Travel R

Some good information on this thread. We are looking at sailing Lady Grand next year out of Tampa. [Not yet booked, looking for a good sale]. There has not been much chatter about her on these boards, glad the OP put it out there and people are giving positive results. The comments about the boarding in Tampa is interesting - will probably stay a day or two pre-cruise, so will be taking a cab/Uber to the port. Hope it is not raining!!!! We've sailed on the Legend a few years ago, and enjoyed the Vision Class experience, so okay without the bells and whistles. As to MDR - we were on the Serenade about 2 months ago [also a "smaller" ship], and although they were short staffed, our dinners ranged between 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours most nights (with the exception being one evening we shared a table with another family). PS: With MTD, we were usually taken to our table within 2-3 minutes, with one night (formal night) taking about 10-12; but each ship has their own issues.

On our last cruise the Facebook page for that cruise was a lot more active than the CC roll call.

Thank you very much. Once we make a decision, I shall let you know.

That is a very, very good point!!!! Which I hope to experience!!! [PS: Viking has just released their schedules for August 2024, which is when we can cruise with our friends; so we can now begin to really discuss and chose which itinerary we like the best (and works best for us).]

Thank you for all of the helpful pointers. You make a very good point about being "younger" - we are all in our early 50s, and very active, which is something I will have to consider. We are fortunate that we have been on a number of cruises (and have taken many, many land-based tours), non-mainstream cruises is a new animal. As an over-planner, I want to know everything there is. I am a big fan of 3rd Party tours, and have usually been happier - smaller groups, and as you mentioned, sometimes cheaper and booking through the ship. When we took a cruise that went to St. Petersburg I booked a semi-private 3rd Party excursion. We visited more sites than what the ship tour offered, including meals, and also were able to go to a few places we wanted to see, such as the Gold Room at the Hermitage, which most other tours (through the ship or even other 3rd Parties) did not offer. The cost was only $10 per person more than the the price of the cruise line tour, which went out by the busload. One thing I tell people about booking third parties is that they have a lot to lose if they do not get you back to the boat on time. I have always been comfortable booking with them - if the location is not too far away from the port. If it requires a long distance (e.g., port in Warnemunde and want to visit Berlin), I would stick with the ship's tour, since they guarantee you getting back on the ship. We have also been known to go off on our own DIY. I do all the research and will go to the items I want to visit, and have even focused the tour for the audience. E.g., here's a DIY tour I created a few years ago for ourselves and our kids in Copenhagen, with a HCA theme . . . .

Thank you, this provides some good perspective on what to expect. If you knew me over at the Royal Caribbean Boards, you would know me as an over-planner and researcher. E.g., I already looked at the complimentary excursions on an itinerary we were considering [which we recently found out is not going to be offered] and had already begun looking at 3rd Parties, since the free tour did not go where we wanted. Note: what interests us is going to be hard to narrow down - we are two couples that are vastly different, and even myself and my DW are complete opposites (probably why we have been friends with them so long and why myself and my DW get along so well). Yes, I found out long ago to pay attention to the details of an excursion - seeing vs. visiting should be taken literally. Thanks again, Travel R

We cruised in Alaska a few months ago and took a whale watching excursion (3rd party). The owner of the company was our captain. She said that she usually has three boats going out each day, but only has two this season due to lack of qualified people to drive a boat. Her competitors were flying captains up from Seattle to work for them that season (she operates 6 pax boats, so it did not make sense for her to do so). This is just another side-effect of the pandemic, which hopefully will get better as we more forward. Sorry if I am hijacking this thread, but I have a few excursion-related questions . . . Question as a Viking virgin - someone mentioned that many Viking pax are taking more and more 3rd party tours. Aren't the complimentary tours one of the main reasons to sail with Viking? For the itinerary we are looking at, I am thinking about taking all the complimentary tours except in one port - should I be re-thinking this? We (ourselves and another couple) are also looking at most likely a DV, will we get the bottom of the barrel when it comes to excursion choices?

