H2Otstr

3 hours ago, lextrvlr said:

Just returned home after our first Viking  cruise where my wife and I attended the Meet and Mingle party. My wife and I, 5 officers, many trays of hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, stewards to pass them, and the entire Wintergarden all to ourselves. Sixteen were expected and we were the only two to show up! Embarrassing! Why should Viking continue this gracious welcome if invitations are ignored?

We had three couples show up for ours.  It was embarrassing. So many staff and officers showed up. 

Peregrina, I am on the same travel panel that you are. I am not interested in any of the stops they asked about. 

I canceled my cruise and am getting all all my money back. 

12 hours ago, greywills said:

Mahogany - I believe we are in the same cruise with you leaving Dec 27 from Miami.    I looked on My Viking Journey this afternoon and for that date it showed  “New Port TBA” so I am hoping they substitute another port for Santiago de Cuba rather than another sea day.  We are disappointed not to be going to Cuba as we have never been but we aren’t going to cancel.  

Sara

I got an email from my TA that said Viking was going to decide what to do about our cruise in a couple weeks. My cruise was at the end of January and my final payment is due in a couple weeks. I don't want to make final payment and then decide I don't like the substituted cruise. I might just cancel the cruise. I might lose $100 per person but it's better than having all my money tied up for who-knows-how-long. 

The spa appointment were very busy. I got a Swedish massage and it was wonderful. That hour went by so quickly. 

We went last year in December. I wore a long sleeved sweater with a puffy vest over it and I was warm enough. The only day I was really cold was when we went to Florence. It was quite blustery there. One man didn't have a coat on at all and looked very cold. 

12 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Okay for World Cruise but might not work if your cruise is only a week long.

We never did get a time slot that we wanted in Manfredi’s on our week cruise to the Med. All 6 to 7 or 7:30 times were gone right away. We checked once on board and couldn’t get reservations either. Only 8 pm or later were available and we just don’t eat that late. I’m glad we had been on other cruises and were able to eat there because it was very good. 

9 hours ago, just_dont said:

I used to use zip ties, too. But if TSA decides to inspect your bag, they'll clip it off, and then the zipper isn't secured. I even used to leave a spare zip tie inside so they could re-secure it, but when my bag was chosen, they didn't use the spare.
At least with a TSA lock they'll re-lock it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

My TSA locks, on three different occasions, were cut and thrown away. I guess that is easier than using a key. A note was left in my suitcase once and the other two times my suitcase (and my husband’s) were opened illegally. 

My husband’s suitcase was destroyed on our last trip. Delta replaced it with a new one. 

On 2/17/2019 at 5:09 PM, caviargal said:

 

A little noro goes a long way  but it appears that it is currently under control. 

It was enough to  close gym, hot tubs, common spa areas and quarantine some passengers, as well as control service in whatever the buffet restaurant is called.  

From live reports now, normalcy has been restored. 

  Caviargal, can you give us an update for the Cuba cruise that you did? Did Viking provide your visa or did you get your own? 

13 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

So is washing hands effective against noro or also a placebo?

FROM THE CDC Website:

You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But, you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water at removing norovirus particles. See “Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives.”

2 hours ago, ArizonaGal said:

 

That's strange, the booklet I have for our embarkation in Barcelona doesn't say anything about bringing the booklet for scanning purposes there.  Guess I'll take it just in case and have it in my carry on.

The booklet is not scanned, just glanced at. The port agent asked to see it before we walked through the scanner.  This was our third Viking OC and we have never been asked to show our booklet before this last cruise which was in  December. We did not have to show our booklets in November when we did Into the Midnight Sun, embarking in Greenwich.  

59 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

That is an interesting tidbit to know. I guess there is an exception to every "rule." Where you arriving on your own or on a Viking transfer?

 

My other question is if anyone else has run into this for any other ports.

I had forgotten about that, but we had to show our booklet in Barcelona before going through the scanner. We did have Viking Transfer, too. I had everything put away since I didn't think I would need anything beside my ship card and had to get it out of my carry on. 

