CDR2001

I agree with GooseBear above. Last year on our Iceland cruise, the next stop for the ship was NYC. Our room steward preferred USD. I check the route of the ship and tip accordingly. 

There are about 150 cabins that book before DV category. That leaves over 272 cabins booking when excursions open for DV, with the V category going last. As you can see, plenty of excursions will be left for you to choose from. Use the tips in the previous post, and good luck! 

I’ve never seen that offered on Viking. Typically it takes special certification and licensing for that. 

We only choose decks 3 or 4 midship for motion concerns, DV6 or DV4. We love a cabin near the forward elevators and stairs on deck 3, quick access to the Theater and workout space. We also like being near the laundry room. Viking ships are small and easy to navigate. 

Agree with above, we’ve never waited for a bus to fill. Rather, on our last trip, we were put in a small van with a driver to transport us to the hotel for our extension. 

Recently on Saturn Yoga was offered, I didn’t notice how often. There was a $10 fee. 

I would call Viking Air and ask your question there. There is an additional fee for Air Plus, where you have input into the flight selection, up to 300 days in advance if I recall. 

We had GE entering JFK. For some reason the kiosks were not working, so we had our own line to the far left of general population. However, the agent alternated calling people up to the entry booth from 3 lines and we ended up switching to a regular line for quicker service. When GE works it’s great, but no guarantees sadly. It is worth it for the usually included TSA pre check. We have another story about that not working for us! 

46 minutes ago, Deb922 said:

Since the flight is in October, would it help to apply for and get global entry?

Global entry only applies when you return to the US, and from our experience, sometimes there is no special entry line. In the case of the original poster, I’d check independent flights and also call Air Plus. International flights often board one hour prior to scheduled departure. 

We have learned from experience that 2 excursions close together on days with tenders may not allow enough time to return to the ship for lunch. We had one rushed lunch day, and the second time we attempted it, we just ate near the pier and Viking excursion buses. 

The excursion lists I received show prices, but the prices are for the specific cruise date they sent me. Since I ask for this list months in advance I often see price increases when my excursions are available for booking. 

I’ve been able to get a PDF of excursions early for my itinerary but not for my cruise date. It’s a guideline I use with pricing. Ask the chat agent for a PDF of excursions for an earlier cruise and tell them you understand that the excursions for your exact cruise might be different. I’ve done this for 4 cruises with only one agent confused. I just signed off and tried a different agent with success. 

We just left Invergorden, and I’d say no ATM near the pier. It is a very long pier requiring a bus or shuttle to get to the land side, and it was a residential area as I recall. 

I’m On Saturn now, excursion cancellation deadlines are in the Daily. Example, “The final deadline to book, change or cancel excursions for May8 is 6:00pm on May6.”

Also, I added an excursion less than 24 hours prior, no problem as there were spaces available. I agree that guest services will gladly help you. 

On Saturn now. Our excursion port talk gives very detailed information about bus travel time, free time, even the number of stairs or rough walking involved. However, the day before is a bit late to get that information.  I also wish details were posted prior to booking the excursion. 

35 minutes ago, SailorPaulH said:

Does the shuttle run on disembarkation day, so you can leave ship and be dropped off with your luggage at Harpa...? or is taxi or local bus the only way to do it. 

We took a prebooked taxi. 

If I recall in 2023, luggage wasn’t allowed in the port shuttles. 

Never seen that either.

On previous cruises, I’ve seen folks with a punched card on a lanyard. We use the type of lanyards with a clear pocket, keep a credit card there too, tucked inside our shirts when ashore. 

Yes, we’ve done that. We usually don’t prepay gratuities so we can apply any leftover funds while onboard. 

25 minutes ago, SailorPaulH said:

As you suggested I used the chat feature, and the explanation was something I have never heard of before on Viking Ocean. That included tour does indeed finish after the ship leaves port! Supposedly, a shuttle bus will take you to the next port.

 

In this case, the ship leaves Seydisfjordur at 4 PM. A shuttle bus takes the excursion group to the next port (Akureyri where the ship arrives 8 AM next day!). This seems very weird and I didn't get into the logistics of where you sleep, eat, etc., and just canceled the excursion. We can do a port walk easily enough on our own earlier in the day if we want to.

SailorPaul, we have been to Seydisfjordur, and the included tour was pretty much the same as the self guided tour we did. However, on our Iceland cruise last year, we also had an excursion listed that ended after departure. When we received our tickets onboard, we had a corrected time! I can’t believe the chat agent said you’d be bused to the next port…yes that happens on river ships sometimes, but it is totally impractical, and impossible on ocean!  Someone needs to do some more training before giving an answer that doesn’t make sense. Enjoy Iceland! 

Is your cruise a leg on a longer Viking cruise? Venice might be the port for departing guests on your day 2, with new guests arriving that same day. I know from friends that Viking will offer excursions for passengers who continue on the journey at that mid point. They have said that excursions were announced onboard. I agree that an email to Tellus might clear it up. 

About two weeks before the trip, you will get an email with final cruise E-documents. The emergency contact information for your ship is on page one of a PDF, Phone and email is listed. 

A few weeks ago, my account froze while I was booking excursions…I got a white screen saying payment pending but it never went away. I lost some excursions before I figured out to call Viking for help! The agent booked them for me but some excursions had sold out. My tip…if account freezes, call or do the chat immediately! By the way, my account is STILL frozen, and technical support is “working on it.”  I have escalated to Tellus email, and I continue to call and check on openings. I also have private excursions booked for some ports. It will be a good cruise, I won’t let technology ruin it for us! 

And they are replayed on your TV. I wish they were given 2 days prior to the port so you could change excursions before the 48 hour window, but it’s usually the day/evening before docking. It is very informative, especially if you want details about difficulty and walking time.