Peregrina651

Really, there is only response to this announcement!

Getting answers here is all about getting the people with answers to see your question. Have you asked on the Expeditions thread? Viking Expeditions Thread. Or maybe even better is starting a new thread in this forum (Viking Oceans), one that clearly states in the title that it is an Expeditions question, so that you attract the attention of folks with Expeditions experience.

There is a ramp into the Wintergarden on the starboard side. I don't use the portside enough to remember if there is one over there as well.

On MVJ, under "Manage My Air" https://www.viking.com/myjourney/air Make sure that Viking Air has been removed from your booking, else you will not see on MVJ what I have copied below. I highlighted the relevant part of the text. Copying MVJ: Contact our reservations department at 1-877-523-0580 to take advantage of the many inclusive benefits that Viking Air offers. Transfers to & from the airport to your hotel or ship Access to our special rates Arrival and departure times coordinated with your cruise Include possible stopovers before or after your journey Reservation management To purchase transfers from the airport to your ship or hotel because you have arranged your own air travel, please complete and submit the Transfer Request Form.

Even the merchant marines who haunt this forum, will agree with you on this one.

There is no such thing as "for sure" when it comes to docking (or anything else involved in operating a cruise vacation; just read the contracts). The Harbormaster is in charge and the Captain docks the ship wherever the Harbormaster tells him -- and at whatever time he tells him. Sometimes Viking knows well in advance of a change and sometimes they don't know until they are pulling into the harbor. The companies that provide shore side services to the cruise ships are used to this and know how to deal with last minute changes. Bob, I'm just the opposite. I'm convinced that Viking is going to get me to the airport on time, whether it is paid or complimentary, regardless of where the ship docks. Viking and their providers know how long it takes to get to the airport from whatever berth they are assigned. They are moving 100s of guests at disembarkation and the last thing they want is 100s of guests missing flights.

All that gorgeous scenery and the one thing that catches my attention is a guy who could be a cousin! The guy in the prussian blue jacket and gray sneakers.

Not necessarily so. Let me clarify for all those who are reading here. Booking your own air does not automatically disqualify you purchasing Viking transfers; what disqualifies you is the timing of those flights. If you are landing on Day 1 of your Viking adventure and/or taking off on the last (that includes pre- and post-cruise extensions), you are eligible to purchase transfers; those are the days that Viking does transfers. Your flight has to land or take-off on those days. If you land or take-off on a day when transfers are not available, even if you make your arrangements through Viking, you are not eligible for transfers either complimentary or paid. Example: Our cruise was RT out of LA. In order to spend time with our son, we arrived in LA a few days early. But since it was still Covid and son did not want to be near us once we had hobnobbed with the multitudes, we chose to fly home on the last day of the cruise. We rented a car when we landed to get to our hotel and then to the port but for the end of the trip, we paid for a Viking transfer from the port to the airport. Transfers for those eligible can be purchased on MVJ or arranged through your travel agent. You can buy transfers for just arrival or just departure.

Thank you!! The correct name of the company makes all of the difference. Google results were much different when I put in "Travel Insured" -- and much more reassuring. The Company website was at the top of the results followed by multiple mentions in well-known media sources and article -- just what you want to see. What I was looking for was the fine print for the insurance that would tell who is underwriting the products. I found it in the website footer -- just where I wanted to find it. I then googled the underwriter. Insurance companies are rated in much the same way that bonds and investments are rated. Insuremytrip.com actual has a list of the products they handle along with the underwriters and their ratings. Travel Insured is one of the companies they deal with. Nonetheless, whenever something is ridiculously low compared to the competition, I want to know why. I go looking for every negative, every weak point, every difference that I can find before I'm a happy camper. When it comes to insurance, if it doesn't meet my needs, low price isn't not going to sway me.

Anything that is ridiculously low can't be all good. Until you read exactly what they are offering for that price, you don't even know if it covers your needs. Tried Googling the company name. I didn't come up with anything on the first page that was relevant and just that fact says "stay away from that company." In the US, insurance companies are regulated on the state level. Check out your state's Insurance Commissioner's website. If they aren't regulated by your state, stay away. Finally, the only people you want to reply to your request for information about dealing with the company are people who have actually bought the insurance AND have made a claim against it. The folks who used the insurance company and did not have to make a claim are going rave about the cheap price. But the real telling of the quality and reliability of the product is when you go to make a claim.

