Ready to Sail!

34 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Norwegian does a pretty good job of enforcing this.

Yes they do, and by the time we are back home we can't stop saying/singing "washy-washy".   On our last NCL the Washy-Washy girls were the closing act of the last evenings show in the theater when they bring most of the staff on stage.  Really cute!

On our last Princess, last May there were sinks on both sides of the buffet entrance and everyone had to stop and wash before entering. 

31 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

This very subject has been discussed frequently, since the cruising lifestyle took off. One of the factors that hasn't been mentioned is that ships, especially cruise ships don't last for ever. Many of the 2nd hand tonnage cruise lines will be scrapping their older tonnage from the 50's through 80's and purchasing the mainstream line's older tonnage.

 

While the order book may include about 100 ships, it includes every type of cruise ship from mega ships to expedition ships. This does not mean we will see an additional 100 ship vying for port space, as an increasing number of ships will be scrapped. As regulations change, especially in areas of emissions, it will be cost prohibitive to upgrade or operate much of the older tonnage.

 

As the cruising demographics change, I predict less demand for what I call the classic liner. The average millennium is looking for glitz, with the ship being the star attraction of the holiday. Back in my days on cruise ships, new cruisers were sold by visiting 6 ports in 7 days. As the ships continue to grow in size and gain additional glitz and activities, they are slowly transitioning to less ports, with the ship being the star attraction. This is already changing with some of the RCCL mega ships on visiting 3 ports during a week cruise from Miami.

 

As Jim correctly pointed out, some of the biggest challenges will be finding competent crews and drydock space for the mega ships. Lots of options for Viking size ships, but especially on the West Coast we have limited drydocks for mega ships.

Well, this is exactly the point(s).  These smaller ships are being scraped but replaced by mega ships, so maybe not anymore ships but certainly more passengers.  At our ages (mine and DHs,  not yours)  we don't want to cruise just to be on the ship playing on the water slides, LOL!!  On the up side(??) our cruising days will be coming to an end in the next 5-6 years.  If this trend makes the next generations happy, good for them as it will be their market.  We will happily spend more time in our RV during the rest of our "rusty years" enjoying our Western States and Canada, and with our dog!  This isn't meant to be negative, just realistic.  

1 minute ago, Richard2 said:

One strategy is to go slightly off-season. We did Mediterranean Odyssey the first week of April. In Dubrovnik, the guide mentioned that in three or four weeks the open areas we were walking in would be totally packed with people. 

This has been our strategy for a few years now, and also try not to book during school holidays/vacations.   Our last mistake was doing the Baltic cruise in June (we thought better than July or August) and on a newer Princess ship with 3600 passengers.   Most of the ports were packed, especially St. P.  where there were probably 6 other ships both days we were there.  Unfortunately this cruise has a short window of sailings, as do other itineraries.   So yes, strategy is important.  Off season, not around school breaks and certainly smaller ships to try to minimize the overcrowded ports.   We are doing Empires of the Med the first of April.  Weather may be a bit off but better than swarms of people and excessive heat.  We are the only ship in Santorini and one of three in Dubrovnik but with a total of less than 4K (one of the other ships is the Jupiter).  We are hoping our strategy pays off.

On 2/13/2019 at 3:05 PM, midwestchick said:

 

I loved it all...Perast/Our Lady of the Rock, Budva, and viewing the bay of Kotor from the top.  We were fortunate because we had stopped in Kotor on our first leg of our B2B Cruises.  The first day we were there we went to Kotor Old Town on our own.  We enjoyed that as well.  The sail into Kotor was breathtaking.  We were up early for that and we had an aft balcony just below the sunset bar with fabulous views.

We will be sailing in early April with a Starboard cabin.  We are not planning on going to Lady of the Rock but would at least like to see it on the way in.  I realize I will need to be out and about and on port side, but just wondering, so we get close enough to get a decent picture?

21 minutes ago, Phillygirl3 said:

I just finished reading about the number of new cruise ships coming between 2020-2027and it is a little scary.  I posted earlier in the year about the number of ships that are in port on any given day and how it impacts the enjoyment of that port.  Santorini years ago was a most pleasant and beautiful port.  The last time we cruised there, about 3 years ago, the number of people in port was so ridiculous that that it was difficult to walk.  We were so disheartened that we decided to walk  down the donkey path, even though it meant dodging donkey mess.  We couldn't wait to get back to the ship.  It was so sad.  There were only three ships in port but when a 5,600 behemoth is docking with one other large ship and then a medium sized ship, it can mean the difference between a pleasant port visit and a very uncomfortable one.    Viking, alone is introducing 11 new ships between 2019-2027.  MSC (huge ships) will be introducing a whopping 14.  I can't wrap my brain around how this number of ships on our oceans will impact the cruise experience.  I wonder when cruise ships will reach their saturation point?  Perhaps, I'm being too negative, but I wonder how the continued expansion of cruise lines fleets of ships will impact the love of cruising.

