There are no exposed connection points to the TVs in the staterooms.  I was hoping that there might be an HDMI input to connect, but sadly no.   The TVs are mounted with no access to the back, sides, top or bottom.  If you have a Philips screwdriver you might be able to remove the mesh screen at the bottom of the TV to see if you can find a port, but even if you do, the TV remotes do not have controls which allow you to change the input source.  The TV remotes are tailored specific to the Viking offerings.  You can't even connect a set of headphones (no audio jack and no bluetooth).

However, if you have the Owner's suite, you can connect to the TV in the in-suite conference room, but that is for output display from an external device (e.g., your laptop) to the flatscreen, not an input to a Tivo or similar.  

On the Star, I found that the large flatscreens in the Explorer's Lounge and in the deck 3 gallery had HDMI connections available, but no remote controls.  The ship's A/V guy told me that I would need to coordinate with Guest Services in order to connect to those flatscreens.

18 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I don’t think I realized you were in Seattle.  All those roadtrip pictures I guess🍸

University of Washington Husky => UW Dawg 

1 hour ago, LisaDee said:

I’m usually an eggs Benedict girl, with a side of hash browns and sautéed mushrooms.  But then I had the Creole Omelet in The Restaurant for breakfast one day and it was so yummy.  It’s served with a tomatillo type verde sauce and plantain chips.  I had to add that one to the daily rotation!

Some of your favs in different combination are some of my Viking World Cafe breakfast go-to's

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

After a nice dinner with a Seattle (Federal Way) friend we are now at the Priority Pass Lounge for a couple of hours before we head off to board the dreaded red eye. 

 

@Clay Clayton glad to hear you made it through Seattle and to the airport safely.  We'll have to catch up with you next time you pass through town.  Safe travels.

My favorite breakfast option on a Viking cruise... breakfast on the Aquavit Terrace overlooking the port of the day.

This particular photo was in the Cabo San Lucas, Mexico... our first port of call after leaving Los Angeles on the 21/22 World Cruise.  The breakfast itself consisted of a waffle with some side dishes of bacon, sausage and some potato wedges accompanied by fresh orange juice.  Not necessarily anything special compared to other breakfasts I enjoyed during the trip, but it was the ambiance and atmosphere that made it so memorable.   Maybe I'll post some of my breakfast food photos to whet our appetites. 

6 hours ago, Azulann said:

the plate of pastries  and the variety offered.

44 minutes ago, BaileyMJ said:

Viking sending out lots of promos today - got this one via email - says North America but has more cruises/expeditions 

 

Discover the best of North America

http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/vrc/contentlibrary/2022_campaigns/october_2022/102122_vxp_vxp23_ppax/hero.jpg

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE Roundtrip Airfare &  FREE Silver Spirits Beverage Package ASK FOR OFFER: VXP23

 

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/expedition/VXP23/20220901?contid=30016664778_1029584013&utm_id=email_vrc.54580242&cid=EML|RSP|999|vrc.54580242&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=55presale

@Selion previously posted offer VXP23 a couple of weeks ago (Oct 7) under post #213.  Still, thanks for sharing.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and my email must be 🐌 slug-mail because I haven't received any recent emails or physical mailings from Viking with special offers.  looking over my email, I seem to get an offer email every 4 to 6 weeks and half the time it is the standard monthly EBD offer.  it's been since 8/12/22 that I received an email offer directly from Viking other than EBD.  It could be worse; some of our friends in Australia seem to be on a 🦥 sloth-mail route

24 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

Oceans - Rivers - Expedition??

looks like Offer FDA23 applies to the following Ocean voyages:

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/FDA23/20221001/ 

•    Alaska & the Inside Passage: May-Sep 2023; May-Sep 2024 departures
•    Amazon & Caribbean Adventure: Jan-Mar, Nov & Dec 2023; Jan & Mar 2024 departures
•    Atlantic Ocean Passage: Mar & Nov 2023 departures
•    Canada & New England Scenic Shores: Sep & Oct 2023 departures
•    Classic Panama Canal Passage: Feb, Oct-Dec 2023 departures
•    Eastern Seaboard Explorer: Jun, Jul & Sep 2023 departures
•    Grand Hawaii & Polynesia: Nov 2023 & Jan 2024 departures
•    Hawaiian Islands Sojourn: Dec 2023 & Feb 2024 departures
•    Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada: May, Jun & Aug 2023; Jun & Aug 2024 departures
•    Panama Canal & Central America: Oct & Nov 2022; Jan & Feb 2024 departures
•    Panama Canal & the Pacific Coast: Oct & Dec 2022; Jan & Mar 2024 departures
•    West Indies Explorer: Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec 2023; Jan & Feb 2024 departures
 

22 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

This just in....we have another promotion for UWDawg to translate.

