TKS

It might be a mis-print, or maybe some dedicated quarantine cabins?

Thanks for the quick response, LHT28 (FYI, we just returned from a Great Lakes cruise on Viking that stopped in several Ontario towns and villages. We ended visiting Toronto for several days. You live in an absolutely magnificent area!)

I haven’t cruised on O since late 2019. Has the policy regarding bringing hard liquor on board changed since then? I’ve looked in our documents for our December cruise, but can’t find anything about hard liquor. DH like a bottle of Titos and I like Sapphire for a cocktail in our room while we get ready for dinner.

We just finished our first Viking cruise two weeks ago, and we have our sixth O cruise coming in December. Our last O cruise was November, 2019, just before Covid.

There are differences between the two lines, as noted by many on this thread.

Some things that haven’t yet been mentioned:

1. Viking requires full payment 6-12 months prior to departure (depending on various factors), while my upcoming O cruise required final payment 5 months before departure. Viking offers a 3.3% discount if you pay cash, which saved us over $600 on our last cruise.

2. Viking’s pre/post-cruise deviation fee is $100/pp, while O’s is $175/pp. I was seriously impressed with Viking’s handling of the pre-cruise details once we left home, but ironing out those details did require several hours on the telephone. Their flight booking center is overseas where there was no flexibility on layovers, etc., but I was given a tip to ask for a US agent, and she did a great job securing what we wanted - she even called back after we had accepted the itinerary to recommend a better one that included a free overnight in a lovely hotel the night before boarding the ship. And there was no up-charge beyond the deviation fee.
I’m in throes of working out the details for our upcoming O cruise, and so far I’m frustrated. They are asking a $250/pp “layover” fee in addition to the deviation fee because we want to break up our departure (we live in the western US and want to stay one night on the East Coast, then fly to Europe, to avoid the 18-24 hour nightmare flying day if we don’t do that). They also want an additional $100/pp to fly home on Christmas Day vs two days earlier (the airline is actually charging $30 less for the flight on Christmas Day). Ultimately the difference between them booking our flights and doing it ourselves is over $800 in their favor. The only reason we are even considering it is the risk of the cruise being cancelled (Riviera, on it’s first post-refurbishment cruise, so there is a cancellation risk based on the supply line problems many cruise lines are having). Not sure what the final outcome will be, but I’m not impressed with O’s handling of the issue so far.

3. We found O’s passengers to be generally older and less active on our 2019 cruise than those on our recent Viking, but that could just be because of the itinerary differences (Montreal to Miami in 2019 on O vs Great Lakes on Viking). In both instances the average age was greater than most other “competing” cruise lines (I.e., Celebrity and Princess).

4. Viking has embraced technology which our last O trip lacked (phone app to keep track of our daily schedule, order room service, keep track of our bill, multiple USB and touch charging stations in the cabin, etc.) I’m curious to see if these upgrades will take place during Riviera’s refurbishment.

5. Viking also allows unlimited alcohol to be brought on board, but there is no corkage fee if you want to consume it in the public areas.

Overall, we love O and are looking forward to our upcoming cruise, but Viking does offer a comparable (as in “different but equal”) experience, and they will definitely be under consideration for spending our future cruise dollars.

I submitted my State of NM Immunization Record for Covid 19 with the SMART Health Card QR code (obtained from the state dept. of health) to VeriFLY and the positive response was immediate (as in less than a minute), and that is the “official” record. So I suspect it is adequate. But I also bought a passport sleeve for my passport with a slot for the original vax card. As safe as I can be, I guess. 
 

Traveling on the Viking Octantis in July. Pre-cruise testing is still required - either PCR or antigen tests, but either must be lab-certified. Daily required testing has been eliminated, but testing can be re-instituted depending on the trajectory of the virus.
 

We are scheduled for Riviera in December (our first O cruise since before the pandemic). I’m, personally, more comfortable knowing all passengers are vax’ed and have tested prior to boarding, so I’m fine with continued pre-cruise testing on O.

I just wish I was as comfortable with air travel.

1985rz1, thanks for your response.  This helps us move forward.

We just booked our first O cruise since pre-pandemic. It includes all three O perks, including the “free” tours. We have only had the choice of one perk on our previous O cruises and have always chosen OBC. I can’t remember what the $ limit for the “free” tours, and do we simply pay the difference if we choose tours over that amount?

