hbtraveler

Depending on the plan, T-Mobile will include unlimited data (4G or above) and texting plus 20 cents/minute phone in those 210+ countries for no additional cost above your plan cost. We have 2 lines on Magenta MAX 55+ and have used this feature quite a bit in our international travels with no issues.

We were in 5021 on one cruise and 5029 on another. No issues with noise or crowds at all. And having the stairs and elevator right there was often very convenient. The laundry room is on the port side, a bit further aft, if you want to be a bit closer to it.

Thanks. I appreciate all this detail. It does sound like you were traveling between places almost as much as you were at places.

If you have a chance, could you review this post extension trip? I probably would be interested in booking it when we get down that way in a year or two. Thanks!

A couple of questions. How was the Drake crossing? Were you able to get most of your planned activities completed or were there some that the weather/ice conditions prevented? Thanks.

They let our driver go right to the terminal.

I walked from the terminal to the roundabout, not realizing that there was a shuttle bus that took you from the terminal to the roundabout. I took the bus back to the terminal when I returned from my walk of the town. The terminal area (at least when we were there) wasn't very busy, so I wasn't worried about safety when I walked from the terminal to the front gate by the roundabout. The terminal building itself looked pretty new.

Looking at the Viking website, they have another cruise "Antarctic Adventure" which is 15 days, instead of the 13 days of your Antarctic Explorer cruise. The only difference I see is that there are 2 more days near Antarctica. Given the weather variably and its impact on landing opportunities, do you think that having 2 extra days down there would have made a big difference on your enjoyment of the cruise? Just trying to get a feel if it would make sense to spend the extra money for 2 more days. Thanks.

Thanks for doing this detailed trip report. Love all the pictures, too. Your pre and post cruise activities looked great. For the cruise itself, it sounded like it went reasonably well given some of the weather constraints. For someone taking this trip in the future, are there any things (good or bad) to highlight about visiting Antarctica on Viking that it would be good to know in advance. Thanks again!

FWIW, when we departed the ship on our cruise that finished in Istanbul and then took our 3-day post cruise extension to Cappadocia, no one inquired about our medicines at all. In fact, they didn't even ask to see the visa that we got for Turkey. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. As suggested above, ask Viking what they think. Maybe get a letter from your doctor to carry with you if needed.

When we had to get from Venice to Chioggia back in June (2022), the private car that our hotel arranged cost us 200 euros.

When we visited last June, we had a guided tour of the site for about 1.5 hours. We then had free time (around 1 hour, I think) which most people used at the museum. I believe that we were given tickets for museum entry. We found the guide was quite informative and the museum had a nice collection of artifacts.

Looking at the two itineraries, it seems the only difference is that you spend 2 more days in Antarctic waters. The trip down looks the same and the trip back also looks the same. Since the weather can be finicky, more days gives you more opportunities to get ashore if the weather doesn't cooperate. So, if you can afford it, it would seem the longer trip would be better. BTW, the map is deliberately vague, since the landing locations can vary from trip to trip.

Cruise Critic Chris, I'd be interested to hear about what the weather is like at this time of year in Antarctica, since this is probably when we would go. Hopefully the crossing is smooth both ways.

Got an email from Viking this morning that said: "Today we are pleased to announce that 2024 & 2025 departures of our most popular ocean voyages are now open for booking, making this the perfect time to start planning your next Mediterranean voyage, Hawaiian sojourn or Atlantic Coast journey. Our 2024 and 2025 seasons include several new itineraries, outlined below, that may be of interest to you. Many of these voyages will sell out, so reserve your preferred stateroom today with a deposit of just $25 and enjoy a special airfare offer. "

We stayed there in 2018 and didn't have any complaints. Nothing fancy but a good overnighter. My main memories of it was that we had a fjord facing room where the view was blocked when we arrived by a Viking ship (Sky or Sea, I think) in port for the day. But it was a nice view when they left.

