SoBaycruiser

28 minutes ago, Avery's Gram said:

We are on board and we’ve been very well informed…..the problem is that things keep changing.  Yesterday the Captain announced we would be a day late into Tilbury, and Viking promptly changed our flight reservations for a day later, leaving Heathrow on the 13.  This was followed up with a letter giving the same info as was reported verbally by the Captain.

 

But today the weather has been brutal, and we moved very slowly for most of the day with pretty extensive rocking and rolling.  The Captain’s update this afternoon said we would arrive at Tilbury very early on Tuesday, the 14.  
 

Anyone who says they have not been informed at all is incorrect….or at the very least, has not been listening to the updates.

 

Barbara M.

Barbara,

It’s the people who were suppose to get on the ship after you that are upset that they haven’t been kept informed.  Until a few hours ago they had received nothing from Viking.  They only knew what you all were reporting from the ship.  That wasn’t fair to them.

13 minutes ago, BigTimeCruiser said:

This is our first Viking Ocean cruise.  Where do we find the photo information and website?  I've looked through MyViking and haven't found anything about this.

In the “Before You Go” link there is another “Comfort check in” link that only works about 30 days beforehand.  In the check in they give specifics about the picture.  Here’s what it says.

Please upload a photo to be used as your picture ID onboard. The photo must be a head shot only, facing forward and looking directly at the camera. Do not upload a scan or picture of your passport or any other photo ID. 

If the photo provided does not meet the requirements your boarding process could be delayed and a new photo taken. 

The maximum dimensions are 45mm high x 35mm wide (passport size). Maximum file size allowed is 15MB in gif, heic, jpeg, jpg, png, and webp format only.

3 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

When you upload the picture, a cropping frame of the correct size appears so you can center the photo. 

Perfect!  Thanks!

The instructions are so specific for taking the photo ID picture about size.  How does one know the dimensions when taking a picture with your phone and cropping to a head shot?  It must be easy but they’ve made it sound difficult.

1 hour ago, LinnieRed said:

If not wool for socks, what do you recommend? I’m headed to the Northern Lights cruise and bringing merino wool blend. 

When we went to Greenland on an expedition cruise they recommended merino wool or smart wool socks.  We had a combination of both… a thin Marino wool liner sock and then a heavier sock of either smart wool or merino over it.  (DH had one and I had the other).  Worked great for us.

38 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

I am not doing any tours  going out  late at night looking for the Northern Lights. Hope to see them on the ship.have one tour to polar park to see animals.  Other tours are chocolate tour and a few included ships tours  What clothing should I bring?

 

i have a down parker with fur hood, a rain coat bought in Norway, and some waterproof pants. The coat is very heavy(/used to ski in bad weather) I also have a lighter parka with a hood. Neither is water proof. I have a very nice heavy wool sweater bought in Canada. If I take the down parka I am thinking of putting it in checked luggage(suit bag) as it is very heavy.  Have free  luggage as flying business on klm 

thanks

Hi from another Californian!

We have been discussing clothing on our Mar 8 Roll Call and I think it does make a difference that you aren’t going on any of the Chasing NL tours.  The most important thing is to bring layers rather than one big heavy item.  Looking at the projected temperature in Feb for Alta the HIGHs range from in the high 30s  to 16F and that’s the daytime.  And if the lights appear at night you will be going out on deck in the cold …albeit for a shorter time than the tours.

I think you can’t go wrong with a base layer… Marino wool top and bottom (basically long underware).  Follow that with a mid layer… heavier pants and maybe a fleece top or sweater.  As an outer layer I’m bringing windproof /waterproof pants.  The wind proof is important if you are out on the deck of a moving ship.  The jacket should be warm … I’m actually bringing a down long sleeve puffy that I can wear inside my waterproof jacket… but I’m doing the NL tours.  BRING hand warmers if you are bringing lightweight gloves.  If you aren’t bring boots, try waterproofing your shoes as the streets could be slushy.

it sounds like I know what I’m doing.  I’m just going from an experiences above the Arctic Circle during June when it was warmer.  Plus, coming from So Cal I’m not use to the cold so I want to be prepared.

