Peregrina651

I was wondering about using the train. I just checked the routing on Google Maps and while it may be a shorter time compared to Viking's shuttle by the Google Maps' estimation, I walk slower than the Google estimation. So for us, it is 50-50 -- and Viking shuttle gets us closer to where we want to be. Regardless, now that I see what the shuttle schedule is, I am glad that I booked I booked our tour at the Little Dublin Museum for 11 am, because with the tendering, I don't see us arriving much before 10am, even if we are on the first shuttle at 9am. Here's the link to Irish Rail for timetables and tickets: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/

Tender and shuttle information most helpful!!! I'm taking notes because we are doing things on our own. One question. Since the day we booked at the end of 2022, our invoice listed departure time as 11 pm. Today, someone on the roll call reported that the time on their invoice is now 8:30pm (and 8 pm in other places like MVJ Calendar). Did something like this happen for your sailing or has your departure always been 8pm. TIA

No such animal. It is either Homelands boarding May 20 on Sky or May 23 on Neptune.

Friendly reminder, Mars is docked inTilbury, while most of the other BIE sailings are scheduled for Greenwich. It is a different set of shore excursions if you are docked in Greenwich. And, the choice is different yet again if you are scheduled for an early afternoon sail-away (because departure time in Greenwich is dependent on the tides. See your Viking invoice for the departure time for your sail date). The included tour in Greenwich is "Royal Greenwich by Foot." My May 9 sailing departs at 2pm on Day 2. We have two other shorex on offer in Greenwich: "World of Shakespeare" and "Tower of London." Everything else is too long for the time slot.

Kiss of death?

I think you have posed one of those 'damned if they do, damned if they don't scenarios. No matter how they handle it, there will be complaints. Still, perhaps they should have suggested that folks double-check their schedules for conflicts and that otherwise, no action was necessary.

I forgot that you were boarding in Tilbury, not Greenwich.

Do you remember the name of the pub?

The 2024 BIE season is almost underway. There is a LIVE thread for the APRIL 19 sailing on Viking Venus -- with Churchill extension. Semi-LIVE from Venus British Isles Explorer 4/19 with Churchill Pre-extension For schedule for Churchill extension, see post #4: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3003197-semi-live-from-venus-british-isles-explorer-419-with-churchill-pre-extension/?do=findComment&comment=67244414

Strange. E-mail Viking and ask why there is only the included tour on the day you are going to be there. tellus@vikingcruises.com

Bon voyage!! So glad you are doing this. I'll be hanging on every word! Please report on the shuttle buses for each port, even if it is just a photo of each day's schedule. I'm sure I will have more logistical questions as we get closer to our departure. Thank you.

Other informative threads. I knew when I started a list of threads 2 years ago that it would come in handy eventually: Flam railway excursion availability 8 Tips for the Bergen to Oslo Train Trip The Scenic Flåm Railway Things I wished I had packed for Norway

And it was amazing! Much easier walking, too!

Interesting approach but will the airport let you do that? Because of terrorism, many airports don't accept bags that far in advance and they don't have lockers or baggage holding areas before security.

Figure 3 hours minimum from airplane to ship. It is about an hour from Tilbury station to Cutty Sark Station in Greenwich, not including the 20 minute walk to the station and time to buy the train ticket. [Google Maps is good for quick estimates but the Citymapper or Tfl apps will get you better directions for travel] . So, call it 1.5 hours to Greenwich. NOTE: there are multiple stops for Tilbury on your way home. The station you want is TILBURY TOWN. If you miss it, get off at the next station and grab a cab to the ship. At least you don't have a back on board time and can stay until the sights close for the day. Use timeanddate.com for sunset time, if traveling home in daylight is preferred.

