 47-56, Haifa 50-63, Limassol 49-66, Rhodes 51-61, Mykonos 50-57, Athens 47-59. Remember these are just the averages, they can vary depending upon the weather. Hope that helps.

The important thing is to be patient and flexible. By that I mean, temperatures and conditions change considerably in a short time and with each location. For "The Lights" you have to be patient. On one of our excursions they did not become visible until we were on location until the last 20 minutes of a 3 hour excursion. If you intend to photograph "The Lights" a tripod, even for a camera phone is strongly recommended. I might add we did get to see the NL right from the ship. They dimmed the lights on the top deck for us. Remember to have adequate supply of charged batteries for your camera as the cold weather drains them quickly. As for shoes, as a previous poster mentioned "waterproof" and warm is a definite. I wore my waterproof hiking shoes on the plane. I do not recommend sneakers. I also recommend thermals as it can wicker perspiration from your body. Just like sweating with wool socks, perspiration from too many layers will make you cold. Remember you will be walking on snow covered terrain at times. We did not find a trek pole was necessary, but if you are going to go on some challenging excursions it might be worthwhile. On the cruise, you will see many beautiful sights, as Norway is very beautiful. We were blessed with good weather until near the end of the cruise. If you have a specific question, I will try and answer it.

I’ve read that waterproof pants are really needed. I would definitely recommend waterproof pants and jacket. The weather, depending on the location, can be very changeable from snow/rain to clearer skies over a very short time. That was what happened to us in March 2019. Be careful with wool socks. They may keep you warm at the beginning, but if your feet start sweating they will actually make you colder. Also the weather can vary dramatically as you go further away from the coast. With our one excursion we were treated to a view of the Lights while another excursion to an area an hour away at the same time had clouds and snow.

Definitely pack in layers, preferably waterproof outer garments. I used my ski pants and jacket which worked out fine. Temperature wise, you can expect very cold temperatures at some locations (0 to 10 degree range Fahrenheit). On a side note if you do a search for "In Search of the Northern Lights", you will see some postings from some of us who travelled on this cruise in the past. It is a great trip, with great scenery. Hopefully you will be rewarded with seeing the Northern Lights. Again though, dress warmly!

I can add we had an entire crew that was fantastic in every aspect. Unfortunately, it was on the infamous March 2019 in search of the Northern Lights cruise with the evacuation of half the passengers. Nevertheless, it was almost universally agreed the crew went above and beyond in making a serious situation more tolerable.

I agree with Mitina on the usage aspect. I also have Verizon, and Travelpass. I had to use it on ship one time and found out Travelpass only applies when you are in port. Onboard the rate is usually $2.99 or $3.99 per minute. I would check with Verizon before leaving to see if the rates have changed.

I agree with Heidi13. Don't bring a power strip. There are enough outlets in the staterooms. On our last trip I was able to plug in a laptop, and two Iphones at the same time. JohnEB

You did not mention if you booked any pre or post extensions. If you did, you will need a type C adapter, I would still recommend bringing an adapter in case there are delays at the airport or something happens that you must stay in a hotel. The adapter is not expensive or large. It is better to be safe than sorry. JohnEB

I agree you are correct. Maybe I misunderstood them when they told us it was a false positive. Just for the heck of it we consulted with our doctor again. She definitely said my wife is in recovery mode since she still tested positive today. As you stated, not infectious though. She expected her to test positive for another week or so. JohnEB

JDinCalif hope you are feeling better now. My wife also tested positive on the ship but did not have to quarantine as she was in recovery mode. She had Covid about 6 weeks before the trip, minor thank goodness. She took a SARS test before we left and it still showed her spike protein was positive. Our doctor told us this is normal for some people and that they will show positive on a test for up to 3 months. Fortunately we had the documentation, so Viking accepted it as being a false positive. Interestingly when talking with Viking medical they said this has happened a number of times. As for the way Viking handled everything, I cannot say enough good things. I am planning to write a note to the Chairman thanking him for a great cruise, and remembering us after all the challenges over the last few years. JohnEB