carld

2 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

Trust me ..we felt very insulted and disrespected by Oceania. They have offered nothing for the missed ports. Other cruise lines did.  BUT....we had a wonderful time.  Could not have been treated better by the staff. Saw wonderful things. Great private tours. Interesting wineries.  Only you can decide what to do.

Just now, zalusky said:

Oceania cancelled 3 excursions before we boarded and then two more were cancelled on boarding day.

What we did notice is even though we went below the YWC minimum of 8 they did not take away YWC status and we continued to receive the 25% discount for the one we added.

 

As previously mentioned we also lost two port days with the hull cleaning ironically those were ports that had shore excursions on boarding day.  Makes me wonder if they knew.

 

We also had a engine failure for 5 hours around dinner time.  Basically lost propulsion and the no hot water for a while.  The Terrace kept working but I think I heard that people in the specialties had issues.

 

The staff treated us pretty well but the ship is a little too tired for my tastes.

 

This was my first Oceania cruise and I enjoyed the socializing with other passengers a lot but I plan to check out the competition to see where to land.  Seabourn hits a lot of the ports I liked here and I might try them next time if I go down under.

 

I would be interested to hear from Miriam as a more experienced Oceania cruiser a little more on the insulted and disrespected comments to put them in a appropriate place in our experience.

IE what did Oceania do previously that they did not do here.

We only did the leg from Bali to Sydney but we missed the 2 ports and endured the 3 hours drifting with no power.  I complained we should at the very least get some onboard credit or future cruise critic. (they gave free drinks on the night of the captains party when the drinks were already free)  The response was that cruise credit was a decision for headquarters in Miami to make and they obviously decided against it.  VERY Disappointed in the way we were treated.  Not much we can do except next time try Viking cruises.  Have been on 2 Viking Ocean cruises and we were treated with respect which Oceania did not do on this cruise.  

We have loved Oceania on past cruises but this is our worst cruise with them by far.  I think the Regatta is a little shop worn and needs to go into dry dock for a refurbishing.  I think Oceania has neglected some maintenance issues, (our break down for 3 hours and normal hull cleaning) and it is coming back to bite them.  The fact they offered free drinks as compensation for 3 hours floating around with no functioning toilets for part of the time and no explanations as to when we might get power was laughable.  I asked about getting future cruise credit or getting some cruise credit on this trip and was told that was a decision only headquarters in Miami could make.  This is supposed to be a luxury cruise line but we are being treated very poorly so I can see why some people are upset.  I do understand that the captain does not want to panic people but not giving us real time information as to what is happening makes us feel like we are being treated as children.  Not a good feeling.  Just tell us what is going on and pay us for our missed ports. 

2 hours ago, Snit13 said:

We were supposed to be on the August 31-September 7 cruise but decided to cancel due to the rules and conditions.  I have seen very few posts from brave cruisers who did not cancel.  Wonder how their week went.  

We took advantage to the Grand European river cruise for 2022 with our future cruise credit.  They were not offering the free drink package but were offering free airfare.  Since Viking supposedly offers beer and wine for us the free air trumped the free drinks as we are not big drinkers.  Now we just have to hope and pray Covid has run its course and goes away forever.

We were on the Jupiter August 24 sailing.  When I heard about people being sent home because they were on the same bus as someone testing positive, I did have some doubts about my sanity for deciding to go ahead with the trip.  However I did some changes to my planned trip (canceled my long bus ride Viking excursions) and since we were arriving a day early, we spent Monday the 23rd touring Reykjavik on foot and I arranged for a private tour of the Golden Circle excursion for the 24th.  After the tour by private jeep, just the driver and the two of us,  (we were picked up from our hotel and our luggage was with us for the entire tour) which actually cost less than the Viking bus Golden Circle tour, the tour driver dropped us off at the cruise port around 5PM so we got on board in time for dinner.  On board the cruise was great, we felt safe and we enjoyed the excursions that were included which were mostly short outside walking tours.  My only complaint was since we were all masked inside except while eating, it really did cut down on meeting other passengers.  No shared tables so we were sort of in a bubble (my wife and me) within a bubble (the ship passengers unable to mingle with people on shore).  I wanted to visit one of the natural hot water spas on an excursion but that would have required a long bus ride so we canceled that.  Instead, since we had a late flight, I arranged for a visit to the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport.  So, despite changing some plans, we did get to see Reykjavik, we did get to do the Golden Circle tour and we did get to visit the Blue Lagoon and get the hot water experience.  We also had great food on board, got to eat at the Chiefs Table twice, and enjoyed a nice cruise. It was different, with daily spit tests, masks when outside of your room, and lack of meeting new people at share tables but we  were glad we went.  