I agree that this is becoming a major problem and why many port cities are starting to put restrictions on the number of ships/passengers who can dock on any one day.  There have been protests against cruise ships  in ports like Venice by the local residents.

What bothers me even more than the number of ships is the size.  So many of these ships are starting to look like "big box" stores.  They don't even look like ships, inside or out.  We took our first cruise in the mid 80's and can't believe what has happened over the last 30+ years.  I think this is why Viking is so appealing as they are going back to  cruising as it used to be.  Unfortunately, this doesn't solve the problem of being in port with ships carrying 4-6K people.  I was appalled to see several lines add these big boxes to their Alaska itineraries over the last couple of years.  These wonderful inside passage ports just can't deal with so many people on any one day, and have it be an enjoyable experience.  

we are using GoOpti from port to Ljubljana but they do provide short transfer between port and airport or hotels I think and are reasonable.  

As we  walked away from  the pier there was a taxi queue.  We asked the people behind us if they wanted to share, which we did. I think we paid about 5 euros each couple.  Then we walked around and slowly back down to the ship. 

32 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Viking already includes beer and wine at lunch and dinner. All soft drinks, bottled water and teas/coffees are also included. The drinks package includes drinks up to $15.

 

With Viking they have no restrictions on bring any beer/wine/spirits aboard at embarkation, or any other port. They will also open and pour your wine in dinning rooms, with ZERO corkage fees. In the bars, the bar staff will also provide glasses.

 

We like to think that Viking considers passengers as adults, unlike the mega ship mainstream lines that consider passengers as cash cows.

Since you mentioned coffees, I have a question I can't find the full answer to.  Are specialty (non alcoholic) coffees such as cappuccinos and lattes also complimentary?  If so, are they at the bar in the LR only, or other bars as well?  How about in the Restaurant for after dinner?  

7 hours ago, Little Monty said:

 

 

Correction .. Orion has departed. My apologies. I think I lost the link and didn't realise.

 

I saw it all and it was worth waiting out the hour delay.  It was a little after midnight here when she came under the bridge.  You are lucky to have sailed on the Orion and also have access to Sydney Harbor.  You've probably done that sail away a time or two!  When family arrived back in Sydney it was in the wee hours of the morning and it was another beautiful sight with both the city and the ship ablaze in lights.  Hope to experience this ourselves one of these days.   

5 minutes ago, Little Monty said:

 

Fantastic .. well done !!

The webcam on the ship seems to be out of order, but this is a fine substitute. 

I’m watching CruiseMapper and she hasn’t left yet and that should have been “sight” of course. It’s also a lovely harbor. Family said it was a beautiful sail away port. 

Several weeks ago we watched as family sailed from Sydney on a Princess cruise on a live web cam:  webcamsydney.com.    I am waiting right now to watch the Orion sail away.  She is at the pier on the other side of the bridge so should be a lovely site as she sails under the bridge and past the Opera House. 

19 minutes ago, david46 said:

Wow and thank you for your very well written and easy to understand, you cleared things up for me.

 

 

 

 

You're welcome. I was a bit nervous but it really is pretty easy.  As a check on yourself once you are done, go to your calendar. All excursions, both included and optional, will be listed.  On the upper right click on "view trip summary" so you don't have to scan through each day.  If something is missing you will know to go back.  Dauntless (an expert!) had some good additional points. I did mine all at once just because we were not planning on doing more than one excursion in any of the ports.  

13 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

With only two ocean cruises completed I'm not sure I count as an "old timer", and I don't want to know if I qualify for that title based on age alone! Since Viking does alter things quite frequently, your comments on a very recent experience are helpful, even to someone who has done it previously. 

 

The only thing I might add is that if an optional excursion you wanted has sold out and you book a second choice, do keep checking back on My Viking Journey. Viking will sometimes add extra buses or people will change their mind and spots may open up.  Several optionals that were sold out at my booking time later had openings appear and I was able to make the change. 

 

Hope you enjoy your first Viking cruise as much as we did.

