huntersyaya

Try it because they have the BEST gelato in the world. Just got off Azamara Journey and the gelato does not compare!!!!:)

Yes, I know there are plenty of threads about this but I had a hard time finding a satisfying answer. :o

 

We are staying in a London hotel pre-cruise and then in a Southampton hotel the night before the cruise. Originally we planned to use National Express ( £5 pp) which is nice and cheap. Now that I think further. I'll have to lug my luggage from London hotel to the Tube. Take the Tube. Walk to Victoria Coach Station. Bus to Southampton. Walk to my Southampton hotel. All the walking are within 10 minutes so I don't want to bother catching a taxi, paying, and getting off. But thinking of the whole process of transfers is just overwhelming. Now since we are going from London to Southampton, will the 3 Southampton companies (Smith's, Aquacars, West Quay) charge more than a London company? I'll get quotes from those 3 but can anyone

 

 

suggest some reliable London based companies? I've heard that 24/7 and Totally Driven are not too impressive.

We got a good rate from Smith's and are using them in July. We have 3 couples and each are staying in different places in London so they will have to make 3 pick-ups and then we're all off to the same cruise.

We stayed in the Movenpick too and really liked it. I got it through priceline so it was very reasonable. I think a week is too long in Amsterdam...a couple of days and I would be moving on! Not bad....just not worth a week IMO!

You can put whatever you want in the frig and it is cold!

I really think you are better off taking a cab to the Arlanda Express. You can pre-buy your ticket and it drops you off inside the terminal. It was quick and clean. Cabs were plentiful where the shipped docked and as I recall, it was no more than 10US for the trip to AE. If you take a cab the entire way, it will take much longer and you could end up with traffic issues. The train really was simple! It takes about 20-25 minutes and the trains run every 15 minutes or so. If you buy a ticket ahead of time, you get a discount.

We have been on two Viking Ocean cruises and they do have shuttles back and forth into the center of town and they run frequently. We often would sign up for their early included tour and then stay in town and roam on our own and then take the shuttle back. There is no charge at all for the shuttle. The free tours which they offer usually give you an easy way to get your bearings and then you can do your own thing.

We have done several cruises on both. Viking wins in my opinion because of the number of passengers (less than 1000) and the vast amount of public space on Viking. You can find "oceans" of room where you can plop down and read a book or take a little nap without much disturbance.

One of the BEST trips we have ever taken. Absolutely beautiful and when you are sailing through the fiords, you have beautiful views on both sides of the ship. Wouldn't get hung up on that issue on this trip! When you are in Flam, do the railroad trip. You don't need to use Viking for that, you just walk off the ship and onto the train. Took a couple of hours to go up and back. You can buy your tickets ahead of time, go in the am, and then do Viking freebie in the afternoon.

Make sure you use it OR you will lose it and it cannot be applied to your tips! Learned that the hard way-

It really is a beautiful ship though and I hope you are enjoying your trip. Gotta love the gelato!

Once burned, forever learned....I'm buying one today! Thanks for the tip!!!

What experience have you all had with ship stability? Is the new technology really that good at preventing feeling the ship motion or should I make sure to have a midship cabin?

We were sailing from Halifax to Boston and hit the tail-end of Matthew. I always take bonine but it was not strong enough. I was sick for most of a day as were some other people on the ship but once we got out of the bad weather, I was fine. I think the boat did great .....it was just a pretty big storm. I had never been sick on a cruise liner prior to this but the staff took really good care of me. All I wanted was ice and they brought it quickly whenever I asked. These ships are gorgeous!

We stayed at the Movenpick and were very happy. Spacious room, nice bath, and A/c if you need it! You can walk easily to the main attractions in 10 minutes. It is a modern hotel and therefore lacks charm but is very nice. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.

We've been on two Viking Ocean Cruises and saw very few ties or jackets. We saw jeans in the World cafe but people were dressed nicer than that at night in the other restaurants. :)

Laundry is free/self-service and includes detergent (the machines dispense automatically). Specialty restaurants are free. I don't know the charge to restock mini-bar....sorry. Drinks are very reasonable! Wine and beer are free flowing at lunch and dinner with no charge.

There is NO additional cost for Specialty restaurants!

We just completed our 2nd Viking Ocean Cruise on the Star. The first was last summer -The Viking Homelands which was Norway, Scandinavia, Estonia, Tallin, Berlin and St. Petersburg. It was my favorite cruise EVER!!! Beauty every where we went. The ship is so pretty and the bathrooms are the best! We enjoyed most of the food on board. The wine was fine and plentiful. We just got off the Montreal to NYC cruise last Friday. We noticed there was lots more entertainment than the previous year and just lots for activity in general. Love that just about everything is included. We actually have booked the British Open tour on the Journey next July. We have never sailed with Azamara and are looking forward to it so we are in the exact opposite position of most of you on this thread. We booked Azamara because of the ports but have read nothing but great things about it so are looking forward to it. The Star has almost 900 passengers....Journey just 2/3 of that. The Star never felt crowded as there is lots of open space and seating for people to just chill out. Hope everyone enjoys whatever they chose (including me!!)

The laundry detergent is automatic and you have no choice....it is going in the wash with the water and you can't stop it. I had no issues at all with the detergent they used. We did not ask for egg crates....the beds were REALLY comfortable! I'm not vegan but prefer veggies over meat, etc. There were plenty of options to keep me full. I did get into a lot of gelato though....

I think you will be very happy with August. We did the trip the last two wks in July and our weather was wonderful. It might be a little chilly in May. Hope you love the cruise as much as we did! It has been our favorite trip so far-

We got a group together through our roll call for an extensive two day tour in St. Petersburg on the Viking Homelands tour we did last summer. There were 12 of us with a driver and guide. We saw so much in our two days and paid much less than the comparable excursion through Viking. No problems at all!

We never looked horrible anywhere we ate (no jeans but no jackets or ties either) We did dress up a little bit more for manfriedi's and the chef's table just because they are smaller, you are noticed more, and the restaurants have slightly better ambiance.

We did the trip out of Boston and it was fabulous. Tons of whales and tons of breaching. We were there the first part of September.

And here's a dirty little secret....even though your room says it is not available until maybe 2:30.....Most all rooms are available by 11....Stop by and give your key a try....You may be happily surprised and settled in your room before lunch!!!!

We were on this cruise last summer and stayed two extra nights at the Sheraton Stockholm on the Executive Level. Very nice hotel and the executive level comes with free food and drinks almost all day long. We thought it was very nice and a great deal if you were on the Executive Level with all the freebies. A/C worked great and we actually needed it. Also you can walk from hotel to train station (about a block max) to catch the Arlanda Express train which gets you to the airport in 20 minutes. Very easy to do!!!

The ship docks very close (within 3 miles) of the train station. There is a rapid train to the airport. Plenty of room for luggage and very easy to do. I think it took maybe 20 minutes or so. It is called the Arlanda Express. It was a great way to get there.

We were in one of the least expensive cabins last year on the Viking Star Homelands cruise. We went on EVERY included excursion and most left within an hour of when the very first ones left so I had no problem at all not being first off the ship. If someone is willing to pay for a much more expensive cabin than I am, I would expect that they should have some perks....like reserving excursions a little before I did. It really was not a big deal at all once we were on the ship and saw how things operated. We loved our cruise and were treated wonderfully. We have booked a fall cruise in New England/Canada on Viking this year and then a British Isles cruise with Azamara next year....I hope Azamara is as enjoyable as Viking was and I have no reason to think that it won't be. The Star/Sun/Sea are beautiful new ships....I doubt you will be disappointed.