Peregrina651

Another ditto! We did Iguazu Falls on our own and spent New Years Eve there -- the most expensive lodgings we have ever paid for -- but so worth it, falls view and all. The trip is easy to plan and execute entirely on your own. We bought our own flights. We made our own hotel reservation. The airport is in downtown BA (not the international airport outside of the city). We used cabs for transport to and from the airports. We stayed at the hotel inside the park and walked or took the tram to the things we wanted to see; no guide needed. We took the first flight out on New Years Eve and the next-to-last flight home on Jan 1. It was plenty of time to see what we wanted to see. One caveat: it is very hot and humid at this time of the year.

I definitely agree with Clay on this one. The glaciers, etc. are west of Ushuaia. You pass by them in the very early morning hours as you arrive in Ushuaia when sailing from Santiago or in the early evening as you depart Ushuaia. We sailed from BA. I skipped dinner to take these pictures; there was no way that I was going to miss the glaciers. Glaciers and... Waterfalls

Viking is not giving you a voucher for a specific itinerary. The voucher is only giving your money back, the money that you paid into the transaction. If you got a boat-load of discounts and OBC, they are gone. If the itinerary include free airfare, that is gone as well. You only get back what came out of your pocket. That is all is that are required to do by law: to make you whole.

The good thing is that nothing in the envelope is required to get on the ship. The bright red luggage tags would be nice to have but are not needed. The personalized luggage tags can be replaced at the airport or at check-in. The Viking transfer sticker is nice but you shouldn't have trouble finding the Viking reps without the sticker. NEXT TIME, tell the TA to mark your booking to have documents sent directly to you -- and don't let your TA tell you that it can't be done.

Tellus@vikingcruises.com

As far as I understand from conversations with my TA, the commission has not been paid.

Included in our cruise fare is complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate and bottled water 24/7. The only coffee that is not included in that perk are the coffees that have an alcoholic component (brandy, Bailey's, etc).

Even on a full ship we have never been told that there wasn't a table for us. There were times when we had to wait our turn to be seated but the line always moves quickly.

BobCatter, I'm going to be the curmudgeon here. I have found that each and every sailing has its own vibe making it hard for me to believe blanket statements about any of the dining rooms or the ease of getting specialty reservations. It differs from sailing to sailing and there is no way of predicting what it will be. I have been on cruises where the line to be seated in the MDR is past the elevators before the doors open and I have been on cruises where the crowd seemed to peak closer to closing time. Finding a seat in the World Cafe depends on timing and on how many people prefer the sit down service for dinner; sometimes it is easy and other times the cafe is jam-packed. Every cruise is different. The shorter the cruise, the harder it is to get a seat in the specialty restaurants -- particularly on an 8 day cruise and even harder if the 8 days are a segment of a longer itinerary. The advanced reservation scheme was designed when Viking was not planning to offer itineraries of less than 2 weeks; a 7 night cruise has half the capacity to cover the same number of advanced reservations promised in the advertising. On the other end of the spectrum, World Cruises don't have this capacity problem. Manfredi's reservations are harder to get than Chef's Table but both will accommodate walk-ins if they can. It never hurts to stop by and ask. (We have done it a number of times. Sometimes it has been a solid, "Not tonight" and other times we have been seated.) As for room service, two thoughts. First, only if you are okay either eating off the coffee table or on the veranda. Second, Viking has plenty of tables for 2 in its dining venues.

Don't panic! It is confusing but when people say "arriving early," they mean "arriving before DAY 1," which Viking calls a "deviation." As long as you are arriving on DAY 1 of your itinerary Viking will meet you at the airport and transport you to the ship. There will be some time-killing involved, waiting at the airport or at the port, but Viking will be watching for you once you leave the restricted immigration area. Regardless of what the clock or the paperwork says, Viking will start boarding arriving guests just as soon as local authorities have cleared the ship for boarding.

To keep the on-board environment as disease free as possible, to catch infection before it spreads to more people on board -- and to prevent the host countries from deciding that cruise ships are no longer welcome because they aren't doing enough to control the spread of disease on board.