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Clay -  done that in the past.  Told "that's something that may be possible".

 

Translation:  Go away and don't bother me.

 

Over a week onboard and yet to see the GM.  He probably doesn't want to hear from me - or anyone else - about the general inattention to details.  (For example, on the little signs for the food in the World Cafe - how can anyone misspell chicken?  And even more so, why doesn't anyone from staff even notice or care?)

Since TV announcements are currently being used on the Venus for northern lights sightings, it is obviously something that can be done in general if enough people ask.

3 minutes ago, L11 said:

You shouldn't be blasted for having an opinion about Viking's processes. Especially the ones regarding reservations for shore excursions and restaurant reservations. It is definitely stressful hovering over the keyboard at your appointed hour to try to get the excursion you really want no matter what category of cabin you have. I do understand their metric but that doesn't mean it isn't sometimes stressful to the consumer. 

 

Whatever happens, go and enjoy your cruise!

 

Linda

Thank you!  I plan to have a terrific time.

I am a Viking newbie about to take my first Viking Ocean cruise.  I expect the experience once on board to be outstanding from all the comments everyone has written about.  I am looking forward to our cruise.  But the pre-cruise experience is not very good for first timers because of lack of early information.     After 18 cruises with 5 different companies, we are used to seeing the excursions posted many months ahead with much more information.  For example, I have a cruise booked 8 months from now with another company and I can look at all the excursions, their price, and specifics of the excursion, not just a generic overall description.   I can book them now regardless of room class.  
 

For those who have cruised with Viking before, you know that you will probably get into the specialty restaurant once on board… despite no more reservations being taken through MVJ.  To the newbie, who gets that message at the first opportunity to make a reservation… it’s stressful.  Same with the excursions being full prior to one getting an opportunity to book them.  Everyone here has assured me it will all work out.  But I don’t think a company should have to rely on its previous passengers to inform/calm new passengers.

As I said, I am looking forward to this cruise.  I WANT to fall in love with Viking.  We like small ships and it’s one of the reasons we have cruised on different companies ( following the sale of the R-ships).  Please don’t blast me for pointing out where I think Viking can improve.

1 hour ago, johneb2 said:

As I mentioned we took the Viking excursions, and they all had facilities available, or made stops for them.  The pax I spoke with for the private excursions indicated they also had facilities made available to them.  I would suggest asking when you are making reservations.   JohnEB

I did ask a couple private ones and they said depending where they went to find the lights, there may or may not be facilities.

14 hours ago, Haworth said:

I echo Johneb2's sentiments, we booked a private tour in Alta with Nord Ekspedisjon, they were excellent and we got several good sightings, they picked us up and dropped us back at the ship.

Its a great trip, if you go to Stavanger have a look at the oil and gas museum, its excellent, we were planning to visit again but never got that far

May I ask a delicate question?  I understand the private chasing tours usually have no toilet facilities.  Do people just find a tree to step behind.. and what do women do?    Finally, do the people have to stand around when not traveling around in a vehicle?  Is there any place to sit?  We have very small foldable camp seats that fit in a backpack.  We’d rather not bring them, but our back starts talking to us after we’ve been standing for a while.

5 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

The assigned time refers ONLY to when you get into your room.

Usually DV's can be assured of getting into their cabin at 2 PM  (PV's at 1 PM).

 

However, this is NOT the time you can check in and come aboard. 

 

In all our cruises, we have found that we can get onboard around 11 AM with no problem (and there are usually about 50-60 passengers already checked in).  This gives us a chance to immediately get on the Voyager App and do dining reservations, plus schedule wine tastings, cooking classes, and more (things that could only be done when onboard) - and before the masses get on.

This past trip (a couple weeks ago), we actually boarded about 10:40 AM, had our safety drill and were in the Atrium area by 11:00 AM.    This also gives you a chance to have a wonderful lunch courtesy of Viking!   (We often do the Pool Grill or the World Cafe).

