Peregrina651

You are right. Nowhere does Viking explain that once you are on board you can make as many reservations as they will let you (and that number depends on the demand on that particular sailing; they try to make sure that everyone who want to gets a chance to dine in the alternative venues). The language on the website (click and scroll down the page to see all of the cabin amenities) is vague, to say the least. What do they mean by "priority"? I picked one cabin to display here, just so folks can see what we are talking about. Penthouse Veranda Stateroom (PV) Stateroom size: 338 sq ft (includes private veranda) Ocean-view stateroom with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door opening to full-size veranda 11 AM Embarkation 1 PM stateroom access Priority shore excursion reservations 77 days prior to departure 2 priority reservations at each alternative restaurant 70 days prior to departure Priority spa treatment bookings 70 days prior to departure

To a certain limited extent, I agree with you. Things in the immediate post-pandemic were/are different. I chalked it up to losses during the 18 months that the industry was shut down -- loss of Viking personnel (whose replacement is a slow process of training), loss of supplies and loss of suppliers and third-party contractors. What I did not find lacking on board was the Viking spirit -- even among the newest of recruits. To my way of thinking, it was not that Viking no longer aspired to the standards that it previously operated under but that in the current environment, the standards could not be met. Given the choice of getting back to business before cash reserves ran dry or delaying until everything was perfect, I'm happy they chose getting back to business and making the best of what they could with what was available. For now, I remain willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

And I think I have a vague recollection of at least one 8 top in the seating section directly behind the podium -- or in the post-pandemic is that now history? The 10-12 tops are great for groups of friends that travel together. On one of our cruises (pre-C) a group of 6 couples had a standing reservation for one of those tables.

If I remember from my research for our 2016 Midnight Sun trip, the same light-rail line gets you to the Grieg House (just a few stop further). Google maps will show it all -- and even map directions for you.

Not always true. On our last trip (to Egypt) I chose seats when I chose the flights about 8 months out. The flights were not ticketed until about 75 days out. Over the course of my experience booking through Viking I have found that some airlines will not let you choose seats in advance if you are on code-sharing flight and have not booked with them as the operating airline. Other airlines charge a fee to chose seats in advance (or at least they did pre-Covid). Just another reason that I pay the AirPlus fee and choose flights 8 months in advance -- but I do wait on the ticketing.

There are also 8-top and 12-top tables in the MDR. I had sworn off ocean cruising and had done just a couple of river cruises when Viking announced its new Oceans venture. I was convinced that Viking could scale-up its river cruise model to an ocean-going one because what made Viking such an enjoyable experience was the way Viking treated people and the all-included, port intensive experience of the cruise. It was nice to be a guest, not a profit center. I was so convinced that in 2014 I booked and paid for a cruise on a cruise line that had not yet sailed its first season on a ship whose keel had yet to be laid. We loved our first cruise so much that 6 months later we were on our second cruise -- the first time we had taken two long vacations in the same year -- and now I need two hands to count my Viking adventures. To me, Viking Oceans is Viking River writ large. Regardless of the size of the ship, you know what to expect.

And the hassle of dealing with the insurance company to recover some of it. And having to accept vouchers instead of cash if the insurance is through Viking.

The pandemic crippled the tourism industry and in particular the third-party providers of guides and buses that the cruise ships depend on for the shorex that they offer. It has been slow to come back back up to speed but it is getting better week by week, port by port. We might be ready to return to travel but the truth is that the travel industry is not yet back up to speed. The demand is there but the supply is not. BTW, booking an independent tour does not mean that you have to hire a private guide. There are companies in most ports that offer bus tours similar to what Viking offers and usually for less. Getting back to the ship in time, in general, is not an issue. Companies that depend on the business from the ships in their port will get you back to the ship in time because this is their livelihood and they want to remain in business. Pre-pandemic that is exactly what Viking did. The problem is that post-pandemic, there are not enough drivers and guides to meet the demand. This is getting better and better as more and more guides and drivers return to the industry (they left for full-time jobs when the tourism industry collapsed in 2020) and as new drivers and guides are trained. It may be a few years before the industry is back to the pre-2020 supply levels.

FYI, there was quite a discussion about the CT menus in this thread. It was a group effort to put together a list of all the menus. 21 Chef’s Table Menus? As for the British menu, there are two of them, so could those of you who were disappointed by it possibly remember which one of the two you found disappointing. Menu 1: Great Britain: Cuisine from an Island Nation Amuse Bouche Quail Scotch Eggs – quick pickle, edible flowers, dressed baby salad leaves First Course Beer-Battered Fish & Chips – vinegar salt, minted pea puree, tartar sauce Granité Gin & Tonic – lemon twist Main Course Mini Yorkshire Pudding & Slow Braised Brisket – rich beef gravy, garden vegetables with chive butter Dessert Whim-Wham – Scittish Regency trifle with raspberries, oranges & whipped cream Menu 2: Great Britain 2: Cuisine from an Island Nation Amuse Bouche Glamorgan Sausages, Apple Chutney, Edible Flowers and Dressed Baby Salad Leaves First Course Beer-Battered Fish & Chips – vinegar salt, minted pea puree, tartar sauce Granité Pimm’s Number 1 Cup, with Cucumber, Strawberries and Mint Main Course Mini Beef & Guinness Pies, Champ Potatoes and Spiced Red Cabbage Dessert Everlasting Lemon Syllabub with Shortbread Fingers, Whipped Wine Infused Cream with Lemon severed with Candied Lemon Twist

