Peregrina651

Okay then, let's get you some answers -- or at least some suggestions of where to get answers. • Check out the Paris HOHO website. Someplace it should tell you the approximate time to do the loop without getting off the bus (although the Viking excursion does include a panoramic ride around). The website will also include a route map so that you can see how close it comes to the Viking drop off and meet-up points. (Download the HOHO route map to your mobile). • You need to find out the following directly from: 1) what the "panoramic bus tour" portion includes, what will they be driving you past; 2) if and where they will be making a pit stop upon arrival in Paris (there will be one on the road but hopefully there will also be one upon arrival; you can depart the tour here if it is near enough to the HOHO stop); 3) where the pick up point is and at approximately what time. Even so, this information should be confirmed as your journey gets closer and then again when you board the ship. as the details can change over time. Contact Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com; don't bother with "chat" or the call center because they won't have the answers. Having been with Viking in Paris (but not all the way from Honfleur), I suspect that there will be a pit stop at Place de la Concorde upon arrival, before the panoramic tour begins (there will be a charge for the bathroom; euro coins will be helpful here) and that the pick up point at the end of the day will be at the Winston Churchill statue, by the Petit Palais and not far from the Place de la Concorde. Regardless, you must confirm the pick up point and time from your guide on the day of the tour. If you leave the tour before the panoramic drive around, let your guide know. Have a great time in Paris and don't over plan your day.

My worst nightmare. 😨

And even if you don't leave on your own, since there are some ports where the tour buses are on the other side of port security or no buses are involved at all. In most ports you must flash your room key to get through the gate. But no worries about forgetting your card since you cannot get off the ship without it, no exceptions. BTW, that includes leaving at disembarkation; you will have to present your keycard one last time in order to leave the ship. That is how they keep track of who is still on the ship.

And if you don't have a piece of plastic, a folded piece of paper will work. (Just make sure that it is big enough that you can get it out of the slot).

They haven't been marching so much as meandering through the planets; and, do you really thinking they are stopping with 9 ships? So, we still have time for Mercury and maybe Pluto before we have to start guessing where they are going from there. We have an Orion, so maybe back to constellations and stars?

I do the same downloading of important docs to both my phone and my tablet -- final e-docs, hotel reservations, flights, etc. They don't take up much space and at least for me, they are easier to access then fumbling around on the internet.

Thanks. You had way more patience than I did. 😉 However, It is not a roll call until it is moved to the Roll Call forum. @randibee, as thread starter, has two choices. This thread can be moved there (I think that the request has to be made by the person who started the thread) OR simply start a new thread in the roll call section (Viking Jupiter Roll Calls) using the same title as was used here. Personally, I suggest option 2 because it will get rid of our long explanations including where we say that this thread is not a roll call (which would only confuse people).

Good thought. I never thought of steps. I was thinking about space in the Viking tender for people and luggage.

C, normally, yes, that is the plan. Times are announced the day before and guests who are not using Viking transfers can depart at any time before the stated "you must be off the ship" time (usually, but not always, 10am based on my experiences). But Jerry asked about disembarking in Greenwich, where tendering is involved. So the big question for those who do not have Viking transfers is if they can depart at any time or are all pax assigned a departure time and expected to depart at that time. That's why I said it was a good question, because we don't know if there is a different procedure in Greenwich because of the tendering involved; I don't think I have seen it mentioned on CC. Hopefully someone with an independent transfer who has docked in Greenwich will speak up. The other question I would also be asking at this time, since we usually carry our own luggage off the ship, is if we are allowed to do this if we are using tenders (or must we put our luggage out for collection the evening before).

To further explain, Viking has a couple of ships that spend part or all of the season sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul and back again. The trip is broken down into four 7-night segments: Barcelona to Rome, Rome to Venice, Venice to Athens and Athens to Istanbul. Each of those 7 night segments is a named itinerary. However, enough people want longer cruises that Viking also builds longer itineraries from the same 7-night segments and gives them distinct names. (7nights is the same as 8 days). In other words, Viking builds a series of Back-to-Back cruises and gives them each a distinct names and they all sail on the same ship. You will be on the ship with folks who are sailing for 4 weeks or 3 weeks or 2 weeks or just the single week that you booked. Unfortunately this can cause multiple, overlapping roll calls that are all legitimate but definitely confusing.

Darn good question, Jerry! I know that we are dependent on tenders in Greenwich but are we assigned precise times for disembarkation even if we are not using Viking transfers? I know this is a special circumstance and usually those with independent transfers are free to leave whenever they are ready to depart.