From the guests' perspective, it takes longer for an individual cancelation to be processed than it takes when Viking is canceling a whole sailing (possibly because most of the accounting department procedures have already been completed before they even inform guests that it has been canceled).

The transfer schedule for each sailing is customized according to the needs of the guests on board. If you are using Viking Air, you should be covered. If you are making your own air arrangements, you should ask Viking directly if they routinely go to Gatwick and if you are eligible to purchase Viking transfers. It should say on your Viking Guest Statement the earliest flight departure time that you should book.

My issue with the Madrid extension is that it just isn't enough time to see very much (much less sneak in a day trip to Toledo or Segovia). If you can manage your luggage and are comfortable doing things on your own, I suggest 3-4 full days of touring in Madrid and then fly or train to Barcelona. You might even be able to get flights through Viking Air to do a "stop-over" (added fee). @hersheyhughes, did I tell you about Museo Sorolla? I tell everybody about it. Fifty years and I don't know know how many more art museums later, it remains my favorite small museum (and the Prado my favorite large museum). When we were in Malaga with Viking in 2019, we stumbled into a Sorolla exhibit -- we turned left instead of going straight, saw the sign and went in. I think that even if we had been with a tour, we would have told the guide adios, we'll get ourselves back to the ship.

Every single cruise we have done with Viking has been great -- even the disasters, and we have had a couple, had some saving grace -- and each one for a different reason. At this stage in our lives, we are really quite happy to unpack once and have our hotel take us from place to place while we sleep and they do our laundry. Our very first Viking adventure was a river cruise in 2010 to China. It beat every single cruise we had done up to that point. Since then, we have done Dnieper River & Crimea, Lower Danube (Budapest to Bucharest), France's Finest, (B2B Rhone and Seine Rivers) and just this past January, we finally got to do the Nile --which I highly recommend if you have never been there before (this is one I could do again and maybe even again -- so much to see). Our introduction to Viking Ocean was "Into the Midnight Sun" in 2016, the first season they sailed it. Since then we have done 3 variations on Western Med cruises, the winter repositioning from Barcelona to London (Iberian Explorer) and two cruises under full Covid protocols (Iceland circumnavigation and the Mexican Riviera (did not like the itinerary but was so happy to be on the ship)). We have future bookings for British Isles Explorer and Far Eastern Horizons. And still more places on our to-do list that we want to see. Enjoy choosing your next cruises!

If you aren't looking for expert guidance or the chance to taste before you buy, many supermarkets also carry wine. At least the problem can be remedied. Change the password.

Icelandair flies from KEF to Bergen; i was booked in that flight in 2020 -- before it was cancelled. I can't remember if they offer Saga class on those flights.

Regardless of price, I want my insurance provider to pay my claim in cash not vouchers for a future cruise that I might not be able to use.

Advice on insurance. Buy from a third-party. Viking is cheaper but if you have to cancel, your refund will include vouchers PLUS you will have to pay the full amount at booking. Viking only covers the Viking portion of your trip and does not cover airfare you purchase for yourself. With a third-party, most will let you pay a minimum amount at booking (for the existing conditions coverage) and then pay the balance when you pay in full or have other out of pocket trip expenses.

Doubtful. All flights from the US are to KEF.

That is why I said 'usually' and why I said to ask Viking directly. There are exceptions to the norm and they are unpredictable.

Wow! @Brewgator, love it. That is a great story for your travel memory book!

There are usually no shuttles on the changeover day (but Athens may be an exception to the rule; email tellus@vikingcruises.com and ask). Once you are on board, Viking will give a list of optional tours that are available to continuing guests only. They will not be available to arriving or departing guests hence they are not available for booking until you board the ship.

Regardless of your health, it is still up to you to make sure that what you post makes sense to readers. As was pointed out, you will get more answers that way. For now, members are taking a look at the preview, seeing that the post has too many errors and are moving on to the next inquiry. Please use spell check and ask someone to proofread and correct before you post and you will be more satisfied by the responses you get.

Note, to do this, you must be landing at the airport on Day 1 of the cruise or pre-cruise package and/or taking off from the airport on the last day of the cruise or post-cruise package, as these are the only days that Viking operates transfers. If flights arrive or depart at any other time, you are ineligible for Viking transfers.

changed my mind