VT-HokieCruiser

Thank you for this quick reply! I wish it was still there for ease in booking the excursions, but I am now glad I can stop looking for it!!

Given this is 2023 and three years since this last post, does Viking still have the "wishlist" option on MyJourney to use in planning excursions? If so, how do I access it?

I suggest contacting Viking with this one. Write them at tellus@vikingcruises.com.

Thank you for this suggestion. I did write to Viking, and they responded very quickly.

Reading this thread is very interesting - definitely lots of opinions! And, an opinion is what I am asking for here. Are men's and/or women's denim slacks (no double stitching on seams or pockets - just slacks made out of medium or dark denim colored fabric as opposed to navy blue or khaki cotton fabric) considered jeans for the ship's restaurants and evening activities?

 

angelbear911

UPDATE RE BERLIN Shore Excursion





I had called Viking twice and had gotten the info I posted above in #14. however I still was not sure so I emailed tellus@viking ************ yesterday. I got different info from them.





See below for their reply:

.

Here is the description of the Berlin Your Way Tour

 

"Follow your own interests in Berlin, from its most historic sites to its lesser-known gems. Transfer to the city early in the morning by train with your escort, who will provide you a map and some tips during an orientation tour. Set off on your own in the city center, with 3½ to 4 hours to explore. Visit Checkpoint Charlie and see remnants of the Berlin Wall or explore Alexanderplatz. Admire the remarkable glass cupola of the Reichstag or visit a museum on the renowned Museum Island. There are ample options for lunch on your own, perhaps at a sidewalk café where you enjoy a fine German wine and watch modern Berliners stroll by. At an allotted time, you will meet your escort at a prearranged location and return to your ship via train in time for dinner. Note that on July 25 the Gendarmenmarkt will have limited accessibility."







Berlin is not by the port that we will be docked at as it is not seaside so you will get there by train. You will leave for the train ride at 6:30 AM and the ride is about two and a half hours and arrive at approx. 9:00 - 9:45. I'm assuming the station in which you will arrive will be the main station Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Central Station), a very beautiful building that is a train station and also major shopping center, however, it is not easily accessible by foot and is a long walk from the major landmarks. From there you will take a motor coach ride to the city center, this is what people are talking about when they mention the bus ride. This will give you an overview of the city with major points. Most likely, one of these major landmarks will be the meeting point to get back on the bus to Hauptbahnhof and back home. "

So it looks like we do get a bus ride.

Good to know. We are looking forward to both the Viking bus overview and the Brewer's Berlin walking tour.

Let us know what Viking says. We are also booked with Brewers for Berlin.

 

I am Canadian and wondering what is a Wahoo? I thought it meant a dummy like a Yahoo? lol :) hubby piped in and he thinks its sports related? Cleveland Indians? LOL

Haha - college sports! Virginia Tech Hokies and University of Virginia Wahoos

Sorry. Thought I was posting to a Hokie who was on Homelands in 2017 and did Brewers in Berlin. Interested in seeing Berlin that way, also. Did see the information about no Viking tour of Berlin.

I am a Hokie on Viking Homelands this May and am planning on a private Brewer's Berlin Tour after the Viking train ride to Berlin. We had hoped for the included Viking bus overview, but just read the recent post that the bus overview is no longer included. I have contacted Viking for their update, as they had sent me the original information which included the bus overview. But, in all fairness, they did say it was based on last year's tour. So - they may have revised the included tour and eliminated the bus overview. I will post an update when I hear back from them.

So Wahoo - which Homelands May cruise are you taking? And (a little off topic!) all the best on the NCAA tournament. UVA is my pick for the championship.

Cindy,

We wanted to "stretch our legs" a little in Berlin and not have the full day spent on the train and then a bus and then the train. We have arranged for a private tour through Brewer's Berlin Tours. BBT recommended we take the train (as, we have already paid for it!) and then the bus overview on Viking's included tour. BBT will then meet us where the Viking bus drops us off, we will have 3-4 hours of a walking tour, and then the tour guide will take us to either the Viking bus pick-up point or to the train station. In order for BBT to schedule times and pick-up/drop-off points, they needed the tour specifics from Viking. This is what I received from Viking, although they said it may be "tweaked" once the first Homeland tours of 2018 begin.

I hope this information helps you with your tour decisions.

Connie

This is our first Viking ocean cruise, but on our recent Viking river cruise, we (4 of us age 65-70) closed the lounge down @1-2am or later each night - although that did make it more difficult to be up and ready for the port tours the next day! And, we weren't alone - there was always a crowd. We even convinced the piano player to change his play list for dancing, singing, and partying. The Viking ocean cruise ships have more passengers and more venues for gathering - more choices and fun for all.

We are arranging on our own a 2-night stay in Oslo prior to our Viking cruise. We are taking the morning train (not Norway in a Nutshell) direct from Oslo to Bergen arriving in the afternoon to board the ship on embarkation day.

Which cabin room walls (specifically on Viking Sea) will work with magnets?

Thank you for this information! We will definitely look into Brewer's Berlin Tours.

We are trying to decide between a tour company's tour of Berlin or Viking's included Berlin: Your Way tour. For any who have been on the Viking Homelands cruise and taken the included Berlin excursion, some questions: How long was the orientation tour? Was the orientation tour on the train to Berlin or on a bus once arrived? Did they take you by many sites? Where did this orientation tour let you off for you to begin your "on your own" journey? How much time did you have to navigate the city on your own before meeting for the train ride back to the ship? We realize Berlin is @ 3 hours from the ship, so that's a given 5-6 hrs in transportation no matter which tour we choose. With this information, we can look at a map and determine what we want to see on our own and what we will have time to do on our own. We are juggling the benefits of a full tour to see as much as you can in this historic city with being on a train or bus for @10-12 hours getting there, "driving by" the sites, and getting back to the ship. Thanks!

Here is a positive experience booking with Viking. We booked our October 2015 Viking river cruise in April 2014 - 18 months in advance - through a travel agent (US). We also booked our airfare through Viking at the same time. We selected the flights we wanted, and Viking was able to book them. We only had to put down a deposit at the time of booking - we were never pressured to pay in full. Final payment was due 6 months prior to departure. When we made the final payment, we asked Viking to issue the airline tickets so that we could upgrade our seats through the airlines on our own. Viking did this without any questions or problems. Our travel agent speaks highly of Viking, works well with them, and we have not encountered anything but great service. Just sayin' . . .

Hello! I have been reading the CruiseCritic site for months regarding our cruise and the ports and just today saw the suggestion to check on the Canada thread for helpful hints on hotel selection, transportation options, and things to see. Thank you for this thread!

We have reservations for 3 rooms (6 adults) at the Best Western Downtown Vancouver for pre- and post-cruise nights in late June 2008. We arrive in Vancouver around noon on the day before the cruise, and we fly out of Vancouver early the day after we return from the cruise. So, we only have long partial days on both ends. Our rate is @ $140 CAD/night. Is the Best Western Downtown Vancouver a good choice - bad choice? Is the location good-bad-indifferent? Is the rate good-bad-indifferent? Should we consider another hotel in another location?