SailorPaulH

How do you remove it from your bill? From the Viking FAQ: "To save you worry over whom to tip and how much, we automatically add a discretionary hotel and dining charge of $17.00 USD per guest per day to your shipboard account, which appears on your final invoice at the end of your cruise." That is if you haven't pre-paid the gratuities before the cruise. Also from the FAQ: "Please note this charge excludes bar gratuity; a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs." I always took this to mean the cost of drinks (charged to your account or as part of the Silver Spirits package) included a gratuity, so I am not tipping bartenders from drink to drink. I tipped our two cabin stewards extra at the end of our cruise last year (above our pre-paid gratuity charge). That seemed fair, appropriate and sufficient.

I read somewhere that the deliveries of future VOC ships from 2024 onwards will be ships that are longer (to allow incorporation of fuel cell tech) and will have more staterooms. So perhaps there will be a different series of naming conventions.

I saw someone using a wrist band card holder, which seems like a neat idea.

Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rolling Stones .... I might even go the shows next time 🙂

Woof!

I received a quote for $200 ($100/pp) upgrade that covered the $5.4k in vouchers we had applied to our 2024 cruise.

I e-mailed tellus also. This development is disturbing. On a lighter note, I am going to be investigating whether I can register myself as an "emotional support animal" as it seems that an ESA travels for free. I have been told by DW that I am easily trained, compliant, capable of learning new tricks and I come with the added bonus of working for just food and drinks.

I predict the coming lawsuits when passengers fall sick from foodborne illnesses on ships where animals are allowed in ship's restaurants will be epic.

We went on this cruise in September 2022. We lucked out on the weather as we anticipated more rain for the Fall in Scandinavia. Summer in Scandinavia is always nice, but rain is always possible.

Here are some links that may be more up-to-date than my memory: https://independenttravelcats.com/tips-for-buying-using-the-oyster-card-in-london/ https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/pay-public-transport-london-oyster-contactless-best/

One reason I can recall is that the Oyster card has a capping system so that once a certain level of charges incurred in Zones 1 & 2 is reached, any more transport that is used that day is free. I think there is a daily and a weekly cap.

If you are proceeding on your own self-organized post-extension, does the disembarkation process change at all --> Do you still leave your bags outside on the last night? Or can you take the luggage down yourself in the morning and jump ship independently and early and be on your way? Maybe this a port-specific situation, so it is Reykjavik disembarkation I have specifically in mind for future planning. Thanks.

It made it easy to carry two coffees and two plates back to the cabin. Probably not the only solution but one that worked for me.

I took that tray shown in the photo down to the Viking bar each morning.

I follow the vlog of Cecilia Blomdahl (on YouTube) who lives in Longyearbyen, Svalbard - many great videos of life and nature in Svalbard. Locals must be armed when outside the town limits for last resort defense against polar bears.

The Aland bike excursion was listed as "Moderate". If you are in decent shape - you should have no issues, everyone in our group were enthusiastic or recreational cyclists. There were no inclines to speak of - mostly flat roads (or trails in a park), many stops for info and sight-seeing, and snacks. We did about 12 miles in 3.5 hours. The bikes were not too comfortable.

Thanks for all the great input and tips. One question for you: on your DIY pre-extension, what was your preferred mode of transport from the airport to your hotel in the Argentina district?

In the thread of our Viking Homelands cruise, posts 10, 26, 27 have our accounts of cycling in Aland, and our day in Berlin.

We have only been on one VOC, but we really liked our PS2 (#7006) on the Jupiter. Lots of room with plenty of storage space and a sizeable and comfortable bathroom. It is situated half-way between the forward elevators and the Explorers Lounge. It's on the same deck as Mamsen's, Wintergarden, Pool Grill, and World Cafe. Access to free laundry services was fine for me and allowed me to pack minimally for this cruise (especially useful if you are traveling with Captain Overpack). We have the same cabin next year on the Venus.

Exactly this. We had two great cabin stewards on our recent 2-week cruise, and we were happy to do what we thought was right by them.

We are going on an IML in July 2024 (Bergen -> Reykjavik) on Viking Venus. Port times shown in my Guest Statement are as follows: Bergen: depart 6 pm Flam: arrive 8 am, depart 6 pm Alesund: arrive 8 am, depart 11 pm Geiranger: arrive 8 am, depart 6 pm

Well, we pulled the trigger and we booked ourselves the Italy, The Adriatic & Greece cruise from Rome to Athens in July 2025 along with the Classic Greece post-extension. We plan to arrive (and stay) in Rome early for a DIY pre-extension: your report gave us some great ideas to adapt for us - thank you!

Thank you so much, and I finally re-found your great trip report also!

Would appreciate feedback on this cruise, specifically Rome -> Athens direction. 1. If taking a pre-extension, e.g., Ultimate Italy - Tuscany, this would seem to eliminate Rome as a port of actual visit (due to the distance of Civitavecchia from Rome). If so, and the goal is to spend some time Rome, then either a Rome pre-extension with VOC or probably better yet a self-directed stay in Rome is the way to go?? Is getting from central Rome to the cruise port on embarkation day easy enough if DIY? 2. Any feedback on the value of the post-extensions? "Athens" and "Classic Greece"? Thanks!

Here ya go - remember on our particular itinerary, we went to two ports that are not typical on Viking Homelands (Gothenburg, Flam), and prices do tend to change year to year, but this will give you a ballpark estimate. VH_091122_Jupiter.pdf