Peregrina651

The coffee maker in the LivingRoom Bar is a commercial grade espresso machine, just like the espresso makers that have been pumping out the coffee in the cafes of Spain, France and Italy since long before Mr. Coffee got into the coffee brewing business. Each cup is freshly brewed while you wait. Beans are ground in very small batches. No pods as in the machines in the World Cafe.

Andy, I am sorry for being so dense but I don't understand what Viking is trying to say here. What is meant by last challenge of this kind? Thanks.

There is half and half.

I can never remember the number and I understand that it is changing. But you can go to MyVikingJourney.com and find out. ( MVJ is the Viking Guest online interface. If you haven't already registered, you will need your Viking booking number to compete the process.) On MVJ, navigate to "Before You Go" where you will see that you have the option to pre-pay the gratuities. From there, you can figure out what it is per night on the ship. This amount is for hotel staff. Tour guides and bus drivers are not included in this amount. If you haven't pre-paid, the amount will be added to your shipboard account. To modify the amount or to opt out, visit Guest Services towards the end of the cruise.

Debbie, give up. Stick with information submitted after the "Restart" in 2021. (In other words, start here on page 45, post 1115.) First, it is overwhelming to start with page one. Second, a lot has changed since Viking launched Oceans in 2015. Reading the old stuff is just plain confusing. Third, what is most important is current information. Circle back later if you are interested in the history. Also,to fill in gaps, read the most current threads on the following topics; the information is fresher and reflects the reality of cruising in the post-pandemic: drinks package (even if you don't drink or aren't considering it) laundry tipping anything that pertains to your next Viking Ocean cruise BTW, some of what you read in this forum applies to how things work on the River cruises. There are certain things that are the same whether you are on an ocean-liner, an expedition ship or a riverboat. LOL. Right. If I remember correctly, I beat you over the head on that issue. 😁

@LostFan#1, because you "reacted" to this old post (and I thank you), please note that the out of cabin time has changed. I believe that it is now 7am. Hopefully, someone who has cruised recently can confirm this for us. Some (a lot?) of the pre-pandemic information has changed. Anything posted before May, 2021 should be confirmed. For example: And the Pool Grill is also available, although I don't know what time it opens and it closes around 3pm. (I like the Viking burger). Living Room Bar switches from Continental Breakfast to sandwiches and cookies around 11:30am and continues to serve them throughout the afternoon. Don't know what time they stop. Yes, it works. The clothes-string is hopeless. Everything sags to the center and then doesn't dry because of lack of air circulation. I still bring a few clothespins put have found that I prefer hooks and hangers. Magnets don't work in the bathroom but suction cups work just great on the glass of the shower enclosure. I just tried out these hooks on our last trip. They work and are smaller and easier to pack than my first attempt at hooks. No problems with them jumping of the glass or sliding down. Test them all before you go; I found a dud in my batch. HangerSpace Suction Cup Hooks, 2.5 Inches Clear PVC Suction Cups with Metal Hooks 7 LB Heavy Duty Removable Large Suction Cups for Kitchen Bathroom Shower Wall Window Glass Door - 8 Packs Finally, magnets work best on the party walls of the cabin. I like these because they are small but strong: DIYMAG Strong Neodymium Magnetic Hooks, 50lbs Heavy Duty Rare Earth Magnets with Hook, Strong Corrosion Protection Facilitate Hook for Cruise, Home, Kitchen, Workplace, Office and Garage-Pack of 6

Definitely voice your concerns directly to Viking; it is the best way to get Viking to take action. But don't expect that they are going to give you any response beyond a polite thank you -- and don't expect any response here on this thread. It is just not the way that Viking handles things. TellUs is just a conduit; they are not the decision-makers. The only way that we will know that our concerns have been addressed is when we start seeing fewer dogs on board and we start hearing more complaints on social media about having been refused boarding because of an animal that was not declared before boarding -- or even better of properly filed requests that were denied.

While I agree that there should be more time in Rome, remember that Rome is also a distance from where the ship docks -- and Florence and Athens as well. All of these major cities are a long bus or train ride from where the ships dock.