First, thank you for the heads up. Second, please share with Viking directly everything you have shared with us here. TellUs@vikingcruises.com. Tell them everything just as you have shared here. They can't fix what they don't know is broken. While I agree that 2 night extensions tend to be a waste, no matter where you are in the world, yours seemed to be particularly poorly organized and poorly thought out. Your arrival at the airport was certainly not up to Viking's standards. The normal protocol is not to punish those who have arrived on time. What normally would have happened was that the bus would have left for the hotel on time. Then, either you would have been asked to take a cab to the hotel (for which you would have been reimbursed once you boarded the ship) or a car would have been arranged to take you to the hotel. The transfer to the ship was also a disaster. Why on earth were were you not taken to the ship in time for lunch?? Failing that, it could very easily have been a full day tour with a lunch stop. It has been done elsewhere, why not here?

When do you land in London? Embarkation day or earlier? When does the ship depart Tilbury? Same day or next day? In other words, do you have enough time to accomplish the trip?

Me, too, but this was an entirely different experience from other glacier experiences I've had. I know you have made your decision for this trip; my comments were for other readers who might have the impression that these are new ports for Viking.

Both Djupivogur and Westmann Island are regular stops on the Iceland circumnavigation, so it is not like Viking has not visited either port before. The big attraction at Djupivogur is the Fjarslaron (sp) Glacier Zodiac boat ride. It is a long ride to the site but the countryside is beautiful and the up close-ish and personal experience with the glacier is worth it.

Sometimes there are photos that I want to save for the photo albums I put together (just in case I don't get a good photo or the weather is lousy). And I like to print the calendar to a pdf file just in case.

I get the impression the OP did not have a chance to write them down in his long conversation with Viking.

No converter needed on the ships; in hotels, maybe. There are both120v outlets in the cabin and 220v outlets. There are also USB outlets. Most cell phones and cameras can be charged using either 120v or 220v (but need an adapter for the 220 outlet). Confirm the device specs before you try to use 220v outlet; it will need a plug adapter. The Viking FAQ has more info. Don't use hairdryers or other high wattage devices in the bathroom plug meant for shavers; it will blow the fuse.

