Mrs Miggins

I agree but the figures on my account for my June 3rd cruise have changed 3 times. We have gone from owing the whole amount, then a different amount with just over £1000 owing, today an another amount. This time it says Paid in Full on First Page but with an outstanding amount of £818 on page two. The invoice shows only 3 lines per passenger and the individual cruise fare is different for my husband and myself by £500. The total cruise fare is shown as £2500 less than we have actually paid for our CC suite. Our booked shore excursion prices are now shown at the pre website change price instead of the wildly inflated ones last week. These were all paid for with OBC from the Black Friday deal - but still showing as needing to be paid HOWEVER the amount we are asked to pay does not to add up to the total amount when adding up the booked shore excursions. My OBC is not listed and I cannot book further shore excursions. Yes it is slightly better than before but it is in no way "corrected".

I am in the UK. We tip in restaurants, cafe’s, tradesmen taxis etc. Usually about 10% We tip by leaving loose change when in the European countries where that is the norm. Nobody is offended by being given a tip. I like to see a smile from those who have given me good service. The views expressed on this thread by others from the U K are not typical within my circle of friends. Recently I wanted to buy a loaf of bread but couldn’t go into the Bakers as I had my dog. I asked a man to buy it for me. He did so but refused my money. He said he had had a good day and was passing it on. I cannot tell you how delighted I was. If it makes you feel good and pleases the recipient than good for you. Spread a little happiness.

If the lack of certain items onboard is a problem to anyone. I believe the remedy is in their hands. Looking forward to a lovely cruise in June. Looking forward to meeting some great people onboard, visiting some new ports to me, eating some great food and enjoying the rest of the many delights onboard. I promise not to ask for Boddingtons, Brussel Sprouts, or Rock Salt. I may take a measuring jug to ensure I get full value of liquor in our suite. If I want something different I will ask and be delighted with what I receive. I look forward to trying the new Cocktail menu and try to forget my favourites from the 60, 70s, 80s and 90s or do they still offer Babycham or Snowballs ?

i was sidetracked by your claim that a lack of Boddingtons, Brussel Sprouts (frozen even worse than fresh) and rock salt was indicative a fall in standards onboard.

Yes even I remember them - Melanie Sykes (Spice Girl and Anna Chancellor (4 Weddings) in the 90's then they tried again in 1917. Still not the beer of choice in the soft South of England !

Out of curiosity have just read up on Boddingtons Beer. Apparently I can still buy it in cans in my local supermarket but it is rarely available in pubs. In 1900 more than 6000 were poisoned by it and 70 people died. Despite this it was popular up to the 1980's despite it being sold to Whitbreads. It started to fail in the 90's when the brewery moved away from Manchester. The popularity of this type of beer has been falling for years. Now owned by one of the huge conglomerates.

I would suggest that everyone reads the splendid Live on Pursuit = Lisbon to Rome by Cavaallier. From the first entry where details of the current issues in Germany are noted - to the last resume of the trip. This is from a first time Azamara cruiser ! I really think the post by Blag was a wind up. Wouldn't think that most onboard would know or care about Boddingtons - and if Rock Salt is a priority then as he says it is easily sourced by the person who needs it. If there are no supply issues in Italy I would be surprised. Apparently both Railworkers and Airport workers have been on strike very recently. Personally I would be happy if I never saw a Brussel Sprout again - mainly forced on us in the UK at Christmas.

I think you may be misunderstanding me. My point was that it is not necessary to do extensive research on River cruises because Viking provide information onboard and you can do an excursion and then carry on by yourself - depending on river conditions you may be somewhere other than expected but Viking can adjust accordingly. Most onboard listen to the Port talks and because of the smaller numbers it is easy to get information onboard. Ocean cruising is different. On our first Ocean cruise those onboard, mainly previous river cruisers, expected exactly the same experience. Some had no idea that tenders are sometimes required or that docking areas are sometimes miles away from the expected highlight destination (Rome, Florence etc etc). Therefore they were unhappy. A little research regarding the itinerary would have been beneficial to them Doubtless the lovely onboard experience and the wonderful destinations we enjoyed have now turned them all into regular ocean cruisers. But many on that cruise we’re expressing their surprise and disappointment loudly and constantly. On our last ocean cruise the port information was extremely sketchy. I asked for local town maps and was told that they didn’t want to print them as it wasted paper.

Have been missing your one liners ! Have you been on a cruise ?

The itineraries do show London (Greenwich) or London (Tilbury) and I guess that many people would understand a ship of Viking size is not likely to be docked at Tower Bridge in exactly the same way as they are not docked in Rome or Florence. Some cruise lines even designate Portsmouth or Southampton as London. However that illustrates my point that research is key especially on Ocean Cruises. On river cruises (I actually prefer Scenic over Viking) it is more difficult to be independent since the vagaries of low or high water often change the planned itinerary. Viking advertise themselves as “The Thinking Person’s Cruise” although that often seems to be an aspiration rather than a reality

Hope to embark from the World Trade Centre in June. Have just paid extra to move our flight from London Gatwick to Barcelona to an 8.10 departure instead of 9.10. Prompted because Azamara website is showing a 4.30 pm departure from Barcelona so needed a little extra wriggle room in case of flight delays. Previous departures have been much later. This early departure doesn’t leave much time for the new later afternoon embarkation schedule. Of course at the moment I have no real idea about docking location, sailing time etc since I can’t get information due to the current shambles on my account details online. Keeping everything crossed !

