On 11/19/2022 at 4:53 AM, CDNPolar said:

I don't know what your deal was for price, but Viking were just launching their expeditions to Antarctica when we were booking our upcoming cruise to Antarctica.

 

We are loyal Viking cruisers BUT we found a cruise line that has been doing Antarctica for a long time and has very good reviews.  We also bought this at less than half the price of Viking per person.

 

I know that Viking have submarines and this line does not, but that was not enough for us to pay double.

 

This line did not offer free air, and we could only book our air ourselves.  This line did not have any contract pricing from Canada.  Even purchasing air (Delta One) we are still half price the air included price of Viking.

 

We like to have control over our airline and class, and we would not do Antarctica if we could not pick our cabin solely because of the Drake Strait.  Because of the potential for extremely rough seas for 2 days each way, I would only book a mid-ship cabin and would not want to risk being forward or aft.

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.

There are actually two past guest level discounts.  If you ever sailed with Viking you get $100 off when you book.  If you've sailed within the last year or book when onboard you get a higher past guest level discount of $200.

If you have an account with the airlines Viking has booked you on, log in to your account, see if the booking is there, and see if you can modify or upgrade there. 

Another river cruise sale

25th Anniversary River Sale

All-Inclusive from $2,199*

FREE International Airfare

Plus, $25 Deposit

ASK FOR OFFER: RVR23

New promo I just received:  Sorry about the color.  Hard to cut and paste!

Here's a promo code for Antarctic trips:

Antarctic Explorer

13 DAYS | Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

FREE Stateroom Upgrade &
FREE International Airfare
Plus, Newly Reduced Fares

ASK FOR OFFER: ARC22

ENDS AUG 31, 2022

Oct–Dec 2022;
Jan–Mar 2023 Departures

Clay: Viking has a group sales office: 1-888-505-7984.  Groups are typically 10 staterooms or more.  Each stateroom gets a bottle of sparkling wine and each person gets a $125 discount.  Your travel agent should be able to help you interface with Viking.  Your TA may be able to sweeten the deal by offering you and your guests OBC.

I received an email from Viking yesterday with the promo code JUL4.  It's $25 deposit for expedition, ocean and river cruises.  Here's the text:

This year marks our 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, we are offering you the opportunity to book any voyage with a $25 deposit during our Independence Day Sale. Whether you wish to explore the rivers of Europe, trace the shores of the Mediterranean or journey to Antarctica, there is no better time to start exploring the world in comfort. We look forward to welcoming you on board in 2023.

If you booked Viking air they'll meet you at baggage claim.  They'll have a clipboard of all the people arriving that day.

I recently had friends on a Viking ocean cruise.  Because you're on a cruise you're considered a past guest level 1, which gets you a $200 per person discount.  Because you're booking onboard you get a $200 onboard booking discount.  Sometimes you can also get on-board credit on your current cruise.  Sometimes there are specials, but it's better if you know what you want and check web-specials before you talk with the onboard cruise consultant.

When we did the Viking pre-cruise extension in Athens there were no organized tours.  We used Rick Steves book Mediterranean Cruise Ports to help guide us in Athens and other ports we visited.  IRT weather, it's cool in the Med in Nov.  Check weather channel reports for typical weather.  Some shore excursions fill up quickly, so note the date your excursions open for booking.  We typically took the first included excursion of the day, then an optional excursion or self-walk in the afternoon.  Viking typically runs shuttles to/from the town centers.  

3 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Tasty, but way too thin to cook properly, so it won't be.

We all have individual tastes and preferences.  We've had bisteca at Manfredi's numerous times and have never been disappointed.  Not quite Florence, but an impressively good piece of meat.

We were on a Viking Duoro river cruise in Oct.  I was talking with the Chief Engineer and mentioned I was the Chief Engineer on a US submarine.  He immediately offered me a tour of his engine room.  It was immaculate.  He was so impressed that I was interested that he gave me a bottle of port the day we left.  So yes, there's some discretion involved in bridge and engine room tours.

Gary: great post.  We visited Gdansk on a Viking cruise just before the pandemic grounded all of us.  Brings back fond memories.  Thanks and we hope Arlona gets out of quarantine quickly.  Paul

We were upgraded on a Duoro river cruise in Oct.  It was a nice surprise.  The ship was only 60% full.

There are at least 2 types of vouchers.  The early vouchers have a prefix PL, are called platinum, and can be redeemed for cash if you don’t use them by the expiration date.  (The cash value is reduced by whatever additional credit Viking added). Later vouchers have a prefix FCC and I don’t think they can be redeemed for cash.  Agree with previous recommendations to check with Viking 

37 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

There is at least a foot of space between the floor and the bed frame.  There was space on top of a 11.5” page, so about 13”.  Our 25” suitcases fit under there easily.

Thank you so much, that answered the question with room to spare!  Appreciate your quick response, safe and enjoyable travels, and happy holidays.

A quick topic deviation, please.  What is the height of space under the bed?  We’ll be on the WC 2023 and wondering if our large suitcases will clear the height clearance. Thanks, enjoy your cruise and stay well.

bafinegan:  many thanks for participating in the trials.  I was part of the Johnson and Johnson trials.  I've never had more blood tests in such a short period in all my life, but I felt like I needed to support the greater good.  Thanks again.

Hi:  we're on the 2022-2023 world cruise.  Viking hasn't provided any guidance on COVID vaccinations yet.  The generic "Health and Safety" guidance that covers all cruises states that vaccinations may be required, but it's more focused on current sailings.   I agree it would be hard to pull off a world cruise without everybody being vaccinated.  For example, Australia and New Zealand are closed to cruise ships right now.  Israel is opening up for cruise visits in May BUT all crew and passengers will need to be vaccinated.  The current cruises to Bermuda and Iceland require vaccinations.  So we'll wait and see.

Wow!  3 hours after I sent my concerns to "tellus@vikingcruises.com"  I received a phone call from Viking thanking me for my input and telling me that requiring vaccinations is under consideration but no additional announcements will be made until Viking is ready to return to cruising.  I had mentioned that we'd had 5 Viking cruises cancelled due to the pandemic and have 3 more scheduled, including the 2023 World Journey cruise.

I think it's interesting that Viking is doing surveys in the UK and Australia.  I haven't seen anyone in the US mention being surveyed.  I followed the lead of several of you and wrote "TELLUS" that I think all guests and crew will need to be vaccinated.  Crystal has already announced that policy.  Stay safe!

We were on the Grand Pacific Explorer, leaving Auckland on March 6.  We were notified yesterday our whole 90 day cruise has been cancelled and the ship is repositioning to Alaska for the spring season.  We're getting a full refund and vouchers totaling $1000 pp.  I think this is relatively paltry.  We're less than two weeks away from flying, a room full of vacation clothes waiting to be packed, and now no cruise.  We have sunk costs for several visas, private tours and an AIr NewZealand air upgrade that Viking isn't going to cover.  It would be interesting to compare notes once people start complaining.

Paul