Got some good news for those of us flying home on August 31 and for those arriving to Iceland on the 31st.  Received a text from Iceland Air saying the potential strike by the Air Controllers has been settled and our flight will go as scheduled.  

39 minutes ago, Rappersmom said:

Yes that's exactly what I did and read. It is extremely vague. And it also says that the at risk because of age increases with age. Not definitive enough to make a strong statement. Still allows for jugment.

Unless you barricade yourself in your house and never go out there is always a small chance you could get exposed to Covid but if you have been vaccinated and wear a mask whenever you are out, the risk is small and even if you get Covid, the odds are it will be a mild case.  Especially if you are in good physical health.  Some of us are getting older, (into our 70's and above) and despite what we would like to believe, eventually we will be simply unable to travel the world.   Covid might be here for many years and we have to decide how much risk is worth it to see what we can in the years we have left.  There is risk if you stay home (actually probably more in the US than many foreign countries) and risk when you travel.  From what I read, Viking is doing a pretty good job of keeping the risk low.  I am pretty skeptical about any reports from our government about covid and their report that Iceland is a code red country.  I think Iceland is a lot safer than the US as far as being exposed to covid.  The US is in a crises with overfull hospitals while Iceland has very few hospitalizations for covid. 

I think Viking is going to lose a lot of revenue as people will cancel bus excursions to avoid the possibility of being quarantined because one person  on the bus was found to have tested positive for covid.  Makes no sense if you were on a bus wearing an N 95 mask that your vacation could be ruined.  We canceled all our bus tours and are getting back a little of $1600 from the canceled excursions.  That is a direct hit to Viking's bottom line.  Maybe the bean counters will see the light and not quarantine anyone unless they test positive.  With everyone fully vaccinated, what is happening now is just overkill. 

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Recently did Icelandair nonstop IAD Wash DC area to Iceland & Delta back, with connection in Minneapolis, so it's hard to compare the two for you.  However, we had a very good experience flying Icelandair To KEF.  They're a budget airline but do a good job.  If in economy, you'll need to eat before you board or purchase food on the plane.  Due to Covid, IAD had no real restaurants open at 7:30 pm near our gate but limited food was available.  I'm not sure what's available in Boston, Newark and other cities served nonstop by Ice.  Ice gave us an opportunity to bid on a paid upgrade to Saga Class. We bid & won seats.  Their Saga is not the cushiest, not same as business class on Lufthansa, but certainly a lot roomier than economy.  You also do get food (tasted fairly good - chicken mostly).  I slept well.  We landed in Iceland 6:30, put on our red stickers, and a Viking rep or contractor found us quickly.  They took us on a coach (with others, perhaps from other flights coming in around same time) to Harpa Concert Hall on the waterfront of Reykjavik.  There we checked in, had picture taken, got contact tracing medallion -- took maybe 10 or 15 minutes in a line) and then we went upstairs in groups to eat breakfast.  Cold quiche wasn't good, but croissants, liquid yogurt, coffee, etc. was.  It was enough to tide us through until we were taken to the ship (around 11, at least for us, one of the earliest groups, same group traveled with from airport).  After doing a short safety briefing etc. you could get lunch on the ship.  At 1 pm all rooms were ready, but I believe time can vary -- and I suppose, really, all of the times/processes can vary!   

