SailorPaulH

22 minutes ago, SJD117 said:

Cruise lines are chasing the folks with money.

Direct mail pieces work - that's why they do them .... a lot

On 5/17/2023 at 11:06 AM, deec said:

I thought the "pot money"  was deposited in a community employee fund that could be accessed by staff for "emergencies"  such as sick kids or having to unexpectedly fly home.  I really wish Viking would be forthcoming with the truth of where the money goes.  I am really considering having it removed from our bill and giving a bigger tip to cabin stewards.

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 🙂

2 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

Anyone else think this topic has been thoroughly discussed to excess? Maybe time to close it? 

Woof!

1 hour ago, janetcbl said:

I don’t know that this would be the cost for everyone….I would imagine how much you paid for the cruise to be the deciding factor.

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

34 minutes ago, Hobson1754 said:

Great - the more the merrier👍

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.

5 hours ago, tigger8792 said:

We are going on Viking Homelands cruise this summer and leave on July 1.  I have a few question and would appreciate any help.

 

1.  What is the weather like for most of the trip?  Trying to decided what to pack as far as clothes.

2. Is it somewhat like an Alaskan cruise?  As far as daylight and weather.

3. What are some must see and do on the ship?

4 What are some must see and do at each port?

 

Thanks for any help.  

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.

4 minutes ago, SailorPaulH said:

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. 

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/

24 minutes ago, geffric said:

I too an wondering this..as far as  I can tell I won 't need to buy an oyster card as long as I have a no foreign transaction fee tap card or I can use Apple pay

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.

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Why?

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.

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

I can’t answer your first question about whether they will make the coffee in your personal mug but they do have cardboard cups with cozies/heat protectors and tops so you can get a coffee to go.  If you’re staying in the Living Room, it will be served in a ceramic cup with saucer. Upstairs at the WC, they have ceramic mugs.  I’m 95% sure that paper to go-cups are available up there also. 
 

The Nespresso machines in DV and above staterooms come with medium  roast and a decaf pods, ceramic cups, saucers, fancy spoons, non refrigerated creamers, and sugars. 

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

On 2/2/2023 at 11:26 PM, CurlerRob said:

 

A small teaser for Svalbard ... the caption means "Over all of Svalbard" (and it's not a joke). 🍺🥌

 

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.

6 hours ago, Tas353 said:

Thank you! Your posts were very helpful. I’m wondering how strenuous the bike ride was? 

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.

On 1/19/2023 at 2:53 PM, longterm said:

Congratulations! Such a great trip, you'll have a blast.

 

If you like walking, you might contact Marisa at toursbylocals.com; not only was she extremely nice, but she's an expert on Rome--she pointed out areas in the Roman Forum where she'd been part of a dig as an archaeology student. She likes to walk though!

There were a few things we didn't get to; I wish we'd seen the Appian Way, the aqueduct there, the Spanish Steps (although I understand it's usually crowded); we walked around Trastavere, but by the time we got there I was totally exhausted, so we probably missed a lot.

 

If you don't mind walking or heights, be sure to go on the wall walk in Dubrovnik; I'm really scared of heights but did it anyway somehow, and it's one of my favorite memories.

 

Also, be sure to find time for lunch in Dubrovnik and Split; in Dubovnik, after walking the wall, we were wandering down the main street inside the walled city, and looked down an alley to the right, and saw a cafe called Proto, where I had the best fish I've ever had. As we were leaving, having asked about a place to buy local olive oil, the waiter handed me a new jar of their own bottled olive oil, which we still have.

 

In Split, there are cafes along the promenade facing the water; we wandered into one for lunch and had an excellent meal there.

 

If you stay at the Intercontinental in Athens, ask about the little Greek restaurant about a block away; unfortunately, the restaurant in the hotel is overly expensive and not so hot; we only had dinner there once and were disappointed.

 

I think it was in Bari Italy that we wandered into a shop called Silk and Silky, ended up buying a really exquisite silk rug--they're good salesmen, that's for sure. Saw us coming a mile away. But the rugs are beautiful, and we don't regret our purchase. 