From my notes for upcoming BIE: NORWAY Flam railway excursion availability This excursion is not on our itinerary but there maybe some helpful comments there for those of us who are planning on doing this on our own. 8 Tips for the Bergen to Oslo Train Trip This thread, on the other hand, is amazingly helpful both for those who are taking the Viking post-cruise extension to Oslo and those who will be doing it on their own. Note that you can pay for luggage forwarding when you make your own booking, so that you don't have to deal with luggage if you choose to do the detour to Flam. Disembarkation to Bergen Train station? https://www.flybussen.no/en/airports/bergen-airport-flybussen-bergen/ Things I wished I had packed for Norway Bergen is the rainiest city in the world with rain on at least 2/3 of the days of the year. Come prepared. Bergen-Stave Church and Concert Mt. Floien Hike - Bergen Norway The Scenic Flåm Railway https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2947038-question-for-recent-bie-greenwich-to-bergen-passengers/ My Shorex reviews from our 2021 Iceland Circumnavigation with Viking: Reykjavik: Included tour: "Snapshots of Reykjavik" It is what it is -- an hour and half bus ride around Reykjavik and a chance to see things a bit further out of town that you might not otherwise see (which is why we chose to do the tour in the first place). I thought that it was a good tour, nicely planned and giving a wide overview of the city. No pit stop. Completely accessible. Good value for $$. Optional: Viking Museum & Reykjanes Peninsula: I was looking forward to this one and in the end, I did not like it at all. It was a long bus ride with one 15 minute stop at the Seltun geothermal pools (smelly but interesting and deserving of more time), one 5 minute photo stop at a lake (could have been completely eliminated) and a longer stop for bathrooms and shopping at the Viking Museum. The tour, although the description touted the meeting of the continental plates, did not include a stop at "Bridge Between the Continents" which would have been far more interesting than the lake or the overly long amount of time spent at the Viking Museum. Accessibility: Very accessible. Very little walking. Rollator/walker/ friendly. Hiking boots/poles not needed. Isafjordur. Optional: Vigur Island. Loved it, top to bottom. A simple, short well planned circuit to see the puffins, eider ducks and Arctic terns that nest on the island. Guide/owner excellent -- gracious, knowledgeable and informative. Accessibility: Not very accessible. Steep ramps to reach the ferry to the island and at the island --and can be slippery when wet or damp. On the island, rough, uneven walking surface and narrow paths are not rollator/walker friendly. No steps. Availability very limited: only 22 people per tour. Notes on the ferry boat: seating for 22 people inside and a few more seats outside. Steep steps involved in getting on and off the boat. (Learn more about the island here: https://www.vigurisland.com/about) Akureyri Optional: "Northern's Iceland's Natural Treasures" -- Loved it. Well done and well organized. Exactly what I was looking for -- a smattering of the various natural features of the area - pseudo-craters, waterfalls, geothermal mud pools and lava labyrinths. The tour was exactly as described on paper, though not necessarily seen in the same order. Lunch was good -- filling and healthy -- but wish I had known about the ice cream stand sooner -- don't linger of lunch so you have time for dessert. Accessibility: depends on the stop but most are a short walk from the bus. Rollator/walker accessible (except for the pseudo-craters which have steps). Paved hiking paths at the lava labyrinth are steep in places but you can go as far in as you wish and turn back at any time. Mud pools are fairly flat and you don't have to walk very far to get the ideal of what it is all about. Waterfall has paved path all the way to the falls but it is a bit of a walk to the edge of the falls if that is your goal. Seydisfjordur Optional: Skalanes Nature Center -- another owner-operated venture. Loved it. Olly (sp?) is knowledgeable and informative -- and has a lot to say -- and not just about the birds and flowers. It is obvious that the nature center, which is a working research station for researchers from around the world, is a labor of love. Some of my best photos of the trip come from these few hours. The best part of the tour is the viewing platform that the owner has built at the cliffs to make it easier to see the birds that nest there (puffins, gulls, kittiwakes, etc.). Accessibility: bus ride over mostly gravel roads. Fords three streams which can be very rough and jolting (think disc and other back issues). Once at the center, it is an 800m walk to the viewing platform over rough uneven ground. The platform itself is reached by stairs -- not steep but equivalent to a couple of flights, no hand-rail (yet?). Djupivogur Optional: Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon by Zodiac -- Magnificent day. Loved it. Even with the 2+ hour bus ride coming and going so glad we were able to do this excursion. I was worried about getting in and out of the zodiac (short legs and out of shape) but I did just fine. The crew is accustomed to helping folks on and off the boats and loading, unloading is a quick and easy process. Wardrobe note: Contractor provides a warm jacket and life vest but does not provide waterproof pants or boots. Bring waterproof pants because you will want them if it is raining when you get there. Jackets come in multiple sizes. It was warm and sunny and I did not really need the down vest I was wearing. Accessibility: Path down to the lagoon is rough and uneven. Rollator/walker use questionable. Heimaey Optional: Wildlife of Heimaey by Boat -- wet weather made this a disappointment -- cold and wet outside -- no views and exhaust fumes inside. With 20/20 hindsight, we should have chosen a land-based activity as the bird-viewing was just a repeat of Vigur Island and Skalanes. However, if you haven't made it to Vigur or Skalanes, come prepared for the worst. Regardless of the day's forecast, wear/bring waterproof gear including waterproof pants so that you can sit outside without being cold and wet. Seating area is tables with benches -- solid metal, holds the cold and wet. Waterproof your camera equipment. Accessibility: Steep wet ramps on to the boat. Steep wet steps up to the outside viewing deck. An expensive boat ride to be stuck inside. We stayed on for a few days after, to see the Reykjavik area and do the Golden Circle.

Starting 8 days prior to your journey, Viking becomes read only. We can access the booking but no changes, no transactions. By Day 1, the information is gone from the MVJ accounts. Viking sends us multiple e-mails --some go directly to us, some directly to our Travel Agents to be forwarded to us and some to both of us. Some TAs forget to forward the e-mails; so give your TA a heads up and let them know that you want all of the e-mails forwarded to you. If there is anything that you want to save from MVJ, do it before you leave home.

The two oldest ships are Star and Sea, neither of which has made it to its 10th anniversary. Sun has already been sold to a company in China and is being leased back to Viking for its new China itineraries.