janetcbl

When you receive them practice putting them on and off….you will find what works best for you. Putting them over the toe first, then the heel worked best for me. Practice walking on an old piece of carpet to get your balance. Best to stay off concrete; it can damage the cleats.

If you walk laps for exercise, early morning on the ship is great on the Panama Canal trip….start in cool (but humid) dark skies, gradually the sun comes up, the sunrise is often beautiful and by the time you are finished, it is daylight…..and you really need a shower.

The nut/fruit combination from your minibar seems to be allowed, according to people I asked. In some countries if you are caught bringing fruit into the country the penalties are harsh….not worth the chance. And I have never found a country that didn’t sell apples.

I have mentioned before: if you enjoy art, the Northern Norwegian Art Museum is definitely worth a visit in Tromso.

I have spent time in the Lofotens, but have not done these tours. If you are interested in Art, Henningsvaer has some art galleries and is a charming, picturesque town.

That’s the question/problem perfectly stated.

On “In the Wake of the Vikings”, a few years ago, we did cruise Prince Christian Sound and the scenery was fantastic! The next two ports were listed as Nanortalik and Qaqortog, but we missed Nanortalik due to weather, if I recall correctly.

I have been trying to get answers to this May/June different excursions booking dates all week….and keep getting the run around, phone calls not returned, tellus-us non answers, etc. About ready to give up and book private excursions which are available at most ports. This is not the Viking I have traveled with for the past 15 years. Very disappointing.

Please don’t. Your own detergent may not be compatible with the Viking system and you could cause a problem. Having attended a presentation by the Viking Chief Engineer on the Mars recently on the water and waste systems on the ships, I can assure you the ships can handle your “biological deposits”.

And now with the new earlier excursion booking dates for trips beginning after June 1, if you are on one whose first part starts in May (under the old rules-later excursion booking dates) you are really out of luck.

And the walk down from the top of the Funicular is on an easy well marked path with some beautiful views.

We did “Portals of the Arctic” which was very good. It was a perfect day with great views from the mountain, but it was crowded. However you could take off and hike up high and get away from the crowd. The Polar Museum is also worth a visit.

For Icelandic nature and geological features, definitely #2. If the Eurovision Song Contest is your thing, #1.

Interesting! I couldn’t believe that I was the first person to notice the problem. Now to see if they resolve it!

My only advice is to arrive at least a day early, planning your own flights or Viking Air (with Deviation and Air Plus). Do the math to figure out the best plan for you.

Thanks for your update. We have also been to Iceland a few times and have had great visits each time. The first time, many years ago, the only way around the island was Icelandair bus….the roads were terrible in spots. Things have certainly changed! Vigur is not available due to the Eider ducks nesting at that time (I think). I spent a lot of time on the phone this am with a very competent Viking Supervisor who seemed to understand the problem with the people boarding in Bergen in May vs. those boarding under the new earlier excursion rules in June, after I pointed out the problem. She will take the matter “upstairs”, so it will be interesting to see if anything happens to make choosing excursions “fair” for both the under the “old rules” Norway (May 25) participants and the “new rules” Iceland (June 8 participants.

I’m not sure what the crew is putting in your drinking water, but I sure am having fun tagging along……

“Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Beyond”, May 25, 2024-June 22, 2024. Going from Bergen to NYC. There are a number of strange things about this trip, for example no excursions listed for Reykjavik. It will be interesting to see what happens……

Just noted on our upcoming trip Vigur is not included as a possibility. That was the excursion I was most excited about (I had been there many years ago and remember it vividly. 😢

We have had two dinners at Manfredi’s on our present Mars trip….both were good, but no better than the Restaurant. Pasta has been the best choice so far. Service is superb (as always) and extra friendly! We’d love more meals there, but no more openings for the time we prefer.

Wow! I just checked our cost for Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Beyond for 5/24/2024 that we booked in 2023….cost almost $3000 more per person than now. Glad we booked when we did.

We are not on the WC, but on the Mars where we had a Bridge Tour this morning (10 passengers) and there are two Kitchen tours scheduled. Today they added a Laundry Tour if enough people sign up. We have 4 sea days in a row, which probably accounts for the extra tours. The Bridge tour this am was the most inclusive we have ever had.

Yes. It was interesting in the fog, but I wouldn’t do it again if I had a chance to experience more of Tromso. The building inside was crowded and stuffy, ‘tho the hot coffee was tasty.

I would add that if there is no view from the cable car in Tromso, it is not worth the time, or expense to go up. Other interesting things in Tromso, the North Norwegian Art Museum, and Polaria.There are many good places for coffee.

Enjoy! Viking is still terrific, but no pistachios buns, at least on the Mars ( I checked).