It's for cruises identified as "closer to home".  Question- Do we all live in the same place?

Lots of free air and some cabin savings.

FDA23

Offer FDA23

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/FDA23/20221001/ 

All Inclusive Voyages
FREE Roundtrip Airfare

Offer ends Oct 31, 2022
 
Call 1-844-739-5930 for details.
Ask for Offer "FDA23"
Offer FDA23:
Offer valid on bookings made from Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2022. Reduced fares and free roundtrip airfare valid on Jun, Jul & Sep 2023 departures of Eastern Seaboard Explorer; Sep & Oct 2023 departures of Canada & New England Scenic Shores; Dec 2023 & Feb 2024 departures of Hawaiian Islands Sojourn; Nov 2023 & Jan 2024 departures of Grand Hawaii & Polynesia; Oct & Nov 2022; Jan & Feb 2024 departures of Panama Canal & Central America; Oct & Dec 2022; Jan & Mar 2024 departures of Panama Canal & the Pacific Coast; Mar & Nov 2023 departures of Atlantic Ocean Passage; Jan-Mar, Nov & Dec 2023; Jan & Mar 2024 departures of Amazon & Caribbean Adventure; May, Jun & Aug 2023; Jun & Aug 2024 departures of Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada; May-Sep 2023; May-Sep 2024 departures of Alaska & the Inside Passage; Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec 2023; Jan & Feb 2024 departures of West Indies Explorer; Feb, Oct-Dec 2023 departures of Classic Panama Canal Passage. Call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Oct 31, 2022; pay in full by Dec 15, 2022 or at time of booking if within 90 days of departure. Offer expires Oct 31, 2022.
 

In early 2021 and mid-2021, when I asked Viking reps about being placed on a waitlist for voyages in which I was interested, I was told that Viking doesn't maintain any formal waitlists.  However, the reps I talked to said they would keep an eye out for me and let me know if spots became available.  

14 minutes ago, millybess said:

"...the other spouse did spittings..."

The integrity of a system depends upon the integrity of the individual sub-systems. processes and people involved.  Unfortunately, some people are willing to compromise the health and safety of others so they themselves are not inconvenienced.  A sad situation, but it is what it is.  My brain isn't wired that way.  During the time frame of the 21/22 World Cruise, the daily saliva test was only one component of the comprehensive Covid prevention plan.  Luckily, the Covid situation as subsided to the point where the other aspects of the program are not required at this time.

In my opinion, the daily testing isn't that inconvenient... it's just a morning saliva/spit into a test tube and leave it at your cabin door.  Knowing that we had been tested daily and were not infected was somewhat comforting.  The mandatory wearing of face masks was far more impactful and impeded social activities.

That having been said, folks who's sample came back positive had their trip significantly impacted... confined to quarantine quarters for many days.  But at least the proactive testing curtailed the spread of the virus aboard. 

29 minutes ago, bassethounddog said:

Received this email last night. Winter Mediterranean Cruise Offer.  Free International Air and Stateroom Upgrade. AMW22

 

Winter Mediterranean Sale (viking.com)

Thank you @bassethounddog Interesting… this is an extension of the AMW22 offer previously posted (see posts #190 & #222), but the selection of applicable journeys is more limited.  They must have met their sales quota on some of the voyages/departures, but still have some available cabins. 

3 hours ago, SBR2022 said:

Just got this one this morning:

Offer AOP22: Offer valid on bookings made from Oct 20 to Oct 28, 2022. Complimentary category upgrade up to Deluxe Veranda (DV1) plus FREE international airfare valid on Dec 2022-Feb 2023 departures of Australia & New Zealand; Dec 2022 & Feb 2023 departures of South America & the Chilean Fjords; Jan-Mar 2023 departures of Amazon & Caribbean Adventure; Nov & Dec 2022 departures of Classic Panama Canal Passage; Nov 2022 departures of Bangkok, Bali & Beyond. Call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Oct 28, 2022; pay in full at time of booking. Offer expires Oct 28, 2022.