 

 

LOL! No, no,  not an age reference.  If so I would be the pot calling the kettle black. It was just a nod to all of you more experienced VO cruisers.  We have been on many cruises but am finding that Viking certainly has their own way of doing things that does require some learning, and thank you, we are looking forward to this new experience with Viking.  

3 hours ago, david46 said:

Hi this will be our first trip with Viking Ocean. I was asking the best way to book your wish list when the time comes.

Our trip is this April and our Excursions open up next week. Our trip has two Viking Ocean ships doing the same trip at the same time(twice as many guests).

I have added my picks to my wish list. When it is time to pay, what is the best way to do this? Do I pay for my picks thru my wish list or go back to the excursion page?

Any ideas will be helpful. Thanks

I thought one of the "old timers" would answer this but it has been discussed before so maybe old topic for old timers. Anyway, I am a newbie who just booked for the first time last Sunday so I will give it a go for you. Easiest is to have all you excursions ready in your wish list (both included and optionals) When your time to book opens (I guess 3am for you)  just click on "more information" under each excursion on your list.  There will be a drop down window for times.  Pick your time and then below either click on Add  Reservation for the included excursions or Add to Cart for the options.  The included will go into your calendar and will not be in the cart.  To pay for the optionals go to the cart and proceed with your cc info etc from there.  Be sure to print your receipt before closing out the window if you want one.  I didn't and couldn't get back to do so.  No worry as it appeared very quickly on my cc. 

We also have another Viking ship in 4 of our 7 ports and I was worried about availability but didn't seem to be a problem.  I will say a couple of the optional excursions did sell out pretty quickly.  I booked at midnight and by 7 the next morning 2 of my optional time slots were sold out and all were sold out by later in the day.  I don't know if the other  Viking ship had any effect on that or not but I really would book any you wouldn't want to miss out on as soon as possible.  Also, there is still one category to book for our sailing so maybe some more times will pop up tomorrow.  This really could be answered by someone with more experience.  Good luck. 

3 minutes ago, Little Monty said:

Thank you VJMAZZ

 

NCL are doing a lot of advertising in Australia at present and I have seen that cruise in their offerings. As you say, not Viking but another option worth considering.

 

 

Upcoming Viking cruise will be our first but I imagine it is like comparing apples to oranges.   We actually have liked our NCL cruises, and my husband prefers to Princess.  We like the variety of alternative dining venues.  I would give them a try as an alternative in between your Viking cruises.  With all their offerings you can get many of the perks you get with Viking.  You know what they say about variety...........

7 minutes ago, VJMAZZ said:

In 2016 we sailed with NCL on the Pride of America 7 days from Honolulu. It stopped at 4 islands and ended back in Honolulu. We liked it so much we booked another cruise for 2020 to take advantage of the deals NCL is currently offering. I know NCL isn’t close to VO but overall it a great way to see the islands. 

And a good point would be that a cruise would at least give a taste of each island.   I think NCL does a overnight in both Maui and Kauai, doesn't it?

21 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Taking your time with a land-based vacation is the best way to enjoy Hawaii. Our favorite islands are Kauai and Maui - away from the invasion of tourists. Other cruise lines do travel from California to Hawaii all the time with a short stop in Ensenada, Mexico to comply with the PVSA. But even with overnight stays in some islands that other lines offer, there is simply not enough time to really experience the natural beauty of Hawaii.

Most of the islands have  definitely become very crowded over the years.  Traffic is really an issue nowadays.  If you like  a more  laid back experience, and haven't already,   try Molokai.   We like the west end best for the wonderful surf.   I shouldn't say this on this forum, but if we were to do a cruise I would consider NCL as they do a sail by of the Napali Coast of Kauai.  But, yes, land based is best. 

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

If there are direct flights to Hawaii for you, you should look into land-based travel. There is way to much to see and do there that you shouldn't limit yourself to what can be seen from a ship.

I agree. Being on the west coast, Hawaii is a favorite destination for many here.  Our first trip was in 1971 and we have been back many times since, and to all the islands except Lanai.   We personally feel the best way to visit and enjoy Hawaii is to rent a condo and "live like a local."  There is nothing better than a walk on the beach at sunrise.  

2 hours ago, Mullet62 said:

Ours was post cruise. There are options for the subway, but it was actually cheaper to get a 4 or 5 day as to day passes. Prices may have changed. Google how to use Athens metro and cost. There are also some utube videos as well. I had to call Viking about 4 times to get a good explanation regarding what was happening on the extension. I think the only thing in the Docs was that we were staying at the Hilton. The hotel will have a city map. 