Actually, the menus are on a schedule that has nothing to do with the coming and going of passengers; this is true even in the main dining room and the buffet. Each CT menu is served for three nights and there may be 6, 7 or more different menus in the rotation depending on the supply chain and the whim of the executive chef. So there is no way of knowing in advance if they are on day 1, 2 or 3 of a menu when you board. To sample as many menus as possible, especially if you don't get to see what the nightly menus will be, book advanced reservations on days 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, etc. to avoid duplication. Once on board, you will be able to book as many additional evenings as they will let you

If you are going to contact Viking, skip chat and the call center. Instead, e-mail tellus@vikingcruises.com. They do better at these kinds of questions. The 2023 sailings are underway. Wouldn't it be nice if someone on board each of the segments would start a live thread so that those of us who are sailing in 2024 and 2025 could ask these kinds of questions???

We have tried two times (2017 and 2018) with Viking to get to Tunisia but never made it. Both times it was cancelled for security reasons. Algeria was also on the itinerary and we made it there once. Algeria requires an expensive visa if you are going to wonder around on your own -- and there isn't much to see within walking distance of the pier. Without a visa of your own, you are limited to the ship's tours. We did the included bus tour. It was lackluster but we did have our picture taken with a local family who were visiting the same landmark as were were.

TL, my brain is not plugged in correctly this morning. Which is undergoing renovations, the pier or the hotel?

me, too!

Yes, it is privately owned and operated but she talked about the student interns who used to join them in the summer to work the tourist and the conservation operations. I think that what we saw in 2021 when we were there was a toned down version of what the operation was prior to the pandemic because they were just coming back up to speed. That is why I think that their daily capacity is greater than what we saw.

Phil, hopefully things have changed since you and I were on the second sailing of the "Welcome, Back" sailings in 2021. For one thing, booking shorex was a complete mess: they were not ready on time and when they did finally open it was first come, first served for the few seats that were actually available for tours. A lot has changed in the past two years and I suspect that capacity on tours has increased immensely as guides, drivers and boats have returned to work -- and as Covid restrictions have eased and now all but disappeared. I also suspect that there will be more than one boat ferrying pax to the island and that each of these boats will be carrying more than the 40 pax that were on the ferry when I did the trip. This was taken at Skalanes. (It has been cropped and photoshopped; it was hazy along the cliffs). Skalanes also has capacity issues because they have to use special buses to ford the streams.

In the meantime, keep checking. It could be as simple as some website housekeeping.

When booking opens for you, you get to book shorex for the entire duration of your cruise regardless of how many segments you have booked. The only thing that will not be available in advance are excursions that will be offered only to continuing guests on changeover days; those will be offered to continuing guests when you board. These tours will not be available to embarking or disembarking guests.

You never, never know. Looking at our demographic, cancellations happen right up to departure day. On our last cruise, a river cruise with room for 84 people, just a few months ago, one couple booked 11 days prior to sailing because there was a cancellation. Think positive!

The 'at-sea' day version of the shore excursion is not new and has been around since well before the pandemic hiatus as an additional cooking-based activity for guests. Sometimes it is a substitute for the shorex and sometimes it is in addition to the shorex (on itineraries that actually have "at-sea" days). It is a very popular activity when it can be offered. The shore excursion version has always depended on having the right market for shopping and the right personnel to present the class and it has never been available on every itinerary. Viking does have an asterisk on all of its shorex and makes it clear that the shorex listed are possibilities, not promises (including Kitchen Table and other Privileged Access tours).

No. I have always dealt with a TA and I have never been able to pay for anything on MVJ except for shorex and pre-paid gratuities. I have always though that it was because I worked with a TA -- but it could be because of all the blockers that I run on my browser. Whatever the reason, I am quite happy not to have that information stored on MVJ (which is why I also do not register my on-board credit card in advance; it takes a minute a check in).

One booking number books all of its excursions on the date stated on your invoice. If some reason you have two booking numbers, you should check the date on the invoice for when booking opens for each segment.

My TA operates differently. I don't pay the travel agency any money. I provide either my credit card # or my ACH information (routing and account # from bank) and the TA submits them to Viking on my behalf. Viking's name appears on the transaction, not the travel agency.

AND, there is an entire section here on Cruise Critic dedicated to PORTS OF CALL. A lot of information about tour companies is exchanged there. The audience is huge compared to the number of folks actively participating in this Viking forum, so you may find many more suggestions there. Ports of call is divided into 3 sub-forums and for Midnight Sun you may have to visit two of them.

In other words, you have to do the math. It is a complicated decision with many factors to be considered.