CEV426

The Viking coach bathrooms were unlocked, but I only saw one person use it over 3 river cruises. It's for emergencies, not convenience and most passengers seem to realize that.

How do you watch this online? I apparently don't subscribe to any of the given providers. I never even heard of them. Is there another way?

I booked our entry level cabin a full 2 years in advance for Viking Homelands in Aug 2018! (More $$$ saved=travel more often). Anyway, there aren't that many "cheapest" cabins available on any given ship (only 20) I knew they would go fast and they did. When I booked there were 10 cabins left. Within a month the V1 cabins were sold out. Things do open up now and then so keep checking for cancellations.

It's a long 2 years waiting Only 11 months to go!

I am pretty sure it is not included. We did however have a bottle of bubbly something or other in our cabin on each of our 3 river cruises. We rec'd the first since our room wasn't ready. We rec'd on cruises 2 and 3 since we were previous cruisers.

Also, if you are doing Berlin Your Way, be aware that there is a 1:30 hr bus tour of the city, leaving you about 4 hrs time to explore on your own. I thought you'd have time to yourself from the get-go, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The trains and buses ran on time on our day, and the drop-off point in Berlin was the Hilton.

We are only planning on taking the train to Berlin and hiring our own personal guide for a 5-6 hr walking tour. I was assuming that the pick up location to meet a guide would be the train station. Is there then a bus ride from train to the Hilton? I can just see how long the boarding and deboarding the bus would take. I can probably walk faster. Or, is the drop off at the Hilton just for those taking the Berlin Your Way Tour?

And, just for clarification...the train station in Berlin is Hauptbahnhof?

Thank you for any input

We are taking advantage of Viking's included train transportation/excursion to Berlin.

We are a group of 4 adults looking for a semi-private walking and/or guided public transportation tour of the Berlin highlights.

Our ship is in port from 7:30-21:00. I believe that we will have at least 5 hours in Berlin.

I am looking for any recommendations for a company or guide that could meet us at the train station and start from there.

After pounding the pavements in port all day (Viking Homelands) I'll be lucky to be able to stay awake for any evening entertainment. Not a deal breaker for me.

We are leaving from Bergen next June and were looking at airfare. After seeing all the comments we decided to book on our own and discovered Norwegian - totally new to us. We booked JFK to Bergen (through Oslo) and London Gatwick back to JFK and got premium cabin seats for about $1700US p.p. Checking other airlines, including SAS, business was over twice that. Norwegian is no frills in coach (I think you even have to pay for water!) but it's cheap. Just something to consider from a fellow cruiser.

Flying out of Bergen is tough. Our home airport is Phila ( could do Newark but it's an hour away.) I've be struggling for for months trying to find a way home that is no more than 1 stop and no overnight layover (London). I checked the various low cost European carriers and I thought I had is all figured out by paying for a cheap short flight on Norwegian to London (Gatwick) and getting a ground or train connection to LHR until I realized that Norwegian doesn't fly to London on the date I need.:') I even checked Icelandic Air since they fly to PHL. Times didn't coordinate. Back to the drawing board. There are very few airlines that fly out of BGO. KLM is one of them, so I think we will pay for a short flight to AMS and fly direct from AMS to Phila. We are using our FF miles for the rest of the trip so the cost of the connection to AMS is worth it to us not to have to make 2 stops.

We have recently booked the Celebrity Eclipse for our cruise to the Baltics next summer (2018). I've just discovered that the first of our two days in St. Petersburg -- August 23 -- will probably be the busiest of the summer, with 6 ships in port and a total port load of 16,165 passengers (reference: http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Russia/664-St_Petersburg/August_2018/)......

Am I right to be concerned? Talk me off the ledge!

I will be in SPB Aug 14 & 15 2018 and am concerned about the same thing. The above link is not up to date. We are on the Viking Star and it's not even listed on that site. There is no Viking nor Azamara ship listed at all on that link. According to the link below there are only four ships in port on your day, but they are huge ships. Our Viking ship is only 900 pax but we're in port with 5 other ships! I'll be joining you on that ledge! :')

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/visitingstpetersburgrussia-23aug2018.html

If I remember correctly, there may be more than one option into Paris in the AM. I think there is only one pick up in the afternoon about 3-4 ish and the pickup and drop off was at the Grand Palais in the center of Paris at the Alexander III bridge across from Les Invalides. Easy walking to most central sights.

All 3 of my river cruises were in April...Rhine, Paris & Normandy and just last week Tulips and Windmills. I like the weather, price and most of all we have to follow the school calendar for vacations (Easter Break) as we both still work. The best time of year in my opinion. You get pretty warm with all the walking.

If I had the flexibility, I would even go end of Oct or early Nov. because I can't stand being the slightest bit overheated.