We did Iceland last summer with Viking. One couple arrived early so that they could play a round on the course in Akureyri, the northernmost course they have ever played. Have you considered figuring out how to play a round along your route? Or is this suggestion going to get me into trouble with your other half? I would pose this question directly to Viking. Don't use the call center. Contact them via tellus@vikingcruises.com. Include your booking number and a phone number in your e-mail. There is no reason why you can't continue to do this on your Viking cruise. The ship is the hotel/transportation bringing you to a new port to explore every day. How you spend your time in port is up to you. You can take advantage of the tours that Viking offers or you can strike out on your own completely. Now that cruise ships are no longer required to maintain a bubble, your only restriction is your "back on board" time. And, on my goodness, have you chosen a fabulous journey for exploring.

Only for those who have Viking transfers.

I'm not a Viking newbie and I still have trouble finding stuff on the Viking website. I call them "Viking's Best Kept Secrets." A lot of information hides on MVJ (My Viking Journey, the Viking Guest portal; you can't access it unless you have a cruise on the books). If you haven't set up your MVJ account yet, you should before it is time time to book shorex (even included tours have to be reserved on MVJ). https://www.myvikingjourney.com/home/welcome/ Want to know more about your cabin? Look under SHIPS. Choose any one (they are all the same when it comes to cabins) and scroll down. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html Want to learn about what tours might be offered on your cruise. It is on the Itinerary page for which ever cruise you are looking at. Scroll down to the day by day section, click where it says "read more" on any Day except Day 1 and you will see what's on off. Click on any tour you are interested in to read the full description -- but no prices or departure times are given here; that will be on MVJ when it comes time to book. Find a link to the FAQ in the footer of either any Viking Oceans page on the website or on MVJ. Lots of information buried there. Minibar in DV cabins come with complimentary daily replenishment but, as mentioned in an earlier post, they are not stock with any alcoholic beverages, not even if you have the drinks package. The drinks package does not cover the minibar. But, if your thought is to enjoy a refreshing drink on your balcony, room service delivers.

The address is tellus@vikingcruises.com

Wow, that was cutting it close. But sometimes it happens that way. Viking is trying so hard not to cancel cruises that they wait until the very last minute, hoping that the luck will fall their way and they won't have to cancel. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I hope you are able to reschedule.

We were on the second sailing of the season, end of March, 2019, and Giverney was open but not in full bloom (no waterlilies, just early blooming plants). On the other hand, it was not over-crowded. We also lucked out and had a dry cruise.

Also available at breakfast in the dining venues --- gratis, I believe.

Even though this is a river question, let me say that in the past, dates disappearing from the website along with a locked MVJ were the pre-cursor to cancellation e-mails. This all tends to happen in a 24-48 hour period. If you are cancelled, do read the e-mail carefully and completely. If a voucher is included read the terms and restrictions of the voucher carefully before accepting it.

Don't read it all!!!! Start at post #1 and read for a couple of pages; you'll know when it is time to stop. Then fast forward to April, 2021 and continue reading from there to the end in order to catch up on the post-pandemic changes. The, if you feel you have missed something, double back and read what you skipped. For clarity -- all cabins come with a stocked mini-bar that is yours to consume. The contents depends on your cabin category. Once daily replenishment is included for all cabins except V, who can pay for replenishment a la carte. (However, it is easy to get an extra can or two of soda at meal time and do your own replenishing -- or stop by my cabin, where the soda goes unopened). The drinks package does not cover the minibar. However, anyone can order drinks from the bar to be delivered to the cabin; they will be put on your tab if you don't have the drinks package.