Thanks in advance for your responses.  We are excited to RE-board Riviera again!

People are talking about TA perks in terms of $$, which is nice. But the real reason we always use a TA is in case something goes wrong. Always remember the Representative for any cruise line will take care of their employer first in the case of a dispute, while a TA is paid to represent your interests’ at no additional cost to you. Also, as a cruise expert, a good TA can give advice and insights you can’t have otherwise (think “tips and tricks”), and help you avoid pitfalls. 

Thanks for your insights everyone.

Our first Viking sailing will be from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay the end of July.  I hope things have ironed out by then.  I’m not enamored of Viking’s policy of full payment over a year in advance, so if the cruise doesn’t measure up, it may be our only Viking cruise too.

I was getting very frustrated too, trying to set Viking Plus route for our Great Lakes cruise this summer. We want to go in a day early, but at the end we want to spend a few days in Toronto, which is the airport we would be flying through from Thunder Bay to get home anyway.  Four calls resulted in conflicting answers (no, yes, no, yes - we’ll get back to you, but never did). I spent a total of about 3 hours on the phone, and that was after my TA said he was unable to get them to budge regarding our wishes.

This morning I did as someone on this thread suggested and asked for a supervisor in the US.  I got Treva on the line, and she was a gem!  Listened to my needs, took the time to make the arrangements work for us, though they required her to go up another level for approvals, and even called back after we had finished and hung up, because she found something that will work even better for us AND save us money.

This one lady took my deteriorating view of Viking and turned it into a positive. This is our first Viking cruise, and I was beginning to think it was an expensive mistake, but now that I’m learning the ropes, and with employees like Treva, Viking will become a favorite cruise line, I am certain.

Glad to hear that the upselling on Princess has slowed down. The last time we sailed Princess (2015) that was my primary complaint. The photographers, art auction & spa service sellers were so intrusive that I said I would never sail Princess again.

We are giving Princess another chance, sailing Majestic later this month, after hearing glowing stories of Princess now. The ship is certainly beautiful! Hope we’re wowed!

Yes, that’s an option, but I’m awaiting an answer from my TA about this question.

I expect you are totally correct CineGraphic.

I’ve had this problem too.  I had to hit the Need Help button and change my password in order to get in.

Got the notice too. I’m curious to see if Princess will make any accommodation to those of us booked on the Feb. 26 cruise at $200 (US) more than the same cruise a week before and $100 more than the week following, even though with the withdrawal of the Love Boat specialty cruise package, it’s now exactly the same cruise.

We are booked for our first Viking cruise next summer, and we find ourselves with a substantial ship board credit.  Can it be used to pay for such things as gratuities & upgraded alcohol packages BEFORE we sail?  I understand those are less expensive if paid prior to sailing. 

And check with your TA about the Lift/Shift.  We just did it for an Oct, 2020 Transatlantic to the same cruise in 2021.  The fare remained unchanged from our cancelled 2020 cruise, rather than the  currently posted  fares (which are about $650 higher and include fewer perks).  If you change cruise itineraries, I believe you pay the currently posted fare/perks.  

Thanks for these pics, Hoopster95.  We will be on Riviera in ~3 weeks and will see NY from onboard.  You have really whetted our appetite!  I can hardly wait!  Better start thinking about packing more seriously, I guess.☺️

October/November, and even into December (depending on the itinerary) are our preferred sailing times for the Med.  Visited Europe once in July, and suffice it to say “never again!”  Too expensive, too hot and too many people.  Oct./Nov. is much more civilized all the way around.  And last I knew I won’t melt in the rain.

If you like the itinerary, go for it.  Even if the weather isn’t great, the fact you are seeing the ports you want will make you forget the weather.  And if you need some different clothing or an umbrella, you can buy it there.

Thanks, all. Yes, we want to book YC too, and I know you have to be on top of it, or you miss out.

We want to book a US/Canada cruise in Fall 2020. Anyone able to give me any idea when bookings will open?

Don, you are missed, as so many have already richly expressed.

Betsy, we're so glad you've returned to cruising. So many of us love you too. Hope to meet you again one day.

Tarmo & Kay, from Marina's maiden voyage

We were also saw Mr. Binder's hard work on the maiden voyage of Marina. His energy and hard work can only be a plus for Oceania.

Welcome Back!

Thanks, Host Andy! Bon Voyage!