We took the NIN trip back in 2018, so things might have changed a bit. But whether you take NIN or the through train between Oslo and Bergen, you will see the same scenery between Oslo and Myrdal and between Voss and Bergen. Per my notes, It takes about 4:30 for the Oslo-Myrdal part, which is the best of the mainline train trip. Spectacular scenery as the train climbs up and over the big mountains. Voss-Bergen is less spectacular as it mostly follows river valleys. It takes about 1:15 from Voss to Bergen. The part between Myrdal and Voss, I think, takes about 45 minutes and continues the descent from the mountains. For NIN, you would depart the mainline at Myrdal. There was about a 30 minute gap between the mainline train arriving and the Flam train departing to allow for passenger and luggage transfer. It is about an hour down to Flam on the scenic railroad. The Flam train station is right next to the dock. It was here that we overnighted. But if you continue on, you board the boat for the very scenic 2 hour cruise to Gudvangen. I considered it one of the highlights of our Norway trip. At Gudvangen, you board a bus (right next to the dock) for the 1:15 trip to Voss train station, where the mainline train to Bergen is met. If you have the time, and especially if you aren't visiting any fjords otherwise, NIN is well worth it. I hope this helps.

The Nærøyfjord is quite dramatic. It is listed as the narrowest fjord in Norway and is a UNESCO site. But, if your fjord'd out, and particularly if you don't want to do a really long day, the through train from Bergen to Oslo is still worth that part of the trip. In addition to the fjord cruise, the Norway in a Nutshell trip also includes the steep, scenic Flam Railway to get to and from the Bergen-Oslo mainline. When we overnighted in Flam, we stayed at Flåmsbrygga Hotel, which was right along the fjord. We also arranged a morning tour to the Stegastein viewpoint that is high above the Aurlandsfjord. As this was our first fjord in Norway, we were quite glad we did this trip.

If you have the time, I'd also recommend the Norway in a Nutshell tour. We did it on our own (not associated with a cruise) from Oslo to Bergen. We had the time, so we split it into 2 days and overnighted in Flam. We also booked through Fjord Tours. Since we did it in two days, we were able to book the later departure from Oslo, which was a bit less crowded. We stayed at Thon Opera Hotel, which is right next to the Oslo train station. We stayed at the Bergen Bors Hotel in Bergen. I don't remember whether we walked or took a taxi to the hotel from the Bergen train station. It was a fantastic trip.

When we were driven to Chioggia by private car from Venice (Piazzale Roma) this past summer to board Viking Sky, it took over an hour. It was on the weekend and Chioggia has a very popular beach. Traffic was quite heavy as we got close to Chioggia. I would assume that's why Viking is allowing for a 90 minute drive.

I'll second the T-Mobile recommendation. Although they only guarantee 3G, I never had less than 4G and mostly had 5G while we were in range of shore cell towers. Although I didn't specifically backup photos, I believe all of my iPhone photos ended up backed up to my Amazon Photos storage automatically. I was able to send text messages with photos without issue using cell service. I agree that the onboard WiFi isn't good for large data transfers (and really needs to be improved). As far as battery is concerned, the radios in the phone (wifi, cell, and bluetooth) really eat battery life. Even if you aren't in range of cell towers, the phone will still keep on trying to connect until you're in contact with the next cell tower. If you are away from land, go to Airplane Mode to cut off the celluar until closer to shore. Otherwise, I didn't have any battery issues with my iPhone 13 Max. If you are having problems maintaining charge, a visit to an Apple Store might be advised.

We looked into this back in June trying to get to Chioggia from Venice. It involves a vaporetto from Venice to the Lido barrier islands, then a bus down the Lido (including a ferry crossing), and then a separate ferry for the last bit into Chioggia. With luggage, it would have been too much. We ended up with a private driver that the hotel arranged for 200 euros for the 2 of us. A lot easier, if expensive.

One other thing to consider is that, if you pay by card and can time the payment right after your monthly statement end date, you could have nearly 2 months before the money actually comes out of your account when you pay off the credit card bill. Probably a small consideration, but something to factor in.

On our recent Mediterranean cruise, they had a shuttle into town for every port that wasn't an easy walk from the ship.

When Viking changed our departure from Fusina to Chioggia in June and we were traveling independently, we were told by Viking in no uncertain terms that we were responsible for getting to Chioggia from Venice. No bus from the Venice cruise terminal. We even volunteered to go to the airport to catch the Viking transportation for arriving passengers. We were told No. So, yeah, assume you are on your own if you are independently traveling before or after the cruise.