Thank you for the live update! Ours is only 2 weeks away. Did you get to Keukenhof yet? I'm curious to know what has started to bloom. What have the temperature been like?

Have there been any themed meals on board? While on the our Rhine cruise we had "A Night in Germany" feast that was something to behold! On Paris/Normandy cruise we had a French themed lunch, but not to the magnitude of the German feast.

Alternative way to Taormina....

There is a train station a short walk from the ship. A group of 6 or 8 of us (all met on CC prior to Med Cruise) walked to the train station. Fortunately one of the couples had been there before so they knew just where to go. Since I am decent enough in the Italian language, I ordered tickets for the group from the ticket window. It's about a 45 min scenic train ride and for a few euros round trip. Just be sure to check the schedules for the return train.

You then have to take a bus to take you UP to the town of Taormina. I think 1 Euro. The bus is just outside the train station. You'll see others doing the same thing. Or I suppose you could walk. Lovely town with tons of tourists and this was in late October

I just learned of this line and itinerary from a podcast. (River Cruise Radio).

The interviewee/passenger was very complimentary about the entire experience. I will be awaiting more feedback.

Good for you Cindy! Too bad we won't be on the same cruise but I'm sure you are as excited as I am....I am looking into what to see and do in all the ports and doing the Norway in a Nutshell at the end of our cruise.

I wish our trip was late May, too. I hope we have time for Norway in the Nutshell. I've always dreamed of visiting Norway and it's beautiful landscapes...Even more so since watching the Netflix series Lillehammer . Although Lillehammer is not coastal Norway, it does give one an appetite for the culture.

The verdict is in...

I just booked Viking Homelands for Aug 11, 2018 starting in Stockholm on the Star. It's not my preferred time of year ( I wanted May) but DH really can't take off then.

Now...just the 2 yr wait! :rolleyes:

Thank you all for your input.

Thank you all for your encouragement. Since the Viking Sea is a relatively new ship, there must be some wrinkles to iron out as the crew get used to things and each other. My projected sailing date isn't until 2018! :(

My gut feeling is that we would certainly enjoy VO. Although I don't really care for sea days (I am in it for the ports of call) I think we would need some down time on a 2 week cruise.

Now, for the big question....

How rough is the Baltic Sea? In other words....how much Meclizine do I have to bring? LOL... I have a sensitive inner ear and get sick quickly. Alaska is our only cruise that I never had to medicate.

Why are a handful of negative comments giving you second thoughts?

Thank you all for your input. It's not the negative replies, per se...I can read through nit picking comments. You can't please everyone and some people can't be pleased. That's not us.

I am "over" ocean cruising for the most part. I don't want nor need the nightly entertainment, casino, photos, art auctions, etc...This is why I would only consider a Viking ocean cruise, small ship, less people, casual and no glitz.

I was sensing that the experience was going to be different. I was afraid that I would be disappointed if it were not just like of our river experiences. I just don't want to be disappointed to the tune of >$12,000.

I really do want to book this cruise!

I didn't think I'd ever take another ocean cruise, but Viking's Oceans appeal to us since it's a small intimate ship with understated elegance. We've been on two Viking River Cruises, with the third one coming up next year. Needless to say, we were very happy with our cruises.

I've been seriously considering booking Viking Homelands, but I am now having doubts after reading all these posts. This will be the longest cruise we've ever taken, not to mention the most expensive.

I don't necessarily care for the stratified class system. If our treatment is based on our cabin number...there's going to be a problem. On our first river cruise, we had a lower level cabin and we were treated like royalty. We arrived on the ship early about 1030-11am. We were invited to have lunch. Our cabin wasn't ready (we didn't expect it to be). We stowed our luggage and went back out to explore. When we returned, we found a bottle of champagne in our cabin with a note apologizing that our room was not ready.

We are not unreasonable people and we realize that "things" happen, but it's how they're handled that make the difference.

Am I wrong in expecting the same type of product from Viking Oceans?

Thank you for the replies...

I think I have just discovered the answer to my question. The time in various ports differs greatly depending on the embarkation city.

IMHO, leaving from Stockholm has the edge based on time in port. I just found the port time table:

http://wpc.475d.edgecastcdn.net/00475D/passenger_documentation/2015/Viking-Homelands_2015.pdf

Is there any preferred departure port/direction for Viking Homelands? I am preferring Stockholm to Bergen since it will be a little warmer by the time we get to Bergen at the end of the cruise in early June 2018. (I am assuming that Bergen will be cooler than Stockholm.)

I'm also trying to figure out if there are any drawbacks to being in a certain port on a Sunday. This cruise departs on Tues and Sat. I am preferring the Sat. Departure.

Just one more packing/ money saving tip...

Regarding Perfume and Cologne...