Just for clarity, when you say National Museum, are you referring to the art museum (which is not labeled on the map but is right there) or one of the other national museums which are also on the same quadrangle. The National Museum of Natural History is the only one that is labeled on the map. And follow up questions so that I can book my tickets in advance. What time does the earliest shuttle leave and how frequently do they leave? How long is the ride to the drop-off point (more or less)? Thanks in advance.

According to the Viking website, you are sailing from Greenwich. Much nicer than sailing from Tilbury. It is closer to the airport and you get to sail down the Thames River. Greenwich also has more to see than Tilbury -- like the Greenwich Observatory and the Prime Meridian. In any case, to meet folks sailing with you, the best way is through the roll call. No one has started one yet for Sept 2, 2024. You can wait for some one to start one (just keep checking here) or you can be the one to start it. If you want help, e-mail me (my address is in my signature).

Is that "flak" or "flake" -- or should I just take my choice?

I think you have hit the nail on the head. We have been so Madison-Avenue-ized.

Ditto! I don't care what the definition of luxury is nor am I looking for such an experience/ambience on a cruise ship. Call it what you want, what Moonlion enumerated is exactly what what I'm looking for and I hope that Viking never loses track of the fact that people continue to sail with them because of the values they espouse today.

I don't see your cruise on the Viking website. There is nothing sailing from Bergen to London in September, 2024. Please check your dates. Look for the roll call for your sailing here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/768-viking-ocean-roll-calls/ Find your ship and then scroll until you find your sail date. If you don't find your sail date, you may start one. This is where you will find people who are sailing with you, once you figure out which sailing you are on. In the mean time, in this forum, you will find multiple threads dealing with this itinerary. They are all full of helpful information.

I sail on Viking because I have finally found a cruise line that meets my needs. My idea of a vacation is boarding a ship with less than 1000 guests that will take me from port to port so I can explore a new destinations, where someone else is driving, someone else is doing the food shopping, the laundry, the housekeeping, the cooking and the dishes -- and where I am treated like an adult, not a problem about to happen. I don't care what labels you slap on Viking, they meet my needs. That's all that matters.

I believe that Nice Ville is the "old city," a Nice neighborhood. It is walking distance from where the 100 bus turns around for the return trip to Menton. We headed that direction on our New Year's Day visit because all the museums were closed.

I'll wait to see what is being offered before I decide one way or another but on the whole, I agree with Jim: show me a program with true financial rewards not frou-frou and parties. Even raising the current reward to $500 would be a step in the right direction. They haven't raised the rewards since I started sailing with them. It's about time they did, considering how much fares have gone up since they instituted the Explorer's Club.

The noise issue aside, we have to be out the cabins by 7am and off the ship by 10am. There is no sleeping in on disembarkation day for anyone (unless you are on a B2B and aren't disembarking).

You are on vacation. Within the rules set out by Viking, wear what makes you happy and have fun on your vacation.

Bought our tickets on the bus. This is a local bus route. You can find the schedule and route information online; just Google "Nice-Menton 100." I used Google maps to find the bus stops. A few years ago, I posted a marked up map of the area and how we got to the bus stop. Fortunately, I saved it -- actually, it took two screen shots. The name of the bus stop was PLACES DES ARMES -- if you docked as shown (the ship docks where the harbormaster tells them to dock regardless of what it says on the invoice). Our route was a bit roundabout but it made for less traffic. I don't remember how long the walk took since we stopped along the way a few times -- ATM, photos, etc. It is an uphill walk.

We were there pre-C, on January 1. We docked inside the breakwater. We took the 100 bus into Nice (the Nice-Menton bus). It was a 20 minute walk or so, closer than the train station. The ride was beautiful; the water was azure and the sky was bright and sunny.

ROTFLMAO! Love it! Perfect!

This thread just keeps getting better and better with more and more specific tips, hints and warnings. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

Sorry. This is not the roll call for this sailing. Roll calls have a separate forum. Look here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/787-viking-star-roll-calls/ If you don't see your sail date, you can start one.

Multiple itineraries sail in or out of Bergen, so I would suggest that this thread is not the place for us to be talking about the various cruises themselves. Each one of those itineraries deserves a thread of their own -- so that helpful information doesn't get overlooked and so this thread does not drift completely off topic.