 

We didn't see the waterfalls near Split, but were told they were magnificent; our time in the town was really nice though.

 

Trying to think of other highlights... there were so many. You'll have an incredible trip!

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?

3 hours ago, Tas353 said:

We are doing this cruise in June……Copenhagen to Sweden. Several stops have options to do a biking excursion. I’m looking for information from anyone that has done one. 
Two of them are:

 

Mariehamm, Alan’s Islands - Alan’s islands by bike

 

 Visby, Sweden - Biking around Visby

 

Also, Berlin looks like a long day but interesting. Any recommendations?
 

Any information for this cruise would be appreciated!

 

 

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.

2 hours ago, longterm said:

My wife and I have a maxim that we live by; we both worked hard for everything we have, both from families whose parents had no money to leave their kids. We have a great life, are able to take these wonderful cruises, and like to pay it foward.

 

We live by this, which I read somewhere many years ago: "Never pass up the impulse to be generous."

 

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. 

15 hours ago, red4u2 said:

Hi everyone! New to Viking --------I've searched the boards and haven't been successful at finding answers for this particular itinerary.

I'm looking to put a deposit down for a 2024 sailing on the Saturn for this cruise and haven't been able to find approximate port times for Norway.

 

Has anyone been on Iceland's Majestic Landscapes and can share please?     I'm hoping the Norway port times aren't just six hour ports like some other lines. Especially Flam!

 

Thank you all in advance!

 

p.s.  Why doesn't Viking post their port times like all the other main stream lines?  any ideas?

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

On 1/16/2023 at 3:13 PM, longterm said:

We went on the Rome, Adriatic and Greece cruise this past March, and loved it.

 

We arrived in Rome 5 days early and booked a guide for walking tours on 2 days, then a guide for a food tour the first night, as well as a 3rd guide for the Vatican Museum on the last day. The hotel arranged a driver to get us to the ship at the port in Civitavecchia, and it was excellent having a private driver to get us there. We *could have* booked the train for much cheaper but would have had to shlep our bags from the train into the port, which is quite substantial.

 

We also did the post extension in Athens and and really enjoyed it, felt like the tours were good and it was worth the money.

 

If I were to do it again I don't think I'd change a thing; I found a great hotel called Argentina Residenza in the Argentina district, which put us about a 5 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon; I highly recommend it--there are lots of excellent restaurants just 1 or 2 minutes away, and literally across the street from us was the square where Julius Caesar was assassinated. 

 

We used www.thetourguy.com to book the Vatican tour guide and the nighttime food tour (both were very good); we used www.toursbylocals.com for the 2 walking tour days. Our guide Marisa has a degree in archaeology, had worked in the Roman Forum, and was excellent. She walked us all over--probably 6-7 miles each day.

 

 

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!

21 hours ago, longterm said:

We went on the Rome, Adriatic and Greece cruise this past March, and loved it.

 

We arrived in Rome 5 days early and booked a guide for walking tours on 2 days, then a guide for a food tour the first night, as well as a 3rd guide for the Vatican Museum on the last day. The hotel arranged a driver to get us to the ship at the port in Civitavecchia, and it was excellent having a private driver to get us there. We *could have* booked the train for much cheaper but would have had to shlep our bags from the train into the port, which is quite substantial.

 

We also did the post extension in Athens and and really enjoyed it, felt like the tours were good and it was worth the money.

 

If I were to do it again I don't think I'd change a thing; I found a great hotel called Argentina Residenza in the Argentina district, which put us about a 5 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon; I highly recommend it--there are lots of excellent restaurants just 1 or 2 minutes away, and literally across the street from us was the square where Julius Caesar was assassinated. 

 

We used www.thetourguy.com to book the Vatican tour guide and the nighttime food tour (both were very good); we used www.toursbylocals.com for the 2 walking tour days. Our guide Marisa has a degree in archaeology, had worked in the Roman Forum, and was excellent. She walked us all over--probably 6-7 miles each day.

 

 

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!