dd57

The path is called the Strand. I think the Portofino has bikes you can use but I don't know if they are free. If you like beach volleyball, you might want to look into watching the Manhattan Beach Open. It is usually held in March.

I've lived in Manhattan Beach - just north of Redondo Beach where the Portofino is - and in San Pedro so know the areas well. The Portofino is nearby many restaurants as well as being close to the great Redondo beach. There is a walkway and bike path that goes along the beach from Redondo all the way to Santa Monica. Just a little north of the Portofino is Martha's Hermosa Beach - a local hangout with the most incredible breakfast items. The Doubletree Tree in San Pedro is on the Cabrillo marina, but just south of it is Cabrillo Beach, which has beaches both on the harbor side and on the ocean side. There is also a small aquarium which is no where near as good as the one in Long Beach. There are several excellent restaurants around the marina; I especially like 22nd Street Landing. I've stayed at both hotels, the Portofino for a company retreat and the Double Tree before cruises, and would recommend either one. Redondo Beach has more activity around with restaurants, bars, people watching, great beach, etc. San Pedro is quieter.

Last August I wore thin silk underwear under hiking pants in Iceland. The silk kept my legs warm and the hiking pants dried very quickly. One day in northern Iceland it rained all day, well only when we were off the tour bus - it cleared up every time we got back on the bus! The silk never was too hot, even indoors at a restaurant, so I didn't worry about taking them off midday. I thought about waterproof pants, but I was doing carry-on only for a month trip to cold Iceland and hot France and they didn't make the cut. It worked for me, especially at waterfalls, but it probably wouldn't have been sufficient if I was going to go on an excursion in a small boat.

That makes a lot of sense. I only saw the dog in his house and in his RV, so I have no idea what they were trained together to do when traveling. I was just pointing out that there are cases where close proximity is trained into the dog. And the whole feeding under the table thing sure sounds like a pet to me.

Thank you, Chief, for reminding us about the rights of the disabled. Just like people who "appear" to not need a handicapped parking space, you can't always know who has a disability. We have a friend who is a veteran and diabetic. He received a trained diabetes alert dog from the VA. The dog was small, some kind of Jack Russel terrier mix. The dog's main task was to wake up our friend if he had an issue while he was asleep. The dog was trained to be up on the bed while he slept. He was trained to sit on the coach next to our friend. The dog saved our friend several times, including during the day. On the other hand, we know some people who bought a service vest for their pet so they could take it on hikes in California State Parks in areas where dogs are not allowed due to protected wildlife. People like that make life hard for the disabled, just like anyone who lies and brings their pet onboard. I, too, have allergies that can cause severe reactions - such as from people using dryer sheets - so I sympathisize with people with pet allergies. Anyone with concerns should bring it to the attention of Viking. This is a difficult situation. And probably not limited to Viking.

Some Viking promotions require payment within a few weeks of booking as opposed to their "normal" time. I just booked another Viking Ocean cruise with a promotional code and the agent had to double check that he was allowed to push the final payment out to 6 months before the cruise. The 6 months timing is only for those that have another cruise booked in the future, and sometimes for cruises that are booked while onboard an ocean cruise. I think I have seen a promotion that includes this too, but I'm not sure. The request for the later payment has to be made at the time of booking, not later.

All coffee including lattes, cappuchinos, espressos, are complimentary as long as there is no alcohol involved. So Irish coffee, etc., has a cost. The same Living room wonderful coffee is used for the cappuchinos and lattes there. Yumm.

You can add it shortly after booking thru MyVikingJourney.

So far they haven't charged a cancellation fee as long as you haven't ticketed yet.

Yes, Viking Air is not always cheaper than booking on your own.

Even though there was a promotional airfare, we got what we wanted for a higher price It ended up costing less than if we had gotten tickets ourselves. You are right that for the promotional fare you are limited. But you can get other options.

Well, I think it is the bell hops that move the bags around inside the hotel, but you still don't have to drag it around. Viking coordinates with the hotel. At least on the 4 pre/post extensions we have done, including Bergen/Oslo.

