Peregrina651

Thank goodness for pickiness, otherwise I'd be eating it all. Cakes and cookies all day long in the Living Room Bar, Deck 1 in the Atrium.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

That is exactly what I have done. My credit union will allow me to open as many sub-accounts as I want. So, I opened a "travel" account and asked that it have its own debit card/ATM card that was not attached to any of my other sub-accounts -- so the card cannot be used to get at all of my money. The only money that is at risk is the couple of thousand that I have in the account. In case of a big emergency, I can always send my daughter to my home computer to move funds around for me (or if worse comes to worse, do it myself). Then we set the daily limits for transactions on the card. For ATM withdrawals, I set it to the maximum allowed for the day (something like $500). For retail transactions, the limit is set at $0; in other words, it cannot be used at all for purchases. ALSO -- Leave your medicare card home. It is no use overseas and if stolen can be compromised. AARP recently in an article about what to carry in one's wallet suggested that it should only be carried if you are heading to a doctor's appointment.

St. Peter's Basilica is open. Sistine Chapel is closed. Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays except the last Sunday of each month. Additionally, it is closed on 1 and 6 January, 11 February, 10 April, 1 May, 29 June, 15 and 16 August, 1 November, 8, 25, 26 and 31 December Last Sunday of the month opening is supposedly the busiest of all days.

Hopefully, lines will be a little shorter in October, as the weather gets a little chillier and the kids are back in school. I don't envy you. A day in Rome is not easy to plan. There are so many places to see that are so spread out that it is impossible to narrow it down to a manageable few.

@KALTENST , I saw that you made it to your roll call. I skimmed it and they really are an active bunch. Still, don't forget the Viking Oceans forum for questions as well, because this is where you will find folks who have already done the ports you will be visiting and will have answers for you. And folks who can answer questions about the ships -- drinks package, curling irons (yes, they are allowed), laundry and launderettes, dress code and other frequently asked questions.

Don't blame the ship or the equipment. That is the way it that far north. The satellites are over the equator and need an unobstructed straight line to the receiver in order to function. That far north, hills and mountains can block the signal.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to Viking Oceans Roll calls are found in another section of the Cruise Critic boards. Unless you are sailing in 2024, the roll call for your sailing has been started and can be found here: Viking Saturn Mediterranean Odyssey (Venice to Barcelona) October 27-November 8, 2023 But, we can ignore the part about the roll call and try to answer your question about the included tour in Rome. It is called Snapshots of Rome. Here's the description from the website: Snapshots of Rome Duration: 6 hours Sightseeing Easy * Enjoy Historic Monuments and Grand Architecture at an Easy Pace Relax and take in the sights of Rome, admiring historic monuments and glorious architecture on a leisurely drive. Travel along some of the city’s most scenic routes. See ancient Roman sites, including the Aurelian Walls, Baths of Caracalla, Pyramid of Cestius, Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. Admire the Arch of Constantine, the best triumphal arch in the city, built in 315 AD to celebrate Constantine’s victory at the battle of the Milvian Bridge. Drive along the elegant Via Veneto, enjoying views of Villa Borghese Park. At Piazza della Repubblica, admire the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Fountain of the Naiads. Your panoramic drive will also pass through Vatican City, the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church. As you depart Rome, the great facade of iconic St. Peter’s Basilica will come into view. Rome is an hour and a half bus ride from the dock, so about three hours of the tour is getting there and back. The other three hours is divided between a drive-by bus tour of the highlights of Rome with one stop for photos at the Circus Maximus and the rest of the tour is free time to wander around Vatican City. At Vatican City, because of the long lines and security measures, you may or may not have enough time to tour St. Peter's and you definitely will not have enough time to see the Vatican Museum or the Sistine Chapel.

Don't blame it on the ship! It is the location and the geography that is causing the problem, not the ship's equipment. The best equipment in the world cannot process a signal that is not reaching the ship -- and that is what happens in the higher latitudes.

and room service is available 24/7, no charge (unless you are ordering drinks from the bar).

