$hip$hape

13 minutes ago, mom says said:

Well I suppose he could bring his own wee travel shakers. 

Sorry, On this hot afternoon,  I'm only following this thread as a fellow pax.

BTW, I like the word "wee" . (You are showing your Scottish/Canadian )😎

'Not used much in the States.😊

6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I'm not touching the salt shakers........

Then how do you get salt?🤔

12 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I have not experienced any bad behavior myself. 

No nose picking, no burping.  None of that, really.

We once sat next to a nice elderly gentleman man, dressed in a suit .

Problem was, he smelled of urine.

I tell you this because, otherwise,  our cruise was perfect,

and I have no other imperfections to squeal on.😀

Life happens.

5 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

But what about all those other people who are in those toilets who might not wash their hands

without anyone there to reproach them for their gruesomely unsanitary behavior? 

They and their hands will be circulating among us, touching things, shaking hands, touching you, sitting at the same table, passing the salt shaker, relentlessly spreading their nasty germs to everyone. 

Whatever will you do?  

The horror! You should stay home and avoid the worry(?)

On 7/19/2019 at 11:46 AM, CILCIANRQTS said:

Atlantis resort in the Bahamas  is up for sale, according to this news feed.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-18/brookfield-is-said-to-explore-sale-of-atlantis-resort-in-bahamas

 

One can only speculate on the potential impact on future operations - prices, passes, access.

 

 

It's too bad but, IMHO,

the owners of Atlantis quit investing in their gem, when the Chinese started building Baha Mar.

Even though Atlantis still advertises, they let the place run down.

Hopefully, a new owner will invest in renovations; It's such a beautiful sight!

Now The Baha Mar is the place to go in Nassau.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha_Mar

&

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147416-d12973994-Reviews-Baha_Mar_Casino-Nassau_New_Providence_Island_Bahamas.html

Again, this is only my opinion.

Michael

5 hours ago, clo said:

On Saturdays we always have feijoada at The Deck, also mentioned, in the link. 

It's right across from the beach.

 

I tried to connect to "The  Deck", but it seems their website is not working.

Any help?

5 hours ago, clo said:

We have celebratory lunches in Leblon but away from the beach.  But here's a link that mentions a couple:

https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/brazil/articles/the-best-beach-bars-in-rio-de-janeiro/

 

On Saturdays we always have feijoada at The Deck, also mentioned, in the link.  It's right across from the beach.

PS:  We consider more than two caipirinhas to be dangerous...in a good way 🙂

Thanks for the link

Maybe an old quote...

Caipirinhas...

"The first one is good, the second one is better,

the third one, you don't remember." 

LOL

To my point,

just looking for a reliable transport back to the ship.

22 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Sadly, it is a state of mind that has no correlation to economic status.

Nice quote. In the past, We have been to dinner with jacket and tie table-mates, that smelled like urine. Please be clean and respectful.

1 hour ago, $hip$hape said:

Back to the original subject,

VIKING continues ambitious payment policy

It seems to be keeping the rift-raft out.

 

Sorry, I'm being a troll right now.

And, looking at dress codes.

Even though I bring a sports coat, I may not wear it every night to dinner.

Yes, Rift-raft is a misspelling... maybe on purpose.

Back to the original subject,

VIKING continues ambitious payment policy

It seems to be keeping the rift-raft out.

Sorry, I'm being a troll right now.

And, looking at dress codes.

Even though I bring a sports coat, I may not wear it every night to dinner.

On 6/23/2019 at 3:54 AM, Dylandude said:

Can any one recommend a private tour in Rio?

We have been before, so can skip the main sights.

We have also been to Rio before.

Wonderful Memories, so we are willing to skip any sights..

We just want to know, how to get a simple ride from the cruise port,

and enjoy a  day at Lablon Beach, south of Ipanema,

and a recommendation for the name of a beachfront bar for a few ciparinians

before heading back to the ship, before 5PM .

31 minutes ago, Babr said:

Wow! Viking has lots of ways to confound the unsuspecting.  

Another reason to tread carefully.

 

It's not simple.

WE actually paid Viking ahead, in full, to secure our flights/seats through Viking Air. 

In the past, we have waited for Viking to pay for flights and, by that time,

were lucky to get overseas flights with seats together, as it was nearly sold out.  

If one does not know how to handle Viking,

I suggest you get a Travel Agent you can/may trust.

So, why are we back.?

Once on the Viking Cruise, we have always had a wonderful time !

The ships and staffs have always been very good.

7 hours ago, Bake apple said:

 I understand Avalon, Uniworld, AMA and Emerald have more reasonable policies

from 90 to 120 before start of cruise.

 

It is disappointing for sure and I am wondering

why the North American market is not pushing back at this stance. 

 

Maybe, since Viking (customers) pay for the bulk of attractive, European River Cruise advertising,

these other lines can get a free ride, and offer better policies & discount prices? 

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

>>>

Also, does the insurance automatically disappear (and I am talking about 3rd party insurance, not buying it from the cruise line) if you cancel a trip and don't immediately rebook?

I don't know the answer to this  but perhaps worth finding out.

 

 

For our upcoming Viking Ocean,

WE canceled (had to cancel our booking and lose $200) our booking with Viking to get their latest,

reduced fare with a new booking number.

