claranda

Just being picky…but it is/was Her Majesty; HRH is the next step down, the one denied to Harry and Meghan! But let’s NOT start on about them…..🤑

Thanks for the report so far. It will be interesting for me as we’re doing the same trip in reverse next September. It will be a totally new route for us. We’ve only been to Vancouver/Whistler in Canada and only New York in the US - and all some years ago. I blush to admit that we didn’t enjoy  New York much at all, so this time we’re thinking of flying into Philadelphia for a couple of days and then getting the train up to NY on embarkation day.

We were on the same Med cruise as Gary in March. It was our first cruise with Viking and I’d looked at his earlier Viking reviews and thought them very positive. I can see where he’s coming from with these comments; Viking can appear paternalistic or controlling (or reassuring to some passengers) if you take into account all the extras you can opt in to - the flights, the pre/post cruise stays, the included excursions. The important part is that you don’t have to opt in, and we tend not to. And other cruise lines offer just the same options.

Like many others here, we enjoyed the lack of children and the casino and quite a lot of other aspects of a Viking cruise. There were also disappointments. We sailed on Seabourn in March, too (a result of various covid cancellations/postponements) and there were good and bad aspects there as well. I raised my eyebrows a little at Gary’s sudden turnaround on Viking, but found what he said of interest, as usual. 
 

No problem getting off in Croatia: Split today, Dubrovnik tomorrow. Shuttle laid on for the latter.

We were the first to check in at Venice - they told us we were the guinea pigs! Local staff a bit nervous and slow; Brits note that they want to scan ALL the QR codes of the NHS vaccination record, so be prepared. They didn’t examine the proof of the test we’d gone to some trouble to get done the previous day, duh!

To get to the Marittima check in we caught the people mover from Piazzale Roma, very straightforward, the walk to the terminal is about three minutes, the guy on the port gate told us where to go.

During the night the ship moved to a new berth in a slightly pleasanter spot, with good views of the lagoon and a distant view of the campanile and domes of Venice herself. It’s 14.00 and we are due to sail-away shortly. So far we are impressed with Viking; will report  more later.

Any idea, longterm, how many passengers are on the Rome/Venice leg?

13 hours ago, RalphZ said:

We're doing the Adriatic cruise on Viking in April.

Seeing Italy and Venice on our own prior to Embarkation.

Was planning on taking the 16 Ferry from Venice to Fusina

to board the ship.  Has anyone done this?

 

If I'm understanding where Viking is docking

it doesn't look like you can easily get from the

Fusina Ferry Terminal to the Cruise ships terminal.

Can anyone confirm?

 

Thanks

Hi RalphZ

As mentioned somewhere else (sorry not sure where) and as I re-confirmed with Viking the other day,  we should go to the Marittima Cruise Terminal (the main cruise terminal before Venice stopped letting cruise ships into the city). Viking will bus us from there to Fusina. Someone recently posted their understanding that unaccompanied passengers will not be allowed into Fusina, so I suggest you don’t go direct - may find yourself packed into a container!

Marittima is a little way from the train station/Piazzale Roma. You can get a taxi from Piazzale Roma or use the People Mover that leaves from there (see https://actv.avmspa.it/en/content/people-mover-0 ). I think a water taxi would also take you there, and it’s a reasonably steady 15/20 minute walk from PR. The bus transfer takes about 30 minutes.

7 hours ago, CoolBeansVA said:

4 hours for us yesterday.  Samples picked up at 2, results posted on TV at 6.  We were watching a movie, though, and didn’t see the results until after the movie ended, at 6:30, when we returned to the main menu on the TV.  

I really can’t believe what I’m reading here! Is no one complaining about this appalling situation? We’re forced to pay for tests that should satisfy the cruise line - certainly it satisfies other lines - and they still insist on a PCR and lock you up for five, six, god knows how many hours! We can board at 11 in Venice, but what’s the point? Better to have a leisurely lunch on shore and board in the afternoon!

My final pre-cruise requirements document from Viking also only requires a test pre-departure from the UK. I only found out here on CC that there is a requirement, hidden away in their Health and Safety FAQs for independent travellers arriving early in the country of embarkation to take instead an equivalent test pre-boarding. Viking UK have told me (after a 40 minute+ wait on the phone) that they informed me of this in information provided to my TA on a certain date, but in fact there is nothing at all about it in that document.
Their information seems directed only to passengers for whom they are arranging airfare, etc. Those of us arriving any other way are not catered for. I wonder how many of those will have missed the hidden requirement?

We are taking the test but I doubt we’ll be sailing Viking again. They’re incompetent.

Thanks, ReturnCruiser, yes we have considered it, but don’t want to take the chance it doesn’t work! We’ve found Bielohub, a clinic not far from our hotel and they’ll sort us out. We think Viking is totally OTT with testing, but we will comply! Just got off a Seabourn cruise where no testing was done for the whole ten days, so hope it’s still not a daily occurrence on V…..