6 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

On our Star sailing we saw guests at the desk in WC every day making and changing reservations.  Toward the end of the cruise we inquired about Manfredi's and was told it was totally booked.  As others recommended we stopped at Manfredi's hostess desk and were told they might be able to accommodate us after 8pm.   Returned at 8:15pm and were seated immediately.  Love Manfredi's, so did the same thing the following night.

On our last cruise, Dec of 2018, we were unable to get a reservation for the time we wanted at Manfredi's. The only available times were either 8 pm or 8:30 pm and we just don't dine that late. I am glad that we were able to experience dining there on two other cruises. The food is great. 

26 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Agree that signing up to the Meet an Mingle is a good idea.  On our New Year cruise the Hotel Director was persuaded to ask the group to introduce themselves with their cruise critic name and some background like, where they were from and how many Viking cruises etc.  I found this extremely helpful, as it was nice to put a name to a face.  However this has not been done on our previous Viking cruises but has always been part of our Meet and Mingle parties on Azamara where the Cruise Director hosts the party.

That is a very good idea. I did bring name tags for the first two M&Ms. On this last cruise there were only three Cruise Critic members, along with their spouses, who showed up. There was more staff than participants. 

There is plenty of room for a bouquet of flowers. My husbands and I each bring a small basket for our odds and ends and put those on the desk. There is also a good size coffee table where one could place flowers. 

3 hours ago, Parsley Cruises said:

I don't suppose it would have taken all that long to get the bags off the bus, however, I wouldn't have been very amused - flying business class I want to get into the lounge asap.  I wouldn't have to 'check in' as such, merely drop bags off (check in done 24 hrs or so previously via app, and seats already reserved).  I know that the Viking people have to be meticulous etc., but I don't find sitting in a bus very comfortable at the best of times.

 

Oh well, it is what it is.  However recently when doing a post-cruise extension we were able to get on a bus from the hotel earlier than planned, and enjoyed exploring the airport and relaxing in the business lounge.

 

I don't see why the passengers couldn't be allowed to get off the bus as the bags were being extracted from the baggage hold.

We were asked to stay on the bus for 5 to 10 minutes so the bus driver could get the luggage off in an orderly manner without the passengers jumping on top of him trying to grab their bags. It can get pretty crowded with a bus load of people all standing around waiting for their luggage. It was a very good way to handle the situation. 

12 hours ago, Islandbc said:

Interesting to hear about the ice buckets.  We didn't have one in our DV6 cabin on the last cruise.  I guess we could have asked for one.  Perhaps it is due to the fact that we didn't use any of the beverages left in the frig.

We didn’t have one in our DV6 room, either. I asked our cabin attendant to provide a bucket and fill it each morning and evening. I like to have extra ice to put in a baggie to put on my knee after being out all day. He did forget the first couple days so I left a note and he had our ice bucket filled every day after that. 

9 hours ago, alc13 said:

It's no hardship drinking from a glass without a straw, I've found, if you are not an invalid I mean.  I've gotten in the habit of leaving them on the table unwrapped.  I like supporting this movement.

  I ordered Iced tea and the straw came IN the glass, not handed to me separately. There was a small piece of paper on the top of the straw. 

We had plastic straws on the Sky last week. 

We are doing that tour with Grand Circle in March 2019. 

We are booked for the Bordeaux area in March with Grand Circle. 

APT is the Australian branch of AMA. You can find both AMA and APT groups on the same sailing. 

There was a man on our cruise who demanded that his coffee machine be removed and replaced with a kettle. You can always ask to see if that is possible. 

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Each cruise is different and on the shorter cruises, the available slots get pretty well filled up by the higher categories, which not only get to book sooner but also can make more advanced reservations per cruise.

I forgot to schedule my specialty dining on the morning it opened and by the afternoon the only times left were 8 to 8:30 pm. I'll wait till I get on board to see if there are any earlier spots open. If not, we'll just dine in The Restaurant. 

This may sound like a silly question, but are there any other beverages available besides tea (coffee, water)?

 

My husband drinks tea and we both enjoy the sandwiches, scones, and other treats, but I do not drink tea at all. I would be quite happy with water.

I know they will serve coffee; just ask. I bet there are other beverage choice, too.