Thanks.  The Classic Greek Extension and Hilton is on our invoice but that is it.  I called Viking and the agent assured me that all the information for the extension will be in our final documents.  I didn't push it any further but you can bet I will be back on the phone if information is lacking when we get the documents.   I think the metro is the best option over HoHo buses and/or taxis. Thanks for the youtube suggestion.  

20 hours ago, Mullet62 said:

If you are doing the 4 day extension you will get a guided tour of both the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum. It was not included for the 2 day. We did the 4 day. Your guide for the 4 day should be the same person every day for your group. Just be warned the guide may or may not be knowledgeable about every rock on the hill. This excursion will be done in conjunction with the bus transfer from the ship to the hotel. Many people booked the  Acropolis tour for the Athens port excursion not knowing the tour was included in the 4 day extension.  We bought the 4 day pass for the metro (15 Euros each and a book of site skip the line tickets for 16 euros each). The subway is user friendly and we went to the Plaka every evening for dinner. On our non-excursion day we did the Kerameikos museum, the Agora and Agora Museum, Hadrian's Library, Roman Agora, had lunch, wandered the shops and sites of the Plaka and caught the guard changing at the Parliament Building then back to the hotel. I did a lot of research prior to the trip and was comfortable negotiating the sites. 

We are doing the 4 day extention  pre cruise.  Were there options on the Metro passes? Not a big deal to buy a 4 day but we really would only need a 3 day.  Our last day is the trip to Delphi ending at the ship for embarkation.  We just booked our excursions this morning and there is still no details in MVJ about the extention schedule other than the days being listed as days 1-4 Athens,  or instructions regarding the arrival transfer.  Nor is it included on the calendar.  Did you get this information with your documents? Will it ever show up in MVJ?  

15 hours ago, Parsley Cruises said:

You  can find out more about Oroscopo from their own website.  We did find though, that a couple of other restaurants en route to Oroscopo we not 'busy' - Oroscopo was never empty; and we think that this observation speaks for itself.  Maybe there was something wrong with the other restaurants, either too pricey or food/atmostphere not up to much.  Oroscopo had a nice mix of tourists and local people in there.

 

As far as I can remember it didn't close mid afternoon when we were there, and even though we hadn't booked a table, the MD always found a table for us, in a particularly charming manner.

 

The tours that we had on the extension were unbelievable - Mycenae, Epidaurus etc, the Peleponese area, and above all, Delphi.  It's right near a small ski resort, so you can imagine beautiful scenery all around (once you leave the main road/motorway).  The restaurants used on the tours are superb, and we can't wait to return.  The guides were extremely helpful, thoughtful and knowledgeable - there's a Greek word for that!

I had googled Oroscopo as soon as I read your post and was immediately sure we will definitely  go there.  Interesting that they are both Italian and Greek, and their pizza looks wonderful.  Italy/Europe has THE  best pizza.  Wood fired ovens not so common in the states.  We're looking forward to the excursions also, and the free day so we can go to the Archaeological Museum and a few other sites we won't get to on the tours.  It's going to be a busy 4 days. Again, thanks for the positive feed back.    

17 minutes ago, Mullet62 said:

There is a little restaurant called Pita Pan right around the corner from the Hilton. Sort of their fast food versions of gyros. We ate there twice,  good food, decent wine and not too expensive.  There is a little grocery store about 1/4 mile further down where you can by wine instead of the $18 a glass at the Hilton.

Thanks. Cute name, I'll put it on my list.  Did the grocery store sell hard liquor? We wanted to get a bottle for the cruise.  

26 minutes ago, Mullet62 said:

We slept in for the cruise in. But to get a good photo you may have to go up to the sport's deck or track on deck 2. Better view going out. Weather was cool so everyone piled in the explorer longe and grabbed a seat and a drink to enjoy the cruise back out to the Adriatic.

Well, as I said, we are sailing out at 11pm so will have to enjoy our sail in, docking at 8am. 

On 1/19/2019 at 8:18 AM, zitsky said:

Found nothing on a search, strange.

 

Has anyone done a private winery tour while at Florence/Tuscany? (Mediterranean Odyssey).  I have been to Florence, Pisa and Siena before and would like to do something different.

 

I believe the port is Livorno?

Do you have enough time in port to get to the Cinque Terre?  We spent 4 days in Florence a few years ago and my one regret is we didn't take a day to go there, so it's still on my bucket list.  We did a really fun cooking class in Florence which was a highlight but unless you are overnight guess that wouldn't be doable.