Peregrina651

Perhaps but this one will drift back to its main topic. It has been so helpful, how can it not?

I don't think so. Or, at least not phones. Plus Apple and Android seem to be different worlds of functionality. this is faster: peregrina651- cc7 @ yahoo.com (remove all 3 spaces but keep the hyphen)

Agreed but there are ways around it. Very few of the people I communicate with get my "personal" e-mail address. I have a Yahoo! account for communicating with everybody else -- and my Yahoo! account allows me to create up to 500 disposable address, just like the one in my Cruise Critic signature. The best thing about disposable address is that if they get spammy, I can just delete them. My personal e-mail remains private.

@amcher4, welcome aboard. Sorry you had trouble with your arrangements in Reykjavik. The idea of picking up a car the day before disembarkation is an interesting one. For those who are still in the planning stages, let me say that in checking out vendors in Iceland for our trips in 2020 (cancelledx2) and 2021, I got the distinct impression that the vendors much preferred that people deal directly with them and that if there were any problems with arrangements booked through a third-party, they had to be handled through the third-party. I was researching on Trip Advisor and reading the reviews for various companies; any time there was a complaint from someone who had used a third-party to book, they were told to talk to the third-party. Just based on those comments, when it came time to book two tours and transfers to the airport, I booked directly with the vendor. We used Grayline for tours and airport transfer for our post cruise stay during Covid and had no issues.

They get so much practice. In winter, it is the only way out of town. The road up toward Mt. Dalsnibba gets snowed shut.

Easier than getting around in Boston, even if it isn't as compact. London is very tourist-friendly. Public transportation is better run. Cabs are plentiful. Day tours are plentiful. There are hop-on-hop-off buses with multiple routes -- all you have to do is get yourselves to the nearest pick up point. Still, I understand your concerns. Sometimes it is just easier and less stressful to use a Viking package -- and if not a Viking package, then a land package from another company. You can still use Viking for your air ( it is called a deviation, there is a fee involved and you will lose your Viking transfers for the arrival). You will have to get yourself to the ship at the end of the land package (take the Tube, if you are packing light, or arrange a car) but it is do-able. And you are right about a two-night package not being very attractive -- you spend at least half of Day One dealing with your arrival and lack of sleep on the plane, Day 2 is the only full day that you have and you are at the ship by lunch time on Day 3. But, do you really want to? Viking does not have any shorex into London from Dover; you would have to make your own arrangements. It is a two hours drive from Dover to the War Rooms in London, not allowing for traffic or a toilet stop -- four hours of just travel time. It is an hour train ride into London -- and that is just to St. Pancras station.

To clarify for newbies, beer, wine and nip bottles are include in the minibar for Penthouse Veranda cabins and higher.

This hijacking is a long shot. You might do better if you start a new thread.

This is a good question to also ask on the most recent thread about the drinks package, if you don't get an answer here.

There's plenty of cold food already out and ready to eat they they will have to get rid of if it isn't consumed. I'm sure no one went out hungry, even if it wasn't what they were planning on eating.

Just another reason I love cruising.

Helpful post -- especially the parts about dealing with lost luggage, which seems even worse post-pandemic but some of what you have shared is not applicable to Viking Oceans. River cruises tend to be more casual than Ocean, where the level of casual differs from itinerary to itinerary and from sailing to sailing. Every cruise has its own vibe -- and there is no way of knowing what it will be in advance. MDR, Chef's Table and Manfredi's are strict on the dress-code. Jeans and shorts are not permitted. Men's shirts need to have a collar -- polo, button-down, turtle, etc. It is enforced. There are definitely folks on VO cruises who like to dress up for dinner. If you are one of them, then go for it. It is your vacation, enjoy it however you want -- as long as you meet the dress code. Definitely not applicable to VO ships or to the Viking Longships (river). Minimum on the VO ships is three drawers for clothing, two small ones in the bathroom and a small drawer in each nightstand. Plus 4-5 feet of hanging space in the closet (and unlimited hangers; ask your steward). Plus shelf space above the drawers and in the closet. And that is just the V and DV cabins. On VO, the party walls are magnetic. The bathroom walls are not. Suction cups will work on glass surfaces in the bathroom (but not the walls). Things have changed a bit and now there are certain adjustments that we can make for ourselves on MVJ once you have been given your flights. Depending on what changes you make, it may involve an additional payment (but you get to review the extra costs before accepting the change). Or, you can pay the extra fee for Custom Air and have have a say in your flights -- and you can do it as early as 300 days prior to your return flights.

