jrf123

Doesn’t work on Viking Ocean. Or at least not for long. I was able to do my hair twice with it but now - I can’t even get it to turn on. I’m hoping it’s not ruined. It’s brand new. 

17 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Affirmative, we arrive San Pedro on Jan 2nd, spending a couple of days before the cruise.

We live in San Diego and are driving up on Saturday to meet the ship. Will you be at the Meet and Mingle? 

On 12/9/2019 at 8:41 PM, Heidi13 said:

Although it is many years ago, I have been in both Haifa and Ashdod many times on both passenger and cargo ships. At times, we were in every couple of weeks.

 

Having also travelled to most regions of the world, the security arrangements in both ports are second to none.

 

Since you are considering 2021, I note that my previous cruise line had an extensive security department that visited ports on a regular basis, with frequency dictated by risk factors. In the event of potential trouble, ports are cancelled. While I am not aware of Viking's shore structure, I would be surprised if they didn't have a similar in-house or contracted service.

 

On our upcoming cruise, we have changed 4 ports due to potential security issues.

 

Yes, an attack could happen at any time, but having visited the area many times, I suggest the fairly low risk is worth the reward.

I lived in Israel for 17 years back in the 70s and 80s, and it never ceases to amaze me how so many people worldwide think it's a dangerous place to visit. I feel safer in Israel than I do in most other places. Our last visit was during the "stabbing intifada," and there was a stabbing incident down the street from where we were staying. Multiple people jumped in to rescue the victim and subdue the assailant. That evening we went out for falafel, sitting at an outdoor cafe, and knew without a shadow of a doubt that if anyone tried anything, the restaurant servers would be out from behind the counter with weapons in nothing flat, and others would jump in to help too. There's none of that "uninvolved bystander" nonsense we have here in the US. As for rockets, the Iron Dome technology has already saved a lot of lives, and for the most part the rockets are intercepted unless they're headed for an empty field. While Ashdod is a reachable target from Gaza, I'm sure Viking takes the proper precautions. So go, and have a wonderful time! It's one of the most interesting countries you'll ever visit. 

Heidi13, it looks like we're on the same cruise out of LA in a week. We look forward to meeting you and comparing notes on Israel!

On 10/8/2019 at 8:02 AM, pacruise804 said:

Does anyone know if there is fabric softener in the machines?  If I did laundry it would mostly be athletic clothes which shouldn't have fabric softener.  Also, is there a second rinse option to fully remove detergent?  

 

I saw that there is no karaoke on board.  Is there also no piano bar?  We didn't spend a lot of time there on other ships, but did enjoy singing along with others sometimes and a more lighthearted "fun" entertainment.  Is there any current music played on the ships or mainly classical?  I consider 1960's-1980's "current" in this context - not necessarily this century new.  We can be fine either way, just looking for what to expect.

I'm interested in the answers to these questions as well. Also would love to know if the laundry detergent they supply is scented, as we don't do well with fragrances in laundry soap. And I'd love to know about the piano bar too.