Peregrina651

Thanks for that info. I was wondering. I have always wanted to do a maiden voyage and just happened to stumble into this one because we were looking for a January cruise that wasn't a 14 hour flight. Now we just have to hope the Vesta is delivered on time.

I just booked Vesta for "Malta" in Jan, 2026. It's also on the schedule for same in March. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-vesta.html

Interesting.

I can't say anything about dry cleaning but my packing plan is based 100% on letting Viking handle my laundry (I'm on vacation!). I have lost count of how many bags of laundry I have handed over since I first cruised with Viking Oceans in 2016 and I have never had a problem. Nothing lost. Nothing shrunk. Nothing mangled. No complaints.

Can you share the URL for this information?

Viking gives you arrival and departure times. Back on the boat time would normally be 7:30pm. Allow at least half an hour, if not more, to get from Civi train station to ship, especially if you run into the problem that the cab cannot drop you at the dock and you have to wait at the gate for a shuttle to get you to the ship (there is no walking from the gate to the ship) or there are more people waiting for cabs than there are cabs. In Jan 2002, Rome was the coldest weather we encountered in a two week trip -- and it was a biting, to the bone cold.

THANK YOU!!! That is exactly what I was sitting down to write -- and you have said it so much better than I was doing, too. N.B., the 20 day cruise is only being offered on those sailings departing from Shanghai -- so southbound 3 flavors, northbound only 2. If they are simply repeating the old routines from the river days, then the land portions will be fully escorted and include all meals. Breakfast in the hotels was a huge buffet. Lunches were usually family style Chinese cuisine served on huge lazy-suzans. No trouble getting vegetarian. Dinners were either buffet or family-style -- with no ability to predict in advance what it would be. Prior to Covid, the China river cruises did almost exactly what is being proposed here. The river ships turned around every five days. There were at least two sailings in country most days -- the pax on the ship, the pax who just disembarked and then almost simultaneously the pax about to dismbark and this does not include folks doing pre- and post-cruise extensions..To a certain extent, this will be easier because a new group arrives every 10 days. To a certain extent, it won't be because there will be so many people. However, the Viking staff in China is amazingly well trained and the hardest working I have ever seen.They dragged us around China by day and organized the next day by evening. It was rare that two buses were ever at the same venue at the same time; that takes preparation. However, we don't know what the Viking staff did during Covid and no idea how quickly they will be back in rhythm again. There are very few flight plans for North American pax that don't involve some sort of connection to get to China. Flights out of Chicago fly a polar route and some pax on the east coast may fly east bound.

Just keep in mind that port times can change from sailing to sailing.

I figure that what Viking is doing is taking their river cruisetour and replacing the river portion with an ocean portion. That means that they already have the land portion down pat and they are building on it. We did our first Viking cruise on the Yangtze and it has been our golden standard for management and organization ever since.

Here is yet another take on your situation. If it is the Borghese you want, then plan to do it on your own, without depending on Viking. The calendar on MyVikingJourney.com or the latest edition of your Viking Guest Statement will tell you the currently scheduled arrival and departure times. Back on board time is usually 30 minutes before departure. Double the info once you are on board. "On you own" can mean anything from hiring a car and driver to take you from Civi to the Borghese and back to taking the train to Rome and back and using cabs or public transit to get around Rome. Me, I'd be at the top of the gangplank ready to grab the first cab I see on the pier to take me to the Civi train station or else the port shuttle to the front gate, then cab to the train station. In Rome, I'd take a cab because I would too excited to bother with subways and walking. If available and if I have an internet connection, I might consider Uber. But you know best what works for you. BUT, if you decide that heading into Rome is too much, I would heartily recommend either Ostia (Ancient Rome's seaport) or Taquinia (Etruscan Necropolis and quaint hillside town with Etruscan Archeological Museum). Not the Borghese (because nothing else is) but quite fulfilling with somewhat less wear and tear.

I'm with Rob. DV6 above the MDR, just aft of The Atrium, any cabin 3060 to 3073. They are quiet and not a lot of traffic in the corridors. I've done DV4 a couple of times and decided to go back to DV6. I just like it better -- and the few pennies savings doesn't hurt either. The only downside of the location is that the corridors leading out of the Atrium fore and aft must ramp up to the level of the cabins. Ceiling height in cabins is lower than the ceiling height of the Atrium. The ramps may be a challenge for those using walking aids or pushing wheelchairs. Cabins foreward of the Atrium can avoid the ramp using the forward elevators. Cabins aft of the Atrium cannot avoid the ramp (and this includes the two Explorer Suites).

If the pictures don't sell you that you have GOT to visit Tarquinia, then nothing will. We were there Great Courses does a helpful lecture series on the Etruscans. I don't know if it is available outside the US. I bought it (audio only) on Audible as part of my membership and it may be available for loan through the library as audio only or video.

There are restrictions on this code. You must have a future cruise on the books as of 11/21/23. It cannot be booked online.

We just booked under the Special Promo. I saw the date and asked our TA to ask for 6 months prior. As numerous folks have said many times, "It can't hurt to ask." We asked and they said okay.

We had originally planned to do Ostia with Viking our second day in Civi and to do Tarquinia on our own on turnover day. We didn't know at that point Viking would be offering tours for us on turnover day. Once on board, we moved Ostia to turnover day and added the Tarquinia shorex for the second day. Ostia was a 5 hour tour and we were back on board for lunch. Tarquinia was 4 hours. I did not look into other tour companies but it would not surprise me that there are tours available from Civi to Ostia, Tarquinia and other nearby destinations.

Good info for those in the UK. There is also a thread for sharing promos and codes where you might want to share this info (bigger audience). I'd share the link but my mobile cut&paste skills are lamentable. Just so that everyone reading this knows, the various markets have different rules and promos and this is a promotion in the UK market only. The markets are: US & Canada; Australia & NZ; UK.

If you do purchase future cruise certificates, you may use only one $200 certificate per person per booking. Also word on the street is that they will stop selling them in 2024. All existing certificates will be honored.

The Port runs a shuttle from the ship to front gate(s) or you can get a cab on the dock to take you into town. Passengers are discouraged from walking through the port as we are a hazard to the workers. Besides, it is a long walk. Multiple shuttles back to the ships; make sure yours is going to Viking. On our 2 day stay in Civi, one a turnover day, we did two Viking tours. One to Old Ostia, the seaport of ancient Rome at the mouth of the Tiber River and the other to see the Etruscan Necropolis and the Etruscan Archeology Museum in town of Tarquinia. Loved them both. Plus we had time to wander into Civi.

There is a 3.3% discount if you pay by e-check.

Ca Agreed. Anything paid pre-departure does not appear on your shipboard account and the crew has no way of accessing those transactions.

I think that on the first three ships that space is dishwashing space.

The further out you book, the better your chances of getting exactly the cabin you want. Viking cruises do fill up quickly but there can be a spate of cancellations just prior to when cancellations kick in. Cancellation grids (from https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/2-230626_BookingAndSaleTermsAndConditions.pdf:

You are correct. Star, Sea and Sky (the first three ships) do not have the Asian section in the Aquavit Bar area. It was introduced either with the Sun (now sailing exclusively in China) or the ship after that one (can't remember the order of the ships after Sun).

Agreed. Definitely ask. TAs are not required to provide OBC or any other enticement for you to book with them.

Contact Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com. Tell them how disappointed you are that the included tour you are trying to book is sold out and ask when they will be adding additional capacity. Give the particulars -- your booking number and the particular shorex that is sold out.