We’re going to need to take a lateral flow/antigen covid test in Venice on the Friday before we board on 12 March. Our hotel can give us a list of places that can do this, but cannot book a test on our behalf. Knowing Italy, this could be a bit of a lottery, so I wonder if anyone can recommend a centre/pharmacy in La Serenissima that provides a reliable turn-around testing service?

We were on the 19th Feb sailing and nobody ever asked to see our proof of vaccination cert - not arriving in Lisbon or at our Lisbon hotel or restaurants, not on Madeira or any of the Canary Islands, getting off the ship or for local tours or restaurants. Only need to to scan it for the dreaded UK PLF, which will soon be going, I believe.

9 hours ago, jrmuk said:

Hi claranda, it looks amazing, we attended something similar on a Crystal holiday cruise in the connoisseurs club.

If I remember correctly it was $500 which in hindsight was a little OTT as my wine palate is not honed to $200+ wine but we did enjoy it and I’m a sucker for an up sell 😂🤣

Yes, we too loved it on Crystal and although we enjoyed this one, it was not quite as good. Served in the dining room on two tables of 8 people - so not the exclusiveness of the Connoisseur Club; and surprisingly, no input at all from the head sommelier on the wines we drank, again very different to Crystal. We only sailed Crystal once, but that was certainly a highlight (together with the Elton John tribute act!!). And yes, lincslady, there was too much food - portion size too generous for that many courses.

Hi jrmuk

Just to let you know that your ship is at this moment sailing safely up the Tagus after a couple of slightly choppy final sea days. If you’re celebrating you might want to try the Sommelier’s Lunch, which we had today. Really splendid, but we’re rather feeling the cumulative effects of 10 days rich food and wine and will be happy to revert to simpler fare - until the next time!

Yes, there’s a shuttle bus, but I think only to the Marina (aka new cruise port) where we were originally going to dock. Last time we were here we did the Cesar Manrique ship’s tour, which was magical, highly recommended. This time we’ve just got back from a very good wine and tapas tour with Lanzarote Wines - quite fascinating the challenges wine growers face here. Now have our feet firmly up until wine o’clock!

23 hours ago, crickette said:

Would you have looked out of place if you had chosen to wear one and go to French night in the Colonnade?

Well personally my dear, I never look out of place whether I’m over or under-dressed! At least, it doesn’t bother me either way and shouldn’t bother your friends. But no, the French quarter that night was pretty much us informal types.

23 hours ago, margbem said:

Thank you!

 

When you have formal nights could you post how many people are in tuxes? Our friends board on the 11th March and can’t decide whether to pack one or not.

 

Really grateful for all info!

Was formal night on Monday, but we didn’t ‘do’ it as we wanted to go to the French night in the Colonnade (good decision, the chateaubriand was out of this world). However, in the TK bar pre dinner there were a good number of tux and dinner jackets in evidence - perhaps more than usual, so no problem bringing one.

On 2/21/2022 at 5:24 PM, margbem said:

Claranda - can we ask a huge favour, from one Yorkshire girl 😉to another? Could you photograph the Gold wine package wines for us, please?

 

And how’s the gin? Any Brockman’s and Fever Tree in evidence?!

Margbem - I posted this yesterday but it seems to have disappeared, so will try again. This is the Seabourn offering on wine now (attached). Fever tree is in the bars, but nor sure about Brockmans.

17 hours ago, mancunian said:

 Please Clarandra would you ask the wine waiter if the do non alcoholic wine.

 

Many thanks

I am told they offer a white and a red from a brand called FREE. That seems to be all, apart from sparking non-alcoholic wine that they pick up locally(!?). The non-alcoholic beer is Becks, our NAB of choice and which we enjoyed today at lunchtime after rather over-doing the port last night! My informant stressed that if there is a brand you would particularly like, please ask for it as long  as possible before your cruise starts and they will endeavour to get it.

Margbem, Mancunian - will check that out today….

We hear 450 passengers, around 70%. 

So far, we have found the Vermentino and the Louis Latour Ardeche Chardonnay very palatable, the Greco (what is that?)pretty poor.

For the information of those on later Canaries cruises:

• our Encore boarding time was 1.20, and we were told not to arrive early, so expected to have to waste time hanging around the airport. But approached a Seabourn rep there who said just go now, no problem. This may have been because so many people’s travel arrangements were disrupted, but we were glad we’d asked, because we got processed pretty quickly once we arrived at the cruise terminal.
• at the airport we had our vaccination proof ready, but immigration didn’t ask for it on this occasion.
• can recommend Uber from the airport to the terminal - less than EURO 7.
• Seabourn did not ask to see our pre-flight test results. They nose swab you and you sit and wait till your number flashes up indicating you’re negative, then you proceed to check in. Boarding started around 12.30 for Diamond level folk, we got on board by 1.00pm. A very, very warm welcome from the CD and crew. 

There are 100 passengers still to board, today. The problem seems to have been that the stormy conditions elsewhere played havoc with many peoples travel arrangements and Seabourn quickly made the decision to wait for them. It’s quiet here in Lisbon - hope we don’t meet adverse weather in the Atlantic! 🤞