jkadventures

20 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

We brought back 3 bottles!

It is frustrating when a cruise line has a very restrictive policy on bringing personal wine onto a ship, and then is inconsistent on its enforcement. Princess’s alcohol policy clearly advises that bottles purchased during shore visits will be held by security until the end of the cruise. I certainly wouldn’t want an expensive purchase stuck in a closet so it can cook for a few weeks.  

Am curious if Princess is charging(as per their policy) the AU$ 30 “corkage” fee for every bottle (more than one) brought on board. This almost doubles the price of the nice bottles purchased in Sydney no matter where consumed. Their additional policy of “holding” any bottles you purchase during shore visits really negates the fun of going to wine friendly ports and tasting great finds immediately. Thanks for your insights on Sydney- one of my favorite cities!

On 3/26/2024 at 12:29 PM, scottie920 said:

Can anyone advise what the current corkage fee is for a bottle of champagne/wine to drink in restaurant or lounge. Thank you.

On our last cruise, we bought a bottle in town (would never find at home) to share with new friends. There was no corkage fee and no issue with us bringing our own bottle. Cheers 🥂 

We are sailing in May of 2025 and the itinerary was changed to Tallinn. It is listed on MVJ that way. 

I too absolutely loved Norway! We did the cruise with Rodne and we were back in plenty of time. The cruise itself was fantastic! We’ll be doing this itinerary in May of 2025. Very much looking forward to it!

On 11/4/2023 at 2:00 PM, Hobson1754 said:

Me too - we’re sailing on Vela May 2025. I’m of the opinion that we probably won’t notice any difference.

We are on the Vela May 2025 as well, Viking Homelands (May 4th). Which cruise are you on? We booked while onboard our recent Iceland cruise. That was our first Viking cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I’ll check the roll calls, now that is available!

We were on the cruise before yours and absolutely loved it! Our first Viking experience but certainly not the last! We did book another while onboard but it’s not until 2025, as we have plans for next year. I agree about the pride all the local guides have for their towns and it’s easy to see why!

On 9/3/2023 at 1:43 PM, Beachlover1989 said:

New to Viking - besides getting your hair done, can you get your nails done onboard?

Yes you can. I had a wonderful manicure onboard. 

We just stayed at the Center Grandi and had one of our best meals of the trip at Hofnin, about a 5min walk from the hotel. Suggest you go early. or make a reservation.  Also just be aware of a major construction site directly behind the hotel.  Tough to sleep during the day after a long overnight flight.  

Hi uktog, we recognize you from our Azamara days, and are currently on the Viking Saturn one day from NY. This was our first Viking experience and we have been blown away by the beautiful new ship and its incredible level of service.  We have already committed to another Viking voyage and now get the tremendous loyalty this brand has fostered. Enjoy!

Quick question-is there any need for Icelandic currency? From everything we’ve read, we think we won’t need any since cards are accepted everywhere. Did you need any cash? We just want to be sure in case it might be necessary. Thanks!
 

The whale sighting looked amazing!

We are going on Avalon in May, it will be their inaugural season on a ship purpose built for the Douro River. We are really looking forward to this adventure, as Portugal looks amazing. We always love Avalon for river cruises, as they have activities for anyone to enjoy. Plus the Portuguese wine is delicious! Cheers!

Hi Clay we are enjoying your posts, as we are boarding on 16 August! We booked this over a year ago and cannot believe it is almost here! My mouth is watering for the pastry that won’t be named 🤣 hopefully they’ll keep making them and with your “insider “ tip we’ll be able to partake. Enjoy the rest of your adventure! Kathryn and Jeffrey 

4 hours ago, Hobson1754 said:

Yes, we’ve booked Grayline’s Golden Circle Tour the day we board our cruise in September - (we arrive day before) and booked it following your recommendation. It costs less than half the price of Viking.  They will pick us up from our hotel & I’ve been advised that they will drop us at the cruise terminal after tour 🤞

Thanks for the information! I’ll check them out.

8 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

buses for people to do Golden Circle trip and

We will be in Reykjavik for pre-cruise extension in August (14-16) and sadly Viking is not offering the Golden Circle excursion as an option the day we board. We were really looking forward to it, as it sounded wonderful. We will get to the Blue Lagoon, which looks so relaxing. We are counting down the days until the next adventure!

Thanks for all the information you are sharing. This will be our first Viking cruise!
Enjoy the rest of your trip. 

Thanks for the response uktog😊

When is the next dry dock scheduled? Thanks ⚓️

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if dry docks will happen for any of the ships? I believe Journey was to be refurbished. We are contemplating a cruise to Iceland next year 🤞🏻 and it would be on that ship. Thanks! 

Hi Playtennis we did the Paris to Normandy river cruise with Avalon a few years ago. It was our first river cruise and it was marvelous from start to finish! The trip to the Normandy Beaches was incredibly moving. I think you and Diane will enjoy yourselves immensely! We also did the Romantic Rhine a few years ago in October and last December a Christmas market cruise- both fantastic! We are booked for a different Christmas market cruise for December 2021.

Enjoy J&K

Agree- our final payment is due in April for an August departure. One can still get cancel for any reason trip insurance although the premium has doubled from a few months ago. Even then it only covers 75% of your losses. Changing the final payment to 60 (or even 90) days out would relieve a lot of the decision making stress. 

Yes we understand that but wondered if there might be a “usual “ docking place. The prior trips we took we used their transfer to the ship but this time we are trying to do that part on our own. Thanks!

We are thinking of booking the Burgundy and Provence for wine lovers cruise in October. Does anyone know where the ship would most likely dock in St. Jean de Losne? We are planning on taking the train from Paris and were researching how best to get from the train station to the ship. It appears that the town is not that large so hopefully there is a taxi service. Any insight would be appreciated. We have sailed with Avalon previously and enjoyed every cruise. Thanks!

We also used Smith’s and they were fantastic. Highly recommend them!

We are on the same cruise and have been checking out the Tattoo’s website. We will be purchasing one of the dinner inclusive packages when they go on sale 12/2. 

We were on the Pursuit in late April and absolutely loved it! The Azamazing evening in Trieste was superb! Captain Antonio is just awesome! We are counting the days until our next trip (bit to go) in August of next year. This is on the Quest for the Scotland intensive. Really looking forward to this trip. Enjoy your travels everyone!