Clay Clayton

1 hour ago, millybess said:

That is something I didn't know.  Thanks.

That’s how it was on Sky for the WC which was new to us. I assume (and I recognize what that may be making me) that it’s the new normal but would need someone on Star to confirm.  

1 hour ago, Steerpike58 said:

Be aware there is a 'noodle bar' at the far end of WC, and they do fantastic made-to-order noodle dishes (dan-dan, ramen, etc). It was our go-to most nights. 

On the older ships, the pool grill becomes the noodle bar at dinner. 

2 hours ago, Voyager82 said:

Clay--Brian and I met you on the Viking World cruise 2023-2024.  We are at the Viking Japan cruise in 2026 or 2027 (2026 almost sold out now).  Did you enjoy it?  Were the excursions too strenuous (optional ones--not included)?  Thanks for your input.

Hope you’re recovered from the shock of not having twice daily room cleaning (we aren’t!). Our asian cruise with Viking was one they aren’t doing anymore (I don’t believe). We sailed from Bejing (Tianjin), had a couple of stops in China, Okinawa and another stop in southern Japan and then Shanghai before ending in Hong Kong.  So not sure our experience will give you much insight.  Additionally, as this was our first trip to the region, we did most (all?) included excursions.  Drop me a line at BigNCBear at aol dot com and let me know which ports your cruise is going to stop and we can see if there is any overlap. 

On 7/30/2024 at 6:58 AM, beanpittsburgh said:

We just got back from our Alaska Cruise.  On our 9 day cruise, the Chef's Table never had any early cancelations.  There was two nights an 830 became available.  Too late for us.  My wife has a GF allergy.  The chef worked with her at all the restaurants including Chef's table.

Perhaps we just got lucky, but we never asked about cancelations, we would just pop by the Maitre’d stand and ask if they could find us a table. Sometimes they said if we came back in 30 minutes they would have a table or occasionally they asked for a minute to set up a table and ushered us in. 

If you aren’t up to walking around but would like to get a taste of Iceland, I highly recommend spending the morning at Sky Lagoon. After the overnight flight with little to no sleep, it is great to be outside and enjoying the warm water soothing those muscles that weren’t used much during the flight.  

18 hours ago, rmalbers said:

That's kind of funny because they switched to starlink a long time ago.  Also, it's been discussed on here before but In far northern and southern areas of the planet there might be problems with starlink and with the tv sats they use.

If our experience on the World Cruise from LA to London was that the quality of Starlink service ranged from “meh” to awful.  Had lots of trouble posting photos to our “live from” thread and sending emails with photos…can’t imagine trying to stream 

19 hours ago, SoCray4Cruz said:

Sorry to hijack the thread, but, Clay Clayton, for our 3 week land tour we used a group called New Zealand self Drive Tours.  They did an amazing job handling all of our requests, organizing the whole tour, and for a reasonable price.  Detailed instructions, easy to navigate, and help was a simple phone call away.  Highly recommend!

Thanks!

27 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

ANT24

Sorry. Should have said not a promo that cuts the price almost 50%

2 hours ago, Insanityx4 said:

We did the Santiago to Ft. Lauderdale cruise last year on the Octantis. We were originally scheduled on the Polaris but it went into drydock for repairs from the rogue wave so we were put on the Octantis. It was a full ship since they combined both cruises. The ship leaves from Valparaiso which is about 1 1/2 hours from Santiago, so be prepared for that it if you plan to go in early. We spent 3 days in Santiago before the cruise (loved Santiago and wish we had more time there). We did a day trip through Viator to Valparaiso which dropped us off at our hotel the afternoon before the ship left. 

The cruise itself was not great in some ports and very good in others. The highlight of the cruise was a paid for (but now included) trip the San Lorenzo and the new canal. There was a huge container ship in the new canal and it was fascinating to watch. You could see the smaller ships going through the original canal in the background. Out tour was small, about 18 people in a mini van.. I'm sure the included trip will be quite different. It was our third time going through the canal and it was a different experience since the ship is smaller and we had three yachts going through with us.

The only Expedition cruises that include the toys are Antarctica and the Canadian side of the great lakes. Viking has been trying to get licensing for South America and the US without success for several years.

When we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale there was a huge flood that closed the airport for two days so we had to fly out of Miami. Viking did provide transportation to the Sheraton in Miami and paid for one night, no food included which they weren't obligated to do since the rainstorm wasn't something they could control. It was a interesting trip and we enjoyed it. The food on the ship was very  good. We never ate in the restaurant which is only open for dinner because the choice of entrees (only 3) were also available in the world cafe along with the grill which offered steak and lobster nightly and the expanded sushi bar. In our opinion the food and service at Manfredi's was not comparable to the ocean ships. Also no chef's table or afternoon tea.