 

Coming back home, we had a 9:30 AM flight and had to meet on ship at 5:15.  You might think that's too early for a 9:30 flight but it wasn't.  KEF is very congested, it was a 50 minute drive to airport, and KEF airport, at least yesterday, was very strict with security procedures.   We waited for a long time for boarding our Delta flight and then almost missed our connection in Minneapolis.  However, these hiccups were partly due to a lengthy inspection process by Iceland airport security at the gate, which I don't think is typical.  The plane we were to use was also late getting in, which also set us back.  We initially had 2.5 hours to connect, which judging from what I saw in Minn was quite sufficient in normal situations, especially if you have Global Entry and someone in a wheelchair.  For our flights back we were on Delta in economy. Long flight was pretty squished for a 6+ hour flight, but after the hassle in KEF I went through (I was part of inspection) I just dealt with it. The flight to DC wasn't bad - small plane maybe 2/3 full at most, around 2 hours, with biscoff or pretzels (no peanuts this trip - allergic person on board).  But of course you're on the plane with other Americans who may or may not have had the same level of protection we had as Viking pax returning from Iceland (e.g., vaccinated, tested 2 days pre-departure).  For the long flight FROM Iceland on Delta I asked about upgrades at the airport but was told it was too late to try for one.  If interested, you need to do that 24 hours pre-flight. 

 

If you're on a nonstop on Icelandair going back, and it's an afternoon flight, you'll likely be taken to Perlan, an indoor viewpoint museum over the city, until it's time to go to the airport. I assume you'll get food.  If possible, for any airline or flight leaving Iceland, it's best to do the checkin online the night before.  There are questions to be answered and it speeds up the process.  And be sure the negative Covid report Viking gives you the day before (in Heimaey, based on test in Djupivogur) has correct name, etc.  (Ours did, but check it just in case.)  And keep documents handy - you'll show them multiple times. 

 

Much of the above is based on our situation, which was purchase of airline tickets/transfers from Viking, with no Air Plus for choosing flights or seats.   Delta changed one flight a few weeks pre-flight, but it was very minor.  The Icelandair nonstop we took has been rock steady for weeks now; no changes there or cancelations there. 

 

If I had it to do it over again, I'd just stop being cheap and book Icelandair Saga Class both ways, nonstops (assuming those are available where you live).  If things are still as crazy travel-wise as they are now, I'd probably book through Viking Air Plus.  Usually we book our own flights, go out early, get to the ship on our own, etc.  But this time we wanted a little more help if things went wrong, so we just went with Viking air.  And they didn't allow extensions or going out a day or two early for the Iceland cruises, so that was only available if we booked on our own. 

 

But the above is just one person's opinion, two if you count that of my spouse), based on our particular situation, DC location, dates, and flights.  Hopefully you'll get more info/opinions.  

 

 

 

 

We are on the August 24 Jupiter cruise.  I tried to use Viking Air to book Saga class from Seattle to Reykjavik but they would only do economy.  I am 6 foot 3 and didn't want to sit in coach for over 7 hours so I got on Icelandic Air site and checked Saga price.  Then called American Express Travel to see what they could do.  We are platinum card holders and they were able to get us Saga seats round trip saving over $800 for the 2 round trip tickets off what Iceland Air was asking.  So if you are American Express platinum, and want to go Saga class, at least check with American Express travel before ticketing. 

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

Can you return to the facility which gave you the shots and ask them to properly fill out another card for you? The back sides of our CDC cards say Reminder!  Return for second dose with a line for the second appointment date.  The front of the card has boxes and lines for 1st and 2nd Dose and Other clearly indicated.  I personally would be concerned how yours is filled out.

I took a photo of the other side of the card and then combined the photo with the first side and downloaded it to Verifly and they accepted it so all is good.  Just one of many steps completed to get to Iceland. 

carl

3 hours ago, les37b said:

 

What happens to your flights if for some reason the cruise is rescheduled or cancelled?

Life is always a gamble.  If I have to cancel my flights I would get a credit on Iceland Air and they fly from Seattle to Europe so I would use the credit to get to Europe sometime. But I don't think Viking will cancel the Iceland sailings.

When we booked an August cruise around Iceland, I contacted Viking Air and said I wanted to pay extra and book business class (Saga on Iceland Air) from Seattle.  Viking Air said it was $1200 round trip on economy and no Saga class was available. I checked on the Iceland Air website and round trip economy was a little over $800 (which makes the Viking air transfers pretty expensive) and Saga was available for around $2600 round trip.  I called American Express travel for platinum card holders and they sold me Saga class round trip for $2070.  I have to pay my own transfers but at least I get to sit in the front of the plane for the 7+ hour flight.  Just my opinion, Viking Air is really not very customer friendly when it come to saving money and providing the best available air travel connections. 