Good to see someone has a sense of humor.

And book it on boarding day because they go quickly.

And a lovely time was had by all! Clay, who did you talk to set this up? How far in advance did you do it?

Well, that's not good! How much do you want to bet that this changes in the next 24-48 hours once the home office passes this information on the hotel manager and restaurant manager. Keep an eye on it and comment again if you don't see any changes of behavior. They always open the same section for breakfast, right behind the host desk. They rarely have enough people eating in there to warrant opening more seating. STILL, that does not explain why it took so long for you to be served. Make sure to check BOTH sides of the service line; they are not exact duplicates. Lunch is also available at the Pool Grill and be sure to check the noodle station on the aft end of the service lines, portside Iand ask if they can do a vegetable stir fry for you. (I'll sometimes stop and ask for just plain noodles with a bit of butter or olive oil; they have never said no). That said, have a chat with the staff and see what they might suggest to supplement her choices. Remember the squeaky wheel😉. . Giving credit where credit is due: Actually, the stewards are not responsible for the contents of minibar. That's a team from another department (and hence on a different schedule from your steward). BTW: If you want to make sure that your minibar is serviced daily, don't leave the "Do not disturb" sign on the door while you are out of the cabin for the day. That sign is sacrosanct and crew will not enter your cabin or even knock except in an emergency. Finally, GREAT BLOG!!! Lots of helpful information for future cruisers --not to mention the great pictures. Thanks.

As everyone has said, those who made their flights through Viking (or are eligible to buy Viking transfers) and are arriving on the very early morning flights are well taken care of. As you are arriving later in the morning, by the time you clear passport control and find your luggage and make your way to the exit where Viking reps wait to greet (if applicable), it should be time to head directly to the ship. Viking will start boarding folks just as soon as the ship is clear of departing guests.

But, making lemonade, you got a rainbow.

First time I flew with these guys the plane had propellers. This is a distinct improvement. Thanks for the fantastic pictures of the Icelandair experience. I will definitely be sending anyone on our roll call interested in more info about Icelandair to check out the photos.

Maybe it is a political thing, like determining what sets the border of the country so that the demarcation of "international waters" can be determined? Love the pictures. I'm reliving our visit in 2016. DH described the day as 70°North and 70°F.

Age of the building? Anywho, we learn something new everyday. Thanks again😊.

Clay, don't forget to include the Torshavn bar menu because that's where they hide the premium single malts (not free but discounted with the drinks package because they are over $50 a shot).

Me, too! Rough seas in Edinburgh stand out in my mind, going from tender to ship. Not great on the knees. Being short and not very nimble did not help.

Over the years we have missed a number of ports. In most cases, there was some sort of substitution. The only times we received compensation were: 1) when propulsion systems issues caused our cruise to be cancelled on Day 3 (we returned to our embarkation port for repairs but were invited to stay on board for the remainder of the cruise with free excursions every day PLUS received a full refund and a bit more). Our best "worst cruise" ever. And 2) when our supposed to be Hawaii but turned out to be Mexico cruise encountered further problems when one single case of Covid on board caused 3 of the ports to cancel our permission to visit their fair towns (they were not equipped to handle an outbreak on board); Viking gave vouchers for all, a percentage of the cash portion of the paid (not on any vouchers used).

Safe flight home.