Even if you start a roll call for just the Venice to Athens segment that you are on you'll want to follow all of the roll calls that cover your dates because 1) those participating will be on the ship at the same time as you are and 2) because you never know what you will learn where.

Alas, the word "guaranteed" currently does not appear in the description. I noticed when I went looking for something the other day. I've snipped a bit from the website description of the Stateroom Features for PV and DV (because they line up so nicely). Here's the link to where I snipped it from: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html. I also don't know that they mean by "priority" reservations in their description or if priority implies "guarantee."

Okay, what we really need is a "campfire" singalong on the pool deck!

Yes, and on the gangway as you leave the ship -- which is where I leave my wet umbrella when I return to the ship so I don't have to deal with a wet umbrella in my dry cabin

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to Viking -- Let me give you a quick orientation to CC. Right now you are posting in the Viking Forum. This is the place to ask questions about your itinerary and about Viking in general. There is also a Ports of Call forum that is organized around the ports and therefore has an even bigger audience; among other things it is good place to ask about a transfer company in Manaus (bigger audience, more chance of finding someone who has been there). Then there are the Roll Calls. They are member started and member driven and they are the place to meet and chat with folks who will be sailing with you. There is already a roll call for your sailing. BTW, you are on the Viking Sea not Star. A couple of people are already chatting there. Viking Sea--January 19, 2024 Amazon and Caribbean FOR VIKING NEWBIES: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/45/ Start with post #1115. Anything earlier is stale information and will just confuse things. Keep reading until things start repeating. Take notes; there will be a quiz. TRANSFERS: If you have booked your own air and if you are departing from the ship to a flight, Viking normally will sell you transfers to the airport.

Dublin HopOnHopOff should have a website that will answer all of these questions and will include maps as well.

The place to find folks who are sailing with you is in the Roll Call section of these boards. Here is a link to the Viking Sky roll calls: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/786-viking-sky-roll-calls/ Viking Sky will be sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul in a journey that is subdivided into 4 segments. Your Venice to Istanbul cruise is made up of the last two segments. So far, there is only one roll call and it covers all four segments (which means that there should be folks there who will be sailing with you). If you wish, you may start a roll for just your two segments, Ancient Adriatic Treasures. At the same time, you should continue to watch our for any other roll calls that coincide with your onboard dates (i.e, Rome to Athens, Rome to Istanbul, Athens to Istanbul) since those roll calls will also be frequented by folks who will be sailing with you. 29 September 2023 - 27 October 2023 MEDITERRANEANS ICONIC SHORES VIKING SKY

<SIGH>

Please don't let the skewed reporting get to you. The dissatisfied tend to be more more outspoken so it is not surprising that you are seeing more complaints than raves -- but also it creates a distorted view of the situation. If you are worried, I suggest contacting your ship a few weeks before your arrival to request a mattress topper for your cabin. The ship's email will be on the cruise docs sent to you before you sail or you can contact Viking to get it. Be sure to include your booking number and explain the reason behind the request. Make sure that you get a confirmation from the ship, else contact them again.

Especially since the shut down and ensuing supply chain issues, there is always some sort of artificial sweetener but not always the same varieties and not always pink and blue and yellow bags -- and sometimes it can be none of the three. The sort may also vary from venue to venue. If you only use the one variety, then I suggest bringing your own to insure that you always have what you want when you want it.

That speaks to my thought that the royalty cost of the music helps drive the choice of the music on board ships. I also think that the choice of the music speaks to the demographic that Viking markets to -- old folks who can more easily swing 2+ week vacations. LOL. You mean the RedSox anthem.

Viking does bring on local talent when they can -- flamenco in Barcelona, opera in Rome for example --but mostly it is when they are overnighting in a port (so the talent can drive home after the show and not have to be flown home).

Bummer, SF! There is nothing more disappointing that to have our hard-made choices ruined by a lousy guide. You just need to get back to Naples so you can see Pompeii. Still, there are lots of reasons that go into choosing one destination over another and for sure Herculaneum isn't for everyone -- but OP asked where we went. For one, it isn't handicapped accessible and it is hard on the knees. We had done Ostia (very spread out) just a few days before so I decided that Herculaneum (small and compact) would show us something different in terms of town layout and features but still show us the damage done by the volcano and that it would also give us time to see some of Naples in the afternoon (which going to Pompeii would not have allowed).

Naples -- Viking's Herculaneum tour instead of Pompeii. It is smaller and closer to the ship but equally as well preserved as Pompeii. Another time in Naples with Viking we had a chance to go to the National Archeology Museum. It is a quick cab ride from the ship. Except for an early back on board time, we could have spent the entire day in the Museum.