While Viking includes a lot of things that have to be paid for on other cruise lines -- like internet, lattes, capuccino, room service, shuttle buses -- there are still some items that guests will have to pay for: spa services (massages, facials, haircuts, manicures, etc) but not for access to the spa or exercise room, which are open to all guests optional shore excursions anything in the shops anything not included in the mini-bar for your cabin category (i.e. replenishment for V cabins, wine/beer or nip bottles in DV -- none of which is covered by the drinks package) dry cleaning and laundry service BUT not the self-service launderettes or the detergent for them cocktails, mocktails and shots 24/7 (either by the drink or by purchasing the drinks package) wine, beer, soft drinks, Evian and Perrier when requested outside of meal hours specialty coffees that contain alcohol (brandy, Bailey's, etc) some on-board special programs such as wine/scotch/aquavit tastings caviar gratuities Viking has a liberal BYO policy (anything that is legal) and no corkage fee in the dining room (or the bar). BYO may be consumed anywhere on the ship; Viking will supply the glasses and ice but charges for any mixers. A word about gratuities. In certain booking markets (not the US or Canada), gratuities are include in the cost of the cruise. In the US and Canadian market, free gratuities are occasional offered as a perk, but other than that it is expected that guests will ante up. The standard amount is automatically added to your ship board account at the end of the cruise unless you stop by Guest Services to say that you do not want them added to your account. They do it this way because more people want the grats added on than wish to opt out; it makes for less traffic at guest services. Or you can pre-pay on MVJ. All bar tabs and spa services already include a 15% gratuity in the pricing.

Once a thread/topic is started, it is here forever (like all of the roll calls that were started for cruises that were cancelled). Only stuff that is against the rules (obscene, harassing, etc.) or has nothing to do with cruising gets deleted. Threads/topics take on a life of their own and live long past when the OP has gotten their answer and moved on. OP may be the one to ask the initial question but the answers are for everyone who stops by to read the thread and learn. In other words, don't worry about it. It is out of your hands. You asked a good questions and people are going to run with it. Let then have at it. It is something to talk about. It is a way of helping newbies. The edit period on a post is 20 minutes. BTW, to edit a post, click on the three dots beside the post # and choose "edit." Use the same three dots to report a thread.

Pre-Covid, what you describe was the norm. The problem is that post-Covid Viking is enforce a 6 to a table limit and we don't know when they are planning on revoking the current protocol. At this point, my suggestion is that folks who are traveling in a group of more than 6 contact the people at tellus@vikingcruises.com to resolve these issues. Traditionally, this department has been the "Mike Holmes" department, tasked with the job of making things right. They are higher up the customer service ladder and can do things that the call center cannot. If nothing else, they will get the message that folks traveling together are not happy with the current restrictions.

Yes, two distinct fees. Air Plus is the fee for having a say in what flights you get (otherwise, it is take what you get) and for any further conversation with Viking Air. The Air Plus also allows you to choose your flights just as soon as they are released (6-8 months out) vs waiting until 75 days out to see what you have been assigned. IMHO, pay the Air Plus fee and choose your flights. With all you are paying for the cruise, you might as well be happy with your flight plan, and especially if you are flying Premium Economy or Business, both of which have a limited number of seats on board. Deviation fee is what you pay to to arrive early and/or depart late. Also note that Viking transfers are not available if you choose to deviate. There is one other fee, that is sometimes combined with the deviation fee, called a stopover fee, for when you spend extra nights in a a city along your flight route. E.g., if your flight plan is Home to Athens via London, you can opt to spend nights in London before continuing to Athens. (Hotels for the stopover are not included).

Usually Viking prints a note on the invoice with the earliest you should try to book flights. It also includes a day by day schedule with port arrival and departures. Make sure you are looking at the Viking invoice and not an invoice issued by your travel agent. (If you don't have a copy of the Viking invoice, ask your TA to send you a copy of the most recent invoice). Here's a sample of what it might say, from our last cruise. Just keep in mind that the time between arriving in port and earliest flight departure is different for every port. Message for Embarkation/Disembarkation Due to the cruise schedule for this itinerary there are limitations on flight times. If you are arranging your own flights, please be aware of the restrictions below and ensure the criteria is met. Arrival: Arrival flights into Los Angeles, CA (LAX) must arrive no later than 1:00 PM on the day of December 20, 2021. Departure: Departure flights out of Los Angeles, CA (LAX) must depart no earlier than 10:00 AM on the day of January 5, 2022.