Thank you!  This was very helpful.  As a first time Viking cruiser, I’d like to know more about the wine tastings.  Where would I find that on the app… On board experiences?

Dining reservations are suppose to open today at 8pm Pacific Time for our Mar 8 cruise for DV rooms.  I had heard sometimes they open early so I checked at 7am  (13 hours early) and Manfredi’s says “reservations available aboard ship”.  There was one Chef’s table available but during our favorite excursion.  
 

So having read this thread, I didn’t panic.  I know everyone says no problem just get a reservation when you board.  But on our cruise reservation we were given a boarding time of 2pm.  Again I assume based on cabin class.  It would seem there would be little left by that time.  Can we arrive earlier to board the ship then our assigned time?

1 hour ago, millybess said:

 

 

I don’t agree with your use of the term “lower class passengers”. It doesn’t apply to Viking cruises. We have found that once you’re on board a Viking ship, your cabin class is never an issue unlike most cruise lines. That’s the main reason we cruise with Viking. 

As I said, my observations are based on my pre-cruise experience.  It is not meant as a criticism to any passengers. It’s just how Viking has made me feel prior to the trip.   I really hope your comments are correct because I really do want to love Viking. 

On 12/29/2022 at 12:17 AM, uktog said:

 

You will hear also mention that Azamara officers are far more visible and engaged with guests than Viking. I think that one is changing- some of the staff who were the visible officers have left Azamara and the some of the new ones are not as interested in guest engagement whilst on Viking they are becoming more visible. However if being pandered to due to your loyalty or higher category of room and dining with officers is your thing Azamara is for you, if you want a ship fully open to all (subject to availability) a one class experience Viking is for you. 
 

 

We have only sailed Azamara and are booked on a Viking NL trip in March, so I can only compare the pre sailing experience.   I have to disagree with Uktog’s comment that Viking is one class.  To me, money speaks.  If you’ve paid for a more expensive room you get first choice at the excursions.  Some are totally sold out before DV passengers even have a chance to book.  And then there is the specialty restaurant reservations.  Higher paying customers have been known to book many reservations so they have the “option to choose” and cancel later.  Again leaving the “lower class” passengers without reservations until they board the ship.  To me, there should be a limit on how many reservations can be prebooked.  It wouldn’t bother me if higher cost rooms were given two reservations and DV And V rooms 1.  Let everyone get at least one reservation and the remainder can then be up for grabs.  That to me is a one class experience.

We have been big fans of the R ships because of their size and our love for the lounge on deck 10 because we have opted more for scenic oriented cruises rather than port intensive.  It was Viking’s two story lounge which enticed us to try them.  We really want to love Viking.  We’ve heard great things about it.  But so far the experience has been much more stressful than with Azamara.

As the OP I want to thank everyone who was so helpful.  I still stumbled some but I got the excursions I wanted except for the time on the last included excursion.  Had I not prioritized and done them individually I would not have gotten the one most important to us as it showed full at the end of bookings.

I made up a list for first timers that summarizes a lot from this thread the a couple details  that caused me problems.

This is what I learned from the process: (I used the MVJ app with an IPad)
A) Register beforehand an account for direct payment if speed is important to you.
B)Registering a credit card for on board payments doesn’t help with excursion payments during this early booking time.  You will have to enter the info again.

After the excursions become available:
C) select your excursion and select each persons name who is going on the tour and select the same time for each.  Put EACH name into the cart individually.
D) go to the cart.  If you’ve registered a bank account that method will be PRE-selected.  If you choose to use that method, be sure to look below at the drop down box that says “accounts”.  This allows you to select the specific account the money will be taken from.  Then you can select to pay.  (Since I had uploaded only one account, I didn’t pay attention to that drop down box and couldn’t make the payment because I hadn’t selected an account).  Using the direct payment from an account is the fastest way to check out .
E) since I had trouble with the direct payment, I went to the credit card payment.  I had entered my credit card into auto fill to make it faster for checkout.  It turns out that the expiration date is from drop down menus so Autofill didn’t help.  Maybe it would on a desktop computer.  Basically I had to enter everything by hand except the credit card account number and my name.  