I have a question about downloading your vaccination information to Verifly.  On my CDC vaccination card it shows my name and the dates of my 2 Moderna shots on the front of the CDC card.  On my wife's card it shows the first shot information on the front of the card and the second shot information on the back of the card.  If I try to download a photo of her card it will only show one shot unless I can download 2 photos (front and back of the card).  Has anyone else had this situation and is it a potential problem? 

3 hours ago, kate7047 said:

We have late flight home (17:00) on 8/17. Plan to go to Blue Lagoon that day to hang out most of the day until our fingers wrinkle. 

Have you found an excursion that will take you from the ship to the blue lagoon, leave you there 2 or 3 hours and then take you to the airport getting you there by 2PM?  We also have a late flight and the blue lagoon sounds a lot more fun that sitting around the airport.

We are arriving early for the August 24th cruise and will be staying in a downtown hotel.  I figured with luggage etc we would just take a taxi from the hotel to the ship on the 24th.  Does anyone know what time people not taking Viking transportation can get checked in and on the ship?  Also, how easy is it to get a taxi from a downtown hotel to the cruise port and what should it cost?  Thanks

Carl

We have cruised on  Viking (Bangkok to Hong Kong) Oceania (5 different cruises) and Regent (Singapore to Cape Town) and we are going again on Oceania this December and again on Regent next April.  My wife actually prefers Oceania  because she is in love with Red Ginger while I much prefer Regent with the liberal alcoholic drinks and the business air benefits.  We both were disappointed in Viking and will not likely sail with them again.  They try to compare themselves with Oceania but the food was simply not as good and I was not impressed with their limited choice of free excursions.  When you factor in the business class air and the included drinks, Regent is the best deal for the money.  Just my opinion but based on experience with all 3 lines.  Another bonus with both Regent and Oceania is if you use an American Express Platinum card to pay for your trip you get onboard credit ($300 per cabin on my last trips) and you don't get any OBC on Viking.  Also if you own 100 shares of NCL stock you get more OBC for both Oceania and Regent.  

The day has come and we will board Navigator later.

 

We took the whole Regent package - flew out on our chosen BA flight last Friday/Saturday and had a private transfer to the hotel: The Fairmont. Everything worked perfectly.

 

Carld, we probably encountered you in the breakfast queue (!) or elsewhere in the hotel - we found it to be 'ok' but a very busy place with cruise people coming and going (Princess Cruises this weekend) The location, however, is first class, which is the big plus in my opinion.

We have "bus 1" tickets for the transfer, meeting at 12 noon and might add that the ground organisation was very good yesterday = efficient and well prepared. Better than some we've experienced!

 

So, Navigator, here we come!

Gilly, We too are leaving for Singapore this evening. Regent is putting us up in the Fairmont and we arrive Sunday morning after a 23 1/2 trip. We will need a couple of days to recover before sail away time. I set up a tour with "Tours by Locals" for Monday and hope to see a bit on our own on Sunday afternoon if we are not too exhausted to leave the hotel. . If you are around the Fairmont, we might bump into you, otherwise we will see you onboard.

Carl

We are scheduled to join the ship in Singapore for the Singapore to CapeTown segment. Needless to say all this news is of great concern and I have been in touch with Regent offices in Miami trying to find out how and if this will impact our trip. We are supposed to fly out of Seattle on Friday and than have a couple of days in Singapore before getting on the Navigator. If it turns out the divers don't even get to the ship until the 10th, I doubt if Regent will want us to leave Seattle on the 9th. When I talked to a Regent agent in Miami this morning, I really got no news. They simply don't know yet what is going on or when divers will actually arrive to do the ship survey. The gentleman I talked with did take my telephone number and promised to call when they had any news but I will still be calling them back tomorrow. I suspect the best source of information will be from someone on the ship and I really appreciate this forum and their posts. I suspect and hope there is no hull damage and that we will be off to begin a great adventure on Friday as scheduled. I just wish I would hear some confirmation soon so I can get on with my packing without any doubts. Hope to join everyone on the ship in Singapore as scheduled.