One of the excursions in Cozumel was a taco and tequila tour which was more of a sales pitch for purchasing tequila and other local items and ran over by two hours so we missed the submarine trip which was disappointing until we talked to some others who went and said they packed about 40 people into the submarine with seats for about 25 so you really couldn't see much.

We really liked the enclosed balcony. You can keep the window open or closed depending on the weather and still feel like you were on a balcony.

Good luck Clay on deciding what to do! I hope this helps.

It does and I think I read your CC review last night. Interesting that using the special ops boat has to be licensed but tenders don’t?  Oh well, rules is rules. 

4 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Do the Chilean fjords instead, especially if you think Antarctica might be a bit too extreme, it’s the closest you’ll get to experience a true expedition experience.

Thanks but have done that and there isn’t a promo on Antarctica. 

4 hours ago, deec said:

We have summer and fall in 2025 already booked with fairly long cruises.  This will be our plan going forward perhaps.  Clay I think you booked WC fairly last minute did you have issues with VISAs?  As I remember for our WC even with help of GenVisa it took considerable time to complete them...are most of them now online?

 

I am going to keep an watchful eye for the longitudinal WC that includes NUUK!  of course I will buy the occasional lottery ticket too!

We booked on August 23rd and as I recall, GenVisa’s deadline was in October for those of us boarding in Los Angeles.  So no issue there.  We also were ahead of excursions opening though we did have to hurry to figure out what we wanted to book when it became time (late September?). If you hear of a deal on the longitudinal, let me know!   We are currently looking at either the Toronto-Fort Lauderdale or the Lauderdale to Santiago segments as at around $5000 for $15 to 18 days, they seem like a deal.  

14 minutes ago, lextrvlr said:

Thanks Jim. As one who suffers essential tremor of the hands, it is the, "carry it myself" portion of your answer that prompts my question. For me doing this can be embarrassing, difficult and sometimes disastrous. 

Almost always, a server or the manager will jump in and ask if you need assistance if they see you struggling.  I am sure if you found your table and then asked the server that is responsible for your table to assist you they will do so with a smile.  
 

And if my experience is any indication, once they help you once, it’s unlikely you will have to ask again. They will see you and immediately come to your aid. 

On 7/23/2024 at 12:39 PM, 2cruisecats said:

Another former HAL cruiser here.  We tried out Viking pre-Covid for their Homelands cruise.  It allowed us more time in St Petersburg over the HAL option. Plus, the no kids, no casino, no photographers, no up-chargers for specialty dining, and smaller ships called out to us.  We have never gone back to larger ships. We are taking our 5th Ocean next week & just booked our 2nd River for next year.  Must admit, way prefer Ocean to River but the itinerary called to my DH.

 

We did the Sydney to Auckland last December.  We spent 3 weeks doing a self-drive tour in NZ, mostly South Island, before heading to Sydney for a few days and boarding our ship.  Great cruise.  Enjoy!

How easy and expensive did you find the self driving tour. Would love to do that but when I’ve looked at the price of accommodations, we have been scared away. 

On 7/26/2024 at 10:57 AM, deec said:

when I see all the great last minute fares that Viking is beginning to post, we are thinking that this maybe how we pick cruises in the futures , since we have done or scheduled the primary bucket list adventures!  Only drawback will be getting needed visas if it is a last minute cruise.

On 7/26/2024 at 9:19 PM, CCWineLover said:

Dee - we were thinking exactly the same thing!!

We've both been on so many itineraries, maybe we should wait and just see what great deals come up at the last minute!   (not requiring the VISA's 🙂  )

Hoping your summer is going well up north!

Welcome to the last minute club!

Was that forecast for the northern latitudes?  

23 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just a heads up. Keep an eye out for the Northern Lights the next few nights. The potential is quite high, especially if you’re cruising up around Iceland and Greenland! 😁

 

Was that forecast for those latitudes?  Based on our visit last July, even though the sunset at 10 or 11 pm and rose about 4am, it never really got dark so would think it would be difficult to see them. 

We are thinking about booking Polaris for either Toronto to Fort Lauderdale or Lauderdale to Santiago. If anyone has any been on either of these itineraries, I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.  We think it would be a great way to try out the expedition ships at a great price. But after reading the few reviews of these, it seems that is the only real pro for doing so, most reviewers say there isn’t much use of the special equipment nor many interesting ports. 
 

Lastly, if anyone has done Viking’s overland excursion to Monte Pichu, would love to know its cost and whether you found it a good value. 
 

TIA!

Following along to keep up with our friends, VaGirl and her boytoy. Hope y’all have a great cruise!

