vslparis

@Clay Clayton thanks for asking this question. I am booked on the 02 August departure of your cruise and have booked the wildlife boat tour on Day 1 and the included walking tour and museum on day 2 in Longyearbyen and was wondering if we can do both . Hopefully someone will have been in this same situation and can offer so insight.

We are on the same ship doing the 28 day to NYC and have not found it a problem to get reservations at Manfredis’ on board or the Main dining room if flexible ( the key word here being flexible😉)

Glad to hear you are recovering. I have heard about the Paxlovid taste; sounds nasty . You will enjoy the beauty of Alaska and congratulations on a big anniversary ! We are off for a 7 week trip in about 2 weeks doing a TA , Austria, a Krakow to Berlin trip and then somehow got talked into meeting our son , daughter in law and 1 year old grandson in Cancun for a few nights ( thinking they want a babysitter for a few days there 🤣) . August sees us doing a Viking Bergen to NY trip after visiting friends that live outside of Oslo and then family in NY at the end of the cruise . Then it will be time to focus on the WC.

Oh no , sorry to hear about you being sick . This is what happens when you put “boys and beer “ together 🤣. I hope you are both feeling better soon.

All depends on your departure city and the time of year . As the OP mentioned, from Tampa it is crazy high ; same from the DFW area. Airfare is never a one size fits all thing. All about supply and demand in the market you are flying from. Late October can be very different than the middle of summer when it comes to pricing.

I know ! You should look into driving to Miami and doing your own flights from there . I would price out what it would be to fly from there on a schedule you like ( at least 1 day before the cruise leaves please ! ) , then call Oceania and see what it might cost to have them do the flights ( including the $195 pp fee and any extra up charge) . Doesn’t cost anything to ask.

Looks like 2023 is shaping up to be another Year of Strikes like it was several years ago. Strikes on and off from Spring until fall by airline workers, transit workers ATC workers , and anyone else that felt like jumping on that platform 😬. As my mother use to say “it’s a great life if you don’t weaken “ !

The OP did say that the air credit was $1000 ( USD I imagine since they are in Florida) ,so around $1400CAD I think. It certainly could be more advantageous to book outside the cruise line ; certainly is if you want more control over your flights . Just depends on the time of year and what city you are flying from ; is certainly worth a look by cruiser . From Miami it could be possible to stay in that $1000 pp range at times but from other cities not so much .

If you opt to take the $1000 off for not using Oceania’s air, you will need to find airfare on your own. For something like a trip to Europe, it more than likely is going to be a better value to take Oceania’s flight unless you are using miles for flights. No way will you get economy airfare for $1000 per ticket these days . However, if you are picky about your routing or airline the better option for you might be to pay more and find the flights you want on your own. Oceania charges $195 per person for you to be able to pick specific flights. If those flights are more than their contracted rates, then you will pay the difference also. Yes Oceania does periodic price increase and the next one will be on 03 April . Generally, your deposit is refundable up until 180 days before departure but to know for sure, just put the sailing on hold ( usually about a week without a deposit) and look at the Guest Cancellation Schedule usually found on the second page. Also pay attention to the Cancellation of Ancillary Fees schedule ; the custom air fee of $195 is non refundable once you pay for it .

Is that at Reid’s hotel?

This is what occurred when we arrived at Heathrow the beginning of last month during a Border Force strike. Just used the electronic passport gates and if you had an issue , the regular gates were manned by Armed Forces personnel. Going thru the electronic gates was definitely quicker than a manual check and the lines were short. Hopefully it will be the same way for the next LHR strike action. Welcome to Europe 😉

Just curious , is this flight flown by BA or sold as a BA flight but flown by AA ?

Well, so do I 🤣. I have run into this in the past , but am always willing to be updated . The seats are free only from 24 hours before the flight on this schedule . A lot has to do with the price point of course and what amenities come with a contracted rate that someone like Viking usually has. Crazy to think that you can pay $5582 for a ticket and not have a confirmed seat assignment without a fee until check in. It certainly is an IAG thing . I guess my point was that never assume that you will have a seat assignment without a fee in any class ; you do need to keep checking if Viking says no to that because there is also sometimes a time restriction as to when they are available. Again, due to contracts.