I just received a call from Regent's Miami office. They said the divers are expected shortly and they hoped to have everything done and be on their way later today. That is good news as long as they don't find anything wrong.

We are scheduled to join the ship in Singapore for the Singapore to CapeTown segment. Needless to say all this news is of great concern and I have been in touch with Regent offices in Miami trying to find out how and if this will impact our trip. We are supposed to fly out of Seattle on Friday and than have a couple of days in Singapore before getting on the Navigator. If it turns out the divers don't even get to the ship until the 10th, I doubt if Regent will want us to leave Seattle on the 9th. When I talked to a Regent agent in Miami this morning, I really got no news. They simply don't know yet what is going on or when divers will actually arrive to do the ship survey. The gentleman I talked with did take my telephone number and promised to call when they had any news but I will still be calling them back tomorrow. I suspect the best source of information will be from someone on the ship and I really appreciate this forum and their posts. I suspect and hope there is no hull damage and that we will be off to begin a great adventure on Friday as scheduled. I just wish I would hear some confirmation soon so I can get on with my packing without any doubts. Hope to join everyone on the ship in Singapore as scheduled.

I just don't understand this fear about dining with someone you don't know. I mean it is just sitting down to lunch or dinner and meeting someone you might not otherwise ever meet. It isn't like you are auditioning them to be your best buddy. We always make a point of asking for a "share table" and while we have ended up with a few forgettable dinners, almost always we have had fantastic dinners with really interesting dinner partners. Most cruise passengers have led interesting lives and have seen a lot of the world. Shared stories of world adventures are often some of the most memorable parts of the voyage. We have made some really good friends as a result of sharing a table. I just think that those who refuse to share a table with strangers are just missing out on making some new friends. :)

We have been on a lot of cruises and on one of the first ones we were asked if we wanted to join a share table. We tried it and now wouldn't do anything else. We have met some fantastically interesting people with great stories to tell. Sometimes it takes a long time for dinner as everyone is so interested in the conversation nobody wants to leave. Only one time did I have what I would call an unpleasant experience and that actually ended up pretty humorous. We were seated with a very outspoken conservative lady from Texas who wanted to talk about politics and how horrible the Democrats and President Obama was. This was a bit uncomfortable for several of us but she insisted on making this the main topic of conversation. She finally made the remark about how she couldn't believe anyone would have voted for Obama, so I piped up with telling her I voted for him and would do it again. She then got up and left the table saying she wouldn't eat with people who would vote for Obama. Everyone else stayed including the people she had come with, and we had a very enjoyable dinner sans political talk. As it turns out one of the other couples were also Obama supporters but they were just afraid to speak up. That was the only time that I can remember where politics dominated the conversation and that was only because of this very opinionated lady. Usually conversations about politics and religion are just not brought up at the table as they tend to be divisive and people on a cruise are more interested in making connections with fellow cruisers rather than with alienating them.

We just booked The Southeast Asia to Hong Kong cruise on the new Viking Spirit departing Bangkok April 7 2019. The ship is just now being built and as far as I know, Viking hasn't done any ocean sailing in this part of the world yet. The itinerary has us stopping in both Cambodia and Viet Nam. I asked the Viking desk about what was required in the way of visas and I don't think they have figured that out yet. The gal on the phone indicated she thought I would need to send my passport to a visa service agency that Viking uses but it appears both Cambodia and Viet Nam do e-visas which means you can get them on-line. Also it appears that other cruise lines let the passengers get their visas when they disembark the ship in Cambodia and in Viet Nam. When I asked the lady at the Viking desk if we could possibly get out visas when we landed, she was adamant that that would be impossible. I wonder if this is a case of the staff just not knowing yet what the situation will be. I have a long time to wait before I have to do anything, but just wondering if anyone else has reservations yet for that cruise and if they have heard anything concerning what will be needed for visas. Viking is doing the same itinerary in September and November of 2018 so I will be interested to see what passengers on those cruises have to do.