Paul73

I have a great TA who can provide personal insight because he's taken so many Viking river and ocean cruises. I particularly like Viking because I can call Viking directly with questions and don't have to bother my TA. I've also booked with Holland America in person and through a TA. HAL is frustrating because they will only talk to my TA, not to me. I'd go with an experienced TA who knows the cruise line you're interested in.

You're on the Fort Lauderdale to LA portion of the trip. About 75% of the people on your cruise will be world cruisers. When you disembark in LA the remaining world cruisers embark. After LA the ship will be 100% world cruisers. There are no other segments on this cruise where new people board. Some previous world cruises had segments, but post-pandemic there's been such a high demand for world cruises that Viking can sell out the entire ship from LA to London.

For CDNPolar, we're just starting to think about a cruise to Antarctica. Viking is an easy option. Curious who you booked with. Thanks.

When you book by phone with a Viking representative, they're very helpful but cannot give you any "good deals." Whether you book directly with VIking or with a travel agent, you pay the same fare. A travel agent who has sailed with Viking can be a wealth of good information, and will normally give you some on-board credit as a gesture of appreciation for booking with them. There's a separate CC thread on current Viking promotion codes. Make sure you see what's applicable to the cruise you're looking at.

Hi Former Nuke: another former submariner here. I get my annual wellness checks at the Naval Hospital Bethesda (now Walter Reed). They have an International Travel Clinic that we've used for several trips to places the Navy never sent us.