mbviking2023

Hi there! sorry to take so long to get back. I don't check here very often anymore. We loved the full face snorkel. Bought them a few years ago. We carried them with us on the cruise, not provided by the company. I don't know if you can wear glasses under them - they are pretty tight. You can find them on Amazon these days, so get a set and see if it will work. We didn't take the Guided tour, but we did upgrade when we checked in. We originally bought the tickets for the Green Island, not knowning anything. When we checked in, we noticed that we weren't actually going to the reef, so we upgraded. Either way, it was a great day and we saw so much underwater life. ENJOY!

We did the pre-order as Clay mentioned, but later, when we went to our cabin, our steward asked us what sizes we wanted. So the pre-order wasn't really necessary.

Just a heads up - while nothing in life is guaranteed, the private tour companies that we have used are long time professionals and know about getting people back to their ships on time. Bleep happens for sure, but they do make a serious effort - they know their entire reputation is on the line if someone or a group starts to complain loudly.

We didn't see anyone with a fold up bike. I would think they would be inconvenient on the ship. Hard to store, and kind of intrusive to take off the ships. When you disembark at various ports, there are usually lines to get off the ship - customs, passport control, etc. And people on shore excursions are lined up as well, so it's rare to just walk off yourself. I would think having a bike would be an annoyance to a lot of people.

We didn't get anything extra for the trip.

And our first outings were to dentists! We made jokes about it being our excursions for the day. And we wonder why no one is coming to clear our plates after dinner! We have a nice picture of you two from the lava fields in Sicily.

Hi Yes we are! Garland actually. It was a great cruise for sure. And yes, it turned out to be a lot of work, but worth it in the end as we can remember all we did! We're still going through some withdrawal, a week and a half later.

That's not true. Viking does have COVID tests on board. Anyone who went down to the med bay for any reason was given a test first thing. We weren't charged for them, but everyone got a test. they didn't test everyone, only those who went down to the bay.

Yep. So sorry about that. I had it last January (2022) and was in the H for 8 days. Not fun. And yes, the busses were the worst! People hacking up lungs and refusing to wear a mask or stay home. Thankfully enough people did. My wife and I, despite bad colds, didn't catch it on the cruise. Lots of other people did though and were quarantined. I wouldn't be quick to cancel the world cruise though. Another year from now things will improve again, And there are plenty of open spaces on the ship. And lots of people did wear masks throughout.

I forgot to add one more tour company for India and Sri Lanka - and I can't edit now. Magic Tours of India Deepa Krishnan +91 98677 07414 https://www.magictoursofindia.com/ She put together a stunning evening concert for a small group of 10 - Indian Classical Music. But she operates all over India. Our next visit - she gets my tours!

Viking won't do that for you. But there are endless ways to book small groups on your own. We prefer small groups as well - for ALL those reasons you outlined. Couple all of those points with two or three busses going to the same destinations and now you're in a mob. The most popular is Viator, but it's my least favorite. Not great customer service. Tours By Locals is another good one and you have more flexibility that way. In the Middle East - Memphis Tours does a great job in various countries. We went to Luxor with @BeckySt and Memphis. She and Bill did a lot of private tours. In Jordan we had great success with Jordan Horizons Travel. In Israel we used Guided Tours Israel. In New Zealand there are many, we booked a private with Hawkes Bay Scenic Tours We did a private tour in Rome with @Aspen&Birch but I don't know the company. Rome was so crowded by itself - couldn't begin to imagine how miserable it would have been in a mob of Vikings. The best solution we found was to google "Shore Excursions CityNameHere" to find a list of providers specializing in that region. They are usually professionals, having done it for many years. We found 6 - 8 was ideal, but @mstadleraz booked a great Israel tour with about 20, split into two busses for the two days. We had 12 in our group and it was one of the best tours ever. We couldn't imagine visiting Luxor or Petra or Israel with mobs of people in a group. Once you book something, put a blurb here and you'll fill out the 6 or 8 that you need. And another pro-tip for the future. Pick up a Mee Audio Connect Air device and a pair of ear buds. You'll never need to carry that nasty cord for the QuietVox again! Freedom!

Tons of books!

That was a Viking one. Our guide was good, very knowledgeable about the area and history, but he had a thick french accent. He kept saying "Gold Beach" and people in the back kept hearing "Garbage".

Presenting our final three blog posts of the World Cruise - in which the Bakers visit the American Cemetery and beaches of Normandy France, take a vintage steam train ride through East Sussex England, visit a 14th century castle, climb the hill to the Greenwich Observatory and place one foot on either side of the Prime Meridian, and finally get to see Les Mis in Soho on the West End of London! Whew~ http://twohappysloths.com

Nile River cruise and Asian Ocean from Hong Kong to Vancouver.