dd57

The EES FAQ page alludes to still being able to to use the automated lines at passport control, but they don't say whether you still have to see an agent the first time or not. I know when we used the automated lines at Munich airport the machines scanned our faces and compared it to the data in our passport chip. I don't remember whether we had to hold our fingers against a reader; I know we've done that somewhere, but it might have been with Global Entry reentering the US. Do the passport chips hold fingerprint data too? Maybe the EU will just pull the data from a biometric passport rather than adding yet another delay when trying to make a connection. That would answer why the web pages stress so much on privacy and data security and so little on how it will work.

I used to be Elite on Princess, but started looking around when we got tired of the crowds onboard, lines everywhere, waiting for a table, squeezing past the tables full of cheap souvenirs, waiting to get off the ship, nickel and diming for everything, etc. We are now hooked on Viking. We did both the Baltic and the Med on Princess. The port talks were about where you can buy what and which stores would give Princess passengers a discount. On Viking the port talks cover an overview of the port, details on the excursions, and tips for getting around and where to meet the shuttles. This is in addition to history and culture talks onboard. A completely different experience.

If you are packing for rainy weather, then you might want to think about a waterproof day pack. Also, if you have a thin hooded rain shell, a ball cap is useful for keeping the hood out of your eyes. Binoculars might be useful if you are going hiking near Sagueney or Mt Desert.

One reason we stopped cruising with Princess is the terrible time I had with my gluten intolerance. Our main waiter at dinner kept giving me regular dishes that the assistant waiter whisked away to replace them with the gluten free ones. Unfortunately the assistant waiter had to rush home because of a death in the family. So of course I ended up missing that I had the wrong dish and missed that evening and the whole next day being ill. I ate at the buffet for the rest of the trip. The head waiter always came by to take my order for the next day, but nothing was done to correct the main waiter after I pointed this out to the head waiter. This happened when the service started going down hill on Princess around 2010. Food service was fine before that. We had Elite status on Princess. We had some really great times on Princess. Maybe they have fixed this, but when the crew is stretched thin, like too many tables to service, mistakes can happen.

(Head slap) oh, duh! Of course we do. I was so focused on the not needing them around the ship that I spaced on that. So @Mickey111, I apologize. I use a small crossbody purse or my pockets.

You only really need them when you are leaving and reentering the ship. You don't need them onboard. If you want to buy something onboard, you tell them your cabin number and they check your photo on their tablets.

We have moved an Alianz policy to a different date, trip type, and destination without an issue.

Oh, thank you! I hadn't tried recently after being denied a few years ago. Good to know it is possible.

AFAIK, you must request the later final payment date before making a deposit. Once you have paid the deposit, Viking won't change the final payment date.

The GF coconut muffins are almost as good as the Success cake. Well, nothing compares to cake, but they are really good.

I would guess that the Alaska to Vancouver sailings are more popular, and so more expensive, because they transit the northern part of the inside passage while you are awake as opposed to at night like on a Vancouver to Alaska trip.

I have to eat GF. If you go to the bread section (furthest aft) in the World Cafe and ask, they will get you GF muffins (excellent) and toast in the morning and GF bread and rolls at lunch and dinner. I have never asked for bagels so don'tknow if they are an option. I thought they had GF English muffins for eggs Benedict, but I could be wrong. You are right that there is usually not a lot of GF cake in the World Cafe, more mousse and custard, but when I want cake I head to Mamsen's for the wonderful Success cake. And they have the best GF waffles there too. You can ask for a GF tower at afternoon tea in the Wintergarden.

If you bring an adapter you can use the European plugs too. Assuming your charger can can handle 240 volts. Most do. That way you have more plug options. But you don't have to bring one. The are US plugs and USB-A charging ports in the cabins.

I kept hitting my toes on it.

If the cruise is going on the inside Passage, it is done at night when leaving from Vancouver and during the afternoon and early evening when leaving from Alaska. It is spectacular. We did northbound first and of course saw nothing. We were amazed on our southbound trip.

Sometimes people post about excursions in the roll calls when they are answering questions. You might check out past roll calls for your cruise under Viking River Roll Calls. The roll calls there are arranged by year for a given itinerary, like this one

If you have enough space in your checked luggage coming home, ulu knives are pretty great for chopping vegetables, nuts, etc. They are sold in many shops in Alaska. http://www.theulufactory.com/

Just to play devil's advocate, most ocean ships have medical facilities onboard with some level of acute care, defibrillators, cardiac monitors, emergency medications, labs, x-rays, and some amount of simple surgery capabilities. I have seen medical teams rushing to passengers, carrying a defibrillator with them. You could research what each line has onboard, and maybe pick an itinerary that is port intensive like the Med so you are never far from more extensive medical facilities. And hopefully never need them. I do understand the comfort of being able to see dry land, and peace of mind can mean a lot. And river cruises are a lot of fun.

You do not have to fly into the starting point of the cruise, but to change to a different airport, you have to pay a "deviation fee". Call back and ask about that. We did this when we took the Viking Bordeaux cruise and wanted to spend time in Paris before and after.

There is a restroom across the lobby from the restaurant. You can use a towel to open the door after washing your hands.

You don't have to do a transfer request since they are included in the extensions. You do have to fill out a form that describes your flights so Viking knows when to meet you. Or is it the same form? I can't remember. It is available online in MVJ, or your TA can help.

GF muffins are available every day in the World Cafe. If you ask for them the day before, they will also have some at the Living Room bar - they have to request them from the kitchen. The flavors rotate between blueberry, lemon poppyseed and my favorite coconut. Lots of GF desert options too. And of course the waffles at Mamsen are GF. I wish the Mamsen sandwiches could be GF.

Yes, I have stayed in both French balcony and Veranda cabins. But you can double check by looking at the photos on the Viking website under 360 degree views.

The balcony (veranda) staterooms are bigger than the French balcony cabins; they have room for a chair between the bed and the slider while the French balcony cabins don't.

The other provisioning we saw was while the ship was in port and used hand trucks down the gangway ramps. In those cases the crew would carry the crates up and down the stairs rather than using the handoff process. The one I described above was in the middle of nowhere and we were the only ship there. We did ask about it and got the impression that a delivery was missed earlier.