19 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

After 7 years and 2400 replies, it’s time to start fresh:

1. No one will read 2400 postings

2. Few want to download a file that large

3. After 7 years and COVID, much of the posted info no longer applies.

 

The old thread will still be here for any who do want to wade through it, but hopefully a new thread will be more manageable.

Feel free, mods, to offer a different solution.

Afraid I’ll have to disagree which I don’t usually do with you!😂.  Now rather than having a single place to send newbies to, there are two so neither will be comprehensive. To me there is so so much good info in the original thread but to each his own.  
 

I have found when I come across a post of considerable length I usually start at the last post and go backwards. When things become repetitive then I stop or skim.  
 

5 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Even though someone suggested the Iceland/Norway cruise, we really prefer the Under the Midnight Sun ports. That would give us two days in London, in addition to possibly a couple pre or post cruise. 

Check and see where in “London” you port.  If Greenwich then there is lots to see and you’re a an hour mass transit ride or 34 minutes in a car away from Central London.  But if it’s Tillbury, you’re a two hour ride or an hour in a car to central London. 

9 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

What is their deviation fee?  You would think they would allow a couple days on either end for free. 

You would think but no.  I believe it’s $100 pp but I can’t recall as it used to be $50.  It allows deviation at both ends and often will allow you to deviate your airports.  For example we disembarked a transatlantic in Barcelona and 10 days later flew home from Rome and our flights were “free” except for the deviation fee. You will need to talk with Viking to see if for example you could pay the deviation, fly into London for a few days, get yourself to Bergen, and then fly home from there (likely through London)

A couple of things

Your friend doesn’t have to be on your same cruise to refer you and you get the discount-she just has to have sailed with Viking previously. 
 

If Oasis is your favorite ship, Viking may not be a match for you.  It has less than a 1/5 of the number of passengers and with that comes less entertainment, venues, activities.   We LOVE Viking for what it is (passenger crew ratio, mostly inclusive, not glitzy) and isn’t ) -no kids and no casino being the two biggies) but if you found Pearl too small and not engaging then you might want to watch some YouTubes. Gary Bembridge (among others) does a great job of describing Viking and what impact your cruising style has on your enjoyment of the line. 
 

While I don’t disagree that prices have gone up since COVID, we have still been able to book under promos (World Cruise, currently looking at an October 24 expedition) where savings are about 50% over initial rates.  But as I noted, if you can’t be flexible with when you go and need a particular itinerary on a particular date, then I would book as early as possible.  With the example I gave of last summer, we booked a year early as it was a birthday cruise and we wanted to be sure it did t sell out.  If we had waited, it would have been over a $1000 cheaper per person. 

8 hours ago, May B said:

 

 

When the air is FREE, it’s as good as using FF miles. Better, actually.

 

 

As long as you don’t mind arriving the day of embarkation and having no control over the flights or routing.  You can pay for a deviation to change the flight dates and pay again for Air+ to have some (but not guaranteed) control over your flight routing. 

2 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

Charlotte  👍

 

I’d prefer 2 over 4. I’ve never been to London and think it would be cool to see. 
Prepare yourself, was just there and really expensive. 
 

 

It could be a problem having to make final payment so early. I have a friend that’s booked with Viking but for next summer. She’s thinking about doing this with us. 
 

We do have a TA that gives $300 pp for Viking. So daily gratuities aren’t included?
correct-they are $18pp/pd

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks!

 

 

We’ve never been to London so 2 looks appealing to us. 
 

 

Could I use those codes as a first time cruiser with Viking?  Yes
 

We used our AA miles last month flying to Europe and next summer we will use our Chase miles to fly into Barcelona and out of Paris, so we will be all out of miles options. Of their air is considered a “good deal” we might consider it. 
 

We aren’t overly picky about location of rooms, although neither of those locations would be ideal. We had friends directly in front of the elevator and they had no sound issues at all.  Other friends where across from the laundry and said the same (and they loved the convenience. 
 

Good to know, thanks!  Would we be able to see the excursions before we can book them?  Just so we’d know what we wanted when it opened for us.  Yes
 

Again, the issue may be having to make final payment so early. We can only take one big vacation a year and this would force us to pay for two at the same time. 

Answers in red above 

Failed to realize I didn’t answer your question about pricing.  I don’t think waiting for other lines ti list their prices will make any difference in what Viking charges. Typically, the stateroom prices stay the same, but they offer promos that have cabin upgrades, “free” air, or “free” Silver Spirits-the drinks package. 
 

We have found the best promos typically happen within 4-6 months pre-embarkation.  For example, we took #4 last July (2023)but booked it in the summer of 2022.  The last promo I saw was about $1000pp less than what we paid. 
 

So if you can be flexible with timing and either have ways of booking air on your own at a discount (points?) or are willing to take Viking’s “free” air, then it may be worth waiting to book.