I then went back and selected the next excursion.  This time I saw the “accounts” box and so the direct payment went very quickly.

caveat: I might add that this was for a northern lights trip and everyone going has one thing in mind… to see the northern lights… hence causing all this competition for the spots.  Another venue may not have this demand for tours.

27 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Even if it it is sold out it may open up in a few days. Keep checking MVJ everyday. Sometimes they will add additional tours and sometimes there are cancellations. Our upcoming cruise opened excursions in mid Nov and a couple were sold out. Two weeks later they were available for a few days, then sold out again. Also sometimes there are cancellations when aboard. Ask to be placed on a waiting list.

thanks!  Great suggestions.

11 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

No, our account is in both our names.  I just have it registered in mine on MVJ because I am the one who does this.  It’s fine.  You are being meticulous, as I am.  But it really is easy and no cause for concern.  Nothing in life is guaranteed.  But this is close.  Just pick your excursions, pick your payment method, and check out.  I bet all will be well.  
 

ps.  I don’t think that the few seconds it will take you to enter the CC info should deter you from using that form of payment, if that is what you prefer.  

I really appreciate all the help and understanding.  I wasn’t really panicked until I saw that two of the excursions are already sold out before the DV rooms have a chance to book.  We are going on a Northern Lights trip and because of our age, we are somewhat limited to what we feel we can do.  We aren’t feeble by any means but this trip has been postponed due to COVID and those couple of years had made a difference.

Thanks again.  I’m ready!

Another question:  I have now accepted that I’ll have to do the electronic payment to be faster.   I am booking the excursions for both my husband and myself.  When I add the electronic payment method they asked whose name is on the account.  It’s actually both of ours but they only let me choose one. So I chose mine.  Do I have to add the same account again with my husbands name or is the one account good for payment for both?  
 

I have cruised other lines many times and I don’t ever remember having to prepay for excursions.  This sure complicates things.

16 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

The bank account  info is automatically applied.  If you want to use the credit card, added on MVJ or not, you will have to register-enter the account info.  It doesn’t cost you much time, especially if you have it as an auto add feature.

It is registered for on board payments.  So you are agreeing with OneSixtytoOne that I have to enter it at check out time. 

7 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

No, sorry, the card is only for on board purchases. You will need to enter your card information at checkout.

Can that be avoided if I enter the direct bank account info?

Tomorrow I can finally pre-book excursions.  I prefer to pay by credit card rather than directly from my bank account (despite the discount).   On My Viking app under Cart and Payments, I have added our credit card under the “on-board” payments.  I am assuming I can use it as payment for the excursions now prior to boarding.  Am I correct?  I won’t be asked to input the information again during checkout, right?  I don’t want that added delay.
 

I find it confusing as a first timer.

On 12/19/2022 at 6:38 AM, MikeyB said:

We were on the Neptune last month.  I can happily concur that the Abba and Beatle shows are history.

For us first timers that’s a disappointment.  I was looking forward to those shows.  I understand for those of you who continued to cruise during the pandemic want something fresh.  I just hope they can replace it with something from the same musical era.

1 hour ago, yorkshire born sailor said:

You will find many taxis will take cards and also, but less welcome is cash these days. A tip paid by cash would probably be more welcome. For a journey to tilbury you would probably be best to book in advance, some of these would also take advance payments. You can find these online (see other responses) or they may be cards or recommendations in the hotel. Although quite basic my experience is that premier inns will always try to help. If you call for a taxi straightaway it is likely to be much more expensive.

Thanks, that is very helpful.  Just to be sure I understand you , by saying “call for a taxi straightaway”, you mean calling at the moment we need it rather than arrange a pickup time ahead, correct?

1 minute ago, Squawkman said:

The ATT $10 deal lasts 24 hours from when you invoke it - then cell service shuts off. Use or lose the full 24 hours.

Thanks!  I think that would work.  We could keep contact with the car service the day we arrive and arrange a taxi from our hotel to the ship the next morning… all within 24 hrs.