Sephora has tiny spray ampules for giving samples of their perfumes.

Whenever I shop there (and develop and good rapport with one of the sales people) I sort of sheepishly ask if I could have a few of those empty spray vials. I've never been turned down.

I take the cap off and spray my own perfume or DH's cologne and replace the cap. Each vial will take about 30 spritzes of your cologne. Takes no room at all.

I enjoy the 'proud' light packers. Pack light if you want and less clothes and more money works but.... Some of us like having choices for clothes and jewelry I won't were ugly just cause it's easy and I won't give up make up even though I don't need it and husband doesn't mind. I style my hair - enjoy dressing up and have fun doing it.

Travel in one bag if you like -- I'll take more thanks - I you can usually spot the 'one baggers' by their shoes and outfits LOL

Yes, I am a proud "light" packer but you would never know it. We've recently been to Europe 5x with only a 22'' carry on each and a large tote as my personal item and a backpack for DH. This includes a DSLR camera, folding tripod and an i pad. Two of the trips were 15 days (not cruise) but we "did" have access to apt washing machine. The couple traveling with us also only uses one 22'' bag. When I adopted this idea just before our first trip, there was no way my GF was going to be lugging steamer trunks while we were so light. Several trips later...we wouldn't do any other way. We strategically use packing cubes (Container Store....they can give you a packing lesson in store) and push it to the max. Two of our trips were river cruises and we never wore the same thing (tops) twice and had a hefty supply of jewelry and make up. I brought 5 pairs of shoes (even boots), slippers, pajamas, a few jackets, several light weight cardigans, layering tanks that take no space at all, several scarves/pashminas. My "ace in the hole" item was a "nice" pair of boot cut black yoga pants. I often wore during day with a black trench, denim jacket, or cardigan, etc...

Ok, they were resort casual cruises, so no formal wear was needed and trips were in cooler climates. Many of my tops are from Chicos (not the Travelers line nor the frumpy "mature" pieces) and they have a lot of lightweight layering pieces and fabulous jewelry. I was often complemented on my evening attire and our new friends on board were shocked to hear that we only had one 22'' bag each. By the last night I was giving packing tutorials.

Our traveling style involves walking across the cobblestone streets of Paris, Amsterdam, Italy, etc...on and off airport trains, up and down metro steps, etc....This would be a real joke with any luggage much bigger.

Just my 2 cents. Just because you pack light, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to look it (although I'm sure some "do" look it )

Different stokes...

Little Rascal....

We may be on the same sailing as you for May 2018...

Anyway, I have only been on Viking river cruises so far, but the first 2 times we booked our own air with miles. (PHL to AMS and PHL to CDG).

We are now booked for Tulips and Windmills for April 2017 and the air was included. I think may be because of the recent Belgium terrorist attacks.

For Viking Homelands, they will knock off $1000 pp if we use our own air. This is a no brainer for me. We have FF miles for United (inc Liutfhansa) and British Air. I know the schedules aren't out yet, but I did a search of flights using May 2017. I can use miles for Luthansa to FRA and then to Stockholm....and return from Bergen to LHR and LHR to PHL. I should have plenty of miles by then. I can also choose Newark or JFK in a pinch.

Even if we paid for the tickets, they are not $1800 pp as Viking suggests. In this case it's worth it for us to take the price off the cabin and arrange our own transfers.

I see you are in So Cal... Norwegian Airlines flies from Bergen to LAX via LHR or Oslo and they use the 787 Dreamliner! (BUT, they do not fly on Tues or Sat in this direction) Rates look very reasonable, but it prob includes nothing. :cool:

Most dinners are at 7-ish. On both my past Viking cruises, there was a slight variation each night depending on the day's activities and the evening talk at the cocktail hour/briefing. Sometimes at 7:15, 7:30 or 7:45.

The dining room doors open at precisely the posted time. I've noticed that the wait staff work in teams throughout the dining room. It seems that the dining room assignments are separated into quadrants. Although our table varied slightly each night, we stayed within the quadrant so we had the same wait staff each night.

I can't elaborate on the Aquavit Buffet, we never ate there ate night.

Breakfast and lunch are open seating. Come as you wish during the open window. There is a buffet for both meals as well as a menu. (Made to order omelets, too).

Dinner is tastefully casual. Some pushed this a bit, as I saw faded jeans and even shorts on occasion. Really, who cares. Some days in port are long and some may just come to dinner in whatever they wore all day. I saw a woman in a cocktail dress the first night. She was the only one that dressed up. I did see a few sport coats with open collar shirts on the first and capt's nights, but I don't think I saw many ties for the gents. They were few and far between.

There is a 24/7 coffee/tea/hot chocolate station which has pastries or cookies...depending on the time of day.