I have used Luggage Forward when we were doing independent travel before a cruise. And it is nice to not have to wrestle a big bag around. But just being devil's advocate here, since you are on a Viking pre-cruise extension, if you don't use LF and instead check the bag, the only times you have to touch the bag are: Taking it to the ticket counter to check it in at your home airport Claiming it at the Oslo airport and handing it over to the Viking reps Placing it outside your Oslo hotel room the morning of the train trip (with your Viking luggage tag with your cabin number on it) Unpacking it on board Viking will handle the bag from the Oslo airport to your hotel room, and from your hotel room all the way to your cabin on board the ship. Now LF picks up at your house and it appears in your cabin, so there is a lot less handling. But you can check a bag with things in it, such as your favorite shampoo, that you can't put in a bag sent via LF.

All V, DV, and PV staterooms an send laundry out and pay for it. In the morning you fill out a form, put the items in the provided bag, and leave it on the bed. The cabin steward will take it to the laundry. I don't have the prices handy but it is less than most hotels we have stayed in. Not cheap either.

The transition lenses come in two "darkness" levels. I used to live in Indio, CA, similar to Las Vegas, and my prescription transition lenses that I got at Costco worked fine.

Or you could get transition lenses, eliminating the problem.

Check to see if your company has a contract rate with a rental car company that you can use. My company's contract allows employees to use the contracted rate for personal trips. We end up saving at least a third over general rates.

That's one reason for using a credit card - the vendor did not provide the item purchased. But not all credit cards would pay the whole amount. Third party insurance can cover default.

We did this in October 2021 with carryon bags and struggled going up and down the stairs to our seats on the top level. The stairs are narrow, twisted, and steep. If you have heavy bags, I recommend picking seats on the lower level. The trip was great.

The one caveat I would add is that some credit cards limit how much they will reimburse for default/bankruptcy of the cruiseline. For example, my specific Chase card limits the payout to $5000. So do carefully check on the terms of your card.

There is an emergency 24 hour number for Viking listed in your paperwork. But what I would do is research before you go what the alternative flights are in case you miss the connection. If there is another option that leaves soon (like within a few hours) after yours, try to get on that one, and then call Viking to let them know of the change. If there is not another option soon, then you could try calling Viking to let them handle it. If either of you cannot walk quickly, you can arrange with the airline in advance for mobility assist. At the airport you are whisked around in a golf cart and are taken through a special quick line for passport control. This is what we did last September as my husband cannot walk quickly.

The seats in the car aren't lined up with the windows. Some had great views (which we had) and some seats had the space between windows next to them. The car was not just Viking people; we were mixed in with normal commuters. Maybe Viking only reserves the seats next to windows. This is a commuter train, not a tourist train.

I was on the Viking extension train ride; I have no idea what class that was. The seats reminded me of domestic airline coach seats in that they were basic and not very cushy. There was lots of leg room and they were wider than coach seats. They were dirty, crumbs down in the crack between the back and the seat. There wasn't a window by every seat. We weren't uncomfortable, but I expected more like Amtrak long distance seats and less like airline seats.

I have a pair of black waterproof hiking shoes that I take on potentially rainy cruises. The look good enough to wear to dinner (but then I am a casual dresser) when I am doing carry-on only trips. They were very useful in Iceland where it rained a lot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083Z6RXY4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have been on 3 Alaska cruises and have been lucky enough to never have encountered rain. But for our 4th cruise this summer, I'm bringing these shoes just in case. Being on a long excursion with wet feet is miserable.

My husband caught COVID early on our cruise last August. There wasn't a separate cabin for me to go to, so I had to sleep next to him for 6 nights. I wore a N95 mask whenever I was in the cabin, including all night, and never caught it from him. I was tested daily. I think he caught it on the bus to the ship when he decided he was tired of wearing his mask after the long flight. I was free to roam on the ship and go on excursions, as long as I wore a mask. in public spaces and on the bus. It was sad not being able to share those experiences with him.