Our third party insurance was automatically transferred to the new booking number.

However, friends our ours, who bought insurance through Viking,

were told if they wanted the reduced fare they would lose their insurance.

The Viking insurance could only be transferred to a future Viking cruise,

NOT the same cruise; Viking Insurance disappears.

For them, the reduced fare was not worth it.

28 minutes ago, clo said:

We have two days on ship in Rio before we sail. 

So we're going to embark after lunch at The Deck. 

The next day, Sunday, we'll leave the ship again to go to the Hippie Fair and see some old friends.

i am so happy to see the "Hippie Fair" is continuing after so many years !

'years ago,  Bought a painting, and a linen suit  for me brother.

It was a perfect day !

Still looking at booking "The Deck"

1 hour ago, clo said:

We used to have an apt in Copa and our fave place for feijoada on Saturday and caipirinhas is The Deck, not very far south at all from the Copacabana Palace.

https://deckrestaurante.com.br/localizacao/

 

Thank you for the Nice information !

If we only had days,  not hours,  in Rio ! 

In the past, Rio de Janeiro...It was wonderful.! 

I told me DW, if one of us should die,

I would like to return again . LOL

On 7/3/2019 at 12:05 AM, broberts said:

 

If you are looking for a list of the most recent posts it can be found at

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/discover/.

You can also navigate there by going to the Activity tab and selecting the leftmost item All Activity.

Thank you for posting! 

8 hours ago, lkcous said:

Good Morning....Can I do a single up grade from an oceanview room or do you have to start at an inside and go from there? I currently have about 22,000 points and not sure if we will make it up to 60,000 points by next april, for the double meta. We are going to do the 11day hawaii cruise on the jewel!! :) We Just got back from Bermuda....Beautiful!!  And what category do I need to book? Thanks Lisa

Please. Save your points for a double-meta upgrade. Don’t use them in April. Look for another cruise, maybe a year out, and negotiate for one of the best cabins. Take your time.

On 6/24/2019 at 6:55 PM, Mrs f. said:

Dylandude....Marcelo at DOBRAZILRIGHT also seems quite reputable.  I just booked him for Recife,Brazil. 

Thanks... we are already in contact! 

https://www.dobrazilright.com/

I have re-learn how to spell "caipirinha".

On 6/24/2019 at 6:55 PM, Mrs f. said:

Dylandude....Marcelo at DOBRAZILRIGHT also seems quite reputable.  I just booked him for Recife,Brazil. 

Oh my!

Thank you all for this information! (at the right time).

WE have also been to Rio before.

We'll be visiting , this time, on the  Viking Jupiter , from Barcelona, in November, 2019, but we will only have about 8 hours.

After seeing all the RIO sights before, this time, we'd just like to get off the ship in the morning

and just go to Copacabana or Ipanema Beach, before it gets too hot.

Then spend a casual lunch with a Caipirinha (k-eye-per-reen-yah) or two, before heading back to the boat.

How may I find the latest posts on Cruise Critic? 

On the old Cruise Critic site they popped up automatically.

One more time... (I have been on this thread for years.)

Save up, and do a double-meta-upgrade. (We have saved hundreds of dollars).

However, recently,  we have cancelled this Norwegian Bank of America Card,

since we have switched to Celebrity Cruises.

We now have a Celebrity/Royal Caribbean Bank of America Card.

Note: It only offers points for on-board-credit, and NO double-meta-upgrades. 

If you want to keep it simple, just take the CASH option, as a second best choice.

I keep getting ads from Cruise Critic about "Find A Cruise" .

However, when I fill in their drop down menu for South America / November 2019 / from Barcelona,  

the only cruise that appears is (one) MSC cruise.

Is this because Cruise Critic does not like Viking, or am I doing something wrong?

Minutes later..... Found it.... Our Cruise to South America came up when I picked "Transatlantic"

instead of South America.

I'd like to see my "roll-call" for/on our upcoming Viking Cruise,

however, when I go to "MANAGE  FOLLOWED CONTENT, it is never there.

What am I doing wrong?

On 5/22/2019 at 3:58 PM, Zippeedee said:

I used 60,000 points to upgrade from inside to a balcony on the Bliss Panama Canal next year. In order to get the balcony I wanted (forward near the elevators) I had to book a family inside. I saved almost $4000 for a solo, 21 day cruise. There have been three price drops since I booked so I have saved an extra $900. Watch your cruise for the category you booked and call! Just make sure you tell the rep about the upgrade.

Not every CSR knows how to process the price drop without messing up your upgrade. 

I'm amazed that people will settle for $600 for 60,000 credits when it can be worth so much more!

I agree. You caught my attention since WE used our 60,000 points on the NCL Bliss Panama Canal Cruise , November 03-17, 2018. You have to educate yourself BEFORE talking to a NCL rep....some, it seems, have never heard of a "double meta upgrade". Don't settle for the first thing one of them offers... Time is on your side.

However, the sooner you book, the more (nice) cabins are available.

WE, on the other hand, have switched to a Celebrity Bank of America Card,

since we have a few Celebrity Cruises in the future. 

Just found out they do not offer the same benefits as the Norwegian Card.