The ship's phone number and email address will be in the documents emailed to you two weeks prior to sailing. If you worked with a Travel Agent they may go to your TA only, who is supposed to forward them to you. If you don't get the e-mail, call Viking and ask them to send it to you. Sometimes you have to call a couple of times until you find an agent who knows how to do it.

Exactly! Still, even Viking isn't perfect. The folks doing the transfers are contractors and mistakes have been known to happen. It is okay to contact Viking and ask if you are the only person arriving on that flight.(Don't call. Send an e-mail to tellus@vikingcruises.com). They probably can't tell you names but they should be able to tell you if there are other guest to be picked up or just you. Have a back-up plan just in case. Ship's phone number so you can call the ship and tell them that you have not been met. If you have to take a cab, get a receipt so you can be reimburse.

Viking expects them to clean bathrooms, work with heavy equipment that could cause fatal injuries and a whole lot more in the way of hard work and unsavory tasks. Is that also disrespectful?

At these latitudes, the high walls of the fjord block the line of sight to the satellites.

However you have a 10-14 day window after a cruise to book another and receive the same perks.

See https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2947498-latest-check-inembarkation-time-when-ship-overnights-in-reykjavik/?do=getNewComment

I just smile and enjoy the welcome home.

No morning coffee on sea days. I can't remember if the bar is open on sea days during the lectures.

Public transit, shuttles, tours, limos and taxis all pick up in the same place. Iceland is not particularly taxi rich (especially if it is raining) and it is suggested that if you have to be someplace on a schedule that you order in advance.

GREAT PHOTOS! Thank you! Completely different set up from when we there in 2021 (and the ships were sailing one-third to a half full). MUCH BETTER! The gangway was much too steep, especially at high tide. It looks like the little shed is gone, replaced by the humongous tent. Dare I say that guests will wait there to check in rather than an off-site venue? The question we don't have an answer for at this point is "what does the set up look like if the ship is berthed at the far end of the quai?" Do guests still have to walk back to the main parking lot to get buses?

Just one caveat to CCWineLover's post. Viking has multiple itineraries starting, ending or passing thru Reyjkavik this summer. They all have different arrival times in port. The only port arrival time that matters is the one given on your paperwork (and even that is subject to change). CCWL, it looks like they have put a tent up on the parking lot side of the shed. Am I right? Did that change where the Viking buses pick up?

Don't just check your roll, check all of the roll calls for the BIE itinerary, past and future. You never know where you will find helpful information. There are a number of good threads in this forum for BIE. This one in particular talks about private tours. Onboard Neptune now - British Isles Explorer.

Welcome to Skarfabakki Harbor! A picture is worth a thousand words. This is what it looks like from the ship. The white buses are Viking Shorex; they are inside the barrier. The yellow buses are where the private tour buses/cars will park; they are outside the barrier (just walk through the jersey barriers). If you take a cab, this is where you will be dropped. The white building/hut is the terminal; the tent next to it is where you will find your luggage when disembarking in Iceland. Go through here to get on the ship. There will be personnel checking keycards and this is where late arrivals will check in. I expect that security guards will be there overnight. Early morning arrivals will possibly check in at a remote site until the ship is cleared of disembarking guests; I haven't heard any talk yet as to how it is being handled but given that the first flights arrive at 6am, it is a good possibility. There is no room on the pier to house hundreds of arriving passengers. (In 2021, we were checked in and fed breakfast at the Concert Hall, then allowed to wander until it was time to board the ship). @Phantom_Celery, this is for you! Here's the Google-eye view. ViK is where we tied up. The blue dot is the private tour pick-up point.

@ericosmith, this is what the pier at Skarfabakki looks like. Hope this is helpful for you. Private tours pick-up where the yellow buses are, outside the secure area. Stand by the black building, on the other side of the jersey barriers, to wait for pick-up. You can see how close you are if the ship is berthed in this position. Any other berth is further from this point. Here's the Google-eye view. Ship was docked where it says ViK. Pick-up point is the blue dot. If you are trying to get an idea of distance from the other berthing positions, the vehicles by the blue dot are buses.

Oops! It should read: and its fun to try new drinks and NOT feel as if you have to drink the whole thing when you don't like it.