On our first Viking Ocean in 2016 - Athens to Nice - there were lots of experienced Viking River passengers from the US. They were full of complaints because they had no idea that they could not stroll off the ship in many ports. They hated the tenders, they disliked the look of the ports, they thought they could just get on bikes and ride into Florence from Livorno. One of the issues with River cruising, especially with Viking, is that you really don't need to do any research about the destinations. Viking will hold your hand in a very personal way. You can just walk into Cologne centre or wherever, if not the Viking bus is just a few yards away. A little research, especially when you are spending such a lot to money, is key and then there are no nasty surprises.

When I log I can see my booked excursions (all with a wrong and higher price than before) but no details of any others and no way to book. Yesterday it said i owed nearly all the cruise fare, today it says I owe over £1000. The OBC is listed in batches of $150 - x 2 - Does not add up to my actual OBC. Do not understand how the information is changing - but nowhere near correct at any point.

I would feel reassured with the wording of this email If I had received it. Sadly not.

When clicking on my account my June cruise is shown but it says I owe almost all of the total account. I checked with my TA, since I paid them in full in February. Apparently Azamara have not collected any money from them for the June cruises they have booked. The money is usually collected from the Travel Trust Account that holds the funds. This may be a problem only in the UK. The TA is of course following up - but they cannot currently find a way to pay up. I would like to contact Azamara myself but the contact form that is shown on my account does not seem to be the right way to do it - since my correct cruise details do show up.

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. We will be there in June. Whilst I will be happy to spend all day walking DH is not so keen or able. Were there taxis available ship side ? I imagine they would be readily available in the Town Centre or perhaps Uber ? The current state of the website is not helpful as we havent booked a Shore Excursion and I can't now see what is available - others on our roll call have booked SpainDayTours but I really do prefer to DIY if possible.

I am looking forward to seeing Gibraltar for the first (and possibly the last) time. I am interested to actually see a place where so much European history was made from the the Moors to the Napoleonic era and through to its vital importance in WW2. I was interested to see Algiers but wasn’t keen on many things there including the accompanying police presence both in uniform and plain clothes. I hope Viking have managed to improve the state of the busses and managed to get the windows cleaned. Many complaints from fellow guests about the city tours. Our female guide was lovely but unable or unwilling to talk about politics or the role of women in society but I did learn about the brutally of their war with the French.

I acknowledge I have been spoiled by visiting many lovely ports in the Med and of course they are only a short hop away from London. I am booked on a 2 week Azamara in June. Barcelona, Valencia, Cartagena, Malaga, Gibralter, Seville (not Cadiz ship sails up the river to Seville - Overnight, Lisbon Overnight, Vigo, La Corunna - Bilbao - Bordeaux Overnight. There are also 3 10 pm departures. For me there are 4 New ports plus some lovely favourites. I booked this because of the itinerary. I like both Viking and Azamara but my June cruise in a suite on Azamara is over £3000 less than this itinerary. At a lovely time of the year as well. I hope to book Viking again as they are a class act - although there were a few hiccups on our last Viking cruise in September.

Sorry but not at all excited about this itinerary. Especially in the winter. Malta is great but not an unusual stop on many cruise lines. 4 Sea Days with the other ports being standard (lovely I know but hardly new) Have been to Algeria with Viking. Many onboard were disappointed. It was an interesting port but I would not return. I would certainly advise researching the destinations that are new to you as of course I understand they may be exactly what you are looking for. The price point from the UK is high considering those dates would generally be considered Quiet Mediterranean Season with prices lower than the rest of the year.

I would be surprised if anyone who requires an Emotional Support Animal actually reads Cruise Critic. We are a small proportion of the cruising public. Most of my cruising friends have never heard of it. Many of them, including me, have lovely dogs. None would think of trying to take their pets onboard. My dog has diabetes and I belong to an online help group. Many of them do not take holidays abroad because they need to provide "emotional" and real care to pets that need injections, regular sometimes daily blood tests, and calorie controlled diets. They put their pets needs above their own. I am lucky enough to have a long standing house/dog sitter but cannot do anything last minute until I have ensured Ruby is cared for. However it would appear that Viking does read Cruise Critic, thankfully.

My friend has just returned from the TA on Viking Sea. Interestingly she said they had good weather on the crossing but the swimming pool roof would only open partially. The Captain apologised and said there was a fault in the mechanism. They also had some engine trouble and consequently missed Funchal altogether He also apologised and said that they could have docked there but would only have had 4 hours ashore. He wanted to ensure they arrived promptly in Cadiz the next stop. Apparently there was fog on arrival so they had to get special permission from the pilot to enter the port. However despite significant airline problems on the outward journey my friends enjoyed their cruise Fantastic lectures and the entertainment much improved.

If the passenger looked like the individual in Post No. 5 he could wear absolutely anything he liked - I would be very happy.

Very educational thread - Jacob Rees Mogg is the son of William Rees Mogg who was the Editor of The Times. He made a fortune in the City initially managing a Hedge Fund. He is a very divisive figure. As an aside, detachable collars were already going out of fashion in the 1960's when I worked in the City of London in an American Bank. All senior men and and the cashiers wore Bowlers and stiff white collars. I wore a mini skirt - times were changing. If you are from the UK you are unlikely to have a wide selection of Hawaiian shirts in the wardrobe so wearing them or not is a moot point. My husband has one just in case we are invited to a suitable gathering - I am happy if those who are near me at dinner are clean and they look as if they have showered recently rather than if they have spent the day working in the garden. Good manners might include being non judgemental about others.

Friend says Cadiz has been warm and sunny today. Glad to be on dry land for a bit.

Think there must be a misunderstanding in this post regarding 5 minute water taxi. According to this board and friends that have done this with Viking say the trip is over an hour.