JDincalif

8 hours ago, kittycrews said:

We are now booked on the Rome to Barca trip ... Really look forward to catching up with fellow "survivors".

Pleased to know that you'll be on this voyage. During the Sky journey we were supposed to join you and another couple for a tour of the Saltstraumen in Bodo (and we all remember how that turned out 😉). Hoping that everyone's plans for this trip go off without a hitch. 

11 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I wanted to ask how you managed to get the info that shows the number of rooms left

Our TA, at our request, got extension information from Viking, and that little table was all she received  We were hoping for more detailed descriptions, of course! - but this allowed us to find sufficient details on MVJ. It was interesting to see that 'seats are limited' isn't always just an advertising ploy!

3 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

For all of us, NO idea what was going to happen next. We were all amazingly fortunate. 

Agree enthusiastically and completely!

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

Those who stayed onboard at least stil had their possessions though I believe I'm right in that you weren't allowed room access, at least for awhile (?)

Correct - it was well after the tugs guided the Sky into correct position to proceed to Molde

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

Surely wearing a lifevest for however many hours probably got old

Wearing the lifejackets all those hours was less tedious than waiting to see if the ship (and we) would remain intact  😉

What will bring us together on the Mars is the extraordinary experience of March 2019, varied though it was for each of us. We can give that time a nod and move on to enjoy this new experience.

Just now, DGHOC said:

. I only once read a comment from someone who suggested that those who were evacuated by helicopter had had a worse experience than those who stayed on board for 24 hours.

...on another Sky thread a person who was evacuated wrote about looking down on the Sky from the helicopter and wondering if he'd ever see his possessions again 🤯...  Definitely a different perspective! But shock will do that to a person, I suppose 

Looking forward to meeting in person those we met on the voyage and all of you lovely people that we've met only on CC! 

30 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'm suspecting this whole reunion would take on a much more relaxed and truly joyful atmosphere. It just seems that, with all that has transpired since we were on the Sky, the personal impact of that event is diminished

Even more reason to see this as a time to celebrate life - that we're still here despite everything that's happened since 2019.

6 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

really the pax are in two rather different 'camps', if you will...those who stayed on board, and those who were pulled off. VERY different experiences for both groups. On the Mars, something should be done to reunite the passengers according to those two groups. I can't, for instance, at all relate to those who remained on the ship the entire time. And the reverse is surely true. 

Both groups - those who were airlifted and those who had to remain onboard - endured harrowing experiences. So as long as there's no conversational competition about who suffered more, we'll enjoy raising a glass, sharing stories and celebrating life with all our fellow Sky passengers on the Mars.

3 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

It can drive you crazy thinking about all the 'what ifs'. 

Ain't that the truth! 🤭

With Covid/testing/entry requirements changing hourly, it seems, we haven't looked deeply into Viking's pre-cruise testing. No point in mastering it now and having to unlearn it later.

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

So...did you select the ones highlighted?

We've booked the Madrid post-cruise extension. We considered the pre-cruise options, but since we really want to savor the Mars we decided to travel directly to the ship, hoping to (probably minimally, but still) limit Covid exposure opportunities prior to embarkation.

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

 

🙂

Our responses passed each other in cyberspace, so I'm editing this one because most of it became irrelevant.

Congratulations to your family on your daughter's achievement.

50 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

They said they'd offer extensions, so awaiting that info. 

Our TA forwarded this summary of pre- and post-cruise options received from Viking. Though no descriptions accompanied this, it's easy to get details simply by searching on "Rome" or "Barcelona" on the Viking site, where links to these option descriptions are available. We did so and were able to confirm our post-cruise selection through our TA today.

15 minutes ago, Haworth said:

We have accepted the offer

Delighted to learn that you'll be on the Mars.

One of your aurora photos from the deck of the Sky has been the wallpaper on Janet's phone since 2019.

23 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Most ironically I just trashed the original letter from Viking a few days ago, so not sure anymore how long we had to let them know. I seem to recall it might have been March (?) 

You're correct - we did receive notice about a full year before the Venus inaugural cruise.

FYI: We've started a Viking Mars invitational voyage roll call for those who plan to accept the Chairman's invitation.

14 minutes ago, cruisinchrissy said:

We haven’t had an invitation yet.

Hope we haven’t been missed. 😥

We hope to see you and Gerard on the Mars! And we hope that your Millie is doing as well as our Chama 🐾

38 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

I need to see more details and find out what could be done with our conflicting cruise (that has already been resheduled twice). 

The Viking agent dedicated to assisting invited guests mentioned in the Chairman's letter was very helpful in providing information and in getting our May cruise rescheduled for the third time! The surprising upside for us is that the rescheduled voyage - same itinerary, different dates- will be less expensive even though we're adding pre- and post-cruise stays and upgraded staterooms. We'll even have leftover cruise credit from the original Viking Sky vouchers to add some extra adventures on the rescheduled trip. 

42 minutes ago, ptkelley said:

Has anyone been able to see the Invitational Cruise on MVJ?  I cannot.  Perhaps operator error. thx. 

 

The Viking rep we spoke with said that details of this voyage would be locked for 24 hours, so perhaps we'll see details tomorrow.

31 minutes ago, JDincalif said:

We're moving our planned May 2002 voyage to November 

 Yikes...May 2022...too much excitement to type well ..

9 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Have fun. 

We certainly will!🥂

We're moving our planned May 2002 voyage to November to accommodate this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hope to see many of you there!

Just got word that we Viking Sky survivors have been invited to the Viking Mars inaugural voyage in May 2022!

On Oceania Nautica in July 2012, our scheduled stop in Tasiilaq was cancelled because of dense fog. Fortunately, the next day the fog lifted just as we approached Prins Christian Sund, giving us impressive views during that passage. The following day, clear weather met us at our successful Qaqortoq stop.

We've been watching for the final report from the Accident Investigation Board Norway, which should, when made public, provide additional insight into our shared experience.

Best wishes to all in the new year to come!

We were Viking Sky passengers who remained onboard throughout the crisis until the ship reached Molde. Although we never met the author, reading the book we realized that we were in the same group in the atrium under the supervision of the cabaret singer. We found his account of the harrowing experience to be an accurate reflection of our own experience.