Agreed. The amount you tip should be a private matter, but the tipping practices should be discussed and made known. Having been in the situation where I worked as a bus person, and did deliveries, and knowing that a few extra bucks can go a long way, I am a very good tipper (if I am able). Since I am now able to afford a premium cruise, it should mean that I am able to afford to tip. And yes, I am also part of the American tipping mentally. Although a "thank you" is nice (and required), but what is better is also adding the additional: (1) pointing them out by name on the post-cruise reviews, and (2) giving them money. Many of them work so they can send what they make back home to their families (who they do not see for months), so even a little bit helps. To give you an idea of what the $ means to an individual staff member, let's look at average salaries. The last cruise I was on had a lot of staff from the Philippines, so let's use that country as an example. The average salary in that country (according to salary explorer) in 2022 was 44,600 PHP per month, which is equivalent to under $800 US dollars a month (or under 700 UK pounds, or 1,100 Can dollars). Even if you leave a $20 tip at the end of the cruise, that is equivalent to a half day's salary back in their home country. In the long run, what you personally give should be kept private. But the tipping practice should be discussed. [Disclosure, I have not yet sailed on my first Viking ship yet, but I do have experience on a multiple mainstream cruise lines.]

And if it was an issue that needed to replace a part, they probably needed to wait until they arrived back to the main US port to receive the item.

The word "Mazal Tov" or "Mazel Tov" is translated from Hebrew directly as "Good Fortune" or "Good Luck" in English, but in use, it is used as "Congratulations" for a past of still occurring event or celebration. E.g. "Mazel Tov on the big promotion last week" or just "Mazel Tov" when you see the bride or groom at the wedding (either at the start, in the middle, or the end of the affair - or even after.). However, I did some research into the gravestone in Rhodes. The individual's name was "Lea Mazal Tov (Judea) Hasson (d. 1932). Lea was the woman's first name, Hasson her last (married), and Judea her maiden name. Mazal Tov in this case, was probably her middle name (or less likely a nick-name). The etymology of the word means "constellation," and more specifically a good sign in the skies - having the meaning of "good fortune" (as I had begun above) - which is probably where the middle name was derived. One can imagine how or why she was given this as a middle name, maybe she was born sickly and out of good fortune survived, or possibly a bad pregnancy and delivery. PS: Business class is very nice!

Thank you so much, it definitely clarifies! - much appreciated. As a newbie, the way the articles/videos make it seem is that you just walk into the Restaurant and find your own seat. I did not realize that a host seats you - or missed that during my research. I would expect us to be with our friends for most of the dinners. Personally, I am the type that loves to sit at a 10-top with a bunch of other strangers, but will talk to our friend and see if that would be an option for a few of the evenings (of course, we would play it by ear). I am looking at a corresponding itinerary to what we are considering for Aug. 2023 (we are waiting for the Aug 2024 to open), which is only a $300 difference between the V and the lowest D ($150/pp), but trying to figure if the perks are worth it or not. To tell you the truth, the two benefits of a D for me would be the guaranteed reservations for the alternate restaurant and the daily replenishment of the soda, water and snacks. My DW would not care much about the later, but may be interested in the early reservation for the spa IF there was going to be a "sea" day. Thanks again for your help, Travel R

Thank you! But a little confused. . . . Looking at the link provided above for the Viking Star, it provides: Under V: Shore excursion reservations 60 days prior to departure Under DV: Priority shore excursion reservations 67 days prior to departure Edited: I took a look at a few of the ships, and it seems that the few I looked at all provide pre-reservation for the V category. As per the link, below are all the listed differences between the three categories . . . . . Amenity V (270 sq ft) DV (270 sq ft) PV (338 sq ft) Stateroom Access 3 PM 2 PM 1 PM Pre-reservation for Shore Excursions 60 days prior 67 days prior 77 days prior Guaranteed reservations for alternative dining N/A 1 guaranteed reservation for each alt. dining venue 2 guaranteed reservations for each alt. dining venue Pre-booking Spa N/A 60 days prior 70 days prior Mini Bar w/ water, snacks, soda Water, snacks, soda Not Replenished Water, snacks, soda Replenished Daily Alcohol Water, snacks, soda Replenished Daily Binoculars N/A Provided Provided Marius-weave blanket N/A Provided Provided Coffee Machine (in-room) N/A Provided Provided Welcome Champagne N/A N/A 1 bottle Pressing and Shoeshine N/A N/A Complimentary

If I may break into this thread, I have two questions: 1) If you book a D, what are the chances of excursions being booked or for not being able to make reservations into any of the alternate dining venues? 2) We are most likely going to be booking with another couple. If Couple A books a D and Couple B in a DV, can the reservations for excursions be linked together, or would it be the case where one couple may be on one excursion and the other couple on a different excursion (or couple A gets reservations at dining venue ABC, but couple B could not)? Thanks, Travel R

For me, I have a hard time separating the man from his music.

Great episode!!! Wagner, I'll skip.

Wow, just wow. Glad y'all made it out of there okay and able to tell your tale.

