jmfdr

We enjoyed yesterday in Greenwich.  How lucky are we with these few gorgeous spring days in London.  70 today when we board the Neptune.  The photo is a view of the Royal Naval Academy taken from the Queen’s House.

4 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Lovely 7:20am flight out of Boston. Landed at dinner time. Passport control was for US passports entirely automated and we were done in no time. No checked luggage to deal with.   Underground to hotel was simple -- and only $2.65pp. Weather yesterday was clear and comfy, low 60s as we wandered out to find dinner. And so

ends Day 1 of our adventure. 

 

We are near the Earls Court Station, staying at the Twenty Nevern Square Hotel. We stayed here in early 2020 and liked the hotel and its location, so we are back. Piccadilly and District line serve the station, very convenient. 

Glad that you had an easy trip to London.  We fly out of ATL this evening to arrive at Heathrow in the morning.  We’ll probably take the Elizabeth line train to Canary Wharf and then on to our hotel in Greenwich for two nights.  How is the London weather today?  Hope to See you on board.

Perhaps I have missed it but does anyone have chef table menus offered  on the British Isle cruise?

On 2/9/2024 at 3:45 PM, zitsky said:

I should have said Aqua.

 

I don’t understand people who say, “I’m so excited.  I booked Aqua.  I hate Blu and I never use the Spa.  And I hate the cabin location.  But I got to pay more for my cabin!”

We love Aqua for Blu!  Our food choices have always been good.  MDR menu also available, at least on the M class ships.  The atmosphere seems quieter than the MDR. 

Don’t like them.  Wouldn’t sail without a real balcony.  In fact, we dislike the large E class ships altogether. 

We have also experienced these noises once on rough seas.  We were on deck 4 very far forward on the ship.  

1 hour ago, cmaasfamily said:

Yep, ours dropped back down by $4K per person. I've seen glitches like this with airlines (but not recently) where prices were haywire for a few hours - typically earlier on Sunday mornings. I hope no one panicked and booked the crazy prices expecting them to go higher!

Yes, the price for the 2026 cruise we were considering went back down $2K to the original offer.  Must have been a price glitch on the website.

50 minutes ago, cmaasfamily said:

Checked in today on the April 2025 cruise we have planned and others we are considering, and man, there were some big jumps! Our British Isles cruise is up 40% since we booked it. There have been minor intermediate increases, but most of that was in the last day or so. Sales must be good if they can get away with those numbers? Is anybody else seeing the same?

Yes, we were considering booking  a 2026 cruise a week or so ago.  I was very surprised to see such a huge price jump in pricing when I checked the Viking website today.  We have four Viking cruises booked,  but we might be priced out of future cruises. 

17 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

We have but when we booked the Premium package was included.  But with Viking you do get wine included at meals and there were a few events that offered free cocktails.  

Viking Ocean had some great things about it including a smaller ship, nice areas to wander and hang out.  We found the entertainment was not really for us, and evenings were a bit snoozy.  So we ended up spending most of our spare evenings in the Explorer Lounge, where there was a guitarist who sang songs from the 70's, 80/s and 90's which worked for us.  But it did get tedious since we were on the ship for almost two weeks. Depends what you are looking for.  

Viking Ocean is a perfect fit for us.  We love the quiet, comfortable spaces without loud music or party atmosphere.  The onboard lecture series are always a highlight for us.  

.  

6 hours ago, marci22 said:

Every time I log onto the website they tell me my password is wrong.

Maybe you are lucky.  

6 hours ago, sofietucker said:

 

 

 

 

Probably not Viking as we have been told no live music. But that was awhile back & may have changed...

 

 

 

Viking does have live music!

19 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

 

AMEN!!!

 

Just spent 33 wonderful days in Hawaii and Polynesia with Viking.   It's not just all the inclusions they provide, it's their overall commitment to excellent service.  Plenty of available loungers poolside, waiters eager to fetch you a drink, three seafood buffets featuring all the lobster tails you want.  After 30 years with X Viking is now our favorite cruise line.

Absolutely agree about Viking Ocean. In addition to the excellent service mentioned above we really enjoy the quality and quantity of the on board lectures.   We had sailed Celebrity for 25 years but recently switched to Viking because of all the mentioned changes.  Just completed our second Viking Ocean cruise with three more booked.  

