AZ_Tim

This does not sound like the ship we just spent 32 days on. The burgers at the Pool Grill were not thin, gray discs, but nice thick and well grilled. They are cooking on an electric flattop, so you can't expect to get the same flavor as from a wood or charcoal grill. Every time I got a burger, the bun was nicely toasted. The only issue I had was one evening in the Restaurant, I ordered the New York strip steak medium well and it came out on the rare side of medium. I had to send the second one back, too as it was even less cooked than the first. They finally got it right on the third try. On all previous VO cruises, the steak always came out exactly the way I ordered. There will be hiccups occasionally, just don't let it be the dominant thing that you take away from your cruise. Kate, the Cruise Director, was the best we have had yet. I loved her Scottish accent.

Thanks for your clarification about medical evacuation from a ship. It makes sense that non-government helicopters would not be allowed to attempt evacuation from a cruise ship.

It's good to hear that he is doing well enough to text you. I'm not sure of the exact time, but I think it was around 8pm when the pickup was made. At that time, the crew was closing the Sun Deck and the outside part of the Explorers Lounge. This is a reminder that you can be days rather than hours away from any medical help greater than they can provide on board. It's also a reminder of why we buy trip insurance, for the coverage outside the US and for medical evacuation costs.

On board Viking Star, also. We don't have to be in U.S. waters, but we must be within range for the helicopter to make the trip to the ship and return. I understood the captain to say we should reach the rendezvous point around 5:45pm.

We were in 5075 on one cruise and liked the location. As you said, it is close to the stairs & elevator, but we did not notice any noise from those areas. Of the others you listed I would favor 5025, 4035 and 4105 over 4002/4003. We were in 4009 on our most recent cruise, and it seemed like a long hike to anywhere from that far forward. We did not notice any difference in motion between 5075 and 4009. You might, however, if conditions were really rough.

So that's why there was a big mop-up operation going on in that area one day! We encountered that on our way to the World Cafe and wondered what was going on.

I think the Bi-Polars are far more unpredictable.

We were on the Aug 2 Bergen to New York trip on the Saturn. We made both stops in Greenland as scheduled. Prince Christian Sound was amazing. It was cloudy the whole time we were in Greenland. The day we stopped in Nanortalik, it was quite rainy. Qaqortoq the next day was cloudy with very little rain. No matter when you go, you are likely to encounter wet weather. We prefer to use rain jackets and pants rather than umbrellas, though we do carry small umbrellas. A lot of people like the umbrellas provided by Viking, but we find them to be too big and unwieldy.

That was in an Explorer Suite. Do not expect to find one in lower category staterooms. My only complaint about the mirror for shaving was, as MrRandal mentioned, where the light was located above your head, resulting in shadows, and causing some bobbing and weaving trying to illuminate the areas I was trying to shave.

Well, I would think that would be better than face first!😵

They have a reservation desk at the entrance to the World Cafe on the port side. They man the desk when the Cafe is open. Actually, it won't take as much of your time as you might think. If you are booking shore excursions at Guest Services on deck 1, they can make dining reservations at the same time. I would place a higher priority on getting the shore excursions you want, as availability is often based on what Viking's contractors can provide. Specialty dining reservations are not difficult to obtain. Enjoy your cruise.

Plan B could be booking your own flights. This way you would have a better chance of getting flights that you find suitable. You would have a little more control over where you connect, flight and connection times, etc. It does seem like San Juan is one of those locations that has less desirable flight options currently than in the past.

That was one of the highlights of our South American Fjords cruise. We had the clearest view of the Southern Cross and Milky Way you could ask for. The stargazing is the reason you will see red lights instead of white on the forward part of the Sports Deck.

We take our own compact umbrellas because the Viking ones are way too big and unwieldy. They are definitely the size of golf umbrellas. That makes me wonder, why are golf umbrellas so big? I prefer having a bar of soap in the shower rather than the gel stuff, so asking for an extra bar of soap for the bathroom is a good idea.