Adding link associated with Offer AOP22, which @SBR2022 posted.

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/AOP22/20221020/

2 hours ago, Twitchly said:

I would walk on hot coals for that Dole pineapple whip. 🍍 Fabulous!

I've never had a Dole pineapple whip.  I Googled to find out more and found some recipes... one had banana and one did not. 

• https://www.dole.com/en/recipes/all-recipes/dolewhip
• https://detoxinista.com/pineapple-whip/

Which sounds more authentic? 

What the heck... why not try both... and maybe even try another adding some rum.... hummm

1 hour ago, Squawkman said:

UWDawg - this is totally off-topic and off-Viking - but are you the same UWDawg that comments on WAPO?

@Squawkman Alas, the Dawg you seek is another.

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

... we sailway at 3 with our last stop (and post) being in Vancouver on October 24th. Until then …..

Wishing you fair winds and following seas for your voyage over the next week.  I assume you are going to again shuttle between Vancouver and Seattle.  I recall a flight we were taking to Europe back in 2016 that originated out of Vancouver and was supposed to start with a shuttle to Seattle then a transfer to a Delta flight to Amsterdam... the morning fog backed up the shuttle flights and we would miss our connecting flight out of SeaTac so we ended up staying the night in Vancouver before catching an Air France flight the next day.  While Vancouver is nice, we would have preferred the additional day in Europe.  I certainly hope your shuttle from Vancouver to Seattle goes well.  How long of a layover in Seattle will you have?

How much will discount codes really save you?
For what it’s worth… 
I thought I would do a quick compare.  We recently have seen a couple of offer codes posted for select Viking River Cruises (OCT22 and RVT22) promoting reduced fares and free airfare.  From the Viking web site I did a price and build with and without these offer codes to see what the resulting price would be.  I randomly selected the Grand European Tour, departing Amsterdam on 30 June 2023, because it was the longest cruise available under both offer codes OCT22 and RVT22.  I also randomly selected the lowest level Veranda stateroom for common comparison purposes.  It ends up that Viking is currently offering free airfare for this voyage even without an offer code.  Here are the results of my inquiry:

Without offer code: $14,998
With offer code OCT22: $13,998
With offer code RVT22: $13,998

So, with either offer code OCT22 or RVT22 I found a $1,000 cost savings over not having an offer code.  The savings could vary depending on the sailing, stateroom category, etc.  When I did a similar comparison on a different voyage some time ago [I think it was for an ocean cruise], I found that different offer codes provided different levels of discount for the same stateroom class.  And in some cases, I found the offer code didn’t provide any additional savings over what was available through the Viking web site without an offer code.  As always, your mileage may vary, but I wanted to share with others this example.

If you do use one of the offer codes posted in this thread, I suggest that you try to give some referral credit to the person who posted the offer code, so if Viking gives a referral incentive, they might receive that credit.  I’m not sure how that might work. 
 

The 2022/23 WC on the Neptune was announced/posted on 9 Dec 2020.  #1
The 2023/24 WC on the Neptune was announced/posted on 19 July 2021.  #2111
The 2023/24 WC on the Sky was announced/posted on 21 Aug 2021.  #2384

So here we are more than a year later… the 2024/25 WC could be announced at anytime.  

As @Heidi13 mentioned, since the 2022/23 and 2023/24 WC's closely followed the original 2021/22 WC itinerary, and since the ports included in these WC's are largely a collection of the ports included in Viking's Asia & Australia and Mediterranean voyages, pulling together the Viking WCs for the past couple of years was probably straight forward.  I'm thinking the next Viking WC will likely be a complete overhaul and require more planning and coordination.  Plus I'd guess that they are looking for the geo-political situation to settle a bit.

On 10/8/2022 at 4:26 PM, Clay Clayton said:

Will post again on Oct 14 from Maui!