Iberia also. Probably others , but it is good never to assume that even business class gets you a seat assignment before check in without paying. It is something US travelers have a hard time wrapping their head around since it is not the norm with US carriers like it is with some non US carriers. And you are correct, it is audacious . Last year BA wanted another $160 a seat for pre check in sear assignments in Business class from NY.

Thanks for the reminder. I was planning on looking into a car rental at the pier for our day in Reykjavik when doing Bergen to New York in August. We were on the first Welcome Back Iceland trip in June 2021 and did not have to give in our passports at that time ; had to jump thru so many hoops to sail,but that wasn’t one of them. Not sure when you are sailing but if someone with more recent experience doesn’t answer your question, you might find out from a Cruise Critic Board about a current Iceland sailing.

We were 8 days into the 2022 World Horizon trip when my husband fell and shattered his humerus while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta. The Viking Customer Relations manager arranged for transportation to a hospital, and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon . Once it was determined that we would have to disembark, they arranged for housekeeping to help me pack ( the 4 months worth of things that I had just unpacked several day prior 😬) and for us to clear customers and immigration . The Customer Relations Manager and someone from Vikings medical office called several times to check up on things . I arranged with the hospital to get back to the ship for the luggage and then they took me to my hotel which I arranged myself ( but Viking did ask if I needed help with that ) . I called my trip insurance company ( not with Viking) from the hospital to start a claim and from that point on they were the ones I spoke to regarding any sort of help needed. As @Selion mentioned, my insurance has a service that would have helped with a hotel, transportation ,return flights if needed. For that solo Traveller not be contacted by Viking, it could have been that she didn’t have any cell service so they couldn’t call like they did for us ( another reason to have international cell service while traveling ) . Bottom line is that Viking will help arrange things with local medical and be kept informed, but only up to a certain point ; you need to be proactive and know what your trip insurance will be doing to help if the need arises. It is not all on Viking.

Yes, unfortunately, this has been the norm for many years with many foreign carriers. You can not assign seats until the flight is ticketed and even then you may have to pay for a seat assignment if you want to have it before check in . This is true even in business class ( unless you either have a high status with the airline or if Viking has a contracted arrangement to allow you to get them before that ) . Generally you can get seats together at check in but it is not guaranteed; only way to do that is to pay for early seat assignments with these foreign carriers. Also, as an FYI , if your flight is sold as United, but operated by Lufthansa, you will need to check in with Lufthansa.

This is defiantly on our list for next year !

Another reason to not being able to disembark in a port is if that port does not have or can not get immigration and customs officials available to disembark passengers. Generally this happens in smaller ports that do not generally embark or disembark passengers. And yes, I know this for an absolute fact 😉. Not matter where or when someone wants to disembark ( and also embark as happened to someone my recent Sea Dream cruise) the cruise line must be notified and grant permission and it should be writing.

Have some limoncello for me ! I wonder if that is available on the SS package in the Explorer’s Lounge . We will be in London next month and I am pretty sure your weather will be warmer than mine ! We plan to be on the for the WC in 2024 for the whole trip this time ( at least from LA) 😉

I prefer to make limoncello out of lemons 🤣

Others have stated on CC that the bar prices have also gone up ( a glass of wine that was $6 is now $8 for example so even more than 25% assuming I did the math correctly 🤣) so the value is pretty much the same . Some people think the SS package is a good value , others don’t . This is why it is good that you are given a choice to take it or not. Viking’s increase is better than on Oceania where the upgrade went from $20 per person per day to $30 pp per day .

It is also a good idea for them to have your booking number and cabin number . Enjoy your extension travelling in Australia it is an amazing country to visit. We did about 10 days after getting off in Sydney 3 years ago; driving down along the Great Ocean Road, thru some great wine areas and finishing in Adelaide. I would do that again in a heartbeat and hope to do something similar in another area .Lots of interesting places to see and visit in Australia.

Yes , many cruise lines are raised the pricing on drink packages, gratuities , wi-fi etc. Viking just raised their Silver Spirts add on for ocean cruises from $20 to $25 per day without any notification at all 😒.