If you pay for service before it is rendered it does not meet the definition of a gratuity. If you pay at the end of the cruise after you experience the level of service provided it is a gratuity (or tip). I pre-pay the gratuity beforehand, since for me, it is part of the cruise fare for basic service (and this increase is, in effect, a bonus by us the passengers) . I hand out tips at the end of the cruise to staff members for service provided above and beyond. The amount is based on how far they went above and beyond (and what cash I have on hand) - the amount provided is personal, and is up to you. But if you still want an actual breakdown, an old list appears on the following thread . . . https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/15619-automatic-gratuity-breakdown/

Thanks for posting the URLs to your blogs. I took a quick look and seems like a lot of great information. I'll go through it as I have time but will obviously take some time. I see you have another world cruise set for 2023 - very nice!

Then they did you wrong. I've had allergy issues occur when just speaking to the waiters, but if you have gone through the special needs department and talked to a chef, then they something went amiss. Even with a shortage of waitstaff and waiters - and a number that are brand new and still in training, it is not a best case scenario, they should have been on the ball when it comes to allergies. Hopefully by February everything should be back to "normal." Enjoy!

Question: Did you speak to special services before your cruise? If not, some advice for next time. RCI (or any cruise line) could arranged that you and your family have meals that were specific to their dietary needs. Note that you would need to contact the department prior to the cruise. I have seen myself the chefs going over the next days meals with passengers for such a purpose. I believe you can get a list of items that meet dietary needs for the Windjammer, but buffet's in general are not an allergic person's best friend. Even if the items are being served by staff, there is still a chance of cross contamination if two dishes are adjoining.

Many of these complaints could have been avoided if many of these individuals would have done some homework before the cruise - or better yet, before booking. The industry is still crawling out of COVID, and expectations from 2-3 years ago should not be the same as they are currently. We had an awesome time on our cruise a few weeks ago - but my expectation for food and entertainment were not very high (and they met my low expectations, but I chalked it up to the pandemic, and did not bash the ship or RCI because of a plague and staff shortages). Most people on here know to take these general reviews with a grain of salt. If you want insight on how good or lousy a ship is, read the threads on this forum since you will get an discussion as to why the person did not enjoy something, instead of a "it's lousy" comment without further explanation. I was reading an article on Facebook that re-posted strange/funny vacation reviews. One woman complained that she had a terrible vacation in India. Why you ask? Because she could not find hamburgers for her son to eat. Think about that. No hamburgers in India. That's gotta make you shake your head. Many times these complaints occur not due to a lack of research, but a lack of brain cells.

I finally completed reading through your review, and as I mentioned at the end of it, it was excellent - especially providing information for a Viking neophyte like myself.

@Sleep7 - Yasher Koach on a fabulous review. As mentioned in another post, we are considering a Viking cruise in 2024 (which possibly ports in Greece). As a Viking virgin, I really appreciate the details, especially photos of all of the Daily's, menus, and your comments on each - it has provided great incite into what a Viking cruise would be like (we have only sailed mainstream lines). Although I was reading the review to gain incite into the cruise itself, your discussion and beautiful photos of the ports make them very enticing for a future adventure. Although I have a ton of specific questions, such as "can you order two entrees or appetizers," I am going to hold off on those until we (ourselves and another couple) definitely decide upon whether we will be taking a Viking cruise or not (we are currently considering everything from a premium to luxury cruise line). As I am reading more an more, Viking has become one of the top contenders, and your review had added towards my leaning in that direction. Your review was very positive and upbeat, but as someone from the outside looking in, may I ask for what you would have changed about this cruise, if you had the opportunity? There are always some aspect that is not cheery (and it is how you deal with the issues is what matters most). For instance, our recent cruise to Alaska (see review in signature below) was absolutely amazing; however, there were a few things we did not enjoy about the cruise, and although they did not affect our enjoyment, I was pretty blunt in stating what they were for others to gain some perspective. Since this cruise is still fresh in your mind, if you would, please list some of the things you would tell a Viking newbie to look out for? Thank you

Once we definitely decide upon the itinerary, I will do so. Right now we are settled on visiting Rome -pre-cruise, then cruising east, although I believe we all agree on Greece as one of the ports. [There are still many things in Rome we did not see the first time.] Thank you so much - I will definitely be reading her review! I agree with your opinion. I am an over-planner so will have researched every option thoroughly. We would like to take the included tours (I am already paying for them), but for a port like Athens, how could I not visit the Acropolis? Thank you again for all of the information!

Thank you. Maybe after I actually book the cruise the prices for the itineraries will display.