On 1/9/2023 at 4:31 AM, hallasm said:

Dewa is a very common name in Bali

WhatsApp: +6285238493089 

Email: dgrock1140@ yahoo .com (Remove Spaces)

I want to give one more recommendation for Dewa (contact above) as a wonderful tour guide on Bali.  We spent a day with him (Nov. 19, 2023) off the Viking Orion.  Our experiences were similar to the activities and photos posted on this thread so I won't repeat.  We learned so much about Balinese culture and saw many beautiful sites with Dewa.  He is a delightful man, full of humor, considerate, thoughtful, and  knowledgeable.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Dewa.

Jan and Fred

16 hours ago, minka34 said:

Response above was to @CDNPolar

 

We also love the Chef's Table nearly every menu.

We have only been on twoViking Ocean cruises but found the Chef’s table menus too fishy for our liking.  On our last cruise we cancelled two nights after getting a look at the menu.

A question, but maybe for a different thread——when making dining reservations on MVJ prior to sailing,  how does one find the Chef Table’s menus for specific dates?  On our last cruise we didn’t see the-menus until onboard.  

7 minutes ago, Stupot74 said:

What I think is amusing, is that it seems to be only this particular forum that's so critical of Celebrity.

 

Just about everywhere else, the reports are glowing.

 

Cruise Critic indeed!

Where are those glowing reports?

1 hour ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Please Please Please let the madness stop and cease these endless threads about food 😖 

Why, good food is one major reason to select a cruiseline.

3 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

Haha, sometimes hearing aids dont work great when in in a crowd or nousy room!

Noisy, not mousy!

On 10/10/2023 at 3:28 PM, cmaasfamily said:

We went on our first Viking cruise at 56/55 and were definitely below the median. Our most recent was at 63/62 and we felt about average. That said, and with no self-flattery intended (nor deserved), I would add that most folks skewed towards the lively/active (spry, perhaps?) side relative to their age cohort in the general population.

 

(Even accounting for the old dudes who refuse to get hearing aids when they are clearly needed. Seriously, if you need 'em, get 'em. No shame in that.)

Haha, sometimes hearing aids dont work great when in in a crowd or nousy room!

Thanks everyone!

I know this topic has been covered but---once again please!  Is it necessary to book dining times at The Restaurant?  I know this can't be done prior to a cruise on MVJ but should we do this once on the ship?  Is it even possible to book specific dining times or is it just walk in? Thanks.

2 hours ago, TeaBag said:

Yes, you're right.  It was Founders Club.  I think everyone got their $35 back as an OBC later, but there was a period of about 6 years where we didn't cruise so we didn't get it back.

Michaels Club back then was not just for suite passengers.  This was where we went to hear Perry Grant and laugh our heads off......"positions everyone!"

Michael's Club was our "go to spot" after dinner!  Especially when Perry Grant was performing!  What fun!!!

On 9/24/2023 at 1:06 PM, gr8life said:

 

 

For those of you who don't have the beverage pkg (it was given to us by our TA) here's an idea:

You are allowed a bottle of wine each pax, we bring 1.5L each w/o any problem in our carry on.

We also bring a plastic carafe; pour 1/3 wine, 1/3 cranberry and 1/3 orange or grapefruit, add fruit. You can also add some brandy, and viola - Sangria! Stretching out your wine and making it delicious. Enjoy!

Also, being Elite, don't forget the daily 5-7 complimentary drinks.

Here is the info on Captain Club (Elite) benefit:
Captain’s Club daily Elite Cocktail Hour – see Cocktail Hour Menu for details 5–7 PM daily.
Check the link, on Celebrity cruises, for more that you may be missing.

Sorry, yuk on your sangria!

7 hours ago, Mike981 said:

 

Our first cruise was on the Mercury and was everything quoted above. It was supposed to be a one and done forever cruise, but we were/are hooked.

Our first cruise, about 2004, was an Alaskan cruise on the Mercury.  I guess we loved it because we have continued cruising ever since, almost exclusively with Celebrity.  Unfortunately, Celebrity is no longer our default cruise line.

On 9/21/2023 at 12:11 PM, islabahia said:

We have been invited to sailaway on the helipad several times.  For us it was a one and done.

I agree.  It was crowded and noisy.  Only the people in the front row had any real view.  We soon left and went to a top deck.  We have frequently been invited to the helipad for sailaway but can't imagine why anyone would choose that option.  Let alone, pay for it!!!

Thank you, both.  Exactly what we needed!  Jan