It's now Oct 14 and I'm on pins and needles anxiously awaiting Clay's next post. 🏝️

31 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Since this is an operational issue that encompasses local regulations, any answer you receive may not be definitive, as you always have the potential for local officials making arbitrary decisions.

 

I have also seen a situation where tenders didn't operate on a schedule but were available to call. Viking always try to accommodate pax needs, so if you mention it onboard, advising when you will return to the dock, I have no doubt the ship will endeavour to get you back onboard.

I have to agree.  Viking goes above and beyond to accommodate passengers.  The crew however may have to find an alternative way to get back aboard if they miss the last tender.

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Anything is possible. We had to cancel # 3, so maybe in a couple of years.

 

You may want to search for World Cruise itineraries. I recall a number of months ago we discussed itineraries, with a list of ports of interest. I even threw together a quick itinerary. Unfortunately, I can't recall the name of the thread.

I believe this may be the start of the thread to which @Heidi13 refers in which a wish list of desired ports for a World Cruise was discussed:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2767734-december-22-2022-world-cruise-ft-lauderdale-to-london-incudes-la-dep-jan-8th/?do=findComment&comment=61127696

On 10/2/2022 at 2:07 PM, BaileyMJ said:

Just got this promotion via email:

 

WINTER MEDITERRANEAN SALE

---

Complimentary Stateroom Upgrade

plus FREE International Airfare

Offer ends Oct 7, 2022

---

Call 1-877-322-1523 for details.

Ask for Offer "AMW22"

 

Offer valid on bookings made from Oct 2 to Oct 7, 2022. Complimentary category upgrade up to Deluxe Veranda (DV1) plus free international airfare valid on Oct 2022 & Jan 2023 departures of Ancient Mediterranean Treasures; Nov-Dec 2022 & Jan 2023 departures of Iconic Western Mediterranean; Journey to Antiquities; Dec 2022 & Feb 2023 departures of Greek Odyssey; Jan 24, 2023 departure of Cities of Antiquities & the Holy Land; Dec 27, 2022 & Jan 10, 2023 departures of Ancient Mediterranean Antiquities; Dec 20, 2022 departure of Iconic Mediterranean Treasures; Dec 20 & 29, 2022 departures of Mediterranean Antiquities. Call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Oct 7, 2022; pay in full at time of booking. Offer expires Oct 7, 2022.

FYI.. I noticed that expiration for the AMW22 offer was extended from Oct 7 to Oct 21, 2022. @BaileyMJ originally posted offer AMW22 under post #190

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/AMW22/20221002 

WINTER MEDITERRANEAN SALE
Complimentary Stateroom Upgrade
plus FREE International Airfare

Complimentary category upgrade up to Deluxe Veranda (DV1) plus free international airfare valid on Oct 2022 & Jan 2023 departures of Ancient Mediterranean Treasures; Nov-Dec 2022 & Jan 2023 departures of Iconic Western Mediterranean; Journey to Antiquities; Dec 2022 & Feb 2023 departures of Greek Odyssey; Jan 24, 2023 departure of Cities of Antiquities & the Holy Land; Dec 27, 2022 & Jan 10, 2023 departures of Ancient Mediterranean Antiquities; Dec 20, 2022 departure of Iconic Mediterranean Treasures; Dec 20 & 29, 2022 departures of Mediterranean Antiquities.
 

23 minutes ago, Iloveketo said:

what does YMMV mean?

YMMV = Your mileage may vary

3 hours ago, Selion said:

Talking about free air, and now free booze...

 

South America sailings, book by Oct 31

Promo code: VXP23

 

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/expedition/VXP23/20220901

Not just South America... Promo Code VXP23 appears to apply to ALL '23 & '24 Expedition sailings!

https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/expedition/VXP23/20220901

Offer VXP23:
Offer valid on bookings made from Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2022. Free roundtrip airfare and complimentary Silver Spirits Beverage Package valid on all 2023 & 2024 expedition departures. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Air prices are per person based on cruise or cruise tour check-in date and include transfers. Air seats are limited; airfares are subject to change until full payment of air is received. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. Airfares vary on other gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City. Additional restrictions may apply; call for details. Book by Oct 31, 2022. 2023: Pay in full by Nov 30, 2022. 2024: Pay in full by Mar 31, 2023. Offer expires Oct 31, 2022.